Embedded Wireless Labs, a Dallas-based maker of a remote patient monitoring platform and a new mobile personal emergency response system (mPERS), has signed an exclusive deal with AT&T to add 4G LTE connectivity to its products.

AT&T will provide the ultrafast mobile data service for continuous monitoring of the elderly, people with chronic diseases and others recently discharged from hospital care, regardless of whether patients are at home or out and about. "We're teaming up with Embedded Wireless to make in-home remote patient monitoring simpler and more effective for healthcare organizations to deploy and scale," Chris Penrose, senior vice president of AT&T Emerging Devices, says in a press release.

Specifically, the Zilant Wellness Platform, already available in a 3G version, is centered around a base station that takes readings from Bluetooth and ZigBee home medical devices and uploads data over the wireless Internet connection to a server that authorized caregivers can access. The new offering, which Embedded Wireless promises to launch at an unspecified time before the end of the year, adds 4G LTE connectivity as well as support for an mPERS pendant.

The pendant passively monitors the wearer's activity and location and detects falls, calling for help automatically or manually in case of emergency. At home, the mPERS device communicates with the Zilant base station by Wi-Fi, and switches to the 4G LTE network when the wearer goes out.

"With Zilant Wellness Platform technology and solutions built around it, Embedded Wireless aims to enable high-quality and low-cost remote patient monitoring and eldercare services across the US and globally," Embedded Wireless CEO Dr. Rama Shukla says. "Patients and their loved ones will enjoy peace of mind and a sense of security knowing their activity and biometric data allows quick response to any adverse event."

AT&T says it can have the systems up and running within a few hours of a patient being discharged from the hospital.