Heart failure is a major public health problem. For terminal heart failure the treatment of choice used to be heart transplantation during the last three decades. But this is changing, largely due to a decreasing supply of donor organs: “The alternative therapy nowadays is the implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD),” states Prof Dr Nils Reiss, Head of Clinical Research at...
A recent study published by JAMA Network Open found that follow-up home blood pressure telemonitoring could help patients with uncontrolled hypertension lower their blood pressure in the short term. However researchers found that in the long term, those who received the intervention had similar results to those who got the standard of care.
In the study, researcher analyzed blood pressure...
A matter of national security. Heatmap data released this weekend by fitness app Strava appears to betray the locations of US military bases and patrol routes, according to an analyst with the Institute for United Conflict Analysts. Further, WIRED UK reported this morning that Strava’s current API allows anyone to de-anonymize user-shared data to reveal a recorded user’s name, speed, and even...
Last month a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine made headlines and caused a few waves in digital health after concluding telemonitoring supported by a nurse call center intervention after discharge did not have an effect on outcomes for congestive heart failure patients. This week Dr. Joseph Kvedar, Vice President of Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, which was not involved in the...
Turkish mobile operator Turkcell teamed up with Istanbul University researchers to study how its wireless-enabled diabetes device, Turkcell Healthmeter, would impact patient outcomes.
The Turkcell Healthmeter is a small, cellular-enabled device that wirelessly pairs with a number of Bluetooth-enabled blood glucose meters -- no smartphone required. For the study, the Healthmeter sent data received...
Remote monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac devices reduced the mortality rate for cardiac patients by 50 percent and improved their clinical status by nearly 10 percent in a randomized control trial recently published in The Lancet. The trial was sponsored by medical device company Biotronik.
The trial was conducted at 36 different clinics and hospitals in Europe, Australia, and...
Last week, an early participant in the Medicare Shared Savings Program, which provides financial incentives for coordinating care of and improving outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries, went live with a telemonitoring program to keep tabs on patients with chronic diseases.
Primary Partners, a physician-owned accountable care organization (ACO) in Clermont, Fla., is contracting with New York-based...
AFrame Digital, a Reston, Va.-based maker of telemonitoring technology, has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA to sell its MobileCare Monitor as a Class II medical device in the US. The company has had less-stringent Class I approval for its flagship monitoring product since 2009.
MobileCare Monitor is a wristwatch-like device that offers continuous, real-time monitoring for seniors, people...
Photo Credit: Adam Schultz / Clinton Foundation
Remote and home patient monitoring technologies will be a key component of former President Bill Clinton's new push, through his William J. Clinton Foundation, to eliminate health disparities between communities of different socioeconomic and racial strata.
Clinton this week introduced the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, in partnership with...
Cisco, UnitedHealth ramp up remote doctor visits: Insurance company UnitedHealth said it will use Cisco's HealthPresence in a nationwide program to enable doctors to treat patients remotely. The companies aim to create a nationwide network to enable video medical imaging, audio communication and health record information exchange between remote locations like retail stores, office settings and...
