ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the history of Personal Response Systems (PRS) in the United States will be an overview of Lifeline Systems, Inc. the primary developer of PRS in the US and Canada. The analysis of the current PRS market will focus on demographic information on current users, variances in technology and the structure and delivery of the service. The chapter addresses the current cost of the equipment and monitoring charges as well as who pays usually for the service. It also provides a thorough overview of PRS in the US and to stimulate questions and dialogue regarding the changes required to bring PRS to more people who need and want it in the 90s and on into the 21st century. Lifeline trained a field sales force to sell the service through hospitals and other health care facilities. Lifeline’s development of a self-installable unit and LifeTrac, a software package to automate call response have successful attempts at reducing labor intensity.
