VirtualHealth, a top provider of population health and care management technologies, announced Tuesday that it received Frost & Sullivan’s 2017 North America Product Leadership Award in Population Health Management (PHM).

If you’re not famialir, the award recognizes organizations for best-in-class product and customer service offerings that optimally meet market needs and offer a compelling value proposition.

The award also considers achievements in customer satisfaction, pricing, and market share to identify the single company that rises above the competitive landscape and offers customers the most well-rounded solution set.

These days, VirtualHealth is recognized in the healthcare industry for its cloud-based PHM platform, which was purpose-built for value-based care.
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Here are some of the top stories in healthcare, telemedicine, and mobile health that we have been monitoring this past week.

No-Show Woes Reduced by mPulse Mobile Appointment Reminders
This week, in the continuation of our new blog series, we’re taking a closer look at the impact of mobile appointment reminders.

eKare Introduces First Google Tango-Enabled Mobile Medical App for Wound Care
It’s a first of its kind announcement and achievement for eKare Inc., a medtech company based in metropolitan DC.

New Study Dishes on the Secret to Effective Pharma Advertising
Our sister site MMW is reporting that that the rule of three is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to effectively reaching physicians with pharma advertising.
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Activ4pets, providers of online and mobile platforms that give pet parents easy access to their pet’s health information along with web-based veterinary consultations, has just announced its new shelter partnership program to provide their platform to pet adopters and shelters across the nation.

According to this morning’s media announcement, shelters that partner with Activ4pets can offer the service to adopters at a dramatically reduced rate, cutting down on paperwork and paving the way for new pet parents to engage with and easily manage the health of their new pets.

“Partnering with humane societies and providing our mobile pet health app to new pet adopters has always been an important part of Activ4pets’ mission,” Florent Monssoh, CEO and founder of Activ4Pets, is quoted in the release. “We want to lend a hand to the community organizations working to save the lives of these animals and empower new pet parents to full and easily engage with the medical history of their new pets for better health and lifelong wellness.”

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HealthTap, a global health practice providing 24/7 immediate access to doctors via video, text or voice, says that Virtual Consults on the HealthTap platform will now be covered by health insurance.

With the dramatic increase in demand for Virtual Care, patients are looking for a quick and easy way to check eligibility and enable insurance coverage.

According to the American Telemedicine Association, more than 10 million patients took advantage of virtual doctor consults last year. A Harris Poll survey revealed that more than one in four U.S. consumers (27 percent) would choose a virtual consult if offered to them.

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Here are some of the top stories in healthcare, telemedicine, and mobile health that we have been monitoring this past week.

Apple Reportedly Acquires Digital Health Startup
Published reports Tuesday indicate that Apple has acquired a personal health data-monitoring startup. The company in question, we’re told, is Glimpse.

FirstLight Fiber Aims to Enhance Home Healthcare Services
mHealthWatch learned today that FirstLight Fiber, a fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider operating in New York and Northern New England, has big news with regard to its increasingly important role within the home healthcare space.
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Geared toward healthcare providers and caregivers, MobileHelp Healthcare — a leader in health management technology — has just released a new white paper focused on attaining improved population outcomes through the use of its MobileVitals solution, which combines both telehealth and personal emergency response systems (PERS).

The whitepaper, titled “The Powerhouse Combination of Telehealth and PERS,” was designed to closely examine how the combined effect of two solutions with significant tenure in both the healthcare and consumer spaces can be combined to deliver powerful patient results.

The new piece also affords insights into how MobileHelp’s own technology growth has extended into the broader industry sectors of healthcare and health IT, with the introduction of its MobileVitals solution.

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Kicking off the month of August on a healthy note, Royal Philips today announced the global availability of wearable technologies and the first in a series of personal health programs.

The programs in question, we’re told, are designed to “empower consumers to take greater control of their health.”

The medical-grade health monitoring devices — a health watch, connected scale, blood pressure monitor and thermometer — and a fully integrated companion HealthSuite Health App will be available at www.philips.com/healthprograms beginning August 1.

Over 66 million Americans over the age of 50 have at least one chronic disease, yet research suggests that up to 90 percent of chronic conditions can be prevented through lifestyle changes, the Philips’ team says, noting that the company’s new products are designed to help those at risk of chronic disease to start measuring, keep monitoring and stay motivated in creating sustainable behavior change.
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