FDA approves Verizon remote health monitoring solution

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given 510(k) clearance to Verizon's Converged Health Management, a cloud-based, remote patient-monitoring medical device, marking the first time the wireless and wireline communications company has pursued and been granted FDA approval for a healthcare solution, according to an announcement.

Verizon's Converged Health Management solution, which will be commercially available in late 2013, provides clinicians with access to up-to-date patient data from connected biometric devices so they can more efficiently monitor and manage patients from their home, or when they are on the go, the press release states. 

"Verizon is committed to improving the dynamics of the U.S. healthcare system," said Peter Tippett, M.D., chief medical officer and vice president of the Verizon Innovation Incubator, in a written statement. "By leveraging our mobile health expertise, HIPAA-ready cloud, 4G LTE wireless network and leading security solutions, Verizon is uniquely positioned to drive innovation in healthcare. Converged Health Management will accelerate focus on care management through mobile technologies as patients increasingly take more responsibility for their health."

The Converged Health Management solution, which resides in Verizon's HIPAA-ready cloud, joins the company's other healthcare offerings which include Healthcare Enabled Services for secure electronic protected health information (ePHI) and Healthcare Fraud Management. 

Last year, Sprint, a Verizon competitor, announced the launch of a new gateway/hub product with veteran home monitoring company Ideal Life, of Toronto, Canada. Under the partnership, Ideal Life provides a series of at-home remote monitors for blood pressure, weight, glucose readings, mobility and other vitals. A gateway/hub device collects data from the monitors wirelessly and funnels it to the Ideal Life's cloud-based database, where it can be accessed by caregivers and physicians. The combined system also sends alerts to caregivers, physicians and others when readings are out of normal range.

To learn more:
- read the announcement