AirStrip, which recently announced an investment from the Qualcomm Life Fund and a redirect to home health monitoring [TA 10 Feb], is adopting Diversinet’s MobiSecure technology for authentication, encryption and mobile security. This will help their hospital-grade monitoring on smartphones… Read moreAirStrip selects MobiSecure for government health apps

We do not know how many telehealth and telecare companies will turn up at the 3ML meeting next Wednesday, 29 February, ready to hand over their blank cheques and to submit to the proposed communications muzzle but indications are that the response has not been as positive as the Working Group would have hoped.

Perhaps a sense of reality has set in on Plan A which was to get industry to fund a mass media campaign. As experienced telecare campaigner John Chambers, of the London Telecare group pointed out in a comment on a previous Telecare Aware 3ML item, “This needs… [Read more]

A long and thoughtful article in MIT’s Technology Review with lessons for everyone planning a large, government-inspired project. It describes how the Kenyan health ministry “wanted to let community health workers put information into the database directly from mobile phones,… Read moreKenya's startup boom

The approvals pave the way for Aerotel to start offering the GeoSkeeper system in the USA and Canada and Aerotel has started negotiations with several security and medical alert service providers in North America to start offering it in the… Read moreAerotel's GeoSkeeper receives FCC and IC approvals (US & Canada)

Scotland’s procurement body for local authorities has set up a framework for telecare services. Scotland Excel has said that all 32 Scottish councils, plus two of the country’s largest housing associations, have confirmed they will use the contract until the… Read moreBonanza for six telecare suppliers (Scotland)

Cartel: A cartel is a formal (explicit) agreement among competing firms. [An agreement that has the effect of ‘fixing’ the market. Cartels are illegal in most countries.] (Wikipedia)

Last week I (editor Steve) highlighted some concerns about the way the UK’s fledgling 3millionlives (3ML) campaign is shaping up, particularly in the matter of the MOU the Working Group expects companies to sign and the initial £10,000 cost of entry – with an uncapped commitment after that. I asked for comments from people who could make a positive case for the initiative. The comments so far – thank you – have been lukewarm. If you have not yet read the earlier item, read it first.

I have had private comments from some companies who were understandably reluctant to comment publicly. In summary, the concerns they expressed were… [Read more…]

The Financial Times reports that a wirelessly controlled implant delivering daily doses of drugs, developed by MIT spinoff MicroChips, has succeeded in its first clinical trial in Denmark. The results were announced at the start of the American Association for… Read moreDrug delivery on a wireless chip closer

A medical alert device, for unknown reasons, summoned police to Kenneth Chamberlain’s apartment in White Plains, New York. The 68 year-old former US Marine with a heart condition became agitated, would not let the local police in, and after they… Read moreMedical alert summoned police–with tragic consequences (US)

Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission blogs about her meeting with Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Deputy First Minister responsible for Health and Wellbeing and congratulates Scotland for its “tremendous results”. However, the figures quoted in the article appear to… Read moreNeelie Kroes acknowledges Scotland's telecare and telehealth promotion

I (editor Steve) may have missed this previously: is Walsall Council and NHS Walsall going down a big Tunstall procurement route? It’s great that a) they are working together and b) that telecare and telehealth is to become a standard… Read moreWalsall making telecare a default component of care packages (UK)