{"id":645049,"date":"2013-03-04T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gigaom.com\/?p=616347"},"modified":"2013-03-04T07:00:07","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T12:00:07","slug":"webmd-and-qualcomm-team-up-to-bring-quantified-self-tech-to-the-masses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/645049","title":{"rendered":"WebMD and Qualcomm team up to bring Quantified Self tech to the masses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tech geeks around the world are using connected devices to measure everything from their daily activity and heart rates to their sleep patterns and blood glucose levels. But ask the average American about this so-called Quantified Self<\/a> movement and you\u2019ll likely get a blank face.<\/p>\n

WebMD <\/a> and Qualcomm<\/a>, however, believe they can bring the latest wave of digital health technology to millions more. On Monday, the two companies announced a partnership to provide a \u201cconnected personal health hub\u201d to consumers by combining the power of WebMD\u2019s brand with the Qualcomm\u2019s FDA-approved technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think there\u2019s a real opportunity to give users insights around what their data means,\u201d said Bill Pence, WebMD\u2019s CTO. \u201c[It\u2019s like] bringing wireless health to consumers on a mass scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Launched in 2011, Qualcomm\u2019s 2net platform<\/a> provides a secure, universally-interoperable network for collecting and sharing data from connected fitness and health devices, like blood glucose meters, health monitors and other gadgets. The platform currently integrates with about 250 device partners, including AliveCor and BodyMedia, but WebMD says it is the first major brand to partner with the platform.<\/p>\n

The \u201chealth hub,\u201d Pence said, is \u201ca cloud-based system for the problem of having to integrate with different devices.\u201d Through a WebMD app, for example, users would be able purchase devices from a curated in-app marketplace, and then store and aggregate data from those devices. The app, Pence continued, would be able to generate insights based on that data as well as other information users provide about their health. Instead of just getting generic information from a WebMD search on diabetes, for example, users could get results more specific to their individual needs. (At GigaOM\u2019s upcoming Structure:Data conference<\/a>, I\u2019ll be speaking with Aetna\u2019s head of innovation about other ways big data can improve health care.)<\/p>\n

For WebMD, the partnership highlights the company\u2019s shift from offering \u201ctrusted content to [being] a full-service engagement platform for patients,\u201d said Pence. Even though the company is known for its consumer information sites and apps, like WebMD.com<\/a> and its various mobile apps, the company says it\u2019s grown a strong physician audience through its registration-based Medscape<\/a> medical news site. It also offers employers a subscription-based patient-engagement platform<\/a> and provides consumers with Personal Health Records software<\/a>.\u00a0 As digital health tools proliferate, Pence said, consumers will increasingly have opportunities to connect with their physician and care providers, more closely monitor their own health and interact with the health care system in new ways. WebMD, he said, sees a role for itself in being a one stop shop for digital health services and helping to guide consumers through the growing new landscape.<\/p>\n

Down the road, he said, the company will begin to integrate the various parts of its business, giving consumers the opportunity to securely interact with doctors on Medscape or helping consumers analyze their medical records, for example.<\/p>\n

Other startups, like Tictrac<\/a>, also aim to aggregate an individual\u2019s personal health data and help them derive meaning from it<\/a>. But, given WebMD\u2019s name recognition, it could certainly help introduce connected health technology to a new swath of consumers. Still, it will be interesting to see the kinds of insights the new \u201chub\u201d will be able to generate. Some could see a novelty in storing and tracking their data but, if the app doesn\u2019t generate meaningful enough insights, they may not see a reason to stick around.<\/p>\n

Also, even though WebMD\u2019s brand is strong, consumers see it as a health information company, not a health services company prepared to handle potentially sensitive personal information. And it may take time for the company to earn consumer trust and awareness on that front.<\/p>\n

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