There was no shortage of inspiration at BIOMEDevice this past December 2016 held in San Jose, CA.

Rigorous competition, combined with rising demand from consumers and healthcare providers, are driving demand for more economical high volume manufacturing.  Overall, the industry is striving to reduce and consolidate the supply chain by seeking one-stop-shop partners.  Molex supports these trends with end-to-end leading solutions—and a strong consultative approach to medical device design and manufacturing.  Cross-pollination between divisions and a multi-solution portfolio are key assets to streamlining the supply chain.

Many manufacturers keenly focused on telemedicine want smaller, faster, and more user-friendly designs.  Medical devices must be reliable, lightweight and extremely portable, comfortable for patients to use properly and consistently.  Remote monitoring and therapies bring significant benefits, including fewer hospital emergencies and readmissions, less costly care and better health outcomes.  According to Foley & Lardner, 90% of healthcare executives report that their organizations are developing or implementing telemedicine programs. Estimates show over 10 million Americans—and millions more people globally—already use some form of telemedicine.

Smartphones and devices expand access to a world of information.  Telemedicine expands access to healthcare, especially for those living in rural areas without easy access to primary care or specialist medical services.  Not surprisingly, remote and less populated areas have among the highest telemedicine adoption rates.

In an era of unprecedented connectivity, people want the convenience of monitoring fitness and health in real-time, and to be able to self-administer therapies under the care of physicians, without unnecessary office visits and hospitalizations.  In a recent study, a vast majority of patients favored virtual medical care in lieu of in-person office visits for minor health conditions. A Cisco survey found that half of patients would even be comfortable sharing and receiving medical information via social media channels.  Most patients currently using traditional healthcare models would use telemedicine services if made available.

These statistics speak to the enormous value of the contributions that medical device OEMs are making to improve health care.  This is an exciting time to support them on the frontline of the evolving industry landscape with fully integrated Molex solutions combining microminiature and rugged interconnects, sealed cables, advanced switch systems and other technologies essential to next-generation medical devices.