Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Launches New PF Health App

Connects Patients To Resources, Providers And Researchers

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Jul 19, 2018, 12:55 ET

CHICAGO, July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) and monARC Bionetworks have partnered to create the mobile app, PF Health, for individuals living with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). PF Health, now available on Apple App Store (iOS 9.0 or later is required) and Google Play (Android 8.0 and up is required) enables patients to track and report their symptoms to their healthcare providers.

The new free mobile app, PF Health, is tailored to the needs of people living with pulmonary fibrosis. The app enables patients to track symptoms, share data with health care providers, participate in research and connect to the resources of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. The app is now available iPhone and Android.

Built by monARC Bionetworks with input from the PF community during its development phase, PF Health also puts the trusted and latest resources from the PFF directly into the hands of patients and their families. In addition, the app provides an important data collection tool, inviting patients to share de-identified data that will be utilized in PF research.

Glenda Rouland of Birmingham, Alabama, uses the app to track symptoms like cough and breathlessness. She monitors her oxygen levels with the app's new pulse ox feature. Rouland was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2015.

"Using PF Health helps me keep track of my spirometry tests and allows me to see how my symptoms are trending," said Rouland. "Having my readings readily available reduces my anxiety when I go to see the doctor because I already know and can easily report how I'm doing."

PF Health enables patients to sync readings from other mobile apps, such as Apple Health and Google Fit. Over time, the data populates as health trends, providing patients with a more holistic view of their health.

Gregory P. Cosgrove, MD, Chief Medical Officer for the PFF said, "Our goal is to provide tools that allow every patient, no matter where they live, to fully participate in the entire PF community. PF Health not only eliminates geographic limitations, it also enables patients to lead the effort to transform research."

The monARC Bionetworks' digital research platform activates Patient Research Networks that consolidate clinical and digital health data. monARC Bionetworks President and CEO, Komathi Stem, said, "There is an urgent and unmet need for more patients to generate health data in between clinic visits and to participate in clinical trials to advance research. With PF Health, we have created a more collaborative experience for patients to share their data with their providers to improve their care as well as to share their data with researchers to accelerate the quest for new treatments."

More than 200,000 Americans are living with pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly and complex disease which causes progressive scarring in the lungs. Pulmonary fibrosis causes more than 40,000 deaths annually. Fifty thousand new cases are diagnosed each year. There is no known cure.

About the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) mobilizes people and resources to provide access to high quality care and leads research for a cure so people with pulmonary fibrosis will live longer, healthier lives. The PFF collaborates with physicians, organizations, patients, and caregivers worldwide. The PFF has a three-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity. For more information, visit pulmonaryfibrosis.org or call 844.TalkPFF (844.825.5733) or 312.587.9272 from outside the U.S.

About monARC Bionetworks

monARC Bionetworks ("ARC" = "Accelerating Research through Collaboration") is a healthcare technology company on a mission to modernize the clinical research industry by empowering patients to share their data and participate anytime, anywhere. By allowing patients to directly donate their data, monARC is creating a new data-sharing economy that will transform the highly sequential and siloed drug development model into an integrated and a collaborative model with patients. For more information, visit https://www.monarcbio.com or call 888-550-3078 ext 101

CONTACT: Dorothy Coyle, 773-332-6201
Marcella Debidda, 617-935-6418

SOURCE The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation