White Paper：Patient Monitoring Systems：The Fastest-Growing Medical Device？.pdfVIP

The Fastest-Growing Medical Device? Wireless Patient Monitoring Systems With 24.7% revenue growth forecasted in the next five years, a host of established medical device players participating and new entrants expected, Kalorama Information considers PM systems with wireless or at least remote capability to be possibly the fastest-growing medical device, beating the growth of minimally invasive surgical devices and defibrillators. It’s not hard to understand why. One driver is an aging population and the associated increases in diseases such as congestive heart disease which must be monitored continuously. In 2000, 12.4% of the population was 65 or over. This figure reached 13.0% in 2010 and is expected to reach 20.7% by 2050. Another driver is cost. Cost has many facets, and so we start with the direct costs. Healthcare providers are being forced to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. Use of new patient monitoring technologies can result in a need for fewer personnel, increased coverage by existing personnel, and a reduction in errors. All of these make for better services with declining PERIOD GROWTH resources. There are also indirect cost savings. It is expected that patient monitoring systems can lead to better patient care and hopefully, the 2008-2010 23.0% recognition of serious health problems before they become an issue. 2010-2015 25.4% According to a Wall Street Journal report, annual savings from remote 2008-2015* 24.7%* monitoring could amount to as much as $10.1 billion for U.S resid