MedicAlert Foundation

What MedicAlert Foundation does

MedicAlert Foundation International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1956 and headquartered in Turlock, California, that provides medical identification products combined with 24/7 emergency response services for individuals with chronic medical conditions. The organization sells physical medical ID jewelry — bracelets, necklaces, QR code IDs, smart cards, and Apple AirTag- and Motorola Moto Tag-compatible location tracker IDs — alongside three tiered annual subscription protection plans (Safe Plan at $35/year, Safe & Connected at $55/year, and Safe & Found at $75/year). Its platform pairs engraved or QR-coded IDs with a US-based emergency response team and a digital health profile accessible to first responders, including a RapidSOS integration that transmits member medical information directly to 911 dispatchers.

The underlying technology stack centers on a 24/7 human-staffed emergency response operation, a QR code system that links to secure online health profiles, and partnerships with emergency data platforms (RapidSOS) and consumer hardware ecosystems (Apple, Motorola). The 24/7 response team is the primary differentiator against passive engraved-ID competitors, as it actively relays critical medical information rather than relying solely on first responders reading an engraved surface.

MedicAlert generates revenue through recurring subscription memberships, one-time product sales via its e-commerce storefront (store.medicalert.org) and phone sales (1-800-432-5378), and tax-deductible charitable donations. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer e-commerce, healthcare provider referral brochures distributed to allergists, cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, pharmacists, and pediatricians, and disease advocacy partnerships with organizations including the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), MHAUS, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the Parkinson's Foundation. The organization claims to have protected over 4 million lives since founding and serves members with conditions including diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, allergies, autism, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and dementia.

Name

MedicAlert Foundation

Legal name

MedicAlert Foundation International

Website

https://medicalert.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MedicAlert Foundation is a 70-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sells medical ID jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, QR code and location tracker IDs) paired with 24/7 emergency response subscriptions ($35-$75/year) for individuals with chronic medical conditions, allergies, and wandering risks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Identification Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Wearable Medical Alert Devices (Pendants, Watches, Bands) (HSAHAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Elderly/Frail & Assisted Living Connected Care (PERS/Fall Detection) (HLACAFAE), Fall Detection, Safety & Emergency Response (PERS, Smart Home Health Sensors) (HLAHACAG), Caregiver Monitoring, Check-In & Family Notification Platforms (HSAHAHAE), Connected Medical Devices & Wearables (Sensors, Patches, Implantables) (HLACAPAB)

Keywords

• Medical identification jewelry
• Emergency response services
• Medical alert bracelets
• Health profile storage
• Chronic condition management

Headquarters

HQ city

Turlock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Membership Plans: Annual subscription revenue from three protection plan tiers (Safe Plan $35/year, Safe & Connected Plan $55/year, Safe & Found Plan $75/year). Subscriptions auto-renew with annual billing. Members receive medical ID products plus 24/7 emergency response services, health profile storage, and varying levels of family notification and wandering prevention services.
2. Medical ID Product Sales: One-time and recurring sales of medical ID jewelry including bracelets, necklaces, QR code IDs, and accessories. Products are sold directly through the online store and include free custom engraving.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, MedicAlert receives tax-deductible donations to fund free IDs and services for people in need. Donors can give one-time or monthly recurring gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MedicAlert Foundation sells engraved medical identification jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, QR code IDs, and location-tracker IDs) bundled with subscription-based 24/7 emergency response services. Members store a comprehensive digital health profile that US-based emergency specialists relay to first responders and 911 dispatchers during medical emergencies. Three annual protection plans (Safe, Safe & Connected, Safe & Found) provide progressively enhanced services including family notification and wandering prevention for individuals with autism or dementia.

Product overview

MedicAlert Foundation offers a unified medical identification and 24/7 emergency response platform combining physical medical ID jewelry with subscription-based membership services. The product portfolio includes Medical ID Bracelets, Medical ID Necklaces, QR Code Medical IDs, Location Tracker IDs (integrated with Apple AirTag), Smart Card IDs, and Medical ID Accessories, available across demographic lines for Women, Men, and Kids. All physical IDs feature free custom engraving and connect to membership plans providing 24/7 emergency response services. The subscription tier includes the Safe Plan ($35/year), Safe & Connected Plan ($55/year), and Safe & Found Plan ($75/year), which provide progressively enhanced protection including digital health profiles, family notification, document storage, and wandering prevention services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical ID Bracelets

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected over 4 million lives during emergencies since 1956
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedicAlert partners with AAFA and Kids With Food Allergies to raise awareness of asthma and anaphylaxis. AAFA members can enroll using code AAFA and receive 20% of membership fees donated to AAFA's mission. Joint ACT for Asthma and ACT for Allergy awareness campaigns.
• MHAUS (Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the US)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide tools and resources for people susceptible to malignant hyperthermia. MHAUS recommends MedicAlert IDs for MH-susceptible individuals and provides the MH Hotline number (800-644-9737) for inclusion on engravings.
• National Multiple Sclerosis SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National MS Society works to create a world free of MS. Partnership supports people living with MS by promoting MedicAlert medical IDs as essential safety tools for the condition's unpredictable symptoms.
• Parkinson's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParkinson's Foundation improves lives for people with Parkinson's through support, advocacy and community. Partnership promotes MedicAlert IDs for individuals with Parkinson's disease.
• RapidSOScoreTechnology or IntegrationMedicAlert works with RapidSOS, a US-based emergency technology platform, to transmit member information securely to 911 dispatchers. RapidSOS acts as a service provider to MedicAlert under applicable privacy laws.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bay Alarm Medical: US-based PERS and medical alert provider offering in-home and mobile emergency-response devices plus a 24/7 monitoring center. Directly comparable to MedicAlert's 24/7 emergency response service; the two even co-market via MedicAlert's 'Push Button' bay-alarm-medical landing page.
• Life Alert: Iconic US medical alert and PERS company providing 24/7 emergency response for elderly and at-risk individuals via in-home and mobile help buttons. Closest direct competitor on the wearable emergency-response service that MedicAlert's subscription plans enable.
• Medical Guardian: US PERS provider offering in-home, mobile, and smartwatch medical alert devices with 24/7 monitoring, targeting seniors and individuals with chronic conditions - the same primary member persona as MedicAlert.
• Lively (formerly GreatCall): US PERS and connected-senior provider offering medical alert devices, urgent-response service, and cellular health-and-safety plans sold direct-to-consumer. Comparable subscription pricing and use cases targeting older adults and chronic-condition patients.
• Alert1: Direct-to-consumer PERS company offering in-home, mobile, and fall-detection medical alert systems with monthly subscriptions. Comparable pricing model and target demographic (older adults, chronic conditions, caregivers).
• Road ID: Direct-to-consumer medical ID and wearable identification company, strongest in the athletic and active-lifestyle segment. Comparable product category (engraved medical ID jewelry with emergency profile), with a different go-to-market focus on athletes vs. MedicAlert's chronic-condition and senior focus.
• Lauren's Hope: US medical ID jewelry retailer offering engraved bracelets, necklaces, and accessories for chronic-condition wearers. Closely comparable physical-product line to MedicAlert's bracelets, necklaces, and accessories, though without an integrated 24/7 response service.

Broad incumbents

• Philips Lifeline: Long-established PERS brand owned by Philips, providing in-home and on-the-go medical alert devices with fall detection and 24/7 response. Comparable service but backed by a much larger healthcare conglomerate rather than a nonprofit charitable model.
• ADT Health (ADT Medical Alert): Medical alert and personal emergency response arm of ADT, offering in-home and mobile PERS devices through a national monitoring infrastructure. Overlapping service and customer base with MedicAlert, but ADT plays in the space as part of a broader security portfolio.

Emerging players

• Apple (Medical ID and Apple Watch): Apple's iPhone Medical ID and Apple Watch fall-detection and emergency-SOS features provide free, device-native medical identification and emergency response for tens of millions of users. Not a paid medical-ID service, but a structural substitute for tech-forward segments of MedicAlert's potential market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/medicalert
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/medicalertsaveslives/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/medicalert
• Instagraminstagram.com/medicalertfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/medic-alert-unitedstates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MedicAlert Foundation