Arizona’s geographic diversity presents unique healthcare challenges. From tribal lands in the north to rural communities and small towns far from major health systems, many residents face barriers to accessing consistent care. For older adults managing chronic conditions, veterans living far from VA facilities, and patients in underserved regions, distance and connectivity can make routine healthcare difficult.
“Healthcare has to meet people where they are, not just in the hospital but at home in their daily lives. When technology gives care teams visibility into a patient’s health between visits, you improve outcomes and strengthen the relationship between patients and the healthcare system.”
Kent Dicks, CEO of Life365
Scottsdale-based Life365 is working to help address these challenges through remote patient monitoring and virtual care technologies that extend care beyond the walls of the clinic.
Extending the Reach of Care
Through its CloudCare platform, Life365 enables healthcare organizations to remotely monitor patients using connected medical devices and cloud-based infrastructure. Devices collect and transmit important health information such as blood pressure, oxygen levels, glucose readings, and cardiac data directly from a patient’s home to their care team.
This continuous flow of information allows providers to track health trends between visits, identify potential issues earlier, and intervene before conditions worsen. For patients managing chronic diseases, this type of visibility can reduce hospitalizations and help them stay healthier at home.
Life365’s approach reflects an important shift in healthcare delivery. Much of a person’s health management happens outside the clinic. By connecting patients and care teams in real time, remote monitoring technology helps close that gap.
Built for Rural and Tribal Communities
Life365 has focused on remote healthcare innovation for nearly two decades. One of the company’s early initiatives supported patients in remote tribal communities in Arizona.
In 2008, the company piloted a program with Navajo tribal members living in isolated areas near the Grand Canyon. At the time, patients often lacked cellular service, broadband connectivity, and in some cases even reliable electricity. Indian Health Services care teams sometimes had to drive more than 120 miles round-trip just to check on patients.
To make remote monitoring possible, Life365 partnered with Space Data Corporation. A high altitude balloon was used to create temporary cellular coverage so patient data could be transmitted to healthcare providers. The Life365 monitoring hub sent patient health readings during these connection windows, allowing providers to monitor patients remotely despite the lack of traditional infrastructure.
Cultural trust was also an important part of the solution. The monitoring hub included recorded guidance in the Navajo language from Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah, helping patients feel more comfortable interacting with the technology.
Today, expanded connectivity options, including satellite internet, are making it easier to deploy similar remote care solutions across rural and tribal communities throughout Arizona.
Supporting Veterans Through Connected Care
Life365 has also worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Remote Patient Monitoring program to help expand care for
veterans living in rural regions.
Many veterans must travel long distances to access VA healthcare facilities. Remote monitoring technologies help address this challenge by allowing care teams to monitor conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease while patients remain in their homes.
The CloudCare platform was designed to operate at scale. This allows healthcare organizations to expand monitoring programs more efficiently and economically so they can serve larger patient populations.
Powered by Arizona’s Bioscience Ecosystem
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Life365 is part of Arizona’s growing health innovation ecosystem. Its CloudCare platform can integrate with Contexture, Arizona’s statewide Health Information Network, as well as leading electronic health record systems. This allows patient monitoring data to flow directly into the systems healthcare providers already use.
Kent Dicks has also testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs about the importance of expanding healthcare access for rural veterans through connected care technologies.
Looking Ahead
As healthcare providers across Arizona explore new ways to improve access to care in rural and underserved communities, Life365 is helping demonstrate how remote patient monitoring can bridge the gap between patients and providers.
By combining connected devices, cloud-based infrastructure, and a strong understanding of Arizona’s healthcare landscape, Life365 is helping extend care beyond the clinic and closer to home.