Slothwise awarded the DiMe Seal for quality and trust in digital health (2026)

Slothwise has been awarded the DiMe Seal by the Digital Medicine Society. The DiMe Seal is the first comprehensive framework that evaluates digital health software products across evidence, usability, and privacy and security. For users, it means the health tools they rely on have been independently vetted against industry standards rather than self-reported marketing claims.

What is the DiMe Seal for digital health apps?

The DiMe Seal is a designation from the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) recognizing digital health software that meets standards across three domains: clinical evidence, usability, and privacy and security. DiMe convened hundreds of cross-disciplinary experts and reviewed over 1,000 scientific articles, 47 regulatory guidances, and 112 standards programs to build this framework.

Unlike app store ratings or user reviews, the DiMe Seal evaluates how a product is built and operated, not just how it feels to use. Products must demonstrate performance against specific criteria in each domain. Out of more than 337,000 digital health apps available globally, fewer than 50 have earned the DiMe Seal. That selectivity is what gives the seal its weight with clinicians, health systems, and payers who need to vet digital tools before recommending them to patients.

Why does independent evaluation matter for health apps?

Independent evaluation matters because most health apps have never been reviewed by anyone outside the company that built them. Users have no easy way to distinguish between apps that protect their data and apps that do not. The DiMe Seal exists to close that gap by providing an external, standardized assessment.

Health apps handle some of the most sensitive personal information people have: medical records, lab results, medications, symptoms, and biometric data. A 2021 cross-sectional study published in the BMJ found that 88% of mobile health apps contained code capable of collecting user data, with the majority of data collection operations serving third-party services. External evaluation by an organization like DiMe gives users a concrete signal that an app's privacy and security practices have been checked against published standards, not just promised in a privacy policy.

What does the DiMe Seal evaluate?

The DiMe Seal evaluates digital health products across three domains: evidence (whether the product's features are grounded in established practices), usability (whether people can use it effectively), and privacy and security (how user data is handled, protected, and safeguarded technically). Each domain has specific criteria products must demonstrate performance against.

For Slothwise, these three areas map directly to how the product was built:

• Evidence: Health information is sourced from medical records, peer-reviewed research, and established clinical guidelines rather than unverified claims.

• Usability: Slothwise works through text messaging (RCS) and a native app, removing the friction that causes a median of 70% of health app users to stop using their app within the first 100 days.

• Privacy and security: No ads, no data selling, no third-party sharing. Technical safeguards protect medical records, lab results, and personal health information stored on the platform.

Is the DiMe Seal required for the CMS Medicare App Library?

The DiMe Seal is one of the accepted credentials for listing on the CMS Medicare App Library, a directory launching on Medicare.gov that will help 68 million Medicare beneficiaries find trusted digital health tools. Products can qualify through the DiMe Seal or through the CARIN Alliance Code of Conduct with DirectTrust Accreditation. Both pathways require demonstrating product quality before being listed.

Slothwise has now completed the DiMe Seal pathway and is working toward the remaining steps for CMS listing. Approximately 30 companies have signed the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem pledge so far, making the Medicare App Library a low-competition, high-visibility channel for reaching people who need health tools the most. For Medicare beneficiaries, the library will provide a curated set of apps that have cleared multiple layers of vetting rather than the overwhelming, unfiltered selection in commercial app stores.

How does the DiMe Seal compare to FDA clearance or HIPAA compliance?

The DiMe Seal is not an FDA clearance and is not equivalent to HIPAA compliance. FDA clearance applies to medical devices that diagnose or treat conditions. HIPAA compliance is an ongoing process assessed through audits; no federal agency certifies organizations as "HIPAA certified" or issues a single HIPAA designation. The DiMe Seal addresses a gap neither of those covers: whether a digital health product meets cross-domain standards for quality and trust as defined by an independent expert community.

These three areas serve different functions. FDA clearance signals clinical safety for regulated devices. HIPAA compliance governs how covered entities handle protected health information. The DiMe Seal evaluates software quality, privacy, security, and evidence across a framework designed specifically for digital health tools that inform and support users. For consumers choosing a health app, the DiMe Seal is currently one of the most relevant external signals of product quality available.

What does this mean for Slothwise users?

For current Slothwise users, nothing changes about how the product works. Data handling, privacy practices, and security measures remain the same. The DiMe Seal is an external confirmation of practices that were already in place, not a change in how the product operates.

For people evaluating health apps, the seal adds an independent data point. When an app asks for access to medical records, lab results, and daily health data, knowing that a third-party organization reviewed its approach to privacy, security, and evidence makes that decision easier. Slothwise is one of fewer than 50 digital health products to earn the designation, and the only AI-powered health assistant available through both a native app and text messaging to have completed the evaluation.