eHealth Review

Aerotel to showcase new innovative personal hand-held mini-sized ECG monitor at MWC 2014

2014-02-19T10:06:00.002+02:00

Aerotel Medical Systems will present the world’s smallest and most accurate hand-held ECG monitor at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2014, which will take place February 24–27 in Barcelona, Spain.

Aerotel will highlight the mini-sized monitor together other innovative telemedicine solutions at the Israeli Pavilion, Hall 5, Booth #5C81.

The latest model of Aerotel's innovative HeartView ECG product line will be presented at MWC for the first time. The new HeartView™ P12/8 Mobile is a 12-lead ECG event recorder/transmitter for personal use, which has an incorporated 3G cellular module enabling the seamless transmission of a patient’s recorded ECG to the call center or to the physician’s email.

The device is a powerful ECG device with high-resolution 12-lead ECG recording technology which is specifically designed for easy patient use.

P12/8 Mobile enables the transmission of comprehensive ECG data from any place at any time. The recorded ECG transmitted to a call center that has the HRS (Heartline Receiving Station) software for immediate diagnosis.

The HeartView devices allow:

Diagnosis of cardiac symptoms
Remote monitoring of chronic heart patients
Recording and transmission of an ECG to a cardiac call center
Cardiac analysis for clinical studies

“Aerotel’s new ECG mobile solutions are geared towards improving patients’ quality of life by enabling remote monitoring of chronic heart patients,” said David Rubin, Aerotel’s president and CEO. “MWC 2014 will allow us to showcase the most advanced ECG mobile solutions offered today.”

Over the past 16 years, Aerotel has achieved a leading position as a developer of telemedicine and telecare devices. Aerotel’s medical devices are used on a daily basis supporting millions of people in more than 20 countries.

Aerotel to present mini sized handheld ECG monitors at Medica 2013

2013-11-07T11:53:00.000+02:00

Aerotel Medical Systems will present two new models of the most advanced mini sized handheld ECG event recorder-transmitters at Medica 2013, which will take place on November 20–23, 2013 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

HeartView P12/8i device

The world's smallest and most accurate hand-held ECG monitors, as well as other innovative products developed by Aerotel, will be presented in Hall 9, Stand C01 at Medica, the world’s largest event for the medical sector.

Aerotel will display for the first time the HeartView™ 12L, a high-resolution 12-lead ECG recorder and transmitter for professional use. The HeartView 12L is one of the world’s smallest and most powerful ECG monitors.

Aerotel will also present the new HeartView™ P12/8i, an ECG event recorder-transmitter for personal use. The HeartView P12/8i is a powerful ECG device with high-resolution 12-Lead ECG recording technology, which is specifically designed for easy patient use.

The HeartView devices allow:

Diagnosis of cardiac symptoms
Remote monitoring of chronic heart patients
Recording and transmission of an ECG to a cardiac call center
Cardiac analysis for clinical studies

“Medica 2013 is an excellent opportunity for Aerotel to present the most advanced ECG mobile solutions currently available on the market,” said Aerotel’s president and CEO David Rubin. “The two new mobile devices are aimed at improving the patients’ quality of life, enabling people who previously had to remain in the hospital, to go on with their normal life.”

The HeartView devices have already drawn much attention and that Aerotel has already received first orders as well as performed sales.

The new ECG devices enable the transmission of comprehensive data from any place, at any time. The recorded ECG is transmitted automatically via Bluetooth to Aerotel’s Mobile CliniQ App. The ECG data is automatically sent from the mobile device to a cardiac call center for immediate diagnosis.

Aerotel will present personal hand-held ECG monitors at Medica 2012

2012-11-14T11:17:00.001+02:00

Aerotel Medical Systems will showcase innovative personal telemedicine solutions at Medica 2012, which opens today in Dusseldorf, Germany.

At the world’s largest medical trade fair, Aerotel will present its highly successful HeartView, a personal hand-held 12-lead ECG monitor with Bluetooth connectivity. The easy-to-operate personal ECG device puts patients in control and provides physicians with a clear, comprehensive ECG recording.

All of the company's innovative products will be presented by Aerotel in Hall 9, Stand C01. Aerotel will also use the four-day event to demonstrate its GeoSkeeper personal wireless GPS location and tracking device. GeoSkeeper offers a new level of safety beyond existing PERS (Personal Emergency Response System) and traditional social alarm systems.

In addition, Aerotel will present its Mobile-CliniQ, a mobile phone application that enables remote monitoring of various health parameters, such as electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, etc.

“Medica 2012 will provide Aerotel with an excellent opportunity to present our cutting edge, personal remote monitoring devices to the professional global health care community,” said David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems president and CEO.

“Aerotel’s solutions offer various diagnostic, emergency and monitoring service applications leading to critical time savings, enhanced level of emergency treatment and higher recovery rates from critical situations,” he added.

Report: 5 million Americans and Europeans use social alarm devices

2012-10-23T13:24:00.000+02:00

The number of users of social alarms connected to wireline networks, such as Aerotel's GeoSkeeper, has already reached some 5 million people in Europe and North America, according to a report published by research company Berg Insight.

“The addressable market for the next generation mobile social alarms is large as seniors are becoming increasingly active”, said André Malm, senior analyst at Berg Insight. "The design of mobile telecare devices is very important since the wearer should not feel embarrassed by having a device that can be perceived as age-defining".

Social alarms can be defined as wireless devices used to send information about the user's health and well-being and are part of the wider telecare and telehealth industries.

A report published last month by Global Industry Analysts predicts that the global market for social alarms will exceed $2.7 billion by 2018.

Berg analysts forecast that the overall number of active users of family locator services, of all sorts, in Europe and North America will reach 70 million in 2016, compared to only 16 million in 2011, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34 percent.

The report notes that family locator services is the largest segment for people monitoring and safety solutions based on either GPS-enabled smartphones or dedicated cellular/GPS location devices.

Aging population to drive social alarms market to $2.7 billion by 2018

2012-09-05T13:54:00.002+03:00

The global market for social alarms is expected to exceed $2.7 billion by 2018, according to a report published by research firm Global Industry Analysts.

Social alarms can be defined as wireless devices used to send information about the user's health and well-being and are part of the wider telecare and telehealth industries.

The report sites aging population as the main reason for the market's growth. The market is also affected by shifting trend towards home based healthcare, rising life expectancy and active participation from both public and private quarters for care of the elderly.

The research, which describes Aerotel Medical Systems as one of the leading players in the field, indicates that 70% to 80% of the global aged population prefers to live an independent life rather than depending on caregivers. This reflects huge potential for market expansion for social alarms, enabling older and vulnerable people lead an independent life through reassurance and constant monitoring.

"Social alarms solutions offer older and vulnerable people an opportunity to lead an independent life. These solutions provide safety and peace of mind for seniors granting users and family member safety and peace of mind," said Ofer Atzmon, VP Business Development & Marketing at Aerotel. "The trends reflected in the report are in line with Aertoel's own experience in the market and we believe that the market for social alarms will continue to rapidly develop."

As an example of possible applications of social alarms, Global Industry Analysts gives the usage of devices that can be worn as pendants or bracelets, which the user presses when in an emergency, such as Aerotel's GeoSkeeper.

GeoSkeeper Social Alarm Device

The report identifies that United States as the largest market worldwide for social alarms. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2050, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to double to 88.5 million, as the number of aging baby boomers will significantly rise.

The report authors note, however, that the US market remains fraught with its share of challenges including the high cost of devices, signal interference or range limitations and the lack of awareness regarding the benefits of social alarms.

The research indicates that ease of use becomes a highly critical factor for manufacturers and that ergonomic is expected to a play a crucial role in improving the adoption social alarm devices.

Expert: mHealth solutions revolutionize healthcare industry

2012-08-13T12:35:00.004+03:00

Mobile health solutions have the potential to dramatically change the healthcare industry, according to George MacGinnis from Continua Health Alliance.

In an interview, held ahead of the Connected World Forum that will take place on 19-22 November in Dubai, MacGinnis said that there is an increasing realization that the entry of mHealth is a real game changer.

The two most important changes leading to this are the advent of touchscreen devices, which transforms the accessibility of mobile for older people, and the way this will enable new health apps.

The global mHealth market will jump to $11.8 billion by 2018, climbing at an impressive Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 39%, from $1.2 billion in 2011, according to a report, published in August by GlobalData.

MacGinnis added that regulation and reimbursement are the two major issues that threaten the adoption of mHealth solutions in the healthcare industry.

"There are many uncertainties about the scope of medical device regulations: what exactly qualifies a device as a medical device, what class of device is a mobile app and does connecting your phone to a medical device make that phone a medical device?," MacGinnis said. "This creates a degree of uncertainty for device manufacturers and the industry as a whole".

He added that there is a huge need around chronic disease management in both emerging and developed economies. According to MacGinnis, emerging economies offer many times a fresh approach to disease management.

"I think we will see mobile services emerging from regions like the Gulf, India, China and South America being re-imported into the older developed economies – where professional structures and regulations, established insurance practices and other factors are arguably holding back the potential for mobile health," MacGinnis said.

"However, no matter the marketplace, when you look around the world it is evident that more and more people are prepared to go virtual to manage their healthcare and this will create a demand to change and modernize that no health system is likely to be able to ignore".

Helping track and protect Alzheimer’s patients

2012-07-31T19:24:00.000+03:00

Unfortunately, wandering behavior, whether it's searching for the kitchen in your own house or trying to drive to your former place of work, is a common issue for those with Alzheimer's disease.

Six in every 10 Alzheimer's patients suffer from wandering behavior, and become disoriented even in familiar surroundings. Many cannot recall their name or address, so cannot effectively reach out for help while lost.

Such behavior not only causes emotional distress for those with Alzheimer's and their loved ones, but it can also be dangerous and even put lives at risk. Wandering patients with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia can become lost for days or accidentally wander into busy traffic or fall into other dangerous areas, such as open water.

Signs that an Alzheimer's patient is at risk for wandering behavior include returning home late from activities and outings; trying to fulfill former obligations, such as going to a job one no longer holds; and acting as if doing a chore but not actually accomplishing anything.

There are several ways caregivers can reduce wandering, including trying to redirect the patient to another activity, putting up fences around dangerous areas and labeling the rooms in the house, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Alert devices are also helpful in dealing with wandering, the association says.

Aerotel's GeoSkeeper, offers a unique way to monitor the whereabouts and protect the lives of those who suffer from wandering. The small device, about the size of a wrist watch, is equipped with GPS and an alarm button the wearer can push when help is needed.

The device also includes a built-in mobile phone system so patients can communicate with preprogrammed contacts or emergency services. Patients can also receive calls via the device.

Caregivers can easily program the device over the Internet, adding contacts or setting alarms. Caregivers can also track the location of the patient at all times. One feature allows the caregiver to set a safe radius for the patient to be in, and if the patient leaves that geographic radius, the caregiver will be alerted.

In addition to helping Alzheimer's and dementia patients, the device could also be helpful useful for children, lone workers or people with other health conditions.

Verizon: Telemedicine can save hospitals $31 billion a year

2012-07-19T17:31:00.001+03:00

Health information technology can lead to an overall improvement in the quality of healthcare services without increasing costs, according to a report published by Verizon Enterprise Solutions.

The report suggests that by using advanced technology, the provision of healthcare can be substantially improved while enhancing patient experience and outcome.

According to the authors, telemedicine can save hospitals some $31 billion annually in preventable hospitalizations as it provides remote care for the aging population and patients with chronic conditions

Additionally, healthcare providers can use mHealth solutions and applications to help patients better manage chronic diseases, weight loss and other conditions.

Taking into account, that mobile research company Research2Guidance expects the global market for mHealth apps to reach more than $1.2 billion this year, it is expected that this market will continue to rapidly develop.

Verizon experts also noted that by using advanced technologies, providers can help patients better manage their conditions from anywhere at any time.

This can translate into significant savings, considering the fact that chronic disease accounts to 75 percent of total health care expenditures, which are projected to jump to $2.2 trillion by 2020 from the current $1.3 trillion.

Aerotel presented at the M2M conference in Israel

2012-06-21T12:34:00.002+03:00

Ofer Atzmon, VP Business Development and Marketing at Aerotel Medical Systems gave a presentation at the M2M (Machine to Machine) Communication Conference, which took place on June 7th, 2012 in Herzliya, Israel.

Atzmon lecture at the M2M congress 2012

In the presentation, which was entitled "Are M2M Health Applications Going to Replace our Doctors?" Atzmon stressed the fact that wireless technologies are a key to the successful implementation of M2M health systems.

M2M health systems can be useful for early detection of acute conditions and for prevention of deterioration. So for example, they can used for vital sign monitoring of blood glucose or heart ECG for homebound patients. M2M systems can also monitor physiological parameters and environmental conditions, such as humidity, temperature.

Atzmon said there is a consistent growth in home telehealth and M2M health revenues are expected to triple by 2015.

According to Atzmon, despite the fact that the majority of M2M connected healthcare devices will be consumer-oriented applications, revenues will be driven mainly from the non-consumer segment, due to the significantly higher average cost of such devices.

He added that consumers want to be able to monitor and manage their own health at home. According to IMS Research, medical devices bought by consumers to self-monitor their health will account for more than 80% of all wireless medical devices in 2016.

Atzmon concluded, that despite the fact that M2M technologies can automate many tasks, overcome distances and save time and money, professional doctors still need to review and analyze the data and take informed decision.

Frost & Sullivan sees further growth in mHealth industry

2012-06-18T15:16:00.000+03:00

With the expansion of wireless technology, more and more people are using it to manage their health. Each year, tens of thousands of people purchase health-related mobile applications, and that number is only expected to continue growing, according to recent research by Frost & Sullivan on the mHealth industry.

"Today, we are seeing the tip of the iceberg in the U.S. mHealth market's potential," said Zachary Bujnoch, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "MHealth will continue on a steep growth curve as increasingly sophisticated mobile technologies and relationship-management tools disrupt the market."

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Wireless technology is an especially good fit for health-related issues, according to the research. First of all, wireless networks are increasingly ubiquitous as are wireless devices. Mobile applications are suited to everything from tracking fitness to reminding a patient about daily medication to managing chronic diseases. There are also mobile programs that help people stop smoking, send out regional allergy alerts, and measure heart rate.

On a managed-care level, wireless programs can also perform diagnostic monitoring tasks. Wireless devices are also an important part of the growing telehealth industry, allowing patients to remain at home while being monitored under professional medical supervision.

But while managed-care mHealth applications are growing, it is the consumer-type applications, including the smoking-cessation and allergy alert programs, that have the largest potential to expand.

"Consumer mHealth applications are going to outpace managed-care applications in terms of quantity of installations," said Ofer Atzmon, Vice President for Business Development and Marketing at Aerotel Medical Systems. "However, the revenue from managed care applications will be much bigger due to their higher costs."

iData Research: Telemonitoring usage up 16% in 2011

2012-06-06T20:06:00.003+03:00

The increasing popularity of wireless equipment to monitor patients' vital signs is expected to drive much of the growth in the expanding sector of medical monitoring, according to recent research.

Monitoring in general has become more common throughout emergency departments and the regular wards of hospitals, where, until recently, most patients' vital signs were not monitored continuously, according to a recent study published by iData Research.

In 2011, more than half of all hospitalized patients were monitored. In addition to the recent growth in monitoring within hospitals, the practice has also increased in other settings, such as home health care. The use of monitors is expected to continue expanding in all health care settings and segments.

With the increased use of monitors, the use of wireless monitors has grown sharply, as such technology offers many medical benefits. One of the most often cited benefits is allowing patients recovering from surgery to stand, walk and move around, which has been shown to shorten the recovery period. By 2018, the number of wireless monitoring devices in use will have more than doubled compared to the number of such devices in use in 2008.

With many wireless monitoring devices on the market, one of the main factors influencing a hospital's choice of equipment is whether the monitor uses regular Wi-Fi or is run on WMTF, the dedicated medical bandwidth. When choosing which to use, hospitals and other institutions usually weigh the convenience of Wi-Fi, which already exists in many settings, with the security of WMTF.

In addition to the growth in the use of wireless devices, the telehealth market is also growing rapidly, meaning more patients are being monitored remotely, from their homes or other places. The aging U.S. population is the main reason for such growth, as more patients manage chronic diseases from home. Telemonitoring grew 16% in 2011, with most of those participating patients having cardiac implantable electronic devices.

According to iData Research's report, monitoring continued to grow across many medical fields, including those methods used to track patients with epilepsy, heart problems, and traumatic brain injury.
The use of fetal monitoring for pregnant women had actually declined in the last few years, but is back on a projected path of steady growth, according to the research. Fetal and neonatal monitoring had declined due to the economic recession, but is growing again as expectant mothers are becoming more aware of its benefits, and as new technology has recently allowed for less invasive monitoring methods.

Global eHealth market to grow to $160 billion by 2015

2012-05-31T13:46:00.000+03:00

The global mHealth market will be worth some $23 billion by 2017, according to a new report published by the GSMA. The authors noted that the larger eHealth market is estimated to grow to $160 billion in 2015, at an average growth rate of 12-16 percent.

The report entitled, Integrating Healthcare: The Role and Value of Mobile Operators in eHealth, concludes that that the healthcare industry is undergoing a fundamental shift as demand increases for services outside hospitals and medical clinics.

Source: GSMA

The GSMA said that mobile operators will have a dramatic impact on the healthcare industry in improving access, reach and quality. They noted that in just the last three years, the industry has witnessed significant strides that mobile operators have made in supporting the larger eHealth enterprise market.

"The findings of the report are in line with what we have witnessed in the market. This is why Aerotel is constantly expanding its range of mobile health solutions that can fit within the operators' mHealth offering," said Ofer Atzmon, Vice President for Business Development and Marketing at Aerotel Medical Systems. "Our cooperation with operators is growing and various joint projects with operators are planned to be launched within the next 6-12 months".

The report identified four major customers of eHealth:

Healthcare providers
Public and private healthcare insurers
Governments
Healthcare consumers

Drivers of eHealth

According the report, mobile operators contribute to the healthcare industry by improving access, reach and quality to care across the entire patient pathway.

"Over the past few years we've seen mobile operators delivering end-to-end healthcare solutions which have typically been provided by the traditional systems integrator but there is clear evidence supporting operators' emerging role in eHealth," said Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSMA Development Fund. "Today operators have evolved and are best placed to deliver the solutions addressing the issues that the global healthcare industry faces, by lowering costs and making healthcare more accessible."

Aerotel to present at Exposanità International in Italy

2012-05-14T08:18:00.000+03:00

Aerotel Medical Systems will participate at Exposanità International Healthcare Exhibition, which will take place May 16 – 19, 2012 at the Bologna Fair district in Italy.

Aerotel's Italian Country Manager, Pierfranco Borgotallo, will showcase during the conference the company's innovative mobile health and telemedicine solutions at Pad. 26, Stand: C99.

Products offered by Aerotel will include: personal GPS location and tracking system, GeoSkeeper, wireless homecare hub for chronic patient monitoring and disease management, Connect-Cell, and the HeartView, a personal hand-held 12-lead ECG monitor.

Participation at the event is part of Aerotel's aim to increase its activities in the aging Italian and Mediterranean markets. With a growth in health expenditures of 28 percent in the last 7 years, Italy represents an attractive market of telemedicine and mHealth providers.

Figures presented by the organizers indicate that Italy's population over 65 years old is expected to reach 35.3% of the entire population in 2040, well above the European average of 30%. The number of Italians over 80 will reach 14.5% in 2040 compared to 11.5% in Europe. With growing number of people receiving home care, there exists strong potential for growth in home care monitoring devices and telemedicine markets.

Exposanità is Italy’s largest exhibition and one of Europe’s largest events dedicated to healthcare and assistance. The show, which was established 30 years ago, provides a platform for manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors. Exposanità is dedicated to hospital products and technologies, handicap and rehabilitation devices, orthopedics, medical innovation, ICT, diagnostics and other themes related to health care and assistance.

Aerotel receives Med-e-Tel award for dedication to eHealth advancement

2012-05-01T13:52:00.000+03:00

Aerotel Medical Systems received a special award at the Med-e-Tel 2012 Conference, which was held at 18-20 April 2012 in Luxembourg, for its tenth consecutive participation at the prestigious event.

The International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth has awarded Aerotel the award noting that it was given to dedicate 10 years of non-stop participation at the Med-e-Tel event.

Ofer Atzmon from Aerotel with the award

The award was presented to Ofer Atzmon, vice president for business development and marketing at Aerotel, who participated at Med-e-Tel and gave two presentations at the event.

"The prestigious award illustrates well the leading position of Aerotel in the fields of telemedicine and eHealth," said Atzmon. "We are proud of being at the forefront of one of the world's fastest growing industries."

During the conference it was well illustrated that governments, healthcare providers and health insurers are turning more and more towards telemedicine and eHealth solutions. These solutions are used as one of the tools to cope with the effects of today's ageing society and tomorrow's reduced healthcare workforce and to address the constant pressure on healthcare budgets and the need for more qualitative and cost effective healthcare.

During the Med-e-Tel conference, Aerotel has showcased its innovative mobile health and telemedicine solutions, including: personal GPS location and tracking system, GeoSkeeper; wireless homecare hub for chronic patient monitoring and disease management, Connect-Cell; and the HeartView, a personal hand-held 12-lead ECG monitor.

Med-e-Tel is an official event of the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH) and the international federation of national associations, who represent their country’s Telemedicine and eHealth stakeholders.

mHealth and wireless health markets get boost from global financial crisis

2012-04-25T14:47:00.000+03:00

The mobile health (mHealth) market is expected to continue to grow fast as the global financial crisis strengthens the need for healthcare providers to cut costs, according to a new report published by business intelligence company GlobalData.

In a report, entitled "Mobile Health Devices and Applications – Global Market Briefing to 2018," GlobalData analysts said that mHealth market is expected will grow in value from some $500 million in 2010 to over $8 billion by 2018.

"The emergence of mobile technology has also been propelled by the financial crisis, which resulted in a renewed focus on improving cost efficiency, the improvement of clinical outcomes, and the quality of care provided to patients at home," the authors wrote.

In a separate report, published by the West Wireless Health Institute, it was predicted that the global wireless health market will reach $38.51 billion by 2016, at a CAGR of 19.43 percent from 2011 to 2016.

The report indicates that North America dominated the global wireless health market with around 45% share in 2011. The second largest market is Europe, and Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing region with China capturing the largest market share of APAC region.

The difference between the figures in both reports is attributed to the fact that the mHealth market relates mainly to the usage of mobile devices by the health industry and specifically refers to the connection between the patient and the medical center. At the same time, the wireless health market refers to the wider usage of wireless technologies including at home, hospital and other locations as well as mHealth.

GlobalData predicts that the rapid emergence of mHealth technology will revolutionize future healthcare delivery and management by saving lives and reducing the economic burden imposed by growing chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

It notes that mHealth has proved to improve patient and physician convenience, enable remote monitoring, and improve care-coordination among medical professionals, patients and public health systems.

Aerotel's Atzmon to discuss trends in Telemedicine, at the Med-e-Tel 2012

2012-04-15T17:16:00.004+03:00

Ofer Atzmon, vice president for business development and marketing at Aerotel Medical Systems, will discuss the latest trends and success stories in Telemedicine at the Med-e-Tel 2012 Conference, which will find place at 18-20 April 2012 in Luxembourg.

The presentation will be held during the opening session titled: Global Telemedicine and eHealth Update. It will take place on Wednesday, April 18 in conference room 1, at 11:00-13:00.

The presentation will describe the evolution of the telemedicine market, discuss how business models can be established and will present recent case studies. Among others, it will demonstrate how to enable remote monitoring of various health parameters such as electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, etc.

Atzmon will also talk about how mobile telehealth kiosks can helps bring healthcare to remote regions. The presentation will be given during the session on Evidence of Telehealth Outcomes, on Wednesday in conference room 3, at 16:00-17:45.

During the conference Aerotel will showcase its innovative mobile health and telemedicine solutions, including: personal GPS location and tracking system, GeoSkeeper; wireless homecare hub for chronic patient monitoring and disease management, Connect-Cell; and the HeartView, a personal hand-held 12-lead ECG monitor.

Med-e-Tel is an official event of the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH) and the international federation of national associations, who represent their country’s Telemedicine and eHealth stakeholders.

ECG monitoring equipment market to reach $1.25 billion by 2017

2012-03-21T22:55:00.005+02:00

The global ECG telemetry devices market is expected to reach some $1.25 billion by 2017, according to a report published by Global Industry Analysts (GIA).

The report indicates that the market for ECG monitoring equipment continues to expand steadily. GIA's analysts attributed the rise to aging world population and increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The added that, technology innovations are expected to boost the sales of telemetry systems.

"With most hospitals moving towards computerization for maintaining Electrocardiogram (ECG) records, investment in data management systems continue to account for a major share of hospital budgets," The authors noted.

"Rising expenditure and scarcity of alternative home care resources and services are further expected to add to the growing demand for home telemetry monitoring devices. With growing number of people receiving home care, there exists strong potential for growth in the home care monitoring devices and telemetry devices segments."

The report names Aerotel Medical Systems as one of the major players in this field. Aerotel ECG telemetry devices include:

Wireless ECG – Aerotel’s HeartView Personal hand-held 12-lead ECG monitor with Bluetooth connectivity. The solution enables easy and effective transmission of clinical information to a remote monitoring center for interpretation and immediate care.
Mobile-CliniQ – a mobile phone application that enables remote monitoring of various health parameters such as electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, etc.
Heartline ECG Monitoring – Aerotel's Heartline is designed for various diagnostic, emergency and monitoring service applications. It comprises a complete range of personal, 1 to 12 lead transtelephonic or digital ECG devices for various remote diagnostic and emergency service applications.

HeartView P12/8 Personal12-Lead ECG

The report indicates that while the US represents the largest regional market for ECG telemetry devices, Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing region, creating significant opportunities.

Aerotel's mHealth solutions draw interest at MWC 2012

2012-03-15T13:19:00.002+02:00

Aerotel Medical System's mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions draw much interest at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012, held earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain.

"Visitors showed much interest in our mHealth products," said Ofer Atzmon, Aerotel's VP Business Development and Marketing. "Senior executives from telecom companies, consultancy companies and healthcare providers came to meet Aerotel's management at our booth at the Israeli National Pavilion."

Aerotel booth at MWC 2012

Special interest was paid to Aerotel's innovative location-based personal alert system, GeoSkeeper, which recently received the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Certification as well as Industry Canada (IC) certification.

Research indicates that the cost of managing chronic diseases is the largest portion of health care expenditures in developed countries. With rising aging populations, governments and healthcare providers are constantly looking for ways to lower expanses. Telemedicine solutions, such as those provided by Aerotel, could generate significant cost savings.

A recent report published by the GSMA and accounting firm PwC indicates that the worldwide mHealth revenue is expected to reach about $23 billion by 2017.

Source: GSMA and PwC report

The largest markets for mobile health services are expected to be Europe and Asia-Pacific (30 percent market share each), North America (28%), Latin America (7%) and Africa (5%)

Among the various categories, monitoring services, such as Aerotel's Connect-Cell, will account for the largest share (65%), corresponding to about US$ 15 billion in 2017.

Due to the growing interest in mHealth in the telecom sector, Aerotel will participate this year for the first time at the CTIA Wireless show in the US, and many high-level meetings with service providers are already scheduled.

mHealth can reduce global maternal and perinatal mortality by 30%

2012-02-29T15:36:00.004+02:00

Wide adoption of mobile health (mHealth) solutions worldwide can lead to a decrease of 30 percent in the number of maternal and perinatal mortality, according to a new study conducted by The Boston Consulting Group and Telenor Group.

Source: Telenor

The study, entitled "Socio-Economic Impact of mHealth", indicates also that mHealth solutions for elderly care can reduce costs by some 25% and that expenditures related to data collection can be reduced by 24%.

The authors said that mHealth is expected to benefit from the explosive growth in global mobile phone penetration. They added that the necessary infrastructure already exists as the number of mobile subscriptions is expected to reach 7.4 billion by 2015.

According to the study, the existing mHealth technology richness and network capacity is sufficient, both on simple feature phones and on smartphones.

“The technological development and successful pilots around the world demonstrate that the time for mHealth has come," said Knut Haanæs, Global Leader, Sustainability Practice, The Boston Consulting Group. "Accelerating adoption will require orchestrating multiple stakeholders, including the alignment of incentives for healthcare professionals to adopt mHealth.”

The researchers concluded that mobile health technology can offer different countries sizeable benefits, lead to economic growth and promise a better life for individuals. They noted that currently, healthcare systems are overburdened, costly and incapable of meeting the needs of a growing population.

Aerotel's GeoSkeeper wins North American approvals

2012-02-22T19:20:00.004+02:00

Aerotel Medical Systems has received the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Certification as well as Industry Canada (IC) certification for its innovative location-based personal alert system, GeoSkeeper.

The approvals pave the way for Aerotel to start offering the GeoSkeeper system in the lucrative North American markets of the USA and Canada. GeoSkeeper is already being sold in other markets around the world, including Israel, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America.

"GeoSkeeper offers a real solution to the needs of the North American medical alert and personal safety sectors," said David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems President & CEO. "Adding GeoSkeeper to Aerotel's family of products sold in this market will enable Aerotel to further expand its presence in the North American market for the benefit of both patients and healthcare providers."

Aerotel has started negotiations with several security and medical alert service providers in North America in order to start offering the GeoSkeeper™ to the growing market of medical alert and personal security in the near future.

Aerotel will showcase its mobile health (mHealth) and other telemedicine solutions at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012, Barcelona, Spain, at Hall 2, booth 2C12 (Israel National Pavilion).

The GeoSkeeper personal safety and location system is specifically designed to provide peace of mind for elderly, chronically ill, children or lone workers, as well as their relatives and caregivers.

Aerotel has been active in the USA and Canada for more than a decade offering a wide variety of telemedicine solutions, including its personal handheld electrocardiogram (ECG) systems, homecare data hubs, and telemedicine remote monitoring software solutions.

Aerotel's telemedicine solutions are in use by various remote monitoring service providers, taking care of chronically ill patients belonging to various health care organizations.

Medical app downloads to reach 142 million in 2016

2012-02-08T14:52:00.005+02:00

Mobile healthcare and medical applications downloads will rise to 142 million in 2016 from an expected 44 million in 2012, according to a report on the mHealth market issued by research company Juniper Research.

Juniper analysts said they expect the number of patients monitored by mobile networks to rise to some 3 million by 2016, with the majority of them in the United States. The rise will be fueled by the market for healthcare peripherals and increased smartphone processing power.

"Remote patient monitoring will step in to reduce the cost burden of unhealthy lifestyles and aging populations," said Anthony Cox Associate Analyst at Juniper.

The report indicates that monitoring of cardiac outpatients is currently very dominant in the remote patient monitoring market as insurance companies try to lower their expanses. This is expected to change in the future, with the management of diabetes, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) and other chronic diseases leading the market.

Juniper added that developing markets continue to benefit from SMS-based education programmes and stand to benefit in medium term from app-based healthcare services such as mobile ultrasound that are now being developed.

EHR (electronic health records), which have not gained significant traction, will become in the future an important component of mHealth offerings.

Report: mHealth app market to reach $392 million in 2015

2012-01-26T11:18:00.003+02:00

The New Year brings with it new forecasts concerning the future of the mobile application (mHealth) market. While both two reports reflect the same growth trend, the strength of the change varies substantially. The difference between the two researches can stem from using different methodologies, but also from the difficulties arising from trying to predict market trends for new technologies that integrate elements from different industries.

Earnings of the mHealth app market are expected to rise to $392 million from $230 million in 2010, according to a report published by research company Frost & Sullivan.

"From 2008 to 2010 mHealth consistently outpaced forecast growth and revenue," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Zachary Bujnoch. "mHealth apps will continue on a steep growth curve as increasingly sophisticated mobile technologies and relationship-management tools disrupt the market."

Bujnoch added that today, we are seeing the tip of the iceberg in the U.S. mHealth market's potential as mobile apps are the single-biggest digital channel since the '90s and the Web.

Meanwhile, a separate report published by research2guidance estimates that the mHealth apps market was worth some $718 million in 2011.

The report, entitled "Mobile Health Market Report 2011-2016" claims that the smartphone application market for mobile healthcare is still in an embryonic state despite its huge potential. The authors noted, however, that during the course of 2011 the mHealth market grow very fast following the increase in the usage of smartphones and the doubling of the number of mHealth applications.

"A majority of the big healthcare companies have discovered mHealth applications as an innovative way to promote and deliver healthcare services and products," research2guidance analysts noted. "A testament to this is that a number of these large players published mHealth apps in 2011 that go far beyond a simple allergy tracker or pill reminder, e.g. Sanofi Aventis' sensor-based iBGStar Diabetis monitoring app."

Aerotel to launch GeoSKeeper in North America

2012-01-18T22:44:00.001+02:00

Aerotel Medical Systems will launch the GeoSKeeper personal safety and location system in North America after it received the regulatory clearance for this market.

GeoSKeeper mHealth Device

In Western Europe and Eastern Europe, the GeoSKeeper has been growing in popularity. The mobile based service enables the accurate location of seniors, children and lone workers. By wearing the light-weight device on their wrist, the users’ accurate location can be sent to family and caregivers in real time.

GeoSkeeper offers a new level of safety beyond existing PERS (Personal Emergency Response System) and traditional social alarm systems. The GeoSkeeper has recently received the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Certification, paving the way for further strengthening o Aerotel’s position in the lucrative U.S. market.

Overall, the year 2011 was a great year for Aerotel Medical Systems expending activities all over the globe. Aerotel has expanded its offerings in North America and in Europe and continues to support service providers offering remote monitoring services of health problems for patients suffering from chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Aerotel technology, which allows home-bound patients to take readings such as their weight, blood pressure and other key metrics, saves money and makes users’ life much easier.

With a client base of more than 50 countries around the globe and more than a decade of rich experience, Aerotel is well positioned to successfully enter new, mature and emerging markets in 2012.

Investing in automated monitoring systems reduces re-hospitalization rates

2012-01-09T18:40:00.003+02:00

The usage of home monitoring systems led to a 44 percent decline in 30-day hospital readmission rates, according to a study published by Medical Care Journal.

The research focused on the Geisinger Monitoring Program (GMP) interactive voice response protocol, which is a post-hospital discharge telemonitoring system, used as an adjunct to existing case management in a primary care Medicare population. The main objective of GMP is to reduce emergency department visits and hospital re-admissions.

The authors said, that while automated home monitoring systems have been used to coordinate care to improve patient outcomes and reduce re-hospitalizations, there is only very little formal study of efficacy.

"Investing in automated monitoring systems may reduce hospital re-admission rates among primary care case-managed patients," the authors concluded. "Evidence from this quasi-experimental study demonstrates that the combination of telemonitoring and case management, as compared with case management alone, may significantly reduce re-admissions in a Medicare Advantage population."

The researchers used a group of 875 Medicare patients, who were enrolled in the combined case-management and GMP program, to compare their results with 2,420 matched control patients, who were only case managed. Claims data were used to document an acute care admission followed by a re-admission within 30 days in the pre-intervention and post-intervention periods.

Number of remotely monitored patients to reach 4.9 million by 2016

2011-12-27T19:59:00.003+02:00

The number of home monitoring systems with integrated communication capabilities is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18 percent until 2016, according to a report published by Berg Insight.

The report, titled 'mHealth and Home Monitoring' forecasts, that the number of patients worldwide using remote monitoring solutions will more than double to 4.9 million by the end of 2016, compared to 2.2 million today.

"The adoption of out-of-hospital wireless monitoring in healthcare is driven by a wide range of incentives, related to everything from demographics and technology development to new advancements in medical treatment," said Lars Kurkinen and Johan Fagerberg, analysts at Berg Insight. "There are, however, a number of barriers, including resistance to change among healthcare organizations and clinicians, misaligned incentive structures and the financing of wireless solutions by what is at large an underfunded healthcare sector."

The report indicates that the most common conditions that can be monitored by mHealth systems are chronic diseases, from which over 200 million patients in the EU and the US suffer. These diseases include cardiac arrhythmia, hypertension, ischemic diseases, sleep apnea, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Berg analysts said that applying information and communication technologies in the healthcare industry can lead to decreased costs, more efficient care delivery and improved sustainability of the healthcare system.

The report, which names Aerotel Medical Systems as one of the leading providers of mHealth solutions, shows that the number of devices that have integrated cellular connectivity rose to 570,000 from only 420,000 in 2010. The number is expected to surge at a CAGR of 34.6% to 2.47 million in 2016.

Several companies have developed integrated solutions for monitoring multiple chronic diseases and other conditions. The six leading providers of integrated telehealth systems include the major technology and electronics companies Bosch, Honeywell, Philips and Bayer, as well as the small specialist telehealth companies Cardiocom, and Numera.