Digital chronic disease management startup Livongo is making the jump from patients’ pockets to their wrists with new integrations that will bring some of the mobile app’s alerts and features to consumer smartwatches.
Starting today, certain models of Apple Watches, Fitbits and Samsung Gear wearables will surface individualized “Health Nudges” that encourage the wearer to perform certain behaviors or tasks related to their condition. Further, users can take on five-day challenges consisting of behavioral goals that can drive long-term health benefits, which the company’s artificial intelligence system is able to support with targeted educational resources and content.
WHAT’S THE IMPACT
By expanding its reach to more popular consumer devices, Livongo’s is aiming to improve the convenience of — and subsequently engagement with — its behavior change intervention.
But of particular note is the two-way nature of this integration, which allows Livongo to collect its own data recorded by the smartwatches’ sensors. Should a user choose to upload their daily step counts to the service, for instance, Livongo can then fine-tune their program and notifications
"Our smartwatch integration allows us to capture information from our members, add it to our AI+AI engine, and return actionable, personalized, and timely information back to them," Dr. Jennifer Schneider, president of Livongo, said in a statement. "By offering another way to access personalized health insights, we are able to more easily influence positive behavior change, which we know can lead to better health.”
THE LARGER TREND
Livongo’s biggest news of 2019 so far has been rumblings of an IPO before the year’s end, but the company has still seen plenty of action otherwise. For instance, it released one of the first HIPAA-friendly consumer health apps for Amazon Alexa in early April, and released real-world data from its collaboration with Eli Lilly. Further, the Livongo purchased behavioral health app MyStrength for more than $10 million at the beginning of the year and just a few months later unveiled behavioral health tools designed specifically for new and expecting parents.
