The healthcare industry is currently experiencing seismic shifts with much of the focus being placed on COVID-19 clinical, operational, and financial efforts. However, even in the setting of the pandemic, the healthcare industry is still faced with addressing a growing aging population, a widening workforce gap, and a proliferating volume of healthcare data. Healthcare organizations, from hospital systems to public health agencies, have been turning to technology solutions to help them quickly adapt and respond to these challenges and rapidly innovate with data-driven and compliant solutions. To support both high-potential healthcare startups and the healthcare industry need for innovative solutions, we are excited to announce the launch of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Healthcare Accelerator program.

AWS Healthcare Accelerator

The AWS Healthcare Accelerator is a four-week technical, business, and mentorship accelerator opportunity open to U.S.-based healthcare startups or international healthcare startups that have existing U.S. operations. A cohort of 10 healthcare startup companies with an established product-market fit with existing customers and revenue, who seek to use AWS to help solve the biggest challenges in the healthcare industry, will be selected to participate in this new program. The program is tailored to accelerate growth in the cloud, with a focus on solutions like remote patient monitoring, voice technology, analytics, patient engagement, and virtual care. Applications are open today and proposals are due by July 23, 2021.

AWS will deliver the first cohort of the AWS Healthcare Accelerator in collaboration with KidsX, the world’s largest digital health accelerator dedicated exclusively to pediatrics. KidsX is a global ecosystem of innovators, anchored by a consortium of over 50 children’s hospitals from North America, Europe, and Australia, focused on early stage digital health companies to transform pediatric care. The AWS Healthcare Accelerator will be open to healthcare startups targeting any patient population, with KidsX bringing their strong network of healthcare organizations and experience in delivering accelerator programs.

The goal of the AWS Healthcare Accelerator is to cultivate and promote innovative startup solutions that achieve the Quadruple Aim of improved patient experience, improved clinician experience, better health outcomes, and lower cost of care. In seeking out compliant data-driven healthcare solutions, AWS will support public sector healthcare enterprises to accelerate their digital transformation.

In the first 10 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported an overall 42 percent reduction in emergency department visits in hospitals. This trend was also seen in other areas within health systems and we continue to see lower utilization rates and engagement of healthcare services; both of which have signficant downstream impact on both the health and financial outcomes for patient and provider alike. This places healthcare startups in the unique position of being able to quickly provide turnkey solutions that can use data and analytics to identify high risk patients, create a platform to remotely engage and deliver care for patients, or even pivot from their existing functionality to meet the needs of public sector healthcare.

Applications will be judged on several factors, including: the innovative and unique nature of the project, the overall value the solution will bring to the healthcare industry, the creative application of AWS to solve problems, and the team’s ability to deliver on an identified opportunity.

AWS and KidsX will select 10 startups to participate in the four-week accelerator that will take place virtually. Selected startups will receive AWS Promotional Credit, potential proof of concept opportunities with public sector healthcare customers, specialized AWS training, mentoring from healthcare domain and technical subject matter experts, business development and go-to-market guidance, and investment guidance. The program will bring in healthcare industry leaders to collaborate with startups on topics ranging from defining business models, regulatory pathways, clinical validation, Electronic Health Record integration, and more. There will also be collaboration opportunities with AWS customers and members of the AWS Partner Network looking for innovative healthcare solutions.

Max Healthcare, India’s healthcare provider has launched device integrated patient monitoring framework. The launch of remote patient care monitoring will allow Max Healthcare to expand its geography of care, allowing patients from across India and globally to stay connected with Max Hospitals and its doctors.

As part of the remote patient monitoring, patients can use the platform over Max MyHealth+ to monitor their vitals with clinical devices integrated to the app, allowing clinical readings to flow seamlessly from the device into the app and into the EMR, for the doctor’s review. The Max MyHealth+ ecosystem built in collaboration with MyHealthcare, has integrated Blood Pressure monitors from Omron, ECG and Heart Rate devices from Kardia and Blood Sugar monitoring devices from Accu-Chek. The vitals are monitored using AI tools, which help in ECG interpretation, vital alerts to doctors if the parameters are outside the permissible limits.

Building on its patient-centric data-driven philosophy, the remote patient monitoring ecosystem will enable Max Healthcare to deliver speciality care programmes for their patients across India. Patients of Max Healthcare will soon be able to explore care programmes for diabetes management, cardiac care and hypertension management, which will include daily patient monitoring, periodic virtual consults with Max Hospital doctors, dieticians and clinical advisors.

Prashant Singh, Director IT and Group CIO, Max Healthcare said, “At Max Healthcare, our constant endeavour has been to use the advancements in digital technology, to provide best in class medical support to our patients. Our focus is to expand the geography of care for the Max Healthcare group. The launch of the remote patient monitoring platform, in partnership with MyHealthcare is an initiative to help enhance the healthcare services for our patients, at their homes. The service will help us extend our post hospitalisation services to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, thus making quality healthcare accessible to a wider population.”

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the much-needed focus on use of digital technology solutions such as telemedicine to deliver healthcare services to patients beyond the physical walls of a hospital. Home care service providers were able to deploy digital solutions for monitoring and managing the care needs for mild to moderate COVID patients.

Speaking about the partnership Shyatto Raha, Founder and CEO of MyHealthcare said, “Our belief in remote patient care was strengthened during the second wave of the pandemic. Building an ecosystem of care, beyond the doctor consultation is key in managing patient care. Through our partnership with India’s leading healthcare provider Max Healthcare, in delivering the Max MyHealth+ ecosystem, we have been able to build out integrated care services, whereby Max patients are able to seek healthcare services beyond consultations. The challenge across the industry has been in offering patients a digital platform that is easy to use. The device integrated offerings will allow patients to use clinical devices at home, which are seamlessly connected to the Max MyHealth+ app. The clinical data captured is managed with automated trend analysis and vital alerts. Remote care monitoring and use of care programmes, will help Max Healthcare manage their patients wherever they may be located.”

India faces today a significant shortage of healthcare providers, doctors, nurses and speciality care facilities. Expanding the reach of our healthcare infrastructure is key in being able to manage the demand-supply gap for healthcare services. Use of digital technology solutions such as telemedicine, e-pharmacy, teleradiology, tele-ICU, etc will be key drivers in reshaping India’s healthcare framework.

Predictive Health Diagnostics Company, Inc., a diagnostics platform company that develops, manufactures, and distributes specialty diagnostic tests combining science, technology, and proprietary analytics to detect diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced a partnership with Alabama-based Madison Core Laboratories (MCL) for distribution of the PULS Cardiac Test™ to patients throughout the organization’s expansive network of high at-risk patients. MCL is a state-of-the-art, full-service independent clinical laboratory servicing physicians’ offices, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, homebound patients, addiction clinics, and industrial/corporate testing needs.

“Our partnership with MCL illustrates our strategic plan to partner with labs in specific markets that can help drive the value and clinical utility of the PULS test to save lives, improve outcomes, and advance how cardiovascular diseases are evaluated,” said Matthew Nuñez, Chief Executive Officer of Predictive Health Diagnostics Company. “Through more than 30 facilities, MCL focuses on delivering care to high-risk patients with comorbidities, many of whom can benefit greatly from our PULS test which determines a risk score for coronary artery inflammation and predicts the likelihood of a heart attack within five years. MCL is an ideal partner for PHDC as both companies share the same mission: to deliver the fastest and most accurate diagnostic testing results for improving and saving lives.”

The PULS (Protein Unstable Lesion Signature) Cardiac Test is a prevention and intervention tool that measures the most clinically-significant protein biomarkers that measure the body’s immune system response to arterial injury. These injuries lead to the formation and progression of cardiac lesions which may become unstable and rupture, leading to a cardiac event. The PULS Test provides valuable information that can be used to determine the most appropriate course of action for at-risk patients according to clinical guidelines.

PHDC has also developed a PULS Cardiac Test kit for distribution through future partnerships with clinical laboratories. The kit enables other clinical laboratories to perform the test in their own laboratories instead of sending them to Predictive Health Diagnostic Company’s CLIA laboratory, Morning Star Laboratories, as required under CMS Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) regulations. The Company is planning an FDA pre-submission for this product in June 2021, and the FDA’s clinical validation process is scheduled to begin thereafter.

About Predictive Health Diagnostics Company

Predictive Health Diagnostics Company (PHDC) is a leading specialty diagnostics development platform company that develops, manufactures, and distributes medical tests combining science, technology, and proprietary analytics to detect high-risk diseases with significant unmet medical needs. PHDC’s laboratory information systems use data from multiple sources including proteomics, genetics, metabolics, biochemistry, phenotype, and imaging to address among the most challenging clinical problems. To learn more, visit PHDC at phdiagnostics.com, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Medtronic plc, the global leader in medical technology, announced it received U.S. FDA expanded approval for the Arctic Front™ Family of Cardiac Cryoablation Catheters for the treatment of recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (episodes that last less than seven continuous days) as an alternative to antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy as an initial rhythm control strategy. The expanded indication is based on results from STOP AF First, a prospective, multicenter randomized study that demonstrated superior efficacy of the Medtronic cryoablation procedure for preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence compared to the use of AAD therapy.

Nearly 60 million people worldwide are affected by atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is a progressive disease, meaning over time patients can experience more frequent, and longer episodes, and medication as well as catheter ablation can become less effective. Additionally, AF is associated with serious complications including heart failure, stroke and increased risk of death.

Managing AF can be a lifelong burden for patients, and AAD therapy has been the current standard first-line treatment. However, AAD therapy is ineffective at controlling AF in approximately half of patients treated with drug therapy and AAD usage frequently causes side effects that can lead many to discontinue treatment. Only after experiencing AAD failure, do some patients then go on to receive a catheter ablation.

“Expanded FDA approval, coupled with the growing body of clinical evidence, demonstrate cryoablation as a first-line treatment is a more effective solution for preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence,” said Oussama Wazni, M.D., section head, Electrophysiology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and principle investigator for the STOP AF First clinical trial. “With this new indication, physicians now have more options to treat AF earlier, and we’ve seen that patients do better when treated earlier. Patients can now be referred for a cryoablation to effectively control their AF rather than trying drug therapy first, potentially allowing them get back to living their lives without the added anxiety of progressing AF symptoms and potential health complications.”

The Medtronic Arctic Front family of Cardiac Cryoablation Catheters are the first and only catheter ablation devices in the U.S. approved to help physicians improve AF patient outcomes before drug failure, and shorten the time from diagnosis to ablation with effective, efficient, and predictable outcomes. Three recent clinical trials showed the safety of the Medtronic cryoballoon and demonstrated the superiority of Arctic Front Cryoballoon ablation for preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence in patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF) who have not failed AAD therapy.

• STOP AF First, a Medtronic-sponsored, prospective, multicenter, randomized trial, included 225 patients at 24 sites in the U.S. Patients who had never received AAD therapy were randomized to cryoablation or AAD treatment and followed for 12 months. Results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in Nov. 2020, reported 74.6% of patients in the cryoballoon versus 45.0% in the AAD group (P<0.001) achieved treatment success at 12 months. The quality of life (QoL) data published in NEJM demonstrate that cryoballoon ablation resulted in significant improvements in quality of life as assessed using the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life [AFEQT] and European Quality of Life–5 Dimensions [EQ-5D] questionnaires. A low rate of patient complications occurred when using catheter ablation as a first-line treatment (12-month rate of primary safety events: 1.9%), and the percentage of patients with a serious adverse event was similar between the treatment groups.
• EARLY-AF, an investigator-initiated, multicenter trial, randomized 303 patients with AF who had never received AAD to cryoballoon-based pulmonary vein isolation or first-line AAD therapy. Results from EARLY-AF, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in Nov. 2020 and presented at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2020, found 57.1% of patients in the cryoballoon versus 32.2% in the AAD group achieved freedom from atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence at 12 months. Mean AF burden was lower in the cryoballoon (0.6±3.3%) vs. AAD group (3.9±12.4%). Patients treated with cryoablation demonstrated larger improvements in quality of life and more frequently had resolution of arrhythmic symptoms (e.g., fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath) than patients receiving AAD therapy. Safety events were low in both groups with 3.2% of catheter ablation and 4.0% of AAD-treated patients experiencing a serious adverse event related to the trial regimen.
• Cryo-FIRST, a Medtronic-sponsored, randomized, multicenter trial, enrolled 220 patients at 18 sites in nine countries across Europe, Australia and Latin America. At 12 months, freedom from atrial arrhythmia recurrence was achieved in 82.2% of the cryoballoon and 67.6% of the AAD group. Cryo-FIRST demonstrated that more patients with PAF who received first-line treatment with Medtronic cryoablation vs. AAD therapy were asymptomatic at 12 months. Cryoablation resulted in significant improvement in in AF-specific health-related quality of life at 12 months compared to AAD therapy. The cryoablation and AAD arms had comparable safety profiles in terms of the rate of serious adverse events.

“With this milestone announcement, Medtronic now has the only ablation catheter approved by the FDA to be used a as first-line treatment in the U.S. to treat AF. The indication expansion demonstrates how Medtronic continues to lead the way in cardiac ablation solutions for arrhythmia management and fill a market need for an early rhythm control strategy for what is an very progressive disease,” said Rebecca Seidel, president of the Cardiac Ablation Solutions business, which is part of the Cardiovascular Portfolio at Medtronic. “For the millions of Americans who struggle with simple, daily tasks like walking up the stairs or getting the mail because of their AF, the expanded indication offers an alternative treatment option to antiarrhythmic drug therapy.”

The FDA recently expanded the indication for Medtronic cryoablation therapy to include treating patients with drug refractory recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (episode duration less than 6 months) as well as the treatment of recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation as an alternative to antiarrhythmic drug therapy as an initial rhythm control strategy. Medtronic has pioneered cryoablation technology, with an industry-leading and extensive body of evidence, including proven safety and efficacy in treating AF. To date, nearly one million patients have been treated with the Medtronic cryoablation therapy worldwide.

In collaboration with leading clinicians, researchers and scientists worldwide, Medtronic offers the broadest range of innovative medical technology for the interventional and surgical treatment of cardiovascular disease and cardiac arrhythmias. The company strives to offer products and services of the highest quality that deliver clinical and economic value to healthcare consumers and providers around the world.

The pandemic has been tough for most of the world. The challenge isn’t just Covid-19, it’s also the feeling of isolation brought about by the fact that most of us had to undergo strict lockdown regulations. During such trying times, one of the most important things we need is company.

Social distancing might be troublesome, but it is necessary. The good news is that there are many ways to connect with your loved ones from a safe distance.

Stay Online

The most basic, and of course, safest way to connect with your loved ones is through the internet. There are many ways to connect with them online. You have email, social media, instant messaging, and even conference apps to help you talk to them online.

At first, it can be hard to teach those who are older to use these modern marvels. Make sure to have someone guide them on how to stay connected online. The good news is that these are intuitive solutions as well, so it doesn’t take much to teach people how to stay connected.

Invest In Health Hubs

Some people need more care than others during the pandemic, and they are mostly the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions. A good way to connect and take care of them from afar is with a health hub. These are high-tech devices that allow your loved ones to reach out to you or a medical professional at the comfort of their home.

Health hubs usually come with a high-definition camera and a screen to make calls a lot more immersive. Some even come with a smart pill dispenser that can help you remind your loved one that it’s time to take their pills. It’s a good investment that can prove useful even after the pandemic.

Meet Responsibly

You don’t always have to rely on the internet to connect with others. Face-to-face interactions are only risky if you don’t take the necessary steps to ensure that you and your loved one are safe from infection. This is where social distancing and proper planning step in.

If you really can’t help but go to your family, plan it accordingly. Make sure that you don’t come in contact with anyone else at least a week or two before you go to your loved one. Once the special day arrives, make sure you do the necessary things to sanitize yourself and keep them from getting infected.

Wash your hands, wear your facemask, and maintain a distance of at least a few meters from one another. Hugs might be tempting, but at this point in time, it’s much better to stay safe than sorry.

Contacting your loved ones during the pandemic isn’t all too hard. With the current feats of technology, you can make it feel as if you’re by their side after all this time. There will come a day when meeting your loved ones whenever you want to will be safe. Until that day arrives, consider these methods of connection first.

We live in a fast-paced world. Between career-related obligations and personal responsibilities, it seems there is never any time left for anything other than a few short hours of sleep before one must get up and get moving once again. The concept of finding a quiet place, both literally and figuratively, seems foreign and unreachable; the prospect of doing so even less likely. Health experts have been vocal about the importance of relaxation. In that case, how is one supposed to reconcile the need for ease with the reality of a society which demands constant movement while leaving little room for anything else?

Do you remember the movie trope where someone claims to be ‘zen’ because they sit cross-legged in an empty room or garden, then close their eyes and utter the word ‘om’ for a while? It may look odd and sound funny, but it portrays the basics of meditation, if somewhat exaggerated. You shouldn’t dismiss it. They may dramatise the actions for effect, but the concept is accurate. The characters portrayed in those scenes are meditating. Meditation, if done correctly, can have far-reaching benefits.

Meditation is an exercise where people harness their attention and awareness before training it to achieve mental clarity and emotional stability. Such results can be a very effective method of finding some relaxation. Meditation does not require you to empty your mind and shut off your feelings; instead, its purpose is to help you gain a better perspective by learning how to acknowledge your thoughts without fear of judgement or reprisal.

Why Should You Meditate for Relaxation?

Go back to the fast-paced world mentioned above. Today’s norms dictate that there is constantly a new objective to be tackled, deadlines to be met, and things to discover. The goal post is always moving, and your well-being pays the price. People are reporting higher stress levels both personally and professionally. In turn, their anxiety levels are spiking. These scenarios create a problem of ill-health that affects the standard of living and impacts their work. The outcome is a cycle of misery that must be arrested before more harm is done.

One of the best ways to reduce levels of stress is through meditation for relaxation. When you meditate, you activate a part of the body known as the parasympathetic nervous system. It is responsible for the body’s rest response when you are relaxed. The system acts as a counter to the sympathetic nervous system, which activates when stressed, triggering the ‘fight or flight ’ response. Those stress hormones can only be halted when you can stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn lowers your heart rate and brings forth a sense of calm.

Besides stress relief, meditation also lowers your blood pressure and boosts your mental resilience against stress and anxiety. You will be better able to find joy and happiness around you.

How Do You Meditate?

First, find a place to get comfortable where you are least likely to be interrupted. You don’t have to adopt the stance mentioned in the scenario above; you can sit on your favourite chair or even lie down in the shade outside. Your comfort, relaxation and focus are the critical factors. As soon as you are settled,  you should close your eyes. Now focus on taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Next, find a specific thought, object or activity on which to focus. Use it to drown everything else out, even when your mind begins to wander. Sustain this activity for about twenty minutes before you open your eyes while taking slow, deep breaths. You should now feel calmer and more relaxed.

Attempt to set some time aside each day for meditation. Making it a habit helps reduce your stress levels. The more you meditate, the more likely you are to develop enough skill to calm yourself on command.

Remember, meditation is a practice, not a one-time activity. To get the benefits you are searching for, you must keep at it by making it part of your daily routine. Moreover, give yourself some time to learn and get better, but do not strive for perfection. With meditation, the journey counts more than the destination.