American Well and EarlySense have partnered to make telemedicine visits available to users of EarlySense's bed-based sleep sensor. The service is related to EarlySense Live, the long-awaited home use version of the the Ramat Gan, Israel-based device maker's signature product.

"One of the key attributes of a superior telehealth experience is how informed the physician is about the patient in front of them," Roy Schoenberg, CEO of American Well, said in a statement. "The ability of new technologies to collect and deliver patient information to the remote physician, during a telehealth consult, will have a dramatic impact on its value to patients. Companies like EarlySense are at the forefront of this evolution."

EarlySense's contact-free sensor, placed under the user's mattress, measures heart rate, breathing cycles, stress and sleep indicators. Up until now, EarlySense has mostly been used in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. The device has been used by consumers through partnerships with companies like Samsung and iFit, but with EarlySense Live, the company is finally bringing the device into the home directly. And the partnership with American Well allows them to do so without having to worry that they are giving customers health data without a way to interpret it.

"A common question we receive from customers is what to do when they see fluctuations in their health data," EarlySense CEO Avner Halperin said in a statement. "With American Well's consumer telehealth service, Amwell, the answer is clear. Users can connect with health professionals in minutes to receive expert personalized advice. This is the next crucial step toward empowering people to take control of their health from the comfort of their home, and also provides a safety net for family members, who are able to remotely monitor their loved ones."

Users of EarlySense Live will have access to American Well doctor's via AmWell, the company's direct-to-consumer offering. According to the companies, users will be able to schedule online consultations "whenever users have questions or see opportunities to improve their sleep or general health". EarlySense Live will have a price tag of $199; it's not clear whether that includes a discount on AmWell.

American Well seems to be embracing partnerships with connected health devices as a way to stand out in the direct-to-consumer telemedicine space. The company inked a similar deal with Tytocare at the end of November.