Wireless Technology And The Rise Of “Anywhere” Monitoring

25 Oct 2012

The emerging market for wireless and remote monitoring technologies comes at a time when providers are looking for new tools to not only keep patients out of the hospital, but also to prevent unnecessary readmissions. These goals, along with a growing list of enabling technologies in the pipeline, are helping drive health care toward an era of unprecedented connectivity – one in which physicians and other care givers are able to monitor and even treat patients whenever needed wherever they may be – a shift that many believe will profoundly change health care as we know it.

The health care industry is still in the early stages of a technological revolution involving wireless and remote technology; however, the changes that have already taken place have been profound. Most young physicians today – as well as those still in medical school – will never know a way of practicing medicine that does not include wireless, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In fact, there is substantial interest among physicians in using wireless devices to perform a variety of clinical tasks, according to a survey conducted in 2010. (See Exhibit 1.) But for all the changes that have already occurred, there are even more pioneering ideas that continue to push their way into the spotlight as device manufacturers, software developers, and other innovators look for the right tools to address health care’s most pressing needs.

Some of the first innovations are coming from companies developing wireless, remote monitoring technology, which has emerged as a tool...