Fitbit, Inc., a provider of connected health and fitness market this week reported it sold 4.8 million connected health and fitness devices in the first quarter of 2016. The wearables company reported total revenue of $505.4 million, GAAP diluted net income per share of $0.05, non-GAAP diluted net income per share of $0.10, and adjusted EBITDA of $45.1 million, for its first quarter of 2016.Successful Launch of Fitbit Blaze and Alta Weraables 47% of the reported revenue was driven by the recent
Read More
Digital Health | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
ID Genomics Awarded $3.5M NIH Grant To Develop Genetic Barcoding Database for Antibiotic Treatment
Seattle biotech startup ID Genomics has been awarded a $3 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop a genetic "barcoding" test and global database to help doctors prescribe the correct antibiotic before patients leave the clinic.The rapid (30-minute) genetic “barcoding” test uniquely identifies bacterial strains that are stored in a proprietary database and linked to particular antibiotic resistance profiles. This database can then be used by doctors to quickly identify
Read More
Recent Digital Health Hires and Departures
Halle Tecco Steps Down from Rock Health Rock Health’s Founder and Managing Director Halle Tecco announced that she is stepping down from the full-service digital health fund via Twitter on Wednesday. 1/ After nearly six years of helping build @Rock_Health, I’ve made the difficult decision to move on.— Halle Tecco (@halletecco) May 4, 2016Apple Taps Google X founder to Lead Healthcare ProjectsApple has tapped Yoky Matsuoka, a cofounder of Google's experimental Google X division and former VP of
Read More
IBM, Bausch + Lomb Partner to Develop App for Cataract Surgeons
Global eye health company Bausch + Lomb and IBM are teaming up to develop the first of its kind iPhone and iPad app for surgeons who perform cataract surgery. The app will allow surgeons to streamline their workflow by delivering patient information and clinical insights as well as intraocular lens (IOL) options on a single, digital platform at the point of care. Pilot study testing for the new app is expected to begin in late 2016.The app will be designed to send patient data across iPhone and
Read More
Hacking Medicine Institute Launches Health Apps Review Program
The Hacking Medicine Institute (HMi), a non-profit organization, has launched RANKED Health, a program to critically evaluate and rank health-focused applications and connected devices for better disease monitoring and management. Spun out of the MIT Hacking Medicine Initiative,this program will not only provide independent, unbiased and accurate information to empower providers and consumers to confidently choose new products and services for monitoring and managing specific conditions, but
Read More
UC San Diego Bioengineers Create Google-like Search Engine for Functional Genomics Data
University of California San Diego bioengineers have created what is arguably the first Google-like search engine for functional genomics data, according to recent work published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research. The new search engine called GeNemo is a combination of "Ge" from the word gene and Nemo from the movie "Finding Nemo." According to the researchers, this is the first software to be released for executing functional genomic data searches online.GeNemo Search Engine OverviewLed
Read More
BioScale Changes Name to ProterixBio, New Focus on Clinical Apps
BioScale, Inc. today announced that the company is changing its name to ProterixBio, Inc. The name change reflects a new strategic direction centered on high value clinical apps including diagnostics products and disease management services. ProterixBio’s initial focus is on pulmonary diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which affects more than 12 million Americans.The company has made significant progress toward these new goals, including:- Recruitment of a
Read More
Survey: Only 22% of Digital Health Users Use EHRs to Make Medical Decisions
60% of consumers who use digital health tools state they have an EHR; however, only 22% of digital health users are accessing EHRs to help make medical decisions, according to a March/April HealthMine survey. The survey of 500 insured consumers who use mobile/internet-connected health tools reveals that despite the wide-spread adoption of EHRs, 55% of users simply view them as tools to simply "stay informed."Additionally, 29% of those consumers who say they do have an EHR are not getting much
Read More
Heritage Group Closes $220M Healthcare Innovation Fund
Backed by 15 leading national healthcare companies, Heritage Group, a Nashville-based, healthcare-exclusive, venture capital firm has announced the official closing of its latest Healthcare Innovation Fund at $220 million. The fund exceeded its original fund target by $20M and exceeded its prior Healthcare Innovation Fund by more than $50M. Founded in 1986 as a holding company for the entrepreneurial endeavors, Heritage’s unique VC model allows its strategic investors to actively engage in the
Read More
Why Digital Health Growth Will Come From Clinically-Tested, Consumer-Facing, Interoperable Products
Editor's Note: Ingrid Oakley-Girvan, Ph.D., M.P.H. is an epidemiologist trained at Stanford. She is the VP of Strategy at Medable, a Palo Alto-based health platform start-up.A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that many health apps may be sharing patients’ health data without their knowledge. Four-fifths of 211 diabetes apps examined did not have privacy policies. And in January 2016, Fitbit was slapped with a class-action lawsuit alleging that its
Read More
