Telehealth Services Provider Sold on Bosch Technology and Ease of Use

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - November 5, 2009) -

--  Remote patient management systems to be used in elderly care centers
    and home healthcare
--  Improved quality of life and lower cost of care
--  Flexible clinical programming praised
    

Robert Bosch Healthcare, Inc. has been selected by Connections365, a leading provider of telehealth services, to supply its Health Buddy© System and ViTelCare™ remote patient management systems for patients in senior care facilities and residential apartments. "Bosch is pleased that Connections365 has selected our products as part of their comprehensive telehealth service," said Derek Newell, vice president of Robert Bosch Healthcare N.A. After an extensive evaluation of numerous manufacturers and telemonitoring systems, Connections365 chose Bosch based on three key criteria: technology, simplicity and cost. "We were also sold on Bosch because of their people and strong clinical focus," said Thomas Reddy, Connections365 CEO. "In telehealth," he added, "It's not just about the technology. Having solid, flexible clinical programming is also a key component."

Connections365 offers a comprehensive telehealth service to operators of facilities for the elderly, such as independent residential communities, assisted living centers and rehabilitation facilities, as well as to home healthcare providers. The service combines the use of remote patient monitoring with special call centers staffed by specialists who gather and evaluate patient data and decide when patients should be referred to their medical care provider for intervention.

Connections365 will soon implement Bosch remote patient management systems at a number of key facilities, including Colorado-based Columbine Health Systems, Benedictine Health Systems in Minneapolis, the Living Community of St. Joseph, (Missouri), as well as the Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) in Monterey, (California).

"Thousands of patients have benefited from the Health Buddy and ViTelCare systems through our programs with the Veterans Health Administration and through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Now these same benefits will be available to a broader population of seniors," Newell pointed out.

In assisted living centers and independent residential apartments, Connections365 will use the ViTelCare Kiosk for patient monitoring. Placed in a central location within the facility, the kiosk enables patients to enter vital sign measurements and other information about their symptoms via a simple question-and-answer scenario, and transmits this data securely and confidentially to the call center.

Patients being discharged from rehabilitation centers, on the other hand, will be offered the Health Buddy System. They will receive the Health Buddy appliance, a compact device with a display and simple four-button interface. Each day, patients use the device at home to answer a series of questions about their health and symptoms. The data is sent over a telephone line or Ethernet connection to a secure data center where it is accessed by specialized call center staff. The Health Buddy Desktop application is designed to quickly risk-stratify, enabling timely intervention by healthcare professionals before a patient's condition becomes acute. Patients are also given information and advice which helps them to better manage their conditions. The goal is to improve quality of life, enable seniors to remain independent longer, and also lower costs of care.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 280,000 associates generated sales of 45.1 billion euros ($66.4 billion) in fiscal 2008. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros ($5.7 billion), or eight percent of its sales revenue, for research and development and applies for over 3,000 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as a "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering." The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

For more information, visit www.bosch.com.

Connections365 is a telehealth innovation that combines the latest remote monitoring technology with a centralized information system focusing on individual needs and resource management. This easy-to-use, round-the-clock service can recognize any change in a subscribing senior's health condition and quickly connect the subscriber with the right person to help. As a result, our subscribing seniors can continue to live independently longer, thus improving quality of life and lowering health care costs. To learn how Connections365 can help improve health care for seniors while reducing health care costs, please contact Ryan Reddy at ryan@connections365.com.