In brief: Memorial Hermann taps DASCO, Abbott partners with Google, Kalogon ramps up sales

HOUSTON – Memorial Hermann Health System and DASCO Home Medical Equipment have formed a joint venture to operate and expand the health system’s existing home medical equipment business.

The new company, DASCO | Memorial Hermann Home Medical Equipment, combines Memorial Hermann's clinical leadership and commitment to personalized care with DASCO's specialized operational experience in durable medical equipment (DME), the organizations say.

"Care does not end when a patient leaves the hospital,” said Teal Holden, senior vice president, Ambulatory Services, Post Acute Care and Community Health, Memorial Hermann Health System. “This joint venture expands upon the strong home medical equipment program Memorial Hermann has already established while adding the specialized resources needed to enhance access, coordination and service for the communities we serve."

Through the joint venture, DASCO will lead day-to-day operations as the managing partner, working closely with Memorial Hermann's clinical and operational teams.

The organizations say the partnership is designed to strengthen coordination between hospital care teams and DME services, support seamless patient transitions from hospital to home and further expand service throughout Greater Houston.

"Memorial Hermann has built a strong program with a team that understands the needs of patients and clinicians across Greater Houston," said Jason Seeley, CEO of DASCO Home Medical Equipment. "Our role is to enhance the program through additional resources, advanced technology and specialized DME expertise to deliver a more connected experience from the hospital to the home."

• Related: DASCO forms JV with Mass General Brigham.

Abbott, Google partner to provide diabetes data, recommendations

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. – Abbott has announced a partnership with Google Health to combine glucose insights from Abbott's Lingo biowearable with Google's expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer technology. The companies say the multi-year collaboration makes personalized metabolic insights more actionable, helping people take a more proactive approach to their health. "The biggest challenge in health care isn't treating disease – it's helping people stay healthier longer," said Olivier Ropars, divisional vice president of Abbott's Lingo business. "Abbott's leadership in biowearables and Google's expertise in AI and consumer technology create a powerful opportunity to make personalized insights available at unprecedented scale. Additionally, we are advancing metabolic health research through one of the largest real-world studies of its kind, generating new insights into the relationship between glucose and everyday behaviors. That research will help shape future AI-powered guidance and metabolic health innovation. Together, we can help people better understand their bodies and take action before health challenges become health conditions." The companies say through the Google Health app, Lingo users will be able to view glucose trends alongside other health and wellness metrics in a unified experience, helping them better understand how daily behaviors influence their overall well-being. Google's Health Coach will use these insights to deliver personalized, contextual recommendations designed to help users build sustainable habits related to nutrition, activity, sleep and recovery. Lingo health integrations will continue to roll out in the Google Health app later this year.

Braze Mobility will showcase backup cam at Numotion Summit

TORONTO – Braze Mobility will showcase its new BrazeCam Backup Camera at the Numotion Commercial Growth Summit and Nu-Venture, taking place Aug. 13-14 in Aurora, Colo., building on a long-standing relationship between the two companies. “Numotion has been an important partner in bringing Braze technology to wheelchair users across the United States,” said Dr. Pooja Viswanathan, CEO and founder of Braze Mobility. “We’re excited to build on that relationship at this year’s Commercial Growth Summit and Nu-Venture by introducing Numotion’s ATPs and team, as well as the general public, to BrazeCam and demonstrating how visual and sensor-based technologies can work together to give wheelchair users greater awareness of their surroundings.” The Summit brings together clinicians, assistive technology professionals (ATPs), regional decision-makers and industry leaders from across Numotion’s network to evaluate mobility technologies, share clinical best practices and explore innovations that can improve outcomes for wheelchair users. Numotion has been a key U.S. distribution partner for Braze Mobility since 2022, when the companies announced an agreement to make Braze Blind Spot Sensors available to Numotion ATPs and customers across the country.

Medline, Caremax Medical sign supplier agreement for incontinence supplies

NORTHFIELD, Ill. – Medline has announced a new supplier agreement with Caremax Medical Equipment & Supplies, a family-owned and operated provider based in Las Vegas servicing locals and visitors for more than 15 years. As part of the agreement, signed in June 2026, Caremax Medical Equipment & Supplies will have access to Medline's comprehensive portfolio of Medline Brand incontinence supplies and will leverage Medline's Home Direct program, enabling health care supplies to be delivered directly to patients' homes with next day delivery to 95% of U.S. customers, the company says. "Our mission is centered on providing quality service and quality products to the patients and communities we serve," said John Farinas, Caremax general manager. "Medline's nationwide distribution network and warehouse automation capabilities provide the infrastructure we need to support our continued growth while delivering a seamless experience for our customers." Medline also recently signed an expanded prime vendor agreement with Glasgow, Ky.-based T.J. Regional Health to provide care to patients across south-central Kentucky through its network of two hospitals and other outpatient and specialty care facilities.

• Related: Medline announces new 1 million square-foot-facility in California.

Wandercraft announces FDA clearance for personal exoskeleton

NEW YORK – Wandercraft has today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance for Eve, its personal self-balancing exoskeleton designed to support upright mobility in everyday life. For eligible wheelchair users, the clearance opens new possibilities beyond rehabilitation, bringing hands-free upright mobility into ordinary moments, the company says. “FDA clearance of Eve marks one of the most important moments in Wandercraft’s history and a significant step for the people, families, clinicians, researchers, and partners who helped make it possible,” said Matthieu Masselin, co-founder and CEO of Wandercraft. “Together, Atalante X and Eve may offer eligible users a pathway from walking during rehabilitation to upright mobility at home, whether making coffee at the kitchen counter, reaching for a book, or spending time with friends on the patio.” Wandercraft plans to commercially launch Eve in the United States on Sept. 17, 2026, as part of an exclusive event at the Cure healthcare innovation campus in New York City, presented with the United Spinal Association, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The livestreamed program will bring together people living with spinal cord injuries, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, policymakers and Eve pilots to mark the transition of self-balancing exoskeleton technology from rehabilitation to personal use. National Seating & Mobility (NSM) will become Wandercraft’s exclusive CRT distribution partner for Eve, using its national network of more than 180 locations to support evaluation, education, access and delivery to eligible individuals with spinal cord injuries and other severe mobility impairments. Other distribution partners include Walk US, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and USVetServe.

NCPA pilot program IDs thousands at risk of stroke, heart disease

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new pilot program between the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Innovation Center, CPESN Community Health and Bristol Myers Squibb highlights the key role of rural pharmacies in identifying and screening patients at risk of stroke and heart disease. The program, they say, underscores the importance of patient access to local pharmacies. “In rural America, independent community pharmacies are often the only accessible health care providers,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey. “Many people in these areas may not have ready access to a doctor, but they frequently visit their local pharmacy. So, the local pharmacist is in a good position to identify at-risk patients, provide screening and counseling, connect patients with social services, and refer them to physicians for medical care so they can maintain or even improve their quality of life.” Data from the first phase of the pilot was collected over six months from 25 pharmacies in six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) known as the “Stroke Belt” because of its high prevalence of cardiovascular disease. According to data from the program:

• The 25 pharmacies participating in the program identified nearly 10,000 at-risk patients, had more than 11,000 encounters with those patients, and made more than 20,000 interventions in just six months. More than 6,100 encounters took place in a pharmacy. More than 3,500 happened during a telehealth visit. The rest occurred in the community. 
• Among the patients screened for stroke risk, roughly 2,700 received education from pharmacy staff, and another 267 were referred to a physician for follow-up care.
• Among patients screened for atrial fibrillation, pharmacy staff detected 400 whose heart rhythm was abnormal. Eighty-one percent of them were referred to a physician. Fifteen percent didn’t have a primary physician, so pharmacy staff found one for them and made a referral.

Kalogon ramps up sales efforts in western US

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Kalogon has hired Rich Salm as director of sales, Western Region. Salm has been in complex rehab technology (CRT) for more than 40 years, most recently as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ride Designs, where he helped double revenue and built out a national network of more than 30 reps. Before that, he was at Numotion and National Seating & Mobility (NSM), and earlier in his career he founded Peak Wheelchairs. He is also known in Colorado for his policy work, including the passage of the state’s first legislation protecting access to CRT and modernizing Medicaid coverage for the product category. At Kalogon, Salm will build out the sales team across the West and help develop the company’s educational strategy.

• Related: Kalogon secures additional funding, increases hiring.