Portfolio News

App Annie Names American Well the #1 Downloaded Telehealth Platform in the US for iOS and Android Combined

App Annie, the mobile performance standard, ranked telehealth apps by the number of iOS and Google Play downloads combined, and has determined that by that metric, American Well is the #1 telehealth platform in the U.S. This isn’t the first year American Well’s consumer app, Amwell, has been named the most popular telehealth app in the U.S. The company earned this accolade in 2014, 2015, and 2016 as well. The Amwell app allows people in the U.S. to see a U.S. board-certified doctor or therapist of...

Augmedix’s EHR Documentation Platform Enters Innovative Pilot with Award-Winning iKnowMed Oncology EHR

McKesson Corporation and Augmedix announced the expansion of an innovative pilot between the Augmedix electronic health record (EHR) documentation platform and the McKesson oncology EHR iKnowMed. Augmedix outfits physicians with Glass eyewear from Alphabet’s moonshot factory. This wearable technology is then used during patient exams to stream audio/visual information from the clinic visit to an off-site team of tech-enabled scribes in a HIPAA-secure location. The trained scribes assist the doctor and perform EHR documentation in real time. The physician then reviews and approves notes for the...

ResMed to Acquire Propeller Health, a Leader in COPD and Asthma Connected Health Solutions, for $225 Million

ResMed, a company that creates cloud-connected medical devices and out-of-hospital software-as-a-service (SaaS), today announced that it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Propeller Health, a digital therapeutics company providing connected health solutions for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Propeller Health was named a “2017 Most Innovative Company” by Fast Company. The company helps people and their doctors better manage their respiratory diseases by means of a small sensor that easily attaches to customers’ inhalers and pairs with a mobile app...

Digital Innovation & the First Mover Advantage for Health Systems

“It’s no secret that healthcare has long lagged other industries when it comes to the adoption of digital technology,” wrote Kyruus CEO Graham Gardner in a recent essay. However, he warned, “healthcare industry trends—particularly the rise of consumerism—are driving a clear urgency around digital competence.” Hospitals and health systems know about this urgency; yet, less than 25 percent of these organizations have strong capabilities to do so. But since consumers are used to being able to access robust information and online, self-service capabilities, they are demanding...

Telehealth Faces Legal Obstacles Before It Can Take Off

Recent proposed government expansion of telehealth services is facing obstacles ranging from how to license doctors performing telehealth to how to pay for the services. Telehealth has generally been offered to rural patients so they don’t have to travel long distances to see their provider in person. The proposed changes, however, will let Medicare Advantage plans expand telehealth services to any patient regardless of their location. The proposal would take effect in 2020. At that time, Medicare managed plans will be able to expand their telehealth offerings,...