In December 2016, many were suggesting that wearables were dead. Fitbit’s stock price was rapidly dropping. Apple Watch sales had declined for two consecutive quarters and Pebble had just been acquired in a fire sale.What a difference a year makes. Today, Apple Watch is poised to become the world’s best selling wearable. And, the market is quickly diversifying as hearables (once again led by Apple) and clinical wearables gain importance.The lesson is clear. As we look toward 2018, it’s more
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Digital Health | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Penn Medicine, Medable Unveil CareKit App for Bariatric Surgery Patients
Penn Medicine, today announced it is extending the use of mobile devices as a health tool to improve the patient experience and patient care by launching the Penn Life Gained app specifically for bariatric surgery patients at Penn Medicine, as part of the institution’s focus on mobile health and innovative research strategies. Developed by clinicians in the Bariatric Surgery Program and Penn’s Corporate Information Services team, in partnership with Medable, the app is built using the Apple
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From Telemedicine to Better Data: How APIs Improved Health in Chile
Editor's Note: Co-written by Soledad Munoz, CIO of MINSAL, Aashima Gupta, Global Head of Healthcare Solutions at Google Cloud and Michael Leppitsch, Digital Strategies for Global Enterprises at Google Cloud. The Chilean Ministry of Health has been grappling with a big first-world problem. A significant proportion of its 18 million people suffer from chronic conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.But implementing a national mandate to improve these statistics is
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Biotech Startup Akouos Lands $7.5M To Restore & Preserve Hearing
Akouos, a Boston, MA-based new biotechnology startup focused on restoring and preserving hearing has raised $7.5 million in seed funding led by 5AM Ventures and New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from Partners Innovation Fund. Spun out of Harvard Innovation Labs in 2017, Akouos is developing novel therapies and delivery systems to prevent hearing loss and restore hearing in genetically defined patient populations.In addition to the seed round of funding, Akouos has entered into
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CVS to Acquire Health Insurer Giant Aetna for $69B: 8 Things to Know
CVS Health has agreed to acquire health insurer giant Aetna for $69 billion in a landmark deal that that will redefine access to high-quality care in lower cost, local settings whether in the community, at home, or through digital tools.This is the next step in our journey, positioning the combined company to dramatically further empower consumers. Together with CVS Health, we will better understand our members' health goals, guide them through the health care system and help them achieve their
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Health Wizz Launches Blockchain-Powered Mobile Platform for Patients to Organize Their Medical Record Data
Health Wizz has announced it's token pre-sale and the launch of it's new mobile platform that leverages blockchain, mobile technologies and data management to help consumers aggregate and organize their medical record data, then use the blockchain to securely access and share their data. As consumers gain greater awareness, they have greater expectations. They expect to be in control of their health and their health data and this includes the ability to access their health information anytime,
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Health Engagement Startup Revel Lands $17M to Expand Into New Target Markets
Revel, a data-driven health company formerly known as Healthtel has raised $17 million in growth equity from TT Capital Partners ("TTCP") to accelerate Revel's expansion into new target markets and advance the innovation and technology development of its health engagement platform. Revel health engagement platform, Revel Connect engages health insurance members in their own healthcare, enabling the healthcare system to support the individual, deliver better health outcomes and reduce unnecessary
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MDLIVE Unveils AI-Powered Chatbot to Improve Registration Process in Virtual Care Platform
MDLIVE, a virtual medical and behavioral healthcare provider has announced the launch of Sophie, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot. The artificial intelligence-powered personal health assistant, Sophie is designed to mitigate the inconvenience, difficulties associated with registration process in virtual care platforms. Sophie’s name is rooted in Greek ideology and symbolizes “wisdom.Conversation is initiated with a user based on demographics and information entered throughout the
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Apple, Stanford Launches Heart Study App to Identify Irregular Heart Rhythms
Apple in partnership with Stanford Medicine has announced the launch of the Apple Heart Study app, a first-of-its-kind innovative research study using Apple Watch’s heart rate sensor to collect data on irregular heart rhythms and notify users who may be experiencing atrial fibrillation (AFib). The Apple Heart Study app uses this technology to identify an irregular heart rhythm.Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), is the most common heart arrhythmia, and a leading cause of stroke. AFib affects more than
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GE Launches Startup Drawbridge Health To Transform Blood Collection
GE Ventures has announced the launch of Drawbridge Health, a personal diagnostic testing startup developing proprietary technology designed to integrate blood draw, collection and sample stabilization into a single device. The Drawbridge solution is being designed to offer a way for healthcare providers and diagnostic testing companies to better engage their patient-consumers and help enable them to manage their own health — driving a shift from reacting to tracking.Healthcare providers using
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