Abstract
Research Overview
FCC'S 2000 Ruling Reversal in 2003, Stall Sales Of Hospital Ambulatory Telemetry Equipment for the First Two Quarters of 2004
A ruling by the FCC in 2003 affected the migration of medical telemetry
devices operating in the frequency range of 450 - 470 MHz. The Commission
temporarily extended the freeze on high powered "offset channel" operation by
public land mobile radio (PLMR) licensees, which also operate in this band. In
June 2000, the Commission had established the Wireless Medical Telemetry
Service and allotted it the frequencies of 608 - 614 MHz, 1395 - 1400 MHz, and
1427 - 1429.5 MHz. The hospitals were to migrate their telemetry devices to
the new WMTS bands following which the FCC planned to lift the PLMR offset
channel licensing freeze in three years. However, in 2003 the American
Hospital Association (AHA) reported that there had been virtually no migration
of medical telemetry systems to the new WMTS frequencies and that adopting the
new PLMR plan was likely create major interference with medical telemetry
operations. AHA requested extension of the freeze and adoption of a transition
plan.
Budget Constraints Imposing Limitations on Capital Spending Negatively Impact Demand for Telemetry
Telemetry systems offered today are incongruent as they typically operate on
separate proprietary networks. Interoperability is in essence non-existent, as
these monitoring systems require isolated networks to ensure consistent
performance. As a result, infrastructure costs incurred to install and
maintain the monitoring system network are high. The consequence is that the
hospitals do not have an integrated network with which it can leverage support
tools such as network management systems. As the number of patients within the
hospital require vital signs monitoring increases the costs to install and
maintain the monitoring network will also grow and this has a negative impact
on the increase in the number of telemetry units in hospitals.
Nursing Shortage and Lack of Critical Care Trained Physician Coverage Limit the Ability To Role Out Advanced Solutions
The ramifications of the critical care nursing shortage are becoming more
apparent in areas such as cardiac care where the readily available services of
a trained nurse are critical. Some areas of cardiac nursing are by their very
nature high-pressure settings, but the lack of hands to share the work makes
things worse. Another aspect to this scenario is the fact that - just as the
number of baby boomers with cardiac events is about to swell the need for
quality health care, America's nursing population is aging and more nurses are
moving into primary care settings. As a result America's hospitals and other
institutions need more nurses, especially those who can deliver specialized
care.
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