The Continua Health Alliance
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| Industry | Trade association |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 2006 |
| Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Clint McClellan (President) Charles Parker (Executive Director) |
| Website | ContinuaAlliance.org |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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.[1]
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.
[edit] Devices and Services
Continua Health Alliance version 1 design guidelines are based on proven connectivity technical standards and include Bluetooth for wireless and USB for wired device connection. The group released the guidelines to the public in June 2009.[2]
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.
[edit] Major milestones and Status Information
Continua Health Alliance was founded on June 6, 2006[3]
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.[4]
Continua Health Alliance certified its first product, the Nonin 2500 PalmSAT handheld pulse oximeter with USB, on January 26, 2009.[5]
By the end of September 2010 there were fourteen certified products.[6]
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.[7]
[edit] Members
Continua Health Alliance currently has nearly 240 member companies.[8]
Continua's Board of Directors is currently composed of the following companies:[9]
- Ascension Health
- CA, Inc.
- Cisco Systems
- Kaiser Permanente
- Medtronic
- Panasonic
- Philips
- Qualcomm
- Samsung Electronics
- Sharp
[edit] 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:[10]
- 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
[edit] Relevant standards
- ISO/IEEE 11073
- ISO/IEEE 11073 Personal Health Data (PHD) Standards
- Bluetooth
- USB
- HL7
- Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise
- Zigbee
[edit] Website
The Continua Alliance website contains a full listing of member organisations, a directory of qualified products, and a clear statement of their mission.
[edit] External links
- Continua Health Alliance website
- American Telemedicine Association
- MobiHealthNews
- Telemedicine History
- Association of Telehealth Service Providers
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.continuaalliance.org/about-the-alliance.html
- ^ http://www.continuaalliance.org/static/cms_workspace/Continua_Version_One_Design_Guidelines_Now_Available_final.pdf
- ^ http://continuaalliance.org/news-and-media/press-releases/founding-continua.html
- ^ http://continuaalliance.org/static/binary/cms_workspace/Continua_Update_release_v_FINAL_2_.pdf
- ^ http://www.nonin.com/News.aspx?NewsID=86
- ^ http://www.continuaalliance.org/products/certified-products.html
- ^ http://www.continuaalliance.org/static/cms_workspace/Continua_06082009_vFINAL.pdf
- ^ Member Companies (English)
- ^ Board of Directors (English)
- ^ http://continuaalliance.org/static/cms_workspace/Continua_Overview_Presentation_v15_3.pdf
