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New Wireless (and wired) Medical Devices
PCs, Tablets, and Smartphones

A Disruptive Technology is an Innovation that disrupts an Existing Market.The Wireless Managed Care System Builds Off, and Expands the Capabilities of Disruptive Technologies, and then integrates them with some ”glue” and additional common features to develop a reference model for Simple, Comprehensive, and Affordable Healthcare that supports a Wide Variety of Applications and End-Users, all leveraging off one single overall System.

 

This is accomplished through Off-The-Shelf Technologies and a Common Cross-Industry Reference Model, Standards, Development Tools, SW, Testing, and Support. Like the internet and smartphones/tablets, if you get something out that is open and flexible and let people innovate

 

Destructive Technologies are already out there:

  • People can telecommute and work from almost anywhere

  • Smartphones and Tablets “There is an App for That” can do an amazing number of things, and it grows daily

  • Cars can drive themselves, they can take over and automatically break in an emergency,  they know we have been in an accident and call for help, they can monitor our driving habits, they can prevent us from drinking and driving, and we can talk to them (cabin temperature, music choices, directions, make calls, read email)

  • Whole Home Systems can allow you to monitor and control almost every electronic aspect of your home from anywhere

  • There is a Robot that can serve as a “virtual you” at work, and many other models that have taken on other roles

  • There are a wide variety of Medical and Health Monitoring Systems already on the market with more to come

  • These are full-on computers with multiple networking capabilities that can talk to each other and other devices

  • They are easy to use, and most people are very familiar with using them and their applications

  • There are off-the-shelf Apps for all forms of workflow, productivity tools, and a whole lot more

  • They have extensive Object Classes/Interfaces and Development kits for quick, efficient, and solid APP development

  • They understand natural language and can speak and perform requests without your even touching them

  • They can take, model, and analyze video, pictures, and sound

  • They use low-power processing and display with long battery life allowing them to be portable, use in outages, and with extended batteries, be an optimal option for Disaster Recovery Operations

  • You can use them anywhere (worldwide)

    • They can monitor, collect, analyze, report, alert, and send data from almost anywhere

    • They can and connect, communicate, monitor, and control things worldwide (work, home, office, building, car, devices, medical equipment, etc.)

  • They continue to have new applications and capabilities daily and have proven they can do almost anything with “There is an AP for that”

 

There is no longer a need to have lots of different controls, interfaces, and have to be physically present to do things

 

With all of this flexibility they are the logical choice to be the main interface and control for the System, Individual Devices, and Workflow, plus provide a number of applications to Support and Enhance Healthcare Systems

  • Many of these devices exist and more in development, there is even a Wireless device like a Tricorder (Star trek) that can provide a large amount of testing from simple scans

  • They have the capability for performing a multitude of different tests, constant monitoring, analysis, reporting, forwarding information for cross data analysis, and creating alerts if there are items of interest

  • They have the capability of being self-aware for support and maintenance

  • They have the capability to be plug-and-play with common easy-to-use interfaces that are intuitive to use

  • They have the capacity to be mass produced at lower costs for standard home, doctor’s offices, hospitals, clinics, recovery facilities, mobile and fixed emergency services, and retirement communities

  • There is a potential to create Gateway Devices or Software Translators, to extend these capabilities to existing legacy systems

  • These devices have the potential to perform many tasks at lower costs and with less required staff education and training

  • They can provide additional testing and monitoring to give a better view of the individuals health and how it might be changing

 

Their use can move testing and care closer to the patient and make the patient more independent through home, community, and community clinics

  • They can support virtual Health Professional visits with two-way video, voice, and data for concerns, pre-appointments, post treatments, hospital follow-ups Through facial recognition

    • They can view a person’s face and determine if they are potentially sick or in pain

    • They can provide identity verification

  • Through object recognition

    • They can read results of tests on legacy devices and store them electronically

    • They can provide medication verification from the chart and the actual label

    • They can provide information about suspected moles, rashes, infections, parasites, bytes, etc.

    • They can create a baseline and then check for changes (e.g. color, size, and shape changes in moles that could be cancerous, abnormal/gradual swelling, growths)

  • They can remind, and then verify proper medicine and treatments

  • They can take images of an issue and verbal symptom (even direct questioning from the phone), and provide “guidance”

  • They can provide connection to wireless (and wired) sensors  and devices to collect, analyze, store, forward, and report on a person’s condition

 

Notes:

  • According to the Associated Press (Sept 2013), there are 17,000 medical applications available ranging from Calorie Counters to High-Tech Heart Monitors. While most off these do not require FDA Approval (risk to individual if malfunction). The FDA will be focusing on some that turn smartphones into medical devices (heart monitor, blood pressure cuff. FDA has already approved 75 (25 of which last year).

  • With products like Google Goggles, you can perform these tasks just by looking and talking

  • High-speed Networks are now available virtually everywhere

  • You just need to be in range of a network connection (Mobile 3/4G, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Cable, Fiber, Microwave, or Satellite), and you can be virtually connected anywhere in the world

  • They have become so inexpensive, common place, and simple to use, that they are in a large portion of people’s homes, hotspots, public areas, and even across cities

  • With a single connection, PC’s Tablets, and Smartphones, can become hotspots for others, and extend additional wired and wireless (RF, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi) connections for other devices

  • High-speed Satellite connection scan provide direct and backbone network connectivity for Air, Sea, Rail, Rural, and Mobile applications

  • They can connect two-way Video, Voice, Data, and Control virtually everywhere

  • They are reliable, and in many cases, they can be made High-Availability (even in a person’s home)

  • Satellite links are not dependent on local infrastructure and an excellent choice for backup communications

 

This will change our perceptions of a “Tiered Brick and Mortar” Healthcare System with

  • Where do we put people and systems to best serve the populations

  • How do we leverage Expensive and Limited High Skilled Healthcare Professionals to meet the needs

  • What new Healthcare Support can we provide (Emergency Services, Home Monitoring and Recovery, Disaster Relief Centers, Rural Clinics, Neighborhood Clinics, Worldwide Relief Centers, etc.)

Tablets and Smart Phones have become Medical Devices
“Anywhere“ High Speed Wireless Networks

Disruptive Technologies

  • New Wireless (and wired) Medical Devices

  • Tablets and Smart Phones have become Medical Devices

  • Machine Assisted Surgery (and Treatments)

  • New “Whole Home” Security and Control Systems

  • Robotics  (with some AI)

Disruptive Technologies

  • PCs, Tablets, and Smartphones

  • “Anywhere“ High Speed Networks

  • Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth) Enabled Cameras

  • Cloud Computing and Data Services

  • Machine Assisted Surgery (AKA Computer assisted surgery (CAS)) exists and is common today.

  • It already provides less invasive surgeries with less blood loss, fewer complications, and faster recovery times (Trans-Oral, Urologic, Gynecologic, Cancer/Tumor, Cardiothoracic, and others)

  • Has the potential of providing operations and treatments almost anywhere in the world from an office

  • Has the potential to monitor, correlate, and provide status and alerts for  all of the vitals during the operation or treatment

 

Machine Assisted Surgery already exists and will continue to grow and evolve in the Healthcare Industry

 

Using a Telesurgical System (AKA remote surgery),  can conceivably place the surgical machine worldwide and be controlled from a location far away supporting Rural Clinics, Neighborhood Clinics, Disaster Relief Centers, and Relief Centers.

 

They would benefit from standardizations in their configuration management, support, maintenance, data collection, data storage, remote support, and integration into the Hospital and Clinic Systems

 

A bigger question will be how long they will be Human Assisted

  • Robots are here and getting smarter, more capable, and will continue to quickly evolve  over time

  • Robots can be mobile, and autonomously perform many tasks for individuals (many better than humans)

  • In addition to mobility and dexterity, Robots will have all of the capabilities of PCs, Tablets, and Smartphones and more

  • For Home Use they could be a “Health Companion/Healthmate” providing additional independence by

    • Be the central control hub for the other devices and systems in the house

    • 24 Hour Care through monitoring and making sure “their human(s)” do the things they are supposed to

    • Assist with chores, tasks, food, testing, scheduling and making appointments

    • Someone to talk to and provide news, weather, web searches, schedule, email, standard and video phone, txt, etc.

    • Provide Remote Presence for call center, family, guardians, and health professionals

  • For Clinics, Hospitals, Recovery/Convalescent Centers, and Retirement Communities

    • Assist with the prep, execution, and cleanup of some medical and non-medical tasks

    • Assist with the dispatch and relocation of equipment and people

    • Constant monitoring of different environmental, safety, and human needs and issues

    • Deliver and verify medications

 

Robots have and will continue to take on more roles and responsibilities, and displace humans. Not just at the low end, but some of the higher functioning tasks and judgments

 

Defining how they can fit into Healthcare and develop Common and Standard Interfaces for Robots and their interactions with other machines and humans will be important in this transition

 

The use of Robotics in Healthcare will help drive down the costs and improve care, but there are several consequences making it more disruptive than other technologies.

 

Robotics will replace humans in many areas. There are of benefit areas where there are shortages (e.g. Health Professionals) or assisting humans in reducing mistakes or providing additional capabilities or needs that are not cost effective for the use of humans (some home monitoring and assistance). There are some unexpected consequences that can eliminate an incredible number of jobs, but also save more lives.

 

For example, take robotic vehicles for transportation and delivery. This will affect professional driver jobs in a number of industries inside and outside of Healthcare.

  • Cars could be pooled and shared among people reducing the need for as many cars, which reduces the number or people needed to make, sell, and maintain vehicles

  • Emergency vehicles can meet emergency response workers at the scene and only requiring one person to manage the scene or individual(s) requiring assistance

  • Since a vast majority of accidents are associated with human error, this will also reduce the needs for car repair, police, lawyers, insurance agents, claims adjusters, medical staff, physical therapists, etc.

  • Similarly, car thefts would be reduced, which reduces thieves, police, chop shops, insurance, etc.

  • With fewer accidents, there is less loss of work and productivity for anyone in an accident affecting may other industries

 

< Read more about Robotics >

Machine Assisted Surgery (and Treatments)
Robotics (with some AI)

  • There are high quality cameras that can view every inch of our bodies, as well as parts of our insides, and then electronically store that data

    • These cameras exist as standalone cameras that are readily available (photography, “pin hole”, tablets/smartphones, MRIs, Radiology, etc.)

    • Their data can be automatically saved for the patient though  network connections (or even visual scanning from a network enabled camera or scanner)

    • The images can be magnified, or analyzed by humans, or machine applications to identify items for additional Medical Personal Attention

  • After the data is stored… Applications can automatically

    • Analyze and trend objects (changes in color, shape, size, texture)

    • Model or search databases to match the attributes (cancer, rashes,  diabetes, infections, parasites)

    • Measure and quantify dexterity and pain of motion

    • Help determine general health

    • Convert analog pictures and text and then translate them into digital text, results, and/or graphical storage and treatment verification

    • (e.g. verification of medication, reading analog output from a legacy device, interpreting manual test results <test strips,  lung pressure, mobility, etc.>)

 

Early adoption of cameras had changed our perceptions of their value and use. With the commonality of cameras and applications, there are many new applications (In many ways, cameras are much better eyes then ours)

  • Baseline, model, analyze, quantify, and trend conditions and changes in our bodies (better and more complete analysis and trends)

  • Cameras can make us virtually there to provide emergency support for remotely located patients in clinics, ships, planes, ambulances, disaster relief centers, war zones, etc. (with full real-time view of patient, actions, and instrumentation)

  • Provide remote in-home “house-calls’ and Pre/Post-OP consultations

  • Automatic and accurate storage of test results that used to be visually interpreted, entered by hand, and/or only available in print

  • Review results and baselines from your PC, smartphone, or tablet anywhere

Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth) Enabled Cameras

  • Cloud Services provide Secure High-Speed Processing, Data, and IT Services Anywhere

  • They support state of the art security and data integrity

  • They reduce Capital Costs (becomes a monthly service)

  • They reduce Operational Efforts and Costs (maintenance, support, planning, upgrades)

  • They are on-demand and can automatically grow and shrink as needed

  • They can support Emergency needs (e.g. Disaster Relief) only as needed

  • They take on overhead TI functions, allowing Clinics, Call Centers, etc. to concentrate on Healthcare

  • For Organizations that don’t want to invest, support, or worry about their enterprise IT needs, this can provide a simple solution to help new startups get into the area with less cost and risk

  •  For larger established Organizations, it can improve their capability, reduce costs, and let them focus more on Healthcare

 

Notes:

  • It is envisioned that the System Development Center can supply primary and/or backup data and processing services for small and emergency clinics  (which could also be through a Cloud Services partnership)

  • ClearData and Dell support HIPAA compliance with their Healthcare Cloud Services

Cloud Computing and Data Services
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