A new innovation in communication technology that moves healthcare from the hospital to the home is now available in the U.S. starting May 8. The system developed by Philips, called Motiva, uses secure broadband technology to connect patients from their home television sets to their care providers daily. 

Here's how it works. The patients monitor their health status on wireless devices from home. The data, as well as any other questions or comments the patient may have, is then sent through a secure transmission to the patient's healthcare provider for review. Healthcare organizations can send back educational content, personalized feedback, and even motivational messages. Each system care plan also includes reminders, health tips, health status surveys, video clips designed to educate the patient and quizzes to test comprehension. All of this is done through a home television set with the same ease of use as a TV remote control - allowing patients to bypass the Internet or computers, which can be daunting.

Motiva has the potential to allow patients to take more control of their health. It is designed to enable:

• Improved self-care - the daily coaching through the home TV empowers patients to modify their behaviors in order to achieve their personal health goals.
• Expanded reach - the ability to deliver personalized care experiences using standardized, but customizable care plans, in order to reach broader patient populations.
• Lower overall healthcare costs - achieved when automation and customization reduce the labor required to administer personalized disease management programs across broader patient populations in order to reduce claims.

Motiva's care plans, which integrate an organization's clinical guidelines and evidence-based protocols, are available for a wide spectrum of chronic diseases, conditions and acuity levels - from at-risk to chronic - including congestive heart failure, diabetes, asthma, depression, as well as lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking.

More information can be found at the Philips website.