Propeller Health Files for IPO: Revolutionizing Respiratory Disease Management with Smart Inhaler Platform

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic respiratory conditions characterized by difficulty breathing due to airway dilation and constriction. To alleviate symptoms such as dyspnea, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, patients often use inhalers. The timing and frequency of inhaler use are among the key criteria for assessing the level of asthma and COPD control in patients.

Uncontrolled respiratory diseases carry a higher risk and, more severely, can lead to death. In the United States, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impose a substantial economic burden on society each year. Approximately 8.4% of Americans—more than 25 million people—have asthma, resulting in over 10 million physician visits, 2 million emergency department visits, 500,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths annually.

In fact, disease management for the aforementioned populations has been inadequate. It is only in the past decade that efforts to improve asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management through traditional disease management approaches have gradually gained momentum. In 2007, David Van Sickle, Greg Tracy, and Mark Gehring founded Propeller Health in Wisconsin, United States. The company is dedicated to adopting innovative approaches to enhance the management of chronic respiratory diseases, making asthma and COPD management easier and more convenient.

Simply put, Propeller Health is a company that provides respiratory health management solutions. It offers a mobile platform comprising sensors, a mobile application, analytics, and services to support respiratory health management. The platform is HIPAA-compliant and capable of storing user data on cloud computing platforms.


Service Process:
Experts recommend that patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) track their symptoms, triggers, and medication adherence. However, maintaining continuous records or regularly updating logs is a cumbersome and challenging process, and over time, these records may become inaccurate and incomplete.

The Propeller sensor enables continuous monitoring of patients’ medication use by recording the time and location of inhaler usage. This compact device attaches to the top of existing inhalers and maintains their original functionality during use. By facilitating objective data collection and providing feedback, it helps patients better understand and manage asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Propeller sensors and the mobile app help users learn about and better manage their asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other respiratory conditions. Propeller sensors attach to users’ inhalers and wirelessly sync data to their smartphones. The sensors track triggers and symptoms, delivering personalized feedback and educational content to the phone based on symptom patterns. Users can monitor how frequently they use their medication, set medication reminders, and receive alerts. Additionally, the Propeller community enables users to share their Propeller data with their doctors and family members.



The Propeller sensor can wirelessly synchronize with smartphones equipped with Bluetooth modules. Pairing is also straightforward; once successfully paired, the smartphone will automatically receive data collected by the sensor when it is in proximity to the phone.

The Propeller mobile application, available for iOS and Android, enables users to review data captured by sensors and provides personalized feedback and educational information to improve the management of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Propeller can automatically save a series of data, including the time, date, and location where the inhaler was used.

The Propeller app is currently available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store; however, outside of the app itself, users are recommended to use the companion Propeller sensor.


Each individual’s health status is unique. To enable physicians to better understand a patient’s condition, it is advisable to provide objective data, including the timing and location of medication administration, as well as the frequency of symptom occurrence and medication use. Patients can share their data with physicians, who can then leverage this information for remote monitoring of symptoms and to determine when adjustments to the treatment plan are necessary.



Target Users:
Patients, Healthcare Providers
From the Patient’s Perspective—


Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may impair patients' health-related quality of life, as symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing can interfere with their work, study, and recreational activities.
Propeller provides patients with tools and personalized services, enabling easy tracking of their symptoms. These data help patients better understand asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and assist physicians in optimizing treatment plans.

1. Tracking and Learning
Propeller can track when and where patients use their inhalers, wirelessly syncing this data to smartphones. The Propeller website then sends personalized feedback and educational information to the phone based on the patient’s symptoms. Users can easily monitor their medication usage frequency and set up medication reminders and alerts, enabling proactive management rather than waiting for the next flare-up to use their medication.

2. Sharing and Community


Patients can share data collected by Propeller with their physicians or family members. When children use their inhalers, parents can track the frequency of medication administration and receive alerts. Meanwhile, adult children can remotely monitor their parents’ condition to determine whether doses have been missed. By sharing this data with physicians, clinicians gain an accurate overview of the patient’s condition, enabling precise assessment and informed decisions regarding potential adjustments to the treatment plan.

The Propeller community map also enables patients to view areas within their community where disease flare-ups or inhaler use are frequent. This anonymized data can be used to adjust care plans and facilitate communication with other individuals in the community who have respiratory conditions.

3. Privacy Protection
Propeller complies with the HIPAA regulations to ensure the confidentiality of user data, stores data on a highly secure, industry-standard-compliant cloud platform, and grants users full control over their data.

From the Perspective of Healthcare Providers—

1. Provide reliable information
More than 60% of asthma patients have uncontrolled disease, and over 50% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) require daily medication, yet adherence rates range only from 32% to 50%. Patients who engage in self-management behaviors demonstrate significantly higher adherence rates than those merely following medical advice. Asthma or COPD patients typically contact their physicians only when their condition deteriorates to the point of requiring immediate treatment. Healthcare providers can leverage Propeller’s data to obtain comprehensive information—including the time, location, and frequency of symptom occurrence—rather than relying solely on retrospective patient-reported records.

2. Remote Monitoring Management


Using the Propeller service provider system, health information providers can remotely monitor symptoms in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), easily identifying those with low medication adherence, uncontrolled asthma, or COPD exacerbations. Propeller provides real-time data, enabling physicians to stay informed about patient status and control progress. Physicians can also set customized alerts to receive timely notifications when a patient’s condition deteriorates.

3. Collaborative Work
Propeller enables data sharing between physicians and patients, fostering better communication. Patients can also describe their symptoms more effectively to their doctors and actively participate in their own disease management.

Economic Benefits
1. Assist in addressing respiratory diseases and other conditions
In the United States, nearly 15 million patients have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) estimates that another 12 million cases remain undiagnosed. COPD is currently the third leading cause of death in the U.S., and medical costs associated with the disease have reached $50 billion, including 739,000 hospitalizations and 15 million hospital visits.

2. Regain control to prevent disease progression
Most exacerbations can be prevented through appropriate management, yet 60% of asthma patients still have poorly controlled disease. Propeller offers personalized services and education to improve asthma control.
In 2013, more than two-thirds of Propeller users achieved stable disease control, compared to only 30%-40% of the general user population. In Propeller’s recent projects, 80% of patients achieved disease stabilization after using Propeller for 3–6 months.

Clinical studies have found that the effects of using it for only three months are:
Asthma Uncontrolled Rate Decreased by 50%
70% of patients achieved improved disease control

3. Reduce Costs
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are currently the fifth and sixth most costly conditions in the United States, with annual expenditures exceeding $50 billion. Improving patients’ self-management rates can reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, physician visits, and unscheduled consultations. Multiple studies have shown that patients with poorly controlled asthma incur annual costs of $3,000–$4,000, while patients with COPD at various stages of the disease incur annual costs exceeding $4,000, half of which is attributable to hospitalization expenses. Propeller’s return on investment will help lower treatment costs for patients with asthma and COPD, thereby reducing financial risks for the government.

4. Fusion Quality Inspection
Propeller can be easily integrated into existing healthcare services and data analytics systems for immediate deployment, thereby improving the quality of care. It enhances physician groups’ management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while reducing healthcare costs and improving patients’ quality of life.

Propeller’s Funding Status and Founders
Propeller Health has received investment support from Safeguard Scientifics, The Social+Capital Partnership, California HealthCare Foundation, and other investors. The company completed four rounds of financing, raising a total of $28.4 million. It secured $1.9 million in debt financing on June 25, 2012; $7 million in seed funding on April 1, 2013; $5 million in Series A financing from The Social+Capital Partnership on April 5, 2013; and $14.5 million in Series B financing from The Social+Capital Partnership and Safeguard Scientifics on September 4, 2014.

The platform currently partners with several institutions, such as Dignity Health, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Amerigroup Florida, and the City of Louisville. The system has been featured in The Economist, Washington Post, Fast Company, Wired, and Scientific American. Propeller Health has received accolades including the TEDMED Innovation Showcase, the White House Champions of Change Award, and the Bluetooth Breakthrough Product Award.

Founder:

David Van Sickle, CEO and Co-founder
David Van Sickle is a former officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Health Informatics Surveillance, a fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a sociologist in the Department of Medical History and Bioethics and the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has authored materials on asthma epidemiology, medical anthropology, and global chronic respiratory diseases.

Greg Tracy, CTO and Co-Founder
Greg is a technology enthusiast who excels at applying technology to new fields. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and previously led the engineering team at Emageon, a medical imaging company.

Chris Hogg, Chief Operating Officer
Chris is dedicated to leveraging health data to transform the relationship between physicians and patients. As Chief Operating Officer, he oversees product, data, and implementation at the company’s San Francisco office. Prior to joining Propeller Health, he founded 100Plus, a company that used personalized analytics to improve users’ health behaviors; it was acquired by Practice Fusion in 2013. Chris holds a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

(Editor: Zhang Nan)

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