Secures controlling stake in Brazilian care provider.
Telefonica Digital has acquired a major stake in Axismed, a Brazil-based chronic care management company, which will accelerate the adoption of mobile and electronic health solutions in the region.
Ten-year-old Axismed employs doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists and nutritionists, providing e-services to more than 180,000 patients.
The Telefonica takeover will enable patient care to run across platforms including mobile apps, the web, text, and video conferences, which will be promoted to the 91.9 million customers on its Vivo phone network.
Meanwhile, integration with connected devices will enable patients to have blood pressure and other bio metrics to be shared from within their homes.
Antonio Carlos Valente, CEO of the Telefónica Group in Brazil, said: "The deal is part of the company’s global strategy to focus on the e-health market, which is one of a number of areas in which Telefónica Digital is developing new innovative products and services.
"With our connection solutions and the Vivo 3G network, which is unparalleled in Brazil, monitoring chronic patients could reach significant numbers of people in over 3,000 cities nationwide."
Fabio Abreu, CEO, Axismed, added: "The main idea behind all services offered by Axismed is a win-win solution in the health care sector. For instance, our services help chronic patients take care of their health status, preventing ER visits and hospitalisation, help physicians have better adherence from patients for their prescriptions and orientations, consequently reducing health care costs significantly for the health plan and peace of mind for the patient and their family through constant support."
The move comes following Telefonica Digital's October purchase of video communications provider tokbox.
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