In this insightful video interview, Dr. Kristen Wyrick shares practical experiences and forward-thinking ideas addressing critical challenges faced by hospitals today. The discussion emphasizes how hospital administrators are leveraging digital transformation, from electronic health records to smart infrastructure, to streamline operations and improve the quality of patient care.

Optum Leads the Way: Transforming Clinical Care Through Ambient AI – YouTube

A central theme is the rapidly increasing role of technology in everyday hospital management—whether through telemedicine, artificial intelligence, or data-driven decision-making. Experts discuss real-world scenarios where hospitals have implemented innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and overcome staff shortages, all while maintaining a clear focus on patient safety and outcomes.

The conversation dives into adapting to evolving regulatory requirements, managing multidisciplinary teams, and fostering a patient-centric culture that balances empathy with clinical excellence. The leaders also offer actionable advice for navigating the dynamic healthcare landscape: embracing quality improvement initiatives, building resilient hospital systems, and maintaining flexibility to respond to new public health needs.

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HHM Global (Hospital & Healthcare Management):

Q. Ethical AI has become a widely discussed concept, especially in healthcare and pharmaceuticals. But when we speak specifically about ethical AI-driven businesses, how do you define them?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

I’ll start here. Ethical AI, particularly in healthcare, is absolutely indispensable. We’ve worked closely with patients and treatments for many years, and ethics has always been our guiding principle. Now, with AI, that foundation remains unchanged — but we must establish clear rules governing its use.

One of the most critical aspects is how we handle, access, and utilize patient data. Patient data is essential for developing robust AI tools that can support treatment and diagnosis. However, it’s imperative that this data is anonymized and that we maintain absolute respect for patient privacy. We don’t view these regulations as limitations; rather, they provide a structured framework within which we can responsibly harness AI’s potential.

Another pivotal point is our ethical obligation to employ AI in healthcare. AI accelerates research, enables remote digital trials, supports diagnosis, and elevates overall patient care. So, in many ways, there’s an obligation to leverage AI to deliver better outcomes for patients.

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Q. Ethics is indeed the core of any business. But when it comes to transparency and accountability in healthcare, especially with AI, what are the biggest challenges you foresee? How are you ensuring that these principles are upheld?

David Buller:

One of the biggest challenges is the sheer number of stakeholders — healthcare providers, payers, clinicians, patients, technology partners. It’s not a single entity overseeing everything, which naturally adds complexity.

The key is fostering trust across the entire ecosystem. Transparency and accountability must be embedded from the outset to engage all stakeholders effectively. This trust is fundamental to making AI in healthcare not only viable but genuinely impactful for patients and the broader community.

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

Exactly. Building this ecosystem responsibly is crucial. Together with David, we’ve been very deliberate in choosing world-class partners — not only the teams we work with directly but also the startups that KELES invests in.

In Europe, for example, GDPR has been a transformative force. Initially, it raised significant challenges, but over time, it has become standard practice, even for startups. GDPR has introduced essential guardrails, which enhance patient confidence in how their data is managed.

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Q. Speaking of compliance, there are many evolving regulations worldwide concerning data security. As investors, how do you evaluate AI startups to ensure they comply, especially with European data protection laws?

David Buller:

This is part of our SFDR framework. Ensuring compliance is absolutely essential. In some ways, it’s become more straightforward — regulations like GDPR, the EU AI Act, and others have become baseline expectations for companies. We require our portfolio companies to actively report on their compliance, and we conduct our own rigorous checks.

However, it’s about more than just meeting regulatory requirements. Regulations are necessary but not always sufficient. We focus on ensuring that proper guardrails are established, not merely as control mechanisms, but as tools to drive ethical AI adoption. For example, AI can play a pivotal role in addressing bias and improving diversity in clinical trials and diagnostics, ensuring broader patient inclusion.

So, it’s not just about ticking boxes — it’s about embedding ethics into practice through AI.

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Q. How should investors and startups work together to achieve social objectives, especially when both have different focuses? How do you measure the social impact of AI-driven healthcare solutions alongside your financial returns?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

Measuring the social impact of AI-driven healthcare solutions, alongside financial returns, involves multiple layers. First, there’s regulatory compliance. Many of the companies we engage with must obtain local or European certifications, which set essential benchmarks. These companies often collaborate with platforms like Apple Store, Google Play, or partner directly with hospitals, all of which require strict certification protocols. These layers serve as critical safeguards.

Moreover, as investors, we proactively share insights with startups when we identify potential risks, helping them navigate challenges early. Take GDPR, for example — companies have had to significantly elevate their standards, which has notably improved data protection practices.

With new regulations like the AI Act and Data Act, startups must remain agile. While they may not possess the same data access as tech giants, there’s a clear cultural shift toward integrating these regulations into daily operations. What once seemed complex has evolved into routine practice. We specifically seek out companies where compliance is not an afterthought but an integrated, automated part of their business model.

The second crucial factor is ensuring that these companies are genuinely leveraging AI. Honestly, in today’s healthcare landscape, it’s becoming ethically questionable not to use AI. Our objective, through the funds we provide, is to accelerate AI adoption and propel the transformation of the healthcare sector.

David Buller:

To build on that, when it comes to measuring societal impact, we look at both macro and micro levels. Broadly, we aim for greater healthcare accessibility, improved service availability, and enhanced patient outcomes. These are our long-term benchmarks.

In the short term, we focus on tangible indicators:

• Is healthcare becoming more efficient?
• Are we reaching more patients at lower costs and in shorter times?
• Are diagnoses happening faster?
• Is prevention more achievable?
• Can new drugs be developed more swiftly and affordably?

These metrics help us track the societal value of AI-powered healthcare solutions. Ultimately, they provide a clear pathway to understanding how these innovations are not only reshaping the healthcare landscape but making a meaningful difference in people’s lives worldwide.

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Q. You’re also active in the Middle East and Singapore. How do you see the European healthcare system differing from other regions? What does it take for Europe to lead globally in AI for healthcare?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

If we’re discussing Europe’s leadership in AI, it’s clear that Europe — including the UK and Switzerland — has an exceptional talent pool, especially within our universities. Europe is undeniably at the forefront in knowledge creation and AI advancements. I recently attended a conference at Hôtel-Dieu in Paris, one of Europe’s oldest hospitals. We had American participants there, and they were genuinely impressed by the level of innovation here. They certainly don’t view Europe as lagging; in some areas, they even see us leading.

However, one of the challenges they highlighted is scalability. In the U.S., despite its complexities, you can scale innovations relatively quickly due to the market’s size. For Europe, the next major step is mastering how to scale rapidly, and this is a priority for us at KELES.

Another critical point is ensuring that innovations are widely accessible across Europe. We want advancements in diagnostics and patient care to reach beyond wealthier populations or select facilities. Our goal in R&D is to accelerate the pipeline and deliver innovations to patients sooner. I’ll pause here and let David share insights about regions like the Middle East and Asia.

David Buller:

Yes, I think it’s important to recognize that Europe — including the UK — is arguably third globally in healthcare innovation. Look at DeepMind’s AlphaFold, developed alongside the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge. We’re witnessing groundbreaking work, particularly between France and the UK, in AI and drug discovery.

We already have a strong foundation. The next step is to continue investing in R&D and supporting startups from university spinouts through their entire funding journey — from seed stage to growth stage, where KELES typically steps in. We’re fully committed to building on this momentum and elevating Europe’s position on the global stage.
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Q. When evaluating startups, two critical factors come to mind: innovation and ethical responsibility. What parameters do you consider when assessing startups, and what is KELES’ long-term vision in this space?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

You know, KELES is Europe’s first digital health fund certified by PwC as an SFDR9 fund. This distinction stems from our firm commitment to these priorities. We collaborated closely with PwC to craft a highly specific framework, which ensures our investments are consistently steered in the right direction.

That framework reflects the clear vision that David and I share for KELES. To be specific, we place the ‘S’ of ESG and governance at the very heart of our approach to digital health and healthcare more broadly. One of our foremost criteria is accessibility—ensuring that the largest possible population can benefit from the solutions being developed. The next is availability—guaranteeing that these treatments, diagnostics, and innovations are not just theoretical but actively implemented in real-world settings.

From an environmental standpoint, we prioritise solutions and companies that avoid causing significant harm, establishing appropriate safeguards from the outset. And of course, governance is absolutely vital. We ensure that the companies we back uphold robust governance structures and align with best practices.

Our approach is highly pragmatic and actionable, equipping us to genuinely guide companies towards achieving these standards. I firmly believe that this methodology not only fosters positive social impact and ethical responsibility but also propels superior performance in the market. It’s about achieving both: meaningful social contribution and strong returns.

David Buller:

Exactly, and to build on that, there’s obviously the crucial aspect of governance and ethical safeguards, particularly regarding ethical AI. As Laurent highlighted, it’s all about striking the right balance between driving high returns and maintaining ethical integrity. Ultimately, superior returns are generated by breakthrough, transformative technologies — innovations that revolutionise healthcare systems, redefine patient care pathways, and accelerate drug development in life sciences.

So, what we’re actively seeking are innovative technologies with global scaling potential, while ensuring that these advancements operate within the essential frameworks of ethical AI and sound governance.

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Q. What specific gaps did you find in the market that motivated you to launch KELES?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

The gap we identified primarily revolves around scaling innovative companies. Over the past decade, we’ve witnessed incredible innovations emerge across various countries and regions. Now, the imperative is to elevate these innovations to a much larger scale, so they can truly drive availability and accessibility, and transform healthcare as patients experience it every day.

Our central mission at KELES is to target growth-stage opportunities, with the ambition of creating category leaders — what we call alpha unicorns — in Europe, and ultimately, global champions. These companies will expand patient options for managing their healthcare, which remains a clear objective for us.

If we look at the three segments we prioritise: firstly, accelerating R&D to bring new molecules to market — an area still marked by significant unmet needs. Secondly, diagnostics, where AI and advanced imaging technologies are driving rapid progress and unlocking tremendous potential. Thirdly, patient care, both within hospital settings and beyond.

One more point — without AI and funds like KELES, we risk continuing the situation we currently face in Europe and other parts of the world: aging populations, shrinking healthcare workforces, and overburdened hospitals. Digital tools and AI can empower the remaining healthcare professionals, allowing them to deliver high-quality care to more patients. Through a fund like KELES, which scales these solutions, we can enable the widespread adoption of these innovations across Europe and beyond.

David Buller:

To add to that, what KELES offers — and what we identified as a major market opportunity — is the chance to harness this immense wave of innovation within Europe. These trailblazing innovators urgently need funding at the growth stage, along with deep industry expertise.

Between Laurent, myself, and our extensive team of advisors, we bring profound experience across AI, global pharmaceuticals, and healthcare systems. We’re not merely providing capital; we’re delivering a comprehensive framework — encompassing SFDR compliance and ethical AI and healthcare data practices — to truly improve healthcare outcomes. This complete package is what we’re bringing to the table to advance innovation in AI and healthcare, especially across Europe.

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Q. Would you like to add anything further about KELES’s objectives in the market, or share any advice or insights for our audience before we conclude?

Laurent Van Lerberghe:

Yes, to summarise a few essential points — KELES is fundamentally a growth-stage digital health fund. We’re aiming for €250 million in assets under management, and we’re confidently on track for our first close in the first half of 2025. We have a pan-European scope, including the UK and Switzerland, because integrating diverse markets is key to achieving scale.

KELES is addressing a distinct market gap: there are remarkably few growth-stage funds capable of providing substantial investments. Moreover, profiles like David’s, mine, and those of our wider team — all experienced healthcare operators — are precisely what is required to guide these companies successfully through the scaling process in Europe.

We’re standing at the beginning of an exciting growth wave. We anticipate seeing several companies reach critical inflection points, unlocking remarkable value creation.

David Buller:

Building on Laurent’s points, my advice to companies either embarking on their innovation journey or approaching a scaling inflection point is this: don’t be disheartened by regulations or the perceived scarcity of growth-stage capital. KELES exists to bridge precisely this gap.

There’s a tremendous opportunity waiting to be seized. And when it’s done right — with ethical AI, robust governance, and a relentless focus on improving health outcomes — the impact can be truly transformative. Our entire team, along with the capital and expertise we bring, is committed to helping these companies realise their potential and deliver meaningful outcomes.

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As our conversation with Laurent Van Lerberghe and David Buller draws to a close, it becomes clear that KELES is not only investing in groundbreaking AI innovations but is equally steadfast in embedding ethics, transparency, and societal impact at the core of its mission. Positioned at the forefront of Europe’s digital health evolution, KELES combines powerful capital, deep healthcare expertise, and an unwavering commitment to ethical AI and governance.

Their vision reinforces a future where healthcare solutions are not only pioneering but also accessible, trustworthy, and transformative on a global scale. By guiding visionary companies toward sustainable success, KELES is paving the way for a new era of healthcare innovation — one where patients, providers, and innovators collectively benefit, and the promise of meaningful, lasting impact is fully realised.

With National Nurses Month approaching, what are the top three issues impacting nurses today?

Nurses face many issues today. When I think of the top three, here’s what I read, see, hear, and experience in the market.

1. Burnout persists. Unfortunately, the impact of COVID-19 is still with us. For those nurses who were really engaged in clinical practice during the pandemic, the aftereffects of COVID-19 continue to drive an even higher amount of burnout, causing nurses to leave the profession.

2. Working conditions. As leaders, we need to monitor the impact of work/life balance to prevent burnout. Many nurses are called in to work even on their days off because of the nursing shortage, which in turn drives even more burnout. Nurses are moving out of the field entirely or retiring early, which results in even more shortages.

3. Tech innovations. Digital advancements are also impacting nurses today. As technology becomes more entangled in healthcare, more mature nurses will have to adjust how they practice nursing and deal with all the modernizations, including AI, telehealth, and wearable devices.

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) released data revealing that more than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022, and by 2029, almost 40% of nurses – 1.8 million – intend to leave the workforce. This shift in personnel threatens the national healthcare systems at large, especially as Baby Boomers retire, if solutions are not enacted to address this.

These changes over the last several years will continue to affect nursing in the future.

Is there a nursing shortage in 2025? What’s causing it?

The data show that the shortage will continue for quite some time. When you consider the 1.8 million anticipated to leave the field, it’s a significant problem.

Given the current shortage, how are we going to replace nurses in the future? The downward spiral really accentuates the need for nursing education. But even in nursing education, we have a shortage of highly qualified instructors.

As these people leave, the question is: How will we backfill and train the numbers necessary to overcome the shortage?

The shortage becomes more acute as we all live longer, suffer from chronic conditions, and need more care at home or in facilities.

It’s a Catch-22. The demand for nurses continues to grow, but the supply struggles to keep up.

What can be done to ease the shortage in 2025? And in the future?

We have to support nursing education and invest in nursing faculty so that we can enroll the number of nurses needed in the future. Focusing on the higher education system is the foundation for helping us overcome the nursing shortage.

How can recruitment and retention strategies improve nursing as a career?

It really comes down to training, education, wages, and benefits.

Lifelong learning is really, really important to nurses. Sagility’ staff wants continued training and to grow professionally. Motivation is a very important component relative to recruitment and retention.

Investing in programs that support higher education is imperative; when a nurse has an associate nursing degree, they can take advantage of opportunities to support them in gaining their bachelor masters, and even doctoral degrees.

Employers offering training and education to address the desire for lifelong learning will have an advantage in terms of retention.

Nursing is an extremely competitive market, which has driven up salaries. Wages increased during COVID and have continued to rise, although growth has slowed recently. Companies that want to offer competitive wages must understand that pay is very regional. The Northeast and Northwest have very high salary structures, compared to certain areas of the Midwest and the South.

A benefit structure is also extremely important. Once again, we see this in our own organization, and we’ve taken action to address retention and recruitment issues within Sagility as they relate to the benefit structure, including paid time off.

Schedule flexibility has become an important factor affecting the recruitment and retention of nurses. Does the employer support them when they want to attend their children’s activities? Are they able to volunteer within the community that the employer supports?

In addition, employee mental health and behavioral health support is another key area. This support helps address burnout and the response to stress before it takes hold, while also helping to improve work/life balance.

What’s the future of nursing? How will it be affected by AI or other technologies

AI and other technologies are affecting nursing now and will continue to into the future. Nurses are faced with using technology every day, and this occurrence will continue to expand within healthcare. And that’s a good thing.

However, we do need more training heavily focused on AI and machine learning, for example, because both will change how nurses spend time delivering care.

For many, using these technologies can cause anxiety. But I think it’s important as nurses that we focus on new ways of doing things and embrace these changes.

We need to be less concerned with the thought that AI is going to replace our work and more focused on how AI can support our work in the future.

1. How would you sum up Taiwan‘s reputation in the global medical supplies market? What specific advantages does Taiwan offer as a medical equipment manufacturer as compared to the other countries?

Taiwan’s medical supplies are renowned in the global market for their reliability, high quality, and innovation. Compared to other countries, Taiwan holds advantages such as a strong foundation in precision manufacturing, competitive costs, a flexible supply chain, and quick responsiveness. Moreover, Taiwan adheres to strict quality standards and actively invests in medical technology innovation, giving it a unique position in the global market.

2. How has Taiwan gone on to maintain supply chain stability in the face of the recent global disruptions when it comes to products as diverse as medical equipment?

In the face of global supply chain disruptions, Taiwan has maintained stability in its medical equipment supply chain through several strategies. These include supplier diversification, strengthening domestic supply chain resilience, flexible production adjustments, proactive inventory management, enhanced international collaboration, and leveraging technology to improve visibility. These measures have helped Taiwan reduce risk and ensure a steady supply of critical medical products.

3. Taiwan is known for its prowess in the semiconductor industry. What advantages does that hold in terms of medical device production?

Taiwan’s robust semiconductor industry brings multiple advantages to medical device manufacturing. These include the stable supply of high-quality electronic components, cutting-edge miniaturization and precision technologies, support for the development of smart medical devices, cost reduction, and faster product innovation and time-to-market. This gives Taiwan a competitive edge in producing advanced medical equipment.

4. What groundbreaking product or technology are you debuting at Medical Taiwan 2025? And why do you think it will disrupt the market?

As product information from exhibitors is still being collected, we are currently unable to provide a specific answer to this question.

5. Describe how Medical Taiwan 2025 will demonstrate Taiwan’s edge when it comes to smart healthcare solutions?

Medical Taiwan 2025 highlights Taiwan’s strengths in smart healthcare through comprehensive showcases of cutting-edge technologies and applications. Two major thematic areas—the Smart Medical Pavilion and the Telemedicine & Smart Medical Devices Pavilion—will offer immersive experiences demonstrating Taiwan’s innovation in AI medical imaging, remote healthcare, smart surgery, and hospital management systems. These pavilions not only highlight the nation’s ability to integrate ICT and biomedical technologies, but also reflect Taiwan’s agility in providing scalable, intelligent solutions tailored to global healthcare needs.

6. What live demos or interactive experiences have been planned for attendees at Medical Taiwan 2025 that will highlight the innovation within the medical equipment space in Taiwan?

Visitors at Medical Taiwan 2025 can experience the innovation of Taiwan’s medical equipment sector through immersive live demos and interactive simulations. Key highlights include AI-powered medical imaging, telemedicine systems, smart surgical solutions, and intelligent hospital management platforms. These will be showcased in two major areas: the Smart Medical Pavilion and the Telemedicine & Smart Medical Devices Pavilion, offering attendees a hands-on understanding of how these technologies are shaping the future of healthcare.

7. Are there any specific products or solutions you are prioritizing at Medical Taiwan 2025, and why?

This year’s Medical Taiwan centers around four major themes: All-Ages Healthcare, Smart Medical, Medical Supplies Gallery, and Innovation & Startups, with a particular focus on the wellness industry. Among these, AI and smart medical technologies are given special attention, which is why the Smart Medical Pavilion and the Telemedicine & Smart Medical Devices Pavilion have been established to highlight Taiwan’s strength in this rapidly growing field.

8. How do you think Medical Taiwan 2025 will evolve from previous editions in order to address the MedTech challenges of today, and what new events have been added to the exhibition so as to enhance the attendee-exhibitor connection?

Medical Taiwan 2025 is taking a dual approach to meet the needs of both domestic and international audiences. For local industry players, a dedicated seminar on AI medical device regulations will be held to enhance understanding of compliance and approval processes. Meanwhile, for global buyers, the show will feature suppliers of high-end AI medical devices that have already obtained international certifications—ensuring that visitors can discover complete and trustworthy medical solutions aligned with global standards.

9. Tell us something more about the M-Novator start-up zone this year, and how will it be different from the previous edition?

The M-Novator Startup Zone continues its mission to spotlight rising innovators in MedTech. Each year, this section features a curated selection of startups from Taiwan and abroad. In 2025, 11 cutting-edge startups from 5 countries will unveil their breakthrough health solutions, including the latest in AI-powered medical imaging analysis, digital therapeutics, and health tracking technologies. It’s a unique opportunity to witness the future of healthcare innovation all in one space.

10. This is the first time that veterinary medical supplies are also going to be a part of the exhibition. What was the thought behind it? How do you view Taiwan‘s leadership when it comes to veterinary healthcare, and how is that going to benefit the attendees?

According to international market research, the global pet care market is projected to reach USD 350 billion by 2027. Recognizing this immense potential, Taiwanese companies are leveraging their strong background in medical device manufacturing and veterinary healthcare to develop advanced veterinary medical products tailored for global needs. By participating in Medical Taiwan 2025, these companies aim to introduce their high-quality, innovative veterinary solutions to the international market.

11. What is the idea behind setting up a smart healthcare experience pavilion? This time around, the pavilion has been divided into two dedicated zones. Tell us something more on that?

The Smart Healthcare Experience Pavilion was designed to offer attendees an interactive and immersive environment that showcases how Taiwan’s advanced technologies are transforming healthcare delivery. This year, the pavilion is divided into two focused zones: the Smart Medical Pavilion and the Telemedicine & Smart Medical Devices Pavilion.

The Smart Medical Pavilion highlights innovations in AI-assisted diagnostics, smart surgery, and hospital management, while the Telemedicine Pavilion focuses on cross- border remote care and wearable health devices. This dual-zone approach enables visitors to experience how Taiwan integrates medical expertise with ICT to create holistic, efficient, and patient-centric solutions for the future of healthcare.

12. Marching forward, how do you think Medical Taiwan 2025 is going to influence the global medical equipment industry in the years to come?

The 2025 Medical Taiwan is Taiwan’s leading trade fair for the medical and healthcare industries, now entering its 19th edition. As a major event in the industry, it brings together top providers specializing in operating rooms, hospital facilities, post-operative care, home care, diagnostics, patient monitoring, and veterinary medical supplies. It serves the needs of hospitals, clinics, elderly care facilities, rehabilitation centers, home healthcare providers, and veterinary clinics.

Medical Taiwan is the ultimate destination for buyers to source high-quality products, secure procurement opportunities, and build valuable global connections. By spotlighting AI-driven innovation, cross-border telemedicine, and smart healthcare solutions, the exhibition not only strengthens Taiwan’s role in the global medical device ecosystem but also serves as a vital bridge for international collaboration and business matching.

Q.1 With Southeast Asia’s ageing population growing faster than the global average, how can initiatives like MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND — under the MEDICARE ASIA portfolio— accelerate policy development and infrastructure readiness to meet future healthcare demands?

Southeast Asia’s rapidly ageing population presents both a challenge and an opportunity for healthcare systems — and the time to act is now. Initiatives like MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND, under the MEDICARE ASIA portfolio, play an essential role in accelerating policy and infrastructure readiness by serving as a neutral and collaborative platform where government bodies, healthcare providers, innovators, and investors converge. Through carefully curated forums, industry panels, and technology showcases, the exhibition fosters meaningful dialogue around eldercare models, age-friendly infrastructure, and policy innovation. It also highlights real-world solutions — from digital health tools and AI-assisted home care to smart hospital design and rehabilitation technology — that can be integrated into national healthcare frameworks.

In doing so, MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND acts as both a regional catalyst and connector, empowering stakeholders to move from discussion to action. It allows public and private sectors to co-develop ideas, benchmark against international best practices, and identify scalable innovations that address the demands of an ageing society. Ultimately, it’s not just about introducing technology — it’s about building the ecosystem of care, access, and infrastructure needed to ensure healthy ageing across Southeast Asia.

Q.2 Can you highlight how a local innovator from the Community Care Zone — such as TiMOTION — is helping to shape the future of elderly care, and how platforms like MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND are accelerating their growth and impact?

While we may not single out one definitive case, what we consistently see at MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND — particularly within the Community Care Zone— is how local and regional innovators are rapidly gaining traction and shaping the future of elderly care. One example is TiMOTION, a returning exhibitor known for their medical actuation systems used in adjustable beds, patient lifts, and ergonomic rehabilitation equipment. Their participation in MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND has helped them stay closely connected to real-world clinical needs, gain valuable feedback from healthcare professionals, and tailor their solutions for the Southeast Asian market — where mobility, accessibility, and home-based care are top priorities. Through platforms like the Community Care Zone, companies like TiMOTION are empowered to not only showcase their technology but also refine it in response to evolving patient care models, especially in the context of ageing societies. By facilitating these kinds of face-to-face exchanges and market exposure, MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND helps turn promising solutions into scalable impact stories — often long after the exhibition concludes.

In essence, the success is in the ecosystem — where innovators, healthcare providers, and end users can connect, co-create, and accelerate the transformation of elderly care delivery across the region.

Q.3 Tell us how home-based rehabilitation solutions can decrease the strain on the overburdened healthcare systems while at the same time maintaining the quality of care.

Home-based rehabilitation is fast becoming an essential part of healthcare delivery — especially in ageing societies where healthcare systems are facing rising demand, workforce shortages, and infrastructure constraints. By shifting parts of the recovery process from hospital to home, these solutions significantly reduce pressure on healthcare facilities, free up bed space, and allow hospitals to prioritise acute care. More importantly, home-based rehab does not compromise on care quality — in fact, it often improves it. With the support of tele-rehabilitation platforms, wearable monitoring devices, and AI-enabled therapy tools, patients can receive continuous, personalised care in a familiar environment. This often leads to better recovery outcomes, improved patient satisfaction, and lower readmission rates.

At MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND 2025, visitors will have the opportunity to explore innovations in this space — from remote physiotherapy solutions and interactive rehab robotics to connected health platforms that empower both patients and clinicians. These technologies are reshaping how we view post-acute care and enabling a more sustainable, decentralised healthcare model that is well-suited for Southeast Asia’s demographic realities.

As healthcare systems evolve, home-based rehabilitation will be a key pillar in delivering scalable, efficient, and patient-centred care — helping us move towards a model that’s not only more accessible, but also more resilient.

Q.4 How will the Community Care Zone at MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND go on to address the distinct healthcare gaps that are faced by Southeast Asia’s growing ageing population, especially when we talk of rural vs. urban regions?

[Pls refer to response for Q.2]

Q.5 What role does cross-sector collaboration play when it comes to designing sustainable elderly care models in the region?

Cross-sector collaboration is essential in building sustainable elderly care models across Southeast Asia. The needs of ageing populations are complex, requiring coordinated input from not just healthcare providers, but also tech companies, public health bodies, investors, and social care providers. Sustainable solutions emerge when these sectors work together to align innovation with policy, infrastructure, and community needs.

This is exactly what MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND facilitates — by bringing these diverse players together under one roof. The show supports both top-down (policy-driven) and bottom-up (innovator-led) approaches, fostering collaboration between government stakeholders, medical institutions, and start-ups shaping the future of eldercare. Dedicated zones like Community Care and LaunchPad create a space for these conversations to happen — whether it’s scaling new tech, shaping policy frameworks, or co-developing service models.

In a region where the ageing rate is outpacing global averages, it’s this kind of integrated, multi-stakeholder collaboration that will drive real, long-term impact.

Q.6 How does MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND serve as a platform to spotlight emerging AI and digital health innovations that support elderly care, and foster discussion around barriers to adoption in Southeast Asia?

MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND serves as an essential platform to spotlight emerging AI innovations that are redefining elderly care — from intelligent fall detection systems and remote patient monitoring to AI-powered diagnostics and predictive analytics for chronic disease management. As Southeast Asia faces both a rapidly ageing population and uneven access to healthcare infrastructure, these innovations hold great promise — but adoption is often held back by factors such as cost, lack of digital literacy, regulatory gaps, and integration challenges across healthcare systems.

That’s where MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND plays a unique role. By bringing together global medtech players, start-ups, healthcare providers, and policymakers, the exhibition creates an environment where these conversations can happen — whether it’s through technology showcases, expert-led conferences, or one-on-one business matchmaking.

For example, at the 2025 edition, the Community Care Zone will feature a wide range of smart technologies designed to enhance elderly care delivery in both clinical and home-based settings. These innovations are not only presented for visibility but also for feedback, collaboration, and regional alignment — particularly important in Southeast Asia’s diverse and fast-evolving healthcare landscape.

In short, MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND doesn’t just exhibit new technologies — it brings the ecosystem together to explore how we can collectively overcome adoption barriers and build a future-ready, inclusive model for eldercare across the region.

Hospital & Healthcare Management recently caught up with him and had a very detailed discussion on autism and all things that exist in its spectrum.

We’re really keen to know about the existing autism diagnosis in the US.

Dr. Merahn: So you know, the American Psychiatric Association has a set of criteria that is published in something called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. It’s currently the 5th version of that manual over the years. The diagnostic criteria for autism have changed.

With the last version of the DSM 5, they took a number of diagnoses that were peripheral or related to the autism diagnosis and combined them all together into a single diagnosis that they called autism spectrum disorder. And they did this because they realized there are so many characteristics of other conditions. Pervasive developmental disorder, what was called Asperger’s syndrome, was all part of this overall syndrome. The phenotype, the way it expresses itself in the world, is very variable. and there is a tremendous spectrum that is grounded in a set of diagnostic criteria. Those criteria include three things. Number one. It has to present and begin in childhood. That’s a foundational element. Other core criteria include persistent deficits in social communication relationships and interactions, other is restrictive or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Now, again, this is extremely variable. It could be as simple as “I love trains,” or at the other end, it could be very disruptive patterns of self-injury. So again, the spectrum of that particular behavioral criteria is very wide.

However, over the years, it’s been very clear that there are other conditions associated with autistic individuals that seem to be common patterns of reoccurrence, and those are variously called co-occurring conditions. Now, they’re not part of the autism diagnosis. But, once someone is diagnosed with autism, these conditions are extremely common. In that population, there are seizures, sleep disorders, sensory deficits, gastrointestinal conditions, metabolic problems, hormone problems, as well as various kinds of peripheral or related mental health conditions like attention deficit disorder. Again, those are not part of the diagnostic criteria, but they are part of what we would now continue to call the autism spectrum. What I’m hoping to get into is some of the latest evidence in the genomic realm that actually supports the idea that autism is far more than just a neuropsychological condition. There’s not just an autistic brain, but there’s an autistic person.

The more we can look at the autistic person as an entity, the more we can realize that, in many ways, autism is not necessarily a disability. But there are autism-related disabilities because of this spectrum, due to the diversity of what autism can be in a population. And one of the things that we’re doing really differently at UNIFI is instead of just treating the diagnosis-related symptoms of behavior – the behavioral stuff, the neuropsychological side – we’re also looking at how some of these co-occurring conditions can actually benefit from behavioral intervention. It’s been well established that most health outcomes really are dependent on behavior and environment. And only 10% to 20% are responsive to medical care. So, we want to expand our view of the support we can provide the autistic community by not just focusing on the diagnosis but focusing on the whole person.

So, what are the treatments that are available in the US as of now when you talk about the discovery of the behavioral patterns?

Dr. Merahn: Well, the therapeutic anchor for most people with autism is a form of therapy based on the principles of behavior analysis, variously called applied behavior analysis, or ABA. I’ve dug into this a little bit deeply. I’m fairly deeply involved in the behavior analytic community and have come to understand that the science of behavior analysis actually has applications outside of autism.

But over the last 20 years in the States, every State of the Union has passed legislative reform mandating access to therapy based on behavior analysis for children with autism. Now, that started slow In 2 000 to 2001, it was only a handful of states, and over the years it’s grown to the point where I think the last state was just 2 or 3 years ago that again mandated insurance companies and other payers to pay for access to this therapy.

There are other forms of therapy that are important for children with autism. The fact of the matter is, as we look at autism as a whole-person condition, we have to acknowledge that there are other ways that children with autism can get the support they need, even including psychotherapy. I mean, the kind of thing that we may have for our own mental health can really benefit children with autism. The anchor for getting children the best outcomes really is grounded in a very carefully crafted behavior-analytic treatment plan.

A lot of people ask, when should we start medical treatment?

Dr. Merahn: Great question. Well, the good news is that the studies are very clear that the earlier you intervene, the better the life course and outcome for a child. There’s no doubt about that.

The problem is that there’s a lot of delay in getting the diagnosis. So, if you start a child at age two through four, the chances of them going into the school system requiring fewer services and supports are very, very high. It also, by the way, stabilizes the family relationships with siblings and the ability to live in the community. There are all sorts of benefits to early intervention.

However, having said that, I work right now with an adult population with autism. I’m the medical director for an organization in New York State that cares for adults with intellectual developmental disabilities, many of whom have autism as their primary diagnosis, and it is very clear to me that there are applications of behavior analysis that can significantly benefit adults. With young children, we are really focused on supporting their developmental trajectory. In what ways might autism, or in what ways might their autistic symptoms and behavior, be a barrier to developmental progress? We want to remove the barrier and then support their strength development. That’s what we do in childhood. In the teen years, for example, there’s a big challenge for autistic children when they make the transition from elementary school to what we call in the States middle school or junior high. And it’s around the early teenage years, i.e., 12, 13, 14. There are tremendous social challenges during that time for autistic children who may be very, very stable in the elementary school realm, where it’s the same class and the same teacher. It’s a relatively controlled and consistent environment all of a sudden, you’re now in an environment where you’re changing classes. And there’s different friend groups. The social challenges are different. So we want to intervene there around social skills. As people make the transition to adulthood, we want them to have as independent a life as possible.

There is a subset of children who have what is variously referred to as profound autism. They may be nonverbal; they may have severe challenging behaviors. Even in those children, there’s a significant opportunity to again reduce the behaviors that are challenging in order to give them the maximum opportunity to interact and have positive interactions in the world. So, as a pediatrician, remember, I’m not a behavior analyst, and I have no reason to promote this therapy, except that I’ve looked at the science.

I really do believe that there’s a benefit in some way for people to receive behavior analysis when there are behaviors that are interfering, or behaviors that can benefit from their health, related behaviors, their mental health conditions, or their interactions with the environment.

We have been seeing people suffering from this condition for a long time, but what we are observing now is that suddenly there is a big surge in the kind of treatments that are going on. But is it too little, too late?

Dr. Merahn: I don’t think so. I think one of the things that’s happened over the years is that we’ve gotten better at understanding the specifics of people’s conditions. For a very long time, we kind of lumped everybody together under this umbrella of intellectual and developmental disability. You have a problem in childhood, whether it’s learning disabilities, challenging behavior, or oppositional. Whatever the challenges happen to be, everybody got lumped into this single diagnosis, and over the years, we’ve gotten better at parsing out the specific person-centered characteristics that have allowed us to really develop better person-centered therapies. I think that there is absolutely a population of both older children and adults who may not have gotten the therapy early in life, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve an opportunity for therapeutic intervention later in life.

How does UNIFI Autism Care offer therapy from a whole-person condition standpoint?

Dr. Merahn: UNIFI is unique, and the fact is that there are very few, and I mean handfuls, of the thousands of behavior services providers in the States who have a pediatrician that’s part of the team, and I’m, I will say, grateful to my behavior analytical colleagues for allowing me to embrace my perspective on children. Healthcare, unfortunately, is sometimes very siloed. Disciplinary silos are driving a lot of what happens in healthcare. So what we’re doing is saying, okay, the child may have another diagnosis, related symptoms of behavior that need an intervention.

But if the child has epilepsy and there’s a problem with them taking the seizure medicine, we want to address that issue as well.

Children with autism use the emergency room four times more than non-autistic children. They’re admitted to the hospital more frequently, and many of those are preventable, and that can happen through behavioral interventions because there’s a foundation of behavior in the reason. So again, if you don’t take your medicine, you’re going to break through in whatever the condition is, whether it’s asthma or seizures. Children with autism often have gastrointestinal problems or sleep disorders that can be very disruptive to their own well-being, but also the well-being of their family. So we’re not restricting our perspective on that child, just to the autistic-related symptoms and behavior. We are taking a much broader perspective on that child, and our view of outcomes is less about their response to treatment in any given treatment cycle, but really about how and what we’re doing today can affect their life course trajectory into adulthood because we know that autism doesn’t go away at age 21. Even though in many states right now the access to behavior analytic therapy ends at age 21, and adults don’t necessarily have the same access that children do.

But our focus is- Where is this child going in adulthood? How independent, and how much, by the way, can we make them comfortable with themselves? You know, I say often that an autistic person’s perspective on the world is normative for them.

And we have to stop trying to shape behavior to meet some external perspective of what normative is because we want people to be comfortable with themselves and make a contribution to the world. There’s a great quote from Temple Grandin, who’s a very famous autistic author and speaker, and she says if we took all the autistics out of the world, you’d have a bunch of people standing around talking to each other, but nothing would get done. So there’s a real sense of the contribution that the autistic perspective can make to society and community. And we want to keep that perspective alive in many ways. It’s a unique perspective that can make a contribution, because autistic people might look at the world a little differently than other people do, as, by the way, in my perspective, we all do to a certain extent.

That’s a great observation. But then, if I have to add, when we discuss an autistic child, it’s not the child who is changing; it’s the entire family; people who are associated with his well-being are also getting affected. So how does UNIFI emphasize creating an integrated approach?

Dr. Merahn: Again, part of our view of the children is the environment in which they live. So we actually have a commitment to doing tremendous family involvement in our therapeutic process. Families are actually engaged in the therapeutic process so that the children aren’t just in therapy when they’re with one of our behavior analysts.

The therapeutic techniques can be applied in the family even when we’re not there, you can call it parent training. But it’s really family involvement. We look at family interactions significantly. Siblings play a really important role, both in terms of the effect of having an autistic sibling on that person’s own development and the effect of an autistic sibling on the way their parents interact with them. And again, we try to neutralize the disability component of this and help people accept and commit to who their family members are.

What are the current research projects that UNIFI is into, and what are the outcomes? If you can share that, please.

Dr. Merahn: So, there are two things we’re working on, and we’re not ready on the outcome side. The way we collect data is a little bit different. So we’re actually looking at health-related social determinants that can have a behavioral component. We’re looking at medication management. We’re actually tracking chronic illnesses, and we’re asking for some of our help from the payers that pay for services. We’re asking them to share with us data on utilization patterns for healthcare. How many specialists do they go to? How many times have they been to the emergency room? How many times have they been hospitalized? We really want to be able to have an influence on some of that. That’s where, again, in the States, what we call value-based care is coming in.

And I just want to talk about this briefly: there’s a tremendous amount of genomic research going on in children with autism, and it actually reinforces this view of autism as a whole child condition. There’s about a hundred genes that have been identified and associated with the autistic community. The problem is, there’s no single pattern among them. If there are patterns, it’s around one. It’s so diverse, and some of the genomic clusters show a disconnection between the diagnostic symptoms. So there’s a set of genes that are associated with the repetitive behavior patterns, and there’s a set of genes that are associated with social communication problems.

Now Is there therapy in that yet? No. But what it says to us at UNIFI is we’re on the right track in terms of looking at the really doing person-centered, child-centered planning because each child is in many ways genetically unique, and therefore, the symptoms and behavior and autism related co-occurring conditions will be unique.

Many times, we have heard a lot of parents saying that we have observed a tremendous change in the child, and they thought that the child was moving in the right direction, but suddenly there was a behavioral change.

Dr. Merahn: There’s almost predictable change that occurs at various developmental phases. And whether you’re an autistic child or a non-autistic child, those things are going to happen. There’s changes in behavior and changes in responsiveness, along with changes related to puberty. These changes occur all the time. For many families of an autistic child, stability becomes critically important. But you can’t discount the fact that these children are still going through what are in many ways normative developmental changes, which will change the way they respond to things, their sensory issues, and their own patterns of communication. A lot of times, that happens with behavior analysis. I will say that sometimes there’s patterns of behavior that have come up through families that they’ve chosen to do in order to maintain a level of stability.

Sometimes, we have to undo some of those because they are not. They’re designed to help the family be stable, but they’re not necessarily right for the child’s developmental progress.

So for example, if the child has severe food preferences and you’re always going with their food preferences, which, by the way, is not a bad thing to do, but in some cases, if you overdo it, then you never have the opportunity to introduce new things, that level of variation into their lives. So sometimes,  we have to pull away some of those things that families have done for stability. And there’s often a response to that which looks like things are getting worse, but they’re not really because we’re going to ride that wave into another opportunity for that child.

1. Can you provide more insight into the key findings of Privia Health’s data presented at the AMGA Annual Conference regarding diabetes care management programs?

The key findings from Privia Health’s data on diabetes care management, presented at the AMGA Annual Conference, highlighted significant insights and outcomes from their analysis of approximately 107,000 diabetic patients in their Accountable Care Organization. By categorizing patients into “Bundle Complete,” “Bundle Pass,” and “Bundle Incomplete” groups based on the Together2Goal reporting parameters, they discovered notable differences in healthcare utilization and costs. The “Bundle Incomplete” group had higher hospital and emergency department usage compared to the others, and the “Bundle Complete” group showed a substantial reduction in Risk Adjusted Per Member Per Month costs by $2,585 compared to the “Bundle Incomplete” group. The findings underscored the importance of regular primary care provider visits and consistent, accurate data reporting for effective diabetes management. These insights led to improved patient engagement, more reliable data through collaboration with lab vendors, and enhanced care outcomes by focusing on completing care bundles for diabetic patients.

2. How does Privia Health leverage AMGA’s “Together 2 Goal” initiative to improve diabetes care, and what specific strategies have contributed to the $1.4M savings in risk-adjusted total cost of care?

Privia Health has effectively utilized the AMGA’s “Together 2 Goal” initiative to enhance diabetes care management, leading to a substantial $1.4M in risk-adjusted total cost of care savings. The strategy involved using the initiative’s core track metrics to benchmark and identify gaps in care, particularly focusing on moving patients from “Bundle Incomplete” to “Bundle Complete,” which demonstrated significant savings and reduced healthcare utilization. Privia Health developed a detailed patient registry updated monthly, which helped in tracking individual and overall performance metrics. They differentiated tasks that could be handled by physicians from those manageable by support staff, enabling efficient patient scheduling and pre-visit preparations to ensure necessary diabetic screenings were completed. Additionally, fostering a competitive spirit through regular meetings and updates motivated physicians and care centers, driving improvements in care delivery and outcomes across their network.

3. The study suggests three essential changes to statewide diabetes management programs. Could you elaborate on how these changes can enhance the quality of diabetes care and drive value to practices?

In our study, we proposed three essential changes to enhance the efficacy of diabetes management programs: improved reporting, comprehensive training, and strong leadership engagement. These changes improved the quality of diabetes care and bring value to medical practices by integrating them into existing value-based care frameworks.

1. Reporting: By developing accurate, timely, and actionable patient registry reports, practices can address various patient groups effectively. Administrative staff can increase office visits and screenings by engaging patients with incomplete care bundles, thereby generating additional revenue. Clinical staff can prepare for upcoming visits by ensuring all necessary tests are completed, reducing the physicians’ workflow burden. This allows physicians and advanced practice providers to focus on developing specific care plans for patients who have completed the care bundles but have not passed all measures.
2. Training: National training sessions for physicians cover essential diabetes management aspects, including program overviews, electronic health record workflows, coding, documentation, and advanced treatment options like continuous glucose monitoring and medication management. This consistent education across the network supports physician competency and encourages active participation and feedback.
3. Leadership Engagement: Prioritizing the diabetes management program at the leadership level ensures that the initiative is aligned with the organization’s goals, securing necessary resources and support. This alignment facilitates operational efficiency and enhances the overall effectiveness of the program.

Together, these changes can lead to better patient engagement, higher screening rates, improved medication adherence, reduced healthcare utilization, better Medicare Advantage star ratings, and lowered total costs of care, resulting in increased shared savings distributions to care centers. These improvements not only enhance patient outcomes but also drive significant value to practices within the network.

4. With PCPs providing the majority of care for diabetes patients, how does Privia Health support these providers in delivering high-quality care sustainably?

Privia Health supports primary care providers (PCPs) in delivering high-quality, sustainable diabetes care through a combination of comprehensive management services and value-based care incentives. Their core services include electronic health record (EHR) support, revenue cycle management, group purchasing options, and operational consulting, funded by a percentage of collections. Privia Health emphasizes rewarding PCPs by redistributing 60% of all earned incentive payments back to them, with the remainder reinvested in infrastructure and care process redesign.

The organization operates under a single Tax Identification Number (TIN), enhancing continuity of care and operational efficiency through shared EHR systems and additional support services such as credentialing, analytics, and coding education. They also foster a strong culture of accountability and engagement by organizing physicians into geographically aligned groups led by a physician leader.

Furthermore, we acknowledged the efforts of our care centers with awards recognizing exceptional management of diabetic patients, based on metrics like the number of attributed patients and completion rates of diabetes care bundles. This multifaceted approach helps PCPs deliver effective and efficient diabetes care while maintaining their independence within a supportive larger network

5. Could you share some examples of how Privia Health’s value-based care platforms have helped independent practices grow and improve patient outcomes?

Privia Health is uniquely positioned to help support autonomous practices succeed in value-based care. Our MSO services provide strong RCM and operational support allowing care centers to focus on the clinical needs of their patients. Our healthcare analytics team effectively turns mountains of data into actionable insights and our operations and population health teams are experts in change management, workflow optimization and all the nuances associated with successfully navigating VBC.

We have especially been pivotal in supporting independent physicians in their gradual transition from Fee for Service (FFS) to VBC reimbursement. Year-over-year, Privia Health physicians are seeing a larger percentage of their overall compensation come from VBC. Some practices view this transition as an opportunity to align schedules and spend a little extra time with each patient, while others have used this revenue as an opportunity to grow their practice by hiring additional physicians and advanced practice providers, adding new services, or opening new locations.

6. How does Privia Health use readily available EHR data to develop clear patient cohorts, create actionable patient registries, and build meaningful care paths for each patient cohort?

Privia Health effectively utilizes EHR data, combined with additional information from payer partners, ADT data from facilities, and third-party sources, to develop detailed patient registries and dashboards. These tools are crafted in collaboration with physician leaders to ensure they are both clinically relevant and impactful for value-based care (VBC) initiatives.

Key tools developed include the “Patient Roster Report,” which helps care centers manage patient care by providing comprehensive data such as last and next visit dates, care gaps, and risk flags for chronic conditions. This report aids in identifying patients who need specific interventions, like those overdue for annual wellness visits or those with high emergency department usage.

Additionally, Privia Health has developed “Privia Engage,” a real-time patient outreach tool that divides the patient population into worklists for annual wellness visits and hospital follow-ups, updated daily. This tool allows care center staff to efficiently manage, and schedule necessary follow-up care based on recent hospital discharges, ensuring timely patient engagement and continuity of care. These strategies collectively enable Privia Health to build meaningful care paths and manage their patient cohorts effectively.

7. What challenges do healthcare organizations typically face when implementing changes to diabetes management programs, and how does Privia Health overcome these challenges?

There are a few key challenges to implementing any clinical program:

• Resistance to Change:  Independent physicians are already stretched thin helping patients, managing staff and running a business alongside the additional challenges associated with value-based care. Trying to add a clinical program to the mix requires strong physician leadership, a clear vision for what you are trying to accomplish and well-defined success metrics. However, healthcare organizations often attempt to define the “how” before they identify the “why,” which leads to confusion and discourages adoption from key stakeholders. Privia Health has done an excellent job of building a strong physician-led governance structure helping mitigate these issues and encouraging success by soliciting input and addressing concerns earlier in the program.
• Lack of Resources:  Adequate resources like funding, staff and technology are necessary for sustaining changes to diabetes management programs. However, many healthcare organizations face constraints in these areas. Privia Health’s diabetes management program started as a small pilot servicing a couple of care centers, we scaled the program across the Georgia market and eventually across the entire national network once we perfected workflows and ensured data confidence. With each escalation of the program, we saw a corresponding allocation of resources across dozens of teams at Privia Health to support the program’s continued development.
• Complexity of Care Coordination: Diabetes management requires coordination among multiple healthcare providers, including primary care physicians, endocrinologists, dietitians, and other specialists, which may lead to fragmented care and sub-optimal outcomes. Privia Health has always emphasized the importance of care coordination and team-based care, including the establishment of care teams, implementing care protocols, and leveraging technology to facilitate communication and collaboration among healthcare providers. Having all of our physicians on a shared EHR eliminates the need for passing charts back and forth to reconcile data, while a centralized care management team ensures high-risk patients don’t slip through the cracks as they transition between care sites.

8. In terms of patient engagement, what strategies does Privia Health employ to ensure that patients are actively involved in their diabetes care plans?

Privia Health leverages several strategies to ensure patients are actively involved in their care. Through shared decision-making, patients are empowered to actively participate in developing their personalized diabetes care plans and make informed decisions aligning with their own preferences, goals, lifestyle, and medical history.

When appropriate, we will also refer high-risk patients into our Chronic Care Management (CCM) program, where they are paired up with a nurse care manager who helps support the care plan put in place by the physician and assists in coordinating care for the patient. This removes barriers to adherence where they may exist and provides a resource to the patient when needed. Meanwhile, patients with a less complex medical history may be enrolled in a remote patient monitoring program where daily blood sugar readings are integrated into our EHR and out of range alerts are triaged to a team of care managers for outreach, improving medication adherence, reducing A1c and bolstering patient engagement. Both programs are supplemented by the availability of telehealth directly within our platform, making it convenient for physicians and APPs to conduct a virtual visit with a patient before modifying the care plan or prescribing additional treatments.

9. Can you discuss any specific success stories or case studies that highlight the tangible impact of Privia Health’s diabetes care management program on patient lives?

The following story was shared by Marcia Lee, RN – Manager, Nurse Care Management:

“Mrs. Smith had been struggling to manage her A1c for years and was not interested in engaging in her care. As we rolled out our diabetes management program, her PCP quickly identified her as a ‘Bundle Incomplete’ patient with no upcoming appointment and scheduled her for an office visit. During that first visit, the PCP checked her blood pressure, ran updated lab tests, and completed an in-office diabetic eye exam then spent time reviewing the results with Mrs. Smith and stressed the long-term impact of diabetes on her health. The PCP and patient agreed to enroll into our Chronic Care Management (CCM) program to provide additional touch points and ensure she always had a person to call when she had questions. The CCM team ensured Mrs. Smith was compliant with her care plan and continued to attend her quarterly office visits with the PCP. Over the course of the year Mrs. Smith worked to improve her medication adherence, which resulted in her A1c improving from 10.2% to 7.8% and her blood pressure dropped below 140/90. Additionally, she has seen a decrease in emergency department utilization and has provided glowing patient satisfaction feedback and positive online reviews.”

10. Looking ahead, what are Privia Health’s plans for further improving diabetes care and expanding its impact on healthcare delivery systems?

We plan to continue following in the spirit of the original “Together 2 Goal” bundle but will be updating the measures to use 2024 Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) certified measures conforming with current clinical best practices, align with our Medicare Advantage programs and follow a calendar year reporting period which allows for better month-over-month trending. Specifically, our new Privia Bundle will measure blood pressure control (140/90), HbA1c control (<8%), diabetes eye exam and kidney health evaluation.

We will also be rolling out an updated diabetes management dashboard significantly improving visibility across our entire organization with market, POD, care center and physician level performance and trending data. These enhancements help us create more targeted action plans to impact specific regions and patient populations as well as engage patients on a larger scale.

We are developing enhanced clinical decision alerts within our EHR system to notify physicians and care team members at the point of care when a patient is overdue or out of range for a bundle measure and allow them to order the appropriate test directly from the alert. We’re confident this will help reduce care center administrative work and eliminate the need for proactive chart preparation before each diabetic patient visit.

Upgrading our bundle measures to include the kidney health evaluation measure will power our chronic kidney disease (CKD) program. By improving kidney function testing and eGFR and albumin level screening rates, we can identify CKD earlier and work with our nephrologists to implement care plans designed to delay the progression of the disease. Our new CKD patient registry also identifies high-risk CKD patients in need of a referral to nephrology so we can proactively engage these patients instead of waiting for their next PCP appointment.

Lastly, we are working to integrate our Privia Behavioral Health practices into our value-based care efforts to provide whole person care by helping manage the impact chronic diseases like diabetes have on a patient’s mental health.

Author: Ryan Graham, CPHIT, Vice President, Practice Operations & Value-Based Care at Privia Health and Zia Khan, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Privia Medical Group — Georgia.

1. Can you provide an overview of the BAROguard™ Donor Lung Preservation System and its key features?

The BAROguard™ Donor Lung Preservation System is designed to enhance and standardize the preservation and transportation of donor lungs on their journey from donor to recipient. The device works by connecting the donor lungs to an airway management system that maintains optimal pressure ranges throughout the entire preservation period. The device actively maintains the airway pressure of the donor lungs at the International Society of Heart & Lung Transplant (ISHLT) consensus range of 12-15cm H20 and 4-8°C. BAROguard™, like other Paragonix organ preservation devices use GPS and Bluetooth technology, which allows transport teams on the ground to track the location and status of the donor lungs in real-time.

2. How does the BAROguard™ system address the challenges associated with maintaining optimal conditions for donor lungs during transport?

The process of preserving organs today is variable. Variability comes from surgical preference, constrained by time and resources, and unmeasurable with the current tools available for transplant teams. BAROguard aims to standardize key preservation parameters of airway pressure and temperature. Airway pressures can vary at the time of procurement and change throughout preservation. This variability may lead to suboptimal conditions for the donor lung, impacting its likelihood of success after implantation into the recipient. Too high of an airway pressure, that can be incurred during procurement or during airplane takeoff (similar to a bag of chips) can lead to risk as a result of overstretching the tissue. Low airway pressure, that can be incurred during procurement or landing may lead to injury commonly associated with collapsed lungs.

3. What sets the BAROguard™ system apart from traditional methods of lung preservation?

In traditional methods of lung preservation, the process often involves placing the organ in an ice cooler filled with crushed ice. While this method has been used for years, it has significant drawbacks. One of the main challenges is the inability to control or monitor the temperature inside the container effectively. As a result, there’s a higher risk of the lungs being subjected to improper conditions during transit. This outdated approach can lead to damage to the lungs by the time they reach the recipient, impacting the success of the transplant and potentially the long term survival of the transplant recipient.

The BAROguard™ system stands out from traditional lung preservation methods due to its advanced capabilities in regulating both pressure and temperature during transport. Unlike traditional methods, the BAROguard™ system ensures precise control over these crucial factors, with the intent to provide improved outcomes in lung transplant procedures and increase the number of lung transplants.

4. Could you share any insights or success stories from the BAROguard™ system’s initial deployments at leading thoracic transplant centers?

Experience from early adopters of the technology has been highly encouraging. The transplant community intuitively understands the need to control airway pressures from practice of managing patients on ventilators. What the BAROguard system allows the transplant teams to do now is provide an unprecedented level of control and real-time monitoring during preservation. As a result, BAROguard has been used for transcontinental cases, for lungs that needed a higher level of preservation, and for lungs that needed additional support due to the constraints during the organ procurement surgery. We serve transplant centers that – after just a single clinical utilization of BAROguard device – have  communicated their intent to convert all their lung preservation strategies using BAROguard. Another center has reported that the quality of the donor lungs visually improved following preservation in the BAROguard system. I think we are just scratching the surface of what is possible with this technology, especially given it takes less than 5 minutest to setup the system and fits well into the existing workflow for transplant.

5. How do you envision the widespread adoption of the BAROguard™ system influencing the landscape of organ transplantation?

Every donor organ is a life-saving gift that should be treated with the utmost care. We have seen the impact that preservation can have on the viability of donor organs, and every effort must be made to safeguard their integrity throughout the journey and ensure that they reach the recipient in the best possible condition for a successful transplant. Products like BAROguard™ are instrumental in achieving this goal. By utilizing advanced preservation systems and emphasizing the importance of safe organ transport, we can significantly reduce the risks associated with organ damage and maximize the chances of successful transplant outcomes. The aim of these devices is to provide healthcare professionals control over variables, like temperature and pressure, that to date have been uncontrollable, in an effort to provide better care for their patients.

6. What role do you foresee technology playing in further advancements in organ preservation and transplantation?

Technology will continue to be the driving force behind further advancements in organ preservation and transplantation. Innovations like the BAROguard™ system are paving the way for more precise and effective methods of safeguarding donor organs during transport. As we harness the power of technology, we can enhance organ viability, streamline transplant procedures, and ultimately improve patient outcomes, bringing us closer to a future where organ shortage is no longer a barrier to life-saving treatments.

1. Can you tell us a bit about EncompaaS and its mission in the pharmaceutical industry?

The one thing we know best about pharmaceutical manufacturing is that time to success and time to failure are the two most important metrics driving business processes and outcomes.  The relationships and processes large pharmaceutical companies must manage are extremely complex and often hard to navigate. The relationships between manufacturers, pharmaceutical benefit managers, payers, and the healthcare delivery system are based on complex contractual relationships. And, without the ability to connect the dots between contractual terms and business performance, the complexity of relationships becomes even harder to manage for a successful business outcome for all parties involved.

The EncompaaS platform uses next-generation AI technologies to find, enrich, and organize structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data into a normalized data quality foundation. This enables automated governance at scale, ensuring information is de-risked, and preparing the highest quality data to fuel upstream processes.

EncompaaS’ mission in the pharmaceutical industry is to revolutionize the way rebate and other business contracts are managed to provide the best possible outcome. We do this by leveraging our unique policy engine that drives AI to analyze all regional, national, and government rebate contracts, create standardized policies, and eliminate manual processes at scale. This allows pharma manufacturers to understand their rebate position – including correlations and rollups – in real-time so they can maximize the revenue potential of every rebate contract.

2. What are some of the most common challenges pharmaceutical companies face in managing rebate contracts traditionally?

Contract Managers typically spend a significant portion of their jobs manually searching through thousands of pages of complex rebate contracts to find specific language, passages, or data points to input into spreadsheets. Some words and data could be in handwritten notes scrawled in the margins. This is the experience that many, if not all, contract managers endure when managing business outcomes for the rebate programs they manage. It’s an incredibly tedious and time-consuming job for highly skilled and educated workers. Because of its precision-driven nature, many contract managers get bogged down in managing the details rather than being able to focus on better business outcomes for their organizations. This leads to a great deal of frustration and job disappointment.

3. How do these challenges impact revenue and operational efficiency?

The sheer scale, breadth, and complexity of rebate contracts (often numbering in the tens of thousands) often leads to inefficiencies in productivity and data management, impacting crucial aspects like time-to-information, distribution, and competitive advantage. For an industry so driven by time to success and time to failure, these challenges impede, if not block, the manager’s ability to respond quickly, accurately, and with the insight required.

4. How does AI technology address the issues faced by pharmaceutical companies in rebate contract management?

AI technology is prevalent all throughout the clinical side of the pharmaceutical manufacturing business. It is not a new concept, but it is extremely well integrated into clinical advancements. On the business side, AI, in this case, Intelligent Document Processing, enables pharmaceutical contract managers to automate an incredibly tedious and time-consuming process. It saves teams hundreds of hours by automating document processing and the extraction of insights from complex contracts and master agreements. AI and powerful analytics provide key answers to questions regarding product performance, business relationship status, and competitive advantage.

5. Could you provide examples of how AI-driven solutions have helped companies mitigate errors and improve decision-making?

Case study example:

A global pharmaceutical organization sought to understand and analyze the effect of vendor rebates on a drug’s net revenue across tens of thousands of master contracts and amendment documents. The sheer volume of data, inconsistency in its format, and time required for human processing led them to seek a technology solution to streamline this process.

EncompaaS was selected to transform the way rebate contracts were managed with advanced AI-powered Intelligent Document Processing. A Proof of Concept was completed, whereby a model was built and trained with exemplar contracts to automatically extract rebate information from different formats, such as text and tables, and correctly reproduce the data in a reporting dashboard for comprehensive analysis.

Using EncompaaS, the pharmaceutical organization has successfully automated a critical task, enabling the business to assess with accuracy the performance of vendors and the net effect of rebates on a drug’s revenue. The insights gained will support them in making informed business decisions on drug pricing and sales targets and in assessing the true profitability of a drug. This means saving tens of millions of dollars every year in their rebate program.

6. What specific features does the EncompaaS platform offer to streamline rebate contract management?  

EncompaaS harnesses Intelligent Document Processing to effortlessly analyze all regional, national, and government rebate contracts — and automatically extract data with speed and accuracy. The EncompaaS solution extracts literally hundreds of data points from contracts and amendments and allows that extracted data to be visualized and better understood from a “persona” point of view. For example, the EncompaaS analytics dashboards can be configured and visualized with a specific point of view or a specific swath of business perspective. For example, a product manager can track actual product sales to a specific dosing or delivery system against contracted terms. Pharmaceutical sales reps can understand the tiered sales structures defined in a business contract. With advanced analytics and customizable dashboards, it allows rebate managers to easily connect the dots between agreement and business performance, so you can understand your rebate position in real-time, including correlations and rollups. This means you can ask pertinent questions about your data, spot risks and opportunities faster, make rapid commercial decisions, and maximize the revenue potential of every rebate contract.

7. How does your platform leverage AI to provide accurate, real-time data and insights?

EncompaaS leverages Azure OpenAI and Supervised Machine Learning, to automatically inspect all live rebate contracts (including master agreements, amendments, and associated documentation) with speed and accuracy.

EncompaaS scans the content of contracts, intelligently extracts key information such as Contract Value, Dates, Parties, Products, and applies it as structured metadata on the contract itself. This metadata can then be used for searching, sorting, filtering, and reporting in a consistent way across all contracts, wherever they are stored.

Your most valuable contract and sales data can then be presented in highly visual dashboards, providing live, up-to-date landscape views that contract teams, rebate managers, and sales representatives can harness for informed decision-making on current strategies, rebates, and market data.

8. What are the primary benefits that pharmaceutical companies can expect from adopting AI-driven rebate contract management solutions?

• Eliminates manual processing
• Improves Accuracy
• Ability to understand your rebate position in seconds
• Empowers teams to focus on strategic tasks instead of manual tasks
• Enhances vendor relationships through improved transparency

9. How do you envision the role of AI evolving in pharmaceutical rebate contract management in the coming years?

EncompaaS sees a couple of key trends emerging that will rapidly advance the state of rebate management. First, organizations will not need to intensely train extraction models with large volumes of samples. Advances in Open AI and the ability to create Small Language Models (SLMs) on the fly will reduce the time it takes to establish and test models used to extract and visualize information. Small Language Models offer the ability to minimize “training” software as well as provide even higher degrees of confidence and ultimately accuracy of response. Second, tools like Microsoft Copilot will drive the “autonomy” of model development, giving large pharmaceutical companies the ability to understand their business position against contracted language faster and more accurately than ever before.

– Are there any emerging technologies or trends that you believe will further enhance the capabilities of AI in this field?

Tools like CoPilot will also reduce the time it takes to gather requirements for AI-driven model development, thereby speeding the implementation process of getting the models exactly right.

10. How does EncompaaS ensure smooth integration of its platform with existing systems and processes within pharmaceutical companies?

The EncompaaS data quality layer automates sensitive, private, and repetitive documents, ensuring accuracy. In a matter of weeks, our low-code solution will be provisioned in your Microsoft Azure cloud, providing direct access to all contract repositories. In addition to mitigating content risk, your sensitive data never leaves your control or firewall.

11. What does the implementation process typically look like for clients adopting your AI solution?

The implementation process is similar to any other software implementation process. Being able to document requirements and then represent those requirements into a data schema that allows for deep understanding of complex questions is the number one challenge. The requirements are somewhat similar, but not necessarily alike, for all pharmaceutical manufacturers. So the ability to identify those requirements and define behaviors through policy are the two key challenges faced by every organization.

12. Given the sensitive nature of pharmaceutical data, how does EncompaaS address security and compliance requirements?

With EncompaaS, data never leaves the manufacturer’s Azure tenancy. In addition to our own data security functionality, such as security trimming and access control, EncompaaS leverages the world class security infrastructure of Azure, which meets all security standards, such as SOC 11 and ISO.

13. What kind of support and training does EncompaaS offer to its clients to ensure they maximize the value of the platform?

We offer a comprehensive training and enablement program for data extraction and visualization. At our largest customer, users are taught to leverage our built-in analytics engine by creating highly personalized dashboards that visualize and present data in the way the contract manager wants to see it. We also offer a managed service offering that allows the manufacturer to rely on EncompaaS consultants to do the work on behalf of the company.

14. Is there anything else you’d like to add about the transformative potential of AI in pharmaceutical rebate contract management?

As stated earlier, AI is already deeply embedded in the technology fabric of every large pharmaceutical manufacturer. Where AI offers the most promise is at the personal level. It truly is the first technological advance that touches individuals as well as systems. We think a lot about the highly educated personnel who come to work at large pharma and the ways in which they can support the mission, which is, across the board, to make humans more healthy, productive and thrive longer.  There is no greater mission in professional life. We see AI as the pathway to transform individuals at their desks by removing the tedium and drudgery and allowing the best and brightest to focus more on that mission and how their companies can better deliver on its promise to the medical system. In our minds, AI is the lynchpin for achieving that aspiration.

1. Can you provide more details about how Casa Privée integrates technologies like HBOT, TMS, and Ketamine Therapy into their treatment plans? How do these modalities complement traditional approaches to mental healthcare? 

Casa Privée is “Time Travel in Medicine” that integrates futuristic and advanced medical treatments into the highest quality of healthcare. An important key to our treatments is to repair the damage to the brain due to damage from neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. As an example,  depression is a common mental disorder but what most people do not realize is that depression is associated with neuroinflammation to the brain and in others, a reduced blood supply. So, by providing hyperbaric oxygen (HBOT) we help the brain to repair by reducing the neuroinflammation. By using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we can help improve the blood supply to a specific part of the brain and that increased oxygen to the blood helps to remodel nerve cells. Together, this combination may help to improve depression.

2. It’s fascinating to hear about the range of conditions Casa Privée addresses, from depression and anxiety to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Could you elaborate on the personalized approach takes in tailoring treatments for each individual?

Casa Privée is a unique facility.  And one of the special features of the center is that the medical director, Prof Dr. Bankole Johnson, has been a professor of many fields of brain science including neurology, neuroscience, and neuropsychiatry. He also was the head of all brain sciences at a major university, and has been acclaimed as one of the finest physician neuroscientists in the world. Prof. Dr. Johnson also has a doctorate in molecular genetics, which enables him to use regenerative biological products to improve the repair to the brain and vital organs.  This knowledge helps Prof Dr. Johnson to combine a wide range of specialities to improve health. Casa Privée is a leading world center for brain health.

3. We’re particularly interested in learning about the treatment modalities available for children and adolescents. How does Casa Privée approach cognitive enhancement and restructuring for conditions like ADHD and neurodevelopmental disorders?

Casa Privée uses advanced neurotechnologies to alleviate neurodevelopment disorders in children and adolescents. We have a unique machine called a Theta Chamber, famed for use with astronauts, to modulate brain waves and energy.  Using the appropriate frequencies, this can improve cognition and information processing in the brain. We try and avoid medications for ADHD because they can reduce growth and are sometimes unnecessary.  We combine these advanced cognitive enhancement with human-driven neurobiological tools, aids, and behavior modifications to provide a comprehensive level of care.

4. Could you please provide details about contributions made in understanding and treating neurological disorders such as autism? We’re particularly interested in innovative approaches or research spearheaded in this area, and how these insights are integrated into treatment strategies at Casa Privée.

Prof Dr. Bankole Johnson was the head of brain sciences at a major USA University for several years. Additionally, his initial neuropsychiatric training was in child neuropsychiatry where he studied neurocognitive disorders in over 5,000 children who had been seen at a specialized hospital in Britain. This work led to him adding a Master of Philosophy from the University of London  in neurobiological disorders in children to his two doctoral degrees in neuroscience.

5. Your extensive experience and accolades are impressive. Could you share any specific success stories or case studies that highlight the effectiveness of Casa Privée’s treatments? 

An interesting case study that occurred recently was his treatment of a middle-aged lady with Parkinson’s disease. The disease was advanced, her mobility compromised, and she could not stand without falling to one side. Without intervention, the prospect would be that she would have ended up in a wheelchair in a few months.  With intensive treatment using neurodegenerative “smart” cells and products, the patient is now walking, driving, and using the gym.  Whilst the patient is not “cured” of Parkinson’s disease, her quality and way of life has been changed dramatically for the better.