Medical device OEMs are now taking a page from the same book. Using IoT capabilities to monitor the performance of client medical devices and their facility’s systems, they have made it possible to anticipate potential failures or recognize them early, enabling timely intervention. This is particularly relevant to imaging equipment such as X-ray, MR and CT scanners, which are extremely costly to replace.

Several factors are driving health care providers to adopt remote monitoring. These factors range from favorable government regulations, to the need to manage shrinking margins, to the promise of increased efficiency from reduced device down time. Remote monitoring also provides OEMs with another quality tool to drive customer satisfaction and manage their own margins. This is particularly important when systems are under warranty. When major imaging systems go down unexpectedly, the outage and repairs can be longer and costlier for a host of reasons.


OEMs, hospitals and other stakeholders, including service providers, have come to understand that IoT connectivity can drive competitiveness. The IoT-connected medical imaging equipment market is expected to grow at a 17 percent compounded annual rate. These platforms will only become more valuable as they enable support services like data analytics.

Migration of IoT-enabled remote monitoring to RTLS
The IoT is poised to play a central role in health care quality improvement efforts. One example is in the proliferation of Real Time Location Systems which are enabling health care providers to manage assets, workflow, patient flow, infection control, and much more. These systems operate in real time and have become increasingly critical to the core operations of health facilities.

Managing RTLS downtime and minimizing any gaps in coverage are essential. Hospitals require a process to consolidate and synthesize the constant flow of information from these systems to produce a clear understanding of their performance. Advanced RTLS software features simple, web-based user interfaces that can answer the important questions about people, assets, and work flow, while also constantly monitoring the system’s real-time communication, battery status and overall system performance. Through these software interfaces, RTLS parameters can easily be remotely updated and reconfigured when necessary.

One global RTLS leader, Sonitor, has taken steps to make RTLS even more reliable with the introduction of a web-based, remote monitoring and diagnostic tool used in conjunction with Sonitor Sense, the flexible, open-integration RTLS platform that combines proprietary ultrasound technology with Wi-Fi and LF. Sonitor’s SenseView was introduced at HIMSS 2017 and is being implemented across its installed base. SenseView provides real-time health and battery status, and a dashboard or map view for simple visualization.

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