Withings Health Solutions, the provider-focused arm of connected health tech company Withings, on Monday revealed a new remote patient monitoring program dubbed Withings RPM.

The offering uses Withings' connected devices, including scales, watches, thermometers and blood pressure cuffs, to monitor patient metrics like heart rate, activity, blood pressure and sleep patterns. 

The connected tech company pitches the offering to providers as a way to simplify the remote patient monitoring process. Withings touts a digital assistant included with the app to help patients with set-up, activity tracking and monthly reports to assist with billing, electronic health record (EHR) integrations and patient engagement tools. 

WHY IT MATTERS

This isn't Withings' first move in the remote patient monitoring space. Founded in 2008, the company was purchased by Nokia in 2016 and bought back by cofounder Éric Carreel two years later.

In 2019, Withings announced its B2B division, which included a data management and analysis hub as well as its provider-facing remote patient monitoring platform. The company said its $60 million Series B funding from July 2020 would be partially used to scale that division globally.

"Since launching Withings MED·PRO CARE, our first remote patient monitoring solution, we have continued to assess the market to identify pain points and identify strategies to allow RPM to take off and to be finally distributed at scale," Antoine Robiliard, vice president of Withings Health Solutions, said in a statement. 

"In our analysis, the missing ingredient until now is attention to simplicity and a focus on the patient experience. Most efforts have focused on technical integration for providers, which while extremely important, is not enough for RPM to be successful. Launching an RPM program, onboarding patients, monitoring them and helping them master their health should be easy, for all stakeholders."

THE LARGER TREND

Withings also has made two acquisitions this year. In January, shortly after revealing its upcoming smart scale, the company announced it had acquired French medical device maker Impeto Medical. Withings also purchased 8fit, a fitness and nutrition app. 

In March, the company partnered with digital weight loss company Calibrate to offer Withings' Body Pro connected scales to Calibrate members. 

However, other companies are focusing on remote patient monitoring. Biofourmis, which offers a home monitoring service for acute, post-acute and specialty care, recently raised $300 million in Series D funding, bumping it to unicorn status with a valuation of $1.3 billion. 

Athelas provides connected monitoring tools as well as its flagship blood monitoring device, the Athelas One. It became a unicorn in February after raising $132 million across two funding rounds. 

Alio recently earned FDA 510(k) clearance for a remote patient monitoring system that collects data on skin temperature, auscultation (or internal body sounds) and heart rate. VitalConnect, maker of biosensors for both in-hospital and remote patient monitoring, closed a $39 million Series E round at the beginning of the year.