Short takes: Stryker to buy Care.ai, Masimo W1 medical watch clears FDA for oxygen, heart monitoring, Create Health Ventures forms $21M fund

Medical/surgical device giant Stryker snapping up Care.ai. Price and financing are not disclosed. Orlando-based Care.ai specializes in sensor-based smart room technologies for hospitals and post-acute care facilities along with virtual care data analysis and workflows. Timing of the closing is based upon the usual regulatory approvals and Care.ai will operate separately until then. After that, it’s projected that it will be integrated into Stryker’s 2022 acquisition Vocera Communications’ platform and devices.  Care.ai may be just the first deal for Stryker’s second half, as their CEO Kevin Lobo promised on the Q2 investor call a “very active deal pipeline” of tuck-in acquisitions. According to HIStalk, Care.ai co-founder and CEO Chakri Toleti sold his previous venture, HealthGrid, to Allscripts (now Veradigm) in 2018 for $60 million. MedTech Dive, Stryker release

Despite the proxy fight, business as usual goes on with Masimo. Their W1 medical watch for remote patient monitoring, integrated into the Masimo SafetyNet telemonitoring platform, received FDA 510(k) clearance. The watch MW-1 module monitors high-resolution SpO2, pulse rate, perfusion index (Pi), and heart rate from an ECG from a single wearable device. Readouts are both on desktop for the clinician and on an app for patients and caregivers. All can receive customized notifications and manage care remotely. The Masimo W1 medical watch and the integrated Masimo MW-1 module are indicated for adults in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and homes. No cost is provided and it is not available on the website, but the W1 Sport consumer version is $549.  SleepReview, Masimo product page.

Another sign of digital health investment revival–a new venture capital fund not started by Glen Tullman. Create Health Ventures is kicking off its inaugural fund with $21 million. Its focus will be on early-stage startups founded by experienced healthcare veterans on two tracks, according to their announcement release

  1. For payers, improve access to care for everyone, enhance the patient experience, and facilitate better health outcomes
  2. For pharmaceutical companies, technologies they can use to recruit and retain patients for clinical trials, as later-stage trial needs swell in the industry

The two founders and managing partners, who started the firm in Austin and Chicago in 2021, are Emma Cartmell and Amit Aysola. They have advised or invested in over 80 companies. Venture Capital Journal, Mobihealthnews

Categories: Latest News.