Healthcare Competition
Samsung Electronics Co. is targeting the global market, including the U.S., with its healthcare application armed with a medical bill payment function.
The company said on January 17 that it has formed a partnership with Amwell and WebMD, which provide services allowing you access your doctor via the Internet in real time in the U.S., to significantly reinforce functions of its healthcare app “S Health.”
The new S Health app enables the search for symptoms, diseases, and medicine information, in case you need a quick diagnosis and even solution for minor medical things. It will also allow you to make online appointments with affiliated doctors and pay your medical fees with registered credit cards through the app. You can also check whether or not you have a health insurance on the app as well as call 119 from within the app. In addition, you can videoconference with doctors and get a list of nearby pharmacy stores for your medicinal needs. It is rumored that S Health may have a voice-recognition function as well.
Some functions are already provided to domestic users in similar forms through S Health 5.0, but Samsung Electronics is planning to strengthen them further to target the global market.
Accordingly, the competition between Samsung Electronics and Apple with Apple HealthKit and Google with Google Fit is expected to become even more intense in the second half of this year. Apple is focusing on healthcare as its new growth engine as sales of the iPhone, which has accounted for most of its revenues, are on the decrease. The company has regularly contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and acquired Gliimpse which develops technology that allows you to see patients’ healthcare information scattered at hospitals and drug stores at a glance, last year. It is also continuously hiring related experts, making an aggressive investment in the new business.
Google has also developed Google Fit as a healthcare platform like Apple’s HealthKit and enabled developers to make use of healthcare data on various sensors, devices and apps by taking more open approach. It is creating an ecosystem through the partnerships with Adidas, Nike and Runkeeper.