Make more room for pictures on the refrigerator: GE Healthcare and the handheld ultrasound developer Pulsenmore aim to give expectant parents the opportunity to chart their pregnancies at home and perform the scans themselves.
Pulsenmore’s device docks with a smartphone, allowing women to conduct their own exams and potentially skip an in-person doctor’s visit. The user can be guided online through a telehealth service or offline by following the steps in an app.
The Israeli startup aims to offer fast clinical feedback for periodic fetal ultrasound scans, and GE Healthcare is now supporting the company through an equity investment worth up to $50 million—to help the medtech enter what it describes as a rapidly expanding market of homecare and telemedicine services.
“Healthcare providers are predicting a significant shift of care services from traditional facilities to the home, which will require an increase in the level of quality or access,” GE Healthcare Ultrasound President and CEO Roland Rott said in a statement. “We also recognize the desire of patients—in this case, pregnant women—to be more empowered and involved in their healthcare.”
Source:fiercebiotech.com | Conor Hale