I attended the board meeting of the MIT Enterprise Forum here in NYC.
It's an educational organization who's purpose is to examine emerging technologies and then provide presentations for the public.
It looks like they'll have a full schedule for this year, including a conference on medical wireless technology this fall. More details as soon as I get confirmation about the schedule.
According to HDM, the British firm Cambridge Consultants has created software, they call Vena, that can enable medical devices to transmit data wirelessly for as low as $10 each, depending on volume.
Vena embeds the emerging IEEE 11073 standard for how to present data in medical devices and the emerging Bluetooth Medical Device Profile for secure transport of medical data. Both standards are in trials and not yet fully approved.
From the Vena product page:
IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data is a framework of standards that addresses transport-independent application and information profiles between personal telehealth devices and monitors / managers (e.g. health appliance, set top box, cell phone, personal computer). Device profiles include pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitor, weighing scale, and thermometer.
A Bluetooth profile defines how different applications use Bluetooth wireless technology to set up a connection and exchange data. The Medical Devices Working Group of the Bluetooth SIG developed the Bluetooth medical device protocol to ensure that devices in the medical environment can transfer data between devices in a secure and well defined way via Bluetooth wireless technology.
Googling "IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data" brought up this group:
The Continua Health Alliance was formed according to this paper by Randy Carroll (IBM), Rick Cnossen (Intel), Mark Schnell (Cisco), David Simons ( Philips) "[i]n an effort to develop interoperability guidelines for the emerging personal telehealth ecosystem."
The Fifth Annual Healthcare Unbound Conference & Exhibition, in San Fran July 7-8, is described as covering "the convergence of consumer and healthcare technologies" with a "special focus on telehomecare & remote monitoring."
I interviewed several of the speakers scheduled for this event for a recent article, so this will be a prime opportunity for me to discuss these topics further.
From the Revolabs press release:
The xTag wireless microphone's wide band audio combined with HIPAA compliance security [128-bit encryption], complements the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Medical dictation software, which is the most widely used and successful general-purpose speech-enabled clinical documentation solution in the healthcare industry. Now, medical personnel do not need to be tethered to a computer as the xTag wireless microphone allows for natural mobility and is rechargeable -- eliminating the need to wear a headset or a bulky transmitter.
My experience with using the Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking software has been with a headset and a boom mike. If I recall correctly, the manual said that it is important to keep the mike in the same position for good results. The photos on their Web site show folks with this mike clipped to their shirt pocket. If it produces transcribed documents that are just as accurate, this will be a big jump up in convenience.
Here're the specs and descriptions from Revolabs' Medical Applications Web page.
I'm under deadline to get some things done (fingers and bits moving rapidly), and still make it to the Science Writers in NY (SWINY) party tonight at Friend of a Farmer nr Union Square, so I'll just post some links and get back to these stories later.
Hospital reaps healthy returns from wireless
Understanding the Suite of RFID Technologies
MyRapidMD, a Medical Alert Company, Invited to Attend FEMA Region IX Collaboration...
Allscripts Ranked No. 1 in Electronic Prescribing for 2007
Four UHS hospitals add video language-interpretation services
ER Docs Embrace Speech Recognition
Sparrow Emergency Department Successfully Brings Mobile Clinical Tools To The Bedside...
Medtronic Reaches Industry Milestones (press release)
Heritage Valley Health System Named a Finalist for Microsoft Healthcare User Group Award
From the In Motion press release:
North Carolina's Piedmont Triad Ambulance and Rescue has deployed In Motion’s onBoardTM Mobile Gateway to improve emergency operations and coordination with other first responders.
The onBoard Mobile Gateway is installed in emergency vehicles to create a “vehicle area network.” This network integrates all data communications, including medical devices, patient care records, GPS, driver and safety monitoring and dispatch systems. It allows the seamless transmission of information between these systems in the field and operations command.
The Mobile Gateway provides the ambulance with a satellite-guided route to the hospital, as well as transmitting patient data in advance to the ER and providing a print out before the ambulance arrives.
In Motion is located in Vancouver, B.C.
UPDATE from the In Motion Technology Web site:
Through the convergence of next generation LAN and WAN technologies including Ethernet, 802.11/WiFi, 3G and 4G networks including 802.20, authorized users are simply, securely, cost-effectively and transparently connected to standard communications and collaboration applications via virtual private networks (VPNs). Secure end-to-end networking is provided by support for standards-based, IPSec, PPTP-based VPNs and Mobile IP. No client software or hardware installation is required. Authorized users simply turn on their WiFi-equipped laptops or PDAs and connect to the onBoard Mobile Gateway using their proprietary VPN clients or standards-based 802.11i secure wireless networking technology.
NB: 802.20 is the IEEE Mobile Broadband Wireless Access (MBWA) working group.
This program will alert physicians via PocketScript on their PDA or smartphone at the point of care if the patient may be eligible for enrollment in a disease management program offered by the Massachusetts BC/BS.
Yesterday, I attended AirMagnet's lunchtime seminar here in NYC entitled "Best Practices for Securing Your Wireless LAN." AirMagnet CTO and Founder Chia-Chee Kuan spoke about their new Enterprise 8.0 software which provides intrusion-detection/-prevention systems (IDS/IPS) for wireless local area networks (WLAN).
While the major wireless infrastructure vendors such as Aruba Networks, Cisco Systems, Meru Networks, Symbol Technologies and Trapeze Networks have been implementing 802.11i, the IEEE 802.11 standard specifying security mechanisms for wireless networks which was ratified over 3 years ago, some companies or institutions that need to be security-conscious as well as submit to audits for regulatory compliance might want an extra security resources that overlay these vendors' installations.
Federal compliance laws which mandate device-level compliance auditing and reporting include:
The desired extra security resources include the specialized monitoring tools offered by the WIDPS (wireless IDS/IPS) vendors such as AirMagnet. These systems involve the use of sensors, in addition to access points (AP), that can keep a log of network attacks by the various popular schemes (rogue APs, man in the middle, denial of service, etc.). These sensors can also detect and characterize RF interference which is important considering that Wi-Fi operates in unlicensed spectrum, at 2.4 GHz and 5 Ghz. Devices ranging from a microwave oven to a Sony PSP gaming handheld using an ad hoc Wi-Fi network could create trouble. The industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio bands can operate in this range, so special consideration must be made for the hospital or clinical setting.
Even though security will always be a main concern, the capabilities of WLANs will expected to include a full portfolio of wireless services besides data, such as VoFI (voice over Wi-Fi), video, and internet access for customers. These security solutions can't diminish the robustness required for these other services. You can also add ensuring adequate coverage in all areas of a facility as another factor that has to be considered.
This is just a basic overview of the WIDPS vendors, which besides AirMagnet include AirDefense, Highwall Technologies, Network Chemistry, AirTight Networks, Airwave, Bluesocket, Cirond Technologies, Colubris Networks, Madge Networks, Newbury Networks, and Red-M Group. You can see that there are quite a few WIDPS vendors providing pure-play services that limits them to a niche market.
The major wireless infrastructure vendors do have special relationships with particular WIDPS vendors. From what I understand, AirMagnet has teamed up with Aruba and Xirrus. Since there was a Cisco rep at yesterday's meeting, I suspect they can also be included.
I know in this post I didn't get into the features of AirMagnet's latest wireless security offerings, but I wanted to do this overview first. This field certainly needs to be understood by more than just the IT folk who are coming from the wired world. For health care, it's important for doctors, nurses and other health professionals who are using these systems be aware, at least the basic level, so that they can provide input into how choices are made regarding wireless security in their workplace.
The Asan Medical Center, the largest hospital in Korea, has picked Colubris Networks for implenmentation of a new WLAN designed to support Voice over Wi-Fi (VoFi) and other medical applications.
(more to come...)
Colubris Networks Helps Asan Medical Center Mend Its Wireless Communications
Technorati Tags: medical wireless, WLAN, VoFi, Asan, Korea, Colubris, 802.11n
FinanceVisor - Markets > News > News Detail
Add Intel and Qualcomm into that mix.
Andy Grove is a firm believer in this upcoming "revolution" or "paradigm shift" (or maybe even "bubble"). He terms it the "10x" change.
I would like to hear Peter Kruger when he gives his talk at the Consumer HealthTec Summit in San Fran, though. Oops, it looks like this conference has been rescheduled for next April, in Pittsburgh.
Technorati Tags: medical wireless, wireless healthcare, Andy Grove, 10x
