Accuhealth and Telli Health use Sigfox for SpO2 meter

  • November 9, 2020
  • Steve Rogerson

Texas-based Accuhealth is working with with Telli Health to provide what they say is the world’s first FDA certified and approved, plug-and-play Sigfox-based  SpO2 meter.

Florida medical IoT firm Telli Health developed the hardware and Accuhealth bought the first 5000 units and will be the first to deploy the devices. The hardware is being tested in various cities around the USA and will be deployed to bring more equitable access to quality healthcare in rural communities that traditionally do not have access.

Telli Health began developing this product after Accuhealth discovered a gap in the market for wireless-enabled SpO2 (pulse oximetry) devices. This wireless SpO2 meter uses the IoT spectrum from Sigfox. Sigfox was favoured for its ease of deployment andlow-cost and low-power requirements, allowing the devices to be small and portable, a requirement for patient adoption.

“Bluetooth, in our opinion, is not an ideal medium for remote patient monitoring, and it creates barriers to entry,” said Accuhealth CEO Stephen Samson. “As more smart-enabled devices come out, the technology trend is that they will be connected to an IoT network. With Covid-19, we see this SpO2 meter as having a significant advantage due to the low cost and low power requirements. These devices can now be deployed anywhere in the USA and will natively work across most populated areas in the country. We look forward to bringing innovative, quality healthcare to rural communities across the country and eventually expanding as a telehealth option globally.”

While Accuhealth begins deploying this technology, remote patient monitoring benefits have changed in certain states, allowing the wireless SpO2 meters to be more significant in remote patient monitoring. For instance, as of the start of October 2020, newly enacted Texas Medicaid telemonitoring guidelines allow for SpO2 monitoring, with documentation requirements stating that telemonitoring equipment must be capable of measuring and transmitting oxygen levels in the blood, among other metrics.

SpO2 is a critical biometric that indicates how effectively a patient is breathing and how well blood is being transported throughout the body, a key indicator for Covid-19 patients.

Accuhealth is a healthcare technology company that provides clinics and enterprises with turnkey remote patient monitoring, including first-line round-the-clock clinical monitoring. With access to real-time information, physicians can improve outcomes, reduce costs for payers and increase clinics’ revenue.

VivaLNK, a connected healthcare firm known for its medical wearable sensor platform, is including an ambulatory SpO2 oxygen saturation sensor. The rechargeable sensor enables continuous data capture even during sleep to assess night-time recovery. Additional enhancements to the medical wearable data platform include a temperature sensor that offers a 21-day rechargeable battery, extended Bluetooth range, and onboard memory to address intermittent network disconnections.