CHCF invests in Propeller, an FDA-cleared device that tracks use of inhaled medications and provides tailored information through mobile phones, web analytics and personal services to patients, their families, and doctors. Health care providers historically have had inadequate tools to understand the severity of patients’ asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic respiratory disease, which limits their ability to predict and prevent serious and costly episodes. To address this problem Propeller Health (formerly Asthmapolis) developed a device that records when and where patients use their inhalers. The data captured may then help physicians make more informed clinical interventions and help patients track and manage their condition.

With the support of CHCF, Propeller Health has begun a pilot with Dignity Health’s Woodland Healthcare campus and Mercy Medical Group in Sacramento to determine if the data collected and presented to physicians and patients results in actions that improve asthma control.

In July 2012, Propeller Health received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market its sensor and associated software to medical providers and payers.

CHCF invested in Propeller Health because there is tremendous potential for patients to benefit from technology that provides tailored information, allowing them to better understand and manage their illness, which should lead to fewer serious episodes, less costly care, and reduced suffering.