Continua Health Alliance Awarded for Innovation in Telemedicine

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Continua Health Alliance, the non-profit, open industry coalition of leading healthcare and technology companies from around the world, was honored with the 2009 ATA President’s Innovation Award at a ceremony last night held in conjunction with ATA 2009. Recognized for advances, creative thinking and development of technology in the telemedicine industry, Continua joins past American Telemedicine Association (ATA) President’s Award winners who have been saluted as valuable contributors to the industry.

“Congratulations to the Continua Health Alliance on winning the 2009 ATA President’s award”

“Being selected as the 2009 ATA President’s Award recipient − given the other premier organizations involved in this industry − is a great honor for Continua Health Alliance,” said Rick Cnossen, Continua Health Alliance president. “This award showcases the great work occurring within Continua Health Alliance to drive the future of telemedicine worldwide. We believe this is merely the beginning of what Continua has to offer to the continued advancement of this industry.”

ATA is the leading resource and advocate promoting access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology. Each year ATA recognizes an organization for advances in telemedicine by bestowing the ATA President’s Innovation Award. These organizations are acknowledged for their innovative new technology development, novel use of technology leading to innovative health applications, new ways of thinking and creative strategies for removing barriers to implementation and adoption.

"Congratulations to the Continua Health Alliance on winning the 2009 ATA President’s award,” said Dr. John Halamka, Chair of the U.S. Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). “Continua members have collaborated closely with the HITSP Technical Committee to achieve compliance to the current HITSP remote monitoring data exchanges and as a result demonstrated HITSP-compliant interoperability at HIMSS and their own conferences. Continua is working hard to meet the remaining parts of the remote monitoring requirements. I look forward to seeing more of Continua’s innovative industry-wide solutions for meeting the needs and challenges of Federal Health IT."

By providing the necessary technical information to build and design certified interoperable healthcare products and services, Continua is spurring the worldwide innovation of telehealth applications and social services while removing barriers to global implementation and adoption of telehealth solutions. The publication of the Continua Health Alliance Version One Design Guidelines and the first Continua-certified products entering the market have ushered in a new era of interoperable personal telehealth solutions. These developments reflect the collaborative efforts of more than 190 leading technology, medical device manufacturers and telehealth member companies.

About Continua:

Continua Health Alliance is a non-profit, open industry coalition of the finest healthcare and technology companies joining together in collaboration to improve the quality of personal healthcare. With more than 190 member companies around the world, Continua is dedicated to establishing a system of interoperable personal health solutions with the knowledge that extending those solutions into the home fosters independence, empowers individuals and provides the opportunity for truly personalized health and wellness management.

About the American Telemedicine Association:

The American Telemedicine Association is the leading resource and advocate promoting access to medical care for consumers and health professionals via telecommunications technology. ATA seeks to bring together diverse groups from traditional medicine, academic medical centers, technology and telecommunications companies, e-health, medical societies, government and others to overcome barriers to the advancement of telemedicine through the professional, ethical and equitable improvement in health care delivery.

Established in 1993 as a non-profit organization and headquartered in Washington, DC, membership in the Association is open to individuals, healthcare institutions, companies and other organizations with an interest in promoting the deployment of telemedicine throughout the world. ATA is governed by a Board of Directors, which is elected by the association's membership.