Tunstall, the UK telecare and telehealth solutions specialist, has formed an distribution and alliance agreement with Honeywell HomMed, a leading US provider of remote patient monitoring devices.
Under the agreement Tunstall will offer Honeywell’s HomMed Genesis monitor throughout the UK, already used by 350,000 patients.
Tunstall says it will target the chronic disease management market, in line with the Department of Health’s key initiative on the new long-term conditions National Service Framework.
James Buckley, Tunstall’s chief executive said: "This alliance will help us to deliver more proactive models of care for the management of chronic diseases as part of the Government’s National Service Framework."
The Genesis monitor is designed to enable healthcare professionals to provide patients with more proactive and preventative care at home for long-term conditions such as COPD, diabetes and congestive heart failure.
The monitor allows patients to measure their own weight, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, blood pressure and glucose levels. It can also ask a range of clinical and educational questions in one of 11 languages that are used to help determine the patient’s condition
Additional medical peripheral devices can be added to further expand the unit’s capability. These include a glucose meter, pocket size ECG device, spirometer, peak flow meter device and oxygen saturation.
If patients with chronic conditions experience a change in their health status, proactive medical intervention can take place.
According to Honeywell use of the Genesis e-health device, together with a contact centre and full care plan has been shown by third party investigators to lead to a 40-67% reduction in hospitalisations and a 40-65% decrease in Emergency Room visits for patients with CHF, Diabetes, COPD, and CAD.
To date, more than 350,000 patients have benefited from Honeywell HomMed remote patient monitors and there are already 300 clinical sites utilising the Genesis monitor in the US.
According to Honeywell HomMed the monitoring device coupled with a comprehensive health management plan can significantly improve a patient’s health status, while reducing hospitalisations and A&E visits.
"This alliance will now give us valuable means of introducing the Honeywell HomMed remote monitoring solution into the European market," said Herschel Peddicord, Honeywell HomMed’s President and chief executive officer.