NTT DOCOMO Ventures Invests in Validic NTT DOCOMO Develops Partnership with Validic for Consumer Health Application

NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO, Takayuki Inagawa) has invested in Validic, Inc. (headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, USA; CEO, Drew Schiller), a leading digital healthcare company that is focused on building technology that makes personal data actionable in care management and wellness programs. NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s leading mobile operator and parent company of NTT DOCOMO Ventures, has partnered with Validic for the d healthcare application.

NTT DOCOMO launched an application called “d healthcareTM” in May 2018, allowing users to monitor their daily activities by tracking their steps and weight on a progress chart. With the integration to Validic’s data connectivity platform, the d healthcare application now enables users to connect their Fitbit, Garmin or other wearable device and sync their data with the application. Based on the data generated, users can then earn d POINTs¹ as they accomplish given healthcare goals.

Validic and NTT DOCOMO are committed in their partnership to improving customers’ access to and engagement with healthcare and wellness programs. Validic guides healthcare and wellness organizations through the technical complexities associated with accessing and operationalizing patient-generated health data (PGHD). Validic’s scalable, secure solutions help organizations like NTT DOCOMO to improve engagement strategies and health outcomes. To achieve this goal, Validic integrates with over 350 home health devices, wearables and applications, sending personal health data seamlessly into wellness applications, remote monitoring programs and population health initiatives.

Similarly, NTT DOCOMO focuses on enhancing users’ motivation for health and continues to improve the convenience of the d healthcare application. Device connectivity is a critical function of the application as it enables users to connect to the devices or apps they use to manage their health. Users can then receive d POINTs as a reward for their positive lifestyle decisions, such as achieving an activity goal or other personal health goal. For example, users can earn d POINTs by walking 6,000 steps a day.

Without Validic, NTT DOCOMO would have been required to build separate one-off integrations to support each device, and would – going forward – have to manage the on-going maintenance of each device connection. With this partnership, a growing number of consumer and clinical health devices will be added to the application for d healthcare users through Validic.

The explosive growth in data use arising from wearables and digital health devices will continue due to increasing public health consciousness. Many companies are trying to solve the problem of integrating, managing and updating connections to the rapidly expanding ecosystem of mobile health technologies. Validic helps its clients overcome these challenges by providing platform and mobile solutions that simplify the access to and management of personal health data. Additionally, Validic has expanded its solution offerings with the release of a remote monitoring platform in March 2018 that simplifies the analysis and visualization of personal health data, as well as the workflows for general administration of remote care programs. The newest platform, Impact, provides a comprehensive toolset to elevate critical data, enroll users, and manage device connections. NTT DOCOMO Ventures expects the collaboration between the two companies to contribute to the creation of greater value and the expansion of Validic’s business in the Japanese market.

*1 d POINTs are points awarded through DOCOMO’s “d POINT CLUB” customer loyalty program.

* “d healthcare” is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT DOCOMO, INC.