The Continua Health Alliance
Encyclopedia
Continua Health Alliance is an international non-profit, open industry group of nearly 240 healthcare providers, communications, medical, and fitness device companies.
Continua Health Alliance members aim to develop a system to deliver personal and individual healthcare.
Continua Health Alliance is working toward establishing systems of interoperable telehealth devices and services in three major categories: chronic disease management
, aging independently, and health & physical fitness
.
Continua members intend to create systems and devices for improving personal health. The technology platforms for these products and services are defined by the members and published in the Continua guidelines.
for wireless and USB for wired device connection. The group released the guidelines to the public in June 2009.
The group is establishing a product certification
program using its recognizable logo
, the Continua Certified Logo program, signifying that the product is interoperable with other Continua-certified products. Products made under Continua Health Alliance guidelines will provide consumers with increased assurance of interoperability between devices, enabling them to more easily share information with caregivers and service providers.
Through collaborations with government agencies and other regulatory bodies, Continua works to provide guidelines for the effective management of diverse products and services from a global network of vendors.
Continua Alliance products make use of the ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) Standards
.
Continua Health alliance performed its first public demonstration of interoperability on October 27, 2008 at the Partners Center for Connected Health 5th Annual Connected Health Symposium in Boston.
Continua Health Alliance certified its first product, the Nonin 2500 PalmSAT handheld pulse oximeter with USB, on January 26, 2009.
By the end of September 2010 there were fourteen certified products.
Continua selected Bluetooth Low Energy
and ZigBee
wireless protocols as the wireless standards for its Version 2 Design Guidelines which are yet to be released. Bluetooth Low Energy is to be used for low-power mobile devices. ZigBee will be used for networked low-power sensors such as those enabling independent living.
Continua's Board of Directors is currently composed of the following companies:
Continua Health Alliance members aim to develop a system to deliver personal and individual healthcare.
Overview
Continua Health Alliance aims to establish a system of personal connected healthcare solutions. The goal of developing the solutions is to promote delivery of healthcare in the home providing independence, empowering individuals and providing the opportunity for truly personalized health and wellness management.Continua Health Alliance is working toward establishing systems of interoperable telehealth devices and services in three major categories: chronic disease management
Disease management (health)
Disease management is defined as "a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant." For people who can access health care practitioners or peer support it is the process whereby persons with...
, aging independently, and health & physical fitness
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
.
Continua members intend to create systems and devices for improving personal health. The technology platforms for these products and services are defined by the members and published in the Continua guidelines.
Devices and Services
Continua Health Alliance version 1 design guidelines are based on proven connectivity technical standards and include BluetoothBluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
for wireless and USB for wired device connection. The group released the guidelines to the public in June 2009.
The group is establishing a product certification
Product certification
Product certification or product qualification is the process of verifying that a certain product has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests or qualification requirements stipulated in contracts, regulations, or specifications...
program using its recognizable logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
, the Continua Certified Logo program, signifying that the product is interoperable with other Continua-certified products. Products made under Continua Health Alliance guidelines will provide consumers with increased assurance of interoperability between devices, enabling them to more easily share information with caregivers and service providers.
Through collaborations with government agencies and other regulatory bodies, Continua works to provide guidelines for the effective management of diverse products and services from a global network of vendors.
Continua Alliance products make use of the ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) Standards
ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) Standards
ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data standards are a group of standards addressing the interoperability of personal health devices such as weighing scales, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors and the like...
.
Major milestones and Status Information
Continua Health Alliance was founded on June 6, 2006Continua Health alliance performed its first public demonstration of interoperability on October 27, 2008 at the Partners Center for Connected Health 5th Annual Connected Health Symposium in Boston.
Continua Health Alliance certified its first product, the Nonin 2500 PalmSAT handheld pulse oximeter with USB, on January 26, 2009.
By the end of September 2010 there were fourteen certified products.
Continua selected Bluetooth Low Energy
Bluetooth low energy
Bluetooth low energy is a feature of Bluetooth 4.0 wireless radio technology, aimed at new, principally low-power and low-latency, applications for wireless devices within a short range...
and ZigBee
ZigBee
ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area networks. Applications include wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays, and other consumer and industrial...
wireless protocols as the wireless standards for its Version 2 Design Guidelines which are yet to be released. Bluetooth Low Energy is to be used for low-power mobile devices. ZigBee will be used for networked low-power sensors such as those enabling independent living.
Members
Continua Health Alliance currently has nearly 240 member companies.Continua's Board of Directors is currently composed of the following companies:
- Intel CorporationIntel CorporationIntel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
- Roche DiagnosticsRoche DiagnosticsRoche Diagnostics Division is a subsidiary of Hoffmann-La Roche which manufactures equipment and reagents for research and medical diagnostic applications. Internally, it is organized into five major business areas: Roche Applied Science, Roche Professional Diagnostics, Roche Diabetes Care, Roche...
- Partners HealthCarePartners HealthCarePartners HealthCare is a non-profit organization that owns several hospitals in Massachusetts, primarily in the Boston area. Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital founded the organization in 1994...
- Price Waterhouse Coopers
- Ascension HealthAscension HealthAscension Health is a non-profit company that operates a network of hospitals and related health facilities in the United States. It is the nation's largest Catholic and largest non-profit health system.-Sponsors:...
- CA, Inc.
- Cisco SystemsCisco SystemsCisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
- Kaiser PermanenteKaiser PermanenteKaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
- MedtronicMedtronicMedtronic, Inc. , based in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the world's largest medical technology company and is a Fortune 500 company.- History :...
- PanasonicPanasonicPanasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
- PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
- QualcommQualcommQualcomm is an American global telecommunication corporation that designs, manufactures and markets digital wireless telecommunications products and services based on its code division multiple access technology and other technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA...
- Samsung ElectronicsSamsung ElectronicsSamsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul...
- SharpSharp Corporationis a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
Organisational Structure
The Organisation is primarily staffed by volunteers from the member organisations that are organised in to working groups that address the goals of the alliance. Below the board of directors sit the following main working groups:- Global Policy Strategy Working Group
- Marketing Working Group
- Regulatory Working Group
- Technical Working Group
- Test & Certification Work Group - The Test and Certification Working Group is responsible for defining, implementing, and continuously improving the Test and Certification process and tools.
- Use Case Working Group
- Wellness Solutions Working Group
Relevant standards
- ISO/IEEE 11073ISO/IEEE 11073CEN ISO/IEEE 11073 Health informatics - Medical / health device communication standards enable communication between medical, health care and wellness devices and with external computer systems...
- ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) StandardsISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) StandardsISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data standards are a group of standards addressing the interoperability of personal health devices such as weighing scales, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors and the like...
- BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
- USB
- HL7
- Integrating the Healthcare EnterpriseIntegrating the Healthcare EnterpriseIHE is an initiative by healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computer systems in healthcare share information.In 1997, a consortium of radiologists and information technology experts formed IHE, or "Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise." IHE created and operates a process...
- ZigbeeZigBeeZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area networks. Applications include wireless light switches, electrical meters with in-home-displays, and other consumer and industrial...
Website
The Continua Alliance website contains a full listing of member organisations, a directory of qualified products, and a clear statement of their mission.External links
- Continua Health Alliance website
- American Telemedicine Association
- MobiHealthNews
- Telemedicine History
- Association of Telehealth Service Providers
See also
- Connected HealthConnected HealthConnected Health is a term used to describe a model for healthcare delivery that uses technology to provide healthcare remotely. Connected health aims to maximize healthcare resources and provide increased, flexible opportunities for consumers to engage with clinicians and better self-manage their...
- eHealthEHealtheHealth is a relatively recent term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication, dating back to at least 1999...
- TelehealthTelehealthTelehealth is the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as sophisticated as doing robotic surgery between facilities at different ends of the...
- TelemedicineTelemedicineTelemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
- Health 2.0Health 2.0Health 2.0 are terms representing the possibilities between health care, eHealth and Web 2.0, and has come into use after a recent spate of articles in newspapers, and by Physicians and Medical Librarians...