UpRight Science Aims to Make Balance a New Vital Sign After Key Acquisition

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – June 16, 2026 – In a strategic move poised to reshape preventive care for older adults, medical technology firm UpRight Science today announced its acquisition of Highmark's FDA-cleared balance assessment application. The deal consolidates critical technologies with the ambitious goal of establishing balance as a routine, objective vital sign—as fundamental as blood pressure or heart rate—to proactively combat the epidemic of falls that affects one in four older adults annually.

For decades, balance has been a clinical blind spot. While universally recognized as a key indicator of overall health and fall risk, its assessment has largely remained subjective, often unmeasured until after a debilitating fall has already occurred. This acquisition signals a significant shift toward a data-driven, preventive model.

"Balance isn't something that disappears overnight. It declines gradually, and that's actually good news because it means there's a window to intervene," noted Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, the former CEO of Highmark who has now joined UpRight Science as its Chief Medical Officer. "The problem is we've never had a cost-effective and objective way to measure it in routine care. Until now."

From Reactive Treatment to Proactive Prevention

The vision articulated by UpRight Science is not merely to introduce a new tool, but to fundamentally alter the standard of care. Falls are not only common but also a leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults, creating immense physical, emotional, and financial burdens. By integrating objective balance measurement into every routine check-up, the company aims to move the healthcare system from a reactive stance—treating fractures and head injuries—to a proactive one focused on prevention.

"Physicians have always tracked the numbers that matter: temperature, heart rate, blood pressure. Balance is overdue for a place on that list," said Terry Chabrowe, CEO of UpRight Science. He framed the acquisition as a cornerstone of the company's mission to empower providers across all care settings.

This philosophy is supported by extensive clinical research. Studies have consistently shown that structured balance training programs can significantly improve mobility and confidence while reducing fall risk. The challenge has been identifying at-risk individuals early and delivering these interventions at scale. UpRight Science's strategy directly addresses this gap by combining its newly acquired assessment technology with a suite of complementary remote therapies, creating a closed-loop system of diagnosis and treatment.

Turning the Smartphone into a Clinical Tool

At the heart of this innovation is the concept of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), where sophisticated algorithms turn a ubiquitous device—the smartphone—into a powerful clinical instrument. Both UpRight Science's existing platform and the acquired Highmark application, which received FDA 510(k) clearance as "EQ Balance" in 2019, operate without any additional proprietary hardware.

Using the smartphone's built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, the software guides a patient through a series of simple movements. The application then measures microscopic changes in body tilt and sway, translating them into a precise, quantitative balance index. This objective data provides clinicians with a clear baseline and the ability to track changes over time, offering insights that a simple visual assessment could never capture.

For providers, this means they can pinpoint why a patient might be off-balance and monitor their recovery and progress remotely. The acquisition also included a suite of remote therapies designed by UpRight's CTO, Stephen Elliot, enabling practitioners to seamlessly prescribe and manage personalized exercise regimens for patients directly through the platform. This extends care far beyond the clinic walls, bringing personalized balance improvement into the patient's home and daily routine.

A Strategic Consolidation in Digital Health

This acquisition is more than just a technology transfer; it's a calculated strategic play in the rapidly consolidating digital health market. UpRight Science is not just buying an app but absorbing a clinically validated, FDA-cleared asset, which significantly shortens its time to market and bolsters its regulatory credibility. The move also includes the acquisition of key talent, with Dr. Sharma's transition to CMO ensuring deep continuity and expertise.

The competitive landscape for balance assessment includes traditional, equipment-heavy posturography systems found in specialized clinics, as well as a growing number of consumer-grade wearables. UpRight Science differentiates itself by offering a hardware-free, medical-grade solution that integrates both assessment and therapy. This comprehensive approach is highly attractive to large healthcare systems looking for scalable, cost-effective solutions to manage population health.

By creating an end-to-end platform, the company aims to build a sustainable, data-backed care model that is difficult for competitors with piecemeal offerings to replicate. The focus on making balance a routine vital sign is a powerful marketing narrative that also happens to align with a pressing public health need, positioning the firm for significant growth.

The Path to Widespread Adoption

Despite the promising technology, the road to making balance a universal vital sign is paved with practical challenges. The most significant hurdle is integration. Healthcare providers operate within complex ecosystems dominated by Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems. For UpRight's platform to be adopted at scale, it must seamlessly integrate with these systems to avoid creating additional work for already overburdened clinicians.

Data privacy is another paramount concern. Transmitting sensitive health information from a patient's personal device requires robust, HIPAA-compliant security measures to protect patient data and maintain trust. Furthermore, successful implementation will depend on effective training for clinical staff and sustained engagement from patients, particularly older adults who may have varying levels of technological literacy.

Finally, the question of reimbursement looms large. For healthcare providers to invest time and resources into a new clinical protocol, there must be a clear pathway for reimbursement from insurers. Without established billing codes for smartphone-based balance assessments and remote therapeutic monitoring, widespread adoption could be slow. Overcoming these integration, security, and financial hurdles will be just as critical as the technology itself in realizing the company's transformative vision for preventive health.