Healthcare Analytics
Xenex | September 11, 2023
United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has issued a De Novo authorization to Xenex Disinfection Services, Inc. (Xenex) for its LightStrikeTM+ device, an advanced high-intensity, broad-spectrum ultraviolet (UV) light robot.
The LightStrike+ devices are designed for microbial reduction on non-critical medical device surfaces in healthcare environments, following manual cleaning and disinfection practices. They are authorized for use in various healthcare settings, including unoccupied operating rooms and hospital rooms. These devices have an impressive track record, with over 1,200 healthcare facilities worldwide employing LightStrike robots for over 37 million cycles.
The new LightStrike+ device, capable of microbial reduction in as little as 2 minutes, represents the culmination of over a decade of knowledge accumulation from healthcare facilities' best practices, supported by 45 peer-reviewed studies demonstrating its safety and effectiveness, a portfolio of 193 patents, and unparalleled technical and epidemiological expertise.
Dr. Mark 'Tuck' Stibich, Xenex's Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, emphasized the long-standing collaboration with healthcare partners spanning more than a decade to enhance patient safety and public health.
As an infectious diseases epidemiologist, Dr. Stibich expressed concern about antibiotic resistance within hospital environments and the potential for FDA authorization to facilitate the broader adoption of the LightStrike+ tool in combating pathogens.
Perilous pathogens persist on surfaces within healthcare facilities, notwithstanding diligent manual cleaning endeavors. The LightStrike+ robot employs a xenon lamp to generate high-intensity pulsed UV light, which effectively diminishes the presence of these pathogens on surfaces and plays a pivotal role in interrupting the transmission chain from one patient or healthcare worker to another. Xenex's FDA authorization is substantiated by comprehensive testing conducted on more than 10,000 samples of vegetative bacteria and Clostridiodes difficile (C. diff) spores.
This authorization establishes a novel medical device product classification, with the LightStrike+ robot being its inaugural and sole product. It is a landmark in the FDA's regulatory framework for UV robots designed to diminish pathogens on non-porous, frequently touched surfaces within healthcare settings.
Furthermore, Xenex's Chief Executive Officer, Morris Miller, acknowledged the challenges hospitals face when evaluating UV technologies, citing the prevalence of unverified and exaggerated claims by some manufacturers. He underscored the significance of FDA authorization in instilling confidence among hospital decision-makers, assuring them of the accuracy and validation of Xenex's claims regarding the LightStrike+ device.
Numerous world-renowned hospitals, such as HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Ochsner Health System, Stanford Health Care, and Texas Health Resources, have integrated LightStrike robots into their comprehensive disinfection strategies.
About Xenex
Xenex is a global leader in pioneering strategies and solutions grounded in UV technology. Its fundamental mission revolves around enabling its partners to safeguard lives and reduce human suffering by eliminating the dangerous microorganisms that cause infections. The company benefits from substantial support from renowned investors, including EW Healthcare Partners, Piper Sandler, Malin Corporation, Battery Ventures, Targeted Technology Fund II, Tectonic Ventures, and RK Ventures.
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Digital Healthcare
ClosedLoop | September 20, 2023
ClosedLoop, a prominent healthcare data science platform, has formally introduced two novel data science solutions.
These solutions, namely, ACO-Predict and Evaluate, are crafted to assist healthcare organizations in the comprehensive analysis, assessment, ongoing surveillance, and enhancement of their programs, with the objectives of minimizing adverse events, enhancing health outcomes, and curtailing expenditures.
ClosedLoop's offering, ACO-Predict, marks the healthcare sector's inaugural no-cost AI-powered solution for population health risk stratification. It harnesses the same algorithms that propelled ClosedLoop to garner fame in the 2021 CMS AI Challenge and earned the Best in KLAS Healthcare AI ranking for 2022 and 2023. When integrated with the updated Beneficiary Claims Data API data feeds from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the product furnishes Medicare Accountable Care Organizations with a turnkey risk stratification tool for Complex Care Management programs, all free of charge.
Meanwhile, the company's second product, ClosedLoop Evaluate, is a SaaS solution designed to evaluate and continuously monitor the efficacy of intricate population health initiatives over extended durations. Quantifying the impact and ROI of Population Health programs has presented significant challenges. Organizations often need to resort to imprecise pre- and post-assessments or enlist costly consulting firms for one-off outcome research studies to understand the actual effects of their programs.
ClosedLoop’s solutions aim to improve healthcare organizations' outcomes and offer essential patient support.
Jennifer Zbell, VP of Clinical Analytics at Healthfirst, stated,
ClosedLoop provided the quantitative evidence we needed to increase investment in successful programs." She added, "Evaluate gives us the confidence to examine our programs across the board so we can better see what's working, when it's working, and who it's working for.
[Source – Business Wire]
ClosedLoop Evaluate represents a pioneering industry solution that not only supplants these studies with software-driven evaluations but also facilitates the ongoing assessment of program impact amid evolving programs and populations.
Andrew Eye, Co-Founder and CEO of ClosedLoop concluded that success in value-based care hinges on two key aspects: accurate prediction and effective intervention. ACO-Predict delivers AI-powered prediction capabilities to all medicare patients nationwide at no cost, ensuring access to necessary assistance regardless of location or ACO resources.
About ClosedLoop
ClosedLoop is a dedicated data science platform tailored to the healthcare sector, simplifying the integration of AI technology to enhance outcomes and curtail expenses. Uniquely designed for the healthcare domain, the company merges an intuitive, all-encompassing ML platform with an extensive repository of healthcare-specific functionalities and model templates. Customers leverage ClosedLoop's Explainable AI capabilities to facilitate clinical excellence, streamline operational processes, navigate value-based contracts, and bolster revenue generation in the healthcare industry.
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Health Technology, AI
Aidoc | October 12, 2023
Aidoc, a pioneer in clinical AI technology, has entered into a collaborative partnership with Mayo Clinic Platform to enhance healthcare by facilitating access to Aidoc's AI technology and platform.
Aidoc uses AI to help medical teams in charge of diagnosing, caring for, and treating patients stay in touch with each other. This ensures that essential data is always available to make smart decisions about healthcare interventions and what to do next.
Ed Simcox, Vice President of Solutions at Mayo Clinic Platform, confirmed that Aidoc is well-positioned to deal with several common issues with AI-based healthcare solutions, such as the costs of implementing them only once. By eliminating these barriers, healthcare providers of varying scales can readily implement AI, promoting improved patient outcomes and enhancing the overall care experience.
Elad Walach, Aidoc's CEO, said,
We're excited about Mayo Clinic Platform's vision to transform care at scale. Together we are improving clinical workflows, enhancing patient outcomes and driving the evolution of healthcare through the power of AI.
[Source – Cision PR Newswire]
Mayo Clinic has integrated Aidoc's innovative AI solutions for clinical decision support since 2020. Its collaboration with Mayo Clinic Platform is expanding access to these advanced tools for a broader range of healthcare providers and patients. Aidoc's offerings encompass 13 FDA-cleared image and partner algorithms, facilitating the prioritization of clinical findings. It also has a built-in risk stratification system, a mobile app for real-time notifications in time-sensitive cases, and seamless integration of EHR data, which makes it easier for people from different departments to talk to each other and coordinate care.
Aidoc's aiOS system confronts prevalent issues integrating artificial intelligence within practical healthcare environments. These challenges encompass the management of unstructured data, the efficient utilization of staff resources, the quantification of return on investment, and the resolution of fragmented organizational structures.
About Aidoc
Aidoc is a pioneering force in clinical AI, focusing on aiding and empowering healthcare teams to optimize patient treatment, resulting in improved economic value and clinical outcomes. Aidoc's proprietary aiOS builds the foundation for analyzing and aggregating medical data, enabling care teams to operationalize the unexpected and work seamlessly with a continued focus on the patient. Used in more than 1,000 medical centers worldwide, Aidoc has the most FDA clearances (13) in clinical AI, and its AI-based solutions cover 75% of patient populations, enabling physicians to make informed decisions based on real-time data.
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Health Technology, Healthcare Analytics
businesswire | September 27, 2023
Weave a leading all-in-one experience platform for small and medium-sized healthcare businesses, announced a new partnership with Affirm the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth. Now available to thousands of Weave’s customers, this collaboration provides flexible payment options for eligible patients, making it easier for them to access and afford the care they need.
By partnering with Affirm, Weave customers can offer their patients pay-over-time financing with as low as 0% APR. Affirm is directly integrated with Weave payments, so patients can apply to pay with Affirm in a matter of seconds, and spread out their payments over time, easing the burden of upfront costs and providing an additional payment option for dental, optometry, veterinary, or medical practices. This partnership will not only benefit patients but also allow healthcare practices to receive payments quicker than before.
“Collecting payments is one of the most important parts of the patient's journey. A smooth and efficient payment process can help to create a positive patient experience, build trust, and encourage repeat business, which is why we are excited to partner with Affirm,” said Branden Neish, Chief Product & Technology Officer of Weave. “By providing more flexible and affordable payment options, we are empowering patients to take control of their healthcare and ensuring that cost doesn’t prevent them from receiving the care they need.”
By expanding the payment options available to patients, Weave and Affirm aim to remove barriers to care and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare services they need. The partnership reflects the shared commitment of both companies to make patients’ payment experience more seamless and revolutionize the way healthcare practices handle payments.
“By partnering with Weave, thousands of healthcare practices can now seamlessly add Affirm’s transparent and flexible payment options at checkout,”
said Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer of Affirm.
Patients are eager to pay over time without junk fees, late fees, or compounding interest, and now these businesses can address that demand.
[Source – Business Wire]
About Weave
Weave is the all-in-one experience platform for small- and medium-sized healthcare businesses. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weave’s software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with and engage customers to grow their business. Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been named a G2 leader in Patient Engagement, Optometry, Dental Practice Management and Patient Relationship Management software.
About Affirm
Affirm’s mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network — one based on trust, transparency and putting people first — we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike most credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we show consumers exactly what they will pay up front, never increase that amount, and never charge any late or hidden fees.
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