Verizon Enterprise Solutions has launched Converged Health Management, a remote patient-monitoring service designed to help clinicians manage patient’s health in between doctor visits.

The US operator argues the service can address “the day-to-day communications gap that has historically existed between patients and clinicians”, referring to the gap in time between physical visits to a doctor’s surgery.

These gaps contribute to health problems, such as decreased compliance with treatment programmes or even increased visits to the emergency rooms and longer hospital stays.

Verizon received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to offer its remote monitoring platform in August.

The new service enables patient to gather health data, such as blood pressure or glucose levels, while at home or on the move. The data is automatically transmitted over the mobile network to a secure server in Verizon’s HIPPAA-compliant cloud where it can be viewed by clinicians.

The service also includes a reward system designed to incentivise good lifestyle choices. This kind of advice can also be personalised and is available via a smartphone app or web portal.

The service also attempts to promote a group dynamic by enabling patients to connect  with one another to provide mutual support, via a quasi-social network.

Verizon is pitching the service at a number of possible clients, including health insurance companies and hospital groups.