Hill-Rom Holdings (NYSE:HRC) said today it launched the VisiVest System designed for patients in need of airway clearance therapy.
The newly launched system combines high-frequency chest-wall oscillation technology, as well as wireless connectivity, enabled by Qualcomm‘s (NASDAQ: QCOM) Qualcomm Life subsidiary, to allow therapy adherence data to be transmitted to caregivers to improve clinical decision making, the company said.
“In healthcare, the ability to make decisions based on accurate, timely information is essential. The VisiVest System and Qualcomm Life’s 2net connectivity solution bring care teams and patients closer, helping to better manage patients’ illness and improve their quality of life,” Hill-Rom front line care prez Alton Shader said in a press release.
Data from the VisiVest system is remotely and securely transmitted to the company’s VisiView health portal, via Qualcomm Life’s 2Net hub, Hill-Rom said.
“We are thrilled to be working with a global industry leader in health care technology and excited by the impact our collaboration with Hill-Rom can have for chronic lung disease patients and their caregivers. By combining Hill-Rom’s leadership in health care with Qualcomm Life’s expertise in connectivity, we are innovating to deliver effortless connected experiences that empower patients and their care providers,” Qualcomm Life prez Rick Valencia said in prepared remarks.
“What I like most about the VisiVest System is being able to see my patients’ session data and trends. Now I’m not just telling my patients the more adherent they are to their therapy, the higher their pulmonary function numbers are likely to be. We can actually look at their adherence score together and have a more comprehensive conversation about their numbers,” Tom Newton of Long Beach, Calif.’s Miller Children’s Hospital said in a prepared statement.
In April, Hill-Rom saw shares take a dive after the company reported that fiscal 2nd-quarter sales missed expectations despite the contribution of new acquisition Welch Allyn.
Chicago-based Hill-Rom said profits were $22.3 million, or 33¢ per share, on sales of $632.6 million for the 3 months ended March 31, for a -14.6% bottom-line slide on sales growth of 33.2%. Adjusted to exclude 1-time items, earnings per share were 71¢, a penny ahead of expectations on Wall Street.
But analysts there were looking for sales of $651.8 million, and although Hill-Rom hiked the low end of its earnings outlook, it cut its sales guidance to $2.64 billion to $2.67 billion from $2.66 billion to $2.70 billion. Investors reacted to the miss by pushing HRC shares down 8.5% to $48.57 the day of the release.
