CHICAGO — Hill-Rom announced its Welch and Digital Scale are now available at all Kinney Drugs locations in New York and Vermont. The Welch Allyn Home portfolio is designed to bring the Welch Allyn clinical grade technology that doctors know and trust into the hands of consumers at home.

The Welch Allyn Home portfolio includes three devices: a digital scale and two blood pressure monitors. Easy to operate with simple, one-button activation for fast readings, each device connects to the Welch Allyn Home smartphone app. The free app allows patients to measure blood pressure and weight, record and track measurements, and share results with both healthcare providers and loved ones. In a recent survey of physicians, 95% of participating doctors indicated they would recommend a Welch Allyn blood pressure device over comparably priced options.

“We are very pleased to bring this important blood pressure measurement option directly to consumers through our new commercial relationship with Kinney Drugs,” said Alton Shader, president of Hill-Rom’s Front Line Care business, which includes Welch Allyn.

Recent changes in American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology hypertension guidelines suggest that a diagnosis of high blood pressure — at 130/80 mm Hg rather than the current standard of 140/90 mm Hg — should be treated early with lifestyle changes and in some patients with medication. These guidelines underscore the added importance for patients to take multiple readings daily, including at home.

According to Dr. Shannon Miller, director, patient outcomes and pharmacy technology optimization, Kinney Drugs, “Forty-six percent of patients in the United States do not currently have their blood pressure under control, and multiple readings can provide a pattern to prescribers, as opposed to one or two readings every year in a doctor’s office. Clinician-connected remote patient monitoring has been proven to help get patients to their target blood pressure, which is why we are proud to work with Hill-Rom on this new initiative.”

Kinney Drugs is the first brick and mortar retailer in the U.S. to offer Welch Allyn Home products to consumers. The Welch Allyn Home products are featured in Kinney Drugs’ medical device section in every pharmacy, along with extensive information about hypertension, the importance of home blood pressure monitoring and best practices on taking a blood pressure reading.

As one of the top national fundraisers for the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day, Kinney Drugs has been very involved in helping patients “know their numbers” — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body weight/BMI. Welch Allyn Home devices make it easier for Kinney’s pharmacy patients to monitor their health quickly and accurately – and share those readings with their healthcare providers and caregivers through smart technology. Kinney Drugs Pharmacists are excited to be the first in the country to offer these devices. It’s one more way that the employee-owned pharmacy chain helps its patients improve their health outcomes.