Fitbit’s fitness watches and fitness trackers are known for their focus on your whole health and not just your step count. The company continues this trend through its latest partnership with Cardiogram, a service that uses the data from your everyday fitness watch to screen for health conditions such as hypertension, sleep apnea, and more. Just like Apple Watch owners, Google WearOS owners, and Garmin users, Fitbit users now have access to Cardiogram’s complete suite of health-screening tools thanks to a sharing agreement that sends Fitbit data to the Cardiogram mobile app.
More than just a tool to number crunch your daily steps or stairs, Cardiogram has developed an artificial intelligence (A.I.)-based algorithm called DeepHeart. The algorithm is designed to do what doctors can’t do — analyze large data sets to find trends and patterns too subtle for a human to discern. The DeepHeart neural network has been tested in clinical settings and shown to detect severe health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation.
Instead of working alone on its own heart rate monitor, Cardiogram has partnered with all the major wearable manufacturers. Now Fitbit users can send their heart rate and step count data to the Cardiogram app, which will analyze it and alert users if they are at risk for one of the screened health conditions. High-risk users can then choose to follow up with diagnostic testing or a management program to confirm and treat their suspected conditions. Fitbit users also can take advantage of Cardiogram’s premium subscription service, which can export data to share with a loved one, a care provider, or a physician.
Cardiogram is compatible with Fitbit devices that have a heart rate monitor, including the Fitbit Charge and Versa family, the Fitbit Inspire HR, the Fitbit Ionic, and the Fitbit Alta HR. The Cardiogram mobile app is available to download for free from the iOS App Store or the Google Play store. The free app provides the essential health analysis, while the premium service allows for the sharing of an individual’s results and more extensive heart rate tracking. A single subscription costs $15 per month or $100 per year. A free trial subscription is available for new users.
