Reposted from Dow Jones VentureWire
Get Real Health Collects First Funding Round from Telus Ventures
Written by Timothy Hay
August 27, 2013
The venture arm of Telus Corp ., a communications giant that brings wireless phone and Internet service to Canada and sometimes invests in health-care information technologies, has provided a first funding round of between $2 million and $5 million to Get Real Health Inc ., a patient-engagement software maker.
Mark Heaney , chief executive of Rockville, Md.-based Get Real Health, said the company has been self-funded since its launch in 2011. He declined to give a valuation for the company.
Get Real Health makes software that it sells to hospitals in the U.K., Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, he said. The company’s product is a patient portal that is designed to engage patients on an ongoing basis about their health.
The product, mainly designed for sufferers of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, also gives doctors a dashboard that shows patient compliance and offers other information, the CEO said.
The software is aimed at health maintenance, as much of the treatment for chronic conditions hinges on a patient’s habits and behavior outside of the doctor’s office, he said.
The software is designed to integrate with various different kinds of electronic medical records, and the patient portal pulls data from a variety of sources to provide information to both patients and doctors, Mr. Heaney said.
The portal is made up of hundreds of widgets, the CEO said, meaning it is easily customizable for each patient.
Get Real Health has been partnered with Telus to bring various wireless health products to Canadians, company materials said. Telus is a strategic backer and will be instrumental in helping Get Real Health roll out its product, Mr. Heaney said.
VentureWire records show that so far this year, the company’s venture arm, Telus Ventures , has participated in funding rounds for payments-software company Taulia Inc ., energy-management company Vigilent Corp . and mobile media company Movius Interactive Corp .