Telehealth-RPM-Virtual Visits-Voice Health

I was fortunate to have an experience this week listening on calls when the Philips Lifeline pendant was activated.

Devices, devices, everywhere. I guess I just don't get telehealth-related technology 'progress' -- it seems like two steps forward in one area and a few backward somewhere else. On the one hand, there will be 15 million mobile and wireless telehealth devices by 2012, says an ABI July 22 research report, devices that will be jabbering away with information about our chronic disease measurement readings.

Okay, you know that you can count on tech vendors to put 2 + 2 together and get 5, especially where their own product is involved.

Simulating in-person doctor's visits, sometimes called 'virtual visits', has become fairly trendy says the Wall Street Journal.

The medication reminder world has had three tiers of product offerings -- telephone-based reminders, reminders linked to emergency response offerings, and electronic pillboxes. And medication errors, including those from incorrectly filling pillboxes, continue to be vexing.

It's always hard to tell whether something is observation or insight (or just plain wrong). But I've done 13 interviews in the past few months about home health technologies, with vendors ranging from A (Advanced Warning Systems) to Z (Zume Life). I am beginning to see a pattern about product offerings that seems to have three dimensions. These may be related to product success long term -- cost, capital, clinician involvement.