Fitbit AI coach gains access to medical records in new update

Google is adding new features to Fitbit, its healthcare wearable device, including the ability to link medical records to the Fitbit app to provide a more comprehensive view of one's health.

Announced at the tech giant's annual health event, The Check Up, the integration will allow users to view lab results, medications and visit history alongside the health metrics tracked by the wearable fitness tracker and smartwatch. The capability will be available to Public Preview users in the U.S. next month.

Fitbit Public Preview provides access to an AI-driven health coach that provides personalized support to enhance fitness, sleep and wellness goals. By connecting medical records to the Fitbit app, the health coach can glean insights from a user's labs and medical history in addition to wearable device data.

"This allows the coach to provide personalized wellness guidance for complex questions, like how to improve your cholesterol, based on your actual clinical data," Michael Howell, M.D., chief health officer at Google, wrote in a blog post.

Google collaborated with b. well Connected Health and CLEAR to enable users to link their medical records. Users will be able to search for their healthcare provider and link their patient portal to Fitbit or verify their identity with CLEAR and the app will search for records on the user's behalf. Additionally, the app will automatically locate and sync records across different providers using IAL2-certified standards.

The company noted that the records will be stored securely within Fitbit and will not be used for ads.

The additions align with the goals of the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem initiative. Google, b. well Connected Health and CLEAR are participating in the initiative, which aims to boost information sharing through an interoperability framework and increase patient access to personalized information and guidance. The organizations have signed voluntary pledges to build conversational AI assistants that deliver personalized support and empower patients to retrieve and share their health records.

In addition to the medical record linking capability, the company will allow users to connect a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to their Fitbit through Health Connect.

"You can then ask the coach how a specific workout or meal affects your glucose levels to better understand your metabolic health," Howell wrote. Public Preview users will have access to this integration capability next month.

Further, Google announced improvements to Fitbit's sleep-tracking feature. These include improved sleep stage accuracy and optimized AI to better track interruptions and restlessness. According to the company, these improvements will enable a more transparent sleep score and actionable insights.

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.