Tag Archives: mHealth

mHealth: Remote Patient Monitoring Is On The Rise, With Smartphones Leading The Way

Posted on by
mhealth

Last month, we took a look at some of the ways mobile technology is transforming the health industry. While there are many factors affecting this transformation, like artificial intelligence, big data, 3-D printing, social health networks, and remote communications, to name a few (check out Josh’s post on this here), unsurprisingly, change is coming at the hands of the growing ubiquity of cell phones, smartphones, and mobile devices.

Early last year, PEW Research was already reporting that 17 percent of mobile phone users were using their devices to look up health and medical information, and Juniper recently estimated that 44 million health apps were downloaded in 2011.

In turn, the amount and availability of health data is exploding in tandem with the growing adoption of health and medical apps and devices, thanks to the increasingly wearable and user-friendly devices that use smart sensors to capture and transmit a variety biometric data. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are being made available on mobile devices — even Kaiser Permanente is getting in on the digital revolution.

The mHealth industry is growing fast. According to Research2guidance‘s calculations, the size of the mHealth app market will nearly double in 2012 to $1.3 billion, up from $718 million in 2011. (I discussed the volatility of these statistics, the still-changing definitions of mHealth and mHealth technology, and conflicting reporting on these numbers here.)

While these numbers can sometimes be misleading, the mHealth sector is not only going to continue to expand, its profitability is going to skyrocket. This is because, in juxtaposition with the $7 trillion global healthcare market, the mHealth market remains incipient. Healthcare companies, startups, and beyond are just beginning to tap into the potential of mobile technology, both in terms of quantified self devices, which bring healthcare in the clinic home, the mobility of data and communication channels. Companies are beginning to spend more and more on research and development, the big kahunas of the medical world are starting to release real, functional mobile apps, and consumer-facing medical devices are just starting to see real market penetration.

On the other side of the table, doctors and health care professionals have begun to adopt mobile devices in droves, not only using these devices to manage their schedules (and workflow) as they move about the hospital or their practices, but to consult with patients, receive realtime alerts, and we’re already starting to see them being used for research and diagnostics.

To this point, it’s no wonder that we’re also seeing a blossoming market for so-called “healthcare peripherals.” As smartphone processors become more powerful, a growing number of patients will be monitored by mobile networks. A recent report by Juniper on the mHealth sector estimated that 3 million patients will be monitored on those networks over the course of the next four years.

In turn, Juniper expects that remote patient monitoring — by way of using the smartphone as a hub, — will significantly lower the cost of mHealth services, because it will create a reduced need for costly, tailored devices. In terms of which sectors are out in front, the Juniper report said that the monitoring of cardiac outpatients has become increasingly popular, “as insurance reimbursement in the U.S. market plays a key role.” Next, one can expect to see remote monitoring playing an increasingly central role in the management and ongoing treatment of chronic diseases, specifically of diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. (Omada Health recently raised a seed round from some notable angel investors to take on diabetes with behavior science and web and mobile technology. Gloocose is also doing some cool things here as well.)

It’s these types of affordable patient monitoring services that can help intervene in unhealthy lifestyles, get (and keep) us in shape, as well as monitoring at risk and aging segments of the population. By doing so, they will help reduce the drain that legacy systems, over-medication, and more cause on the entire system, cutting costs across the board.

Of course, the U.S. FDA plans to regulate mobile health products, which can be a good thing, as it could potentially open up the market and kickstart innovation. However, the FDA has not yet released its guidelines on what devices and services will require approval before being served up to the public.

The FDA must ramp up its education and ensure that it avoids subjecting basic consumer-facing health apps to years of waiting for approval, regulations, and red tape. It will be a tricky balance to find, but the FDA could really open the floodgates. If they play it right, it could be a boon for the mHealth market.

Furthermore, Juniper’s report also points out that developing markets are going to continue to benefit from SMS-based education programs and app-based healthcare services, like mobile ultrasound. And, as I mentioned before, electronic health records are still in the process of gaining traction, though there’s still a long way to go. Expect EMRs to become an increasingly important part of mHealth services. Go long on EMRs.

For more, check out Juniper’s release here.

Image excerpt from mHealthWatch


mHealth: Remote Patient Monitoring Is On The Rise, With Smartphones Leading The Way

Posted on by
mhealth

Last month, we took a look at some of the ways mobile technology is transforming the health industry. While there are many factors affecting this transformation, like artificial intelligence, big data, 3-D printing, social health networks, and remote communications, to name a few (check out Josh’s post on this here), unsurprisingly, change is coming at the hands of the growing ubiquity of cell phones, smartphones, and mobile devices.

Early last year, PEW Research was already reporting that 17 percent of mobile phone users were using their devices to look up health and medical information, and Juniper recently estimated that 44 million health apps were downloaded in 2011.

In turn, the amount and availability of health data is exploding in tandem with the growing adoption of health and medical apps and devices, thanks to the increasingly wearable and user-friendly devices that use smart sensors to capture and transmit a variety biometric data. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are being made available on mobile devices — even Kaiser Permanente is getting in on the digital revolution.

The mHealth industry is growing fast. According to Research2guidance‘s calculations, the size of the mHealth app market will nearly double in 2012 to $1.3 billion, up from $718 million in 2011. (I discussed the volatility of these statistics, the still-changing definitions of mHealth and mHealth technology, and conflicting reporting on these numbers here.)

While these numbers can sometimes be misleading, the mHealth sector is not only going to continue to expand, its profitability is going to skyrocket. This is because, in juxtaposition with the $7 trillion global healthcare market, the mHealth market remains incipient. Healthcare companies, startups, and beyond are just beginning to tap into the potential of mobile technology, both in terms of quantified self devices, which bring healthcare in the clinic home, the mobility of data and communication channels. Companies are beginning to spend more and more on research and development, the big kahunas of the medical world are starting to release real, functional mobile apps, and consumer-facing medical devices are just starting to see real market penetration.

On the other side of the table, doctors and health care professionals have begun to adopt mobile devices in droves, not only using these devices to manage their schedules (and workflow) as they move about the hospital or their practices, but to consult with patients, receive realtime alerts, and we’re already starting to see them being used for research and diagnostics.

To this point, it’s no wonder that we’re also seeing a blossoming market for so-called “healthcare peripherals.” As smartphone processors become more powerful, a growing number of patients will be monitored by mobile networks. A recent report by Juniper on the mHealth sector estimated that 3 million patients will be monitored on those networks over the course of the next four years.

In turn, Juniper expects that remote patient monitoring — by way of using the smartphone as a hub, — will significantly lower the cost of mHealth services, because it will create a reduced need for costly, tailored devices. In terms of which sectors are out in front, the Juniper report said that the monitoring of cardiac outpatients has become increasingly popular, “as insurance reimbursement in the U.S. market plays a key role.” Next, one can expect to see remote monitoring playing an increasingly central role in the management and ongoing treatment of chronic diseases, specifically of diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. (Omada Health recently raised a seed round from some notable angel investors to take on diabetes with behavior science and web and mobile technology. Gloocose is also doing some cool things here as well.)

It’s these types of affordable patient monitoring services that can help intervene in unhealthy lifestyles, get (and keep) us in shape, as well as monitoring at risk and aging segments of the population. By doing so, they will help reduce the drain that legacy systems, over-medication, and more cause on the entire system, cutting costs across the board.

Of course, the U.S. FDA plans to regulate mobile health products, which can be a good thing, as it could potentially open up the market and kickstart innovation. However, the FDA has not yet released its guidelines on what devices and services will require approval before being served up to the public.

The FDA must ramp up its education and ensure that it avoids subjecting basic consumer-facing health apps to years of waiting for approval, regulations, and red tape. It will be a tricky balance to find, but the FDA could really open the floodgates. If they play it right, it could be a boon for the mHealth market.

Furthermore, Juniper’s report also points out that developing markets are going to continue to benefit from SMS-based education programs and app-based healthcare services, like mobile ultrasound. And, as I mentioned before, electronic health records are still in the process of gaining traction, though there’s still a long way to go. Expect EMRs to become an increasingly important part of mHealth services. Go long on EMRs.

For more, check out Juniper’s release here.

Image excerpt from mHealthWatch


mHealth: Remote Patient Monitoring Is On The Rise, With Smartphones Leading The Way

Posted on by
mhealth

Last month, we took a look at some of the ways mobile technology is transforming the health industry. While there are many factors affecting this transformation, like artificial intelligence, big data, 3-D printing, social health networks, and remote communications, to name a few (check out Josh’s post on this here), unsurprisingly, change is coming at the hands of the growing ubiquity of cell phones, smartphones, and mobile devices.

Early last year, PEW Research was already reporting that 17 percent of mobile phone users were using their devices to look up health and medical information, and Juniper recently estimated that 44 million health apps were downloaded in 2011.

In turn, the amount and availability of health data is exploding in tandem with the growing adoption of health and medical apps and devices, thanks to the increasingly wearable and user-friendly devices that use smart sensors to capture and transmit a variety biometric data. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are being made available on mobile devices — even Kaiser Permanente is getting in on the digital revolution.

The mHealth industry is growing fast. According to Research2guidance‘s calculations, the size of the mHealth app market will nearly double in 2012 to $1.3 billion, up from $718 million in 2011. (I discussed the volatility of these statistics, the still-changing definitions of mHealth and mHealth technology, and conflicting reporting on these numbers here.)

While these numbers can sometimes be misleading, the mHealth sector is not only going to continue to expand, its profitability is going to skyrocket. This is because, in juxtaposition with the $7 trillion global healthcare market, the mHealth market remains incipient. Healthcare companies, startups, and beyond are just beginning to tap into the potential of mobile technology, both in terms of quantified self devices, which bring healthcare in the clinic home, the mobility of data and communication channels. Companies are beginning to spend more and more on research and development, the big kahunas of the medical world are starting to release real, functional mobile apps, and consumer-facing medical devices are just starting to see real market penetration.

On the other side of the table, doctors and health care professionals have begun to adopt mobile devices in droves, not only using these devices to manage their schedules (and workflow) as they move about the hospital or their practices, but to consult with patients, receive realtime alerts, and we’re already starting to see them being used for research and diagnostics.

To this point, it’s no wonder that we’re also seeing a blossoming market for so-called “healthcare peripherals.” As smartphone processors become more powerful, a growing number of patients will be monitored by mobile networks. A recent report by Juniper on the mHealth sector estimated that 3 million patients will be monitored on those networks over the course of the next four years.

In turn, Juniper expects that remote patient monitoring — by way of using the smartphone as a hub, — will significantly lower the cost of mHealth services, because it will create a reduced need for costly, tailored devices. In terms of which sectors are out in front, the Juniper report said that the monitoring of cardiac outpatients has become increasingly popular, “as insurance reimbursement in the U.S. market plays a key role.” Next, one can expect to see remote monitoring playing an increasingly central role in the management and ongoing treatment of chronic diseases, specifically of diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. (Omada Health recently raised a seed round from some notable angel investors to take on diabetes with behavior science and web and mobile technology. Gloocose is also doing some cool things here as well.)

It’s these types of affordable patient monitoring services that can help intervene in unhealthy lifestyles, get (and keep) us in shape, as well as monitoring at risk and aging segments of the population. By doing so, they will help reduce the drain that legacy systems, over-medication, and more cause on the entire system, cutting costs across the board.

Of course, the U.S. FDA plans to regulate mobile health products, which can be a good thing, as it could potentially open up the market and kickstart innovation. However, the FDA has not yet released its guidelines on what devices and services will require approval before being served up to the public.

The FDA must ramp up its education and ensure that it avoids subjecting basic consumer-facing health apps to years of waiting for approval, regulations, and red tape. It will be a tricky balance to find, but the FDA could really open the floodgates. If they play it right, it could be a boon for the mHealth market.

Furthermore, Juniper’s report also points out that developing markets are going to continue to benefit from SMS-based education programs and app-based healthcare services, like mobile ultrasound. And, as I mentioned before, electronic health records are still in the process of gaining traction, though there’s still a long way to go. Expect EMRs to become an increasingly important part of mHealth services. Go long on EMRs.

For more, check out Juniper’s release here.

Image excerpt from mHealthWatch


mHealth: Remote Patient Monitoring Is On The Rise, With Smartphones Leading The Way

Posted on by
mhealth

Last month, we took a look at some of the ways mobile technology is transforming the health industry. While there are many factors affecting this transformation, like artificial intelligence, big data, 3-D printing, social health networks, and remote communications, to name a few (check out Josh’s post on this here), unsurprisingly, change is coming at the hands of the growing ubiquity of cell phones, smartphones, and mobile devices.

Early last year, PEW Research was already reporting that 17 percent of mobile phone users were using their devices to look up health and medical information, and Juniper recently estimated that 44 million health apps were downloaded in 2011.

In turn, the amount and availability of health data is exploding in tandem with the growing adoption of health and medical apps and devices, thanks to the increasingly wearable and user-friendly devices that use smart sensors to capture and transmit a variety biometric data. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are being made available on mobile devices — even Kaiser Permanente is getting in on the digital revolution.

The mHealth industry is growing fast. According to Research2guidance‘s calculations, the size of the mHealth app market will nearly double in 2012 to $1.3 billion, up from $718 million in 2011. (I discussed the volatility of these statistics, the still-changing definitions of mHealth and mHealth technology, and conflicting reporting on these numbers here.)

While these numbers can sometimes be misleading, the mHealth sector is not only going to continue to expand, its profitability is going to skyrocket. This is because, in juxtaposition with the $7 trillion global healthcare market, the mHealth market remains incipient. Healthcare companies, startups, and beyond are just beginning to tap into the potential of mobile technology, both in terms of quantified self devices, which bring healthcare in the clinic home, the mobility of data and communication channels. Companies are beginning to spend more and more on research and development, the big kahunas of the medical world are starting to release real, functional mobile apps, and consumer-facing medical devices are just starting to see real market penetration.

On the other side of the table, doctors and health care professionals have begun to adopt mobile devices in droves, not only using these devices to manage their schedules (and workflow) as they move about the hospital or their practices, but to consult with patients, receive realtime alerts, and we’re already starting to see them being used for research and diagnostics.

To this point, it’s no wonder that we’re also seeing a blossoming market for so-called “healthcare peripherals.” As smartphone processors become more powerful, a growing number of patients will be monitored by mobile networks. A recent report by Juniper on the mHealth sector estimated that 3 million patients will be monitored on those networks over the course of the next four years.

In turn, Juniper expects that remote patient monitoring — by way of using the smartphone as a hub, — will significantly lower the cost of mHealth services, because it will create a reduced need for costly, tailored devices. In terms of which sectors are out in front, the Juniper report said that the monitoring of cardiac outpatients has become increasingly popular, “as insurance reimbursement in the U.S. market plays a key role.” Next, one can expect to see remote monitoring playing an increasingly central role in the management and ongoing treatment of chronic diseases, specifically of diabetes and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder. (Omada Health recently raised a seed round from some notable angel investors to take on diabetes with behavior science and web and mobile technology. Gloocose is also doing some cool things here as well.)

It’s these types of affordable patient monitoring services that can help intervene in unhealthy lifestyles, get (and keep) us in shape, as well as monitoring at risk and aging segments of the population. By doing so, they will help reduce the drain that legacy systems, over-medication, and more cause on the entire system, cutting costs across the board.

Of course, the U.S. FDA plans to regulate mobile health products, which can be a good thing, as it could potentially open up the market and kickstart innovation. However, the FDA has not yet released its guidelines on what devices and services will require approval before being served up to the public.

The FDA must ramp up its education and ensure that it avoids subjecting basic consumer-facing health apps to years of waiting for approval, regulations, and red tape. It will be a tricky balance to find, but the FDA could really open the floodgates. If they play it right, it could be a boon for the mHealth market.

Furthermore, Juniper’s report also points out that developing markets are going to continue to benefit from SMS-based education programs and app-based healthcare services, like mobile ultrasound. And, as I mentioned before, electronic health records are still in the process of gaining traction, though there’s still a long way to go. Expect EMRs to become an increasingly important part of mHealth services. Go long on EMRs.

For more, check out Juniper’s release here.

Image excerpt from mHealthWatch


Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

Posted on by

Post image for Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

One of the major announcements at last week’s mHealth Summit was made by Qualcomm who introduced a new platform for wirelessly connecting medical devices. The 2net platform abstracts away the details of connecting a sensor to a cloud-based server.

Right now, if a company develops a great  lightweight sensor to measure, say, walking speed, it will also have to engineer a way for that information to be transferred wirelessly, sometimes across a couple of stops, to its eventual destination somewhere on a server. Although these same challenges repeat for every device, each company has to “reinvent the wheel”.

Additionally, once it arrives at the company’s servers that rich collection of data would still be isolated – in a “data silo”. If another company comes along with a terrific heart rate sensor and suggests, “why don’t we combine the two data streams and make a useful new app”, not only would they have to recreate the entire chain of communication for themselves, the two companies would have to agree to methods for their two servers to talk and share information.

2Net makes almost all of the above problems go away. It opens up a world of seamlessly connected wireless devices that allows application developers and sensor designers to concentrate on their work and “outsource” all the communication and data storage needs. Already within the Qualcomm pavilion on the exhibit floor, there were already several companies taking advantage of the new “2net” platform.

This is a big deal.

Actually, Qualcomm made three concurrent announcements. First, they are spinning off their Qualcomm Wireless Health division formally into a wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life. Also announced was the creation of a $100M venture fund for connected wireless companies called the Qualcomm Life Fund. The fund will invest in the following areas:

  • Body worn or implantable biosensors or devices for vertically focused applications like chronic disease care, medication compliance and fitness or wellness
  • Integrated system providers that do remote diagnosis, monitoring, or specialize in independent living
  • Mobile software health IT applications
  • Health Informatics/Analytics

The fund has already announced five investments; AliveCor, Air Strip Technologies, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Telcare and WorkSmart Labs, four of which were present at the Summit.

The exciting announcement, however, is the 2net platform. The goal of the platform is to make it simple for medical devices of all kinds, whether they measure oxygen saturation, weight, blood pressure, etc., to get their data to where it belongs. We had the opportunity to learn about 2net with Chris Talbot, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Life. We will soon publish our interview with Rick Valencia, VP and General Manager and Qualcomm Life about its history, business goals and possible partners.

There are four ways that data can be transmitted using the 2net system.

  1. The 2net Hub – a standalone gateway hub for the home
  2. Medical devices with an embedded cellular component
  3. Medical data sent from mobile phones
  4. Via the internet from other servers using application programming interfaces (APIs)

The 2net hub

The 2net hub is a device which has prongs for a wall outlet, two LED lights … and that’s it. Built into it are four radios, 2g/3g cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and Ant+ (a low power radio protocol used mostly for exercise equipment). It can communicate with any 2net aware device in the house, using any of the above radios, and transmit the data via cellular communication to the 2net platform.

Although many people do not realize this, Qualcomm is one of the largest MVNOs in the world (mobile virtual network operator). This means that it buys cellular bandwidth from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and resells or uses it on behalf of its customers, which is how the 2net hub communicates to the 2net servers. The result is that the maker of, for example, a home sphygmanometer can build into the device any kind of radio – bluetooth, WiFi, etc. and it  has to do is make it able to communicate with the 2net hub.

After that, Qualcomm Life will make sure it arrives at their server. The consumer does not have to worry about setting up a WiFi network, pairing Bluetooth, etc. It is plug-and-forget. This also accelerates advances in the device marketplace because consumers will find it easier to swap one device for another.

The 2net hub, by design, is a fixed point device. For mobile devices, there are two other methods to connect to the 2net platform. One is via a cell phone acting as a gateway. In this case, Qualcomm Life provides a set of code to be added to a health or medical app that directs sensor data to the 2net servers using the cellular network. Another method is embedded cellular chips inside devices which themselves connect to the cellular network. This is analogous to an Amazon Kindle which has an imbedded cellular chip for downloading books but (of course) does not make phone calls.

Finally, any server on the internet can feed information directly into the 2net servers using application programming interfaces (APIs). This would be useful in the case of, say, a patient health record (PHR) uploading data to 2net for the purposes of displaying it on a mobile app somewhere else. In fact, it is this bidirectional ability of the cloud based service that will allow for a wealth of yet to be imagined data mashups valuable for populations and individuals.  This is the most exciting part of this new platform.

It is this potential to aggregate all kinds of biometric and user entered data that is making possible the Macaw app which is an impressive demonstration of how a mobile device can aggregate a wide swath of biometric data and guide an individual into reducing risk of preventible illness. It is a powerful and comprehensive tool based on the Prevention Plan to decrease your health risks–which we will profile in an accompanying article.

The APIs that allow streamlined data sharing to and from other servers was also via an integration into a web based EHR, Hello Health by Myca. As can be seen below, there is a live dashboard  aggregating input from several different sensors simultaneously, including blood pressure, asthma inhaler puffs, glucose, weight, etc.

The volume of biometric data is expected to massively increase in the near future. Currently, data transmission is a patchwork of independently created proprietary solutions. Just imagine the number of  communication subsystems within any single hospital connecting medical devices. Qualcomm is stepping into this disordered marketplace, taking advantage of its global scale and multiple decades of leadership in wireless communication to offer a unifying platform.

Although the system is not based on open protocols managed by a standards body, such as the W3C for the internet, a simple and reliable system that companies large and small could subscribe to could well be the catalyst to launch the next big phase of the mHealth revolution.

Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

Posted on by

Post image for Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

One of the major announcements at last week’s mHealth Summit was made by Qualcomm who introduced a new platform for wirelessly connecting medical devices. The 2net platform abstracts away the details of connecting a sensor to a cloud-based server.

Right now, if a company develops a great  lightweight sensor to measure, say, walking speed, it will also have to engineer a way for that information to be transferred wirelessly, sometimes across a couple of stops, to its eventual destination somewhere on a server. Although these same challenges repeat for every device, each company has to “reinvent the wheel”.

Additionally, once it arrives at the company’s servers that rich collection of data would still be isolated – in a “data silo”. If another company comes along with a terrific heart rate sensor and suggests, “why don’t we combine the two data streams and make a useful new app”, not only would they have to recreate the entire chain of communication for themselves, the two companies would have to agree to methods for their two servers to talk and share information.

2Net makes almost all of the above problems go away. It opens up a world of seamlessly connected wireless devices that allows application developers and sensor designers to concentrate on their work and “outsource” all the communication and data storage needs. Already within the Qualcomm pavilion on the exhibit floor, there were already several companies taking advantage of the new “2net” platform.

This is a big deal.

Actually, Qualcomm made three concurrent announcements. First, they are spinning off their Qualcomm Wireless Health division formally into a wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life. Also announced was the creation of a $100M venture fund for connected wireless companies called the Qualcomm Life Fund. The fund will invest in the following areas:

  • Body worn or implantable biosensors or devices for vertically focused applications like chronic disease care, medication compliance and fitness or wellness
  • Integrated system providers that do remote diagnosis, monitoring, or specialize in independent living
  • Mobile software health IT applications
  • Health Informatics/Analytics

The fund has already announced five investments; AliveCor, Air Strip Technologies, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Telcare and WorkSmart Labs, four of which were present at the Summit.

The exciting announcement, however, is the 2net platform. The goal of the platform is to make it simple for medical devices of all kinds, whether they measure oxygen saturation, weight, blood pressure, etc., to get their data to where it belongs. We had the opportunity to learn about 2net with Chris Talbot, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Life. We will soon publish our interview with Rick Valencia, VP and General Manager and Qualcomm Life about its history, business goals and possible partners.

There are four ways that data can be transmitted using the 2net system.

  1. The 2net Hub – a standalone gateway hub for the home
  2. Medical devices with an embedded cellular component
  3. Medical data sent from mobile phones
  4. Via the internet from other servers using application programming interfaces (APIs)

The 2net hub

The 2net hub is a device which has prongs for a wall outlet, two LED lights … and that’s it. Built into it are four radios, 2g/3g cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and Ant+ (a low power radio protocol used mostly for exercise equipment). It can communicate with any 2net aware device in the house, using any of the above radios, and transmit the data via cellular communication to the 2net platform.

Although many people do not realize this, Qualcomm is one of the largest MVNOs in the world (mobile virtual network operator). This means that it buys cellular bandwidth from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and resells or uses it on behalf of its customers, which is how the 2net hub communicates to the 2net servers. The result is that the maker of, for example, a home sphygmanometer can build into the device any kind of radio – bluetooth, WiFi, etc. and it  has to do is make it able to communicate with the 2net hub.

After that, Qualcomm Life will make sure it arrives at their server. The consumer does not have to worry about setting up a WiFi network, pairing Bluetooth, etc. It is plug-and-forget. This also accelerates advances in the device marketplace because consumers will find it easier to swap one device for another.

The 2net hub, by design, is a fixed point device. For mobile devices, there are two other methods to connect to the 2net platform. One is via a cell phone acting as a gateway. In this case, Qualcomm Life provides a set of code to be added to a health or medical app that directs sensor data to the 2net servers using the cellular network. Another method is embedded cellular chips inside devices which themselves connect to the cellular network. This is analogous to an Amazon Kindle which has an imbedded cellular chip for downloading books but (of course) does not make phone calls.

Finally, any server on the internet can feed information directly into the 2net servers using application programming interfaces (APIs). This would be useful in the case of, say, a patient health record (PHR) uploading data to 2net for the purposes of displaying it on a mobile app somewhere else. In fact, it is this bidirectional ability of the cloud based service that will allow for a wealth of yet to be imagined data mashups valuable for populations and individuals.  This is the most exciting part of this new platform.

It is this potential to aggregate all kinds of biometric and user entered data that is making possible the Macaw app which is an impressive demonstration of how a mobile device can aggregate a wide swath of biometric data and guide an individual into reducing risk of preventible illness. It is a powerful and comprehensive tool based on the Prevention Plan to decrease your health risks–which we will profile in an accompanying article.

The APIs that allow streamlined data sharing to and from other servers was also via an integration into a web based EHR, Hello Health by Myca. As can be seen below, there is a live dashboard  aggregating input from several different sensors simultaneously, including blood pressure, asthma inhaler puffs, glucose, weight, etc.

The volume of biometric data is expected to massively increase in the near future. Currently, data transmission is a patchwork of independently created proprietary solutions. Just imagine the number of  communication subsystems within any single hospital connecting medical devices. Qualcomm is stepping into this disordered marketplace, taking advantage of its global scale and multiple decades of leadership in wireless communication to offer a unifying platform.

Although the system is not based on open protocols managed by a standards body, such as the W3C for the internet, a simple and reliable system that companies large and small could subscribe to could well be the catalyst to launch the next big phase of the mHealth revolution.

Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

Posted on by

Post image for Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

One of the major announcements at last week’s mHealth Summit was made by Qualcomm who introduced a new platform for wirelessly connecting medical devices. The 2net platform abstracts away the details of connecting a sensor to a cloud-based server.

Right now, if a company develops a great  lightweight sensor to measure, say, walking speed, it will also have to engineer a way for that information to be transferred wirelessly, sometimes across a couple of stops, to its eventual destination somewhere on a server. Although these same challenges repeat for every device, each company has to “reinvent the wheel”.

Additionally, once it arrives at the company’s servers that rich collection of data would still be isolated – in a “data silo”. If another company comes along with a terrific heart rate sensor and suggests, “why don’t we combine the two data streams and make a useful new app”, not only would they have to recreate the entire chain of communication for themselves, the two companies would have to agree to methods for their two servers to talk and share information.

2Net makes almost all of the above problems go away. It opens up a world of seamlessly connected wireless devices that allows application developers and sensor designers to concentrate on their work and “outsource” all the communication and data storage needs. Already within the Qualcomm pavilion on the exhibit floor, there were already several companies taking advantage of the new “2net” platform.

This is a big deal.

Actually, Qualcomm made three concurrent announcements. First, they are spinning off their Qualcomm Wireless Health division formally into a wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life. Also announced was the creation of a $100M venture fund for connected wireless companies called the Qualcomm Life Fund. The fund will invest in the following areas:

  • Body worn or implantable biosensors or devices for vertically focused applications like chronic disease care, medication compliance and fitness or wellness
  • Integrated system providers that do remote diagnosis, monitoring, or specialize in independent living
  • Mobile software health IT applications
  • Health Informatics/Analytics

The fund has already announced five investments; AliveCor, Air Strip Technologies, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Telcare and WorkSmart Labs, four of which were present at the Summit.

The exciting announcement, however, is the 2net platform. The goal of the platform is to make it simple for medical devices of all kinds, whether they measure oxygen saturation, weight, blood pressure, etc., to get their data to where it belongs. We had the opportunity to learn about 2net with Chris Talbot, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Life. We will soon publish our interview with Rick Valencia, VP and General Manager and Qualcomm Life about its history, business goals and possible partners.

There are four ways that data can be transmitted using the 2net system.

  1. The 2net Hub – a standalone gateway hub for the home
  2. Medical devices with an embedded cellular component
  3. Medical data sent from mobile phones
  4. Via the internet from other servers using application programming interfaces (APIs)

The 2net hub

The 2net hub is a device which has prongs for a wall outlet, two LED lights … and that’s it. Built into it are four radios, 2g/3g cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and Ant+ (a low power radio protocol used mostly for exercise equipment). It can communicate with any 2net aware device in the house, using any of the above radios, and transmit the data via cellular communication to the 2net platform.

Although many people do not realize this, Qualcomm is one of the largest MVNOs in the world (mobile virtual network operator). This means that it buys cellular bandwidth from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and resells or uses it on behalf of its customers, which is how the 2net hub communicates to the 2net servers. The result is that the maker of, for example, a home sphygmanometer can build into the device any kind of radio – bluetooth, WiFi, etc. and it  has to do is make it able to communicate with the 2net hub.

After that, Qualcomm Life will make sure it arrives at their server. The consumer does not have to worry about setting up a WiFi network, pairing Bluetooth, etc. It is plug-and-forget. This also accelerates advances in the device marketplace because consumers will find it easier to swap one device for another.

The 2net hub, by design, is a fixed point device. For mobile devices, there are two other methods to connect to the 2net platform. One is via a cell phone acting as a gateway. In this case, Qualcomm Life provides a set of code to be added to a health or medical app that directs sensor data to the 2net servers using the cellular network. Another method is embedded cellular chips inside devices which themselves connect to the cellular network. This is analogous to an Amazon Kindle which has an imbedded cellular chip for downloading books but (of course) does not make phone calls.

Finally, any server on the internet can feed information directly into the 2net servers using application programming interfaces (APIs). This would be useful in the case of, say, a patient health record (PHR) uploading data to 2net for the purposes of displaying it on a mobile app somewhere else. In fact, it is this bidirectional ability of the cloud based service that will allow for a wealth of yet to be imagined data mashups valuable for populations and individuals.  This is the most exciting part of this new platform.

It is this potential to aggregate all kinds of biometric and user entered data that is making possible the Macaw app which is an impressive demonstration of how a mobile device can aggregate a wide swath of biometric data and guide an individual into reducing risk of preventible illness. It is a powerful and comprehensive tool based on the Prevention Plan to decrease your health risks–which we will profile in an accompanying article.

The APIs that allow streamlined data sharing to and from other servers was also via an integration into a web based EHR, Hello Health by Myca. As can be seen below, there is a live dashboard  aggregating input from several different sensors simultaneously, including blood pressure, asthma inhaler puffs, glucose, weight, etc.

The volume of biometric data is expected to massively increase in the near future. Currently, data transmission is a patchwork of independently created proprietary solutions. Just imagine the number of  communication subsystems within any single hospital connecting medical devices. Qualcomm is stepping into this disordered marketplace, taking advantage of its global scale and multiple decades of leadership in wireless communication to offer a unifying platform.

Although the system is not based on open protocols managed by a standards body, such as the W3C for the internet, a simple and reliable system that companies large and small could subscribe to could well be the catalyst to launch the next big phase of the mHealth revolution.

Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

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One of the major announcements at last week’s mHealth Summit was made by Qualcomm who introduced a new platform for wirelessly connecting medical devices. The 2net platform abstracts away the details of connecting a sensor to a cloud-based server.

Right now, if a company develops a great  lightweight sensor to measure, say, walking speed, it will also have to engineer a way for that information to be transferred wirelessly, sometimes across a couple of stops, to its eventual destination somewhere on a server. Although these same challenges repeat for every device, each company has to “reinvent the wheel”.

Additionally, once it arrives at the company’s servers that rich collection of data would still be isolated – in a “data silo”. If another company comes along with a terrific heart rate sensor and suggests, “why don’t we combine the two data streams and make a useful new app”, not only would they have to recreate the entire chain of communication for themselves, the two companies would have to agree to methods for their two servers to talk and share information.

2Net makes almost all of the above problems go away. It opens up a world of seamlessly connected wireless devices that allows application developers and sensor designers to concentrate on their work and “outsource” all the communication and data storage needs. Already within the Qualcomm pavilion on the exhibit floor, there were already several companies taking advantage of the new “2net” platform.

This is a big deal.

Actually, Qualcomm made three concurrent announcements. First, they are spinning off their Qualcomm Wireless Health division formally into a wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life. Also announced was the creation of a $100M venture fund for connected wireless companies called the Qualcomm Life Fund. The fund will invest in the following areas:

  • Body worn or implantable biosensors or devices for vertically focused applications like chronic disease care, medication compliance and fitness or wellness
  • Integrated system providers that do remote diagnosis, monitoring, or specialize in independent living
  • Mobile software health IT applications
  • Health Informatics/Analytics

The fund has already announced five investments; AliveCor, Air Strip Technologies, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Telcare and WorkSmart Labs, four of which were present at the Summit.

The exciting announcement, however, is the 2net platform. The goal of the platform is to make it simple for medical devices of all kinds, whether they measure oxygen saturation, weight, blood pressure, etc., to get their data to where it belongs. We had the opportunity to learn about 2net with Chris Talbot, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Life. We will soon publish our interview with Rick Valencia, VP and General Manager and Qualcomm Life about its history, business goals and possible partners.

There are four ways that data can be transmitted using the 2net system.

  1. The 2net Hub – a standalone gateway hub for the home
  2. Medical devices with an embedded cellular component
  3. Medical data sent from mobile phones
  4. Via the internet from other servers using application programming interfaces (APIs)

The 2net hub

The 2net hub is a device which has prongs for a wall outlet, two LED lights … and that’s it. Built into it are four radios, 2g/3g cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and Ant+ (a low power radio protocol used mostly for exercise equipment). It can communicate with any 2net aware device in the house, using any of the above radios, and transmit the data via cellular communication to the 2net platform.

Although many people do not realize this, Qualcomm is one of the largest MVNOs in the world (mobile virtual network operator). This means that it buys cellular bandwidth from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and resells or uses it on behalf of its customers, which is how the 2net hub communicates to the 2net servers. The result is that the maker of, for example, a home sphygmanometer can build into the device any kind of radio – bluetooth, WiFi, etc. and it  has to do is make it able to communicate with the 2net hub.

After that, Qualcomm Life will make sure it arrives at their server. The consumer does not have to worry about setting up a WiFi network, pairing Bluetooth, etc. It is plug-and-forget. This also accelerates advances in the device marketplace because consumers will find it easier to swap one device for another.

The 2net hub, by design, is a fixed point device. For mobile devices, there are two other methods to connect to the 2net platform. One is via a cell phone acting as a gateway. In this case, Qualcomm Life provides a set of code to be added to a health or medical app that directs sensor data to the 2net servers using the cellular network. Another method is embedded cellular chips inside devices which themselves connect to the cellular network. This is analogous to an Amazon Kindle which has an imbedded cellular chip for downloading books but (of course) does not make phone calls.

Finally, any server on the internet can feed information directly into the 2net servers using application programming interfaces (APIs). This would be useful in the case of, say, a patient health record (PHR) uploading data to 2net for the purposes of displaying it on a mobile app somewhere else. In fact, it is this bidirectional ability of the cloud based service that will allow for a wealth of yet to be imagined data mashups valuable for populations and individuals.  This is the most exciting part of this new platform.

It is this potential to aggregate all kinds of biometric and user entered data that is making possible the Macaw app which is an impressive demonstration of how a mobile device can aggregate a wide swath of biometric data and guide an individual into reducing risk of preventible illness. It is a powerful and comprehensive tool based on the Prevention Plan to decrease your health risks–which we will profile in an accompanying article.

The APIs that allow streamlined data sharing to and from other servers was also via an integration into a web based EHR, Hello Health by Myca. As can be seen below, there is a live dashboard  aggregating input from several different sensors simultaneously, including blood pressure, asthma inhaler puffs, glucose, weight, etc.

The volume of biometric data is expected to massively increase in the near future. Currently, data transmission is a patchwork of independently created proprietary solutions. Just imagine the number of  communication subsystems within any single hospital connecting medical devices. Qualcomm is stepping into this disordered marketplace, taking advantage of its global scale and multiple decades of leadership in wireless communication to offer a unifying platform.

Although the system is not based on open protocols managed by a standards body, such as the W3C for the internet, a simple and reliable system that companies large and small could subscribe to could well be the catalyst to launch the next big phase of the mHealth revolution.

Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

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Post image for Qualcomm announces major breakthrough for connected medical devices #mHS11

One of the major announcements at last week’s mHealth Summit was made by Qualcomm who introduced a new platform for wirelessly connecting medical devices. The 2net platform abstracts away the details of connecting a sensor to a cloud-based server.

Right now, if a company develops a great  lightweight sensor to measure, say, walking speed, it will also have to engineer a way for that information to be transferred wirelessly, sometimes across a couple of stops, to its eventual destination somewhere on a server. Although these same challenges repeat for every device, each company has to “reinvent the wheel”.

Additionally, once it arrives at the company’s servers that rich collection of data would still be isolated – in a “data silo”. If another company comes along with a terrific heart rate sensor and suggests, “why don’t we combine the two data streams and make a useful new app”, not only would they have to recreate the entire chain of communication for themselves, the two companies would have to agree to methods for their two servers to talk and share information.

2Net makes almost all of the above problems go away. It opens up a world of seamlessly connected wireless devices that allows application developers and sensor designers to concentrate on their work and “outsource” all the communication and data storage needs. Already within the Qualcomm pavilion on the exhibit floor, there were already several companies taking advantage of the new “2net” platform.

This is a big deal.

Actually, Qualcomm made three concurrent announcements. First, they are spinning off their Qualcomm Wireless Health division formally into a wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Life. Also announced was the creation of a $100M venture fund for connected wireless companies called the Qualcomm Life Fund. The fund will invest in the following areas:

  • Body worn or implantable biosensors or devices for vertically focused applications like chronic disease care, medication compliance and fitness or wellness
  • Integrated system providers that do remote diagnosis, monitoring, or specialize in independent living
  • Mobile software health IT applications
  • Health Informatics/Analytics

The fund has already announced five investments; AliveCor, Air Strip Technologies, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Telcare and WorkSmart Labs, four of which were present at the Summit.

The exciting announcement, however, is the 2net platform. The goal of the platform is to make it simple for medical devices of all kinds, whether they measure oxygen saturation, weight, blood pressure, etc., to get their data to where it belongs. We had the opportunity to learn about 2net with Chris Talbot, Senior Director, Business Development for Qualcomm Life. We will soon publish our interview with Rick Valencia, VP and General Manager and Qualcomm Life about its history, business goals and possible partners.

There are four ways that data can be transmitted using the 2net system.

  1. The 2net Hub – a standalone gateway hub for the home
  2. Medical devices with an embedded cellular component
  3. Medical data sent from mobile phones
  4. Via the internet from other servers using application programming interfaces (APIs)

The 2net hub

The 2net hub is a device which has prongs for a wall outlet, two LED lights … and that’s it. Built into it are four radios, 2g/3g cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and Ant+ (a low power radio protocol used mostly for exercise equipment). It can communicate with any 2net aware device in the house, using any of the above radios, and transmit the data via cellular communication to the 2net platform.

Although many people do not realize this, Qualcomm is one of the largest MVNOs in the world (mobile virtual network operator). This means that it buys cellular bandwidth from the likes of AT&T and Verizon and resells or uses it on behalf of its customers, which is how the 2net hub communicates to the 2net servers. The result is that the maker of, for example, a home sphygmanometer can build into the device any kind of radio – bluetooth, WiFi, etc. and it  has to do is make it able to communicate with the 2net hub.

After that, Qualcomm Life will make sure it arrives at their server. The consumer does not have to worry about setting up a WiFi network, pairing Bluetooth, etc. It is plug-and-forget. This also accelerates advances in the device marketplace because consumers will find it easier to swap one device for another.

The 2net hub, by design, is a fixed point device. For mobile devices, there are two other methods to connect to the 2net platform. One is via a cell phone acting as a gateway. In this case, Qualcomm Life provides a set of code to be added to a health or medical app that directs sensor data to the 2net servers using the cellular network. Another method is embedded cellular chips inside devices which themselves connect to the cellular network. This is analogous to an Amazon Kindle which has an imbedded cellular chip for downloading books but (of course) does not make phone calls.

Finally, any server on the internet can feed information directly into the 2net servers using application programming interfaces (APIs). This would be useful in the case of, say, a patient health record (PHR) uploading data to 2net for the purposes of displaying it on a mobile app somewhere else. In fact, it is this bidirectional ability of the cloud based service that will allow for a wealth of yet to be imagined data mashups valuable for populations and individuals.  This is the most exciting part of this new platform.

It is this potential to aggregate all kinds of biometric and user entered data that is making possible the Macaw app which is an impressive demonstration of how a mobile device can aggregate a wide swath of biometric data and guide an individual into reducing risk of preventible illness. It is a powerful and comprehensive tool based on the Prevention Plan to decrease your health risks–which we will profile in an accompanying article.

The APIs that allow streamlined data sharing to and from other servers was also via an integration into a web based EHR, Hello Health by Myca. As can be seen below, there is a live dashboard  aggregating input from several different sensors simultaneously, including blood pressure, asthma inhaler puffs, glucose, weight, etc.

The volume of biometric data is expected to massively increase in the near future. Currently, data transmission is a patchwork of independently created proprietary solutions. Just imagine the number of  communication subsystems within any single hospital connecting medical devices. Qualcomm is stepping into this disordered marketplace, taking advantage of its global scale and multiple decades of leadership in wireless communication to offer a unifying platform.

Although the system is not based on open protocols managed by a standards body, such as the W3C for the internet, a simple and reliable system that companies large and small could subscribe to could well be the catalyst to launch the next big phase of the mHealth revolution.

Health and wellness dominates 2011 Bluetooth Innovation World Cup

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The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) has announced the finalists in the 2011 Innovation World Cup. Out of nine finalists, five of which were health and fitness related products. The Innovation World Cup is an annual developer contest in which teams develop new products using Bluetooth technology. This year there were 330 submissions.

FIrst up: CoreMD, image on the left. Developed by Guilherme de Paula of Pancreum, CoreMD is a wireless communication and power infrastructure for replaceable wearable medical devices. The devices are envisioned to perform a wide variety of functions such as sense vital signs (ECG, temperature, blood pressure, fetus activity, etc), provide users biofeedback, and potentially even inject sub-cutaneously delivered drugs (insulin, glucagon, etc).The CoreMD device is reusable and runs on a coin-cell battery that can be recharged using a micro USB connector.

The other four health and fitness related products are profiled below.

smallLogo

CapTrack, by Daniel Corkum, Rosanna Myers, and Maura Tresch, is an innovative new system for increasing medication adherence. Their “Connected Caps” fit onto any standard prescription bottles to keep track of medication adherence and help patients make the most of their treatment regimens. Using methods very similar to Vitality GlowCaps, the Connected Caps use light and sound, as well as call users phones or send them emails to remind them to take their pills.

captrack_alt

CapTrack also offers a web-based service which generates real-time progress reports for users, their doctors and select family members, and even calls the pharmacy to order a refill when users run low on a medication.

Infant_wrist_monitor_alt

Monbaby, by Arturas Vaitaitis and Jung Bae Kim of Rentech, is a small sensor bracelet worn by newborn babies that measures their vital signs and relays them to multiple receivers. It is specifically designed to mitigate against the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Bracelets can be paired with a wristband worn by the parents. The wristband will then receive data being transmitted by the baby’s bracelet and function as an active remote monitor for the newborn.

The data can also be received by a centralized data aggregator, allowing nurses and doctors access to real-time vital signs in the nursery. The smartphone app and receiver devices can send alerts over multiple channels if a baby’s vital signals reach unusual or dangerous thresholds.

heartrate_headphones_alt

SoundofMotion, developed by Vlad Savchenko, has extended the traditional functionality of Bluetooth sport headphones to measure heart beats and instantly provide audible and tactile feedback to the user. Using electrically conductive earbuds, the headset will be able to measure the heart beat of users in the same way as a traditional chest belt heart rate monitor.

Unobstructed skin, natural body oils and moisture in the ear make the heart beat measurements very reliable. The dual-mode Bluetooth device will allow the headset to work as a heart rate monitor in Bluetooth low energy mode, or as a stereo audio system in classic Bluetooth mode.

smart_weights_alt

Smart Weights, by Eric and Meaghan Zorij or Diesel Dogs, are simply standard weight lifting equipment with the addition of a Bluetooth low energy transceiver which provides the ability to monitor, track and log the exercises performed and automatically upload the results. For each exercise, Smart Weight can measure form and technique, number of sets, number of repetitions, resistance levels, and duration. The workout summary is seamlessly uploaded via Bluetooth low energy technology to a smart phone or Bluetooth enabled PC or smartphone.

Separate software on the phone or PC allows the retrieval of workout data, including information about form and technique used for each repetition and progress tracking, including monthly summaries and and exercise routine program design.

IWC-Winner-2010_alt

The overall winner in the 2010 contest was a small sensor that could be worn on a person’s ear to measure balance, body posture, activity level, and heart rate and transmit that information wirelessly to a computer, phone or other device where it could be transferred to a patient’s health care provider.

The 2011 Innovator of the Year winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize, a Bluetooth Qualification Program (QDID) voucher worth $5,000 to $10,000 as well as a Bluetooth protocol analyzer from Ellisys. The Bluetooth SIG will also help the nine finalists present their idea or prototype at three of the world’s largest trade shows; the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (January 2012), MEDICA in Dusseldorf, Germany (November 2011), and ispo in Munich, Germany (January 2012).

Judging Criteria

Innovation

  • Level of innovation (completely new idea vs. enhancements of existing solutions or transfer to new fields of application)
  • Innovative combination of different technologies via Bluetooth low energy

Implementation

  • Technological feasibility of implementing idea
  • Exploitation of the unique features of Bluetooth low energy technology
  • Potential legal/patent issues
  • Potential time to market
  • Required investment level

Marketability

  • Commercial potential (e.g. target market, retail prize)
  • Anticipated demand from end consumers
  • Uniqueness in the market