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Wireless operators such as Sprint are leveraging the performance advantages of WiMAX technology in the Healthcare industry to provide better patient care while reducing delivery costs of services.

The Healthcare industry is clearly an area where Sprint sees big opportunities. This week Sprint’s Dan Hesse spoke at the opening general session for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in Atlanta, becoming the first CEO of a national wireless carrier to speak at the event. This year’s show featured nearly 900 exhibitors and more than 300 educational sessions and panel presentations.

One change in this year’s show was the growing emphasis on mobile and wireless Healthcare solutions. As more connected devices and mobile applications are developed, it has become more important for those in the Healthcare industry to keep up with the latest technology and turn these advances into higher quality and more effective care for patients.

The HIMSS is a membership-based organization that is focused on the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of Healthcare. Founded in 1961, HIMSS represents more than 23,000 individual members, 73% of whom work in patient care delivery settings.

During his keynote, Hesse emphasized the security of WiMAX networks using licensed spectrum compared to many Wi-Fi networks that utilize unlicensed spectrum. Hesse also said that one of the most compelling reasons for Healthcare providers to adopt wireless broadband is that it enables them to provide remote Healthcare and telemedicine solutions to their patients.

"As the population ages, home Healthcare is growing dramatically," Hesse said. "And we believe it can greatly benefit from mobile technologies."

A study released last year by ABI Research projected approximately 15 million wireless telehealth sensors by 2012, more than double the number of those in use today. According to ABI, these systems will be used to monitor and track the status of patients, especially those with chronic conditions, providing early warning signs before they become dangerous.

Hesse also sees new applications and business models made possible by the innovation of an open, 4G wireless network. "The smart applications aren't going to be developed by Sprint or our main competitors, they're going to be from people focused on wireless applications," he said. "We work very hard to create tools that make it simple for operators to create applications on our networks."


Healthcare Industry Innovation

In the Healthcare industry, wireless technologies are being used in many innovative ways to provide consistent, reliable information to providers. For patients suffering from hypertension, for example, sensors embedded in blood pressure monitors can send information wirelessly to a Healthcare provider’s database, comparing it with past data and charting the patient’s continued progress.

In another example, a company known as VITALITY™ has developed an ingenious way of helping patients remember when it’s time to take their medication. Electronic caps that fit on top of prescription medication bottles known as GlowCaps™, use lights and sounds to signal to patients when it’s time to take their medication. The caps are embedded with wireless chips and can sense when the bottle is opened, communicating that information with other sensors in the home as well as wirelessly over the internet to Vitality’s secure network.


picture courtesy VITALITY

It’s the wireless connectivity that makes the product so effective and innovative. With GlowCaps, if the bottle is not opened after two hours, the user is automatically reminded with a telephone call with specific instructions such as: “It’s time to take the pill in your green GlowCap.” Other family members or physicians can be notified via email or by telephone as well. The device can even call with refill reminders and connect the patient to their pharmacy as pills are depleted.

While current generation Healthcare monitoring devices most likely use Wi-Fi for connectivity, the advantages of using wider-range wireless technologies such as WiMAX is that it does not rely on patients to connect to a local network or PC in the home. What you don’t want to have is for a patient monitoring device to stop functioning because a Wi-Fi router became unplugged or their internet connection is down. Technologies such as WiMAX provide the security and reliability of a carrier-grade solution over licensed spectrum.

Failure to take prescription medication is a serious problem and adherences to consistent medication schedules can result in significant cost savings, especially with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

The increased use of wireless technologies in the Healthcare industry can have an enormous impact on the both the quality and cost of Healthcare. The level of patient care can be increased dramatically though more consistent monitoring and better integration with Healthcare providers.