U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care

Frost & Sullivan, March 2004

Healthcare's Continuous Need to Provide More for Less Drives Priority Wireless Technology Spending

Cash-strapped hospitals across the United States are realizing that providing better care with less financial expenditure is critical for survival. This is a daunting task, especially for the smaller public non-university affiliated institutions that have considerably less resources to draw upon than their private university counterparts. However, as competition continues to grow in the healthcare industry, hospitals are realizing that implementing IT solutions and enabling wireless connectivity could be the only way to achieve much-needed workflow efficiency and eventually reduce overall extraneous costs. This is leading them to increasingly prioritize wireless technology spending and substantially increase IT budgets.

This research service examines the emerging wireless markets for patient care in the United States. Valuable insights detail opportunities for wireless integration within the healthcare industry as well as in specific vertical markets. An in-depth market analysis based on the challenges it faces helps vendors make strategic decisions with regard to wireless deployment.

Escalating Patient Safety Concerns Propel Healthcare Wireless IT Demand

Patient safety, always an important issue in the healthcare industry, is rapidly becoming the focus of increased attention. Disturbing medical error statistics revealing adverse drug errors (ADEs) to be the prime cause of death in hospitals today are strengthening patient demand for IT implementation by healthcare facilities. The demand for real-time technology and wireless implementation to ensure that patients are being diagnosed correctly and given proper treatment is on a rapid rise, observes the analyst of this research service.

With government regulations dictating a 50 percent decrease in ADEs by 2005, healthcare facilities that utilize IT for wireless connectivity can considerably reduce the risk of medical error while improving patient safety. The analyst adds, By reducing the amount of ADEs, the quality of patient care is greatly enhanced and extraneous healthcare costs are significantly reduced. This decreases overall liability issues for hospitals detaining patients for longer stays due to medication errors.

Watchdog Agencies and HIPAA Drive Continued Spending and Advancement of Wireless Technologies

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and patient safety watchdog organizations such as Leapfrog have been and continue to be enormous drivers for the implementation of wireless technology in the healthcare industry, says the analyst. Focusing on patient safety and privacy, this Act is virtually compelling hospitals to replace outdated technology with state-of-the-art HIPAA-compliant solutions, to avoid facing serious federal penalties and huge financial liability.

Hospitals currently face an April 2005 deadline set by HIPAA for securing wireless networks. As this Act and agencies such as Leapfrog continue to mandate enhanced patient safety and privacy, hospitals' spending on wireless technology is expected to correspondingly increase.

1. Introduction to the Market
      1. Executive Summary and Market Discussion
           1. Executive Summary
           2. Market Discussion
           3. Security and Encryption Issues
           4. Emerging Technology Issues
           5. Market Drivers
               a. Healthcare’s Continuous Need to Provide More for Less May Force Priority
                   Wireless Technology Spending in the Short Run
               b. Escalating Patient Safety Concerns Will Propel Healthcare Wireless IT Demand
               c. Watchdog Agencies and HIPAA Will Drive Continued Spending and Advancement
                   of Healthcare Wireless Technologies
               d. Steadily Enhancing IT Competency Among the Nation's Physician Will
                   Accelerate Wireless Adoption in the Mid to Long Term
           6. Market Restraints
               a. Escalating Security and Privacy Concerns Instigate Hesitation Towards
                   Wireless Implementation
               b. Lack of Ubiquitous Network Coverage in the Healthcare Facility Hinders
                   Overall Effectiveness and Reliability of Wireless Applications
               c. Small Screens and Insufficient Resolutions Deter Continued Usage of Handheld
                   Devices by Physicians
           7. Market Challenges
               a. Many Healthcare Professionals Remain Unaware of Wireless Automation
                   Technology Existence
               b. Wireless IT Implementation May Disrupt Hospital Workflow Processes
               c. Impending Medicare Reimbursement for Healthcare Connectivity May
                   Deter Immediate Wireless Spending
           8. Strategies for Growth

2. Patient Monitoring
      1. Technology Demand Discussion
           1. Wireless Inpatient Monitoring
           2. Home Care
           3. Market Engineering Forecast and Methodology
           4. Forecast Methodology
      2. Market Profile
           1. Market Opportunity
           2. Outlook for Investment in this Sector

3. Clinical Care
      1. Technology Demand Discussion
           1. Integrated Point-of-Care Technology
           2. Wireless Clinical Handheld Applications
           3. Supply Chain Management Technology
           4. Market Engineering Forecast and Methodology
           5. Forecast Methodology
      2. Market Profile
           1. Growth Forecast of Sales by Product Type
           2. Growth Forecast of Sales by Market Area
           3. Demand Forecast by Department
           4. Competitive Profile and Commercial Forecast
           5. Outlook for Investment in this Sector

4. Frost & Sullivan Awards
      1. Frost & Sullivan Awards
           1. 2004 Technology Innovation Award
           2. 2004 Business Development Strategy Leadership Award
           3. 2004 Product Line Strategy Leadership
           4. 2004 Entrepreneurial Company Award

5. Decision Support Database
      1. Decision Support Database
           1. Number of Hospitals with Emergency Departments
           2. Number of Trauma Centers
           3. Physicians Using Hand Held Devices
  

List Of Figures

Chapter 1

U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Total Commercial Wireless Revenues (U.S.), 2003 - 2007
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Market Drivers Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2003-2007
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Market Restraints Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2003-2007
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Impact of Top Three Industry Challenges (U.S.), 2003 - 2007
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Market Strategies Ranked in Order of Impact (U.S.), 2003-2007

Chapter 3

U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Integrated Point-of-Care Vendor Market Share (U.S.), 2003
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: PDA Based Software Vendor Market Share
(U.S.), 2003
U.S. Emerging Wireless Markets for Patient Care: Tablet/Cart Expandable Software Vendor Market Share (U.S.), 2003

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