/ en Wed, 07 May 2025 12:34:09 -0500 /wmts <p> </p><p>The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the Wireless Medical Telemetry System (WMTS) in response to growing concerns about interference from digital television transmitters and other equipment. The FCC dedicated bands of frequencies to promote the interference-free use of medical telemetry systems important for patient monitoring. The FCC mandated that all WMTS transmitters be registered, and appointed 陳栠勛圖as the frequency coordinator to handle registration. 陳栠勛圖and its technical partner Comsearch provide frequency coordination services and device registration. For more information regarding current WMTS issues see the news articles below.</p> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600 Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) <h3>Advocacy Alert</h3><p class="text-align-right">April 20, 2015</p><p>In 2000, at the urging of 陳栠勛圖 (AHA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dedicated a portion of the radio spectrum for wireless medical telemetry devices such as heart, blood pressure, respiratory, and fetal monitors. The creation of the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) was a direct result of the AHA's advocacy to the FCC about our concerns over how electromagnetic interference with wireless medical telemetry equipment can affect patient safety. This issue gained national attention when a Dallas TV station, testing a digital television (DTV) transmitter, knocked out of operation low-powered heart monitors at Baylor University Medical Center. Fortunately, no patients were harmed; however, this disruption placed patients at risk and could have resulted in serious injury or death. Since 2000, the use of WMTS has steadily increased, and there are now more than 360,000 WMTS patient monitors in U.S. hospitals.</p><p><strong>The FCC is currently considering rules that would allow unlicensed devices to operate on the same frequencies as our WMTS.</strong> This action could affect all hospitals using wireless patient monitoring devices. ASHE, a personal membership group of the AHA, has worked closely with the FCC staff and commissioners to make them aware of the potential impact harmful interference will have on patient monitoring. But as available wireless spectrum has become scarce, the desire to share previously protected spectrum is simply too great to be altered by one voice. <span class="new"><strong>We need multiple voices, telling their story of how WMTS interference may impact patient care in their facility. We need your help.</strong></span></p><p>Please use the following form letter (put on your own organizational letterhead), fill in the hospital specific information, and send this letter to the FCC. Feel free to change the form letter as needed to put these thoughts in your own words and help explain why this monitoring is so critical to your patients. We need your voice to help convince the FCC to put patient safety first and reject all proposals that do not ensure interference-free patient monitoring.</p><p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2019/10/fcc-comment-letter-template.docx" roll="button" target="_blank" title="Download Form Letter">DOWNLOAD FORM LETTER</a> <a class="btn btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2019/10/fcc-comment-letter_-nstructions.pdf" roll="button" target="_blank" title="Download Form Letter Instructions">DOWNLOAD FORM LETTER INSTRUCTIONS</a></p><p><em><strong>Please contact 陳栠勛圖Senior Executive Director Dale Woodin, CHFM, FASHE, at </strong></em><a href="mailto:dwoodin@aha.org"><em><strong>dwoodin@aha.org</strong></em></a><em><strong> or 312-422-3812, if you have questions about this matter.</strong> Feel free to forward this advisory to your clinical and biomedical engineering professionals, critical care physicians, nursing leadership, risk managers, and administration.</em></p> Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 -0600 Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS)