Qualcomm Life now has its sights set on devices in the hospital.
The San Diego-based healthcare spinoff of Qualcomm, whose 2net hub gathers and organizes data from medical-grade devices in homes and other locations outside the healthcare setting, has acquired Capsule Technologie, whose focus is on gathering data from devices inside hospitals, clinics and other healthcare sites.
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"We now have the largest ecosystem of connected medical devices with Capsule," Rick Valencia, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life, told Forbes. "We're extending our reach from the home to the hospital and all the points in between. So wherever the patient might be, we'll create the connective tissue to bring all this data back into the system."
The deal looks to be a perfect fit for Qualcomm Life, whose claim to fame is that its platform gathers data seamlessly from devices and mHealth solutions, without any action (or interference) from consumers. That, company officials have pointed out, means the data coming into providers is reliable and objective. Andover, Mass.-based Capsule Tech, meanwhile, markets SmartLinx, a platform that gathers information from devices and platforms inside the healthcare setting, then routes that data to management platforms for analysis.
By integrating that platform with 2net, Qualcomm Life aims to create a larger, more complete ecosystem by which providers can access and analyze a patient's healthcare data. Officials say they're moving beyond the ever-growing Internet of Things movement to create a healthcare-specific connected landscape.
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"Qualcomm is focused on strengthening its position in specific Internet of Everything verticals, like healthcare," Derek Aberle, Qualcomm's president, said in a press release. "The acquisition of Capsule expands the breadth of our healthcare platform, enabling us to provide connectivity solutions for the entire care continuum and create one of the world's largest connected health ecosystems. This will be an important step in advancing the Internet of Medical Things."
"As healthcare continues to move into the home and ambulatory settings and outside of traditional care areas such as the hospital, the convergence of medical device data from wherever the patient is located is critically important," added Gene Cattarina, Capsule's CEO, in the release. "Together, Qualcomm Life and Capsule will power this convergence by making data more accessible and interoperable among care teams to provide true continuity of care at the hospital, in the home and at all points in between."
The partnership has global implications as well. While Qualcomm's reach extends across the globe, and Qualcomm Life has been gradually building relationships in Europe and other parts of the world, Capsule Tech boasts partnerships with some 1,930 hospitals in 38 countries and has regional headquarters in South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
Homepage image via Flickr user Kārlis Dambrāns.
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