Verizon Wireless reached an agreement with the wireless telemedicine services company LifeWatch to become the preferred wireless network for LifeWatch's remote monitoring service for cardiac patients.

The service, called LifeStar ACT Ambulatory Cardiac Telemetry, has been used by 60,000 patients since it was introduced in January 2007, LifeWatch said in a statement. The company said the service is routinely selected by the top 50 heart centers in the U.S.

The move is the latest for Verizon as it expands wireless services to the health care sector. Among the devices Verizon has certified in its Open Development Lab is a wireless tablet for the health care industry that serves as a portable medical chart.

Other wireless carriers are also looking to diversify their businesses by playing in health care. Sprint Nextel and GE Healthcare won a multi-million dollar contract in April to provide converged wireless networks, services, software and infrastructure for six Texas hospitals.

For more:
- see this release

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