The Philips Respironics System One sleep therapy device won the Best Embedded End-to-End Service Award, part of the GSMA’s Embedded Mobile Competition (GSMA is an association that represents mobile operators worldwide). Philips’s system brings together both mobility and two-way wireless communications. The device currently operates on the nPhase AT&T network in the United States and will roll out in markets around the world over the coming year.

Sleep apnea occurs when a person repeatedly stops breathing during sleep. Philips’s system provides treatment by delivering a specific flow of pressurized air through a mask to keep the airway open. The system integrates Cinterion’s TC65i module to enable two-way, anywhere wireless communication between the patient’s device and doctor. The Cinterion module sends patient breathing data from the device to a secure EncoreAnywhere Web-based platform. Physicians log on to EncoreAnywhere to obtain detailed breathing reports and can respond with prescription air pressure changes, which are sent instantly to the device, providing immediate patient relief.

Cinterion’s module provides on-board memory to store reports that detail every breath a patient takes for up to five days. In addition, the system can store six months of chronologically arranged compliance data, which are necessary for reimbursement from healthcare providers.

“In designing System One, we took a smarter approach to sleep management by adding mobility and immediate two-way communications to create our most sophisticated sleep therapy system available today,” says Donald Spence, CEO of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions.

Philips Respironics and Cinterion were selected for the award because of their collaborative effort to bring wireless M2M innovation to the healthcare sector, according to GSMA’s chief technology officer Alex Sinclair. The GSMA competition recognizes new and innovative devices and services used in key vertical markets to encourage innovation and partnerships.

“The telehealth vertical market is poised for enormous growth and wireless network operators are realizing the tremendous opportunity to add dedicated new users and revenue without overloading networks,” says Norbert Muhrer, CEO, Cinterion Wireless Modules.

 

Sherrie Conroy

sherrie.conroy@cancom.com