German incumbent Deutsche Telekom is approaching doctors in two German cities with a new telemedicine service that monitors high-risk cardiovascular patients in their own homes.  The operator is making the service available to patients at the Carl Thiem clinic in Cottbuss and the city clinic in Brandenburg an der Havel. Both cities are in the state of Brandenburg. It is thought Deutsche Telekom wants eventually to make the telemedicine service available on a nationwide basis.

The imminent launch of the service is further evidence of how remote monitoring of patients is emerging as a key mobile health services for operators.The service has been jointly developed by Charite, Berlin’s university hospital, and Getemed, a German medical equipment and IT supplier alongside Deutsche Telekom. The operator is providing the connection between hospital and home via mobile and fixed lines and will also manage the electronic patient file system. The service will monitor up to 500 high-risk heart patients in their own homes and is receiving financial support of Euro1.53 million from the German government and individual states. The first patients will be connected in their homes this autumn.