Verizon Enables Internet of Things, Cloud and Big Data for Healthcare Providers

Verizon Enterprise Solutions recently forecasted that predictive analytics, cloud services and connected devices will be the key technology trends to watch in 2015, and one industry that stands to benefit greatly from these technologies is healthcare, especially as it relates to the evolving patient-centric care models.

In the current healthcare model, patients meet with care providers in care facilities, where doctors and technicians diagnose their illnesses and prescribe treatments using dated or aging collection tools. Patients with more severe or chronic conditions need to visit their provider more often, so their physician can track treatment progress and identify healthcare patterns.

What if care providers could collect patient health data remotely and modify treatments in real-time? How vastly would this scenario improve patient care?

The good news is that the healthcare industry is quickly entering a technological era in which remote data collection and analytics are now a reality. Connected medical devices, such as wireless glucose monitors, can regularly measure a diabetic patient’s blood-sugar levels and — paired with data from insulin pumps — can show the effectiveness of the insulin regimen. The care provider can modify the treatment accordingly, limiting the times the patient needs to visit the healthcare facility. Similar connected tools can be used to diagnose diabetes, potentially reducing the need for extensive on-premises blood work.

By analyzing the massive data sets produced and collected from patients outfitted with wearables or connected devices, care providers can improve the foundational research models used to identify illnesses. That additional data collected can feed predictive and analytics engines, helping pinpoint the factors that lead to certain conditions.

At the center of these new research and care models is an expandable computing core that handles the huge data and processing demands generated by predictive analytics, the transition to the cloud and the monetization of the Internet of Things (IoT). These technologies continue to evolve independently, but it is the combination of all three that could revolutionize healthcare.

To learn more about how Verizon’s is enabling its ecosystem of healthcare clients and providers by giving them the assets necessary to drive innovation in the industry, visit Verizon at this year’s mHealth Summit (Dec. 8–10) in Washington D.C. at booth #503.

Visit Verizon’s Healthcare Solutions page for more information about the latest innovative Healthcare IT services and technologies.