Dive Brief:
- Samsung is partnering with data exchange platform b.well Connected Health to allow users to build a longitudinal health record and connect to providers through an app on Galaxy smartphones.
- This integration lets users create a record with data from clinical records as well as information from wearables, pharmacies, labs and insurers, according to a press release form b.well. The partnership will also allow users to receive recommendations, like reminders to schedule a preventive screening or to follow up on a care plan.
- Select providers — including Walgreens, Wisconsin-based health system ThedaCare, Florida-based system Lee Health and primary care provider Rise Health — will be the first to offer scheduling for in-person and virtual care through the Samsung Health app. Samsung and b.well plan to add new provider partners going forward, a spokesperson said.
Dive Insight:
Samsung, which first launched its health app more than a decade ago, announced a number of digital health research projects last week at its developer conference, including partnerships with the MIT Media Lab to study sleep tracking and with the Tulane University School of Medicine to research cardiovascular disease indicators.
The capabilities included in the latest partnership with b.well will begin rolling out in the second half of 2024, according to a spokesperson.
The tech giant has also been expanding the capabilities of its Galaxy Watch to more closely rival competitors like Apple and Fitbit, which is owned by Google.
In May, Samsung received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for an irregular heart rhythm notification feature to passively monitor wearers for signs of atrial fibrillation. The company added the feature to its watches in the U.S. and 12 other markets over the summer.
Apple, a fellow consumer technology company with its own healthcare ambitions, announced users could view their health records on its Health app in 2018. The tech giant later added new features that aimed to make it easier for users to share their health information with other people, like physicians or family members.
