Intel releases first medical device

Intel views the future of healthcare being at home, and its first medical device bets big on that vision, reports Portland Business Journal.

The Santa Clara-based technology company is making its foray into the medical market, with the 1 September release of a hi-tech care management system that allows doctors to monitor chronic disease patients at home.

The release, which follows two years of development, will likely be the first of many medical devices introduced by Intel in the coming years.

Inefficient healthcare delivery, not patient care, but business and support operations, including logistics and supply-chain networks, database and inventory-management systems and patient-information systems, contribute significantly to rising costs and compromised quality of care and patient safety, states Daily Headlines.

To address this problem, University of Arkansas researchers are using Second Life, the popular three-dimensional virtual world in which people work and play online, as a platform for modelling efficient healthcare delivery.

"We're exploring virtual worlds and ubiquitous computing, the not-so-utopian and imminent world in which everything, including objects, is alive by virtue of being connected to a network, as a model for efficient operations. The ultimate goal is to move beyond modelling, so these systems may actually be used as tools in real hospitals, real pharmacies and clinics and other care facilities," says Craig Thompson, professor of computer science and computer engineering.

Insight Imaging, a provider of diagnostic imaging services, has deployed 16 Clearwave kiosks at its centres to ease the patient check-in process, according to PRWeb.

The Clearwave kiosk system affords Insight Imaging the ability to verify insurance eligibility in real-time, increasing the company's capacity to manage its healthcare operations more efficiently, while streamlining financial and administrative processes.

Through HIPAA-compliant standards, Insight's front desk staff are able to check-in patients and verify eligibility in real-time, as well as determine benefits and patient responsibilities at the time of service.