A few months ago, this website reported on the fact that one of TMTA's member companies appeared to finally be getting a break. That company was (and continues to be) BryTech Inc. , an Ottawa-based manufacturer of assistive devices. Like many other Canadian SMEs, this innovative company has been a wellspring of technical creativity. As a matter of fact some of its inventions are even internationally recognized. In spite of that, the company has been struggling to get its own inventions recognized and approved in Canada.

The company was finally being given the go-ahead
Early in 2011, it seemed as if the spell was being broken. After a long process of negotiations with some key healthcare players in the Ottawa area, the company was given the go-ahead to proceed with formal trials using its breakthrough mobile patient monitoring system (RPM™) in real-life settings.

The trial was being set up through a collaborative and strategic alliance with an Ottawa-area educational faculty, a hospital, a long-term care facility and a telecommunications provider. Designed to allow a range of care providers to test BryTech’s RPM within several different healthcare settings, the trial would eventually accelerate the adoption of new equipment. The hope was that this move would, in turn, provide much needed relief to the critical overcrowding situation present in many hospitals across Ontario, Canada and even the world.

Throughput is increased when patients can move recover more quickly
Created to enhance efficiency across the healthcare sector, BryTech’s portable device enables care providers to monitor patients much more easily and effectively than previously possible. The tiny device offers continuous monitoring for mobile patients in a wide range of medical conditions which require constant surveillance. Facilities can move patients through the continuum of care faster while actually providing them with a higher quality of care.

As most hospital administrators know, the throughput of the ICU or OR departments is increased when patients can move more quickly from recovery to step down facilities. The hospital can handle more patients when it can move them out into the community earlier in the healing process. Patients also benefit greatly because they gain more mobility and independence and can return to an improved lifestyle sooner. What’s more, the rate of hospital readmission is reduced because the RPM offers better controls, earlier warning and considerably increased visibility of every patient’s condition.

The RPM can lessen the workload of hospital staff
Granted, continuous monitoring of patients after their discharge from hospital is a somewhat new paradigm. But it is comparable to current homecare practices that are prescribed by physicians for the patient after hospitalization. Present day homecare requires the collaboration of a home care service agency to take responsibility for the patient, respond to alarms and collect and interpret the data generated.

Once again, the RPM can step in to reduce the demands being made on over-worked hospital staff. Because of its extreme simplicity, the device requires a minimum of training before it can be assigned to patients The staff at a hospital, long-term care facility or nursing home needs training and support. A strategic alliance with telecommunications carriers is required for connectivity. The cost of monitoring must be supported by the LHIN to determine correct reimbursement strategies.

A great aid for nurse practitioners
Increased strain on healthcare systems in Canada and many parts of the world, has led to the creation of a new position in many hospitals: the nurse practitioner.  While not as skilled as a doctor, this individual can help to significantly relieve the problems brought about by a shortage of doctors and provide a skill level between physicians and nurses. The solution to the shortage of hospital beds is to create a level of care between the hospital bed and the nursing home.

Adding the advantage of mobility created the need for a wearable patient monitor, tracked by professionals who can verify recovery or detect the early signs of deterioration, this is a growth opportunity for existing home care service agencies that provide regular service. Remote monitoring technology allows more patients to be assessed frequently and critical events to be detected.

Why so many delays?
So the case is made. The RPM is an ideally suited solution for a key healthcare challenge. And the healthcare system has been given an opportunity to test it in real-life situations. So why is it that the trials keep getting postponed? The process should have started more than six months ago. But BryTECH keeps getting the run-around.

The authorities in question keep saying that they cannot proceed with the trials because funding has not yet been approved. In the meantime, BryTECH's owner has to keep footing the bill for a product that should have been commercialized many months ago. Meanwhile, a very similar device is being tested in a Toronto hospital. While extremely similar to the RPM, this device appears to benefit from a situation that BryTECH's invention can not capitalize on: it is manufactured by a large multinational.

Miraculously, funding for trials for this device is not lacking. Why is this happening? BryTECH would like to know. And so would we. As would many TMTA members. Could it be that other forces are at play? Forces that can help speed the funding process and cut through red tape? As most TMTA members will attest, this kind of situation is by no means rare. Many small Canadian companies struggle to get their inventions recognized while larger, often foreign, companies seem to be given all the breaks. Why do situations like this keep happening? Why are foreign manufacturers being preferred over Canadian companies?