Current Health is dipping into the chronic care space with new platform features that are designed to help healthcare organizations manage care for patients with a range of long-term health conditions. 

The first feature lets clinicians integrate a larger ecosystem of third-party devices, including those that manage hypertension, asthma, COPD, CHF and diabetes. The second feature gives care teams the ability to see all patients enrolled in care-at-home programs across conditions and acuity.

Lastly, the company is adding a new communication tool that gives patients nudges, daily surveys and messaging.  

"Individuals are not defined by a single disease, device, or treatment model; healthcare organizations need flexibility to support them as individuals, across their healthcare journey," Chris McCann, CEO and cofounder of Current Health, said in a statement.

"At the same time, these organizations – which are being faced with an aging population and shrinking workforces – need support managing care at scale. This is why we’ve built an interoperable platform that is device and service agnostic. This approach allows healthcare organizations to create tailored care plans that can scale to meet the unique needs of individuals with chronic conditions and beyond."

WHY IT MATTERS 

The CDC reports that six in 10 people in the U.S. live with at least one chronic disease. The conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S., according to the agency. 

Innovators, investors and healthcare professionals have taken an active interest in using digital tools to help manage these conditions. For example, in late February chronic care management tool Omada pulled in $192 million in Series E funding, and diabetes-focused care-management tool Virta scored $133 million in Series E funding.  

THE LARGER TREND 

This news comes just months after Best Buy snapped up home care and remote-monitoring platform Current Health. Before the acquisition, Current Health raised more than $44.5 million in venture dollars. 

Founded in 2015, Current Health was originally named snap40. In 2019, the company landed an FDA Class II clearance for its remote patient monitoring product. The company has since added a decentralized clinical trial initiative, called Community, which is focused on building diverse longitudinal datasets for decentralized clinical trials.