Livongo Health Secures $49.5 Million Strategic Investment from Humana to Advance Digital Diabetes Management Platform

On May 10, digital health company Livongo Health announced that it had secured a $49.5 million Series C strategic investment from U.S. health insurer Humana, bringing its total funding to $82.5 million. Livongo Health has been committed to integrating its professional resources with cloud technology to help patients with diabetes and other chronic conditions manage their health more proactively and effectively. This equity investment will better support Livongo Health’s growth and accelerate the research and development of its diabetes management products.

Sarah Ahmad, Vice President and Head of Innovation for Customer Health Solutions at Humana, stated, “Our industry is continuously shifting toward value-based care, motivating all of us to collaborate and reinvent healthcare products. Our partnership with Livongo Health serves as a prime example that collaboration is the key to success.”

Your Caring Steward for Diabetes Patients

Livongo Health is the first diabetes management company to serve patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, providing them with mobile, digital, and personalized services. It enables diabetic patients to effectively manage their condition and conveniently share timely information with their families and healthcare teams.

Every Livongo Health user receives an InTouch blood glucose meter, the first patented cellular-enabled, two-way interactive device of its kind. The meter collects users’ biometric data and uploads it to the cloud. The cloud platform integrates patients’ historical data, clinical data, and predictive models to generate actionable insights, which are immediately fed back to the patient. These data can also be shared with the patient’s family and healthcare team, including verified experts on the Livongo Health platform, who provide real-time feedback and assistance via push notifications, text messages, emails, or phone calls. Additionally, Livongo Health provides users with unlimited free blood glucose test strips and helps address daily challenges.

Humana’s Pharmaceutical Layout

Through strategic investment, Humana has brought Livongo Health into its “circle of friends,” helping Livongo Health expand its channels and integrate diabetes management by combining customer-centric technology with personalized coaching.

In October 2014, Humana and Apple jointly announced that they had reached a cooperation agreement on data sharing via the HealthKit platform, enabling health data exchange through HealthKit. If users observe deteriorating health conditions via the HealthKit platform, they can consult Humana for health insurance services at any time. However, in most cases, Humana proactively contacts users after receiving health data—such as heart rate and blood pressure.

In addition to partnering with Apple’s HealthKit, Humana has also built its own platform. In October 2013, Humana acquired Healthrageous, a company that develops internet-based healthcare apps. Following the acquisition, some Healthrageous employees transitioned to work for Humana, which was seen as a significant signal of reform for HumanaVitality.

In addition to this app, Humana has developed other applications for members and consumers, such as MyHumana, Humana atHome, Humana Pharmacy, and Humana Core. In July 2013, Humana launched its pharmacy app, RightSource. In January 2015, RightSource added a medication reminder feature to ensure users take their medications on time.