Like many startups, Oura's mission has evolved over the years. What started as a sleep-focused health startup has grown into an $11 billion company playing a major role in health improvement and chronic disease management.
The company, based in Finland, started selling wearable smart rings in 2015. Oura has sold more than 5.5 million rings since then, and half of its users now rely on the ring's data to help manage chronic conditions, Oura chief medical officer Ricky Bloomfield said in an interview at the Reuters MedTech USA conference in Boston this month.
“We're moving into a world where it's not just about health — people really want to improve their health, and they want to work with a doctor to do that. They don't want to do it alone — so we feel an obligation to help make that connection in a way that allows data to span the entire continuum, and ideally do it at a lower cost over time,” he said.
Oura adds several features to promote behavior change and aid in early disease detection, he noted.
For example, Oura's Cardiovascular Age feature uses pulse wave velocity to assess the stiffness of someone's arteries, which is often an indicator of heart disease. Oura relies on its own data to compare the stiffness of a user's arteries with those of people of the same age, showing a younger age if the arteries are healthier than average and an older age if they are in poorer health.
“We've actually seen a lot of stories where if someone finds out they have a high cardiovascular age and they don't want that, that triggers them to change their behavior. They think, 'Well, I want to see my kids grow up and graduate from college' — and all the things they might want to do. That's the trigger that tells them, 'OK, now I want to start exercising, I need to eat better, I need to lose weight,'” Bloomfield explained.
Another feature he highlighted is called a “symptom radar” tool that can detect subtle deviations in vital signs. The tool was used during Oura's Covid-19 research in partnership with the NBA, which helped ensure players were tested and cleared quickly so games could continue safely. Bloomfield noted that the model was able to detect infections earlier – an average of 2.75 days before a positive test.
Oura's ring also prompts users to seek treatment more quickly when they have serious illnesses like lymphoma and appendicitis, Bloomfield said.
For example, earlier this year Paralympic athlete Hunter Woodhall received an alert from his big ring indicating signs of significant illness, prompting him to see a doctor. He was diagnosed with appendicitis before his appendix ruptured, allowing him to receive treatment before the situation became dangerous.
Bloomfield noted that this illustrates how Oura is moving beyond personal health and into the broader healthcare system.
He noted that Oura is expanding its partnerships with larger health care systems, including a recent partnership with Essence Healthcare, a Missouri Medicare Advantage plan, to provide free rings to members.
Bloomfield stressed that the company hopes to do more of these collaborations, with the goal of integrating more of Oura data into healthcare workflows so it's clinically meaningful to doctors rather than burdensome.
Bloomfield added that Oura remains focused on building trust as the company continues to grow. The company achieves this goal through clinical research and education for consumers and healthcare providers.
Clinicians' acceptance of wearable data has grown significantly over the past decade as they have seen it validated in real-world cases. Bloomfield explained that most clinicians can recall experiences where wearable devices like the Apple Watch or Euler Ring detected physiological changes, such as irregular heartbeats or poor sleep patterns, that were later confirmed through medical evaluation.
Going forward, Bloomfield said he expects the company to delve into clinical applications and help determine whether wearable data can have a positive long-term impact on patient outcomes and healthcare workflow.
Photo: Yuichiro Chino, Getty Images
