• by Sarah Mahoney , October 14, 2021

Best Buy keeps pushing the definition of retailer, announcing that it is buying Current Health, a care-at-home technology platform. Combined with Lively, the $800 million acquisition it made in 2018, and its constantly expanding suite of in-home tech, the company is stepping even more deeply into the role of tech-based care provider.

Current Health, with offices in Scotland and Boston, focuses on helping people receive more medical care at home. The start-up offers remote patient monitoring, telehealth and patient engagement solutions.

It combines patient-reported information with data from biosensors, including wearables, and can communicate real-time updates to healthcare providers, improving patient care.

“The future of consumer technology is directly connected to the future of healthcare,” says Deborah Di Sanzo, president of Best Buy Health, in the announcement. “We have the distinct expertise in helping customers make technology work for them directly in their homes, and by combining Current Health’s remote care management platform with our existing health products and services, we can create a holistic care ecosystem that shows up for someone across all of their healthcare needs.”

Best Buy, which is rolling out its Totaltech membership program, already offers home monitoring systems, including those made by Ring, Blink, Simplisafe and Owlet.

And with Lively, known as Great Call at the time of the acquisition, it sells numerous products aimed at older consumers. Those include easy-to-use Jitterbug phones and one-button fall-detection devices.

The terms of the deal are undisclosed

Christopher McCann will continue as Current Health’s CEO. “Best Buy has unparalleled physical reach, world-class supply chain logistics and trusted support services, allowing us to provide a high-touch consumer experience, at scale," he says in the announcement.