One of the stories that is gaining traction in the health wearables space is the reality that sensors are becoming less expensive and increasingly commoditized. It’s no longer enough for health wearables makers to leverage better sensors to attract consumer interest. Instead, they must develop more holistic offerings with software that makes wearables smarter and more useful.This is one reason why wearables makers in the United States, India and other parts of the world are focusing increasingly
Read More
Wearables in Healthcare| Medical Grade | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
VitalConnect Lands $33M to Commercialize Medical-Grade Wearable Biosensor Platform
VitalConnect, a San Jose, CA-based provider of medical-grade wearable biosensor systems has raised $33 million in Series C funding led by new investors MVM Life Science Partners and Baxter Ventures, the venture arm of Baxter International. The company plans to utilize the funding to commercialize the VitalConnect Platform and make significant strides in changing the way patient monitoring is utilized in hospitals and at home. As part of the latest funding round, Dr. Stephen Reeders, MVM founder,
Read More
Oxitone Medical Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Wrist-Sensor Pulse Oximetry Bracelet
Oxitone Medical (Oxitone), an Israeli-based medical device and digital health company developing wearable monitoring solutions has received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its wrist-sensor pulse oximetry bracelet Oxitone 1000. The wrist-sensor pulse oximeter Oxitone 1000 measures critical vital signs such as SpO2 and pulse rate with the same precision as conventional fingertip pulse oximeters.The Oxitone solution has been validated in pilot studies in a number of medical settings including
Read More
Apple Quietly Acquires Sleep Monitoring App Beddit
Apple has quietly acquired Finland-based sleep tracking hardware and software company Beddit, CNBC first reported. The acquisition was confirmed in an update to Beddit’s privacy policy on its website stating, "Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy." Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Founded in 2007, Beddit technology is based upon a scientific principle known as ballistocardiography (BCG), an unobtrusive,
Read More
Spry Health Unveils Clinical-Grade Wearable Loop to Deliver Continuous Vital Sign Monitoring
Spry Health, a Palo Alto, CA-based provider of remote patient monitoring solutions has unveiled their new clinical-grade wearable Loop that delivers continuous vital sign monitoring. Loop enhances timely care to chronically ill patients, with individualized analytics to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospitalization and decrease spending by healthcare organizations.Incubated at Stanford-affiliated accelerator StartX in 2013, founders Pierre-Jean “PJ” Cobut and Elad Ferber started Spry Health
Read More
Qardio Unveils First Medical Grade ECG Monitor, QardioCore
Digital health company Qardio has unveils its first medical grade wearable ECG monitor, QardioCore, now available for pre-order. Priced at $449, QardioCore's first wearable medical electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) monitor allowing users to proactively look after their heart health long-term, all without the need for wires or patches. Packed with proprietary sensor technology, QardioCore records more than 20 million data points, streaming the user's live medical-grade data to their smartphones.How It
Read More
UnitedHealthcare, Qualcomm Integrates Fitbit Charge 2 Wearables for Wellness Program
UnitedHealthcare and Qualcomm has announced the expansion of UnitedHealthcare Motion™, a wellness program that provides employees with Fitbit Charge 2 at no additional charge and enables them to earn up to $1,500 per year by meeting certain goals for the number of daily steps.The two companies introduced UnitedHealthcare Motion in 2016 as a pilot in 12 states to select employers, using Qualcomm Life’s 2net™ Platform* for medical-grade connectivity that features multiple safeguards to help keep
Read More
FDA Clears Wireless Integration of LifeScan’s OneTouch With WellDoc’s Diabetes Management Platform
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it has cleared the wireless integration of the OneTouch Verio Flex® blood glucose monitoring system with WellDoc Inc.'s clinically validated diabetes management platform, BlueStar®. The integration will create an integrated, connected experience for people with Type 2 diabetes and deliver value for healthcare providers. Integration DetailsUsing blood glucose data wirelessly and automatically transmitted from the OneTouch Verio Flex blood
Read More
Kyocera Unveils Optical Blood-Flow Sensor for Wearable Devices
Kyocera Corporation has unveiled one of the smallest known optical blood-flow sensors, which measures the volume of blood flow in subcutaneous tissue. Measuring only 1mm high, 1.6mm long and 3.2mm wide, the sensor is designed for use in small devices such as smartphones and wearable devices.Kyocera, which provides a wide range of components for smartphones and wearables, has been developing slimmer, smaller products to support higher functionality in more compact devices. The company developed
Read More
Augmedix Nabs $23M to Expand Google Glass-based Remote Scribe Services Nationwide
Augmedix, Inc., a Google Glass-focused digital health startup, has raised $23 million in funding from McKesson Ventures and OrbiMed with participation from the existing VCs Redmile Group, Emergence Capital and DCM Ventures. The company plans to utilize the funding to expand its remote scribe services nationwide and build out its platform with tools and services that continue to drive improvements in physician productivity and patient care.Founded by Stanford grads, CEO Ian Shakil and Chief
Read More