So why would a company with no experience or expertise in software want to get into that now when instead they could approach a nascent company and hammer them into very favorable deal terms by simply lending credibility with their brand? THAT is the real no brainer.

WebMD had to pick whether they want to get patient data directly from self-monitoring devices via the WebMD smartphone apps, or from a remote cloud.

However, according to FDA regulation of Mobile Medical Apps, the latter approach would turn the WebMD app into a regulated accessory, at least in the case of blood pressure cuffs and blood glucose monitors. At the same time, the former approach would get WebMD the exact same data, but without becoming regulated, since the data comes from the cloud and not directly from the devices.

So between partnering with makers of smartphone-peripherals and getting regulated vs partnering with an data aggregator and dodging that bullet, the choice is easy.