Comunicano

Seventh Annual WLSA Convergence Summit Features Innovative Approaches and Technologies to Empower Consumers and Revolutionize Healthcare Delivery and Cost

Tools for Consumer Engagement and Empowerment – Crossing the Chasm from Innovation to Institutional and Consumer Adoption

SAN DIEGO – May 15, 2012 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) will conduct its seventh annual Convergence Summit from May 22-24 in San Diego, an event that focuses leaders of the digital revolution in healthcare on crossing the chasm between innovation in wireless healthcare technology and adoption by consumers and institutions.  

The Convergence Summit is a multi-year exploration of how applications of wireless technology can revolutionize both the delivery and cost of essential healthcare. This year it will offer 275 participants the opportunity to network among peers who constitute the most dedicated and innovative thought leaders and organizations in healthcare. 

This year’s Convergence Summit continues WLSA’s discussion of how to deliver the benefits of innovative technologies to end users economically and thereby change the cost curve of healthcare.

Highlighted conversations during this year’s summit include:

• Announcement of the winner of the Janssen Connected Care Challenge, sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Janssen is among the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, a founding organization of the WLSA.  
• An address by Paul Gorup, Chief of Innovation and Senior Vice President at Cerner Corporation, which is leading the way among healthcare IT vendors in connected health solutions.
• A panel discussion including Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Qualcomm, Inc., and Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, M.D., Chairman & CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, about the use of prizes to spur innovation. 

To register or obtain more information on the Convergence Summit, visit the event website or contact Molly Cogan. 

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About Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA)

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), a trade organization for global wireless and mobile technology innovators, scientists, physicians, policy makers, service providers, and investors, is committed to accelerating the innovation and adoption of connected health, creating value for all sectors of the life sciences and technology ecosystem.

WLSA Announces 2012 iAwards Finalists

Most-promising wireless health solutions to be recognized at Convergence Summit

SAN DIEGO – April 25, 2012 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) and TripleTree today announced finalists for the fourth annual iAwards for Wireless Health. A record-breaking 160 applicants flooded the judging team for consideration of the prestigious award. Twelve finalists were selected, four in each of three categories, for demonstrating highly innovative, impactful mobile and wireless solutions in the healthcare industry.

The 12 iAwards finalists will be featured at the seventh annual WLSA Wireless Health Convergence Summit, on May 23-24, 2012, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, California. The winners of each category will be announced on May 24. 

The Wireless Health Convergence Summit engages leading executives, innovators, thought leaders, and investors from across the globe, who will participate in lively debate and brainstorming about the advancement of wireless and mobile solutions in healthcare.

The iAwards nominations were judged based upon fundamentals including uniqueness of the business model, growth and traction in the marketplace, clinical/operational/consumer relevance, size of addressable market, international presence, or potential. 

“WLSA founded the iAwards in 2009 to recognize innovation, insight and initiative in the connected healthcare industry that wireless makes possible,” said Robert B. McCray, WLSA President & CEO. “This year’s nominees provided a great challenge for our judges to select the finalists due to the exceptional, innovative and forward thinking solutions presented. We are very excited about the slate of talented companies that will be highlighted.”

The 2012 iAwards finalists are:

Consumer Experience – Best solution to enrich the consumer or patient experience

1. Centene Corporation
2. Fitlinxx
3. Optum
4. Silverlink 

Clinical Application – Best solution that enriches clinical care delivery

1. Consult-a-Doctor
2. Eviti
3. Telcare
4. Watermark Medical

Operational Effectiveness – Best solution for reducing costs and improving operational efficiency

1. AwarePoint
2. CureMD
3. HomeCare HomeBase
4. Mobile Heartbeat

Past iAwards finalists include innovators such as AirStrip Technologies, BodyMedia, Phreesia, Zeo, CellTrak Technologies, Healthagen and Epocrates.

About Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA)
The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), a trade organization for global wireless and mobile technology innovators, scientists, physicians, policy makers, service providers, and investors, is committed to accelerating the innovation and adoption of connected health, creating value for all sectors of the life sciences and technology ecosystem.

Latest Health and Wellness In-Car Technology from Ford To Be Showcased Oct. 10-13 in San Diego

  Wireless Health 2011 Conference Attendees Get Their
First Look at Emerging Possibilities for Pioneering In-Car Services 

LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 10, 2011 – Researchers at Ford have developed a series of in-car health and wellness apps and services aimed at monitoring people with chronic illnesses or medical disorders so they can manage their condition while on the go. Ford's senior technical leader, K. Venkatesh Prasad, will be discussing these innovations on a "Health and Wellness Connectivity Services on the Go" panel discussion with Anand Iyer, COO of WellDoc, and H. James Dallas, SVP at Medtronic at the Wireless Health 2011 Conference being held Oct. 10-13 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.
 
Leveraging Ford SYNC® and its ability to connect devices via Bluetooth, access cloud-based Internet services and control smartphone apps, Ford is developing voice-controlled in-car connections to an array of health aids from glucose monitoring devices, diabetes management services, asthma management tools and web-based allergen alert solutions.
 
Ford will be providing demonstrations of in-car accessibility to WellDoc's cloud-based services at the Wireless Health 2011 Conference, and will be highlighting in-car health and wellness connectivity solutions including:

• Glucose Monitoring. Working with Medtronic, a leading manufacturer of glucose-monitoring devices, Ford researchers have developed a prototype system which allows Ford SYNC to connect via Bluetooth to a Medtronic continuous glucose monitoring device and share glucose levels and trends through audio and a center stack display and provide secondary alerts if levels are too low.
• Allergy alerts. Ford is working with SDI Health and www.pollen.com <http://www.pollen.com/>  to SYNC-enable its smartphone Allergy Alert app through AppLink, giving users voice-controlled access to the app that provides location-based day-by-day index levels for pollen; asthma, cold and cough and ultraviolet sensitivity; as well as four-day forecasts.
• WellDoc. Ford and WellDoc, a recognized leader in the emerging field of mHealth integrated services, have joined forces to integrate in-car accessibility to WellDoc's comprehensive cloud-based personalized solutions for those with asthma and diabetes through SYNC Services. Using voice commands, SYNC users can access and update their WellDoc profile to receive real-time patient coaching, behavioral education and medication adherence support based on their historic and current disease information.

 
Bringing mobile health and wellness solutions inside the car in a safe and meaningful way, Ford researchers are first looking at two populations with the most need for a constant connection to potentially life-saving medical information – people with diabetes and those with asthma and/or allergies.
 
For people with diabetes and their caregivers, constant knowledge and control of glucose levels is critical to avoiding hypoglycemia or low glucose, which can cause confusion, lightheadedness, blurry vision and a host of other symptoms that could be dangerous while driving. As important, those with asthma and allergies need to have a clear understanding of their environment and potential symptom triggers – such as pollen levels in the air – that can quickly lead to an attack. Growing in popularity among this group are web-based alert services and smartphone apps that can help flag dangerous pollen levels based on location.
 
The Wireless Health 2011 Conference, organized by the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance, is where researchers from global institutions such as MIT, University of Edinburgh, UCLA, and other leading universities share the best new research and significant advances in wireless health technologies with thought leaders from academia, medicine, government and industry. In addition to the scientific discussions, keynote presentations from Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs <http://www.qualcomm.com/people/paul-jacobs>  and other global organizations will highlight the four-day conference.
 
For more information about Wireless Health 2011, visit http://www.wirelesshealth2011.org/ <http://www.wirelesshealth2011.org/>  or contact Andrea Jackson (ajackson@wirelesslifesciences.org <mailto:ajackson@wirelesslifesciences.org> ). For media inquiries, contact Sue Huss <mailto:sue.huss@comunicano.com>  at +1 619-379-4396.

Aging-in-Place Research Breakthroughs to be Presented at Wireless Health 2011 Conference

Including technologies for monitoring risk of falls and walking disabilities; behavior tracking of dementia patients in long-term care settings

LA JOLLA, Calif. – September 27, 2011 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) convenes its second annual scientific conference, Wireless Health 2011, where researchers from global institutions such as MIT, University of Edinburgh, UCLA, and other leading universities will share the best new research and significant advances in wireless health technologies with thought leaders from academia, medicine, government and industry.

The conference is scheduled for October 10-13, 2011, at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.

In addition to featured keynotes by Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs and Texas Instruments’ Gene Frantz, the peer-reviewed research that will be presented at the Wireless Health 2011 conference covers a wide range of healthcare issues, from post-operative respiratory conditions and low-power ECGs to depression and asthma.  Of note are several breakthroughs in aging-in-place technologies in the areas of pressure ulcers, gait analysis and depression.  These breakthroughs will lead to opportunities for delivering higher-quality healthcare at lower costs and greater efficiencies.

“Research on aging in place addresses one of the fundamental challenges faced by global healthcare systems as current modes of care are unable to keep pace with aging demographics,” said Robert B. McCray, WLSA President & CEO. “Payors and providers will discover technology research with which they can streamline their health businesses.”

Dozens of paper presentations and panels will also cover the breadth of the wireless health research landscape, including:

• Wireless Health in the Field: Individual Condition Assessment
• Health and Wellness Connectivity Services in Vehicles on the Go
• Innovations for Reduction in Heart Failure Readmission
• Advances in Biomedical Sensing for Wireless Health
• Context Guided Wireless Health Monitoring and Classification
• New Initiatives and Program Opportunities in Wireless Health Research
• Energy, Computing, and Bandwidth Resource Efficiency in Wireless Health Systems

In addition to the scientific discussions, keynote presentations from Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs, TI’s Gene Frantz, and other global organizations will highlight the four-day conference. Featured keynotes and speakers include:

• Dr. Paul Jacobs, Chairman & CEO, Qualcomm
• Gene Frantz, TI Principal Fellow & Business Development Manager, Digital Signal Processing, Semiconductor Group, Texas Instruments
• Bruce Dobkin, MD, UCLA Medical Center
• Farnam Jahanian, PhD, Director, National Science Foundation Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (NSF CISE)
• Chris Van Hoof, PhD, Director HUMAN++, IMEC
• William Riley, PhD, Program Director, National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, Chair, NIH mHealth Inter-Institute Interest Group (IIIG)
• Eric Topol, MD, Executive Chair, Wireless Health 2011; Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute; Chief Academic Officer, Scripps Health; Vice-Chairman of the Board & Chief Innovation Officer, West Wireless Health Institute; and The Gary and Mary West Endowed Chair of Innovative Medicine

The Wireless Health 2011 Conference Agenda incorporates three days of panel sessions, research paper presentations, keynotes, and technology demonstrations. A full day of pre-conference sessions provides technology tutorials.

Conference sponsors include the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), the University of California, San Diego’s Institute of Engineering in Medicine (IEM), and Qualcomm.

For more information about Wireless Health 2011, visit http://www.wirelesshealth2011.org/ or contact Andrea Jackson (ajackson@wirelesslifesciences.org). For media inquiries, contact Sue Huss at +1 619-379-4396.

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About WLSA

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a trade organization for global wireless and mobile technology innovators, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is committed to accelerating the adoption of connected health to create value, improve health and wellness for consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology ecosystem. WLSA partners and companies are using wireless health innovations to simplify the management of chronic conditions, preempt disease and improve lives around the world.

WLSA logo dark 300 WLSA Convergence Summit Assembles Wireless Life Science Leaders and Entrepreneurs of Innovative Health Applications and Services

Global forum for entrepreneurs to explore policy and partnering opportunities

SAN DIEGO – December 1, 2010 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is now announcing its 6^th Annual WLSA Convergence Summit, a three-day global conference sponsored by the premier non-profit trade organization dedicated solely to creating value and improving health through wireless communications technologies. The conference is scheduled for May 10-12, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Manchester, San Diego, California.

This unique conference gathers the leadership of the emerging global ecosystem of technology companies, medical device companies, healthcare providers, payors, investors, policy makers and innovators, to discuss the most significant emerging market trends in wireless health.  Since 2006, attendees of the WLSA Convergence Summit have addressed solutions to industry issues, created new partnerships and demonstrated innovations in wireless health. Senior management from WLSA members including Ascension Health, AT&T, CareFusion, Johnson & Johnson,  OptumHealth, Qualcomm, 3M, Proctor & Gamble,  and St. Jude Medical are expected to provide insights into their interest in the field and best practices for incorporating innovative, new wireless technologies into new products, applications and services, as well as how to bring these to providers and patients. WLSA will announce additional details about the Ecosystem Forum and Innovator’s Pavilion, which will also be part of the Summit.

“WLSA created the Convergence Summit in order to bring key elements of the wireless health community together to meet, share ideas and demonstrate new products and solutions,” said Robert B. McCray, WLSA President & CEO. “Our goal is to provide a forum that directly addresses emerging wireless technology in healthcare and enables participants to gain a thorough understanding of how to succeed in this dynamic market.”

The event begins with the Executive’s Forum on day one, followed by the Investor’s Forum on day two, and ends with the New Ecosystem Forum on day three. Wireless health devices and solutions will be demonstrated throughout the conference.

“The entire conference will leverage the experiences and processes from other industries to mitigate risk in our industry,” McCray said. “The sessions are designed to lead attendees toward true innovation and to provide real value to their organizations.  It is our insight that the initial shape of an important new market is driven by a relatively small number of committed organizations and thought leaders.  Our meetings are designed to identify and bring the best wireless health leaders together in a quality setting to enhance their discovery of business partners.”

For information on the 6^th Annual WLSA Convergence Summit, visit www.wirelesslifesciences.org or contact Andrea Jackson. For media inquiries, contact Andrea Parker at +1 858-205-3439.

Wireless Health 2010 Explores the Roles of Wireless Technologies in Clinical Services

Four globally known physicians will provide their perspectives on the impact of wireless technologies in their daily clinical practice

LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 29 -- The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) announced today a panel session of globally renowned clinicians for the upcoming Wireless Health 2010 conference, where researchers from leading global institutions including MIT, the University of Edinburgh, UCLA, and the University of Virginia, will share research findings and explore significant advances in wireless health technologies with thought leaders from academia, medicine, government and industry. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 5-7, 2010 at Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.

Wireless Health 2010, with its unique focus on the convergence of all aspects of wireless life-science research, technology and clinical practice, will connect the relevance of wireless technologies with the daily practice of medicine.  Four globally known physicians—known for their contributions to the management of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Diabetes, and Renal Failure—will share their thoughts about the rapid advances being made in this evolving new space, and are pleased to be able to lend their perspectives to the attending audience of technologists and scientists.

"This is a unique opportunity for the healthcare research community, to interact with clinicians who are pioneering the use of wireless health innovation to improve patients' wellbeing.  These physicians are at the forefront of clinical work in this space," said Robert McCray, CEO of the WLSA.

Featured clinicians are:

• Ravi Mehta, M.D. is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology at UCSD, and an internationally recognized expert in the field of kidney disease.
• David Price, M.D. is an endocrinologist and Executive Director of Clinical Affairs at DexCom.
• Leslie A. Saxon, M.D. is Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias in patients with congestive heart failure.
• Mark Carlson, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Clinical Affairs, for the Cardiac Rhythm Management Division of St. Jude Medical.

More information about the speakers:

Ravi Mehta, M.D. is an internationally recognized expert in the field of acute renal failure and has directed several clinical studies in the management of patients with kidney disease. He is the author or coauthor of several scientific articles, papers and book chapters. He has been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in San Diego and the U.S.

David Price, M.D. is responsible for clinical trials, publications, and investigator-initiated studies.  Prior to DexCom, since 2002, Dr. Price provided clinical input and clinical strategy for LifeScan product development and clinical trials. While in practice, he serves as an investigator for many pharmaceutical and device trials in diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.  Dr. Price has lectured on diabetes related topics to physicians, nurses, and the general public across the globe and has authored numerous publications.

Leslie A. Saxon, M.D. specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias in patients with congestive heart failure. Dr. Saxon has completed over 90 publications in various medical journals. In October, 2007, Dr. Saxon hosted the First Annual USC Body Computing Conference, which brought together leading authors and futurists as well as leaders from the fields of medicine, design, entertainment, the FDA, investment banking, and pharmaceuticals for a day of intense discussions about the nascent but exciting field of wireless physiologic monitoring. 

Mark Carlson, M.D. has previously served as Professor of Medicine and Associate Vice President for Government Relations at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He also served on the Medical Devices Dispute Resolution Panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as on Medicare advisory committees.  Dr. Carlson has chaired several policy committees and conferences sponsored by the Heart Rhythm Society and the FDA, as well as a task force that developed policy recommendations on pacemaker and ICD performance and industry communications. In 2003, Dr. Carlson worked as a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow on the staff of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch on issues related to Medicare and medical liability litigation reform. He is currently a member of the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC).

Conference sponsors include the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute for Engineering in Medicine at UCSD, Johnson & Johnson and QUALCOMM.

Additional information about speakers and details of Wireless Health 2010 will be released in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.wirelesslifesciences.org or contact Andrea Jackson. For media inquiries, contact Andrea Parker at +1 858-205-3439.

About WLSA

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special purpose trade organization for innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, preempt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and under-served populations around the world.

Read more: Wireless Health 2010 Explores the Roles of Wireless Technologies in Clinical Services

Wireless Health 2010 Assembles Global Influencers to Discuss Emerging Landscape of Wireless Health Technologies

Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Dr. Rod Pettigrew, Dr. Chris Toumazou, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Dr. Eric Topol, Dean Kamen to lead visionary keynote speakers

 

LA JOLLA, Calif. – September 21, 2010 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), announces the keynote speakers at the inaugural Wireless Health 2010 conference, where industry thought leaders will discuss their visions for the emerging landscape of wireless connected health. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 4-7, 2010 at Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. 

Featured keynote speakers include:

·       Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Founder, QUALCOMM

·       Dr. Rod Pettigrew, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NIH

·       Dr. Chris Toumazou, Director, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College of London and Founder, Toumaz Technologies

·       Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, CEO of Abraxis Health

·       Dr. Eric Topol, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Innovation Officer, West Wireless Health Institute; Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute

·       Dean Kamen, Prolific Inventor, Founder, DEKA Research

 

Wireless Health 2010 has a unique focus on the convergence of all aspects of wireless life-science research, technology and clinical practice.  Through panel discussions, keynote presentations and technical demonstrations, members of the wireless health community will share their visions for improving health through the convergence of wireless communications and life sciences technologies.

Irwin Jacobs, a visionary in the cellular communications field will deliver a keynote entitled “Violating the Laws of Physics and Other Cool Things I Have Learned.”  Dr. Jacobs, a former Engineering professor who co-founded Qualcomm in 1985 and led the company’s growth from startup to Fortune 500, will provide his insight on bridging the gap between academic and applied research and the foundation of a successful business.  As Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute since 2006, Dr. Jacobs has taken a personal interest in the application of engineering advances to healthcare problems.

“As one of the world’s most successful engineers and business builders in the world, Dr. Irwin Jacobs is now working to bridge the gap between academic and applied research and business building for wireless health innovations,” said Robert McCray, WLSA President & CEO.  “Dr. Jacobs is a leading authority on addressing and conquering opportunities and challenges in new fields, and wireless health is no different.”

Also speaking will be Dr. Rod Pettigrew on Emerging Biomedical Technologies and Patient Centered Health Care. A major concept in 21st century healthcare is the shift from a hospital based and provider-centered system to one that is home based and patient-centered. Dr. Pettigrew will address how institutions can include modern medicine practices that are accessible to everyone, more effective measures for monitoring and maintaining wellness, technologies for early diagnoses, and better means of managing chronic conditions.

Dr. Christofer Toumazou will address the conference on Towards Disposable Healthcare: A Paradigm Shift.  In his keynote, Dr. Toumazou will discuss leveraging the consumer electronics cost curve to develop inexpensive, transformative body-worn devices for use in detection, monitoring, and treatment of disease. 

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who holds more than 50 patents, will provide the Wednesday afternoon keynote address. Dr. Soon-Shiong will describe his vision for Connected Healthcare and the necessity of accelerating the translation of new advances in therapeutics into commercial healthcare services.

Dr. Eric Topol, an innovator in wireless medicine, will be presenting a keynote on Rebooting Medicine:  How Wireless Empowers Consumers to Take Over their Healthcare.           

In addition to the keynote addresses, this conference will provide exhibits and panel discussions focusing on wireless health in developing regions, clinical applications of wireless health, and a discussion led by Colonel Ron Poropatich, M.D. on the US Army’s Telemedicine And Technology Research Group’s efforts to engage and educate the wireless-life sciences community.

Additional information about speakers and details of Wireless Health 2010 will be released in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.wirelesshealth2010.org or contact Andrea Jackson at +1 858-354-2224. For media inquiries, contact Sue Huss at +1 619-379-4396.

 

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 About WLSA

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special purpose trade organization for innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, preempt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and under-served populations around

Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance Submits Recommendations to FCC and FDA

Organization applauds federal leadership in seeking wireless health solutions for patients, caregivers and insurers

LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 8 -- As wireless technologies become faster and cheaper, they create additional opportunities to improve patient care and reduce health care costs for every American. In a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) makes four sets of policy recommendations for federal agencies as they craft guidelines and regulations for wireless health technologies.

Wireless health technologies benefit patients by delivering efficient "telemedicine," such as remote patient monitoring systems that automatically alert a physician when readings fall outside a predetermined range. Besides potentially saving the patient's life, such systems also reduce health care costs. For example, private and public insurers can justify the expense of wireless glucose-monitoring systems for diabetics because they help to significantly reduce the risk of long-term complications such as amputation, blindness or heart disease.

But these solutions are only the beginning. Tomorrow's advances in wireless life sciences depend partly on the federal government creating a regulatory framework that provides medical device manufacturers, physicians, insurance companies, wireless carriers and other ecosystem members with guidance and clarity in three key areas: cost, quality and access.

To assist the FCC and FDA in developing that framework, the WLSA filed comments on August 16 that include four recommendations:

• When determining whether to permit a new device to be marketed, regulators should consider the status quo risks of not allowing it. An example is the risk that private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid will continue to bear the high cost of avoidable readmissions – funds that otherwise could be used to help more patients.
• Regulators should consider the use case and marketing claims prior to approval decisions and standards setting, This process includes taking into account such factors as place of use, acuity of services, availability of back-up services (including self-help) and status quo risks. An example is comparing the needs of an "aging-in-place" service (where gaps in connectivity can be managed) and a wireless ICU monitor (where connectivity must be substantially "perfect."
• Regulators also should establish quality-of-service expectations, to be managed by marketing claims, rather than defining how they must be achieved. This approach ensures that healthcare will benefit from the benefits of volume that have so rapidly improved the consumer electronics and mobile services markets. The quality of products and services will rapidly improve over time if technical standards are not frozen in regulation.
• Wherever possible, regulators should use post-market surveillance and reporting to manage the risks associated with new technologies. Cell phone-based and wearable wireless monitoring platforms offer the ability to monitor and report on the use of devices and the efficacy and side effects of therapeutic products and services. The agencies should take advantage of these inherent capabilities to accelerate the marketing of useful devices and services while monitoring their performance compared with marketing claims.

"The WLSA applauds the FCC's and FDA's initiatives to encourage 'fast innovation' in wireless life sciences by creating much-needed regulatory clarity for this rapidly growing industry," said Robert B. McCray, WLSA President and Chief Executive Officer. "By taking this leadership role immediately, the FCC and FDA are helping extend more comprehensive, more affordable and more convenient care to Americans, including those living in historically underserved areas such as rural communities. The WLSA stands ready to assist the FCC, FDA and any other government agency as they help pioneer an industry that's capable of helping every American everywhere."

About WLSA

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special purpose trade organization for innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, preempt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and under-served populations around the world.

Wireless Health 2010 Assembles Global Academic Innovators to Share Advances in Wireless Life-Science Technologies

Conference will showcase best of global research in wireless health

LA JOLLA, Calif. – August 3, 2010 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), announces the first annual Wireless Health 2010 conference, where researchers from global institutions like MIT, University of Edinburgh, UCLA, and other leading universities, will share the latest research being conducted, along with other significant advances in wireless health technologies to thought leaders from academia, medicine, government and industry. The conference is scheduled for Oct. 5-7, 2010 at Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines.  Conference sponsors include the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute for Engineering in Medicine at UCSD, Johnson & Johnson and QUALCOMM.

Wireless Health 2010 has a unique focus on the convergence of all aspects of wireless life-science research, technology and clinical practice.  Through panel discussions, keynote presentations and technical demonstrations, members of the wireless health community will share their visions for improving health through the convergence of wireless communications and life sciences technologies.

“The mission of Wireless Health 2010 is to gather together and promote the international community that is creating a new vision for improving health and wellbeing,” said Robert McCray, WLSA President & CEO. “This is a great opportunity for networking with engineers, scientists, clinicians, researchers, government; whose works and funding span every aspect of wireless health.”Featured keynotes and speakers include:

• Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Founder, QUALCOMM
• Dr. Chris Toumazou, Director, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College of London and Founder, Toumaz Technologies, speaking on “Towards Disposable Healthcare: A Paradigm Shift”
• Dean Kamen, Prolific Inventor, Founder, DEKA Research
• Dr. Jonathan Sackner Bernstein, Associate Center Director, Post Market Operations, CDRH at FDA
• Dr. Eric Topol, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Innovation Officer, West Wireless Health Institute; Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute
• Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, CEO of Abraxis Health, and
• Dr. Roderic Pettigrew, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at NIH, speaking on funding opportunities

Daily sessions will enlist attendees to address wireless health research challenges and other opportunities in computer science, medical informatics, signal processing, human factors and device technology.  Influential industry executives and academia from leading institutions like UCLA, The University of Texas – Dallas, the West Wireless Health Institute and Qualcomm will facilitate these workshops.

Additionally, panel discussions focusing on wireless health in developing regions, clinical applications of wireless health, and a discussion led by COL. Ron Poropatich on the US Army’s Telemedicine And Technology Research Group’s efforts to engage and educate the wireless-life sciences community. Technical demonstrations, which will highlight the many innovative solutions in wireless health, include two tiers:

• Wireless Health Research Advance Demonstrations: These demonstrations primarily include academic, government, and industrial research advances representing new technologies and prototype systems intended to create novel and important solutions.
•  Wireless Health Products and System Demonstrations: These demonstrations primarily include new commercial products and systems developed by the wireless health government and industry community. 
  

Additional information about speakers and details of Wireless Health 2010 will be released in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.wirelesslifesciences.org or contact Karen Winston. For media inquiries, contact Sue Huss at +1 619-379-4396.

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About WLSA

The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special purpose trade organization for innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, preempt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and under-served populations around the world.

Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) Applauds Partner Organizations for Supporting Goal of Improving Healthcare via Wireless Technologies

SAN DIEGO – May 3, 2010 – The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), which convenes innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians and policy makers to drive improved healthcare through advances in wireless technologies, today hailed its partner organizations for their collaboration and dedication in promoting WLSA’s mission.

“WLSA is the organization where the future of wireless healthcare is being shaped by committed organizations from the entire spectrum of relevant industries.  We would not be able to progress without the active participation and focus of our partners at all levels,” said President and CEO Robert B. McCray.

“In particular, AT&T Mobility, OptumHealth Inc., Qualcomm Incorporated, Ascension Health, and St. Jude Medical, Inc., are wonderful examples of how large organizations can nurture and lead by putting aside individual agendas and concentrating on achieving the over-arching vision of wireless technologies enabling better healthcare for people everywhere,” McCray added.

Log onto www.wirelesslifesciences.org for the complete list of partners.

McCray said WLSA welcomes new partners who can lend further expertise to the organization.  For information about joining WLSA, or to register for one of its events, prospective partners can visit www.wirelesslifesciences.org or contact Andrea Jackson.

The 5^th Annual WLSA Convergence Summit is scheduled for May 11-13 at the Estancia Hotel & Spa, La Jolla, Calif.  The WLSA’s Wireless Health 2010 event is scheduled October 5-7, 2010, in San Diego.

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About WLSA
The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special-purpose trade organization for innovators, globally relevant companies, scientists, physicians and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health globally through the convergence of communications technologies, consumers, caregivers and all sectors of the life sciences and technology environment. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, pre-empt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and underserved populations around the world.