by
Olga Deshchenko, DOTmed News Reporter | March 29, 2011
From the March 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Present barriers
RPM technologies differ from other medical devices because of their wireless element; they need a continuously reliable connection to function. This distinction not only requires providers to establish wireless capabilities, but also calls for medical vendors to expand their tech knowledge. To accomplish this goal, many device manufacturers are forming industry alliances with companies that have a wealth of such expertise.
For instance, in early January, GE Healthcare and Intel launched a joint venture called Care Innovations. The new company offers disease management, independent living and assistive technologies products. Julie Cherry, Care Innovations’ director of clinical development, says it’s setting its eyes on providers that can alter the delivery of care by adopting new models. “While traditionally, telehealth has most frequently been sold to the smaller home care agency market, we’re really focusing on those markets that can demonstrate true efficacy and efficiency through large-scale adoption of telehealth solutions,” she says. “We’re really focused on the large-scale payers and providers.”
Image courtesy of
Care Innovations
The buzz around RPM’s potential is loud, but the actual implementation process may be burdensome. “It’s one thing for a hospital or a health care system to develop all of these advances, but they have to have employees who know how to use the technology,” says Kalorama’s Carlson. “And health care IT professionals are becoming increasingly scarce and hard to hire.”
Ad Statistics
Times Displayed: 109945
Times Visited: 6642 MIT labs, experts in Multi-Vendor component level repair of: MRI Coils, RF amplifiers, Gradient Amplifiers Contrast Media Injectors. System repairs, sub-assembly repairs, component level repairs, refurbish/calibrate. info@mitlabsusa.com/+1 (305) 470-8013
Fortunately, vendors aren’t in the dark about such issues. Some are offering “plug-n-play” solutions, says Carlson, which work without much hassle as soon as they’re turned on, reducing the need for IT expertise.
Another potential difficulty is information overload – as more and more patients become monitored remotely, will providers be able to handle them all? How will staff be trained to respond? And will the response be proper and prompt?
Despite the obstacles, some experts believe the drivers of the RPM market outweigh the current challenges. “Everyone’s agreed on the goal, it’s just a matter of the steps in between,” says Carlson.
