Teladoc Health has announced another acquisition that will bolster its growing international line of business. The US virtual care company will acquire Paris, France-based MédecinDirect, which provides confidential medical consultations via phone and internet.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Teladoc said “the acquisition will be immaterial to Teladoc Health’s financial results.”
French appointment booking and telemedicine service Doctolib has raised another €150 million ($170.3 million), bringing its total funding to around €235 million ($271 million) and its valuation to more than €1 billion.
General Atlantic, a global growth equity fund, led the round. Existing investors Eurazeo, Bpifrance, Kernel and Accel also contributed, along with unnamed German healthcare entrepreneurs.
Offering a glimpse at how wearable technology may help flag potential health problems, the Apple Watch was able to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib) in a small group of people who had received an alert of an irregular heartbeat, said researchers presenting results from the Apple Heart Study at ACC.19 in New Orleans.
Omron has apparently finally received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Blood Pressure Monitor + EKG device, which was originally announced in January 2018 at CES. The device was created in partnership with AliveCor. This is a separate product from , which also incorporates AliveCor ECG technology and was announced at the same time.
As a model of care, telemedicine is coming into its own. It’s a rapidly maturing mode of care delivery made more popular in part by an aging population — the so-called “Silver Tsunami” of baby boomers who are increasingly open to care options that are delivered remotely.
ATA19 brings together a vibrant community of healthcare professionals and leaders from an array of healthcare and technology sectors. Attendees will learn, innovate, network, and return to their organizations with actionable insights, lasting connections, and an enhanced appreciation of telehealth. Join us in New Orleans, April 14-16 as we explore how telehealth is transforming the way we deliver healthcare.
There are scores of mental health related digital tools available on any of the major app stores. However, a recent study published in Nature Digital Medicine found that a majority of the apps studied do not provide evidence or peer-reviewed studies to back up their products.
“Scientific language was the most frequently invoked form of support for use of mental health apps; however, high-quality evidence is not commonly described,” the study’s researchers wrote. “Improved knowledge translation strategies may improve the adoption of other strategies, such as certification or lived experience co-design.”
We may still be barely into the new year, but already state legislatures throughout the country have been busy—including when it comes to telemedicine-related bills. The latest state to consider telehealth legislation: Georgia, where the state Senate this past week unanimously passed two bills that, if signed into law, would significantly expand telehealth practice in the state. While one bill would facilitate treatment via telemedicine by patients in other states, the other would expand reimbursement, formally define “telehealth,” and take other steps to make Georgia a more telehealth-friendly state.
