How will President Obama's Health Reform impact wireless health care market?

President Obama's healthcare appeal is expected to lead to many changes in the US healthcare market. One interesting question is, which healthcare services will benefit from it most?

According to a recent report published by international research firm Parks Associates one of the main beneficiaries will be the market for wireless home-based healthcare applications and services, which is expected to reach some $4.4 billion by 2013.

The rapid rise is supported by the healthcare reform of the Obama Administration, which is expected to encourage the adoption of wireless technologies in healthcare and the promotion of technologies that improve healthcare efficiency.

The report, titled Wireless Healthcare: Analysis & Forecasts, indicates that the market will grow at a five-year cumulative annual growth rate of over 80%.

The study indicated that wireless technologies can benefit home care in areas such as chronic care management, medical diagnostic device monitoring, wellness and fitness applications, medication management, and senior independent living solutions.

Another report, published by Parks Associates in February 2009, showed that providers of personal health technologies such as health monitoring devices and personal health records (PHR) can generate over $460 million in revenue in 2013.

The research firm said that changes in the healthcare landscape, combined with health reform initiatives, are catalysts for accelerated technology spending over the next five years.

Should the US act to fasten the adoption of telemedicine solutions?

he market for telemedicine solutions is constantly rising but experts wonder whether the Washington should actively move to encourage the development of telemedicine solutions?

According to a report published by US Department of Commerce the answer to this question is absolutely yes. The report, which was written by International Trade Specialist Matthew A. Hein from the International Trade Administration, concluded that: "the time to raise telemedicine’s profile has arrived, so that patients across the United States and the globe can benefit from the efficiencies that telemedicine can provide in fulfilling healthcare needs."

Hain said that in the current environment of a shortage of healthcare professionals, greater incidence of chronic conditions, and rising healthcare costs, telemedicine offers a potential tool to improve efficiency in the delivery of healthcare.

He said that the need for telemedicine is supported by the following factors:

• Significant increase in the U.S. population

• Shortage of healthcare professionals

• Increasing incidence of chronic diseases

• Need for efficient care of the elderly, home-bound, and physically challenged patients

• Lack of specialists and health facilities in rural areas

• Adverse events, injuries and illness at hospitals and physician’s offices

• Need to improve community and population health

Hain concluded that telemedicine can play an important role in providing solutions to these challenges. He called on the U.S. Department of Commerce to play an important role in addressing barriers and to collaborate to deliver telemedicine products and services.

Aerotel introduces new telecare safety device in Switzerland

Aerotel Medical Systems introduced a new personal safety and location system in the Swiss market.

The system, GeoSKeeper™, which is offered in Switzerland under the brand name AlarmTouch™ GPS, is distributed by Swiss company GEBOA SA, a leading distributor of interactive mobile solutions and services for security, location and communication. The GPS-based personal telecare safety device is specifically designed to meet the special needs of seniors, children and lone workers.

A report published by Credit Suisse bank indicates that the percentage of those aged 65 years and over in Switzerland will increase from the current 15.4% of the population to 24.3% in 2030.

The AlarmTouch GPS can activate a warning signal or initiate a voice call in case of need, identifying the caller’s location in order to provide the user with immediate assistance.

The wearable personal safety phone enables user remain in close contact with their relatives or caregivers and get immediate help in case of emergency from a tele-assistance center.

AlarmTouch allows two-way voice calls and text messages with an advanced alerting system for enhanced personal security. The product is fully programmable over the air via a user-friendly Web-based interface.

The device has attracted much interest and was presented on the “Nouvo” show on Swiss French TV channel and on Euronews.

Tele-Cardiology services reduce costs significantly

The introduction of Tele-Cardiology services can improve patient care and save costs, according to recent study conducted in the UK.

The report, which was published in the TeleHealth World magazine, is based on the findings of a pilot study of a new tele-cardiology service, commissioned by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

The research shows significant cost saving potential for the tele-cardiology service. The savings calculated showed a surprisingly short 3.5 months payback time for the investment in the technology. The NHS suggested that when extrapolated to England as a whole the potential financial savings of using such services could be a minimum of £45 million (some $90 million) per annum.

The pilot used Aerotel's HeartView series of hand-held 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder/transmitter devices. These devices are used in an identical manner as conventional ECG machines, except that they can record the ECG and then transmit it wirelessly from a patient’s home or a primary care clinic to a remote tele-cardiology consultation center, where it is captured and displayed on screen.

Practice staff and patients, who participated at the experiment, were overwhelmingly positive about the advent of tele-cardiology equipment in primary care. The report recommended that administrators should consider the use of telemedicine technology in cardiac care in a wide scale due to its significant benefits. It also became evident that as physicians gained confidence in the new technology it became an important tool for supporting clinical decision making to the extent that inappropriate referrals to A&E departments were being prevented.

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