AliveCor released today KardiaCare, a digital subscription service for managing heart health at home.

The service offers a suite of features that helps users interpret their heart data, monitor risk factors, identify symptom triggers and measure the impact of lifestyle changes. It will expand upon the features already provided with the company’s other ECG products, KardiaMobile and KardiaMobile 6L.

Specifically, members will receive monthly reports summarizing ECG data that can be automatically shared with a care team, as well as an EKG review every 90 days from a cardiologist.

Users can sync either their KardiaMobile or KardiaMobile 6L recording devices to the platform to get reports.

For U.S. subscribers only, if a device is lost, stolen or damaged, they can receive a replacement for $19.99. KardiaCare is available today on iOS for $9.99 per month or $99 per year. It will roll out globally over the next 30 days, according to AliveCor.

WHY THIS MATTERS

ECG tests are a common way to detect heart problems and monitor heart health.

Typically, they are conducted in a doctor’s office. According to one report, about 40 million ECGs were performed in 2015.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of chronic-condition care has moved to remote monitoring.

Remote patient-monitoring for cardiovascular disease is supported by the American Heart Association.

“When used by clinicians, RPM can provide a more holistic view of a patient’s health over time, increase visibility into a patient’s adherence to a treatment, and enable timely intervention before a costly care episode,” the AHA said in a report. “Clinicians can strengthen their relationships with, and improve the experience of, their patients by using the data sent to them via RPM to develop a personalized care plan and to engage in joint decision-making to foster better outcomes.”

THE LARGER TREND

AliveCor has been in the ECG market for some time now.

The KardiaMobile 6L was released last year, which is able to provide cardiologists with six different perspectives on the heart’s electrical activity, helping them better identify arrhythmias and diagnose heart conditions. 

Its products have been highlighted in a series of studies, one of which placed it on par with a 12-lead ECG.

AliveCor isn’t alone in this market, however. Apple added ECG capabilities to the Apple Watch in 2018 and Omron received FDA clearance for its Blood Pressure Monitor + EKG device last year.

ON THE RECORD

"It's never been more important for patients to take control of their own heart health from home. As healthcare costs and demand for telemedicine increases, helping our users achieve their health goals outside the walls of the doctor's office is an important step toward delivering better outcomes for everyone," said Priya Abani, CEO of AliveCor, in a statement. "No doubt there is more work to be done, but this is the first step in our journey to delivering more accessible digital tools to patients around the globe."