The U.S. market for remote patient monitoring systems is expected to reach $20.9 billion by 2016, according to a report by Kalorama Information, InformationWeek reports (Lewis, InformationWeek, 7/25).
Report Findings
The report noted that the market for remote patient monitoring systems already has more than doubled from $3.9 billion in 2007 to $8.9 billion in 2011.
According to the report, factors contributing to the market growth include:
The aging of the U.S. population;
Rising health care costs;
Lack of health care resources; and
Hospitals’ efforts to reduce emergency department overcrowding and diversions (Versel, MobiHealthNews, 7/18).
Report Predictions
In the report, Kalorama Information predicted that health care organizations increasingly will adopt remote patient monitoring devices like blood pressure monitors and glucose meters to exchange patient data between different locations over wireless networks.
Melissa Elder — author of the report and information analyst at Kalorama Information — said that many developers are launching new wireless health products that can do more than collect and send data. “Some of the challenges (at health care delivery organizations) can be somewhat offset by implementing newer patient monitoring technologies capable of not only monitoring patients, but sorting data and automatically updating patient records,” she said, adding, “This allows health staff to provide care more efficiently and also monitor patients in off-site locations” (InformationWeek, 7/25).
