Qure4u, the industry leader in digital health solutions, is proud to announce a new partnership with Wayne Health to create innovative population health services for patients throughout southeastern Michigan.

The partnership will provide Wayne Health with enhanced digital services to improve the patient experience while helping better connect patients with their providers before, during and after clinic visits. Among the many services that will soon be available to Wayne Health patients are a streamlined patient portal for on-line scheduling and appointment reminders; telehealth and at-home remote monitoring programs; HIPAA-compliant communication platform between patients and their providers; digital health screenings and more.

Wayne Health is a non-profit, multi-specialty academic group practice with over 400 dedicated physicians and advanced practice providers in 50 medical specialties offering a full spectrum of care, from birth to end-of-life, for individuals and families. The organization has a longstanding, mission-based commitment to urban health and social welfare, providing care for patients with the most complex chronic health conditions, especially those from vulnerable populations, who face disparities related to a lack of access to integrated health resources and greater exposure to risk due to their financial circumstances, place of residence, age or other personal characteristics. This commitment is enhanced through the Center for Population Health Accountability (CPHA), located in Detroit.

“Our overarching goal is to mitigate health disparities and control chronic conditions risk factors in our populations,” said Phillip Levy, MD, MPH, Chief Innovation Officer, Wayne Health. “I believe that the future of medicine lies in the area of community health, to engage people where they live, work and play. By enhancing access to medical care and social services, and incorporating convenient digital-health services to improve patient engagement, we are able to improve lives and health outcomes. Our partnership with Qure4u allows us to effectively and efficiently accomplish these goals.”

“We are very excited to begin this new partnership with Wayne Health,” said Monica Bolbjerg, MD, CEO and Founder, Qure4u. “The strength of Qure4u is evident throughout our many trusted and collaborative partnerships that inspire innovative healthcare solutions and impact the lives of millions of people. Our digital health platform is designed to enhance the entire patient journey by improving workflows and practice efficiency, and enhancing clinical insight. I look forward to helping Wayne Health continue to redefine the delivery of integrated care throughout southeast Michigan.”

In 2021, Wayne State University was the recipient of an $18.15 million award from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to establish a Center for Multiple Chronic Diseases Associated with Health Disparities: Prevention, Treatment, and Management that will use community-based interventions deployed from three research institutions to fight hypertension, heart failure and coronary heart disease in the Black population.

About Qure4u
Qure4u’s complete digital health platform, with contactless “digital front door” solutions, offers patients and providers a scalable, EHR-embedded ecosystem to support the entire patient journey. Remote check-in, Virtual Waiting Room™, Digital Health Key™, Qure4u DriveUp™, data sharing, telehealth, pre- and post-procedure prep, remote patient monitoring, secure communication, and care plan features close the gap for patients and providers between office visits. By enabling patients with self-service tools to manage their health from anywhere, Qure4u drives practice efficiency and enhances clinical insight. The company’s solutions improve patient engagement, outcomes, and satisfaction. Qure4u was recently recognized as one of the MedikaLife Top 50 Most Impactful Tech Innovators for Digital Healthcare in 2021 and won the 2020 athenahealth Client Feedback Award.

About Wayne Health
Wayne Health is a non-profit, multi-specialty physician practice group affiliated with Wayne State University School of Medicine. With nearly 400 physicians and advanced practice providers in 50 medical specialties, Wayne Health offers a full spectrum of care, from birth to end-of-life, for individuals and families throughout southeastern Michigan. Wayne Health multi-specialty clinics are conveniently located in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield and Troy, with single-specialty clinics in Livonia (Psychiatry), Monroe (Dermatology) and Taylor (Ophthalmology).

Azalea Health Innovations Inc. (Azalea Health or Azalea), a leading provider of cloud-based patient management and health IT solutions, launched Azalea Apps Marketplace, a one-stop app library of approved third-party vendors that are integrated with Azalea Health.

The Azalea Apps Marketplace allows users to search through a library of third-party applications that are connected with Azalea’s application suite, many connected using Azalea’s SMART on FHIR API (application programming interface). Like an app store on a mobile device, Azalea users can search and choose which ones are right for their organization’s needs.

“Healthcare providers struggle with simplifying their operations while also enhancing the patient experience. This is amplified by looking at rural healthcare providers that are resource-constrained and rely on Azalea Health to simplify their operations,” said Baha Zeidan, CEO and co-founder of Azalea Health. “With the Azalea Apps Marketplace, the integrated solutions are easy to deploy into our existing platform and will have an immediate impact on our customers’ business – more so than legacy integration projects.”

The Azalea Apps Marketplace is set up with the user in mind and allows them to search by need, browsing the library to find an application to solve a current problem, such as reducing no-shows, increasing patient engagement, and simplifying the process of prescribing controlled substances. Users can see which vendors are available, comparing separate applications based on a summary of features and benefits for each. Users also have the option to request additional information and receive answers directly from the provider before choosing their partner.

“Using the Azalea Apps Marketplace, customers can select their preferred features based on the specific needs of their organization and have the confidence that their solution will integrate automatically and securely with Azalea,” added Zeidan.

All applications have been approved by Azalea and include a variety of clinical, financial, and administrative solutions, with more being added daily. Initial categories include appointment reminders, direct messaging, merchant services and electronic prescribing, to name a few.

“We shared an early release of Azalea Apps Marketplace with a small group of clients, and we have seen an incredible response from that group,” said Nathan Shepard, Vice President of Product for Azalea Health. “We’re very pleased to hear our customers talk about the value we’re delivering with Azalea Apps. With the public rollout out, all our customers will have access to apps that have been designed by experts to solve the specific problems they may face, making it easier for them to connect and start solving those problems. We are grateful for all the application-builders who have contacted us to connect their apps to the Azalea ecosystem allowing us to offer so many solutions to our customers.”

About Azalea Health
Azalea Health Innovations (Azalea) is on a mission to empower underserved healthcare providers with a health IT platform that improves patient care and profitability. Offering a 100% cloud-based integrated platform, Azalea delivers electronic health records, revenue cycle management, data insights and telehealth solutions designed for rural and community practices and hospitals. Quick to deploy and intuitive to use, Azalea solutions ensure better care coordination and communication – enabling better outcomes and a meaningful competitive advantage. The Azalea platform also provides tools and resources to help clients meet their Meaningful Use requirements, as well as strategies to navigate accountable care and alternative payment models. Above all, Azalea strives to deliver a simplified EHR experience that is loved by all who use it.

Baxter International Inc., a global leader in acute care, announced the U.S. FDA clearance of the company’s ST Set used in continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). The ST Set is a pre-connected, disposable, extracorporeal (outside the body) circuit that provides blood purification through a semipermeable membrane to be used with the PrisMax or Prismaflex control units (monitors). It has been available to customers in the U.S. since August 2020, when it received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA to provide CRRT to treat patients in an acute care environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ST Set is currently in use across countries in Europe, Asia Pacific and North and South America.

“We are pleased to offer the ST Set to healthcare providers and hospitals in the U.S. on a permanent basis to continue helping them meet the diverse needs of patients treated with CRRT,” said Reaz Rasul, general manager of Baxter’s Acute Therapies business. “The ST Set has played an important role in increasing the availability of CRRT sets, which have been in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this clearance will help expand access to CRRT for patients with acute kidney injury (AKI).”

AKI is a sudden decrease in kidney function over a period of hours to days, often as a result of illness, trauma or infection. The sudden loss of kidney function leads to the accumulation of toxins and fluid in the blood that, if left untreated, may lead to death. AKI is an increasingly common complication of acute illnesses in intensive care units and hospitals1 2 3 and is one of many complications affecting COVID-19 patients. CRRT mimics many of the functions of the natural kidney and is the cornerstone of treatment in patients with severe AKI.4 During CRRT, the patient’s blood passes through a special filter, such as the ST Set, where fluid and uremic toxins are removed before the cleaned blood is returned to the body.

The ST Set includes three sizes (ST60, ST100 and ST150) that allow the healthcare provider to choose the most appropriate option for the patient. It features Baxter’s proprietary AN69 membrane, which can adsorb toxins with basic residues on the surface by means of ionic interactions. The ST Set works with all CRRT modalities and most commonly used anti-coagulants.

About Baxter
Every day, millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare providers rely on Baxter’s leading portfolio of diagnostic, critical care, kidney care, nutrition, hospital and surgical products used across patient homes, hospitals, physician offices and other sites of care. For 90 years, we’ve been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers who make it happen. With products, digital health solutions and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter’s employees worldwide are now building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations.

GE Healthcare announced today the FDA pre-market approval (PMA) for its End-tidal (Et) Control software for general anesthesia delivery on its Aisys CS2Anesthesia Delivery System. GE Healthcare is the only manufacturer approved to offer general anesthesia delivery with end-tidal concentration control in the U.S. The company initially released the technology in Europe in 2010 and today, anesthesia providers use Et Control software to care for patients in over 100 countries.

Each year more than 300 million patients worldwide undergo surgical procedures, many of them requiring general anesthesia utilizing inhaled anesthetic agents [1] at a cost of $1.2 billion annually. [2] The Et Control software semi-automates the delivery of anesthesia using software, allowing anesthesia providers to set targets for end-tidal oxygen and anesthetic agent. Once targets are set, the software quickly achieves and maintains those targets, regardless of changes in the patient’s hemodynamic and metabolic status. The Et Control software improves anesthesia delivery accuracy and simplifies workflows while reducing drug waste, lowering the cost of care and greenhouse gas emissions.

As compared to the manual process, Et Control software may offer the following benefits:

• A potential 44% decline in greenhouse gas emissions due to more efficient use of anesthetic agents
• Increased accuracy in maintaining the target concentrations of oxygen and anesthetic agents
• 50% reduction in manual keystrokes, helping providers spend less time making adjustments and more time observing the patient[5]
• A potential 27% reduction in operating room costs due to lower anesthetic agent spend through the reduction of anesthetic agent waste3

“In the past, we continually adjusted vaporizer setting and fresh gas flow to control inspired concentration in an attempt to achieve and maintain the end-tidal concentration we wanted for our patients. To have direct control of the end-tidal concentration that reflects the drug level in the patient’s blood is a big step forward for our ability to personalize a patient’s care. Additionally, low-flow anesthesia has benefits for hospitals and the environment,” said Dr. Jim Philip, Anesthesiologist and Director of Clinical Bioengineering, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Philip, who has been a leading proponent for approval of automated control of inhalation drug administration for years, has also served as a paid consultant for GE Healthcare from April 2020 to December 2021.

“Anesthesia providers in the U.S. will have access to the most advanced anesthesia tools available to improve patient care,” said Eric Ruedinger, General Manager of GE Healthcare’s Anesthesia and Respiratory Care business. “As the long-standing global leader in anesthesia delivery, GE Healthcare invested in the development and clinical validation of this Et Control algorithm, and we are committed to creating clinically relevant solutions that will enhance anesthesia practices into the future.”

The FDA approval was supported by the results from the U.S.-based, multi-center, multi-year MASTER-Anesthesia Trial – with over 200 patients (18 years of age and older) enrolled. The trial evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the Et Control software versus conventional anesthetic gas delivery methods during general anesthesia. With this FDA approval, GE Healthcare will launch the Aisys CS2 Anesthesia Delivery System with Et Control in the U.S in the coming months. For more information, visit www.gehealthcare.com/etc.

About GE Healthcare:

GE Healthcare is the $17.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications, and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 47,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world.

GE Healthcare and Elekta announced that they have signed a global commercial collaboration agreement in the field of radiation oncology, enabling the two companies to provide hospitals a comprehensive offering across imaging and treatment for cancer patients requiring radiation therapy.

As hospitals increasingly seek flexible and interoperable simulation and guidance technology, GE Healthcare and Elekta aim to meet the major need for radiotherapy solutions across both developed and developing markets.

As many as 50–60 percent of all cancer patients require radiation therapy[1] which requires high quality imaging and sophisticated delivery equipment and software to precisely target tumors while sparing healthy tissue. Precision imaging is fundamental to determining the size, shape and characteristics of tumors and differentiating between healthy tissues. Delivering the most appropriate dose requires advanced patient positioning, motion management technologies and state-of-the-art techniques such as VMAT[2] or SBRT.[3] Combining GE Healthcare’s imaging solutions with Elekta’s radiation therapy solutions will result in an even more compelling offering for hospitals, and ultimately their patients.

“Access to radiation therapy is a significant challenge in several parts of the globe. We are pleased that this collaboration is a step in the right direction to make more comprehensive precision health solutions more readily available,” said Jan Makela, President & CEO Imaging, GE Healthcare. “Cancer care can only be improved if those in the field work together and this is one of several partnerships that we are pursuing, for the benefit of caregivers and patients, as we build out our Oncology offerings to help enable more precise care.”

Elekta CEO, Gustaf Salford, said: “We are driven by our hospitals and cancer centers’ preferences and their need for comprehensive solutions in effective, efficient and safe cancer care. Therefore, we’re excited about this collaboration with GE Healthcare. We have many mutual health care providers who see clear synergies and advantages with our respective, strong product portfolios. This will allow us to jointly promote solutions for each cancer center’s needs. Elekta strives to assure that hospitals and cancer centers can create seamless ecosystems that facilitate efficient end-to-end cancer care.”

GE Healthcare and Elekta will continue to offer their own solutions using standard interoperability and facilitate interfaces with any vendor’s systems.

The agreement is non-exclusive, meaning each party can continue to cooperate with other partners. Separately, both companies are eager to improve interoperability and streamline workflows in radiation oncology.

About GE Healthcare:

GE Healthcare is the $17.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 48,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world.

About Elekta
As a leader in precision radiation therapy, Elekta is committed to ensuring every patient has access to the best cancer care possible. We openly collaborate with customers to advance sustainable, outcome-driven and cost-efficient solutions to meet evolving patient needs, improve lives and bring hope to everyone dealing with cancer. To us, it’s personal, and our global team of 4,700 employees combine passion, science, and imagination to profoundly change cancer care. We don’t just build technology, we build hope. Elekta is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in more than 120 countries and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.