Future Now
The IFTF Blog
The future of medicine is wireless
A couple of weeks ago, the (then interim, now full-fledged) president and CEO of CardioNet, Randy Thurman, declared that the company is
leading what we believe is a revolution in healthcare - wireless medicine. . . . In summary, the convergence of healthcare and information technology is resulting in one of the most important trends for the next twenty years - wireless medicine - and CardioNet is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this unprecedented opportunity over the long term.
(These statements were made in the context of fourth quarter and year-end results--the company reported 65% revenue growth in 2008.)
CardioNet is a medical technology company that currently specializes in the remote diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac arrhythmias (an abnormality in the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat). Its Mobile Cardiac Outpatient Telemetry (MCOT), a portable wireless monitoring device, is designed to keep track of a person's heartbeat 24/7 over an extended period of time as he or she goes about daily life.
Marketed as a service rather than as a product, the MCOT must be prescribed by a physician. The patient wears three chest leads attached to a small sensor that transmits data to the monitor. The monitor analyzes each heartbeat, and when it detects arrhythmias, it automatically sends the data to the CardioNet monitoring center; results are then communicated to the prescribing doctor. When the study period is over, the patient returns the MCOT device to CardioNet.