Fern Health, a digital health company pioneering virtual musculoskeletal pain programs and pain neuroscience education through employers, announced that it has expanded its collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the MGH Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare (CIDH). MGH is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and home to one of the world’s leading pain management clinics. Fern Health’s relationship with MGH, formed 18 months ago, will now broaden to entail a multi-year collaboration in which MGH will validate emerging Fern Health product lines, pilot new products in a clinical setting, and investigate new scientific approaches to pain management.

The expansion supports Fern Health’s long-term vision of democratizing access to non-invasive multimodal pain management. Fern Health’s current product suite, which includes an evidence-based, digitally delivered musculoskeletal (MSK) pain management program, was originally developed with experts from within Mass General, in consultation with their clinical collaborators at the world-renowned Spaulding Rehabilitation Network. Fern’s biopsychosocial pain management solution was validated with the clinical rigor of MGH’s renowned hospital-based research enterprise.

“There are a multitude of gaps in the U.S. healthcare system that unfortunately fail our patients with chronic pain, from lack of access to high-quality pain care to the proliferation of costly and often ineffective treatments,” said Mihir M. Kamdar, MD, MGH Pain Physician and Digital Health Advisor. Evidence-based models of care are still rare in digital health solutions even though they have the potential to address these gaps and give clinicians innovative and effective care options for their patients.

Fern Health will leverage clinical validation and implementation science, clinical protocol development, access to data-driven insights derived from de-identified patient data, third-party corroboration for peer-review publications and FDA approval processes.

“By evaluating digital health tools in a real-world clinical setting, we can provide distinctive insights, understand user preferences, and validate clinical protocols for optimal implementation and outcomes,” added Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, Senior Advisor, Virtual Care, Mass General Brigham; Professor of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School; and Senior Advisor, MGH Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare. “This collaboration is designed to help advance pain management through digitally-delivered personalized exercise therapy, education, and health coaching—which early results suggest is occurring.” Dr. Kvedar is also President of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA).

The collaboration also gives Fern Health substantial clinical and scientific data to expand into the broader ecosystem of digitally-delivered pain management platforms:

The Fern user experience will replicate how a patient might experience evidence-based, personalized treatment at a hospital-based pain management clinic. Rather than delivered in-person, treatment is delivered digitally and is accessible from anywhere.
Informed by predictive analytics and an expansive MGH data set of 10 million de-identified patient records, personalized, evidence-based Fern patient treatment plans will leapfrog the performance of “one-size-fits-all” pain management platforms that are limited to publicly available data or their own user data.
The collaboration will form the foundation from which Fern will launch new products and services rooted in collaborative care aimed at treating the whole person across physical, emotional, and behavioral considerations.

“At least half of the population suffers from physical pain and its cascade of effects across social, mental and emotional well-being,” said Travis Bond, CEO, Fern Health. “This initiative marries science, clinical rigor, artificial intelligence and incredibly rich historical patient data sets with digital care delivery. It’s a huge first step into a better future for pain management science and for the millions of people living with musculoskeletal pain today.”

One out of every two people suffer from MSK pain and the U.S. spends $380 billion on MSK conditions each year, contributing to MSK pain being the top driver of employer healthcare costs. Fern Health eases the burden on employers who face daunting pain management treatment economics. Provided as a benefits add-on for self-insured employers, Fern Health offers a biopsychosocial approach to pain management, including personalized restorative therapy, pain neuroscience education and virtual 1:1 health coaching. The company is currently engaged in pilot programs with several mid-size and large employers spanning the professional services, manufacturing and transportation sectors.

Fern Health was born out of a collaboration between Grünenthal, a science-driven global leader in pain management with a decades-long track record of delivering solutions to pain patients worldwide, and BCG Digital Ventures, an investment and incubation firm that invents, launches, scales and invests in new businesses in partnership with the world’s most influential corporations.

About Fern Health:
Available through employers, Fern Health’s digital program addresses the source of chronic back and joint pain, not just the symptoms. Fern’s biopsychosocial approach includes restorative therapy, pain neuroscience education, and health coaching to get members feeling better without surgery or inappropriate use of opioids.

India-based Apollo Hospitals Group has entered into a partnership with Medtronic to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for advancing stroke management.

The AI platform, which has been approved by the US FDA, can deliver automated analysis in less than two minutes as compared to currently accepted imaging practices for diagnosis of stroke, aiding in providing accurate and faster care to patients.

With the novel platform for stroke management, diagnosis time will be cut short from 60 minutes to just two minutes.

Moreover, the duration between onset of stroke to treatment will reduce drastically aiding in improving outcome, reducing hospital stay and saving costs for the patient.

Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Dr Prathap Reddy said: “With this partnership, Apollo Hospitals continues to be the torchbearer in adoption of digital technology as one of the first hospital group in South Asia to use AI in an organised and scalable manner for comprehensive stroke management.

“Also, with the introduction of 640 slice CT Scan having a capability of doing cerebral angiogram, the patient will definitely gain by means of advanced technical adaptations in stroke treatment.”

The AI technology enabled stroke management will be launched in ten locations of Apollo Hospitals across the country.

The platform uses AI to create high quality, advanced images from non-contrast CT, CT angiography, CT perfusion, and MRI diffusion and perfusion scans.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced the launch of the neuroMuscular ObserVational Research (MOVR) Visualization and Reporting Platform (VRP). The new platform represents a monumental leap in advancing neuromuscular disease research and improving patient care. MDA partnered with DNAnexus, the leading cloud-based SaaS company serving the life science community, to unleash the power of its MOVR Data Hub and develop the MOVR VRP to advance drug discovery and development.

MDA has doubled down on efforts to ensure those able to directly impact the lives of people living with neuromuscular disease have state-of-the-art tools to share dataand accelerate research and treatment progress,? says MDA?s President & CEO, Lynn O?Connor Vos. ?We are grateful to the MOVR participants who have agreed to make their data available for this purpose, and MDA Care Center staff, who have worked tirelessly to populate MOVR. The MOVR database, combined with the visualization and analysis platform from DNAnexus, allows us to make the most of this data in a way that really brings it to life to aid in developing new therapeutics.?

MDA partnered with DNAnexus to transform raw MOVR data and incorporate it into the MOVR VRP where MDA Care Center clinicians and researchers can analyze and visualize data across multiple Care Center sites in order to better understand disease progression and compare outcomes across therapeutic categories.

The security, compliance and collaboration components of the platform will make MOVR data increasingly accessible to the wider neuromuscular clinical and research communities. Targeted efforts will include training, fulfilling data requests, reviewing publications, encouraging peer-to-peer collaboration and publishing, as well as sharing learnings across multiple channels to drive awareness. MOVR data now complies with privacy and HIPAA regulations and conforms with the FDA-required format for observational clinical studies.

?From my experience with the MOVR VRP, I can say that the interface is very intuitive and customizable,? says Jeffrey M. Statland, MD, assistant professor of neurology and director of the MDA Care Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, who beta tested the new platform. ?Now that it is going live, this innovative platform will prove an invaluable tool for MDA Care Center clinicians and researchers across the country to visualize all sites? aggregate data, and assist tremendously in our making therapeutic decisions and structuring clinical trials.?

In addition to helping improve clinical care, the MOVR VRP allows for in-depth analysis of clinical parameters across large cohorts of neuromuscular patients. This will enable correlative analyses that may stimulate new drug, biologics and gene therapy discoveries. Exploration of these deeply curated neuromuscular disease cohorts in the MOVR VRP also enables clinical researchers to rapidly identify populations that meet specific clinical criteria, develop and refine hypotheses, and collaborate on clinical trial designs.

?Extracting value from the data first requires a comprehensive data harmonization and ingestion strategy. DNAnexus has a successful track record in ingesting valuable datasets from UK Biobank, City of Hope, and now MOVR, working with a multitude of common data models such as OMOP, CDISC, and other data schemas to support each customer?s unique use case,? says Richard Daly, CEO at DNAnexus. ?MDA understands the importance of collaboration in fueling scientific advancements and is leading the development of new approaches to revolutionize the way neuromuscular disease research is practiced. We are proud to serve as the technology platform bringing together MDA researchers and their partners to advance cures for this collection of neuromuscular diseases.?

About MOVR

The MOVR datahub, developed in collaboration with IQVIA, is a HIPAA-compliant, CDISC-formatted registry operated through participating MDA Care Centers that collects at the point of care longitudinal data in seven disease indications: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and Pompe disease.

About the Muscular Dystrophy Association

For 70 years, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has been committed to transforming the lives of people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. We do this through innovations in science and innovations in care. As the largest source of funding for neuromuscular disease research outside of the federal government, MDA has committed more than $1 billion since our inception to accelerate the discovery of therapies and cures. Research we have supported is directly linked to life-changing therapies across multiple neuromuscular diseases. MDA’s MOVR is the first and only data hub that aggregates clinical, genetic, and patient-reported data for multiple neuromuscular diseases to improve health outcomes and accelerate drug development. MDA supports the largest network of multidisciplinary clinics providing best-in-class care at more than 150 of the nation’s top medical institutions. Our Resource Center serves the community with one-on-one specialized support, and we offer educational conferences, events, and materials for families and healthcare providers. MDA Advocacy supports equal access for our community, and each year thousands of children and young adults learn vital life skills and gain independence at summer camp and through recreational programs, at no cost to families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDA continues to produce virtual events and programming to support our community when in-person events and activities are not

About DNAnexus

DNAnexus is the leading cloud-based SaaS company serving the global life science community. DNAnexus? health informatics platform serves customers across a spectrum of industries – government, biopharmaceutical, clinical diagnostics, healthcare, and academic research in 33 countries with compliant protection of data, privacy, and intellectual property. The platform provides a secure and collaborative environment where genomics, multi-omics, and real world data can be combined with clinical data at scale, providing new insights that can lead to improved diagnostics, new targeted therapies and better patient care.

South Korean hospitals intend to set the ball rolling in ushering in a new healthcare era using industry 4.0 technology like blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data.

Leading the charge in to emerging technologies is Yonsei Medical Center, one of the most prestigious hospital groups in the nation, as it aims to foster an open innovative infrastructure for future healthcare services.

Advancing precision medicine

During a press conference held at Yonsei University, Yun Dong-seop, the director of Yonsei Medical Center, revealed that attaining the next-generation precision medicine necessitated an open innovative infrastructure coupled with information technology (IT), blockchain, digital medical care, AI, and big data.

Blockchain technology will be instrumental in realizing data-centric hospitals by upgrading the quality of medical records. Data is to be collected using biosensors and digital neural networks for smart medical centers.

Digital treatment and research

Yonsei Medical Center has set its eyes on digital treatment and research by leading future medicine in various fields, such as diagnostic devices, new drug targets, medical devices, blockchains, and AI through medical technology holding companies.

Healthcare is a fundamental field in modern society. Blockchain-based solutions are being deployed to propel this sector to the next level. For instance, the Singaporean administration recently teamed up with local startup Accredify to establish a blockchain-powered digital health passport to boost medical records management.

This development would enable healthcare information to be kept in a digital wallet because the passport had already been piloted in May using COVID-19 data during the height of the global pandemic.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) has started using the world’s first disposable version of a medical instrument that plays a vital role in diagnosing and treating diseases of the small intestine.

A duodenoscope is a hollow, flexible, lighted tube which passes down the throat to allow doctors to see the top of the duodenum and diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer or gallstones in the pancreas and bile ducts. Until now, each instrument has had to be sterilised or high level disinfected after use.

The EXALT Model D Single Use Duodenoscope benefited three Addenbrooke’s patients for the first time on Friday (30 October), and improved at a stroke the already super-high infection control standards in the endoscopy department.

The new scopes reduce the risk of bile duct infections, particularly for patients with reduced immune systems. It helps in the ongoing fight against hard-to-treat infections and has extra significance with the arrival of Covid-19.

It is helpful to staff because they will be able to continue service in the event of breakdowns of current endoscopes, or sterilising equipment, ending delays in the therapeutic procedures for patients.

The EXALT Model D, made by Boston Scientific, is the only CE Marked single-use disposable duodenoscope. It was also granted Breakthrough Device Designation from the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Darragh Tolan, vice president, Endoscopy at Boston Scientific said CUH was first choice for the UK roll-out because of its standing as a world-leader in the detection and treatment of biliary disease.

He added: “This is a great milestone for the UK and we are delighted to work with the fantastic team at Addenbrooke’s to hold the country’s very first case using EXALT Model D. At Boston Scientific, patients are at the heart of what we do and now more than ever, we need to support healthcare providers such as the NHS to provide the highest quality care. Congratulations to Dr Corbett and everyone involved in these first cases.”

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in the United States to purchase Caption Health’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology for ultrasound, Caption AI. The FDA cleared, AI-guided ultrasound system enables healthcare providers to acquire and interpret quality ultrasound images of the heart, increasing access to timely and accurate cardiac assessments at the point of care.

Performing an ultrasound exam is a complex skill that takes years to master. Caption AI enables clinicians — including those without prior ultrasound experience — to quickly and accurately perform diagnostic-quality ultrasound exams by providing expert turn-by-turn guidance, automated quality assessment and intelligent interpretation capabilities. The systems are currently in the hospital’s emergency department, medical intensive care unit, cardio-oncology clinic and in use by the hospital medicine group.

“Through our partnership with Caption Health, we are looking to democratize the echocardiogram, a stalwart tool in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease,” said Patrick McCarthy, M.D., chief of cardiac surgery and executive director of the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, a group involved in the early development of the technology. “Our ultimate goal is to improve cardiovascular health wherever we need to, and Caption AI is increasing access throughout the hospital to quality diagnostic images.”

Caption AI emulates the expertise of a sonographer by providing real-time guidance on how to position and manipulate the transducer, or ultrasound wand, on a patient’s body. The software shows clinicians in real time how close they are to acquiring a quality ultrasound image, and automatically records the image when it reaches the diagnostic-quality threshold. Caption AI also automatically calculates ejection fraction, or the percentage of blood leaving the heart when it contracts, which is the most widely used measurement to assess cardiac function.

“Northwestern Medicine has been a tremendous partner in helping us develop and validate Caption AI. We are thrilled that they are bringing Caption AI into key clinical settings as our first customer,” said Charles Cadieu, chief executive officer and co-founder of Caption Health. “The clinical, economic and operational advantages of using AI-guided ultrasound are clear. Most important, this solution increases access to a safe and effective diagnostic tool that can be life-saving for patients.”

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has a number of benefits. Increased usage of POCUS contributes to more timely and accurate diagnoses, more accurate monitoring and has been shown to lead to changes in patient management in 47% of cases for critically ill patients.[1] POCUS also allows patients to avoid additional visits to receive imaging, as well as providing real-time results that can be recorded into a patient’s electronic medical record.

“I think the most exciting part is that Caption AI allows our intensive care unit (ICU) providers to do a point-of-care, real-time ultrasound for a sick patient,” said James “Mac” Walter, M.D., associate program director for the pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at Northwestern Medicine, who first used the technology on COVID-19 patients in Northwestern Memorial’s ICU. “It’s a way to integrate two worlds — real-time point-of-care ultrasounds and urgent care in the ICU — with details that are ready for cardiologists when they need them.”

The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute committed to investigating the role of AI and machine learning in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in 2018. Its Clinical Trials Unit was one of Caption Health’s first partners, investigating the effectiveness of Caption Guidance in a clinical trial based, in part, out of Northwestern Memorial Hospital that served as the basis for the software’s landmark FDA authorization earlier this year.

In addition to being used to diagnose and treat patients, Caption AI will be used by fellows who typically need months of practice to learn accurate echocardiography techniques in real time.

SimplyRFID, a software and hardware development company that makes radio-frequency ID tracking systems, has partnered with Surgio Health to automate the hospital sterile processing department (SPD). With hospitals needing to keep track of medical tray location, delivery, and sterilization, SimplyRFID’s technology efficiently solves all of these problems.

Surgio Track, powered by SimplyRFID’s technology, tracks assets to add an automated layer of monitoring and location tracking. The system includes alarms to both identify equipment that misses customizable critical processing milestones and prevent assets from passing through thresholds without proper sterilization. Surgio Track’s quick asset locating doesn’t require human input and provides data to promote workflow efficiency over time.

“We chose SimplyRFID because of their team’s willingness to work with us and develop new markets, as well as because of their unbiased knowledge of the existing markets,” said Tony Passalacqua, SVP of Logistics & Implementation at Surgio. “Surgio uses radio-frequency ID to validate the sterilization process and ensure that it has been followed to protect patient safety.”

Without RFID tracking, hospitals can experience a multitude of challenges related to sterile processing, including staff members not adhering or not having enough time to follow manual processes and the inability to properly track tray movement data. With SimplyRFID, SPD managers, surgeons, and other members of clinical staff can utilize automated asset tracking and the external alarm system to quickly locate necessary equipment and reduce human error.

“When patient lives are on the line and every minute is expensive, quickly finding assets is critical,” said Carl Brown, CEO at SimplyRFID. “Automated QA provides priceless peace of mind that the asset is safe to use and reduces the potential for serious sentinel events.”