Wearable devices are shaking off their fitness-only reputation and starting to attract the attention of medtech investors. A number of start-ups are targeting chronic conditions with innovative solutions that could not only improve patient care and quality of life, but also reduce costs.

The excitement about digital health solutions has reached new heights as the market moves toward changes where those solutions are not only wanted, but in many cases needed to help battle costs and improve patient outcomes. The interest in digital health is part of a larger trend that is seeing patients take on more and more responsibility for their own health amid changing perceptions of what is considered a medical device.

Companies developing new digital health technologies say that the US health system needs to upgrade and start adopting tools that can track patients beyond hospital walls. Qualcomm Life aims to assist by merging data into information that health care providers can actually use.