Google And Fitbit Partner On Wearables Data Options

Fitbit and Google have announced plans to work together, in a deal intended to “transform the future of digital health and wearables.” While the notion of transforming digital health is hyperbole even for companies the size of Google and Fitbit, the pairing does have plenty of potential.

In a nutshell, Fitbit and Google expect to take on both consumer and enterprise health projects that integrate data from EMRs, wearables and other sources of patient information together. Given the players involved, it’s hard to doubt that at least something neat will emerge from their union.

Among the first things the pair plans to use Google’s new Cloud Healthcare API to connect Fitbit data with EMRs. Of course, readers will know that it’s one thing to say this and another to actually do it, but gross oversimplifications aside, the idea is worth pursuing.

Also, using services such as those offered by Twine Health– a recent Fitbit acquisition — the two companies will work to better manage chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Twine offers a connected health platform which leverages Fitbit data to offer customized health coaching.

Of course, as part of the deal Fitbit is moving to the Google Cloud Platform, which will supply the expected cloud services and engineering support.

The two say that moving to the Cloud Platform will offer Fitbit advanced security capabilities which will help speed up the growth of Fitbit Health Solutions business. They also expect to make inroads in population health analysis. For its part, Google also notes that it will bring its AI, machine learning capabilities and predictive analytics algorithms to the table.

It might be worth a small caution here. Google makes a point of saying it is “committed” to meeting HIPAA standards, and that most Google Cloud products do already. That “most” qualifier would make me a little bit nervous as a provider, but I know, why worry about these niceties when big deals are afoot. However, fair warning that when someone says general comments like this about meeting HIPAA standards, it probably means they already employ high security standards which are likely better than HIPAA. However, it also means that they probably don’t comply with HIPAA since HIPAA is about more than security and requires a contractual relationship between provider and business associate and the associated liability of being a business associate.

Anyway, to round out all of this good stuff, Fitbit and Google said they expect to “innovate and transform” the future of wearables, pairing Fitbit’s brand, community, data and high-profile devices with Google’s extreme data management and cloud capabilities.

You know folks, it’s not that I don’t think this is interesting. I wouldn’t be writing about if I didn’t. But I do think it’s worth pointing out how little this news announcement says, really.

Yes, I realize that when partnerships begin, they are by definition all big ideas and plans. But when giants like Google, much less Fitbit, have to fall back on words like innovate and transform (yawn!), the whole thing is still pretty speculative. Just sayin’.

About the author

Anne Zieger

Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.

   

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