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While health care policy changes dominate the headlines, new data sources – and devices built to help consumers take advantage of that data – might bring the real change to the way we care for ourselves at home and the office.

Government Technology reports that “a combination of factors, like the release of data by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (which has helped drive innovation in health-related apps), as well as the availability of biosensors, genome sequencing and imaging capabilities, are finally allowing technology to transform the delivery of health-care services.”

The piece continues: “Rather than making regular office visits to manage a chronic disease, patients can use portable devices to monitor their vital signs, take tests at home and perform many tasks. Doctors can remotely and continuously monitor heartbeats, blood pressure, the rate and depth of breathing, body temperature, oxygen concentration in the blood, glucose, brain waves and activity.”

Examples include:

• Digital avatars to help patients with post-surgery physical therapy in California
• Wireless sensors for seniors’ homes that monitor when someone falls
• For asthma patients, an inhaler that “uses acoustic detection technology, together with a cloud-based server and mobile app, to monitor and interpret whether a patient is administering doses properly.”
• A glucose monitoring system “made up of an implanted sensor, a wireless transmitter and a mobile app” that alerts physicians in case of “impending hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia.”
• Telemedicine robots “equipped with a specialized camera system can help assess athletes with suspected concussions.”

Gary Katz PT, CEO of Pivot Physical Therapy has some interesting observations on telemedicine and physical therapy. You can follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.