After rollout in some Midwest markets (see 1904170003), telehealth platform company Tyto Care said Wednesday it’s expanding its TytoHome program with Best Buy to 300 stores nationally. TytoHome ($299) includes a modular, handheld device and telehealth platform that enables on-demand, remote medical exams designed to replace an in-person doctor visit. The handheld device has attachments for examining the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat and abdomen; users can send captured data to Tyto Care’s healthcare provider partners to diagnose ear infections, sore throats, fever, cold and flu, allergies, stomachaches, upper respiratory infections, coughs and rashes, said the company. Provider partners are American Well and LiveHealth Online, covering Tyto users nationwide; Ochsner Health System, Louisiana and Mississippi; Sanford Health, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa; and Novant Health, North Carolina. TytoHome is available in stores and on Bestbuy.com and comes with an exam camera, basal thermometer, otoscope adaptor, stethoscope adaptor and tongue depressor adaptor, a spokesperson said. Visits are $59 maximum and, depending on the provider, can be either a live exam while a doctor is connected via smartphone or tablet, or an offline exam, in which users perform exams on their own and send data to the care provider for later review and consultation, she said.

Fitbit is working with the Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance to help drive timely diagnosis of atrial fibrillation for individuals at increased risk of stroke, they said Thursday. Upon Food and Drug Administration clearance of the detection software on Fitbit devices, the parties hope to give users information they can use in discussions with physicians, they said. With 24/7 on-wrist health tracking and associated software, Fitbit believes it can help “bridge the gaps that exist in atrial fibrillation detection, encouraging people to visit their doctor for a prompt diagnosis and potentially reduce their risk of stroke,” said CEO James Park.

Philips launched online sales in the U.S. of the SmartSleep line of products it introduced at last CES, said the company Tuesday. The “suite” of goods, available for sale through Philips.com, BestBuy.com and Walgreens.com, “aims to provide consumers with access to clinically backed innovations that will help them get a better night’s sleep,” said Philips. It’s also partnering with WebMD “to reach more consumers about the importance of sleep to overall health via educational content” that redirects them to the SmartSleep offerings at Philips.com, said the company.

Tyto Care added more Best Buy locations in California, Ohio, North Dakota and South Dakota Tuesday for its $299 TytoHome remote diagnostics medical device. The device launched in a smattering of stores in April (see 1904170003) and is now available in 30 Best Buy stores, plus Bestbuy.com, it said. The handheld device's attachments can be used to examine the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat and abdomen and to take body temperature, said the company. Exam information is sent to a primary care provider for diagnosis. TytoHome visits cost a maximum of $59, determined by nature of visit and health insurance plan.

Google Fit is available on iOS, Google blogged Wednesday. Apps connect Watch users to Apple Health and sync with Google Fit to provide a “holistic view” of health, including tracking sleep cycles and workout sessions, Google said. The app is also available on Wear OS. Users can earn points toward meeting American Heart Association and World Health Organization recommendations for weekly physical activity.

Best Buy expanded its telehealth reach, partnering with Tyto Care on a device that does medical exams on-demand from home. The TytoHome device is available at retail exclusively on Bestbuy.com and in select Best Buy stores in Minnesota, and “soon” in California, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota, said the companies Wednesday. The $299 handheld device comes with attachments used to examine the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat and abdomen, and measure body temperature, to enable remote diagnosis of acute care situations such as ear infections, sore throats, fever, cold and flu, allergies, stomach aches, upper respiratory infections, coughs and rashes, they said. With the device, users can perform “comprehensive medical exams,” said the companies, and send the captured exam information to a primary care provider for diagnosis 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Maximum cost to users per virtual visit is $59, “potentially even less depending on the visit and/or the user’s health insurance plan,” they said. Sanford Health will provide care to TytoHome users in Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa and South Dakota. Users will be able to connect with a Sanford medical provider for physician-guided exams and diagnosis. Tyto Care works with “experienced, quality telehealth platforms” across the country including LiveHealth Online, powered by American Well, the telehealth provider for users who buy TytoHome from the Best Buy website and reside outside of Minnesota, Iowa, North and South Dakota, they said. Through LiveHealth Online, select employers can offer the service to their employees and give them coupons to buy TytoHome at Best Buy. In August, the retailer bought GreatCall, a provider of connected health and personal emergency response services to the aging population, for $800 million.

Wearables account for more than 65 percent of the $2.3 billion U.S. home sleep-screening devices market, reported Future Market Insights Thursday, but lower prices will contribute to a future rise in adoption of nonwearable devices for continuous sleep tracking that doesn’t require physical contact with the user. Overall revenue is expected to grow in the segment by 7 percent this year. Growing awareness of sleep disorders is driving demand for studies with home sleep-screening devices. It noted CTA’s collaboration with the National Sleep Foundation to define terms and functionality required for devices that measure sleep behavior. Primary sleep tracker form factors -- which include wristbands, headbands, masks and ring devices, and hybrid devices such as Fitbit’s Ionic, which tracks fitness and activity along with sleep patterns -- will help expand awareness and sales, the researcher said.

Home Instead Senior Care is partnering with GrandPad on a tablet-based solution aimed at seniors. The partnership is said to provide a platform for Home Instead franchise owners to offer integrated care while a caregiver is in the home, along with future services, such as interactive remote care for tech-based home care in underserved populations, they said. The agreement includes an undisclosed equity investment in GrandPad, and Home Instead CEO Jeff Huber has joined GrandPad’s board. Pilot programs are underway, and Home Instead Senior Care integrated care services powered by GrandPad will be available in select markets this year, they said.

Sonitum brought its SonicCloud app for the hearing-impaired to a Venetian suite at CES, hoping to interest TV and smart speaker makers in integrating the software as a product feature. The $10 per month app, which includes a phone call plan, is said to boost audibility on a smartphone for users with hearing loss. A guided on-phone assessment process helps users create a “hearing fingerprint” based on their unique hearing, then use the profile on phone calls or while listening to music or movies. Different profiles can be tagged to names in a phone’s contact list so sonic adjustments are automatically made for that contact when a call comes in. The technology is based on digital sound processing algorithms targeted to speech understanding and clarity, said the company. Film director Larry Guterman, chief customer experience officer, helped develop SonicCloud to address his own hearing loss.

Wearables for health tracking and remote patient monitoring will become healthcare “must haves," with $20 billion forecast to be spent annually on the devices by 2023, Juniper Research reported. As wearables become part of treatment plans, OEMs will adjust their business models and generate revenue from devices being monitored, but data privacy and consumer consent will be a “significant barrier” as patients consider risks of data provided to insurance providers, said the researcher Monday. Juniper forecasts such service revenue reaching $855 million by 2023. Improving healthcare systems, such as using artificial intelligence-enabled software analytics, is contingent on patient data being anonymized, it said. Some insurance providers are changing the dynamics, Juniper said, requiring policyholders agree to a data feed from a connected device. Patients need to be made aware of how their personal data will be used, said analyst Michael Larner: “Making wearables ‘must have’ to provide personalised care or receive medical insurance risks a backlash from patients and heightened regulatory scrutiny,” which could stall remote monitoring's effectiveness.