It's been over a decade since the Fitbit was first introduced, and more companies have entered the market for wearable health technology the device helped popularize. These devices have now evolved to deliver clinical-grade health care directly to everyday people at home.

“The problem within health care is that health care is incredibly fragmented, and it's usually physician-driven, which means that patients are left to kind of coordinate on their own,” said Dr. Dustin Freckleton, the co-founder and CEO of Happy Health, an Austin-based health technology company.

How it works

Wearable medical devices, like Happy Health's sleep-tracking Happy Ring, combine biometric sensors with generative artificial intelligence to track and report health data, Freckleton said. This data can then be utilized for both personalized care at home and in clinical settings.

Biometric sensors are devices that monitor key health metrics from the body. These sensors track things like sleep, heart rate, oxygen levels, temperature and brain activity.

Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can create new data based on patterns it has learned from existing data. In health care, generative AI can analyze biometric data to identify trends, predict potential health issues or provide personalized recommendations for improved wellness, Freckleton said. These devices can be used to monitor both minor and major health conditions, including:

• Sleep apnea
• Seizure detention
• Diabetes management
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Obesity management
• Hypertension
• Early signs of illness

In coordination with a medical professional, the data can be used to decide on additional levels of treatment. For example, the Happy Ring precision health data device can share notifications and alerts with not only patients but also their care teams.

“It's patient-directed health care,” Freckleton said. "They get to decide what's best for them based off of their conditions and their goals. And the way that we support them is by surrounding them with the data, with the information and with the care team to help inform them and then support them through their journey."

Freckleton said his own experiences in health care was the inspiration for his wearable health technology, calling traditional health care a management of symptoms and "sick care" rather than care that keeps individuals out of the hospital.

Of note

The technology is becoming more accessible as many major insurance company's are now starting to cover technology like the Happy Ring.

"We're all familiar with the phrase 'the doctor will see you now.' But what if instead it were 'the patient will see you now.' What a difference that would make,” clinical sleep expert Dr. Param Dedhia said in a statement. “Happy Health is flipping the script by putting the patient in control, which is where they've always belonged. That's a powerful paradigm shift that places individuals at the center of their health journey.”