Entra’s home blood test for chemotherapy patients; Haystack’s ‘one blood test’ for cancer (UK/US)

April 11, 2017 | by

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Entra.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]Entra is a London startup company developing a quick, home-based blood test for clinically valid blood counts. Targeted to the needs of chemotherapy patients, where blood counts are critical in their receiving and timing of treatments, the Affinity (photo left) is designed to take a small sample, analyze it, wirelessly send the information to the hospital or clinic, and enter into the patient’s EHR. It is currently being tested with The Royal Marsden Hospital, a leading UK cancer center, to validate its optical analytics and generate cost-effectiveness data. Blood counts are not only critical to correct patient treatment, but also to assigning and canceling appointments. Entra is being supported by £1.14 million in funding from Innovate UK, much of it through the Biomedical Catalyst. The timeline to commercial release is being estimated at two years. It’s anticipated that once verified, the blood count technology could be further developed for other uses. Gov.UK. Hat tip to our Eye on Tenders, Susanne Woodman

Raising funds for another type of blood testing is a NYC-based biotech company, Haystack, which is pioneering a single blood test for multiple cancers through proteome molecular profiling. Its goal is early detection of multiple cancers through one test using panels of biomarkers. The research team headed by John Wilson, PhD, who is affiliated with Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, are ready first with pancreatic and lung cancer samples. This has gained the interest of pharma companies who are seeking a companion diagnostic for their drug trials. It was also a category winner at MedStartr’s #MedMo16 last December and presenter at #RISE2017 in March. Haystack’s MedStartr page. Video of Haystack’s presentation at #RISE2017 is on YouTube here (at 58:00) TTA is a MedStartr and Health 2.0 NYC supporter/media sponsor since 2010; event videos are available at Medstartr.tv.

WLSA merger with PCHAlliance: the digital health conference scene contracts a bit more

December 12, 2016 | by

Over the weekend, the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance) and the Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) announced that the San Diego-based WLSA would be combining its operations with the PCHAlliance. This follows on the earlier announcement [TTA 21 Oct] that the Boston-based and Partners HealthCare- owned Connected Health Symposium would be folding its operation into the PCHAlliance. Both Robert B. McCray, co-founder and CEO of WLSA, and Dr Joseph Kvedar of Partners HealthCare are now Senior Advisers to the PCHAlliance, with Mr McCraw heading Thought Leadership and Dr Kvedar now Program Chair of next year’s event.

WLSA has been largely inactive on the conference scene since 2015, when it staged its last Convergence Summit in May and the Wireless Health event in October of that year. The Convergence Summit has been merged into PCHAlliance’s Connected Health Conference kicking off today near Washington, DC. The Wireless Health event will continue through a collaboration with IEEE/EMBS cooperating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

In their release, PCHAlliance emphasized WLSA’s experience in research within engineering, computer science, biomedical and health disciplines. Patricia (Patty) Mechael, PhD, Executive Vice President, PCHAlliance in the release was quoted that “Their focus on medical and health research communities is a perfect compliment to our commitment to accelerate the adoption of clinical grade technology in consumer-friendly health outcomes- based business models.” Life science companies will be welcomed for membership in the PCHAlliance. PCHAlliance also includes Continua, which for well over a decade has been promoting engineering standards for device interoperability.

As this Editor looked back in October, when most of these organizations and events started about 2007-8, there were few Big Health conferences that took what was then dubbed eHealth and mHealth (later Digital Health) seriously. Now, of course, they do. There are also multiple events, large and small, expensive and popularly priced, every month in many cities–we attended and reported on #MedMo16 which will be branching out to multiple cities in 2017.

In looking back at our articles, the WLSA was engaged with the conference almost from the start, when the mHealth Summitwas one of the first ‘big name/big support’ conferences. Its tack then was governmental policy and what international NGOs were doing as a model for developed nations. It was organized by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Health and the mHealth Alliance up to 2012, when HIMSS took it over.

Grizzled Pioneers, and even the non-grizzled, can testify to the multiple phases in a decade up and down the Hype Curve: device-driven, mobile-driven, sensor-driven, telehealth, wearables, Big Data, population health, patient engagement, analytics, data integration, outcomes-based and a few others. This move confirms that many factors are blending: academic, engineering, software, biotech, genomics, social, behavioral, governmental–and that technology is not standalone or sitting in isolation, but is integrating and manifesting itself in all sorts of interesting places both behind the consumer scene and in policy, and to consumers on mobiles and in the home (IoT, which hasn’t resolved its multiple and obvious security problems).

Also Neil Versel in MedCityNews. TTA is a media partner of the PCHA CHC for the 8th year, starting in 2009 when it was the brand new mHealth Summit. Conference tweets on #connect2health.

Patients as People: creating clinically relevant social insights (part II)

December 12, 2016 | by

Guest Editor Sarianne Gruber (@subtleimpact) continues her interview of Mandi Bishop, founder and Chief Evangelist of Aloha Health. Ms Bishop’s goal with Aloha Health is to put the ‘patient as person’ into the present healthcare model. Ms Gruber interviewed Ms Bishop at #MedMo16 where Aloha Health won the People’s Choice award in the Equity Crowd Challenge. The first half of the interview was previously published in Part I.

How does Social Determinants Of Healthcare (SDOH) data relate to me as a patient?

Bishop: SDOH attributes are available both the individual patient level and a “high propensity that this is you” level via micro-segmentation. Optimally, there will be personalization of information where personalization is possible and micro-segmentation profiles for when it is not.  Also, we are not trying to give the doctor more data since we think that is a big part of the problem.  “What about your lifestyle” matters which respect to you as a patient, and we at Aloha Health convert that data into insights.  When the doctor pulls up an encounter, based on our models, the EHR is populated with the insights that are available about you and your conditions.

As a workflow example, I pull up your encounter.  Aloha then pings the Aloha insights section and gets all this information about you. This is the use case we are going after:  a diabetic patient and this is the demographic information we are going after about that person.  Pertinent and clinically relevant information would be pulled up about you and on your profile.  We are only showing things that matter.  The fact that you are a 40-year woman is information the doctor already knows.  But the fact that you are a single mother, who just got divorced 3 weeks ago, is caring for an elderly parent, and has all of these other “things”, all of these “things” would influence your ability to have an insulin pump.

What makes SDOH data a must have for patient engagement and patient-centered care? (more…)

Patients as People: creating clinically relevant social insights (part I)

December 9, 2016 | by

Guest Editor Sarianne Gruber (@subtleimpact) reviews how one of the #MedMo16 Crowd Challenge winners, Aloha Health, has the ambitious goal of putting the ‘patient as person’ into the present healthcare model. They aim to provide and integrate into the patient record social factors and the context of everyday life, including environmental factors.

“The need to see patients as people is very real. It is an ideal that will drive healthcare transformation.”  Mandi Bishop (@MandiBPro) Founder & CEO of Aloha Health (@Aloha_Health).

Mandi Bishop prefers to be called the Chief Evangelist rather than the Chief Executive Officer.  Her new start-up, Aloha Health, launched this past July and she is making considerable traction.  I caught up with Ms. Bishop in New York at MedStartr Momentum, an equity Crowd Challenge, where she won the People’s Choice award. (Congratulations to Mandi and the Aloha Health team!)

Here is an edited transcript of our conversation.

What makes Aloha Health “unique” as a healthcare data and analytics company?

Bishop: Aloha Health was designed with a singular mission – to allow providers, care managers, and people who are participating in the patient’s care to “view” a patient as a person.  All contextual information about “you” is what makes you unique. This view of  “clinically relevant social determinants” is important because it impacts  your ability to manage your health on many levels such as your ability to follow instructions, how you  interpret information,  who you trust and how you engage. It is really important because we [providers] are all pressed for time. We are already seeing the patient revolution and hearing a lot of talk about engaging patients.  Aloha Health is providing an opportunity to see patients as people without imposing additional time. We give you specific insights to help you see your patients as people.

How do see non-clinical insights adding value to value-based care metrics?

Bishop: As our industry moves from volume to value and from fee for service to more programs like comprehensive joint replacement and bundled payment methodologies such as ACO models. These types of shared savings programs involve shared risk. When you have a capitated payment structure where you are being asked to manage the care of an entire population, including people with a set number of funds. Obviously, you have to find ways to be very effective in that care delivery. You have to understand all the things about that population, and each patient as an individual to help him or her to help themselves become healthier.  In turn, this saves money for organizations through improved health outcomes.

What types of data would be considered as the “other 95 percent”?

Bishop: The first 5 percent of the health data happens in the clinical setting.  The remaining data is what we refer to as the “other 95 percent” and is what happens at home, at work, and in the environment.  (more…)

#MedMo16 video highlights and awards on YouTube (Day 2)

November 30, 2016 | by

Again courtesy of the MedStartr crowd-based healthcare investment fund and HealthTechTalkLive is the video of the second day at #MedMo16 from City Winery in NYC. It is just over 6 hours and includes both a panel discussion and individual presentations on what healthcare and the ACA will look in the Trump administration, blockchain, what it is like to grow your startup to a ‘baby unicorn’, human-centered design, investment and–most interesting to this marketer–being a ‘lean rat’ to run that business plan maze (2:29:00).

The five winners of the Mega Challenge start at 5:55:00:

Population Health, Payers and PharmaTech: EllieGrid (med management) and Mymee (personal health coach)
People’s Choice: Aloha Health (personalized care data for engagement)
Devices and Wearable Health Tech: Ceeable (cloud-based eye exam)
Design: Ceeable
Clinical Innovations and Hospital Tech: Haystack (proteome molecular profiling for cancer)

Day 2 link is here. More on this when your Editor has time to recover! Special thanks to Alex Fair, Tom Tagariello, Ben Chodor, Ivan Schlachter, Mimi Rosenfeld and Steve Greene on the #MedMo16 team.

#MedMo16 video highlights on YouTube (Day 1)

November 29, 2016 | by

Courtesy of the MedStartr crowd-based healthcare investment fund and HealthTechTalkLive is the first day video of #MedMo16 from City Winery in NYC. It’s a tick over 7 hours of six Momentum talks, two final exams for Mega Challenge competitors in population health and devices/wearables plus three panels. Your Editor is running the presentations so you know the dastardly doer of any ‘goofs’ you see! Day One is on YouTube here. The finalist list in the Mega Challenge presentations differs from the program here–start times are in parentheses:

  • Pop Health, Payers and Pharmatech: Mymee, AudibleRx, EllieGrid, Agewell Biometrics US, Aloha Health (1:03:00)
  • Devices and Wearable Health Tech: GlucoSight, Rx Bandz, HeartIn, tonguenacity, Ceeable (4:56:00)

Day 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Exciting new sessions, more startup funding at #MedMo16 NYC–now 25% off! (updated)

November 18, 2016 | by

New Venue!
City Winery, 155 Varick Street, New York, NY
9am – 3:30pm (cocktail reception after) Monday 28 Nov; 9am – 3pm Tuesday 29 Nov
Information. Registration. TTA Readers use code Telecare25 for a 25% discount.

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MedStartr_red_grey_sm.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]MedStartr and Health 2.0 NYC present Momentum, a full two-day conference focused on finding, partnering, piloting, and investing in the best new ideas in healthcare. Here are some updates on this event the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving Weekend:

  • The MedMo16 Mega Challenge is awarding to participating startups in up to three pitch contests showcasing some of the coolest new early stage companies. 20 will be competing for over $750,000 (up from $500,000) in funding. Review the finalists here.
  • 70 speakers, five panels and nine talks from healthcare leaders like Rich Park of City MD (urgent care), Khan Siddiqui of Higi (gamified health kiosks), Regina Holliday of the patient activist Walking Gallery and more, featuring:
    – The Unicorn Panel with leaders from some of the hottest companies like Pager (on-demand doctors) and Change Healthcare (revenue cycle management)
    – Healthcare Innovation in the Trump Era, moderated by Fard Johnmar
    – Ask the VC where we will let the crowd pose questions to leading investors in healthcare

Tickets are regularly priced as below–but our Readers get 25% off the full rates below. Use code Telecare25 when registering:

  • $75 for early stage startup founders, students and patient advocates ($56.25)
  • $155 general – expires 21 Nov–$395 thereafter ($116.25/$296.25)
  • $250 healthcare ecosystem stakeholders, investors and care providers ($187.50)
  • $450 non-healthcare ecosystem stakeholders ($337.50)

Tables and sponsorships available from $750.

MedMo16 is also the kickoff for the MedStartr Venture Fund which adds to the crowdfunding impact of MedStartr–now up to 94 health projects. TTA is a supporter of MedStartr and Health 2.0 NYC and Editor Donna is a MedMo16 event host. Hat tip to Alex Fair of #MedMo16 and MedStartr. Tag #MedMo16 and follow @MedStartr.

MedStartr Momentum 2016–28-29 November (NYC)

October 26, 2016 | by

28-29 November 28
Gerald Lynch Theater (John Jay College-Lincoln Center), 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MedStartr_red_grey_sm.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]MedStartr Momentum is a conference with two full days focused on finding, partnering, piloting, and investing in the best new ideas in healthcare. With 9 Momentum talks, 7 discussion panels, 5 pitch contests with over $500,000 in prizes, and performances that will inspire, MedMo16 promises to be among the best events of the year for everyone involved in healthcare innovation. Speakers include John Nosta, Ben Chodor and from Northwell Health, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, NYU, Mount Sinai and Mad*Pow. It is also the kickoff for the MedStartr Venture Fund which adds to the crowdfunding impact of MedStartr–now up to 94 health projects. Find out more and register on the Momentum website. TTA is a supporter of MedStartr and Editor Donna is a MedMo16 event host. Hat tip to Alex Fair of MedMo16 and MedStartr.