Healthcare technology firms Best Buy Health and Apple collaborate on developing tools tailored for senior citizens.
Best Buy Health Expands Health Services with Apple Watch Tools
In a move to further its presence in the health technology sector, Best Buy Health has released new health and safety tools for older adults via Apple Watch. The company, which acquired GreatCall in 2018 for $800 million, aims to provide a greater sense of connection and independence for older adults using the Apple Watch.
The new tools include the Live Agent Assist feature, Urgent Response, Urgent Care, and the GreatCall Link app. With the Live Agent Assist feature, an agent calls when the Apple Watch detects a hard fall to check if the user needs help and contacts family members if necessary. Urgent Response connects customers with agents to assist in emergencies, while Urgent Care allows users to speak to a registered nurse or board-certified doctor without an appointment at any time. The GreatCall Link app notifies loved ones in a crisis and provides updates regarding the device.
However, there is no publicly available information about the specific availability date for the Live Agent Assist feature in Best Buy Health’s Lively Health & Safety Services on Apple Watch. If Live Agent Assist is tethered to a new watchOS update or a new hardware launch, it could coincide with Apple’s September event, but this is not confirmed. For precise availability, it’s advisable to monitor announcements from Best Buy Health, Apple, or official product release communications.
Best Buy Health has had to shift its workforce in recent years, slashing 5,000 mostly full-time jobs and adding 2,000 part-time roles. During the last fiscal year, Best Buy Health cut 17% of its staff. The company's strategy involves producing consumer health products, device-based emergency response tools, and virtual care services.
In 2018, Best Buy had 900,000 paying subscribers on GreatCall. The Preferred Health & Safety package includes features such as Urgent Response, Urgent Care, and the GreatCall Link app. The Apple Watch tools are intended to provide added peace of mind for both older adults and their families.
CEO Corie Barry stated that Best Buy Health had too many full-time employees and not enough part-time workers. The company's recent moves in health technology, including the expansion of its Lively Health & Safety tools, are part of a broader strategy to focus on virtual care services and device-based emergency response tools. Other traditional retailers, including Walmart, Rite Aid, and Walgreens, are also expanding into the healthcare services space.
- The technology sector is evolving with Best Buy Health's expansion of health services using Apple Watch tools.
- These tools aim to increase connection and independence for older adults, with features such as Live Agent Assist, Urgent Response, Urgent Care, and the GreatCall Link app.
- However, the exact availability date for Live Agent Assist is yet to be confirmed, possibly linked to a watchOS update or new hardware launch.
- Best Buy Health has seen changes in its workforce, trimming 5,000 full-time jobs while adding 2,000 part-time roles in recent years.
- The company focuses on producing consumer health products, device-based emergency response tools, and virtual care services.
- In 2018, Best Buy Health had 900,000 paying subscribers through GreatCall, offering packages like Preferred Health & Safety with access to Urgent Response, Urgent Care, and the GreatCall Link app.
- CEO Corie Barry expressed the need for more part-time workers, highlighting Best Buy Health's shift towards focusing on virtual care services and device-based emergencies.
- Other traditional retailers like Walmart, Rite Aid, and Walgreens are also entering the healthcare services industry, following suit in the technological advancement of health and wellness.
- The retail industry, including finance, business, and even the fitness-and-exercise, health-and-wellness, technology, and nutrition sectors, may witness further integration of smartphones, gadgets, and AI in the near future, with smart devices like the Apple Watch playing a significant role.
