Get the MedCity Startup Index for May. Apps are out, platforms are in. Investors and entrepreneurs have figured out that not only does it sound better to call your product a platform, you can charge more too. At the start of June, two new healthcare “platforms” have started to take shape. At its annual developer […]
One critique of wearables I heard recently was a side note to the “it’s always the healthiest people in the room” issue. David Inns, CEO of GreatCall, named one of the challenges to widespread adoption of wearable technology: Where do you buy these things? Obviously people who want to optimize their workout or figure out […]
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Here’s your weird science fact of the day: The surface area of the average adult human’s GI tract is around 100 to 130 square feet, according to scientists at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. That might seem like a lot, but the numbers actually suggest that previous estimates of more than 800 square feet […]
The city of Boston and Boston Medical Center have come up with a creative new way to address both health and transportation issues for low-income residents struggling with obesity. Under the new Prescribe-a-Bike program, BMC doctors will be able to “prescribe” $5 memberships to Hubway, a bike-sharing program in the greater Boston area, to obese […]
As weight issues continue to be a problem for American children, more and more hospitals and community organizations are joining the fight by offering prevention and treatment programs.
Corporate weight-loss startup Retrofit is finishing out the year with three times as many customers as last year and a healthy supply of cash from investors. Following up an $8 million round last winter, Retrofit Inc. has just tacked on an additional $5 million in investments from Cambia Health Solutions and Draper Fisher Jurveston. That […]
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
Two headlines about consumer-focused health sensors a few months ago were so downright weird that I just had to click. First it was Sony filing for a patent for a “smart wig” that would collect biometrics like temperature and blood pressure from the head. Then it was Microsoft working on high-tech bra inserts to collect […]
With the hardware revolution well underway in health sensing, it’s time for a revolution on the software side of the equation, industry leaders say. Engineers have done some pretty amazing things on the device side — from building sensors into apparel, to eliminating the need for a chest band or electrodes to monitor heart rate, […]
It’s not all simple apps and wellness any more. The four companies presenting in a Cincinnati health innovation competition are second generation healthcare startups. “We had an outstanding field of applicants making it very difficult to narrow the field,” said Sunnie Southern, founder of Innov8 for Health. “The maturity of the companies that we are […]
A Rock Health startup has launched to bring a combination of high tech and high touch to the wellness world. Sessions is designed to reach people who don’t go to the gym. There are three plans – $69, $79, $199. Each one puts you in touch with a coach and provides a 12-week exercise plan. […]
We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.
“It’s not what you think I should want that matters, it’s what I want that matters,” writes Dr. Pritpal S. Tamber in a recent blog post. “Wellness and health care are what I increasingly see as ‘supply-side thinking.’ Health care, as the all-seeing and all-knowing Big Brother, is telling us what we should want – and we […]
An ambitious startup launching today isn’t just trying to produce and share consumer health content, or sell health-related products, or connect people with providers via telemedicine, or facilitate social networking around health. It’s trying to do them all. The beta version of Prevently.com is launching today with the goal of “making the world a healthier […]
Look out, wellness entrepreneurs. Selling your patient engagement solution to doctors and employers just got a lot more challenging. Verizon announced the Converged Health Management platform today. This white-label solution covers the entire process of patient engagement. It can collect data from wireless medical devices and send it securely to the cloud. Algorithms look for […]
A startup working to make sex safer and more informed has changed its name, launched an app and raised almost $1 millon. Qpid.me is now Hula. Founder and CEO Ramin Bastani said that his company is building a database of STD testing centers around the country. The Hula team is creating a Yelp-type listing for […]
A new winemaker started a vineyard in Sonoma, California. Andrew Mariani planted new vines and regularly walked his property to check on the plants. He found many rattlesnakes and started killing them. Then he noticed that the vines in his Scribe Vineyard started disappearing because the rodent population suddenly had no natural predators. The experience […]