Patients check vitals at self-service kiosks while results are instantly transmitted to their doctors via Wireless M2M technology
Sprint and IDEAL LIFE® today announced they have launched wireless kiosks for users to capture health and wellness information remotely.
The kiosks transmit medical data using Sprint’s wireless network and are indicative of a trend within the health care industry toward more self-management and preventative care.
IDEAL LIFE is already known for its remote health monitoring platform for individuals with chronic conditions and was recently recognized as a 2011 Innovations in Healthcare ABBY Award winner. Now their new kiosks are designed for high-volume traffic and can be installed in communal settings such as community centers, libraries, schools, employer facilities, living centers, gyms, health clinics and physician offices.
IDEAL LIFE’s digital, two-way and interactive technology streamlines health care delivery by empowering individuals to actively regulate their health through education and self-management, involving the physician when appropriate, thereby saving needless trips to the physician’s office while equipping physicians to manage more patients, more efficiently. Whether measuring blood pressure, weight, blood glucose levels or any other biometric reading, IDEAL LIFE kiosk users are able to provide more accurate and immediate data to health care professionals who can, in turn, respond with relevant, reliable and actionable information.
Using technology to stay connected to health care
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications entails devices other than cell phones talking directly to each other over the Sprint wireless network. In the case of health care, M2M connects consumers—the chronically ill, aging or those who just want to improve overall wellness—with easy-to-use medical applications. The IDEAL LIFE kiosk is an example of how wireless technologies, combined with medical applications, can transform health care delivery.
Wayne Ward, vice president-Emerging Solutions Group, Sprint, said:
“Wireless M2M solutions present an opportunity to streamline health care and provide greater access to critical patient information at significantly less cost and effort.”
“Sprint is proud to collaborate with IDEAL LIFE to facilitate real-time dialog and data exchange between individuals and medical professionals. The potential to impact patient wellness and physician efficiency in an on-demand setting is just one example of how connected devices are fundamentally changing every aspect of the way we work and live.”
The prescription for affordable health care is telemedicine
An IDEAL LIFE-sponsored study of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients showed that remote monitoring using the IDEAL LIFE system offers significant benefits. Among 200 CHF patients, the cost for hospital admissions was reduced from $1.26 million to $540,000.
“IDEAL LIFE already has a strong track record of health care cost reduction,” said Jason Goldberg, president-IDEAL LIFE.
“Our collaboration with Sprint will allow seamless integration into the marketplace with the IDEAL LIFE kiosk, enabling our company to quickly deploy more solutions providing greater access to care and creating additional health care savings.”
Independent studies support IDEAL LIFE’s findings. Statistics from the Health Research Institute suggest that telemedicine has the potential to reduce costs, extend accessibility and enhance overall effectiveness of health care delivery.
- If doctors use wireless applications to remotely monitor patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes or obesity, the annual savings could amount to approximately $21 billion due to a reduction in hospitalization and nursing home costs.
- 88 percent of physicians would like their patients to be able to monitor their health on their own.
- During a two-year study by the Health Research Institute, e-visits were able to replace in-office visits in 40 percent of the 2,531 cases.
