Carriers to fast-track health devices
 “It’s not just about phones anymore,” declared a recent Sprint press release about accelerating healthcare devices and other M2M devices to market. Sprint isn’t the only carrier to see beyond the phone in recent weeks: Verizon Wireless and AT&T have both made similar moves.
A few weeks after Verizon Wireless announced a machine-to-machine (M2M) joint venture with Qualcomm, AT&T opened a device certification lab that will accelerate the entry of “netbooks, eReaders, portable navigation devices, utility products, and healthcare-related tracking devices” into the market.
Yesterday, Sprint announced a multi-year agreement with M2M company DataSmart to help embedded device makers to bring their products to market sooner. As part of the announcement the carrier quoted Yankee Group’s Vice President of Research Steve Hilton: ”The demand for sophisticated M2M applications that provide data transmission is growing. Specifically, the rapid growth in M2M healthcare, energy and fleet services is fueling the need for faster and easier deployment models.”
A recent report from Harbor Research predicted that M2M device shipments might top 430 million units by 2013, thanks to demand from wireless personal area networks and wireless sensor networks technologies. You can bet wireless healthcare will be one of the key use cases driving that trend.
Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg seems to think so: During a keynote at CTIA Wireless this past spring, Seidenberg noted that while the U.S. is fast approaching a penetration rate north of 90 percent of the population using mobile phones, the opportunity to reach 500 percent penetration is possible thanks to embedded devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) services. Seidenberg specifically pointed to connected medical devices like a wireless-enabled glucose monitor as an example of an embedded device that could push the industry to 500 percent penetration. That means a lot more than 430 million M2M devices shipped in 2013.
Time will tell whether Seidenberg or Harbor Research nailed the predictive metrics, but regardless the industry seems poised to capitalize on the growth of M2M.
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| Rumor: Philips to acquire CardioNet?
There has been a highly speculative and questionable rumor floating around that Philips is interested in buying wireless cardiac monitoring company CardioNet. The company has had a string of bad news lately as Highmark Medicare Services officially reduced reimbursement for the company’s services starting yesterday. CardioNet is also facing class action lawsuits related to the reimbursement cut.
According to Briefing.com (via MSN Money): “Medical supplier CardioNet has seen early strength after chatter that Philips could be interested in the [company] made the rounds.” The site prefaces the rumor with: “While many rumors circulate during the day, and the validity of the source of these rumors can be questionable, the speculation may increase volatility in the stocks in the near term.”
Right now this rumor is about as far-fetched as they come, but we do wonder what kind of an effect an acquisition like this one would have on the larger wireless health industry. CardioNet has announced longterm plans to leverage its existing platform and offer chronic disease management or diagnostic tools for diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension and more.
Philips is also quietly driving a lot of innovation in wireless healthcare. For example, the company sits on the board of directors of the Continua Health Alliance. During an interview with Mobihealthnews, Scott Smith, principal at the consulting firm Changeist recently pegged Philips as a key leader in the emerging wireless healthcare industry.
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Harvard Pilgrim to pilot wireless pillbox for CKD
New England-based health plan Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announced plans to pilot a medication adherence study that makes use of MedMinder Systems’ wireless-enabled pillbox. The randomized controlled study, which is set to begin in early September, aims to determine how effective MedMinder’s system is on a population of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD affects 26 million Americans and it currently has no cure. Consistent use of the right medication regimen can slow the disease in some cases. The disease can progress to kidney failure, which then requires dialysis or kidney transplant.
MedMinder “helps patients take the right medicine at the right time” while enabling caregivers to monitor the patient’s adherence to their medication regimens. MedMinder’s system includes a Maya unit, which is a wireless-enabled pillbox that can trigger alerts and reminders to patients, families and caregivers. The pillbox lights up, sounds alarms, places phone calls and even emails users for alerts and notifications. Tracking data for adherence can be monitored through MedMinder’s online portal, which can also feed into other clinical systems like EHRs, the company said in a release.
“Medication adherence is critical to successful treatment outcomes, especially with chronically ill patients,” Lydia Bernstein, Director, Clinical Quality Initiatives at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care stated in a company release. “We are always looking for ways to help patients and their families better cope with their illnesses and complex treatment regimens. The findings from the evaluation of MedMinder’s Maya system will help us better understand the potential and suitability of this innovative adherence solution.”
For more on MedMinder, check out this video tutorial of the device.
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eCardio reported $21.4 million in 2008 revenue
Inc. Magazine recognized at least one wireless health-focused company as among the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by revenue. eCardio Diagnostics was ranked the 117th fastest growing company in the U.S. with $21.4 million in revenue for 2008 and three year sales growth of 1,424 percent. eCardio was the 11th fastest growing health-focused company in the country, according to the magazine. eCardio creates technology solutions for the “diagnosis, monitoring and subsequent clinical management of cardiac arrhythmias, predominantly in an ambulatory setting.”
eCardio, which was founded in 2004, sent out a press release with more details of the company’s quick growth: “From 2005 to 2006, eCardio doubled the size of the staff, from 19 to 44 employees and between 2006 and 2007, the company’s ranks doubled again, growing to 99 staff members. Since the beginning of 2009, eCardio has continued this growth trend and currently employs over 300 technicians, customer service representatives, billing and reimbursement specialists, inventory support staff and corporate managers.” Continue >>
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| GE: Wireless interference holds back BANs
GE Healthcare and GE’s technology development arm, Global Research, announced an initiative focused on developing body sensor networks (BSNs) that will “collect critical patient-specific information.” Examples of the types of vitals and biometrics GE plans to develop sensors for include temperature, pulse-oximetry, blood glucose levels, electrocardiogram readings, blood pressure levels and respiratory function.
“The great thing about this data is that it can be collected and then processed locally at the patient or transmitted electronically to a centralized monitoring station, so that a doctor can monitor how a patient is doing whether they are checking them at the hospital or from their office and even home,” David Davenport, a member of the Radio Frequency and Photonics Laboratory at GE Global Research wrote on the company’s research blog, From Edison’s Desk. “We think BSNs could play an important role in helping healthcare providers meet growing patient demands in an increasingly challenging work environment. With approximately 80 million baby boomers in the US, the number of hospitalized patients is projected to increase as this population ages. This increase comes at a time when many doctors and nurses are retiring. Reporting requirements for hospitals also are significant, with more than 300 different requirements that need to be managed. BSNs could help healthcare providers do more with less and ensure patient care continues to remain strong.” Continue >>
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FCC: Help us encourage wireless health
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) just announced a plan to examine the mobile phone industry in an effort to determine ways that the agency can spur innovation and competition in the industry. The FCC highlighted four key markets ripe for wireless innovation: health care, energy, education and public safety and is seeking comments on how it can best go about facilitating innovation in those areas. The FCC specifically points to “personal medical monitoring devices [that] can send data to a physician or health care facility using a commercial wireless network” as an example of the type of innovation it is trying to encourage.
“Of course, no one can really predict with confidence exactly how the revolution in mobile broadband will ultimately affect our society and our economy. But it doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that the effects are going to be deep and far-reaching. Mobile broadband will create and support many of the great companies, technologies, and applications of tomorrow,” FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. “It will play an essential role in supporting the long-term health of our economy and creating new jobs for American workers. It will enable all of us to be more productive and more connected everywhere we go. And, I believe, it will have positive consequences for our nation’s ability to solve pressing problems like health care, energy, education, and public safety.”
The FCC’s notice of inquiry (NOI), includes a request for comments on how it can help facilitate wireless innovation in healthcare: Continue >>
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Ed Zander: Inflection point for wireless health
Ed Zander, the former CEO and chairman of Motorola, has joined healthcare-focused real-time location systems (RTLS) company Awarepoint as a member of its board of directors. Awarepoint’s RTLS solution is ZigBee-based.
Zander was the CEO and chairman at Motorola for about four years before resigning in late 2007 to spend more time with his family. Upon resigning from Motorola, Zander remarked that he had spent some 40 years in the technology industry. Prior to Motorola, Zander spent 15 years at Sun Microsystems and left the company after serving as its COO.
Zander’s move to Awarepoint highlights that top telecom executives have recognized wireless healthcare as a key opportunity for the telecom industry.
“Awarepoint’s success is already remarkable,” Zander stated in a company release. “With the current attention being focused on opportunities for wireless communications in healthcare, Awarepoint is poised for significant growth. I look forward to sharing my experience and advice at this inflection point in technology solutions for the worldwide healthcare market.”
For more on Zander’s appointment to Awarepoint’s board, read the entire press release.
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Center offers grants for medication adherence
The Center for Technology and Aging announced a $500,000 grant program for medication optimization, which includes adherence and related issues. The center is offering up to six one-year grants to organizations that propose programs that benefit older adults in California. One or two grants will be made available to those groups with programs in other areas, the center said.
“Programs eligible for grants must use technologies that are ready to be used more broadly. Grantees will be expected to have prior experience with medication optimization technologies and will need to demonstrate a positive and measurable impact in the near term, including reducing the likelihood that older adults will be moved to more intensive, high-cost care settings,” according to the Center’s release. “Most importantly, programs receiving grants will need to propose a strategy for successfully integrating their technology into the fabric of state and national health care delivery and reimbursement systems.”
Medication adherence has been a hot topic for a number of wireless health start-ups and health providers this past year and the two most recent announcements highlight the interest: Continue >>
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Health Guide competitor gets $3M in VC
BL Healthcare scooped up $3 million of a planned $5 million investment round, according to Mass High Tech. The company secured the money through the placement of preferred stock and warrants but the funders remain undisclosed. BL Healthcare developed a platform called TVx, which receives a patient’s health information from various Bluetooth-enabled wireless devices in the home and displays the data on the person’s television screen. Of course, the data also goes through a secure server to an online portal where doctors, nurses and other care givers can check-in on their patients.
“Mostly [the money] is for commercialization of these products,” Michael Mathur, CEO of BL Healthcare, told Mass High Tech. ”We want to be the volume supplier of these solutions.”
Mathur founded the company in 2005 and received FDA approval for its core product in 2006. Mathur counts Intel, Andover’s Philips Medical Systems and Honeywell HomMed among BL’s competitors.
For more, read this article over at Mass High Tech.
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Cardiac monitoring reimbursement gets cut
Highmark Medicare Services (HMS) confirmed with remote monitoring service provider CardioNet that the reduced reimbursement rate for mobile cardiovascular technology will become effective today, September 1, 2009. The new rate is $754 per service and that represents a 33 percent reduction from the $1,123 reimbursement rate the service has retained all year.
“We are very disappointed at HMS’ decision and believe strongly that CardioNet and other industry providers brought compelling data to HMS to justify a higher level of reimbursement,” CardioNet Chairman, President and CEO Randy Thurman stated. “We will be persistent in pursuing every appropriate means to remedy this situation. Mobile cardiac telemetry technology has now been used in over 300,000 patients nationwide and utilization of CardioNet’s MCOT continues to grow among cardiologists and electrophysiologists. The industry invested hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development and building infrastructure to bring MCOT technology to the market. Physicians, payors and, most importantly, patients have benefited greatly from this technology. This surprise decision by HMS on July 10, 2009 must be readdressed and not be allowed to put at risk either the investment in new technologies or the benefit to the patients we serve.”
CardioNet competitor LifeWatch also received confirmation from Highmark Medicare Services that the new, reduced reimbursement rate would go into effective today. The company sent out a press release that noted that “in addition to the information LifeWatch has already provided to Highmark, the company and the coalition of Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities (IDTFs) will continue to compile and submit further information to demonstrate that the revised reimbursement rate is inappropriately low.”
For more on CardioNet, its competitors and the reduced reimbursement rate, check out these related articles:
CardioNet terminates acquisition of Biotel
CMS slashes CardioNet reimbursement rate
CardioNet eyes diabetes, hypertension, neurology
LifeWatch, CardioNet spent $430,000 on lobbying
Sequoia invests in CardioNet competitor, eCardio
For more from CardioNet’s press release, read on: Continue >>
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Jitterbug now profitable, on VZW network
GreatCall, parent company to Jitterbug, the easy-to-use mobile phone service for seniors, will now be offering its service over Verizon Wireless’ network, which gives Jitterbug nationwide coverage as well as access to location-based technologies. Those could come in handy for the “Jitterbug Services Store.”
Jitterbug wants to keep their phones’ data connectivity invisible to its customer base. Jitterbug’s CEO David Inns describes the data connectivity as being embedded into the services themselves. The company worked with partners Samsung and Qualcomm to create a more seamless data connectivity experience for its customers. The “hidden” data network isn’t the only unique strategy Jitterbug is pursuing. In a world of application stores like the iPhone’s “AppStore,” BlackBerry’s “App World” or Google’s “Android Market,” Jitterbug is clearly taking a different tack by stressing the service behind the applications it plans to launch for its user group, which is primarily 55-years-old and older.
“We have launched what we are calling a Services Store,” Jitterbug CEO David Inns told mobihealthnews in a recent interview. “It’s not an App Store, because as you know with Jitterbug we are all about services… the reason we call it the Services Store is that unlike an App Store, and this is especially true for health and wellness, users want more than just an application. They want a live operator that you can talk to, who can help you with the service.” Continue >>
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Shorts: Continua and IHE; Pages for pulses
Continua teams with IHE Continua has teamed up with the IHE to work on “standards harmonization” for device interoperability. Continua’s Executive Director Rick Cnossen: “The Continua Health Alliance appreciates the opportunity HITSP has afforded to work with IHE to provide a harmonized approach for the Remote Patient Monitoring Use Case with an open architecture, international, standards-based solution. This will facilitate an ecosystem of connected technologies, devices, and services that provide a compelling way to meet the challenges of increased access, improve outcomes for patients, and ultimately reduce overall healthcare costs.” More
iPhone : EHR as Platform is to? Remember when the iPhone platform was suggested as a model for EHR development? This commentator points out where that suggestion falls flat. More
More on A&D Medical’s Continua-certification from a while back: “By producing both the blood-pressure monitor and the weighing scales, we have shown that the technology is adaptable – the scales are low-power devices that only take a reading infrequently, unlike the monitor,” Cambridge Consultants’ Paul Williamson said. “The intention is that these are the first of many devices, giving people access to services at home without having to manage a cumbersome PC interface. With Bluetooth capability, the device becomes part of the everyday routine, while for healthcare providers there is a huge gain in being able to collect such data.” More
Good news for pager companies? “Now your heart can page you.” Or so claims one recent headline describing another wireless remote cardiac monitoring system being used in a clinical trial. The implant sends a “page” to a dedicated handheld device the user carriers with them. Now, if only everyone had a pager in their pocket… Hmm. More
In other wireless cardiac monitoring news for Europe: KG, a wireless remote monitoring technologies company known for its implantable cardiac devices, announced that data from its TRUST trial was recently presented to the European Society of Cardiology Congress. The data found positive outcomes associated with use of KG’s Biotronik home monitoring that included a “safe reduction” in the number of in-office follow-up visits for patients. More
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The Inaugural Medical Device Connectivity Conference & Exhibition
September 10-11, Boston
This innovative conference and exhibition focuses on the integration of medical devices and information systems. The conference will feature in-depth coverage of strategy and implementation as well as legal/regulatory issues. Keynote speakers include: Tim Gee, Medical Connectivity Consulting and Julian Goldman, MD, Partners HealthCare Biomedical Engineering.
Register here
2009 Health Technology Investment Forum
September 22, NYC
The 2009 Health Technology Investment Forum is a one day conference that will provide an opportunity for investors and healthcare leaders to discover the latest trends and investment opportunities. You will have the opportunity to hear from both public and private high growth companies, gaining unparalleled investment insight.
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First annual Medical Innovation and Strategies Conference: The Future of Healthcare
Sept. 23, Duke University
The conference, which is hosted by Gopal Chopra: MD, FRACS, MBA, Adjunct Associate Professor at the Fuqua School of Business and Kevin Schulman: MD, MBA, Director of Health Sector Management and Associate Director, Duke Clinical Research Institute, will focus primarily on ‘Wireless and Consumer Healthcare’ and will address the following topics:
1. Future impact of wireless technology on the healthcare industry;
2. Understanding the future trends of consumer healthcare; and
3. Expert panel discussions on business models and innovation solutions.
Register here
ATA Mid-Year Meeting
Sept. 24-25, Palm Springs
The Third Annual ATA Mid-Year meeting is one great meeting combining two great tracks & showcasing the latest in products and services:
Track I:
Cutting Edge and Off-The-Shelf Technology: Making the Right Decisions
Track II:
4th Annual Pediatric Telehealth Colloquium
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MobiHealthNews PRESENTS:
Everywhere Healthcare
October 8, San Diego
With today’s wireless networks, the doctor is always in. While connecting patients to caregivers has never been easier, the search for the right business models for wireless health devices and services has just begun.
Don’t miss your appointment at the MobiHealthNews Presents: Everywhere Healthcare event during International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009!
OPEN TO ALL REGISTERED ATTENDEES! There is NO separate registration fee for this event and it is included in ALL registration packages. Please see registration form for details.
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CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009
October 6-9, San Diego
No matter what your business is – healthcare, entertainment, fleet management or financial planning – wireless can transform how you do business. International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment brings this possibility to life. With a focus on applications, network architecture and technologies such as LBS, machine-to-machine and WiMAX (just to name a few), this international event brings a community of users, carriers, developers and manufacturers together to generate dialogue, share ideas and debate the economics of MOBILE BUSINESS.
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Health 2.0
October 6-7, San Francisco
With nearly a hundred speakers and plenty of new healthcare demos and technologies on display on stage and in the exhibit hall, you’ll get a sweeping overview of the ways that information technology and the web are changing healthcare. We’ll be looking at the "traditional" Health 2.0 areas like vertical search, online social networks and tools for consumers. But the conference will also be focusing on how new technologies are connecting patients and clinicians, and examining the impact of Health 2.0 technologies on patients lives.
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6th annual Connected Health Symposium
October 21-22, Boston
Up from Crisis: Overhauling Healthcare Information, Payment and Delivery in Extraordinary Times
hosted by the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare
Healthcare will have its renaissance when it moves beyond the hospital and clinic and into the day-to-day lives of patients and consumers. The Connected Health Symposium asks how information technology — cell phones, computers, the Internet and other tools — can help people manage chronic conditions, maintain health and wellness, and age with independence.
Use invitation code mobihealth to receive a $100 discount!
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TEDMED 2009
October 27-30,
San Diego
The fifth in a series created by Marc Hodosh and Richard Saul Wurman, TEDMED celebrates conversations that demonstrate the intersection and connections between all things medical and healthcare related: from personal health to public health, devices to design and Hollywood to the hospital. Together, this encompasses more than twenty percent of our GNP in America while touching everyone’s life around the globe.
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