The “Internet of Things” (loT) is in the midst of connecting technology especially in the healthcare and medical sectors. Verizon is interested in specific areas related to tracking prescription drugs and remote monitoring.
Thomas Villa, Global Director of Healthcare Products and Services, Verizon www.verizon.com, reports, “According to laws in the U.S and other countries, drug manufacturers will soon be required to track shipments down to an individual package level and add a unique product identifier to each package shipped. This will help pharmacies and others in the supply chain detect counterfeit products.”
Villa adds, “Verizon plans to offer a 4G sensor that companies can use with their shipments to determine both the temperature of the environment being monitored as well as the package’s location. The 4G enabled sensors can collect temperature information and then send a real-time alert if the temperature is exceeding the temperature range set by the manufacturer.”
According to Kris Kingsbury, Product Manager of Healthcare loT at Verizon, “Verizon is partnering with AMC Health www.amchealth.com to enable AMC’s solution help people with diabetes check their blood pressure, record their diet, test their blood sugar, and then automatically transmit the results to a secure SaaS clinical platform over Verizon’s 4G network.
This clinical platform enables a clinical care manager to prioritize patients with potential risk of health decline and then provide self-care support, resources, or help the person get connected with the appropriate physician.
Kingsbury looks forward to seeing a convergence of information shared between doctors and patients, but also anticipates that doctors will also have access to the data from the wearables which will enable healthcare providers to potentially learn a lot more about the patient and their health.