LG teams up with Amwell to develop digital health innovations

USA – LG Electronics has collaborated with Amwell to create new digital health solutions aimed at improving patient access to care.

Using LG devices, the electronics giant will create a healthcare platform to host services from Amwell’s digital health platform Converge, Converge-integrated services, and other third-party tools.

LG already provides smart TVs in patient rooms across the United States, and the partnership aims to broaden the company’s reach in healthcare by making products available both in the hospital and at home.

The company intends to start the collaboration by focusing on the development of in-hospital digital health services and solutions.

“We’re leveraging our technology strengths and experience to bring new solutions to the healthcare market and enable people to have greater access to services through devices they use every day,” said Sokwoo Rhee, corporate senior vice president at LG Electronics leading the company’s North American innovation segment.

Converge, which was announced in April, brings together all of Amwell’s products and programs, as well as third-party applications, on a single platform for easy patient and provider access.

During the fourth quarter of 2021, Converge accounted for approximately 10% of Amwell’s visits, according to Schoenberg, who spoke to investors during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

This year, the telehealth provider is working to transition more of its health system partners to the platform.

Ido Schoenberg, Amwell chairman and CEO commenting about the partnership with LG said: “As in-person, virtual and automated modalities converge to create significantly improved healthcare experiences, unlocking the last mile for patients and providers to easily connect to these services is more important than ever.”

“We are proud to partner with LG, a company that is known for powering extraordinary user experiences. Together, we are determined to offer providers and patients streamlined interactions from wherever they are, allowing providers to deliver advanced, digitally-enabled care.”

Amwell also released a TV solution in collaboration with Solaborate last year, which provides in-home care capabilities powered by artificial intelligence.

Last July, the telehealth company paid US$320 million for two digital health startups in order to expand its reach beyond traditional telehealth visits.

Amwell’s portfolio has been diversified by the additions of virtual mental health platform SilverCloud Health and automated virtual care company Conversa Health, as new entrants flood into the health tech market.

Amwell is currently collaborating with Google Cloud on artificial intelligence and natural language processing, which will allow for real-time captioning, translation, and other patient engagement functions on the Converge platform.

Other partners include TytoCare, which provides a handheld exam kit to aid diagnosis during telehealth visits; the Clinic, a virtual second opinion service provided by Amwell in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic; and BioBeat, which provides a tool for continuous monitoring of vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate via a wrist or chest monitor.

Liked this article? Sign up to receive our regular email newsletters, focused on Africa and World’s healthcare industry, directly into your inbox. SUBSCRIBE HERE