With a mission to promote interoperable, personal connected health products and services, the Continua Health Alliance has collaborated with Telecommunications Technology Associations (TTA) to set up a new Continua test lab at South Korea, for the certification of products released in the Asian market.
In an interview with the Health IT NEWS.Direct! team, Kanghae Lee, Continua Certification Expert (CCE), TTA, stated that, “Presently, leading countries, such as Korea, Japan and China in the Asian HIT market are introducing use cases and healthcare services through medical devices integrated with information technology. Along with this, the active development of Personal Health Device (PHD) and mHealth, which can provide health service and information by mobile devices, is in progress. However, in comparison with the number of devices released, there are only a few test labs in Asia which have a full set of facilities and resources required to conduct development, conformance, interoperability, and certification testing for HIT equipments. Due to this, TTA desires to play a significant role in activating the Asian HIT market by cooperating with Continua.”
TTA joins AT4 wireless, a global testing and certification service provider, with test labs in Malaga, Spain; Virginia, USA; and Taipei, Taiwan; to certify devices and products as authorized by Continua.
TTA has been offering internationally accredited testing services, such as Bluetooth, USB, and GSM, since the year 2003. “With this extensive background in testing and qualification area, TTA developed a Health Device Profile (HDP) tester in collaboration with Bluetooth SIG in 2008, and joined the Continua Health Alliance in the following year,” says Kanghae Lee. “By joining the alliance, TTA initiatively contributed to establishing key policies of the Test and Certification Working Group (TCWG), and organized the interoperability testing program and Continua Certification Expert program.”
TTA’s participation in the CCE program, TCWG, and the Plugfests event has aided in supporting the certification program. The company is said to offer a one-stop advantage for the present Continua transport (Zigbee, USB, Bluetooth) testing and certification services at their laboratory. “TTA will promote and present Continua design guidelines containing references to the standards and specifications that Continua has selected, thereby providing solid foundation for Asian manufacturers to easily access the HIT market,” continues Kanghae Lee. “Furthermore, by assuring the smooth interoperability of HIT devices through the CHA qualification program, more users could access the services anywhere, anytime with comfort.”
The product certification program was initiated to indicate interoperability with other certified solutions. Products identified with the Continua Certified™ logo are said to have a strong competitive advantage over other products and enable net savings owing to their ease of use, low labor intensiveness, lack of ineffective technology duplication, and prevent products from turning antiquated impetuously.
With many Asian IT manufacturers like Samsung and Toshiba leading the global market, Kanghae Lee believes that key technological aspects of medical services, i.e., assurance of data security, integrity, and reliability can be supported by Bluetooth, USB, Zigbee, and interoperability qualification programs, which Asian IT manufacturers are well known for. He continues, “These advanced technologies in Asia, combining healthcare technology, will create a synergic effect on the Asian HIT market, encouraging it to grow. In addition, TTA is hoping that the vitalization of the HIT industry will influence the revising of the medical law to legalize telemedicine in Korea.”
In another attempt to expand the use of standards-based connectivity technology in the healthcare IT market, Continua Alliance joined hands through a Co-operation Agreement with NFC Forum to support the common belief of simplifying digital data exchange. This, they believe, will help establish a system of wellness and personal connected health products and services that allow healthcare providers and consumers to proactively address the ongoing healthcare requirements.
Through the agreement between Continua and NFC Forum, a formal plan to promote Internet standards and wireless telecommunications in the personal healthcare milieu has been made. Technical information will be exchanged between the organizations to help develop Continua criteria for personal healthcare devices. Furthermore, the synergy is expected to streamline the certification process and vendor development, which would in turn accelerate the availability of products in the market. The NFC Forum will bring to this collaboration its Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, connectivity technology to complement Continua’s Tap ‘n Go technology initiatives.
Continua Health Alliance’s executive director, Chuck Parker feels that this technology holds the potential to simplify electronic data exchange, making it more readily and accurately available.
By enabling interoperability among personal connected health products through these strategic ventures, Continua Health Alliance hopes to empower individuals and offers the opportunity for wellness management and personalized health.
In view of the accelerated ageing population problem, Kanghae Lee concludes that, “Medical industries are experiencing a paradigm shift from ‘sickness care’ to ‘health care’. Not only are people showing interest in state-of-the-art medical technology, but are also adopting them. In line with this trend, in recent times, smartphones have become very popular globally, and many related services using short-range wired/wireless technology will be expected to be released soon.”
2. 출처: Continua에서 보도한 TTA 시험소 지정기사
http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2011/12/21/continua-health-alliance-partners-tta-open-new-test-lab-south-korea
Continua Health Alliance Partners with TTA to Open New Test Lab in South Korea
Wednesday, December 21st 2011
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Continua Health Alliance, an international not-for-profit organization of healthcare and technology companies dedicated to establishing guidelines for combining and applying existing standards to create interoperable, personal connected health products and services, today announced TTA, a global leader in ICT standardization and certification, has been qualified as a new Continua test lab in South Korea. This new lab will allow Continua to certify products in the growing Asian market.
TTA’s involvement in Continua Plugfests, Test and Certification work group and the Continua Certified Experts (CCEs) program has helped nurture the Alliance’s successful certification program. TTA employs a CCE and several test engineers dedicated to ensuring quality Continua Certified products. TTA also provides current Continua transport (Bluetooth, Zigbee, USB) testing and certification services which can help customers to save time for Continua Certification with one-stop service.
“We are grateful for TTA’s contribution and commitment to Continua certification,” said Michael Kirwan, technical operations manager, Continua Health Alliance. “Our test lab standards are very high and we are confident that TTA will continue to exceed our expectations.”
To build trust and ensure peace of mind, Continua has created a product certification program with a recognizable logo signifying interoperability with other certified products. Products that carry the Continua Certified™ logo have a strong competitive advantage and provide net savings because they are:
•“Future proofed” so they won’t become prematurely obsolete
• Easy to use
• Less labor-intensive
• Free of inefficient technology duplication
Certification includes conformance and interoperability testing. Manufacturers are encouraged to prepare for the certification process by pre-testing devices with the Continua Test Tool to ensure a successful certification experience.
About Continua Health Alliance:
Continua Health Alliance is an international not-for-profit industry organization dedicated to establishing guidelines for combining and applying existing standards to personal connected health products and services. Continua makes a transition from the personal connected health marketplace to a marketplace of interoperable devices that facilitate better care, empower consumers, improve outcomes and lower overall healthcare costs possible. With more than 240 member companies around the world, Continua is comprised of technology, medical device and healthcare industry leaders as well as service providers dedicated to making personal connected health a reality. For more information visit: www.continuaalliance.org.