HC Health (formerly known as HeadCheck) is a digital health company specializing in neurological disorder monitoring, with a focus on Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The company develops mobile health applications and wearable technologies for continuous symptom tracking and remote patient monitoring.
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California, USA
- Founded: 2016
- Website: hc-health.com (formerly headcheck.io)
- Industry: Digital Therapeutics, mHealth, Wearable Technology
¶ Products and Services
HC Health provides a mobile health platform designed for:
- Continuous symptom monitoring: Daily tracking of motor and non-motor symptoms including tremor, bradykinesia, and dyskinesia
- Medication tracking: Correlation of symptoms with medication timing to optimize dosing schedules
- Telehealth integration: Remote consultation capabilities for telemedicine appointments
- Clinical trial endpoints: Objective measurement tools for pharmaceutical research and clinical studies
The company leverages smartphone cameras and wearable sensors to quantify:
- Tremor analysis: Frequency and amplitude quantification using computer vision algorithms
- Bradykinesia assessment: Speed and amplitude of movements through timed motor tests
- Gait analysis: Pattern recognition for walking abnormalities and postural instability
- Balance testing: Postural stability measurements using accelerometer data
- Freezing of gait detection: Algorithm-based detection of akinesia episodes
- Symptom trends: Longitudinal tracking of symptom progression over weeks and months
- Daily fluctuations: Analysis of on/off periods and medication wearing-off
- Reports for clinicians: Exportable summaries for healthcare provider review
HC Health technologies have been validated through:
- Clinical studies in partnership with movement disorder neurologists at major medical centers
- Correlations with standard clinical rating scales (MDS-UPDRS Parts II and III)
- Peer-reviewed publications demonstrating validity of smartphone-based assessments
- FDA-related discussions for digital device clearance as Software as Medical Device (SaMD)
¶ Competitive Landscape
HC Health competes in the digital Parkinson's monitoring space with:
| Company |
Product |
Key Differentiator |
| HC Health |
HeadCheck |
Smartphone-only, low barrier to entry |
| Rune Labs |
Strio |
Apple Watch integration, Apple ecosystem |
| Hinge Health |
MSK数字化 |
Broader musculoskeletal focus |
| Kinesia |
uMotif |
Research-focused, clinical trial adoption |
- Remote patient monitoring for care management
- Medication adherence tracking
- Early warning signs of symptom worsening
- Data-driven treatment adjustments
- Objective baseline measurements
- Progress tracking between visits
- Decentralized clinical trials
- Real-world evidence collection
- Digital biomarker development
- FDA 510(k): Under review for digital health device clearance
- CE Mark: European market entry planned
- HIPAA Compliant: Healthcare data protection standards met
¶ Funding and Partnerships
HC Health has collaborated with:
- Academic medical centers for clinical validation studies
- Pharmaceutical companies for clinical trial endpoint measurement
- Healthcare systems for remote patient monitoring programs
The core of HC Health's technology platform relies on smartphone sensors:
- Camera-based analysis: Users perform standardized motor tasks in front of their phone camera
- Accelerometer data: Built-in motion sensors capture movement patterns during daily activities
- Touch screen interactions: Finger tapping tests measure bradykinesia and dyskinesia
- Voice analysis: Speech recordings detect hypophonia and vocal changes
Beyond smartphone-only monitoring, HC Health supports:
- Smartwatch integration: Continuous monitoring during daily activities
- Inertial measurement units (IMUs): External sensors for detailed movement analysis
- Bluetooth connectivity: Seamless data synchronization between devices
- HIPAA-compliant cloud storage: Secure patient data management
- API for healthcare integration: EHR connectivity through HL7/FHIR standards
- Real-time data processing: Low-latency analysis for clinical decision support
The digital health market for neurological disorders is rapidly growing:
- Global digital health market for Parkinson's expected to reach $8.5 billion by 2028
- Increasing demand for remote monitoring solutions post-pandemic
- Pharmaceutical companies seeking objective endpoint measures for clinical trials
- Neurology practices: Remote patient monitoring programs
- Pharmaceutical companies: Clinical trial endpoints and real-world evidence
- Research institutions: Academic research and biomarker studies
- Patients: Self-management and caregiver tools
- FDA clearance for primary diagnostic use
- Expansion to other movement disorders (Essential Tremor, Huntington's Disease)
- Integration with major EHR systems
- AI-powered disease progression prediction
- Closed-loop medication adjustment recommendations
- Expansion into Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
- Global market expansion through strategic partnerships