Samsung Health users will now have access to a new consumer-grade version of WellDoc’s digital diabetes management platform, the two companies announced this morning.
The Diabetes Wellness Program is a 12-week wellness program designed to help Type 2 diabetes patients improve unhealthy behaviors and better manage their condition. The program is available through the Samsung Health version 5.14 or greater, which can be downloaded on most Samsung devices on the 6, 7, 8, and 9 platforms. According to a representative of the companies, it was developed out of a similar service for Samsung Health released last year.
“The integration of key, consumer-facing aspects of our proprietary BlueStar platform within the Samsung Health service is a very exciting next step as our partnership with Samsung continues to advance,” WellDoc President and CEO Kevin McRaith said in a statement. “The Diabetes Wellness Program allows individuals in the United States with Samsung Health on the latest Samsung Galaxy mobile phone the opportunity to become educated and empowered to more effectively manage their health and wellness and experience a better quality of life. It’s an invaluable option for the mass population to help manage their health and wellness, and we look forward to making it available outside of the US in the near future.”
Previously known as S Health, the Samsung Health platform offers mobile users a range of wellness programs and social fitness challenges. The platform also acts as a hub for a number of third-party health applications, the latest of which being WellDoc’s digital offering. According to the companies’ statement, this new version of the service includes interactive quizzes and videos, food intake monitoring, medication reminders, and other tools to monitor and motivate users.
This also isn’t the first diabetes management tool WellDoc’s delivered through Samsung Health — the two companies announced a similar sounding BlueStarC app through the smartphone maker's health platform just under a year ago. A representative of the companies told MobiHealthNews over email that this product served as a "testing grounds" for features eventually incorporated into both the Diabetes Wellness Program and the stand-alone BlueStar C program that is deployed alongside the main BlueStar product.
“Partnering with WellDoc in developing a comprehensive diabetes health and wellness program for Samsung Health users was a natural fit, and an important milestone in our overall chronic disease management strategy” Nana Murugesan, vice president and general manager, services and new business at Samsung Electronics America, said in a statement. “With WellDoc’s unique focus on clinical outcomes and user engagement in the digital health space, the Diabetes Wellness Program will give Samsung Health users an opportunity to effectively manage their chronic condition on the comprehensive platform.”