PALO ALTO, CA, May 14, 2008 — Ileana Welte has been named Vice President of Sales of Health Hero Network and has become a member of the company’s executive team, led by CEO Derek Newell. The appointment of Ms. Welte, a registered nurse with over 25 years of clinical, technology, and sales experience, is intended to accelerate the market leadership of the company, recently acquired by the Germany-based Bosch Group.
Health Hero Network markets the Health Buddy System, a technology platform that enables clinicians to efficiently manage populations of individuals with chronic conditions who drive most health-care utilization, while providing those individuals with self-management support.
Ms. Welte’s previous roles include serving as chief marketing officer of CareGuide, a care-management company that focuses on individuals with complex chronic conditions and needs. At CareGuide, Ms. Welte established partnerships with a number of large health plans, including WellPoint, Aetna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Ms. Welte has served in a range of senior roles with a variety of technology companies. She joined Health Hero Network as a senior business development and sales consultant in mid-2007.
“Ileana has a combination of experiences and successes that make her uniquely qualified to lead our sales effort,” Mr. Newell said. “She is well positioned to understand the need of our current and prospective customers in putting technology to work in improving their outcomes and making their operations more efficient. Most importantly, she brings to her work a passion for using technology to make people’s lives better.”
“My first experience with the Health Buddy System was as a client who witnessed its role in bringing a transformational change to health care delivery for consumers with chronic conditions,” Ms. Welte said. “I am very excited to be joining the Health Hero Network team as we work together to expand the reach of this highly effective and proven platform to the companies who share our vision of the next generation of health care delivery.”
Health Hero Network intends to continue to market and support its second-generation Health Buddy Appliance, released in 2005, and its first-generation Health Buddy Appliance, released in 1999. The company will seek 510k clearance from the Federal Food and Drug Administration for the third-generation Health Buddy Appliance.
