Verily launches free consumer health app to put AI-driven insights into users' hands
Verily, the precision health company owned by tech giant Alphabet, launched a new consumer app on Friday. The app, called Verily Me, can be used by anyone with a mobile device and requires no insurance, employer coverage or subscription.
Verily Me enables users to view their healthcare data in one place, allows them to track their meals, provides personalized recommendations, and gives them 24/7 access to a health-focused chatbot.
To join, users must first go through a brief identity verification process, which includes taking a photo of their ID and taking a selfie. They must also consent to Verily's HIPAA-compliant data access.
Once completed, the app retrieves the user's medical records from multiple sources, including various providers' EHRs and health information exchanges, without the need to manually log into the portal or enter a password, explained Verily Chief Product Officer Myoung Cha.
He noted that the data can cover up to 20 years of records, including labs, medications, vaccinations and provider notes. If the user chooses, the app can also integrate data from wearable devices like the Oura ring or Apple Watch.
Cha noted that when designing the app, Verily focused on reducing friction — knowing that a key obstacle to the success of past digital health platforms was that users had to manually log into multiple portals.
Verily Me is dedicated to helping users track their daily health. For example, users can take photos of their meals, which the app's artificial intelligence can then identify and annotate with calorie and nutrient estimates, Cha said.
In addition, the app provides users with personalized health advice, such as preventive health check-ups or blood pressure monitoring. These recommendations come from licensed clinicians employed by Verily's partner medical groups.
“[They have] Verily has been serving patients for many years under the Onduo program, primarily to enhance diabetes management. It’s a team licensed in all 50 states and is a multidisciplinary team led by clinicians — primary care and specialists, endocrinologists, as well as nutritionists, coaches and pharmacists,” Cha said.
Overall, he said Verily Me's goal is to transform health care from episodic and reactive to proactive and preventive. By doing so, patients will gain a better understanding of their health before they become ill.
Users of the app can also chat with Violet, Verily's proprietary healthcare chatbot, Cha added.
“Unlike consumer LLs like ChatGPT, our agent has access to and integration into a contextual window into your health data. It really can answer questions about your health data in a truly personal and private way,” Cha said.
For example, users can ask Violet a question like, “Explain my cholesterol trends since starting statins,” and expect to receive accurate, personalized answers with supporting data, he explained.
He noted that Verily has ensured that the agent does not provide medical advice but rather contextualizes the data to improve users' understanding of their health status.
Consumer health products and platforms from well-known brands like Apple or Fitbit have been able to attract customers, but it remains to be seen how the Verily Me app will be adopted given that Verily is not yet well-known among consumers.
Cha said Verily plans to first roll out the app to people who have participated in previous Verily studies, a group that includes hundreds of thousands of people. The company also plans to roll out Verily Me to existing patients enrolled in its virtual chronic care program Onduo and its enterprise care platform Lightpath.
Over time and awareness grows, Verily plans to expand its reach to a broader group of consumers, Cha said.
Photo: MoMo Productions
