business
Aetna buys maker of iTriage app
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 2, 2012
One of the most popular mobile health apps now belongs to Aetna. The Hartford, Conn.-based health plan bought iTriage, a Denver-based company that is behind an app of the same name.
iTriage is available for Android-enabled devices and iPhones. The app allows users to check symptoms, find physicians and hospitals and, in some cases, preregister at a clinic or emergency department.
Mark Bertolini, chief executive, president and chair of Aetna, mentioned the acquisition at the insurer's investor conference on Dec. 15, 2011, but did not disclose terms of the deal. He said iTriage was the fastest-growing and most-downloaded health care app on iTunes, with more than 3 million downloads. Bertolini said Aetna would help develop a next-generation version of the app that would help members of Aetna's accountable care organizations locate hospitals and physicians inside the ACO.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/01/02/bibf0102.htm.