Top Stories You Missed: Amazon unveils fitness wearable | Change Healthcare acquires Prometheus Analytics | Propeller Health expands to Japan
 TOP STORIES YOU MISSED | Featured Stories | | |  | AMAZON LEAPS INTO THE WEARABLES MARKET The tech behemoth plunged into the wearables market with a new wristband, dubbed Halo, and an accompanying health tracking app and subscription service that will allow users to track metrics like body fat percentage and sleep temperature, and will gauge users' tone of voice to determine their emotional states. Amazon claims that its tech will be on par with an in-office clinical evaluation and twice as accurate as at-home methods. The device will also leverage smartphone cameras to produce a 3D model of a user's body to determine the effects gaining or losing body fat could have on physique, according to TechCrunch. Rolling out a wearable now makes sense considering the pandemic is driving consumers to try new digital health tech for the first time. Amazon has carved into nearly every pocket of healthcare — from virtual care, prescription delivery, health insurance, and now wearables — and we think it's only a matter of time before it wades into digital therapeutics. But US consumers are still wary about sharing their health data with the tech giant — and privacy concerns could hamper adoption of Halo. |
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| | |  | CHANGE HEALTHCARE ACQUIRES PROMETHEUS ANALYTICS Nashville-based health tech company Change Healthcare — which offers revenue management solutions, software, and analytics to healthcare payers and providers — continued its acquisition spree with its purchase of reimbursement data insights platform Prometheus Analytics. Prometheus Analytics is focused on optimizing value-based care reimbursement models, and its products are already adopted by some of the largest health plans in the nation, like Cigna and BCBS. This marks Change Healthcare's fourth major acquisition in the past four months — and highlights its diversification strategy in the digital health space. This deal follows the company's purchase of medical imaging company Nucleus.io on August 18, preceded by a $208 million purchase of digital pharma analytics company PDX on June 1, and a $213 million acquisition of e-prescription company eRx on May 4. We think these acquisitions may be part of a diversification initiative that would be advantageous to Change's business strategy since the acquired companies align with its mission of advancing data-driven solutions in the US healthcare system. Covering several bases in the healthcare system — medical imaging, reimbursements, digital pharma, prescriptions, and analytics — will facilitate horizontal growth and pave the way for it to grow its footprint within the digital health space. |
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|  | PROPELLER HEALTH EXPANDS ITS FOOTPRINT TO JAPAN The digital respiratory health company is expanding its international footprint to Japan via a tie-up with Swiss pharmaceutical titan Novartis, per MobiHealthNews. Through the partnership, Japanese patients who use Novartis' Enerzair or Atectura Breezhaler for uncontrollable asthma can enroll in Propeller's digital management program. Members can affix Propeller's sensor to their inhaler, which sends usage data to the member's smartphone and provides medication reminders. The timing of Propeller's expansion makes sense, considering rates of asthma are on the rise across the globe. Propeller is in pole position to make the most of current market conditions: The prevalence of asthma is rising globally, with an estimated 339 million people having the disease. We think Novartis' tie-up with Propeller — and the latter's expansion to Japan — will benefit both parties by sparking increased medication adherence and helping Novartis boost sales in the region as consumers are reminded to take their asthma medication: Propeller has shown that its tech can improve medication adherence by up to 58%. |
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