What You Should Know:

– Samsung Galaxy Watch5 users will soon be able to access temperature-based menstrual cycle tracking through the Cycle Tracking feature. This new capability was developed in partnership with Natural Cycles, a women’s health company and app maker, and marks the first time Natural Cycles’ algorithm has been adapted for a smartwatch.

– The partnership combines Natural Cycles’ fertility technology with Samsung’s BioActive Sensor to give users more detailed insights into their menstrual cycle by tracking temperature changes and other key indicators to determine each user’s unique fertility status.

Cycle Tracking Feature

The Cycle Tracking feature has also been registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and complies with CE Marking requirements. The proprietary algorithm uses body temperature and other key fertility indicators to determine each user’s unique fertility status. Natural Cycles leverages its technology and algorithm to power the Cycle Tracking feature available on the Samsung Health app with the Galaxy Watch5 series.

Leveraging Samsung’s BioActive Sensor, the new infrared temperature sensor enables users to get a more detailed overview by tracking skin temperature changes as well as their menstrual cycle. The temperature sensor uses infrared technology for more accurate readings, even if there is a temperature change in their surroundings or they move while sleeping. With all data encrypted and stored on the user’s device itself, it give users more control of their health data and better peace of mind.

“As a company that’s grounded in science and technology, we are excited to partner with Samsung to deliver a premium experience that pushes women’s health forward,” said Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl, co-founder and co-CEO of Natural Cycles. “The Natural Cycles app has helped millions of women around the world take control of their fertility and this partnership will allow Samsung to leverage our fertility technology to offer temperature-based cycle tracking through a smartwatch for the first time.”

What You Should Know:

– Clarius Mobile Health, a leading provider of high-definition handheld ultrasound systems, receives 510(k) clearance for its new MSK AI model, which automatically identifies and measures tendons in the foot, ankle, and knee using artificial intelligence (AI).

– The new MSK AI model will be available soon with the Clarius L7 HD3 and Clarius L15 HD3 high-frequency, wireless handheld ultrasound scanners.

AI Driven Imaging To Improve Diagnoses

“Ultrasound imaging has long been recognized by the medical community as the best way to see inside the body in real-time but learning to detect and recognize anatomy comes with a learning curve,” explains Clarius President and CEO Ohad Arazi. “AI automation is the new frontier and we’re excited to be the world’s first to receive FDA clearance to use AI for musculoskeletal ultrasound. This application will blow the doors open for physiotherapists and orthopedic clinicians to use ultrasound to deliver faster patient care.”

With the Clarius HD3 line of handheld ultrasound scanners introduced last year, high-definition ultrasound imaging has reached unprecedented levels of affordability and usability. Available starting at 3,395 USD with 595 annual membership, Clarius high-definition scanners are now used worldwide as a more affordable and easier-to-use alternative to traditional compact ultrasound systems.

The Clarius MSK AI model is designed to streamline workflows, inform clinical management, and provide training assistance during musculoskeletal scanning for specific anatomical sites, which include: the plantar fascia (foot), Achilles tendon (ankle), and patellar tendon (knee). The AI analyzes ultrasound imaging in real-time and displays a transparent color overlay to identify the tendon in view. Upon pausing the image, the AI labels the tendon and determines the greatest thickness, automatically placing measurement calipers that correspond to the top and bottom of the tendon at its thickest region. The user may alter the measurement calipers to make any necessary adjustments to support clinical decision-making.

What You Should Know:

–  Withings, the leader in at-home connected health, today announced the acquisition of 8fit, worldwide health, fitness, and wellness app with more than 40 million downloads. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

– The acquisition is part of a $30M investment Withings is announcing over the next three years in its strategy to combine cutting-edge medical devices with personal health and wellness plans. This news follows last month’s announcement of the acquisition of Impeto Medical, a specialist in R&D, manufacturing, and distribution of innovative medical devices for physicians.

8fit Background

Launched in 2014, 8fit promotes healthy lifestyles by providing personalized nutrition, physical activity, and mindfulness programs that address all aspects of its users’ health to help them achieve their goals. Available in 6 languages, 8fit offers efficient workouts, customized meal plans, and self-care guidance to users such as HIIT, boxing, Pilates, yoga or meditation, and hundreds of balanced, healthy, and easy-to-prepare recipes. Like Withings, 8fit puts the user’s health at the center of its personalized plans. Far from being a sports performance app, 8fit shares with Withings a vision focused on long-term health.

“From the services we offer, it’s clear that Withings and 8fit are aligned to help users achieve their health goals. We are excited to combine Withings’ expertise in connected health devices that collect accurate, quality data with our fitness and nutrition plans. Together, we will provide our users with a more holistic health offering to help them lead healthier, happier lives,” said Lisette Fabian, CEO of 8fit.

What You Should Know:

– Heartbeat Health, a healthcare technology company working to deliver effective, efficient, and engaging heart care, announced that it has partnered with Withings, as they launch their ECG-enabled hybrid ScanWatch in the U.S. on November 9. 

– The Withings and Heartbeat integration is a game-changing development in the cardiovascular space – as Atrial Fibrillation, a form of irregular heart rhythm, is significantly underdiagnosed and, in some cases, can be an indicator of other underlying related cardiovascular issues.

FDA-Clearance

Withings, an early pioneer of the connected health revolution, known for bringing elegantly designed, health and wellness devices into the homes of consumers, recently received FDA clearance for its new hybrid smartwatch, ScanWatch – which has SpO2 (blood oxygenation) sensors and a built-in ECG (electrocardiogram) – capable of detecting Atrial Fibrillation. 

How It Works

To take an ECG, users simply rest their finger on the ScanWatch bezel and the measurement is completed within 30 seconds. Using the Withings Health Mate app combined with Heartbeat’s seamless technology integration, the ECG is then pinged real-time to Heartbeat Health’s virtual cardiology team for clinical interpretation. The result? Individuals can quickly become more informed and understand their heart health better — and share that information with their doctors.

“Withings’ approach to their ScanWatch is groundbreaking,” says Dr. Jeff Wessler, a cardiologist and Heartbeat Health’s co-founder and CEO. “We are thrilled to be the clinical partner to help Withings users understand their heart health better — quicker than has ever previously been possible.”

What You Should Know:

– Blue Shield of California announced that mindfulness and meditation app Headspace is now available to its members through the nonprofit health plan’s Wellvolution program.

– Headspace offers hundreds of tools and more than 1,000 exercises to reduce stress and improve one’s mental wellbeing. The app joins the extensive resources offered on Blue Shield’s Wellvolution, a digitally based lifestyle medicine and health platform provided in collaboration with Solera Health that can be personalized to each member’s individual health needs and preferences.

Addition of Healthspace Expands Behavioral Health Support

The addition of Headspace expands Wellvolution to now include behavioral health support.  Blue Shield members already enjoying Wellvolution’s lifestyle medicine service can now add Headspace to their support system with no additional cost to them. Blue Shield of California continues to build its behavioral health program for its members and the community that now includes expanded telehealth options and BlueSky, the health plan’s multi-year commitment to support youth mental health throughout the state.

Headspace Outcomes/Results

Headspace research has demonstrated that the app’s guided meditations can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep, and increase focus, self-esteem, and resilience. The company has found:

– 10 days of Headspace utilization resulted in 14% decrease in stress.

– Eight weeks of using Headspace resulted in a 31% decrease in anxiety symptoms and 46% decrease in depressive symptoms.

“There’s no question that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has elevated stress levels for everyone,” said Bryce Williams, vice president, Mind Body Medicine at Blue Shield of California.  “With Headspace, our members receive a scientifically validated, clinically effective solution to improve their mental health and wellbeing.” 

Almost two years after it began, the pandemic continues to affect the lives of many Americans and stress remains present and problematic. According to the American Psychological Association, 78% of adults say the coronavirus pandemic is a significant source of stress in their life and 67% say they have experienced increased stress over the course of the pandemic.

What You Should Know:

– Biotricity Inc., a medical diagnostic and consumer healthcare technology company, today announced the upcoming release of Biocare Cardiac – a personal, cardiac health application for individuals diagnosed with or at risk for cardiovascular disease. Designed to be used with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch4 series, the Biocare Cardiac application continuously collects users’ daily activities and provides critical information on their heart performance, empowering patients to better understand and manage their heart conditions.

– Today, many at-risk cardiac patients only visit a doctor every six months to a year and have limited tools and resources to help them manage their cardiac health every day. The new application is designed to help patients between doctor visits by engaging them in lifestyle management activities in a way that will help their doctors make diagnoses augmented with daily medical data related to ECG, SpO2, heart rate, weight, and details on fitness and exercise. Biocare Cardiac and Biocare Telemed are fully compatible with Google Wear OS, Android, and iOS and can be downloaded via the App Store or the Play Store

This new application is designed to be used as part of Biotricity’s complete cardiac solution. This includes:

– Biocare Telemed: a virtual clinic platform with secure HIPAA compliant technology that enables patients to receive care from cardiac physicians remotely

– Bioflux Diagnostics: a mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) device that provides real-time monitoring and transmission of ECG information

– Biokit: a personal medical device kit bundled for home-use comprised of FDA approved devices including a digital thermometer, a pulse oximeter, a blood pressure cuff and now, the Galaxy Watch4 series

– Bioheart: a personal, consumer heart monitor for long-term heart rhythm data collection

– Galaxy Watch4 Series: Equipped with an advanced suite of health and wellness features, including the ability to detect an AFib irregular heartbeat, measure blood oxygen level, calculate body composition and track physical activity. This is Samsung’s first smartwatch to feature the new Wear OS™ Powered by Samsung, built jointly with Google™

“Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the U.S. Millions of cardiac patients are living with cardiac disease with no insight into their condition,” said Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, Founder & CEO, Biotricity Inc. “We are very excited about the addition of the Biocare Cardiac application and Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch4 series with Google Wear OS to our offerings. They provide a powerful combination that will help cardiac patients take control of their condition.”

What You Should Know:

 – Sharecare, today announced the launch of Unwinding by Sharecare, a broad-based mental well-being app designed to help people better understand how their minds work, reduce their stress, and build healthier habits. Like a virtual quick-start guide for the mind, the solution empowers people to stay grounded at the moment through evidence-based mindfulness techniques, enabling them to unwind unwanted behaviors that both result from and often exacerbate stress.

– Based on more than a decade of research by renowned neuroscientist and Sharecare’s executive medical director of behavioral health, Dr. Jud Brewer, Unwinding by Sharecare rounds out the digital health company’s suite of award-winning, clinically-validated digital therapeutics for behavioral health, which also includes Unwinding Anxiety, Eat Right Now, and Craving to Quit. These powerful and proven digital therapeutics complement Sharecare’s flagship virtual care platform by further empowering people to improve and manage the interconnected aspects of their physical and mental well-being.

 Partnership with Mint

According to the American Psychological Association, nearly 2 in 3 adults report that money is a significant source of stress in their life. For Unwinding’s financial stress mini-master class, Sharecare teamed up with Mint, an Intuit personal finance app. Through the interactive course, people will learn how habits around spending are formed, the importance of bringing understanding to where their money is going, and why taking a comprehensive look at their full financial picture will set them up for long-term financial wellness.

Additional course topics available in Unwinding by Sharecare focus on procrastination, stress management, emotional eating, the science of mindfulness, kindness, and self-discovery among others. New courses will be added regularly to bring people new and relevant lessons for managing their mental well-being comprehensively.

Pricing & Availability

Available on the App Store or Google Play, Unwinding by Sharecare has a special introductory, limited-time price of $35.99 for one year; the regular price is $59.99 for an annual subscription. Organizations interested in learning more about Unwinding by Sharecare for their populations or members can email hello@sharecare.com.

What You Should Know:

– KHealth, a data-driven virtual primary care platform providing affordable, personalized healthcare to millions of adults and children, today announced its acquisition of Trusst, the mental health app connecting people and providers for on-demand text-based therapy. Financial terms of deal were not disclosed.

– Trusst has built a proprietary, simulated way for users to have virtual conversations with national experts on topics ranging from shyness to trauma. The conversations look and feel like live text exchanges, and will allow K Health to offer millions of people high quality care from professionals who would otherwise be prohibitively expensive or inconvenient to access.

– With this acquisition, K Health will be expanding its mental health offerings. Users will be able to chat with clinicians 24/7 for therapy and medication at home without the need for insurance or an appointment.

What You Should Know:

– TRIPP, a Los Angeles-based digital psychedelic platform, announced it has raised $11M in funding led by Vine Ventures, and Mayfield with equal participation from Integrated. TRIPP’s Series A also includes particpation from AlphaBridge Ventures, Beni VC,  Berkeley Club, CJ Group, CTR Capital, Evolution, Robert Goldberg, Tony Greenberg, Grit VC, Incisive Ventures, Inflect Health, Iter Investments, Joanna Popper, Jim Dew, Joe Polish, JLS Fund, Lionheart Ventures, Matt Mullenweg, Mike DeLuise, Murtaza Hussain, NeoKuma, Presence Capital, PsyMed Ventures, Redbeard Ventures, Re.Mind Capital, Social Leverage, WhatIf Ventures, Mike Wilson, Mark Zittman and other individual investors who actively support mental health, psychedelic and consciousness research. 

– The funds will be used to meet growing demand, create customized VR, AR, and mobile experiences at scale with content from Grammy Award-winning artists and talent from Disney, and help even more users manage their stress from the comfort of their homes using TRIPP’s clinically-tested platform.

Psychedelic VR Meditation App

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 5 American adults experienced mental illness, and fewer than half of those received treatment. That number has since soared, with 41.5 percent of adults flagging symptoms of anxiety and depression between August of 2020 and February 2021. For some, the costs and accessibility of treatment prevent them from seeking help — for others, it’s the stigma surrounding mental illness in general, particularly for men.

The platform, which immerses users into alternate realities that promote emotional wellbeing and transformative states through the use of psychedelic visuals and targeted sounds/interactions, has already delivered more than two million TRIPP sessions on the Oculus and PlaystationVR platforms.

Each TRIPP experience is procedurally generated with research-based designs to create unique, 2D, and 3D worlds. TRIPP’s platform collects data with every session and the next phase of TRIPP’s technology evolution is to train the TRIPP platform to learn over time how to tailor experiences to the individual.  TRIPP plans to expand its offering across both mobile and mixed reality smart glasses to allow for more personalization, accessibility, and integration of different alternate reality experiences throughout one’s day. 

With award-winning content generated by creative talent from Disney, Qualcomm, EA, Nerd Ninjas, and grammy-nominated music artists, users can select from a variety of different teachings and pair it with a beautiful computer-generated imagery (CGI) world-scape and binaural music selection. The combination of mindfulness structures, targeted sound frequencies, visuals, and interactivity have been clinically tested to improve users’ mental and emotional states. In a testament to the product’s effectiveness, 54 percent of TRIPP’s returning monthly active users (MAUs) in April 2021 have been using the product for over four months — unlike most other VR products that are used once, and once only. 

Pricing

Subscription plans are $14.99USD per year or $4.99USD per month.

“The pandemic accelerated at-home therapy, a trend that we were already seeing grow since we launched TRIPP in 2018,” remarks Nanea Reeves, CEO and Co-Founder of TRIPP. “As an accessible, non-invasive interactive solution to promote wellbeing, TRIPP allows users to manage their stress and mental fitness in the comfort of their own home. Last year, 67 percent of our user base on Oculus and Playstation platforms were men, showing that TRIPP’s innovative meditative experiences in virtual and augmented reality provided support for this demographic of gamers during a challenging year. With this funding, we’ll be able to expand our reach to more platforms and ultimately to help more people.” 

What You Should Know:

– CareDx, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNA), a leading precision medicine company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of clinically differentiated, high-value healthcare solutions for transplant patients and caregivers, today announced it has acquired Transplant Hero LLC, a New York-based provider of a mobile app supporting the needs of transplant patients.

– The acquisition of Transplant Hero builds on AlloCare, the comprehensive CareDx mobile health app for managing the day-to-day health of patients before and after transplant. Transplant Hero strengthens CareDx’s focus on the transplant patient journey and adds to its growing digital portfolio which includes a robust suite of cloud-based solutions and software for transplant centers and dialysis providers.

Why It Matters

Transplant Hero provides a smartphone app focused on helping transplant patients manage their medications through alarms and interactive logging of medication events. Medication management is especially important for transplant patients who must follow a regular regimen to protect against organ rejection. The number of pills and the complexity of the regimen often makes medication management a challenge. The app offers support to various types of organ recipients, including kidney, heart, lung, liver, pancreas, and small bowel.

What You Should Know:

– Noom, a New York City-based digital health platform focused on behavior change, today announced its $540 million Series F funding led by Silver Lake. The round also included participation from new investors Oak HC/FT, Temasek, and Novo Holdings and existing investors Sequoia Capital, RRE, and Samsung Ventures also participated.

– The company sits at an interesting intersection of several trends in healthcare: digitally-empowered health consumers; the rise of chronic conditions (and associated healthcare costs); the shift in preventive care toward digital/virtual options (accelerated by COVID); and the move towards outcomes based care vs. procedures and treatments.

– Noom plans to utilize the recent round of funding to expand its highly-adaptable behavior change platform to address a broad range of conditions with meaningful opportunity to further generate positive change across the lives and health of its customers, including stress and anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, and sleep. 

– Additionally, as part of the announcement, the company also appointed two new board members—Adam Karol, Silver Lake Managing Director, and Stacy Brown-Philpot, former TaskRabbit CEO and SB Opportunity Fund Founding Member.

“Most people want to eat healthier, exercise more, be less stressed, and get better sleep, but it’s not easy to change these behaviors. This strategic round of funding reflects our investors’ confidence in the immense opportunity we have in building a business around helping as many people as possible live healthier lives through behavior change,” said Saeju Jeong, Co-founder and CEO of Noom. “I am energized by the tremendous momentum Noom has seen over the past year. Adding a well-rounded group of seasoned investors, led by Silver Lake, and new board members, provides the right combination of insights, expertise, and relationships, in both technology and healthcare, as we continue to help people change their behavior for good and create transformational health outcomes.”

What You Should Know:

– PatientKeeper, a provider of electronic health records (EHR) optimization software solutions, today announced it has integrated its mobile app with the MEDITECH® Expanse™ hospital EHR system, enabling healthcare providers to view inpatient data stored in Expanse on their iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

– Physicians using the Expanse acute-care EHR will now have access to patients’ vital signs, test results, medications and more — all from their iOS or Android smartphones and tablets.

– PatientKeeper’s app meets the growing demand for mobile solutions in healthcare and is already deemed a “game-changer” for Frankfort Regional Medical Center (FRMC) in Kentucky, the first to integrate the app with an Expanse system.   

Information currently accessible in the PatientKeeper app includes:

– Patient List: See an accurate, up-to-date list of your patients and their current locations to streamline rounds.

– Vital Signs and I/O’s: Review the patient’s current condition with an at-a-glance presentation of temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and other vital signs as well as input/output measurements.

– Lab Results: Access and trend lab results and quickly see out-of-range values and review annotations.

– Test Results: Quickly review PACS images, pink paper EKGs, microbiology, radiology and pathology reports – all in one place.

– Clinical Notes: View all clinical notes including H&P, progress, consult, discharge, and operative notes.

– Medication List: Review the patient’s current medications and see the history of discontinued meds. You can also see administration history (including skipped doses).

– Allergies: Review patient’s known allergies, including substance and a description of any reaction.

– Order Status: Monitor the status of all recent orders on the patient.

What You Should Know:

– Today, Empathy, a digital companion app combining technology and human support to empower bereaved families, is coming out of stealth with $13M in seed funding, backed by major VC firms including General Catalyst and Aleph. 

– Empathy’s technology streamlines the bureaucracy around loss – freeing families to deal with emotional repercussions and to be there for one another. Launched in 2021 and headquartered in New York and Tel Aviv, Empathy was founded by Ron Gura and Yonatan Bergman and is backed by VC firms General Catalyst and Aleph.

– At least three million Americans die each year, leaving many grieving families in distress, not just from their loss but from the logistical nightmare that follows. In the weeks and months following a death, these families spend over 500 hours, on average, dealing with immediate needs, like arranging a funeral and validating a will, as well as long-term processes such as account cancellations, estate administration, benefit claims, and property cleanout. Technology makes this bureaucracy more efficient – freeing families to deal with emotional repercussions, and to be there for one another.

– Combining technology and human support, Empathy provides a digital companion application built to empower bereaved families. Empathy’s software streamlines end-of-life bureaucracy, minimizes tedious tasks, and automates processes involved in the administration of an estate. Simplified steps assist families in completing action items, making informed decisions, and avoiding common mistakes. The experience is personalized for each user to ensure families are not overwhelmed by an excess of information. Human support is available to provide users both emotional and practical assistance, creating a hybrid experience to help families navigate arrangements and grief.

What You Should Know:

–PocketPills, Canada’s largest and fastest-growing online pharmacy, announced it has raised $30M in Series B funding, led by TELUS Ventures. The investment will be used to broaden PocketPills’ product offering and further accelerate its national expansion, with facilities opening in Quebec and Alberta that will help achieve its goal of nationwide same-day delivery.

– PocketPills is a technology-first online pharmacy, and its research and development team of 30 software engineers allows for continuous product optimization and a pipeline of innovative product launches.

The funding will help PocketPills established itself as Canada’s leading online pharmacy, with five times growth in 2020. The company has scaled operations across Canada, with pharmacy warehouses in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.

– With its Series B funding, PocketPills will invest further in technology and pharmacy automation and open facilities in Alberta and Quebec

– The company has established strong relationships with insurers, larger brokerages, and third-party administrators help to control the costs of prescription medication and provide convenience to members. To date, over 300,000 Canadians already have access to the platform, with numbers growing daily. Additionally, PocketPills is providing pharmacy APIs for anyone who wants to integrate.

What You Should Know:

– Boston Scientific announces an agreement to acquire Preventice Solutions, a leading developer of mobile health solutions and remote monitoring services that connect patients and caregivers for $1.2B.

– The acquisition of external cardiac monitoring technologies and services providers will expand Boston Scientific’s rhythm management diagnostics portfolio and capabilities.

Boston Scientific today announced that it has acquired Preventice Solutions, Inc., a Minneapolis, MN-based company which offers a full portfolio of mobile cardiac health solutions and services, ranging from ambulatory cardiac monitors – including short and long-term Holter monitors – to cardiac event monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry.

The Preventice product portfolio includes the BodyGuardian® family of remote, wearable cardiac monitors for adult and pediatric patients. The monitors use a fully-integrated, cloud-based platform supported by an independent diagnostic testing facility, where clinical technicians and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms provide insights that may lead to improved clinical diagnoses and outcomes. Preventice’s integration of AI and human expertise is designed to enhance physician efficiency and experience.

Financial Details

Under terms of the acquisition, Boston Scientific has agreed to pay $925M in upfront cash, and up to an additional $300 million in a potential commercial milestone payment. Boston Scientific has been an investor in Preventice since 2015 and currently holds an equity stake of approximately 22 percent, which is expected to result in a net payment of approximately $720 million upon closing and a milestone payment of up to approximately $230 million. Preventice recorded net sales of $158 million in 2020 – a 30 percent growth rate from the previous year.

Acquisition Expands Boston Scientific’s Rhythm Management Diagnostics Portfolio

“This acquisition will provide Boston Scientific with a foothold in the high-growth ambulatory electrocardiography space, which strongly complements our recent entrance into the implantable cardiac monitor market and will serve as an important component of our category leadership strategy in cardiac diagnostics and services – a nearly $2B market anticipated to grow double digits annually,” said Scott Olson, senior vice president and president, Rhythm Management, Boston Scientific. “We are confident that by adding the broad technology portfolio and expertise of Preventice, our combined teams can continue to deliver rapid growth in these highly-attractive markets while also establishing an important adjacency to our core cardiac rhythm management and electrophysiology businesses.”