Google announced three updates at the Google Health Equity Summit, including a new video series partnership, improved search features and an expanded program with Fitbit.

The results, shared at AHA 2021, found that a third of adults who used an ECG patch after getting a heart rhythm notification from their Fitbit had atrial fibrillation. However, the study faced some challenges with adherence, as many patients who got a notification did not follow up.

People who access Onduo through their employer will have access to the wearables and Fitbit’s subscription program. Google closed its acquisition of Fitbit earlier this year, and Onduo is a subsidiary of Google’s sister company, Verily.

The tech giant plans to dissolve its health division with the departure of leader Dr. David Feinberg. But Google maintains that healthcare is still a big focus for the company, and that the division’s projects and staff would continue under other leaders. 

A study by the Scripps Research Institute used wearables to track the long-term effects after Covid-19 infection. On average, it took months for people’s resting heart rates to return to baseline. 

Google recently reshuffled its health division, moving a significant number of employees over to its Fitbit and Search businesses. Analysts said it’s no surprise Google would focus its consumer health efforts on Fitbit, given Fitbit’s broad reach and the competition to add more meaningful health features to these devices. 

Fitbit is launching a trial to see if its its newest smartwatch could use pulse arrival time to measure blood pressure. Other wearable companies have tried to add wrist-based blood pressure features to their devices, but so far, they have limited accuracy. 

Google announced it had closed its planned acquisition of Fitbit on Thursday, even thought the deal is still being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

After European regulators signed off on the deal, Australian regulators rejected a proposal by Google to assuage concerns about its proposed acquisition of Fitbit. They will continue their investigation of the merger through the end of March.

The virtual study, which included wearable data from more than 30,500 participants, found that changes in sleep, activity and heart rate levels, along with self-reported symptom data, could be used to identify potential cases of Covid-19.

After sharing early data from a study of its wearables’ ability to detect Covid-19 early, Fitbit plans to launch a prospective study with Northwell Health to see if its algorithm can detect illness before symptoms appear.    

The wearables maker received 510(k) clearance for an electrocardiogram app used to assess heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation.

Fitbit’s new, $330 smartwatch has a slew of new features, including a wrist-based temperature sensor and a sensor to monitor stress.

Regulators with the European Commission said they would launch a full investigation of Google’s proposed acquisition of Fitbit.  The deal has drawn close scrutiny from regulators who worry about the amount of data Google would be able to access.

Google has reportedly pledged not to use Fitbit’s user data for its advertising business. With the deadline quickly approaching, is it enough that European regulators will approve the deal?

Fitbit launched a large-scale study to validate the use of its technology to detect atrial fibrillation. The company plans to enroll hundreds of thousands of people into the virtual study.  

Scripps Research launched a new study to see if data collective from wearable devices could be used to track flu-like illnesses, including Covid-19. In January, Scripps published a retrospective study using a similar methodology showing that sleep and resting heart rate data from Fitbits were correlated with the number of patients reporting influenza-like illness.  

Fitbit saw its margins decline from last year, after it rolled out a series of lower-priced devices to woo new users. The company is on the verge of being acquired by Google for $2.1 billion, with the deal pending regulators’ approval.

A new study by the Scripps Research Translational Institute suggests Fitbits could be used to detect the flu. By tracking resting heart rate and activity levels, researchers said Fitbits could improve detection of outbreaks at the state level.

Patients with type 2 diabetes on WellCare of Georgia’s Medicaid plan will be able to receive the wearables as part of their plan starting in 2020.

We spoke to investors and analysts to figure out why Google is buying Fitbit, a company that hasn’t made much of a dent in the healthcare world.

Software designed to detect atrial fibrillation – estimated to affect 8 million Americans this year – will be created for Fitbit and submitted to the FDA for approval.

While the devices themselves will be free for users, additional health coaching services and software offerings will require a monthly fee.

With the new feature, members have the ability to link their Apple, Fitbit or Samsung smartwatches to the company’s app to receive health information on their wrist and share activity information back with Livongo to better personalize activity and health suggestions.

MedCity News caught up with Omron Healthcare CEO Ranndy Kellogg at the the AdvaMed Digital MedTech Conference in San Francisco to speak about the company’s new products, emerging business lines and how collaboration with other companies have driven recent innovation.

The product (codenamed Dylan) is being developed by Amazon’s hardware development team Lab126 and its Alexa division. Designed to be worn on the wrist, the device seemingly has a form factor similar to a smartwatch.

Last year, Rahman told Recode that he was reviving the company as Jawbone Health, moving the focus of the company away from fitness tracking and toward remote patient monitoring.

More than 230,000 people have started the process of joining the research program and more than 142,000 have completed the program’s first research protocol.

CTA’s working group, which includes more than 30 different organizations, is an effort to bring stakeholders together to create common understanding around AI definitions, proper data management and ethical considerations like bias and privacy.

The company in betting hard on its Fitbit Health Solutions enterprise business line as it shifts its business model from device sales to recurring software and services revenue. The business line is projected to hit $100 million in revenue in 2019.