Following up on the discussion from our Everywhere Healthcare event in Las Vegas, this week MobiHealthNews takes a look at the role wireless carriers or operators play in wireless health. Should you expect a Verizon branded glucometer any time soon? Will carriers like AT&T begin stocking connected health devices on their store shelves?
The carriers say: No.
Vodafone, Verizon Wireless and AT&T each put it in their own words but the bottom line was clear, carriers will not be consumers main point of contact for subscribing to wireless health services. Carriers see healthcare as much more of a business-to-business-to-consumer play for them. They will help their partners, companies like BL Healthcare, MedApps, Intel and others to add wireless connectivity to their products. It’s up to those device and services companies to manage their end users or work out that end user relationship with a care provider, payor, employer or other service provider organization.
Vodafone’s new head of health solutions, Joaquim Croca also made it clear that Vodafone has no interest in going direct to consumer with health services.
“We have a reputation for connectivity services,” Croca told Everywhere Healthcare attendees. “It would seem strange for us to suddenly begin selling healthcare services.”
At MobiHealthNews the push for understanding the carrier’s evolving role in wireless health should eke further along tomorrow. Telus, Canada’s second largest wireless carrier has whisked me away to Quebec City to the company’s senior management health summit. I’ll be sharing some key learnings from our coverage of wireless health during the past year and a half, but I am also eager to learn whether they can shed some light as to where they think Telus fits into the wireless health value chain.