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Sprint, AirStrip Partner On Hospital Telehealth

Medical facilities will get financial and technical help building robust in-building mobile networks to transmit medical data using 4G handsets from Sprint.
Slideshow: RFID In Healthcare
Slideshow: RFID In Healthcare
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Brandes also said Sprint's infrastructure, in particular its 4G network, offers enormous promise for AirStrip's product development.

"With this faster, stronger network, AirStrip can now reconsider additional features that, in the past, may have been limited by bandwidth, speed, and functionality," Brandes said. "There are a number of options on the horizon to improve the AirStrip offering that are more feasible thanks to 4G. For example, the possibility of integrating face-to-face videoconferencing is something we'd like to explore, and with the 4G network these options are now in the realm of possibility in a way that they weren't in slower-speed networks."

AirStrip Technologies has developed remote patient monitoring applications that deliver real-time vital waveform and other critical patient data directly from hospital monitoring systems to mobile devices to enable healthcare providers to continually monitor vital signs wherever they are.

AirStrip executives also said the data is not stored on the device; it is hosted in the cloud. Therefore, if an HTC EVO 4G or hand-held device is lost or stolen, patient records and data remain safe.

Company officials said AirStrip maintains collaborative relationships with all partners, including AT&T and Verizon, while staying carrier agnostic.

"In this case, Sprint has stepped up its commitment to expanding the availability of AirStrip's solutions in healthcare. Coupled with Sprint's 4G network capabilities and their financial commitment to spur faster adoption of AirStrip solutions, we're pleased to be announcing this special partnership," Brandes added.

This month, other telecom companies revealed their plans for the competitive telehealth market. AT&T announced deals with eCardio Diagnostics and WellDoc as it builds on its mobile telehealth strategy. Verizon also announced this month that it will expand the Verizon Medical Data Exchange from a service that provided only transcriptionist-to-physician and physician-to-physician sharing of dictated notes to an exchange that now allows healthcare delivery organizations to share a broader range of digital records such as X-rays, blood tests, and other lab results.

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