If you like our points-of-view and the comments here on Telecare Aware--visit the Telecare Aware page on Facebook.  More of your comments and yes, more editorial opinion that is a bit outside our portfolio here.  Consider it an extra--and join in!  New discussions:

• Education Education Education? Wait for the crisis or 'embed' telecare awareness into activities for older adults?
• Where's mHealth when you need it? Why no stories from Pakistan?
• The press, eHealth awareness and 'acid flashbacks to 2006' This expands this editor's [Donna] take on the 'circa 2006' NPR article on telecare in the home, but also gets into why the press and journalists are not solely to blame.  (Hint:  it's about the marketer you're missing on your team)

How can a mid-sized company with 20 years in the telehealth distribution and monitoring business get to answers for the FBQ--Four Big Questions (who will pay for the technology; what rate will they pay; where does the data go, and who takes action)?  Here's one method...

More telemedicine developments from Florida [TA 2 August, 'How are online doctor consult companies like palm trees?]. InteractiveMD has launched their patient-doctor videoconferencing to their members in 19 states, with rollout to the remainder by end of year. Their plans (signup, monthly fee, per use) are marketed direct-to-consumer.  But, there's more...

"Armenia Fund USA has taken critical steps to enhance and modernize healthcare and medical education in Armenia and Karabakh with the establishment of its newly branded HyeBridge Telehealth program. This initiative, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, dates back

"Hyderabad's airport is a symbol of India's economic success: organized, modern, efficient. The city is host to this year's eIndia, the country's largest ICT event – with a dedicated track on eHealth. The question is, what are the opportunities for eHealth in India?" eHealth in India: Advancing on all levels an eye-opening report by Armin Scheuer, the managing director of so2say communications for HealthTech Wire.

An excellent item by Victoria Lambert in the UK's national paper The Telegraph combines detailed quotes from an interview with a participant in Cornwall's Whole System Demonstrator project with some wider views on the current context and views on the future of telehealth. "The community nurses involved in the trial are equally impressed. Marie Hudson and Martin Roberts, both community matrons, are used to helping patients manage long-term conditions. Both were initially apprehensive. "We know that face-to-face contact inspires confidence in the patients, and I wasn't sure how this could be replaced," says Martin. "I thought my clinical decisions were more important than a piece of technology.""

It's a nice change from articles that just revamp someone's press release [like this one, perhaps, which tries to cover much the same ground]. The only downpoint is that she refers to it as 'assistive technology' [sigh]. Life-changing healthcare technology.

One to look out for on Friday, September 3, at 8.25pm if you live in the S4C area. Thanks for the heads-up to a nice blog post by Robert Lloyd Carmarthenshire Telecare featured on S4C.

If you are iPad-positive, you may be interested in the following new press release from Msoft (not to be confused with Microsoft): Msoft launches hospital blood-tracking on the Apple iPad (PDF)

If you are iPad-negative, you may prefer this one-and-a-half minuite video: Will It Blend? - iPad [YouTube autoplay warning]

The telehealth remote monitoring of cardiac patients at home project by Knowsley Health and Wellbeing – jointly funded by NHS Knowsley and Knowsley Council - is calculated to have saved around £5,600 (US$ 8,650) per patient over the 14 months January 2009 and March 2010. 37 patients took part in the pilot, which will now be rolled out to more people and extended to other conditions. Interesting quote from assistant commissioning manager Darren Persand in this short item from the Nursing Times. [Do any readers know whose kit they are using? Leave a comment if you do.]

TeleMedCare (TMC) has appointed Alan Payne as the Interim group CEO and Business Development Manager responsible for global sales and the development of TMC e-health products. His appointment comes in the wake of TMC's recent financial and corporate restructure within its Australian parent group. About the new relationship with Stirling Products, Alan commented...

Just posted:
Home-based Telehealth Project Manager – £50k per annum (Negotiable)

Recently posted:
Telecare Implementation Consultant - Local Authority
Telecare Call Centre Response Officer - £25,000 per annum

Details, and how to express an interest, on the Jobs page.

We haven't treated you to a forecast in a while, so here's an 'exotic' one from MarketsandMarkets.  The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries will experience 'telemedicine' growth in the range of 15.8% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from 2009-2014, to $418.4 million by 2014.  Telemedicine in these countries differ in types of applications used and 'mix' (teleconsultation, telecardiology, teledermatology etc.) so M&M further defines 'telemedicine technology' (hardware, connectivity) with a CAGR of 16.6% to $307.4 million.  Release.  M&M website.

Two more recent items relating to telemedicine services around the US, other than California, being financed through Federal funding, either the FCC Rural Health Care program or 'stimulus' funding.

• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences:  $102 million in Federal funding, matched by $26.5 million from UAMS and other private entities, for high-speed Internet access.  All 75 of Arkansas' counties, 135 communities with 1.45 million rural Arkansans will be covered. Once complete, it will be expanded to nearly 4,000 schools, nursing homes, libraries, etc.  Tulsa (OK) World.
• Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN:  $16 million to connect this Mayo Clinic campus with 12 rural health care facilities in seven counties in southern Minnesota. High-speed broadband via Enventis will enable the clinic to provide distance health care training, education and remote telemedicine services to patients in rural areas.  Rochester Post-Bulletin

In this brief announcement in Chemist + Druggist UK, Boots announced a two-store (locations unavailable*) test of TeleMedCare's telehealth and possibly telemedicine (remote consult) equipment. Based on the article, it would be part of 'mini medical clinics' within these two Boots stores. TeleMedCare is proceeding with this despite recent financial difficulties [now resolved] with Stirling Products in Australia taking a 65% controlling interest. Article. TeleMedCare website.

UPDATE: BBC News item fleshes out the story and has a photo with the equipment in use. *Milton Keynes and Nottingham.

In the light of a private communication from a reader, I re-read the qualification requirements in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) document (PDF). In the sections relating to Lot 2, Telecare services; Lot 4, Telehealth services; Lot 5, Telecoaching Products and Services and Lot 6, Managed Services, the wording in each of them is essentially the same:

In contrast with the Camden short pendant-orientated video [below on Videos Page], Dudley Telecare Service's 8 minute video is excellent for the philosophy it embodies, the range of devices it covers (including Just Checking's equipment), and the number of down-to-earth testimonials from users of the service. Excellent soundbites from Linda Sanders, Director of Adult, Community and Housing Services too, especially at the 7:13 spot.

Three items this week illustrate the changing health and social care context that is beginning to affect the market for telecare and telehealth services.

• Council plans to axe in-house care provision (Community CAre. Note the comment about direct payments and personal budgets)
• PCT deficits will leave GP commissioning 'doomed to fail' (Healthcare Republic)
• Commissioning a bridge for GPs' information gap (Smart Healthcare ephasises lack of planning for GPs' information needs)

Update...and a couple more:

• Council staff 'waste two-thirds of working day' (Hmm...)
• Councils reveal most bizarre call centre queries (General, not telecare call centres referred to here, by the way. Using humour, these councils are trying to counteract their generally negative publicity and to show how useful they are.)

Granada, Spain 3-7 November 2010

The conference will examine the problems that prevent the introduction of services and ICT systems. These will be looked at from the point of view of effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and improved quality of life of elderly. Organised by National Spanish and local Anadlucian organisations and the University of Granada. More information here.

Following Monday's reminder about the Telecare Aware Facebook discussion page, two new ones have been started:

• AAL (The Ambient Assisted Living program in Denmark - Are any readers going?)
• The consumer press and their muddled articles on eHealth

A little less than two weeks ago, we cheered 'well done' to WellDoc for gaining FDA approval for its Diabetes Manager [TA 4 Aug], and that pretty much was it.  Over at the HealthPopuli blog, Jane Sarasohn-Kahn sees it differently--that it signals FDA's openness to mobile health solutions and that it's a positive sign to all the app developers waiting in the wings.  While we have a touch of 'New Jerusalem' at the end (managing healthcare costs), she also notes that FDA in its report on the 510(k) approval process for medical devices admits they are not ready for prime time when it comes to evaluating highly innovative systems.  Article.

Federal initiatives to expand broadband?  Pew!  According to a survey released last Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, about 53% of U.S. residents believe Federal initiatives to expand broadband connections should not be attempted or are "not too important" of a priority.  When 63% believe it is a 'minor' or 'no' disadvantage, spending $7.2 billion in 'stimulus funding' for broadband grants could be a perception problem.  iHealthBeat. 

It could have something to do with effectiveness.  A study published in BMC Health Services Research last week reviewed 36 international 'telehealth' studies (actually telemedicine video consultations) with mixed results.  Delivery of health services by real time video communication was cost-effective for home care and access to on-call hospital specialists, showed mixed results for rural service delivery, and was not cost-effective for local delivery of services between hospitals and primary care.  A systematic review of economic analyses of telehealth services using real time video communication:  Abstract, PDF.

West Wireless Developer Integration Challenge:  San Diego’s West Wireless Health Institute announced a $10,000 incentive prize open to software developers around the world.  The Institute is challenging developers to design a secure mechanism that can be standardized and will integrate personalized information from an established social network interface (such as OpenSocial) with health data derived by wireless health sensors.  Think fast, because the deadline is 15 September.  Details. 

Palomar Pomerado Health of San Diego is working with Cisco Systems to be the first US hospital network to deploy a tablet-based system.  The local business journal article doesn't mention the Cius [TA 2 July] but the robust videoconferencing for virtual multi-point consults and relatively small size (7" screen) mentioned in the article match the description.  San Diego is also prominently featured as an 'epicenter' for wireless health with Qualcomm, UCSD and PhiloMetron cited -- plus Paul Sonnier of CommNexus San Diego/LinkedIn Wireless Health who was probably a source for much of this article. E-Devices Prove Their Mettle in Vigorous Health Care Settings

Background

First, a little history of telecare procurement to explain why the UK now has its second 'national framework agreement'.

At last I've found a tracking service that will appeal to you for your own use.

It's software and an online service for owners of Blackberrys, and Windows-based phones, and laptops / netbooks, etc. (including MACs) that will help locate your device if it is stolen. Much more than that, for phones you can

eHere is a full list of companies on the Buying Solutions Assistive Technologies - Telecare, Telehealth and Telecoaching (RM 748) framework agreement extracted from the Suppliers Matrix published in advance of the full agreement information which is expected soon. It lists the companies that have been accepted onto the framework agreement, and indicates for which telecare, telehealth or telecoaching services they have been approved. Download the PDF matrix
The 62 companies (with links to press releases when available) are:

Accenture
Air Products (PDF) Healthcare
Airdale NHS Trust
Ascom (UK) Ltd
Bayer Plc