Health Management Needs Boost Demand for Telemetry

The European telemetry equipment market, currently in a developmental stage, is expected to rise substantially in the coming years due to an increase in Europe's aged population and the need for cost containment measures. These are the latest findings of Frost and Sullivan (Palo Alto, CA, USA), an international consulting firm.

Multiparameter telemetry offers a cost-effective alternative to solving the issue of increasing the patient to caregiver ratio, as well as increasing the turnover of critical care patients in hospitals. Telemetry also offers substantial cost savings to physicians, hospitals, and home health organizations monitoring their patients. At the same time, by constantly 'being connected', patients are more involved in the decision-making process regarding their treatment as well as in the overall management of their health. However, a lack of awareness and a dearth of research are hampering a wider uptake of telemetry. One of the reasons for this is that the decision to purchase telemetry equipment in many European hospitals is made solely by anesthetists, who focus on compatibility with high acuity patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, and by cardiac specialists, who focus on cardiac related requirements. The result is a diagnostic related group (DRG)-based, case-specific reimbursement of expenses, which restrains the demand for telemetry equipment, since the reimbursement of diagnostic imaging procedures in Europe is based on the site of care. Thus, only a fixed amount of funds is allocated on a case-specific basis, and the bulk of medical expenditure is borne by the patient.

"The future of the European telemetry equipment market depends on standardizing frequencies for telemetry devices across the region in order to avoid user interference," said Janani Narasimhan, a senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Aging baby boomers will be the catalysts in the rapid move towards telemetry."

Frost and Sullivan has found that the European telemetry equipment market, which is dominated by several key manufacturers, earned revenues of US$115 million in 2007, and estimates this to reach $179 million in 2014.

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