Fitness wearable Whoop provides on-demand access for doctors in the US
Whoop Fitness portable.
Courtesy: Whoop
Wearable fitness tracker Whoop announced Friday that it will introduce in-app access to on-demand licensed doctors to users in the United States.
The new feature joins a range of health and artificial intelligence-based features rolling out globally, allowing users to connect their continuous biometric data with real-time medical advice.
Many of the new features are included in the membership price, but US users will incur an additional cost for live video consultation. Pricing and details will be announced 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 ourselves how we can deliver value to our members, and these upcoming features are some of the most significant we’ve ever developed.”
Whoop, which has over 2.5 million users worldwide, closed a $575 million funding round in March, raising the company’s value to $10.1 billion, it said.
Medical consultations begin with a comprehensive evaluation of the data collected by the device, as well as blood tests and medical history when available, the company said in its press release.
A spokesperson told CNBC that the video consultation feature is intended to complement a user’s existing care and not replace a primary care doctor or emergency service. The company said later on Friday that details about prescribing through the service were “currently unavailable.”
“As our data and coaching insights have become more advanced and personalized, the next step is to give members access to a comprehensive understanding of their overall health,” Whoop CEO Will Ahmed told CNBC.
The update also includes a partnership with health records manager HealthEx. Users can track diagnoses, medications and procedures directly in the Whoop app and receive AI-powered personalized coaching and proactive check-in reminders.
It comes less than a year after the US Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Whoop over its Blood Pressure Insights feature. The FDA said Whoop is marketing an unapproved medical device intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent a disease.
However, new FDA guidance issued in January allows optical blood pressure measurements in wellness devices as long as they do not make diagnostic claims of “medical grade.”
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