PALO ALTO, CA, May 15, 2008 – Health Hero Network, Inc., has begun shipping its third-generation Health Buddy® Appliance, with enhancements that take the leading telehealth technology solution for managing individuals with chronic conditions in their homes to a new level of ease of use and accessibility. Health Hero Network is a unit of the Bosch Group.
Some of the new features include:
- Built-in ability to upload results and retrieve new surveys via Ethernet, in addition to the traditional telephone connectivity.
- A larger, brighter, higher contrast screen for enhanced content readability.
- Built-in wireless infrared (IR) support for medical devices.
“We continue to set the standard within the telehealth industry for creating content and interfaces that are clinically robust and easy to use, said Health Hero Network CEO Derek Newell. We plan to expand that accessibility by moving on to the Web and other interfaces in the coming year.”
The third-generation Health Buddy Appliance will be the new flagship interface modality to the Health Buddy System. The Health Buddy System is a technology platform that, since its release in 1999, has generated breakthrough improvements in keeping individuals with chronic conditions healthier and thus reducing hospital admissions and emergency room visits. The third-generation Health Buddy Appliance is a FDA-cleared Class II medical device.
The Health Buddy Appliance is a key vehicle for the industry’s only interactive daily content programs certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for monitoring and assessing individuals with chronic conditions in their homes and providing them with education and self-management support. More than 20,000 individuals with chronic conditions currently interact with the Health Buddy System through their use of a Health Buddy Appliance – the Health Buddy System is utilized more than any other system for monitoring and managing individuals with complex chronic conditions in their homes. The feedback provided by the Health Buddy Appliances provides caregivers with actionable, evidence-based knowledge to create individualized, preventive interventions.
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.
