Aditi Pai

Novartis has announced a partnership with Qualcomm Life, a subsidiary of Qualcomm, to develop a connected version of its inhaler, Breezhaler, for people who have COPD.

Although 66 percent of the largest 100 US hospitals have consumer-facing mobile apps, and 38 percent of those have developed proprietary apps for their patients, a mere 2 percent of patients at those 66 hospitals are using apps provided to them, according to an Accenture report.

Dublin, Ohio-based HealthSpot, which offers telemedicine kiosks for workplace and retail locations, has shut down, according to a report over at MedCity News.

Only a month after GreatCall announced that it had acquired the assets of aging in place startup Lively, GreatCall unveiled the Lively Wearable by GreatCall.

Misfit has unveiled a new activity tracking device that is cylindrical in shape instead of round like Misfit’s other trackers.

Fitbit has launched its newest and arguably most stylish fitness tracking device, called Blaze, which offers similar functionality to a smartwatch.

The most recent app from Logicworks, an app development company led by Matthew Nifield, which uses the iPhone's own touch screen to weigh food, was rejected by the Apple App Store.

Hometeam, a senior-focused, home care company, has raised $27.

Minneapolis, Minnesota-based telemedicine company Zipnosis has raised $17 million in a round led by Safeguard Scientifics with participation from Ascension Ventures as well as existing investors Fairview Health Services, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Arthur Ventures, Waterline Ventures and Omphalos Ventures.

This year, larger payers, including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Humana, made a number of announcements in early 2015, but news from these big companies slowed as the year progressed.