Abstract: When providing a cost-efficient remote patient monitoring and/or education system, a home-end device (HED) (12) is coupled to a central server (14) using a communication link over PSTN line or the like. Educational audio/video (AN) content is delivered to the patient on a storage medium (18) for playback via a media player (20, 38) in the HED (12). The server (14) provides keys to the HED (12) at predefined times to permit the HED (12) to display a scheduled video segment stored on the storage medium (18) to the patient at the scheduled time. The patient answers survey questions, and patient responses are transmitted over the PSTN line to the server for review by a clinician or doctor, who may be present at the server (14) or at a remote terminal (16) coupled to the server (14).

Abstract: An apparatus for reporting a patient's health parameter to a remote data management center. The apparatus has measurement units and a home hub. A measurement unit includes a sensor for sensing measurements of a health parameter and a transmitter for transmitting wirelessly data derived from the measurements. The home hub receives the wireless transmission of measurement data, processes the measurement unit data for effecient transfer, and transmits selectively data processed by thereby via public a data transmission network to a health data management unit.