/ en Fri, 02 May 2025 12:30:41 -0500 Tue, 08 Apr 25 06:00:00 -0500 /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-04-08-fda-clears-apple-watch-powered-platform-seizure-monitoring <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/The-FDA-Clears-Apple-Watch-Powered-Platform-for-Seizure-Monitoring.png" data-entity-uuid="9da944d2-03f7-4aea-a13c-79bffa21d7fc" data-entity-type="file" alt="The FDA Clears Apple Watch-Powered Platform for Seizure Monitoring. An EpiWatch monitoring a brain for seizures." width="1200" height="646"><p>In a significant step forward for wearable health tech, <a href="https://www.epiwatch.com/" target="_blank" title="EpiWatch homepage">EpiWatch</a> 鈥� a Johns Hopkins Medicine spinout 鈥� has received <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfpmn/pmn.cfm?ID=K243515" target="_blank" title="FDA: EpiWatch Monitoring System 510(k) Premarket Notification">FDA 510(k) premarket clearance</a> for its seizure detection platform that runs on the Apple Watch. The platform is designed to continuously monitor for tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures, a form of epilepsy that causes full-body convulsions and loss of consciousness.</p><p>EpiWatch鈥檚 Apple Watch-based app goes beyond detection, offering medication reminders, tracking potential seizure triggers, mental health screening and seizure logging. It's an important advance in remote patient monitoring for individuals living with epilepsy and is part of a long-term collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine, powered by Apple鈥檚 <a href="https://www.researchandcare.org/researchkit/" target="_blank" title="ResearchKit landing page">ResearchKit</a>, Apple鈥檚 open-source software.</p><p>鈥淭his marks a significant step forward in fulfilling our mission to empower all people living with epilepsy,鈥� said Teresa Prego, EpiWatch CEO. The company plans a limited market release to collaborate with clinicians and users and refine the platform鈥檚 support and education features.</p><p>Wearables increasingly are gaining FDA attention as tools for proactive health monitoring. In February, Google received clearance for an <a href="https://blog.google/feed/pixel-watch-3-loss-of-pulse-detection-fda/" target="_blank" title="Google Blog: Loss of Pulse Detection has received U.S. FDA clearance, and is now available on Pixel Watch 3.">AI-based loss-of-pulse detection feature</a> on the Pixel Watch 3. The Apple Watch Series 10 recently earned FDA clearance for <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-groundbreaking-health-features/" target="_blank" title="Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces groundbreaking health features to support conditions impacting billions of people">sleep apnea detection</a>, while its AirPods Pro 2 include <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/09/apple-introduces-groundbreaking-health-features/" target="_blank" title="Apple Newsroom: Apple introduces groundbreaking health features to support conditions impacting billions of people">machine learning-powered hearing aid functionality</a> 鈥� following the FDA鈥檚 2022 rule enabling over-the-counter hearing aids.</p><p>For hospital leaders, these developments signal accelerating momentum behind wearable tech as a companion to clinical care, enabling more proactive, personalized health management and potentially easing the burden on emergency services and chronic disease management.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } Tue, 08 Apr 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /news/headline/2024-09-27-oig-more-oversight-needed-remote-patient-monitoring-medicare <p>The Department of Health and Human Services鈥� Office of Inspector General Sept. 24 recommended that additional oversight is needed to ensure that remote patient monitoring in Medicare is being used and billed appropriately, according to a <a href="https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/evaluation/10001/OEI-02-23-00260.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>. The report found that the number of Medicare enrollees who received RPM was more than 10 times higher in 2022 (570,000) than in 2019 (55,000). About 43 percent of enrollees who received RPM did not receive all three components of it, raising questions about whether the monitoring is being used as intended, the report said. OIG also determined that Medicare lacks key information for oversight, including who ordered the monitoring for the enrollee. Both OIG and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services have raised concerns about fraud related to RPM. <br><br>The report doesn't provide details on whether anomalous billing practices were concentrated in a select group of billing providers. However, it mentions that some bad actors may be engaging in unscrupulous practices, notably RPM companies that make unsolicited contact with beneficiaries to enroll them in RPM. "Most often, the monitoring never happens, but the company bills for remote patient monitoring anyway," the report notes. Other recommendations in the report included developing additional provider education on billing codes, increasing transparency of incident to billing, requiring an order and collecting additional data on equipment and vitals measured.</p> Fri, 27 Sep 2024 14:46:05 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-04-02-do-digital-diabetes-management-tools-deliver-intended-value <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Do-Digital-Diabetes-Management-Tools-Deliver-Intended-Value.png" data-entity-uuid="2ad62cbc-7891-436c-8612-e351f7edcabd" data-entity-type="file" alt="Do Digital Diabetes Management Tools Deliver Intended Value? A man with diabetes checks his blood glucose level through a continuous glucose monitor with a mobile app on his phone." width="100%" height="100%"></p><p>Recent <a href="https://phti.com/announcement/new-report-finds-that-digital-diabetes-management-tools-fail-to-deliver-meaningful-health-benefits-to-patients-while-increasing-spending/" target="_blank" title="Peterson Health Technology Institute: New Report Finds That Digital Diabetes Management Tools Fail to Deliver Meaningful Health Benefits to Patients While Increasing Spending">research</a> from the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) panned many digital diabetes management tools for failing to provide meaningful clinical benefits while raising health care spending.</p><p>The report, the first from PHTI, was conducted by a team of health technology assessment experts and clinical advisers. It evaluated eight widely used tools that type 2 diabetes patients employ to track and manage blood glucose with noncontinuous glucometers.</p><p>PHTI, founded by the Peterson Center on Healthcare, is a $50 million initiative funded through philanthropy that provides independent evaluations of digital technologies designed to improve health and lower costs.</p><p>PHTI studied digital tools addressing type 2 diabetes across three categories:</p><ul><li><span><strong>Remote patient monitoring</strong></span> tools, which enable clinicians to track blood glucose levels remotely. (Glooko)</li><li><span><strong>Behavioral and lifestyle modification</strong></span> tools designed to achieve glycemic control. (DarioHealth, Omada, Perry Health, Teladoc, Verily and Vida)</li><li><span><strong>Nutritional ketosis</strong></span>, which aims to induce a state of ketosis in patients through dietary guidance and monitoring of glycemic and ketone levels. (Virta)</li></ul><p>The report found that people who use these tools achieve only a small reduction in hemoglobin A1C compared with those who do not. The reductions also are not sufficient or sustained enough to change the trajectory of patients鈥� health, care or long-term prognosis, including cardiovascular risks, the study noted.</p><p>Manufacturers of these tools took exception to some of the report鈥檚 findings and methodology and pointed to their own studies about the efficacy of their devices.</p><h2><span>4 Takeaways from the Study</span></h2><h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> Study data were consistent.</h3><p>Data lined up in a tight range of impact that showed digital solutions do offer some small benefits relative to normal care. However, the benefits aren鈥檛 great enough or durable enough to change patients鈥� health prognosis or clinical care, said Caroline Pearson, PHTI executive director.</p><h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> The solutions lead to higher spending.</h3><p>The study found that for patients using remote monitoring devices, annual spending is projected to rise between $723 and $2,002, depending on coverage type. For patients using behavior and lifestyle modification tools, annual spending is projected to rise between $474 and $574.</p><h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Higher standards will be needed for digital health tools.</h3><p>The field must set a higher bar on expectations and evidence for digital health tools, Pearson told Fierce Healthcare.</p><h3><span>4</span> <span>|</span> Critics question study findings.</h3><p>Some called PHTI鈥檚 analysis flawed and criticized its narrow focus on changes in A1C levels and the lack of endocrinologists involved in the project.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 02 Apr 2024 06:00:00 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-01-23-7-innovative-devices-ces-2024-could-reshape-patient-self-care <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/7-Innovative-Devices-from-CES-2024-Could-Reshape-Patient-Self-Care.png" data-entity-uuid="ad41602d-35a9-4d85-9a53-0ba5c5ef3f7c" data-entity-type="file" alt="7 Innovative Devices from CES 2024 Could Reshape Patient Self-Care. Included are items for off-the-cuff blood pressure monitoring; food allergen emergency control; portable hemodialysis; noninvasive, drug-free tremor treatment; noninvasive glucose monitoring wearables; wearable infusion pumps; and testing for UTIs at home." width="100%" height="800"></p><p>Separating the breakthrough technologies from those that may not have staying power can be difficult at tech conferences, but the recent <a href="https://www.ces.tech/" target="_blank" title="CES 2024 homepage">CES 2024 show</a> (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) produced a number of health care-related, attention-getting devices. Some are not commercially available yet, but these products have the potential to help patients take greater control of their health.</p><h2><span>1. Off-the-Cuff Blood Pressure</span></h2><p>Getting patients, particularly those with chronic conditions, to monitor their blood pressure and other vital signs regularly and accurately can be a challenge. Two new cuffless devices aim to make it easier for consumers to take their readings. The <a href="https://accurate-meditech.com/solution_multi_vital_sign.html" target="_blank" title="Accurate Meditech: Accurate 24 BPM">Accurate 24 BPM</a> from Accurate Meditech is an FDA-approved, calibration-free blood pressure monitor that can be worn with a lanyard or with a wrist holder. The portable, wearable device measures blood pressure, blood oxygen and core body temperature.</p><h2><span>2. Food Allergen Emergency Control</span></h2><p>Alerje鈥檚 <a href="https://www.alerje.com/take-control" target="_blank" title="Alerje: Introducing the Omniject">Omniject</a> epinephrine auto-injector case attaches to the back of smartphones to give users convenient temperature-appropriate storage for safe use in an emergency. Automatic alerts can be sent from the device to the patient鈥檚 allergist, first responders and support circle if a dose from the case is activated.</p><h2><span>3. Portable Hemodialysis</span></h2><p>The xKidney home and portable hemodialysis unit from <a href="https://www.exorenal.com/" target="_blank" title="Exorenal homepage">Exorenal</a> uses active piston-balancing pumping technology to eliminate daily disinfection required in conventional hemodialysis units. The system鈥檚 entire dialysate compartment is disposable and the unit is lightweight.</p><h2><span>4. Noninvasive, Drug-Free Tremor Treatment</span></h2><p>The <a href="https://gyrogear.co/prod/" target="_blank" title="GyroGear: Discover the Transformative Power of GyroGlove">GyroGlove</a> from GyroGear is designed to counteract tremors in real time using advanced gyroscopic technology without drugs. The noninvasive device is worn on the wrist and tackles the underlying issue of essential tremor. It features a sturdy magnetic connector, wipe-clean surface and oversized attachment point, and the battery pack is designed for easy charging.</p><h2><span>5. Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring Wearables</span></h2><p><a href="https://www.healthcarevision.net/" target="_blank" title="Healthcare Vision homepage">Healthcare Vision</a> is developing a series of noninvasive glucose monitoring devices that use Raman spectroscopy and algorithms to provide a wearable option for those with diabetes or prediabetes. The company says the technology provides precise glucose readings within seconds and comes in wristband, ring and other models. The devices are designed to eliminate the need for finger sticks and related products.</p><h2><span>6. Wearable Infusion Pumps</span></h2><p><a href="https://infuzamed.com/product/" target="_blank" title="Infuzamed Product webpage">Infuzamed</a> has introduced a wearable infusion pump with advanced remote monitoring and control capabilities. It features a large-volume pump for precise intravenous medication, sits on a patient鈥檚 forearm and requires no additional attachments. Infuzamed鈥檚 Wi-Fi-based monitoring program tracks patients in real time, collecting and transmitting vital signs remotely to medical personnel.</p><h2><span>7. Testing for UTIs at home</span></h2><p>The health tech firm <a href="https://vivoo.io/" target="_blank" title="Vivoo homepage">Vivoo</a> has launched an at-home urinary tract infection diagnostic kit. Users will be able to download the company鈥檚 app, urinate on a test strip and scan the strip with a smartphone. Vivoo鈥檚 deep-learning image processing helps to determine the results, which can be forwarded to a physician to arrange for a prescription to treat the infection. The test strips are going through FDA review, but the company anticipates that the product will be available later this year through online retailers.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt></a></p></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 23 Jan 2024 07:04:20 -0600 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2023-03-07-health-care-threshold-remote-patient-monitoring-boom <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="Is Health Care on the Threshold of a Remote Patient-Monitoring Boom? A patient at home with a mobile phone and remote sensors on the arm and wrist sends data to the cloud and shares it with a clinician on a computer in a health care setting." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4435af1f-adac-4070-bb4b-057503310537" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Is-Health-Care-on-the-Threshold-of-a-Remote-Patient-Monitoring-Boom.png" width="1200" height="684"></p> <p>For all the benefits that wearable wellness devices offer, several major hurdles remain for consumers and their doctors to optimize the value of this information.</p> <p>Generally, physicians are only able to gather these health metrics when patients are physically in their offices. In addition, most providers initially had no way to collect and sort through patient information from wearable devices and no way to bill for the service.</p> <p>While health monitoring remains an emerging field, Brian W. Anthony, director of MIT鈥檚 master of engineering in manufacturing program and co-director of <a href="https://medrc.mit.edu/" target="_blank" title="Medical Electronic Device Realization Center homepage">MIT鈥檚 Medical Electronic Device Realization Center</a>, recently outlined in <a href="https://medcitynews.com/2023/02/how-patient-monitoring-is-poised-to-revolutionize-healthcare/" target="_blank" title="MedCity News: How Patient Monitoring Is Poised to Revolutionize Healthcare">MedCity News</a> key ways that remote patient monitoring could improve health care.</p> <h2>Real-Life Data</h2> <p>Metrics obtained in a clinical setting are useful but provide a limited view of the patient. It may skew the interpretation of and the state of the patient鈥檚 health, Anthony notes. Remote monitoring provides clinicians with benchmarking data that give a baseline of data in the context of daily living.</p> <h2>Biometrics Tracking</h2> <p>Although not as evolved as wearables, ambient home sensors that can be embedded in floors and ceilings can help older patients age in their homes instead of moving to assisted-living facilities. Ambient radar sensors can track heart and respiration rates without requiring a person to remember to wear a health tracker. Floor-embedded accelerometers, meanwhile, and sensors that use cameras can track clinically relevant biomarkers associated with gait and walking to indicate whether a patient is limping or stepping more forcefully with one foot more than the other.</p> <h2>Tackling Health Equity</h2> <p>Anthony believes wearable and ambient digital health technologies could have a big impact on patient populations who historically have faced challenges accessing high-quality care due to socio-economic, geographic or other reasons. If health tracking can be made affordable and accessible, health care organizations may be able to tackle inequalities that have long impacted the field. It also could reduce strain on emergency departments as more of these underserved populations are able to identify health problems earlier.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 07 Mar 2023 06:00:00 -0600 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2023-02-28-will-employees-become-fitter-and-share-wearable-device-data-1000-year <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="Will Employees Become Fitter and Share Wearable Device Data for $1,000 a Year? A woman on a beach wearing a swimsuit, swim cap, swim goggles, and a fitness tracker." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e8cd2e3c-e2c3-411c-8b5c-20aeef5c380d" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Will-Employees-Become-Fitter-and-Share-Wearable-Device-Data-for-1000-Dollars-a-Year.png" width="1200" height="800"></p> <p>Employers and health plans have long encouraged and incentivized employees to pay more attention to their health and well-being. It hasn鈥檛 always worked.</p> <p>Now a new <a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/newsroom/2023/2023-02-08-uhc-introduces-rewards-program-well-being.html" target="_blank" title="UnitedHealth Group Press Release: UnitedHealthcare Introduces New Rewards Program With a Modern Approach to Well-Being">UnitedHealthcare Rewards program</a> is taking a more direct approach. It will pay eligible plan members, including spouses, up to $1,000 a year for achieving various daily health goals and one-time activities when documented through wearable devices.</p> <p>Available initially to those in UnitedHealthcare鈥檚 fully insured plans, the program will be rolled out to self-insured plans in 2024. Participants can place rewards into a health care savings account or receive the money on a prepaid debit card.</p> <p>To be eligible for the rewards, which can be capped at $300 per year in some plans, members who enroll in the program will be asked to complete the following daily or one-time activities. Additional qualifying activities will be added throughout the year.</p> <ul class="red"> <li class="red"><span><strong>Achieve 5,000 or more steps per day.</strong></span></li> <li class="red"><span><strong>Complete 15 minutes or more of daily activity.</strong></span></li> <li class="red"><span><strong>Track sleep for 14 nights.</strong></span></li> <li class="red"><span><strong>Get a biometric screening.</strong></span></li> <li class="red"><span><strong>Complete a health survey.</strong></span></li> <li class="red"><span><strong>Select paperless billing.</strong></span></li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><strong><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></strong></p> <strong><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></strong></div> </div> </div> <p><strong> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } ul.red { list-style: none; margin-left: 26px; padding-left: 0; } li.red { padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 1em; } li.red:before { content: "鈥�"; color: #9d2235; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 10px; margin-left: -29px; } </strong></p> Tue, 28 Feb 2023 06:15:00 -0600 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2022-11-15-4-key-predictions-health-care-2023-and-how-respond <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="4 Key Predictions for Health Care in 2023 and How to Respond. A teacup designed for reading tea leaves and fortune telling floating above a theatrical stage with the curtains open." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e4e445ab-4efe-4418-96ba-ecd1a25dd639" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/4-Key-Predictions-for-Health-Care-in-2023-and-How-to-Respond.jpg" width="620" height="381"></p> <p>Health care prediction season for 2023 is upon us and thought leaders, futurists and analysts are already reading the tea leaves. Based on some of the forecasts, provider organizations can expect significant evolutionary changes in how to optimize patient engagement, the ever-expanding role that retail clinics will play in care delivery and some upheaval in venture capital funding for health care startups.</p> <p>Here are four predictions that caught our attention and how health care executives can respond to some of the anticipated changes.</p> <h2>1 <span>|</span> <span>Expect patient segmentation at scale.</span></h2> <p>The notion that all patients should receive the same clinical model increasingly is being called into question by those seeking to advance consumer engagement. Some health care companies are focused on further segmenting their services to differentiate themselves and grow within diverse populations, notes a recent <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sachinjain/2022/11/07/top-10-healthcare-industry-predictions-for-2023/?sh=1e3a9af1664d" target="_blank" title="Forbes: Top 10 Healthcare Industry Predictions For 2023">Forbes health care forecast</a>.</p> <p>Some examples: Clever Care, a Southern California-based Medicare Advantage health plan, grew significantly in the Asian community by focusing on benefit offerings, a carefully designed network and a grassroots model that engaged community members. Alignment Healthcare began serving members through its 鈥渆l Unico鈥� option focused on the Hispanic population. And the SCAN Health Plan partnered with Included Health to launch its Affirm product focusing on the LGBTQ+ community.</p> <h3>Takeaway for 2023</h3> <p>Keep an eye on how programs like these develop. They may be models that provider organizations can align with their own diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.</p> <h2>2 <span>|</span> <span>Pharmacy roles will expand.</span></h2> <p>Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are often the most accessible health care providers in their communities. Both roles will continue to see an evolution in their scope of practice to include direct patient care that will only increase in the year ahead. Expect this shift to continue as a new pharmacy practice model emerges, a <a href="https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/three-pillars-of-healthcare-technology-predictions-in-2023" target="_blank" title="Wolters Kluwer: Three pillars of healthcare technology predictions in 2023">Wolters Kluwer forecast</a> predicts.</p> <p>This shift will collide with the 鈥渞etailification鈥� of health care as companies like CVS and Walgreens push further into primary care and home health spaces. The result will be the potential for greater clinical fragmentation and a need to prevent emerging silos. This decentralization will pose consistency and quality challenges for these players, says Greg Samios, president and CEO of clinical effectiveness at Wolters Kluwer.</p> <h3>Takeaway for 2023</h3> <p>In this increasingly patchworked system, Samios says, clinical decision tools capable of bridging the gaps between care settings will be needed to eliminate variability, improve care coordination and ensure that a single source of evidence-based information exists at every touch point in the patient journey.</p> <h2>3 <span>|</span> <span>Look for a boost in remote-patient monitoring.</span></h2> <p>A quarter of the nation鈥檚 adult population with chronic conditions will use remote-patient monitoring tools next year, <a href="https://medcitynews.com/2022/11/trends-will-shape-healthcare-in-2023-hospital-closures-scaling-retail-clinics-more/?mkt_tok=NzEwLVpMTC02NTEAAAGIAf2fH7EkVaaPkHICnh8awlAArvfrP4oaSNAzPLaGhRpqtRpP_iFappE10QboJYiKl6x2kr6uqs-oUG9lO6k" target="_blank" title="MedCity News: Trends That Will Shape Healthcare in 2023: Hospital Closures, Scaling Retail Clinics & More">Forrester forecasts</a>.</p> <h3>Takeaway for 2023</h3> <p>The expansion of remote-patient monitoring should help hospitals and health systems prevent avoidable hospitalizations and keep chronic conditions from becoming worse, says Natalie Schibell, vice president and research director at Forrester. This will be critically important with the number of patients with comorbidities on the rise.</p> <h2>4 <span>|</span> <span>A new venture capital feeding frenzy is coming.</span></h2> <p>Soaring interest rates have brought higher capital costs for startup companies that now find themselves at an unexpected crossroads. This leaves many startups with three options: Raise another round of capital at unfavorable terms, initiate layoffs to save cash or sell the company.</p> <h3>Takeaway for 2023</h3> <p>Expect private-equity firms to begin scooping up subscale companies and consolidating them into bigger companies arranged around themes that have a better chance at survival, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sachinjain/2022/11/07/top-10-healthcare-industry-predictions-for-2023/?sh=1e3a9af1664d#:~:text=Look%20for%20private%20equity%20companies,have%20a%20better%20chance%20at%20survival." target="_blank" title="Forbes: Top 10 Healthcare Industry Predictions For 2023">Forbes forecasts</a>. The first companies that may find themselves in trouble likely will be those that target a single condition to treat poorly managed diseases.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 15 Nov 2022 06:47:45 -0600 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2022-10-11-how-wearable-cognitive-assistance-tools-could <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="How Wearable Cognitive Assistance Tools Could Reshape Care Delivery. Two clinicians in surgery look at a heads-up display of medical information on the patient who is lying on an operating table." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9c228633-8494-4091-b60a-d66dacca6f87" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/How-Wearable-Cognitive-Assistance-Tools-Could-Reshape-Care-Delivery.jpg" width="560" height="309"></p> <p>A <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2021.692641/full" target="_blank" title="Frontiers: Application of Mixed Reality in Medical Training and Surgical Planning Focused on Minimally Invasive Surgery">clinical paper</a> published last October described how surgeons in Spain tested Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality (MR) headsets and MR applications during the removal of a kidney tumor.</p> <p>The headsets provided surgeons with real-time medical anatomical visualizations, preoperative imaging, a procedural checklist and the patient鈥檚 medical history. Technology experts believe that applications like this provide what鈥檚 known as wearable cognitive assistance (WCA) that could significantly improve clinical processes and safety, and reduce costs. These artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices can help health systems reduce the time to perform surgeries by as much as 30%.</p> <p>WCA fuses wearable devices with computer vision and edge computing to amplify human cognition in real time and provide step-by-step instructions to complete certain tasks, notes a recent <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consulting/articles/wearable-cognitive-assistance.html" target="_blank" title="Deloitte Trying on wearable cognitive assistance: How enterprise wearable technologies will change work">Deloitte report</a>. WCA uses task-specific software that verifies that the work has been completed correctly and, if needed, can connect to live human experts for assistance.</p> <h2><span>3 Ways WCA Could Improve Surgery and Clinical Equipment Repairs</span></h2> <p>Apan Tiwari, Deloitte managing director and co-author of the firm鈥檚 report on WCA, says the technology could change workflow processes in health care and other areas. Potential WCA applications in health care include:</p> <h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> Advance Surgical Training</h3> <p>Currently available emerging technologies can be used for basic surgical training, Tiwari notes, but with WCA, the AI-enabled, task-specific software can provide real-time feedback to surgeons. This could make training more effective. Surgeons around the world could be trained in the latest surgical techniques with this approach.</p> <h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> Provide Live Surgery Support</h3> <p>The task-specific software can guide a surgeon through a procedure as it鈥檚 being performed, with the option of dialing in an expert if the situation calls for it. Surgeons also can use the tool for planning surgeries, with the software on the device providing recommendations and options.</p> <h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Deliver Smart Repairs and Maintenance</h3> <p>WCA can improve safety and well-being while enhancing the quality and efficiency of work, the report notes. Repairs can be made in difficult-to-maneuver or hazardous spaces with the guidance and verification capabilities WCA software offers, with potential health care applications including hospital and pharmaceutical equipment.</p> <h2><span>The Future of WCA</span></h2> <p>The market for enterprise wearable devices (e.g., smart glasses, smart watches, exoskeletons, augmented reality and mixed-reality headsets and connected helmets) is expected to grow roughly twentyfold to more than $21 billion by 2027, notes a MarketResearch.com analysis, as WCA becomes more commonplace across health care, manufacturing and other fields.</p> <p>To facilitate these technology applications, WCA devices need to be compact and powerful while offering better battery life, Tiwari says.</p> <p>This requires augmenting on-device storage and a more expansive edge computing infrastructure, all connected via a high-speed, low-latency wireless connection such as 5G. This enables WCA devices to integrate real-time image capture, processing, action validation and recommend an action through AI-infused, task-specific software.</p> <h2><span>Issues to Resolve</span></h2> <p><strong>Nevertheless, before WCA can reach its potential in health care, several issues need to be addressed, including:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Standards for WCA implementations don鈥檛 yet exist.</li> <li>As with any new technology, cybersecurity and privacy vulnerabilities need to be addressed before installation.</li> <li>Low-latency wireless plus edge for indoor use is ready for prime time now, using fixed-wireless public 5G or private 5G/Wi-Fi plus on-premises edge computing, Tiwari says. In general, mobile-outdoor use cases will require expanded 5G coverage from telecommunication companies.</li> </ul> <h2><span>How to Begin Planning for WCA Implementation</span></h2> <p><strong>Tiwari says health care executives exploring potential applications of WCA should begin by asking fundamental questions like:</strong></p> <ul> <li>What problem are we trying to solve for?</li> <li>Why does this matter?</li> <li>What returns can we expect on our investments?</li> </ul> <p><strong>After answering these questions, think about the solution, which may include a WCA component. Most likely, you鈥檒l need a support ecosystem and the right decision-makers, including:</strong></p> <ul> <li>System integrators.</li> <li>Device original equipment manufacturers (OEM).</li> <li>A 5G/WiFi network operator.</li> <li>On-premises edge/cloud computing and storage provider.</li> <li>Specialized software from an OEM.</li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 11 Oct 2022 06:15:00 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2022-08-02-5-ways-apple-provider-partnerships-are-guiding <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="5 Ways Apple Provider Partnerships Are Guiding Its Strategy. An Apple logo in blue and purple trailing connective tendrils on a background of health care icons in a hexagonal grid." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bbba0712-f1c5-4382-a6d2-2f2b84d655fe" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/5-Ways-Apple-Provider-Partnerships-Are-Guiding-Its-Strategy_0.jpg" width="620" height="381"></p> <p>Understanding Apple鈥檚 health care activities over the past decade has been like staring at individual jigsaw puzzle pieces. It can be difficult initially to see how they connect to the company鈥檚 larger strategy and what the picture will look like in the future.</p> <p>In a new <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/Health-Report-July-2022.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the Empowering people to live a healthier day: Innovation using Apple technology to support personal health, research, and care PDF.">report</a> initiated by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, Apple ties together its expansive devices and applications, its partnerships with hospitals and health systems and work with researchers. The document offers a broad perspective on where the tech giant is headed and how it plans to remain a constant in consumers鈥� daily efforts to manage their health while securing their data.</p> <h2><span>Apple鈥檚 Vision for Engaging with Patients</span></h2> <p>Unsurprisingly, the Apple Watch and iPhone will be the linchpins to the company鈥檚 strategy for connecting with consumers while continuously expanding applications, features and clinical value to the data captured from its devices. The company primarily will remain focused on personal health and fitness.</p> <p>In short, Apple plans to create science-based technology that gives users more information while acting as an 鈥渋ntelligent guardian for their health鈥� and give consumers the option to choose what data they wish to share and with whom.</p> <p>With the fall release of iOS 16 and watchOS 9, Apple Watch and iPhone will offer features that focus on 17 health areas, from heart health to sleep, women鈥檚 health, mobility and more. Users now can store more than 150 different types of health data from these devices.</p> <p>But perhaps the most interesting part of the report is how Apple is partnering with health care organizations across the care continuum to inform and impact care delivery.</p> <h2><span>5 Ways Apple Provider Partnerships Aim to Advance Care</span></h2> <h3><span>1</span> <span>|</span> Digital Behavioral Health</h3> <p>Using the iPhone and Apple Watch, UCLA behavioral health experts are collaborating with Apple to obtain objective factors such as sleep, physical activity, heart rate and daily routines to understand the relationship between these factors and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Making the connection between quantifiable data and symptoms of anxiety and depression could enable providers to note warning signs, prevent the onset of depressive episodes and track treatment effectiveness.</p> <h3><span>2</span> <span>|</span> Women's Health</h3> <p>Working with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and NIH鈥檚 National Institute of Environmental Health Services, Apple is collaborating with researchers on three longitudinal public studies to gain insights into the relationship between menstrual cycles and health conditions.</p> <h3><span>3</span> <span>|</span> Cardiac Care</h3> <p>Apple鈥檚 collaboration with Stanford to build the Apple Heart Study, which began in 2017, has been billed as the first of its kind in the medical field and the world鈥檚 largest virtual cardiac clinical study. The study鈥檚 app from Apple Watch identifies irregular heart rhythms, including those from potentially serious conditions like atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of stroke.</p> <h3><span>4</span> <span>|</span> Mobility Research</h3> <p>Apple has collaborated with Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital and the American Heart Association to conduct the Apple Heart and Movement Study. Results from the study helped the company expand Apple Watch鈥檚 fall-detection capabilities.</p> <h3><span>5</span> <span>|</span> Hearing</h3> <p>Collaborating with the University of Michigan, researchers are examining factors that impact hearing health. The study collects headphone usage and environmental sound exposure data through the iPhone and Noise app on Apple Watch along with hearing tests measured through iPhone to explore how both can impact hearing over time. The study also is investigating how long-term sound exposure can impact stress levels and cardiovascular health.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 02 Aug 2022 06:15:00 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2022-05-10-mayo-clinic-uses-ai-detect-weak-heart-pump <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <p><img alt="Mayo Clinic Uses AI to Detect Weak Heart Pump via Apple Watch ECGs. An Apple Watch with an EKG and a message to the user saying "It helps to rest your arms on a table or your legs," displayed on the screen with an EKG in the background." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f6b61c25-fe65-4fb3-89d6-06622bf89ab3" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mayo-Clinic-Uses-AI-to-Detect-Weak-Heart-Pump-via-Apple-Watch-ECGs.jpg" width="620" height="381"></p> <p>Proving that innovation doesn鈥檛 stop even for a pandemic, <a href="https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-researchers-use-ai-to-detect-weak-heart-pump-via-patients-apple-watch-ecgs/" target="_blank" title="Mayo Clinic News Network: Mayo researchers use AI to detect weak heart pump via patients鈥� Apple Watch ECGs">Mayo Clinic researchers</a> have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to identify left ventricular dysfunction (i.e., a weak heart pump) in most patients based on <a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208955" target="_blank" title="Apple Support: Take an ECG with the ECG app on Apple Watch">Apple Watch electrocardiogram data</a>.</p> <p>Researchers recently shared their study data at a <a href="https://www.hrsonline.org/news/press-releases/applewatch-detect-leftventriculardysfunction" target="_blank" title="Heart Rhythm Society: New App for Apple Watch Uses Artificial Intelligence to Detect Left-Ventricular Dysfunction">Heart Rhythm Society conference</a>, noting that the study participation was high, demonstrating the possibility for a scalable tool to be developed to screen and monitor heart patients for this condition wherever they are.</p> <p>Left ventricular dysfunction, which affects 2% to 3% of people globally and up to 9% of people older than 60, can be accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath, swelling of the legs or an irregular heartbeat, but sometimes exhibits no symptoms, according to Paul Friedman, M.D., chair of Mayo Clinic鈥檚 cardiovascular medicine department in Rochester, Minn., and a researcher on the study. The proof-of-concept study was funded by Mayo Clinic without technical or financial support from Apple.</p> <p>Friedman called it 鈥渞emarkable鈥� that AI can transform a consumer watch ECG into a detector of this condition. Normally, detection would require an expensive, sophisticated imaging test such as an echocardiogram, CT scan or MRI.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" data-entity- data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" type="file" class="align-center"></a></p> <a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img alt data-entity-type data-entity-uuid src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png"></a></div> </div> </div> .field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } Tue, 10 May 2022 06:15:00 -0500 Wearables and Remote Patient Monitoring