UnitedHealth partners with mobile health IT companies

UnitedHealth, which has outlined a clear strategy for mobile health, announced Monday that it's partnering with three mobile health information technology (IT) companies. However, the insurance giant didn't disclose terms of the relationships, reported MedCity News.

The companies that UnitedHealth chose to partner with--CareSpeak Communications, Lose It! and FitBit--all offer health-related mobile applications or devices that allow patients to text their medication intakes to doctors, track physical activity and manage weight gain, respectively.

"Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the way that people take control of their health," said Rick Jelinek, executive vice president and chief executive of UnitedHealth's Emerging Business Group.

Recent survey results support Jelinek's claim about the trend. Research firm Frost & Sullivan found that the mobile health app market will grow 70 percent to almost $400 million during the next five years. And because the market has "consistently outpaced forecast growth and revenue" during the past two years, the market may grow even larger.

Although UnitedHealth didn't explain how it will integrate the companies' apps into its own offerings, it said it will incorporate Fitbit into its own mobile health app, OptumizeMe, according to Twin Cities Business.

To learn more:
- see the UnitedHealth press release
- read the MedCity News article
- check out the Twin Cities Business article

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