Telecommunications providers such as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon have taken on a larger role in telehealth services, according to a new IDC Health Insights report, InformationWeek reports.
Report Details
The report called 2010 a "tipping point" for telecommunications providers, as many companies announced new initiatives to develop telehealth services.
For example:
- AT&T launched AT&T ForHealth to accelerate the delivery of wireless, networked and cloud-based systems;
- Sprint launched a partnership with AirStrip Technologies to transmit medical data using wireless networks; and
- Verizon launched the Verizon Health Information Exchange, which consolidates clinical patient data and makes it available online.
The report also identified shifts in the industry caused by the federal health reform law.
For example, the report anticipates that accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes will incentivize health care providers "not only to recommend patients use personal health monitoring devices (e.g., glucometers, blood pressure monitors, body composition monitors), aging in place technologies (e.g., remote patient monitoring appliances, home and fall sensors, medication dispensers), and mobile health applications to promote health and wellness, but to actually provide those devices along with services to help consumers use them more effectively."
Recommendations
IDC recommended that telecommunications providers:
- Use existing network services to develop health care-specific systems;
- Target caregivers and self-insured employers, as well as health care providers seeking to meet meaningful use requirements; and
- Select vendor partners with interoperable technology (Lewis, InformationWeek, 5/31).