Wireless health data collection system launched

VenaHub employs a small pocket device to capture data from a user's ecosystem of wireless medical devices, which it then integrates into a customisable online health information portal. "Current solutions in the telehealth space are expensive, which means none of the parties involved want to pay for them, whether they are an insurer, hospital or patient," said Mike Dunkley, a Cambridge Consultants vice president. "But VenaHub is cheap and can plug into the USB port of any pc. Critically, it can also collect data from devices, even when it's not plugged into a computer. This technology could not only disrupt the current medical home market, but could also overcome the reimbursement barrier that has prevented connected health solutions from being widely deployed." Cambridge Consultants' vision is that users will be able to customise different applications to suit their own needs. For example, it claims an asthmatic patient could tailor their portal to see various types of information – such as charts of their recent inhaler use, lung function data and doctor's appointments – juxtaposed against a pollen forecast. VenaHub is based on the company's Vena wireless healthcare device platform. It embeds the Bluetooth Health Device Profile and supports the IEEE 11073 standards for compatible exchange of information between health devices.