Medical diagnostic device manufacturer Welch Allyn Inc announced in January that it has acquired Hubble Telemedical, Knoxville, Tenn. A privately held company, Hubble enables remote diabetic retinopathy screening and analysis in primary care and other convenient settings. This acquisition comes shortly after Welch Allyn made its first foray into telehealth with the acquisition late last year of Health Interlink.
Using Hubble’s proprietary network, retinal images are acquired and quality-checked at the point of care, then sent to specialists for “over-read.” The specialist generates a complete diagnostic report and sends it back to the ordering physician or clinic. The Hubble network thus enables retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy as part of a routine primary or convenient care visit.
“It is an exciting day for us,” said Chuck Witkowski, president and CEO of Hubble Telemedical. “As the leading provider of remote retinal imaging analysis, we believe that joining Welch Allyn will accelerate adoption of our telehealth-based vision screening solution, thereby helping to eradicate preventable vision loss associated with retinopathy.”
According to Welch Allyn president and CEO Stephen Meyer, the acquisition of Hubble Telemedical further strengthens Welch Allyn’s leadership position in delivering sight-saving solutions into primary care settings where they can have the largest impact on improving population health while also lowering the cost of care.
According to Welch Allyn, Hubble Telemedical’s current product will continue to be developed, sourced and sold by its existing workforce.
