Report foresees a boom in wireless telehealth by 2012
July 28, 2009 —
2:43pm ET | By
Neil Versel
T
There will be 15
million medical
devices with
built-in
cellular
connectivity in
use worldwide by
early 2012,
predicts a new
study from ABI
Research. Many
of these
"telehealth
devices," as ABI
calls them, will
aid in the
remote
monitoring of
senior citizens
and other
high-risk
patients, and
the majority
will be in North
America.
eWeek cites the RTX3371 telehealth monitor from San Jose, CA-based Tunstall Healthcare as one example. The recently introduced gadget collects patient vital signs from external wireless devices such as scales and blood pressure cuffs, then communicates the data via a built-in GSM/GPRS cellular module. Even with this forecast boom, ABI sees lack of reimbursement for such devices as a barrier to greater acceptance. "The industry believes reimbursement for telehealth systems should be more comprehensive and straightforward. Proposed legislation is generating optimism," ABI Research Practice Director Sam Lucero says.
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