Fitness wearable Whoop to offer on-demand clinician access in U.S.
Whoop fitness wearable.
Courtesy: Whoop
Wearable fitness tracker Whoop announced Friday that it will offer in-app access to licensed clinicians on-demand for users in the United States.
The new feature comes alongside a number of health and AI-focused features launched globally that allow users to combine their continuous biometric data with medical guidance in real-time.
Most new features are included in the membership price, but live video consultations will be available at an additional cost for US users. Pricing and details will be available when this option launches this summer, according to the company.
“Whoop is a membership, and we take that seriously,” Ed Baker, Whoop’s chief product officer, said in the press release. “We’re always asking how we can deliver more value to our members, and these upcoming features are some of the most meaningful we’ve ever built.”
It was stated that Whoop, which has more than 2.5 million users worldwide, completed a $575 million financing round in March, increasing the company’s valuation to $10.1 billion.
Medical consultations will begin with a comprehensive evaluation of the data collected by the device and, when possible, blood work and medical history, the company said in a statement.
A spokesperson told CNBC that the video consultation feature is designed to complement a user’s existing care and is not a replacement for a primary doctor or emergency room. Details about prescribing through the service “are not available at this time,” the company said in a statement later Friday.
“As our data and coaching insights become more advanced and personalized, the next step is to provide members with access to a comprehensive understanding of their overall health,” Whoop CEO Will Ahmed told CNBC.
The update also includes a partnership with health records custodian HealthEx. Users will be able to track diagnoses, medications, and procedures directly in the Whoop app and receive AI-powered personalized coaching and proactive check-in reminders.
It’s been less than a year since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent Whoop a warning letter about its Blood Pressure Analytics feature. The FDA said Whoop was marketing an unauthorized medical device for the purpose of diagnosing, treating, curing or preventing a disease.
New FDA guidance But the law, published in January, allows optical-sensing blood pressure measurements on wellness devices, as long as they don’t make “medical-grade” diagnostic claims.
