Dive Brief:
- Nokia will launch the Withings line of connected health products under the Nokia name early this summer.
- The Finish communications and IT company acquired the French consumer electronics company in 2016 for $191 million, getting in the deal a suite of digital health tools that includes connected scales, trackers, blood pressure monitors, thermometers and home cameras.
- Nokia also plans on rolling out its HIPAA-compliant Patient Care Platform for chronic health conditions and a redesigned Health Mate app.
Dive Insight:
As the U.S. healthcare system transitions to value-based care, care providers are looking for new and better ways to connect with patients and advance population health management. As part of that effort, the federal government’s Connect2HealthFCC Task Force is working to close the gaps on broadband access around the country and encourage use of connected health devices.
Partnerships within the industry are enabling the launch of population health innovations.“The traditional ‘silos’ of medical, behavioral health and social services can’t meet the needs of our population alone,” Jim Hickman, CEO of California-based Better Health East Bay, part of Sutter Health, told Healthcare Dive. “Partnerships, enabled by technology and amplified by data-sharing, are the first step in changing the way we deliver care.”
More and more electronics companies are partnering with others and entering the healthcare space to play a role in the digitalization and consumerization of healthcare. Earlier this month, Samsung partnered with American well for telehealth services and with T-Mobile for the launch of an Internet of Things senior care solution. Also, Microsoft teamed up with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies within the institution.