Amazon pushed further into the healthcare market with Tuesday’s introduction of Amazon Clinic, a message-based virtual care service. Amazon Clinic, initially available in 32 states, connects customers with “affordable virtual care options when and how they need it” for over 20 common health conditions, it said, noting allergies, acne, urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction, conjunctivitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, dandruff and hair loss, among others. Users can choose from a network of licensed telehealth providers who have gone through “rigorous clinical quality and customer experience evaluations" by an Amazon team. Customers select their condition, choose a provider and then connect directly via a secure message-based portal. After the consultation, the clinician will send a treatment plan via the portal, including any prescriptions, to the customer’s preferred pharmacy. The provider sets the cost of consultations, which include ongoing follow-up messages for up to two weeks after the initial chat. The service doesn’t accept insurance “yet,” Amazon said, though customers may use insurance to pay for medications at pharmacies, including Amazon Pharmacy, it said.

Telemedicine company Babylon Health will offer Fitbit devices and services to its members that don’t have access to wearables to promote proactive healthcare management, it said Tuesday. Eligible members in select markets will be able to use Fitbit’s health and wellness features to track activity levels, blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar and sleep patterns. Collected data will be available to users and their care team via Babylon’s app, the company said.

LG expanded its partnership with Amwell, announcing Monday its healthcare TVs will be used in patient rooms to allow providers to remotely engage, monitor and discharge patients. The Carepoint TV Kit 200L enables care teams to do “virtual rounding,” nursing, e-sitting and isolation room monitoring, the company said Monday, billing the TVs as a way to maximize resources during workforce shortages.

Connect America launched a care alert service that sends hospital check-in and admission notifications to caregivers, loved ones and healthcare providers “to close gaps” in patients' care circles, it said Thursday. When a patient is admitted to a hospital, a “near-real-time” notification is sent to approved caregivers via the Medical Alert Connect app and text informing them of the patient’s name and contact information for the hospital, it said. The platform added the ability to capture movement and activity through a personal emergency response service device, Connect America said, and its new “away service” uses geofencing to set parameters that alert a care circle when a loved one is outside a defined area. The company is also using the Uber Health platform to provide nonemergency medical transportation to patients who request a ride through the Connect America call center, it said.

Smartwatches are the No. 1 connected health product, with adoption growing from 16% in 2020 to 29% last year, Parks Associates reported Friday. Smartwatch owners are particularly likely to own and use other connected health products, averaging seven devices, said analyst Kristen Hanich, citing exercise equipment, weight scales and smart thermometers. Some 25 million U.S. internet households use wearables for safety reasons, Parks said.

Samsung announced new tools for its developer conference that kicked off Wednesday at the Moscone Convention Center North in San Francisco and online. Tools include the Samsung Privileged Health SDK program for select partners to identify early signs of driver fatigue and stress; the Fall Detection API to build on sensors and algorithms on the Galaxy Watch; an open-source research project for educational, clinical and healthcare programmers using insights from Galaxy watches and wearables; plus ongoing opportunities for partners with Health Connect, a fitness collaboration with Google, Samsung said. The tools are designed to help developers and communities shape health, wellness and safety habits for consumers, it said.

U.K.-based health AI company Vagus.co-launched a breath-taking app called Breathe Flow that’s designed to help users improve their breathing, reduce stress and give early warnings for health issues, the company said Tuesday. It’s the first app to give digital health data ownership with non-fungible tokens for Apple Watch, enabling users to earn income and rewards, the company said. Users earn income by selling the Vagus NFT (V-NFT) or by receiving rewards, the company said. When using Breathe Flow, users “mint” one new data V-NFT for each 10 days of Vagus tests, the company said, calling the blockchained V-NFT a “smart contract to prove ownership.” Public trading with V-NFTs will begin when 10,000 V-NFGs have been created by Breathe Flow users, it said. The monitoring provides precise breathing-based health analysis, including how the heart is responding to each breath, Vagus said. The app is free for Apple and Withings smartwatches that can take electrocardiogram measurements, it said.

Over 14 million U.S. internet households have used independent living technology, such as personal emergency response systems, medical alert systems or a smart home device, Parks Associates said Tuesday. Some 54% of U.S. internet households have a connected health device and are looking for new integrated technology for communication and fall detection, plus safety notifications for fire, water and gas detection, Parks said. The connected health industry needs to “reimagine the role that smart home devices, security devices, and other in-home devices play for those wishing to age in place and provide solutions that are insightful, interoperable, and preventative,” said Andy Droney, ADT senior director-health and innovation programs, who will participate in Parks’ virtual Connected Health Summit Thursday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a telehealth bill, the governor’s office said Friday. AB-32 would make COVID-19d telehealth accessibility permanent, his office said Friday. Newsom has until Friday to consider bills passed by the legislature last month.

Sound United owner Masimo announced Wednesday the full-market release of its W1 health watch for consumer use. Calling it “the first of its kind,” the company, which makes blood parameter monitoring devices used in hospitals, said the W1 offers “accurate, continuous measurements and insightful health data” in a “lifestyle-friendly” wearable. The W1, which takes 86,4000 measurements a day, is pending Food and Drug Administration clearance. Masimo is selling the $499 watch direct to consumers. Masimo is also entering the general launch phase of a medical version of the W1 for use in medical applications outside the U.S., with additional measurement capabilities such as spot-check electrocardiogram and atrial fibrillation detection, the company said.