Medical Device Security Center


Interesting resource:
A cross-disciplinary research initiative on medical device security, privacy, safety, and effectiveness
www.secure-medicine.org/icd-study/icd-faq.php

They have plenty of publications related to medical device security, including latest ACM Sigcomm.

Intel, GE to embark on healthcare JV

Intel and General Electric, two of the world’s largest companies, have announced an agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture to create a new healthcare company focused on the delivery of telehealth and independent living. The deal will combine assets of GE Healthcare’s Home Health Division and Intel’s Digital Health Group with the new company developing new products, services and technologies.
This move comes a year after the two companies announced a $250 million healthcare alliance to develop solutions for the management of chronic illnesses and independent living. The new agreement will build on this alliance with the two sharing ‘common vision to use technology to bring more effective healthcare into millions of homes and to improve the lives of seniors and people with chronic conditions’. Intel and GE say that with the rise of chronic illnesses amongst the world’s population has given rise to a need for new models of healthcare delivery (read: huge market opportunity).
The new,as yet unnamed, company is expected to be operational by the end of this year pending certain regulatory and other customary closing conditions at which point new market products, services and technologies that promote healthy independent living at home and in assisted living communities will be developed. It will focus on three major segments: chronic disease management, independent living and assistive technologies.
“New models of care delivery are required to address some of the largest issues facing society today, including our aging population, increasing healthcare costs and a large number of people living with chronic conditions,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “We must rethink models of care that go beyond hospital and clinic visits, to home and community-based care models that allow for prevention, early detection, behavior change and social support. The creation of this new company is aimed at accelerating just that.”
The new company will have headquarters in the greater Sacramento, Calif. area. Louis Burns, currently vice president and general manager of Intel’s Digital Health Group, will be CEO of the new company, and Omar Ishrak, senior vice president of GE and president and CEO, GE Healthcare Systems, will be chairman of the board.
(Источник)

NHS trialling Proteus smart pills

According to a report published on the Financial Times website yesterday, the NHS will be trialling smart pill products for patients with heart problems in an effort to save money and minimise the risk of heart failures caused by poor subscription adherence.
The Royal Berkshire and Imperial College healthcare trusts will be recruiting 40 patients for the clinical trial which will use ‘smart pills’ developed by US company Proteus Biomedical. Subjects will be given versions of their regular beta blockers and diuretic pills that includexs a small microchip. The pill sends signals to a patch worn by the patient which sends them a text message if they forget to take their prescription.
The system, called Raisin, was originally tested in the US last year and it is hoped that it will lead to increased efficiency and better patient care in the NHS by improving patient compliance which is typically poor and reducing hospital readmissions.
For the original story visit the Financial Times
(Источник)

Proteus Biomedical Announces European CE Mark Approval of Ingestible Sensor and Monitor System

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Proteus Biomedical Inc., a pioneer in intelligent medicine, announced today that it has received CE Mark approval to market its ingestible sensor and personal physiologic monitor system in the European Union. The CE Mark certifies that the Proteus system has met European Union consumer and health requirements. Proteus also received ISO 13485:2003 certification for the design, development and manufacture of its product system.
Proteus’s ingestible sensor and personal monitor system, called the RaisinTM System, is indicated under the CE Mark to timestamp, via ingestion, any discrete event (such as the ingestion of a specific pharmaceutical) and to record this event along with physiologic information such as heart rate, activity, body angle and patient-logged information. The unique ingestion event and personalized physiologic information are then communicated via Bluetooth to any computerized device, such as a mobile phone for emerging mHealth applications.
The Raisin System is being developed as part of Proteus’s integrated intelligent medicine system to link sensor-based formulations of pharmaceutical products to individualized physiologic response and outcomes-based treatment systems. Proteus and its partners are currently developing these integrated product systems in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disorders, organ transplantation and infectious disease.
As part of its development and commercialization of the Raisin System, Proteus also announced today the creation of a new product development group focused on user experience. Arna Ionescu, formerly Connected Health domain lead at the global design firm IDEO, has joined Proteus as Director, Product Development, User Experience. She will lead a team focused on applying the principles of human-centered design to create intelligent medicine products that empower consumers and transform the delivery and management of health care. Ms. Ionescu also teaches product and interaction design at Stanford University and California College of Art.
“CE Mark approval represents a significant achievement for Proteus, and a major milestone for the advancement of intelligent medicine,” said Andrew Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Proteus. “As we commercialize our products and empower patients and their families we will begin to realize the potential of a more connected, pervasive and personalized standard of care that promotes better access, higher value for money and more sustainable innovation models. The timing is very good – many government health budgets are under financial pressure and our approach is one that promises better results with less spending and higher consumer satisfaction.”
About Proteus Biomedical
Proteus Biomedical is pioneering intelligent medicine, an emerging field of advanced therapeutics that integrates in-body computer, sensor and communications technologies into existing pharmaceutical and medical device products. Proteus’s proprietary computing and sensing technologies enable proven therapies to be personalized, offering broad potential benefits across a range of care settings and therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, psychiatric, metabolic and neurologic disorders.
More information about Proteus Biomedical can be found at www.proteusbiomed.com
(Источник)

Philips joins healthcare venture capital fund

Royal Philips Electronics announced yesterday that it had joined Gilde Healthcare III, a new venture capital fund focusing on early and growth stage health technology companies in Europe and the US. The fund has a target size of approximately €200 million ($250 million).
Philips, already operating a dedicated healthcare arm and active in the mobile health space, is investing in Gilde Healthcare III as a means of fostering further innovation in areas of strategic interest to its healthcare business. As one of the fund’s anchor investors, Philips will contribute to the shaping of its innovative scope with home healthcare solutions, sleep improvement techniques, image-guided interventions/therapies and clinical decision support, with emphasis on cardiology, oncology and women’s health being particular areas of interest.
“Over the past years the venturing community has been instrumental in bringing breakthrough healthcare innovations to the market,” said Steve Rusckowski, CEO of Philips Healthcare. “Through our participation in the Gilde Healthcare III venture capital fund, we are taking another step forward in driving innovation in areas of strategic interest to Philips in healthcare. At the same time we will become even more connected to the venturing community, which is an important element of Philips’ open innovation approach.”
Philips holds a minority share in the fund and it is being joined by additional institutional financial investors. The Gilde Healthcare III fund has a target size of EUR 200 million (USD 250 million). It will be managed by Gilde Healthcare Partners – a Dutch venture and growth capital firm that currently has more than EUR 300 million under management.
(Источник)

Are we forced to choose between privacy and mhealth?

I recently posted a story on the NHS trialling Proteus smart pills here on mHealth Update which prompted one of our readers, Martin, to make a comment:

“Can you say Big Brother? This is a complete intrusion. Ridiculous. I hope the NHS isn’t funding this. Now you need a microchip, a bluetooth receiver and a cell phone to take a pill? Doesn’t that seem a bit much?”

Martin’s comment raises a number of interesting questions, in particular, those relating to privacy, patient freedom and mobile health. When talking about pill reminder systems like the one covered in the aforementioned article, the purpose is to ensure the patient takes their medication and ideally stays as healthy as possible. However, for some people whether they take their prescription is their business, and their business alone. The idea of a technology that automatically logs when medicine is or isn’t taken for these people is intrusive.
We routinely share personal, often embarrassing details, with our doctors. Is it any different to do this via an automated process using our mobile phones? A rather interesting article by Cameron Norman (brought to my attention by David Doherty at 3G Doctor) discusses the data we transmit over mobile devices and the internet. He points out that in the case of the mobile internet our devices and data providers give up every last bit of information about us; as soon as a mobile phone is used to transmit any sort of medical data, it passes through the hands of many more people than, say, if a diabetes patient hands over a written log of blood glucose levels to their doctor. He concludes that privacy and eHealth/mHealth can never coexist.
Still, we have the choice of whether to use mobile health solutions and in turn share medical information in this way. At present no one is obliged to use Proteus’ smart pill system. However, if we do choose to take advantage of it (and I would hazard a guess that most people would feel the benefits far outweigh what may be perceived as an invasion of their privacy), or any other mHealth solution’s benefits it may be that we have to accept, at least for now, our personal information will pass through the hands of our data providers.
(Источник)

Exmovere bringing limited release wireless pyjamas in early 2011

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or ‘cot death’ as it is more commonly known, is responsible for the deaths of around 300 babies aged under one each year in the UK. A very real fear for parents, it is not possible to prevent SIDS from occurring but there are ways of reducing the risk, while monitoring a child is also important.
Considering this, Virginia-based Exmovere have developed biosensor pyjamas called Exmobaby. Exmobaby is the world’s first baby garment capable of monitoring heart rate, behaviour and ‘emotional state’. Every Exmobaby onesie/baby grow comes with a Zigbee wireless transceiver that snaps into a pouch. From there, data is transmitted to a nearby PC or mobile phone keeping parents and carers informed of a baby’s status. The baby’s heart rate, emotional state and activity levels are displayed by icons on the parent’s mobile phone. Zigbee technology has been chosen as it requires a lower data rate and has a low power consumption. Exmovere CEO David Bychkov claims the system provides an “emotional umbilical cord’ between mother and child.
In early 2011, Exmovere will begin a limited edition marketing campaign where just 1000 pyjama kits will be released. These will be available in pink and blue to select buyers from a waiting list. Included with these kits will be an Exmobaby garment set, one Zigbee transceiver, PC and cell phone monitoring software and six months of online service. Cheyenne Crow, Vice President and COO expects mass market and medical versions to be available in Q3 2011.
(Источник)

MedApps and SAP Team Up to Host Joint Webcast on eCare

On September 21st at 1pm EST MedApps’ CEO Kent Dicks, SAP’S SVP and Global Health Sciences Head John Papandrea, and Ziff Davis Enterprise’s Editorial Director and Market Expert Joseph E. Maglitta will collaborate as featured webcast speakers discussing eCare health management.
The SAP / MedApps webcast will be hosted in conjunction with Ziff Davis Enterprise and will focus on eCare technology as it enables patients and families, in partnership with healthcare providers, to improve coordination and monitoring of care in the home.
The webcast will demonstrate how leading healthcare providers are currently utilizing eCare solutions like the MedApps HealthPAL in patients’ homes to:

Proactively manage episodes of care for patients interacting with multiple providers across the healthcare continuum

Integrate wellness, disease management, and post acute care in the home as a component of healthcare delivery

Seamlessly and automatically connect to and forward patient health measurements from personal health monitors to an electronic health record

Integrate telecommunication capabilities to notify caregivers of patient health status and changes through electronic notifications

To register for this webcast please click here.


About MedApps
MedApps provides innovative eCare solutions for the collection, transmission and remote management of patient health data. The FDA cleared MedApps System is producing notable results at leading healthcare facilities across the nation, including Cleveland Clinic and Meridian Health in New Jersey. MedApps is a recognized telehealth innovator and member of Continua, an industry consortium setting Medical Device Interoperability Standards worldwide.
(Источник)

Diversinet Adds Seasoned Healthcare-IT Sales Executives

Ivan Boyd, Gene Ridge and Jon Smith Bring Extensive Industry Experience to Advance Company Leadership in Secure Mobile-Healthcare Applications
TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2010 – Diversinet Corp. (TSX Venture: DIV, OTCBB: DVNTF) has added three sales executives with deep and diverse healthcare-IT experience as it continues building its position as a leading innovator of secure mobile-healthcare applications.
Ivan Boyd has joined the company as Senior Vice President – Sales for the United States. Gene Ridge and Jon Smith have been appointed Vice Presidents – Sales for the U.S. Boyd and Smith are based in Dallas, while Ridge is based in the Chicago area.
Combined, these executives possess more than 50 years of experience in healthcare IT.
“Ivan, Gene and Jon bring a wealth of successful experience providing diverse information-technology solutions to the breadth of healthcare organizations, including major U.S. payers and providers,” said Mark Trigsted, Diversinet’s Executive Vice President – Healthcare. “Based on their industry accomplishments and my work with them in previous positions, I’m confident they will contribute significantly to our sales growth.”
Boyd, a 20-year industry veteran, was previously Executive Vice President of Business Development with 1-800-DOCTORS, where he played a key role in launching a unique revenue-growth program and physician-referral marketing service for U.S. hospital partners. He also has held senior sales and marketing positions with GTESS Corporation, SOURCECORP, Sunquest Information Systems, ADAC HealthCare Information Systems, Health Systems Group of First Data Corporation, and Digital Equipment Corporation.
Before joining Diversinet, Ridge served healthcare clients as a Managing Partner with Crown Consulting Services. Prior to Crown, he held sales executive positions with Affiliated Computer Services, Concuity (formerly eHealth Contracts), Coastal Emergency Services, and United States Surgical Corporation. He also was President and Founder of MEDGRUP Development Services.
Smith previously was a Regional Manager for McKesson Provider Technologies, responsible for large accounts. Before McKesson, he held senior account-management positions with QuadraMed Corporation, Sysware Healthcare Systems and Lanier Worldwide.
These new Diversinet sales appointments support the company’s strategy to focus on meeting the increasing need for connected and secure mobile healthcare-information management. Diversinet is targeting healthcare payers and providers, medical-device manufacturers, systems integrators and related technology companies.
In conjunction with these new appointments, Jay Couse has been appointed to the new position of Senior Vice President – Business Development. Couse, who has served Diversinet as Senior Vice President – Sales for the U.S., has been instrumental in developing the company’s MobiSecure® Health solution and establishing strategic relationships for Diversinet. In his new role, he will focus on developing strategic marketing and sales opportunities.
About Diversinet
Diversinet Corp. (TSX Venture: DIV, OTCBB: DVNTF) provides the healthcare industry with proven, reliable technology for mobile applications that securely connect people with their healthcare information, payers and providers – anyway, anytime and anywhere. Diversinet’s MobiSecure® platform helps payers and providers meet rapidly growing needs for safe, convenient, on-the-go storage and sharing of personal health data. Connect with Diversinet Corp. at www.diversinet.com. Healthcare. Connected and Protected.
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws provide a “safe harbour” for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by the company) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the success of current product offerings. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the company. For a description of additional risks and uncertainties, please refer to the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission available at www.sec.govand Canadian securities regulatory authorities available at www.sedar.com.
(Источник)

Wireless Innovation Project announces call for entries

Vodafone Americas and the mHealth Alliance have announced a call for entries for their annualVodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project and mHealth Alliance Award. The awards are designed to identify and support promising wireless-related technologies to address critical social issues around the globe. Entries are open through to December 15th with winners announced at the annual Global Philanthropy Forum in Redwood City, CA in April 2011.
Prizes of $300,000, $200,000 and 100,000 are awarded to the first, second and third placed winners with the mHealth Alliance Award going to the developer of an innovative wireless technology with the most potential to address critical health challenges, especially in developing regions of the world. The award winner will receive an additional cash prize of $50,000, as well as strategic and networking assistance from the mHealth Alliance.
“We are proud to once again collaborate with the Vodafone Americas Foundation in presenting the mHealth Alliance Award,” said David Aylward, Executive Director of the mHealth Alliance. “With over 5 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, over two-thirds of which are in emerging economies, the use of mobile devices for health purposes can revolutionize the ability of governments, corporations, NGOs and citizens to deliver, access and use health information to promote well being, combat disease, and respond to medical emergencies.”
Last year’s winner of the mHealth Alliance Award was won by Sana Mobile a multidisciplinary group from MIT which offers an open source platform that enables healthcare workers to perform structured clinical assessments of patients. An interview Sana can be found here.
(Источник)