Wellinks, the company behind a digital platform and connected devices for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, has appointed Stacie Bratcher as CEO, filling the position left vacant by Alex Waldron in March. 

The Connecticut-based company offers a platform to track COPD treatments, symptoms and vitals, coaching and pulmonary rehab, and connected devices like nebulizers and pulse oximeters.

Bratcher was previously CEO at Jet Health, a provider of skilled home health, personal care, hospice and companion services, and CEO of Alana Healthcare, a chronic care management company.

She is also the board chair of London-based GripAble, a digital health company offering an assessment and training handheld device for upper extremity rehabilitation. 

"It’s an exciting time for innovation in healthcare, with a greater focus on cardiopulmonary concerns and managing complex chronic conditions. The moment is ripe for virtual solutions to drastically improve outcomes for patients who need it most, and I am proud to bring my experience to the impressive Wellinks team!” Bratcher told MobiHealthNews in an email. 

THE LARGER TREND

One in eight Americans 45 years and older are affected by COPD, and over 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD, according to data from the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 

Wellinks, formerly Convexity Scientific, scored $25 million in Series C funding in 2021. 

Last month, the company announced an agreement with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware to provide COPD care to underserved populations in the state. 

Another digital health company tackling COPD is Respiree, a med tech spinoff of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research. 

Respiree obtained FDA 510(k) clearance for its wearable cardio-respiratory sensor device that directly measures respiration in patients with cardio-pulmonary diseases such as COPD and congestive heart failure.