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One of the most popular healthcare subjects in recent years has been bringing the hospital into a patient’s home as a way to make care more accessible and lower overall healthcare costs.
Withings, a French consumer electronics company, is getting into the hospital-at-home business with its new device that executives touted as being able to perform a “one-minute health checkup.” BeamO, which debuted at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) conference in Las Vegas on January 7, allows patients to check their vitals at home and send the data straight to their doctors.
“Once, body temperature was the only health scan routinely taken at home. BeamO will revolutionize the measurement of the core vitals carried out during medical visits from the comfort of one’s own home,” Eric Carreel, founder and president of Withings, said in a statement.
The device, which is smaller than a smartphone, measures a patient’s temperature and blood oxygen levels. When held up to the patient’s chest, the device also measures their heart rate and listens to their lungs. Those vitals can be sent straight to the patient’s clinician via the accompanying Withings app, which guides consumers through the process of using the device. Patients can also use the BeamO device in conjunction with a clinician during a telehealth appointment, Elizabeth Coleon, chief marketing officer at Withings, told Healthcare Brew.
Withings is in the process of receiving FDA clearance for the BeamO device in the US, and plans to sell it directly to consumers starting sometime in 2024, Coleon said. The device will cost $249.95.