John Farrell's blog

The CTIA show in Vegas last week was abuzz with activity, much of it stemming from Sprint’s push to promote its expanding 4G wireless network. The company’s not alone in its pursuit of 4G or LTE broadband, but it is well ahead of the pack. For healthcare providers, the jump to significantly faster 4G speeds will eventually improve their ability to remotely monitor patients.

The fact that the mHealth space is set to explode shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone in healthcare. Already a $1.5 billion market, mobile health technology is now expected reach an estimated $4.6 billion by 2014, according to a new report from CSMG, the strategy division of consulting firm TMBG Global. And if certain broad healthcare changes--such as pay-for-performance--are implemented, it could happen even sooner.

Two new offerings that use text messaging technology to bridge the gap between medical experts and people in need of health information underscore the increasing role mobile point-of-care technologies are playing in our rapidly evolving healthcare system.

With production problems apparently resolved, the Wi-Fi only version of Apple's iPad is expected to be available on April 3. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will follow toward the end of April. Although the fate of the touchscreen tablet's role in the healthcare enterprise is yet to be determined, it seems to me that the sleek device's Achilles heel has less to do with technology than a frustrating battery replacement policy.

The buzz coming out of HIMSS10 in Atlanta centered much around the long awaited meaning of "meaningful use" as it relates to the forthcoming flood of stimulus dollars. As InformationWeek Healthcare reports, the uncertain requirements are already spiking IT spending among healthcare providers. But the current climate also makes it a good time to be conducting research in the mobile health IT space.

About a year ago, I wrote on another blog that Voalté, which competes with Ascom, Cisco and others, wants to be the central communications engine--or traffic cop--on healthcare's iPhones. At HIMSS10, the Sarasota, Fla.-based developer of point-of-care communication technology is making its Voalté One solution available to Blackberry users, too.

With the average annual failure rates for non-ruggedized handheld computers hovering around 38 percent, it stands to reason that a maker of ruggedized handheld devices would team up with a mobile clinical software developer and an end-to-end solutions integration firm to provide healthcare professionals with 24/7 access to EMRs, regardless of location.

Right now, online data lockers are barely a blip on the radar, showing up as secure sites where individuals can keep Web site passwords and other information, or as basic computer backup services. But as consumer data becomes more important to businesses, and cloud computing eliminates the need for physical presences, this technology may very well put customer data in the hands of consumers--even in healthcare.

Nashville, Tenn.-based SunCrest Healthcare, a regional provider of home health, private duty, companion care and therapy services, has chosen Philips to supply telehealth monitors for its home care patients.

With a 9.7-inch multi-touch, high-def screen, a formidable processor and access to Apple's App Store--all packed into a 1/2-inch-thick frame--the wireless iPad is one slick, smartly priced addition to Apple's line-up. But while Apple has won the hearts and minds of many a physician, the company still has a lot of ground to cover if it wants to lay claim to the healthcare enterprise.

I've written extensively on telehealth and telemedicine initiatives being rolled out by hospitals and state governments across the country. With so much going into the implementation and funding of these projects, it's not surprising that the companies developing telemetry systems would also be making the news. Suffice it to say, the new year is off to a good start for telehealth's vendors.

So far this month, we can add two more healthcare organizations to the growing ranks of hospitals nationwide that are leveraging their Wi-Fi networks to streamline tracking efforts. Both Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, Fla., and Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) in Columbus, Ohio, have tapped Ekahau's Wi-Fi-based RTLS offering to make the most of their Cisco Wi-Fi infrastructures.

The CES show last week offered a great glimpse into how emerging wireless technologies are evolving at the mobile point of care, with entrepreneurs and companies worldwide scrambling to deliver the most efficient, cost-effective ways of preventing and managing chronic diseases. Perhaps the most telling moment for MPoC observers was when Dr. Eric J. Topol, chief academic officer of Scripps Health and CMO of the West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI), joined Qualcomm's chairman and CEO Dr. Paul E.

The use of telemedicine in intensive care units doesn't improve patients' risk of death or length of stay, according to a report published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, but that finding alone appears unlikely to slow the implementation of telemedicine initiatives. For starters, the technology has many broad-based applications, mostly outside the ICU. And, as the study's authors make clear, evaluating the effectiveness of telemedicine is a challenging task that will require additional research.

Physicians using Blackberry or Windows Mobile smartphones should consider checking out the recently unveiled 3M Mobile Dictation Software. The application promises doctors the ability to use a single device for phone, e-mail, and dictation, delivering access via Wi-Fi or 3G wireless service. Released by 3M Health Information Systems, the software includes security features that fulfill HIPAA and hospital-specific guidelines for encryption and authentication.