Philips has launched its smartphone- and tablet-connected ultrasound system for physicians, called Lumify, in the United States, just a few weeks after it was cleared by the FDA for prescription use. The system is available for a month-to-month subscription starting at $199.
The system consists of the Lumify transducer, which connects to the app via USB connection; the companion app, available on Android devices; and access to an online support portal that provides users with training resources as well as account management tools. The online support portal has not yet launched, but Philips said it is coming soon.
"In an increasingly connected world where the power of technology is at our fingertips, it's no longer enough to create an ultrasound product or service," Philips Vice President and Business Segment Leader for Ultra Mobile Randy Hamlin said in a statement. "At Philips, we create solutions holistically with the patient at the center. Lumify leverages advanced digital health technology to provide critical information to the right people at the right time, transforming how we approach care delivery and connecting the various touch points along the health continuum."
Clinicians can use the transducers for acute and emergency care, internal medicine, musculoskeletal urgent care, and office practice. The Lumify app allows users to examine the gall bladder, abdomen, and lungs. The device also has ob-gyn, vascular, superficial, musculoskeletal, and soft tissue functionality.
Earlier this year, Philips announced a couple of new digital health offerings.
In early September, Philips announced a suite of personal connected health devices at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. The announcement included not just the devices, but “health programs” encompassing the device, an app-based personalized program, and secure data analysis in the cloud. The suite will include a health-tracking smart watch, a tubeless, rechargeable upper arm blood pressure monitor, a smaller rechargeable blood pressure monitor for the wrist, a body analysis scale, and an ear thermometer that returns results in two seconds.
About a week later, Philips unveiled a mobile diabetes monitoring system, developed in partnership with Netherlands-based Radboud University Medical Center and Salesforce, for people with type 1 diabetes. The platform was built using Philips’ cloud-based HealthSuite offering and the Salesforce App Cloud.
Another company that has developed a smartphone-connected ultrasound, Mobisante, raised $4.2 million for its device in June 2013.
