Dive Brief:
- American Well is partnering with Samsung Electronics to develop healthcare services aimed at increasing consumer reach, accessibility and interoperability, the telehealth company announced at HIMSS17.
- The collaboration will leverage Samsung’s consumer electronics expertise with American Well’s Exchange platform, which enables providers and insurers to connect and share telehealth services online.
- Participating in the initial phase of the collaboration are several of American Well’s partners, including Cleveland Clinic, New York-Presbyterian and Anthem.
Dive Insight:
The companies offered no specifics on the services they plan to develop, but promised more information in coming months. In an interview with MobiHealthNews, American Well President and CEO Roy Schoenberg hinted that the collaboration could yield something akin to an Amazon store for healthcare. The result will be a new level of integrated care delivery that benefits providers, payers and patients alike, he said.
Separately, Samsung ARTIK Cloud also announced at HIMSS17 a partnership with T-Mobile to enable the launch of an Internet of Things (IoT) senior care solution called Breezie. By combining ARTIK Cloud’s open data exchange platform with T-Mobile’s wireless support, connected devices like Amazon Alexa and iHealth Feel Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor can communicate with each other. Breezie uses a tablet-based platform to simplify the use of connected devices and improve and services for the elderly, including day-to-day living and postsurgical recovery.
Telehealth and IoT are both expected to have an increased presence in the care delivery space as one has helped increase access to care services, while the other could potentially provide clinicians with a highly comprehensive view of a patient's health status, which is needed for crafting well-informed care plans.