Tunstall's RTX3371 Wireless Telehealth Monitor follows the trend of many of the telemedicine solutions we saw on display at the American Telemedicine Association event earlier this week: 2G radios. If a device is simply transmitting biometric data into the cloud en route to online portals for physicians and other caregivers, who needs high-speed 3G networks? Most telemedicine companies seem to agree.

Tunstall's monitoring hub, which runs over GPRS data networks, wirelessly connects to compatible peripheral medical devices like Bluetooth weight scales and blood pressure monitors and then transmits the data to caregivers over the cellular network. The FDA just greenlit the device so Tunstall can now market in the U.S. Interestingly, the hub is also outfitted with voice technology so doctors can call patients via the hub to do a quick check-up over the phone. 

The JKOnTheRun blog just posted an article about Tunstall's telehealth hub and ended with the quip, "Sounds good for the patient, but I suspect this type of technology is only going to give my doctor more time to golf."

Funny, because most doctors familiar with these solutions worry they'll have no time for anything once patient data comes streaming in from their increasingly connected patients.