Best Buy acquires GreatCall for $800 million

Best Buy announced that it has acquired GreatCall for $800. GreatCall is an old guard digital health company that started out making smartphones for seniors in 2006 but now offers a suite of connected safety products and services for aging in place individuals. The acquisition comes as retail giants are increasingly active in healthcare. Best Buy rival WalMart, for instance, in June filed a patent to protect a method for accessing patient data from EHRs and wearables via blockchain. And word got out last week that Amazon is building primary care clinics for its employees in Seattle.