Norfolk, VA, April 27, 2004 - "Chip" hums quietly down a corridor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on rounds. Atop its five-foot cylindrical body sits a flat-screen monitor displaying the face of Michael Fabrizio, M.D., a practicing urologist and Associate Professor of Urology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He's driving Chip via joystick from his office a half-mile from the hospital. With an on-board camera and obstacle avoidance system, Dr. Fabrizio deftly steers Chip around a meal cart and a chair until it arrives at the nurse's station.

"Hi, Rayna," Fabrizio says.

"Hello, Doctor," responds the nurse. She and Dr. Fabrizio smile at each other.

"Let's see Mrs. Smith's vital signs, please."

"Got them right here," the nurse replies. She holds up the chart. The camera and monitor swivel down as Dr. Fabrizio studies the document.

"Looks good," says the Doctor. "No fever and the vitals are fine. Let's go see her, shall we?"

The robot follows the nurse into Mrs. Smith's room and stops at the bedside. Doctor and patient converse by microphone and monitor about how she's feeling and what she can eat. The camera studies her incision and she asks how soon she can shower.

"Feel like you're ready to go home?" Dr. Fabrizio asks.

"The sooner the better," says Mrs. Smith.

"Let's get you discharged today. Rayna, will you get things going?"

"Right away, Doctor."

"Have a great day, Mrs. Smith. We'll schedule a follow-up in the office."

With that, Chip rotates and whirrs out the door, heading for the next patient. Minutes after robot rounds, Dr. Fabrizio will be see his first office patient face-to-face.

"This could be a valuable tool as a 'physician extender'," says Dr. Fabrizio. It gives us direct contact with our patients at any time from anywhere, and we don't have to drive to the hospital. It should really improve our efficiency." The six-month trial will involve 40 patients.

Robots well-received by most patients

"It tickled me pink," says Barbara Vick, a former urology patient who experienced the Rounding Robot first-hand. "I'm a pioneer. I'm for anything new."

"A doctor is only one person," Vick says. "I don't know how they do all they do in a day. With the robot we talked just like he were standing there. The nurse helped him look at my incision, and we decided I would stay in the hospital another day. It's a better use of his time."

Robots can extend doctors' reach

Chip and Dottie are manufactured by Intouch Health, a pioneer in the use of 'remote presence' in health care. Intouch predicts that our aging population will place greater demands on healthcare providers in the years ahead. Robotic devices like Chip and Dottie will allow doctors real-time access to patients in multiple facilities, vastly increasing their efficiency and the timeliness of patient care and discharges.

Demonstration of Robot Rounding planned April 30th

Dr. Michael Fabrizio will demonstrate the capabilities of 'Chip' on Friday, April 30, 2004 from 9:00am to 10:30am at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Professional video is available, showing Dr. Fabrizio at the controls in his office and Chip at work at the hospital. Or, you may want to use two cameras. To arrange coverage of the Rounding Robot demonstration, contact Sentara Public Relations Consultant Dale Gauding at (757) 455-7118. Learn more about Sentara Healthcare at www.sentara.com. See the Media Page for worthwhile story ideas.