Welltok and IBM Watson Help Centura Health Deliver Personalized Guidance for Consumers Living with Heart Conditions

DENVER, May 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Welltok, developers of the CafeWell Health Optimization Platform, today announced that the Centura Health Heart and Vascular Network is implementing a new consumer engagement solution called CafeWell Concierge, an app powered by IBM Watson. Centura Health, the region's health care leader, is the first organization to embrace the app and roll it out to consumers who are transitioning back to everyday life after experiencing a heart condition.

The goal is to support and guide consumers in their health journey and empower them to make smarter decisions with this intelligent platform. Users will interact with the app in a number of ways, including:  

• Asking questions about daily health management and recommendations
• Finding options for cardiac rehabilitation exercises and activities
• Researching new heart-healthy recipes and dishes at local restaurants
• Identifying educational resources and videos on living with heart conditions
• Participating in online communities and support groups

The CafeWell Concierge app combines Welltok's Health Optimization Platform with Watson's ability to understand natural language, unlock new insights in high volume data streams and learn, over time, with each interaction. The mobile app provides consumers with immediate access to health and wellness resources and supports Centura Health in delivering a highly personalized experience with relevant and actionable recommendations based on the individual's health conditions, interests, motivations and goals. Watson is then able to learn which plans and rewards are most successful in helping individuals reach their health and wellness goals, and intuitively customize its recommendations, which are based on evidence-based medicine guidelines, to create a richer, more interactive social experience. 

"We are focused on providing innovative health care solutions to optimize health care value for the communities we serve," said Jon Gardner, vice president, Centura Health Heart and Vascular Network. "Our physicians and health care teams are dedicated to an integrated approach that engages consumers with resources they can use beyond the clinical setting. We see this as the first step in delivering a digital health solution that meets health needs and rewards consumers for achieving personal health and wellness goals."

"Centura Health has emerged as a true innovator in the field, embracing the value of intelligent, on-demand techology that engages consumers in their health," said Jeff Margolis, chairman and chief executive officer for Welltok. "We are thrilled to work with IBM Watson to introduce CafeWell Concierge to the market, and believe it represents a significant advancement in how population health managers can partner with consumers to truly optimize health." 

Welltok is a member of the IBM Watson Ecosystem and was the first recipient of a direct investment from IBM made through its $100 million fund to seed Watson innovations.

IBM has welcomed more than 270 new commercial partners to the Watson Ecosystem. Watson Ecosystem is a community of tens of thousands of developers, entrepreneurs and other enthusiasts who have created thousands of apps via the Watson Zone on Bluemix – IBM's cloud innovation platform that is built on open standards and allows any user to tap into over 100 development tools, which include Watson services, to rapidly build, deploy and manage apps across any cloud environment.  

The Centura Health Heart and Vascular Network is recognized as the region's leading network of heart and vascular care. The network offers early prevention, advanced care, rehabilitation, rapid emergency heart care, and the latest technology through 15 hospitals, six senior living communities, health neighborhoods, physician practices and clinics, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life® Colorado, while also connecting to more than 75 pre-hospital agencies. 

About Centura Health
Centura Health connects individuals, families and neighborhoods across Colorado and western Kansas with more than 6,000 physicians and 18,100 of the best hearts and minds in health care. Through our 15 hospitals, six senior living communities, health neighborhoods, physician practices and clinics, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life® Colorado, we are making the region's best health care accessible and affordable in every community we serve. We believe you can inspire the people you care about to live healthier lives by encouraging them to do the little things that can make a big difference. We're Centura Health, and we're here for your health. For information on Centura Health or any of the facilities in our network, please visit the Centura Health website.

About Welltok, Inc.
Welltok, Inc. is fundamentally transforming the way population health managers partner with consumers to optimize their health and get rewarded. Its groundbreaking CafeWell Health Optimization Platform™ organizes the growing spectrum of health and condition management programs, apps and digital tracking devices. The platform, accessible via web and mobile, drives engagement by providing personalized guidance and leveraging social, gaming and cognitive technologies. Welltok's novel approach increases revenue, improves operational efficiency and drives healthcare value. Follow Welltok on Twitter @Welltok

IBM Watson: Pioneering a New Era of Computing
IBM Watson enhances, scales and accelerates human expertise, and represents a new era of computing in which apps and systems interact with human users more naturally, augment knowledge with Big Data insights, and learn and improve over time.  In January 2014, IBM launched the IBM Watson unit, a business dedicated to developing and commercializing cloud-delivered cognitive computing technologies. IBM is investing $1 billion into Watson, focusing on development and research, and bringing cloud-delivered cognitive applications and services to market. This includes $100 million available for venture investments that support IBM's ecosystem of start-ups and businesses building cognitive apps powered by Watson. 
For more information, visit www.ibm.com/watsonecosystem

Media Contacts:

Welltok
Erica Sniad Morgenstern
650-906-7240
[email protected]

Centura Health
Jennifer Wills
303-804-8222
[email protected]

IBM Watson
Charisse Higgins
347-266-7540
[email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/welltok-and-ibm-watson-help-centura-health-deliver-personalized-guidance-for-consumers-living-with-heart-conditions-300078580.html

SOURCE Welltok, Inc.

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