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June 26, 2002

In this newsletter:

  • Review of the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2002 parallel sessions
  • From innovation to business
  • Telemedicine and developing countries
  • Show me the market!
  • WTDC 02 approved resolution on e-health
  • ITU back in full force at the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2003
  • Call for abstracts for the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2003 parallel sessions
  • Business opportunities
  • Newsbriefs
  • Conferences


The parallel sessions at the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2002 offered a broad and practical view on currently available products, technology and applications in the field of telemedicine and explored new ways to improve the efficiency of the existing telemedicine and telecare products and services. Speakers from 26 countries around the world presented more than 50 presentations which were categorized under several topics:

  • cardiology,
  • diagnostics & information exchange,
  • education,
  • home care,
  • information technology & satellite communication,
  • national telemedicine projects,
  • neurology & psychiatry,
  • image transfer,
  • specialized software,
  • surgery & ophthalmology,
  • telemedicine applications.

Several presentations covered product presentations and demonstrations by exhibitors. Interactive demonstrations, like the ones organized by Eutelsat and Tapuz Medical Technology, were very well attended. Part of the presentations came from universities and research units. They offered knowledge on state-of-the-art products and technologies in telemedicine and e-health and defined the roadmap for further development of telemedicine. Several presentations from healthcare centers focused on telemedicine applications for patient monitoring and on efficiency of telemedicine applications.
The educational program was very well received with attendees' overall satisfaction ratings ranging from very good to excellent. Participants also underlined that the sessions provided a highly beneficial forum for the advancement of international collaboration in the area of telemedicine. For a more detailed review of the presentations (list of speakers and abstracts), click here.


One of the plenary sessions at the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2002 was focusing on how technological innovation could contribute to business opportunities. The session was chaired by Andreas Lymberis, Scientific Officer, European Commission, IST Program, Systems and Services for the Citizen, Applications Relating to Health Unit.
The development of new systems and prototypes within public research and academic institutions, with the contribution of national and European research grnts, facilitates the creation of spin-offs in the area of medical technology and telemedicine systems. This experience was reported by Prof. Bernhard Sabel of the University of Magdeburg, who has created a company (NovaVision) in a specific technological area of visual impairment. Sabel presented the difficulties that a start-up company faces to enter into the market despite a long expertise in a specific technical field, a favourable technology transfer (from laboratory work to commercial prototype) and an external funding. The main difficulty lies in the definition of the market (customers, competitors) and the product sales organisation. Definitely without a consequent financial support such a high technology market activity has viability difficulties. Another market situation is experienced by a well established company, TxT Solutions, which has been active for almost 20 years in e-commerce and gained experience (and interest) in telemedicine/homecare by participating in EU projects. Marco Guida, market manager of TxT, underlined the importance of participating in European research and development projects, but also the importance of having, as a company, its own product strategy and market visibility.
Finally, Steve Glangé from INBIS, Luxembourg disseminated his experience on market exploitation of research results. For Glangé a successful transition has to go through four main steps: a) assessment of the venture, b) preparation of quality business plan, c) understanding of potential partners and d) approaching the potential partners effectively. The discussion launched at the end of the presentations, brought-up, again, the lack of a clear business model for telemedicine and the difficulty for start-up companies and SMEs to launch competitive telemedicine products in a rapidly evolving healthcare services market. Three main barriers still exist for further telemedicine market development: lack of standards, lack of European or worldwide established legal and regulatory framework and lack of acceptable (and accepted) reimbursement scheme.BR> The encouraging message sent by the panel was related to the fact that a better forecast for the telemedicine market would be possible if all actors involved in healthcare chain, i.e. national authorities, insurance, health providers, product and services developers, patients/citizens/customers, would agree on a common approach and procedures.


Another plenary session at the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2002 focused on the needs of developing countries. The session was chaired by Prof. Leonid Androuchko (rapporteur on the telemedicine question within ITU - International Telecommunication Union) and opened with a presentation by Petko Kantchev, in charge of telemedicine at ITU, with an overview of a number of telemedicine projects implemented by the ITU together with other partners.
Mr. El Barkouky from BTC Telecom in Egypt presented a telemedicine project which is being set up in his country, linking 7 regional hospitals with the Nasser Institute in Cairo. According to El Barkouky the purpose of telemedicine in developed countries is creating more sophisticated health care delivery systems, offering second medical opinions and information for citizens, in order to improve the quality of care and comply with economic constraints, whereas the purpose of telemedicine for developing countries is different and needed to render basic medical services (in remote areas), to decrease referred cases to central or university hospitals, to interpret sophisticated radiological examinations, and to obtain expert reading of pathology slides.
Prof. Androuchko highlighted the importance of training for the success of telemedicine services: "Successful introduction of telemedicine services in developing countries requires more than just the delivery of the right hardware and software. It is also important to find the right method of incorporating telemedicine services into practice and routine clinical consultations and to train the local staff how to operate and maintain the telemedicine system."
Dr. Aly Chehata from DialogVision, Tunisia presented the "Global Multiservices Telecommunication Project for Developing Countries" which will provide cost-effective, comprehensive teleservices including telemedicine tailored to the educational and training needs expressed by the local government and the business community in each participating developing country. The Russian Ministry of Health has recently approved the general guidelines for the introduction of telemedicine services in Russia, which will be implemented using both state and private budgets. More information was provided by Dr. Michael Natenzon and Dr. Vladimir Tarnopolsky from TANA Telemedicine.
A presentation on "Telemedicine and Health Informatics Network for Cooperation between European Countries" was done by Dr. Francesco Sicurello, Giancarlo Mauri and Claudio Berette from Italy. The main focus of this project is the cooperation with some Eastern European countries and the development and application of telemedicine and health informatics systems. Dr. Yunkap Kwankam from WHO (World Health Organization) concluded the session by saying: "Developing countries suffer from a severe shortage of healthcare professionals. The lack of medical specialists and the difficulties of obtaining consultations between doctors in the regional and remote small hospitals with their colleagues in the referral hospitals results in a high number of unnecessary referrals. Telemedicine systems could improve this situation and could provide better access to health care. We are supporting the idea to have the Telemedicine Trade Fair as an annual event and we are looking forward to seeing even more telemedicine applications and innovative technical solutions for the benefit of all". For full report, click here.


At the keynote debate "Show me the market!", manufacturers and healthcare providers met head on during the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2002. It became clear as the debate progressed that legislation and security are some of the hurdles that telemedicine will have to overcome if it is to become accepted by the mainstream. For Dr. Daniel Mart, Chairman of the Luxembourg Association of Medical Doctors and Dentists, legislation is still lagging behind technology.
It was clear from the manufacturers that were present at the Telemedicine Trade Fair that the technology has indeed come a long way. Over 36 exhibitors from 13 countries were at the show ready to do business. Developments included, transtelephonic ECG monitors, telewoundcare and telecare therapy for the visually impaired. But convincing users of the viability of these products was only half the battle.
As Mart pointed out, as far as physicians are concerned introducing new technology is not just a cost reduction exercise. "The problem for us doctors is that reducing costs is not the main goal. For us the goal is to improve patient care, to improve patient outcomes and also see if we as doctors can get a better quality of working life." In this respect, some recent studies have shown the effectiveness of "telemedicine" treatment or diagnosis, and high patient satisfaction with telemedicine experiences. Also the use of electronic referrals and the possibility of data sharing via internet or other electronic means, definitely offers room for improved and easier ways of working on the part of healthcare providers. Nevertheless, there still is a way to go to get telemedicine and e-health applications more and more integrated into routine medical and nursing practice.
Hervé Doaré of the European Health Telematics Association said: "I really believe that the use of IT could be helpful not only in improving the quality of care but also for a lot of ethical reasons, but it will indeed require a reorganisation of the healthcare system."
Others see the real growth areas in home care and selling healthcare direct to the consumer - particularly the aging baby boomer generation. "As we age we are not going to want to wait two to three weeks for a health problem to be solved," says Lt.Col. Ron Poropatich, MD of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the US. "For the baby boomer generation - and its growing number of chronic conditions such as coronary artery disease and asthma - the marketplace will depend on service and close monitoring."
Main conclusion of the debate was that although telemedicine and e-health may have been proven as cost efficient methods of healthcare delivery, it will still require reform and rethinking of today's healthcare institutions if they are to become widely adopted. It also is clear that there are some niche markets and applications in which telemedicine and e-health are more easily adopted and implemented.
The debate will be a returning feature at the annual Telemedicine Trade Fair and intends to put offer and demand face-to-face in order to help the industry and the users better determine what is available, what is needed, what are the hurdles and what are the benefits, in order to, in the end, better harmonize and match offer and demand, and help the telemedicine market to grow in a positive and constructive way.


The World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC 02) recently convened by the International Telecommunication Union in Istanbul, Turkey approved a resolution on e-health. The resolution requested the ITU to:

  • continue its efforts to raise the awareness of decision-makers, health professionals, partners, beneficiaries and other key players about the benefits of telecommunications for e-health applications;
  • continue to support e-health projects in collaboration with government, public, private, national and international partners - in particular with the World Health Organization (WHO);
  • encourage collaboration on e-health projects at national and regional level;
  • set up, within existing budgetary resources, a fund for telecommunication facilities for e-health, and introduce e-health training in the centres of excellence;
  • promote, facilitate and provide technical support and training in information and communication technologies for e-health;
  • work with the health sector to identify models for sustainability of e-health applications, particularly in remote and rural areas of developing countries, exploring possibilities for sharing infrastructure with other services and applications.
    The resolution also requested the Member States of ITU to consider the establishment of a national committee/task force comprising representatives from telecommunication and health sectors in order to assist with awareness-raising at national level and with the formulation of feasible telemedicine projects.

  • The International Telecommunication Union will again be a major partner of the Telemedicine Trade Fair 2003 and will put emphasis on telemedicine projects which are under implementation or which are being planned in several selected countries. In some cases the country's telemedicine program will be presented covering different applications ranging from clinical applications to distance medical education. This will again give tremendous opportunities to suppliers and users to establish direct contacts during the trade fair and there will be more live demonstrations clearly showing the potential benefits of telemedicine and explaining all operational procedures. The unique international study group on telemedicine for developing countries which consists of representatives from more than 40 developing and developed countries will also present its market study. The group was set up within ITU by the World Telecommunication Development Conference in 1994 in Buenos Aires, precisely to study the pro's and con's of telemedicine services in the environment of developing countries.


    As outlined above, the parallel sessions were a great success at this year's Telemedicine Trade Fair last April and the new call for abstracts for the 2003 event has already been issued and sent out. In total there will be some 60 presentation slots. Emphasis is being placed on presentations providing practical and valuable information on topics ranging from telesurgery to telehomecare applications, from telecommunication issues to IT specifics, and from legal and ethical aspects of telemedicine to business models. The parallel sessions especially offer participating exhibitors an opportunity to provide more in-depth information about their products and services or projects they are involved in.
    In order to submit a presentation proposal, click here and submit your speaker application form and abstract, or contact us at for more information.


    As a business oriented event, the Telemedicine Trade Fair wants to create enhanced business possibilities for all its participants and partners. All registered exhibitors and visitors will have an opportunity to post their specific offer or demand for telemedicine products or services on the www.telemedicine.lu website, thus creating an interactive forum which will allow participants to identify potential suppliers or buyers of the equipment or services which they are looking for or which they have to offer, and to make pre-scheduled appointments for meetings at the Telemedicine Trade Fair in April 2003!
    While being a trade and business event, the Telemedicine Trade Fair of course also remains dedicated to providing information through its educational programs. More information about the "business opportunities" feature will be posted soon on www.telemedicine.lu or will be sent to you upon receipt of your exhibitor or visitor registration form. If you have any questions about this feature, feel free to contact us at .


  • MOEBIUS Mobile Extranet platform allows telemonitoring of patients with chronic disease, Virtual Medical Worlds Monthly reports --- click here for full article.
  • Use of telehealth and telehomecare devices bound to get big in Japan, Virtual Medical Worlds Monthly reports --- click here for full article.
  • Dutch telecare projects need flexible funding and centralised co-ordination, Virtual Medical Worlds Monthly reports --- click here for full article.
  • Directions the European Telemedicine Market is Taking --- click here for link to full story and list of other Frost & Sullivan market insights.
  • Taking PACS Apart --- click here for link to full story and list of other Frost & Sullivan market insights.
  • A recent article in the U.S. publication Home Health Care Dealer/Provider comments on how home telemedicine devices and other future technology can have a very beneficial impact on the business of homecare dealers, as the new technology and devices will involve setup, training, calibration, maintenance and repair, which are things dealers know how to do and which the new technology will rely on more and more --- click here for full article.
  • New network of excellence for development of cardio-informatic care technology (CAREINTECH) being developed in Poland --- click here for more info.

  • The 12th Nordic Baltic Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics (12NBC) was held in Reykjavik (Iceland) last week. The conference, regularly being held since 1970, was hosted and organised this year by the Icelandic Society of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics. Together with the Conference, the Health Technology and Science Exhibition also took place. Both gatherings brought together a large number of Icelandic and foreign companies, associations and organisations, with purchase decision makers from hospitals, technical departments and institutions in the Nordic and other European countries. For a review of the conference contents, go to www.nervus.is/nbc02. For information about the Icelandic Society of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics, go to www.nervus.is/htfi/enska/bmeinis.htm.
  • "Implementing Telemedicine" is a European Partnering Event taking place on Friday June 28, 2002 in Berne (Switzerland), which focuses on telemedicine, particularly in the areas of prophylaxis, diagnosis and therapy and with pre-arranged face-to-face meetings between companies, hospitals and scientists. For more information, go to www.medizinal-cluster.ch/partnering_Event/index.htm.
  • The Association of Telehealth Service Providers (ATSP) is issuing an open call for presenters at Telehealth 2002 this September 9-12, 2002. It is seeking innovative presentations that explore current telehealth issues, breakthrough technologies, and new applications that will impact the telehealth industry during the next year. Telehealth 2002 will be a unique teleconference, consisting of an interactive phone bridge and PowerPoint slides, which will not require presenters to travel. Speaker applications may be downloaded from the Telehealth 2002 website at www.telehealthconference.org. Please contact Will Engle at or +1 503 222 2406 for additional information.
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