Continua Health Alliance: A New Era in Connected Personal Health and Fitness

Strategic Insights -

The Continua Health Alliance has been established by a group of technology, healthcare, and fitness companies to create an ecosystem of connected personal health and fitness products and services. This initiative aims to enable patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers to proactively address healthcare needs by sharing vital sign information and enabling remote monitoring. Founding members of the group include prominent companies such as BodyMedia, Cisco Systems, GE Healthcare, IBM, and Intel Corporation. The alliance will focus on three major categories: chronic disease management, monitoring the health and healthcare needs of aging people, and proactive health and fitness.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Continua Health Alliance has been formed by a group of 23 technology, healthcare, and fitness companies, including BodyMedia, Cisco Systems, GE Healthcare, IBM, and Intel Corporation.
  • The alliance will establish an ecosystem of connected personal health and fitness products and services, enabling patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers to proactively address healthcare needs.
  • The efforts of the Continua Health Alliance will be focused on three major categories: chronic disease management, monitoring the health and healthcare needs of aging people, and proactive health and fitness.
  • The alliance plans to deliver design guidelines for connected health and medical devices within the next 18 months.
  • The guidelines will not create new networking standards, but will be based on proven connectivity standards.
  • Members of the alliance include Kaiser Permanente, Medtronic, Motorola, Nonin, Omron Healthcare, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Partners HealthCare, Polar Electro, Royal Philips Electronics, RMD Networks, Samsung Electronics, Sharp, The Tunstall Group, Welch Allyn, and Zensys.

Statistics:

  • 23 companies have formed the Continua Health Alliance to create an ecosystem of connected personal health and fitness products and services.
  • The alliance plans to deliver design guidelines within the next 18 months.
  • The guidelines will be based on proven connectivity standards.
  • The focus areas of the alliance include chronic disease management, monitoring the health and healthcare needs of aging people, and proactive health and fitness.

Sources:

  • "Continua Health Alliance Established" (Business Update)
  • "IBM, Intel, and 21 Other Companies Form Alliance to Advance Health and Wellness" (2006, Biotech Business Week via NewsRx.com)