Why Respiri, page-19

https://www.digitalhealth.net/2018/01/bupa-partnership-healthtap/

Here is an interesting article for general reading for RSH Shareholders.

The link above highlights Current trends in the deals health insurers are doing these days. Deals like these demonstrate value in products like RSH’s objective wheeze monitor for asthmatics (the Airsonea product - it’s like a digital stethoscope that records wheeze and charts the results over time for the user to compare their condition and ascertain it’s severity and signal to them whether they need to take any action).

I believe It will be quite a valuable tool to insure people stay on top of their asthma by self monitoring and ensuring they are treating their asthma when it flares up.  Asthma is one of the top three chronic diseases that cost governments and health insurers around the world the most money. The other two chronic diseases are heart disease and diabetics.

The Airsonea product will work similar to what a diabetic uses to monitor their glucose levels and heart disease patients use to monitor their blood pressure. There isn’t a comparable product for asthmatics to easily and objectively monitor their wheeze.

If asthmatics had an tool to objectively measure wheeze ( the number one symptom of asthma which is inaudible to the patient unless the wheeze is extreme) it would be widely used I believe.

It is important to note Health insurers give their members subsidies for glucose monitors and blood pressure monitors with the aim of helping them manage their chronic conditions and present with less acute presentations to hospitals or medical professionals.

This In-turn improves patient care/outcomes and therefore reduces the burden on the health system and cost to health insurers.

This is why I think that in time asthma monitoring, like blood pressure monitors and glucose monitors, will also be encouraged by insurers, or maybe even mandatory, for asthmatics who wish to be covered by their insurance policies.

If I was a health insurer I wouldn’t insure someone for their condition if they neglected it and didn’t adhere to best practice (ie. regularly monitoring it and following their medication).

Or if the patient didn’t, then as with car insurance, a higher premium will be charged for higher risk drivers. So asthmatics who don’t use the monitor etc will be covered only at a higher premium as they come at a higher risk of acute asthma attacks...

Anyway it seems if we execute this well there is an amazing opportunity for us.