Whoop, a fitness tracker company known more for its recent lawsuits than its wearables, will soon offer on-demand video consultations with “licensed clinicians” to U.S. app users.
“Whoop is a membership, and we take that seriously,” said Ed Baker, chief product officer of Whoop, in a press release provided to CNBC. “We’re always asking how we can deliver more value to our members, and these upcoming features are some of the most meaningful we’ve ever built.”
Ignoring for the moment the fact that AI is historically awful at giving health advice, on-demand access to telehealth feels like the final boss of both capitalism and US healthcare. Can’t get an appointment with a doctor near you? Just pay Whoop some money! Of course, the pricing of all this is still to be announced—the company told CNBC that the telehealth feature will carry an additional cost on top of Whoop’s $359 annual membership, with more details coming when the service launches this summer.
The company’s recent updates also include digital health records and AI guidance. While users outside the U.S. don’t get the same on-demand telehealth access, the digital health records and AI guidance features are rolling out to all Whoop users internationally.
Personally, I think I’ll stick with my doctor’s 6-week waiting period rather than trust Whoop with my health records and medical advice. But maybe I’m just old-fashioned like that.
