Companies often need help choosing an appropriate physician to oversee their AED programs, and finding a way to the right person has often been a time-consuming endeavor for some businesses. According to Doug Hakala, Medtronic Physio-Control's business development manager for allied health and commercial markets, the program is designed to help businesses move through the medical control selection process more efficiently and confidently. The program began in March of 1999 and is available through a network of distributors who work closely with Medtronic Physio-Control. Customers interested in establishing an AED program, who do not currently have a medical control plan at their worksite, fill out an application, detailing the kind of business they have, how many sites there are, how many people work in those sites and whether or not the business is mobile. After the appropriate training takes place, IMC reviews the program and helps select an appropriate physician.
Initial certification is good for one year.
Customers who meet yearly audits for quality assurance purposes can keep their programs in place for a period of five years, after which they must reapply. There would be several issues. It would be cumbersome for a small employer, or en an employer with up to 1,000 employees, to institute these types of programs because of the cost, the newness of the product and not understanding all the nuances that can be involved in AED use. Since its inception, D'Orta syas response has been overwhelming. Ted Borek, Jr., vice president for Emergency Cardiac Care Programs at the American Heart Association, summarizes the program's benefits.