Continua champions use of personal connected healthcare technologies at House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing

Jul 2 2010

Continua Health Alliance championed the use of personal connected healthcare technologies to increase veteran access to quality healthcare during last week's hearing of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. President and Chair of the Continua Board of Directors, Rick Cnossen, testified on behalf of the Alliance to address the issues facing veterans living in rural areas who typically receive lower quality healthcare than the general population due to lack of access. He discussed resolving this by utilizing eCare, defined as a class of health information technologies that can facilitate any kind of virtual visit or electronic connectivity outside of traditional office visits, and personal connected healthcare devices which can provide lower-cost access to quality care.

“Continua appreciates the opportunity to participate in the House Committee's discussion and offer insight into the future model of healthcare”

On Thursday, June 24, 2010 rural healthcare experts testified in front of Congress to advocate for faster regulatory action addressing the use of eCare and connected healthcare technologies. The experts focused on the nearly three million rural-area veterans who currently lack proper access to necessary healthcare, citing an increasing demand for the development and certification of solutions that address these veterans' health needs while enabling them to continue to maintain their rural lifestyles.

Continua has achieved much success in the development of interoperable healthcare devices and services, but there are still barriers to integrating eCare into care plans. To ensure veterans and clinicians will receive full access to optimum healthcare, Continua recommended the House Committee on Veterans Affairs establish a federal organization focused on eCare, develop eCare payment reform, create blueprints for the use of eCare in states and communities, incorporate eCare as part of "meaningful use," and make home broadband adoption for all Americans a top priority following recommendations in the FCC's National Broadband Plan. If they are implemented, the Alliance's recommendations will help guide the transition and adoption of eCare, making it available to U.S. veterans.

"We are excited about Continua's efforts to remove geographical barriers and provide efficient and affordable access to healthcare for veterans," said Rick Cnossen, president, Continua Health Alliance. "Personal connected healthcare offers many beneficial clinical capabilities such as the ability to track vital signs and other important health data that can be shared with healthcare providers through secure systems on a regular basis, ultimately increasing the likelihood of catching health changes early and preventing illness. These are not currently available to the majority of rural-area veterans."

Continua Health Alliance is working to implement a system of care that enables personal connected health with an in-home or mobile broadband device that assists providers in tracking and trending healthcare data. The Alliance seeks to help the nation harness the benefits of this technology to allow healthcare consumers and providers to use real-world, remotely collected data to make more-informed healthcare decisions on a continual basis. This model helps empower individuals in their care, and allows caregivers to intervene as needed for more effective and efficient care.

"Continua appreciates the opportunity to participate in the House Committee's discussion and offer insight into the future model of healthcare," said Chuck Parker, executive director, Continua Health Alliance. "The Alliance continues to work with other key industry players to create an in-home, mobile healthcare model that will offer healthcare consumers and providers an end-to-end solution for effective and cost-efficient care."

SOURCE Continua Health Alliance