General News

Technology is the MAGIC in new smart homes

October 17, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory is about to go live with two smart homes equipped with monitoring technology to improve health care for a population of medically fragile adults with intellectual disabilities.

“There are lots of problems to be solved,” said Dr. Robert Wack, board president of MAGIC. “Even if we just make a dent, it will be a significant savings.”

The MAGIC smart homes, which are managed by a local nonprofit agency, combine telemedicine and in-home monitoring to reduce emergency room visits, decrease unplanned medical appointments and decrease staff time spent on unplanned medical care for the residents of the homes. The homes use gigabit broadband provided by Ting Internet with ADTRAN technology.

Inside each home, a variety of sensors will be incrementally deployed and connected to an intelligent integration platform, which will collect, analyze and report data, and send alerts proactively and in real-time. The technology will also provide administrative support to the homes’ staff and perform typical smart home functions like heat, door locks and kitchen appliances.

“We’re trying to replicate in the home setting the information collection and analysis that takes place in the hospital,” said Wack. “It’s kind of a Big Data approach to health care problems.”

The technology makes the house become another set of eyes and ears that will tell caregivers if a patient needs to see a doctor because their pattern has changed, Wack said.

“Somebody can see into the patterns through the data and know what to do without ever having to leave the home,” he said. “That’s real telehealth.”

MATTER incubator partners with Israeli health system on digital innovation

October 12, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

CHICAGO – Health care incubator and accelerator MATTER is partnering with Israel-based Sheba Medical Center to accelerate the commercialization of new technologies for patients in both the U.S. and Israel.

Through the partnership, MATTER startups in the U.S. will have opportunities to pilot their technologies with Sheba Medical Center’s partners. The health system has a highly developed innovation capability and can facilitate pilots for new solutions at a rapid pace.

Sheba Medical Center also supports a number of Israel-based health care technology startups building digital health solutions. Chicago-based MATTER will leverage its network of U.S. entrepreneurs, innovators, health systems, industry partners and experts to help open the door to markets here for Sheba Medical Center-affiliated startups.

“MATTER is the perfect platform for Israeli health care companies to enter the U.S. market,” said Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, in a statement. “Israel has developed one of the most productive startup ecosystems in the world, and we look forward to engaging with the Israeli startup community.”

Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, deputy director of Sheba Medical Center, said the two organizations share the same vision for innovation and improved universal health care.

“I believe the collaboration between the two organizations will be instrumental in pushing our vision forward,” he said.

The agreement between the two organizations was signed during Collens’ recent trip to Israel with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and World Business Chicago. The delegation was formed to promote investment and innovation in Chicago.

“I look forward to seeing what this partnership between two innovative organizations produces to benefit people throughout the world,” Emanuel said.

MATTER works with 200 health care technology startups and partners with 11 hospitals and health systems, five universities and more than 40 industry-leading companies to accelerate the development of health care technologies.

Sheba Medical Center is a university-affiliated tertiary referral hospital that serves as Israel’s national medical center in many fields, and is also a major medical-scientific research center that collaborates internationally with the biotech and pharmaceutical industries to develop new drugs, treatments and technologies, and a global center for medical education.

Noom mobile coaching platform may reduce hypertension, study finds

October 11, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

NEW YORK – Noom’s mobile Hypertension Reduction and Prevention Program can help adults with high blood pressure lower their risk of hypertension, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Human Hypertension.

The study demonstrated how a mobile program supported by human coaches was able to help adults with prehypertension and hypertension reduce their blood pressure and lose weight.

“Our research concluded that those who were more engaged in the study had better results and larger reductions in both weight and blood pressure,” said Dr. Tatiana Toro-Ramos, the study’s author, in a statement.

Noom’s smartphone-compatible HRPP includes in-app human coaching, along with meal logging, blood pressure tracking and educational material.

The pilot study was administered for six months to participants who were prehypertensive or hypertensive. Each participant received a unique and personalized curriculum that included dietary guidance, suggested physical activities, educational content, interaction with live coaches, and food and activity logging.

The study found that 80% of the participants who began the study completed the program, and 55% of them lowered their risk of hypertension. Higher frequency of weigh-ins and meal logging was a consistent and key factor for risk reduction.

“The HRPP is different from anything else available to the public because it is individualized in every way,” said Toro-Ramos. “In the study, no single participant had the same medical history, nor the exact same experience, yet most shared similar results.”

Digital health innovation a priority but barriers remain, survey reports

October 10, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

CHICAGO – A majority of health care leaders believe digital innovation is an important part of their long-term strategy and competitive differentiation, according to a survey by the American Hospital Association and AVIA Health Innovation Network.

More than 300 health system CEOs, executives and other innovation leaders participated in the survey over a month-long period.

“Digital solutions and innovation have never been more at the forefront of health care,” said Jill Seidman, value-based care leader at AVIA, a health system innovation strategy provider. “With this survey we really wanted to get a read on what health care systems are doing as innovation becomes more integrated.”

Highlights from the survey include:

More than 75% of respondents believe digital innovation must include partnering with other innovative organizations.
About half of the respondents believe in testing and scaling externally developed digital solutions.
About half of respondents believe that innovation should include investing in companies that are developing digital solutions.
The majority of respondents said their health system is planning to or already has built a digital innovation center within their organization to drive scaled and impactful transformational changes rather than incremental improvements.

The survey also revealed several top digital innovation priorities for health care organizations, including understanding how to integrate patient-generated data, as well as providing convenient patient access through telemedicine, remote diagnostics and virtual exams.

“Our hope is that by collecting and sharing this data about their aspirations, priorities and challenges we can accelerate the pace of change in the field,” said Maryjane Wurth, executive vice president and COO of the AHA, in a statement.

Health, wellness technology ecosystem enables continuous patient monitoring, researcher says

October 10, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

STANFORD, Calif. – A network of sensors, screens and smart devices being developed at labs around the world will extend the reach of caregivers and enable more people to manage their health at home, according to a researcher from Stanford University.

“We see this ecosystem as enabling a doctor to have continuous monitoring of a patient,” said Bryant Chu, a member of the design group in Stanford’s mechanical engineering department, where research is being done on the components that make up the bodyNET system, a four-layer ecosystem of components that includes devices and sensors that are implantable, dermal, incorporated into clothing and worn externally.

The bodyNET system’s core technology is made of electronics that can stretch and feel more like the human touch and can enable health professionals to see how a patient is feeling in real-time. The “elastronics” technology allows patients to interact with digitally networked devices and makes raw data from wearable devices more useful, Chu said.

While the idea of the bodyNET system may seem far-reaching, Chu thinks it’s something that could be a reality within the next 20 years. Before that happens, though, testing of the separate components will need to happen in controlled settings and industry concerns about privacy and security will need to be allayed, he said.

“We see a system like bodyNET as humanizing the technology rather than technology replacing us,” Chu said. “The idea of humans and technology coming together can be scary, but with a slight reframe of perspective, there’s an excitement about what could exist.”

Best Buy introduces senior home monitoring program

October 10, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

RICHFIELD, Minn. – Electronics giant Best Buy is entering the senior home monitoring market with a system of sensors and smart devices that integrate with Amazon Alexa and are aimed at helping people age in place more comfortably.

Currently being tested in the Minneapolis and Denver, Colo., areas, the Assured Living program is designed to learn the senior’s activity and sleep patterns, then send alerts to caregivers when patterns change. The retailer has added the program to its in-store lineup and sees it as a natural extension of its business plan.

“A key priority of Best Buy’s growth strategy is to explore services and solutions that solve real customer needs and help us deepen customer relationships,” said Matthew Smith, external communications specialist for Best Buy.

The Assured Living program costs $389 for a base package of equipment that includes bed and chair sensors, motion sensors, doorbell cameras, smart locks and thermostats that all connect with a senior’s smart phone. Data from the devices is sent to a dashboard and automatic notifications can be set up to alert caregivers. The system can also send medication and other reminders. After the initial purchase, there is a monthly fee of $29. The equipment is installed by Best Buy’s Geek Squad, who then train the senior and caregivers.

Smith said the company is introducing the Assured Living program at a time when many adults are facing decisions about healthy aging.

“The opportunity for this program is supported by our employees and customers who are experiencing the challenges that come with caring for aging parents, along with the growing population of seniors and the need for alternative aging-in-place solutions,” he said.

Best Buy will evaluate feedback from the Minneapolis and Denver markets as they consider expanding the program to other areas in the future.

NJIT professor receives grant to develop biochip for faster disease detection

October 4, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – The New Jersey Health Foundation has awarded a $50,000 Innovation Grant to Eon Soo Lee, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, to advance the development of a microfluidic chip that provides instant diagnostic results, advancing earlier detection and diagnosis for patients.

If successful, the biochip will expedite the diagnosis of many diseases, including viral infections and cancers.

“We are interested in Dr. Lee’s project because the biochip he is developing would provide instant results at a local office or point of care without needing sample preparation,” said Dr. George Heinrich, vice chairman and CEO of NJHF, in a statement.

The biochip will also reduce the possibility of sample contamination by minimizing the need for flow control devices and connecting tubes.

Heinrich said doctors currently rely on diagnostic devices that require a minimum of four hours of sample preparation through centralized diagnostic centers.

“As we know, early detection can improve treatment outcomes for patients significantly,” he said.

Lee previously won funding for his research from the National Science Foundation I-Corps program as an NJIT site team, and then from the agency’s national program.

“The customer insights Dr. Lee gained through I-Corps provided market validation for the discussions with New Jersey Health Foundation that led to this project,” said Judith Sheft, associate vice president for technology and enterprise development at NJIT’s New Jersey Innovation Institute, in a statement. “We anticipate additional collaborations with NJHF that will leverage our respective capabilities to bring new technologies to the market.”

USC conference recognizes digital health leaders

October 3, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California held its Center for Body Computing conference last week and introduced new awards that recognize a corporate innovator and a digital health trailblazer.

The USC CBC presented its first Connected Product Award to Abbott Laboratories, maker of the Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system.

“The Freestyle Libre has the potential to bridge the gap between wellness performance and chronic disease and can provide all of us the ability to look under our hoods and get the real-time information we need to optimize performance,” said Dr. Leslie Saxon, executive director and founder of the USC CBC.

Dr. Dave Albert was recognized with the conference’s Digital Health Innovator Award for his work in health technology, including the Kardia Mobile electrocardiogram sensor.

“Dave took a 100-year-old technology, the electrocardiogram, and reinvented it into a life-changing device accessible to the masses,” Saxon said.

The 2017 SLAM winner and recipient of a $10,000 grant was also announced at the conference: a team that developed a way for returning veterans to use a smartphone digital coach for health reminders as they re-enter the work force. Each year, the SLAM competition invites multidisciplinary teams to solve a new problem using digital health tools. The objective this year: transform health behavior for the better.

“It’s inspiring to see these team members come from different disciplines in their education to solve health problems for our society using digital health tools and services,” said Saxon.

Xcertia boosts board in advance of guidelines

October 3, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON – Four digital health leaders have joined the board of directors of Xcertia, a nonprofit organization working to improve the framework around mobile health apps.

Supported by the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association, DHX Group and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Xcertia is working to encourage mHealth app developers and consumers to apply its guidelines and principles when creating or choosing an app.

“There’s a lot of good content out there already, and the mobile health app market is growing quickly,” said Dr. Michael Hodgkins, vice president and chief medical information officer for the AMA. “What’s missing is the evidence. No one has taken a comprehensive look at this and said ‘These are the things that need to be considered.’”

The new board members are: Dr. Kaveh Safavi, senior managing director of health industry at Accenture; Morgan Reed, president of ACT/The App Association; Dr. Steve Ommen, associate dean and medical director of connected care at Mayo Clinic; and Dr. Joseph Kvedar, vice president of connected health at Partners HealthCare.

In the 10 months since its inception, the organization has been building its board of directors and developing soon-to-be-launched guidelines that focus on a process for digital health app labeling, which aims to provide mobile app transparency to consumers. The process will work similar to food or prescription medical labeling: Consumers will be able to go through each health app and see if the data is encrypted, whether the app will access the user’s contacts, and more.

“The future of health care depends on the development of digital capabilities that are safe, secure and that enable patients to share data and doctors to deliver care wherever they are,” said Safavi.

SMACK moves health care forward

September 26, 2017 by Kathy Dion Leave a Comment

SAN FRANCISCO – Matthew Holt believes the digital health care industry needs rebranding.

“The term ‘digital’ just means it’s on a computer,” he said on a recent digital health podcast. “It’s just too vague.”

Instead, Holt, co-founder of Health 2.0, which presents health technology innovation conferences around the world each year, suggested “SMACK Health,” a term that incorporates the social, mobile, analytic and cloud aspects of digital health care. He added the “K” for kindness.

“These technologies are distinct from the technologies we’ve had for so many years,” Holt said. “It’s going to be a messy world in health care while these two worlds of technologies co-exist for a while.”

Holt said the language around the digital health industry also has to consider new diagnostic technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D, smartphone compatibility and sensors.

“The term ‘SMAC’ has been used predominantly outside the U.S., but it’s a way to distinguish these now mature ‘new’ information technologies from the enterprise-based client-server technologies that preceded them and are still prevalent especially in health care enterprises,” he said.

Experts agree the term ‘SMAC’ is more comprehensive of what’s needed to help health care organizations reduce costs and improve quality.

“Experience with SMAC in industries such as entertainment, consumer goods, and banking shows that while each of these technologies can generate benefits independently, they are even better together—joint application can improve business processes dramatically,” a report by the Deloitte consulting firm found.

In health care, this may translate to increased efficiency and lower costs, said the report’s authors.

While Holt recognizes the term digital health might be around for a while, he knows the most important thing is that people are having conversations about how to move health care forward.

“The status quo is not serving anyone as well as it could,” he said. “Our role is to improve it, and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”