For people with chronic conditions, healthcare can be more complicated than an annual visit to the doctor. But what if managing your diabetes or sharing critical information with your care team was as simple as checking an app or unlocking your smartphone?

For nearly three years, Samsung has partnered with Medtronic, the global leader in medical device technology, to collectively create innovative solutions that deliver the customer experience people are used to receiving — along with the care they need to improve their lives.

While at HIMSS 2018 in Las Vegas this month, I spoke with Medtronic executives Jim Willenbring and Carl Wahlstrand about the company’s newest products and how they’re benefitting both patients and doctors alike.

One of Medtronic’s solutions is the Intellis Platform, an implantable neurostimulator that pairs with a Samsung tablet and can be controlled by physicians through an app. It’s the smallest device of its kind on the market.

“[Intellis] uses electricity to inhibit pain signals from reaching the brain,” Willenbring told me.

What does this mean for patients?

“It limits the amount of oral medication patients have to take, and in some [cases], patients don’t even have to take oral medications [at all].”

According to Wahlstrand, Medtronic partners with Samsung to get leading-edge technology, global reach and make their user interfaces most compatible with clinicians and patients.

Wahlstrand also added that Medtronic is constantly looking for new ways to innovate and improve patient care, because unlike heart rate, blood sugar and lung function, there is no objective measurement tool for pain.

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Natalie Zfat

Natalie Zfat is a social media entrepreneur and Forbes Contributor who has partnered with some of the most iconic brands in the world, including Rolling Stone, Food Network, American Express and Levi’s. Curating original content and videos, Zfat gains millions of impressions for the brands she advocates for. When she's not engaging with her half a million followers, Zfat loves sharing her entrepreneurial thought leadership at conferences and universities, including Carnegie Mellon, NYU Stern School of Business, The Harvard Club of New York and Internet of Things World. Follow Natalie on Twitter: @NatalieZfat

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