FAQS

What factors into the cost of virtual patient cases?

Our fees are comparable to the cost of a house officer's manual or review textbook. Like a textbook, virtual patient cases can remain valuable teaching tools only if they are kept current. Reviewing, revising, and updating the cases and teaching resources; revising and validating the final exam questions; ensuring the cases remain aligned with the nationally accepted curriculum; and creating multimedia all require a significant effort. Unlike a textbook, MedU virtual patient cases also must provide for the costs of running the servers; delivering the cases; providing timely user support and continuous access to the Internet; and maintaining custom software and log data.

Can I pay less if I require only a few cases?

As with purchasing a textbook, a subscription to MedU virtual patient cases provides access to the full content of the website and cases. Modifying the software and Web site to allow for variable user access would increase our costs considerably. In addition, the institutional subscription provides access for all medical school courses and residency programs using the institutional email, whose directors may choose to begin using the cases as well.

Can we expect the user fees to increase in the future?

The fees for the 2010-2011 academic year remain unchanged. For one set of virtual patient cases, the only way your school will experience an increase in cost in the 2010-2011 academic year is if your institution's total student enrollment increased over last year's.  iInTIME directors have worked with business leaders to establish our current fees at a realistic level that will sustain MedU virtual patient cases for the foreseeable future. In addition, we are actively working with a number of outside organizations and businesses to establish financial relationships that will help sustain iInTIME. We continue to work hard NOT to increase fees!

What would the institutional fee be for third-year students?

To subscribe for specific students requires the purchase of individual subscriptions. Institutional subscriptions allow unlimited access to anyone who uses the school’s institutional email on file with us who is engaged in the study, teaching, or practice of medicine. The use of total student enrollment, first-through fourth-years, provides the base for our subscription fee.

Note:The fee structure displayed above does not present the cost-savings of bundling.