Microsoft’s new cloud service designed specifically for healthcare will be generally available October 30, the tech giant anounced. The Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare service bring together existing services such as Teams, Azure IoT and chatbots to help healthcare organizations manage operations.

Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are all pushing deeper into healthcare in a battle to provide cloud computing and data storage technology to hospitals. Microsoft announced its first industry-specific cloud service back in May as part of a public preview.

The capabilities offered through the healthcare cloud service helps organizations scale up digital health technologies while also providing tools to improve data interoperability, workflow efficiency, and streamline interactions, the company said.

The cloud service will focus on what Microsoft has identified as important needs in healthcare, such as patient engagement, health team collaboration and improving operational efficiencies.

The healthcare industry faces the challenge of “disconnectedness” with health data sitting in different siloes and the cloud offering helps to address these hurdles, according to Tom McGuinness, corporate vice president, worldwide health at Microsoft.

“At the highest level, the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare is helping to bring together the robust set of healthcare specific capabilities that Microsoft already has that are aimed at helping our customers and partners deliver better experiences and support new care models,” he said.

The pandemic has forced healthcare organizations to stress-test new ways of deploying care, such as telehealth and remote monitoring. Cloud computing can provide organizations with speed and agility to adjust to change and build resiliency, according to Microsoft.

Healthcare providers have been reluctant to move and migrate from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, but they have seen real value in the ability to create new agility in their business models and resiliency as they flex between physical and virtual points-of-care,” McGuinness told Fierce Healthcare. “One of the main things we’re hearing is that they need to have a broader tool kit and they need to be more agile in this chapter in healthcare.”

Among the new capabilities, the cloud service will enable providers to schedule telehealth visits in Microsoft Teams through the Bookings app, Microsoft said. The new Microsoft Teams EHR connector, which is in private previews, enables clinicians and patients to launch Teams virtual visits right from Epic’s patient and provider portals. The company also developed application programing interfaces (APIs) to allow for Teams integration into other existing healthcare workflows.

“This capability helps to streamline what has historically been disconnected systems,” McGuinness said. Microsoft is focused in making intergrations with other platforms and technologies as seamless as possible for clinicians and patients, he said.

“Virtual care is a critical piece of healthcare and we are working with our partners and customers to say, what does it look like across the care continuum for both physical and virtual visits,” he said.

To improve interoperability, Cloud for Healthcare also supports Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), which is a common data standard for healthcare. Last year, Microsoft was the first cloud to offer a generally available Azure FHIR service—which allows healthcare organizations to ingest and persist data in the FHIR format.

The platform also now enables data collection from medical devices, apps and remote monitoring tools through its Azure IoT Connector for FHIR.

A tool called Patient 360 based on HL7 FHIR enables health providers to get the full context into the patient’s history and their current encounters, conditions, procedures, and appointments, all fed from the EHR data repository with direct integration to the Azure FHIR service, the company said.

Microsoft also said its working with companies including Accenture, Adaptive Biotechnologies, Allscripts, DXC Technology, Innovaccer, KPMG and Nuance to co-develop custom solutions. For instance, it partnered with Nuance to integrate its Dragon Ambient Experience with Teams. The integration captures and contextualizes physician-patient conversations, automatically documenting the encounters from within Teams.

Among the early adopters of Cloud for Healthcare are Cleveland Clinic, Providence St. Joseph, St. Luke’s University Health Network, and Helsinki University and Uusimaa Hospital District.

“There are a couple areas where I believe cloud technology for healthcare like Microsoft’s can play a critical role in a future that’s based on digital technologies—both focused on interoperability,” said Matt Kull, Cleveland Clinic’s chief information officer in a statement. “The first is interoperability between systems, allowing us to take data from health records and other data sources, over FHIR interfaces, and combine it together into a single place where it can be used to inform and deliver patient-centric care. The second is to enable real-time complex deep learning—by normalizing data from different systems in a way that allows complex algorithmic analyses to occur via AI or ML—and integrate research-based insights back into a clinical workflow.”

Olympus, a global technology leader in designing and delivering innovative solutions for medical and surgical procedures, announced the introduction of two new products designed to enhance patient care in endoscopy and surgical imaging by improving procedural workflow: the OEP-6 high-definition printer and the WM-NP3 workstation.

“Olympus has made its name in medical imaging, and as such it makes sense that we should bring our customers complementary solutions to easily organize and transport our powerful imaging equipment as well as print the highest-quality images for a range of important uses in delivering effective and efficient patient care,” said Randy Clark, President, Medical Systems Group, Olympus Corporation of the Americas. “We are pleased to make available important workflow solutions for our customers.”

The OEP-6 high-definition printer accurately reproduces HDTV images to produce superb, high-definition prints with excellent quality for endoscopist use during patient or colleague consults as well as detailed record-keeping. Its features and benefits include:

Fast Printing Output: Even at the highest image quality, the OEP-6 prints out a full-color image in just 29 seconds per sheet (A5 size), or 21 seconds in high-speed mode.
Digital Printing: The OEP-6 supports data input from PCs and other devices with a USB cable connection and is also compatible with wireless transmission in combination with the Sony UPA-WU10.
User-Friendly Interface Design: Front panel buttons and layout are designed to best support workflow. A large LCD with simple icons facilitates setup and supports troubleshooting.
Optimized Color Parameters: With new color parameters, the printer is capable of producing prints that match the color quality of images displayed on the Olympus OEV262H monitor.

The WM-NP3 mobile workstation is an important addition toward improved workflow for nursing staff. The WM-NP3 workstation has been designed to specially support and add value to current and future imaging systems. It features an increased loading capacity, while taking up less floor space and supporting an expanded range of accessories.

Features and benefits of the WM-NP3 workstation include:

Adjustable Monitor Arms: The WM-NP3 workstation offers two adjustable monitor arms to support a range of compatible monitors. Pan, tilt and swivel functionality provides a large range of motion on either arm, allowing the user to adjust the monitor for ideal viewing.
Electrical Safety: The workstation is supplied with a separation transformer, and a central on/off switch allows all equipment to be powered up simultaneously.
Customizability: Dedicated accessories optimize system and procedural efficiency. Sixteen available accessories include the following 11 of new design: Consumable storage holder, suction jar holder, scope pole kit, Irrigation tube holder, drawer unit, sterile water holder, nurses control arm, side shelf, side handles and LED monitor arms.
Mobile Design: Ergonomically designed handles and twin-wheeled castors allow the workstation to be moved into the ideal location with ease.
Optimized Cable Management: This workstation offers increased cable capacity and easier access to route and remove cables.

For more information about the WM-NP3 and the OEP-6, please contact 1-800-848-9024 or visit https://medical.olympusamerica.com/products/carts/WM-NP3 or https://medical.olympusamerica.com/products/printers/printer-oep-6.

About Olympus Medical Systems Group
Olympus is a global technology leader, crafting innovative optical and digital solutions in medical technologies; life sciences; industrial solutions; and cameras and audio products. Throughout our 100-year history, Olympus has focused on being true to society and making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling.

Our Medical Business works with health care professionals to combine our innovative capabilities in medical technology, therapeutic intervention, and precision manufacturing with their skills to deliver diagnostic, therapeutic and minimally invasive procedures to improve clinical outcomes, reduce overall costs and enhance quality of life for patients. For more information, visit medical.olympusamerica.com.

Abbott, the worldwide leader in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology announced it has secured CE Mark for its next-generation FreeStyle Libre 3 system, which is now approved for use by people living with diabetes in Europe. The FreeStyle Libre 3 technology provides continuous, real-time glucose readings automatically delivered to smartphones2 every minute, offering unsurpassed 14-day accuracy1 in the smallest and thinnest3 sensor design at the same affordable price7 as previous versions of the device.

“Abbott won’t stop innovating when there’s room to raise the bar. We’ve done that again with FreeStyle Libre 3, the smallest sensor that delivers life-changing benefits and best-in-class accuracy,” said Jared Watkin, senior vice president, Diabetes Care, Abbott. “People living with diabetes are at the center of our design process, and we made our next-generation technology even more discreet for a better user experience to make managing diabetes as easy and seamless as possible.”

With a 14-day wear time, the FreeStyle Libre 3 system includes the longest-lasting,9 self-applied CGM sensor available. The sensor is easy to apply5 with a one-piece applicator and is worn on the back of the upper arm, eliminating the need for painful fingersticks10 to view glucose levels.

To allow as many people as possible living with diabetes to access and benefit from the significant advancements of the technology, Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre 3 system will be priced the same as previous generations of the device.7

“Since we launched the first disposable glucose sensor in 2014, we’ve always believed all people with diabetes should have access to high-quality, accurate and affordable diabetes technologies,” said Watkin. “That’s why Abbott disrupted the traditional notion that CGMs have to sacrifice quality or accuracy for affordability, and we built our FreeStyle Libre family of products to deliver unparalleled results at a lower cost than any other CGM available.”

The FreeStyle Libre 3 system fits seamlessly into the lives of people with diabetes. In addition to the sensor, the system includes the FreeStyle Libre 3 mobile app,2 which is designed to enable users to capture and view their real-time glucose levels, glucose history and trend arrows showing how their glucose is changing with just a glance at their smartphone.

Abbott designed its next-generation FreeStyle Libre 3 system to be more sustainable for the environment with a smaller and more discreet sensor, reducing the total volume by more than 70%.11 With a 41% reduction in plastic use and 43% reduction in carton paper,11 the new sensor design aligns with the company’s continued commitment to sustainability.

Abbott is launching the FreeStyle Libre 3 system in Europe in the coming months. The FreeStyle Libre portfolio has been clinically proven to improve glucose control,12 increase time in target glucose range,13 decrease time in hyperglycemia (high glucose levels) and hypoglycemia (low glucose levels),14 and lower HbA1c (average glucose levels over a three-month period)12 – all factors contributing to better health outcomes. Data also show use of the FreeStyle Libre system reduces diabetes-related hospital admissions and work absentee rates to help improve quality of life.15

As the #1 sensor-based glucose monitoring system used in the U.S. and worldwide,8 Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre portfolio has changed the lives of more than 2 million people across more than 50 countries5 by providing breakthrough technology that is accessible and affordable.7 Abbott has secured partial or full reimbursement for the FreeStyle Libre system in 37 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Abbott’s FreeStyle® Libre 3 System Receives CE Mark – Features World’s Smallest, Thinnest Sensor with Best-in-Class Performance at the Same Low Cost for People with Diabetes

A new approach to hospital management will see the National University Health System (NUHS) make use of drones, robots and touch-free technology on its various campuses.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Sep 24), NUHS chief operating officer Ng Kian Swan said that these new types of technology would serve to further improve operations. “Hospitals are important assets, and there’s this continuing need to make it safer, smarter and of course, greener,” he said.

“By leveraging on technology and IoT (Internet of things) and AI (artificial intelligence) it helps us to drive efficiency, productivity, safety, and most importantly, it also provides a platform for us to upskill our fellow colleagues … it is actually preparing a future-ready workforce, to support the workforce in operations.”

NUHS comprises healthcare institutions such as Alexandra Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, Jurong Community Hospital and National University Hospital (NUH).

One way in which NUHS plans to leverage technology to bolster operations is through the use of drones, said Mr Ng.

“For drones, it replaces the conventional way of putting up gondolas, scaffolding, to do building inspection(s). It is expensive, time consuming and to a certain extent, not so accurate,” he said.

“By using drones, you can reach out to any part of the building, take photos and (it) gets transmitted to the engineers. And If there are problems to fix immediately, we can do it.”

The use of drones to conduct building inspections has been rolled out since October last year, with Alexandra Hospital, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and NUH having gone through two rounds of inspections. These checks will be done quarterly.

This will mean more frequent and regular inspections to ensure the upkeep of the hospitals’ facade and reduce the risk of issues such as cracks, stain marks and falling objects from roof gutters and louvres, added NUHS in a media release.

NUHS will also pilot the use of drones to conduct security surveillance and patrol various hospital premises, monitoring areas with “critical facilities” such as power plants and water tanks, said Mr Ng.

This has been rolled out at all three hospitals as well.

ACTING AS DETERRENCE

In addition to drones, NUHS is also rolling out the use of autonomous security robots to complement security teams in patrolling facilities.

“This is to support the security operations and to act as a deterrence. We are working with the partners to incorporate some of the functional requirements, including allowing visitors to have their temperature taken,” said Mr Ng.

One of the robots which can help detect potential security incidents, and transmit data back, will be rolled out at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital next month.

Another robot which helps in temperature taking and scanning for safe entry will be rolled out between November and December at NUH.

Hospital employees will be sent for courses to learn how to operate some of these new technologies.

“At this stage, it is more of using robots, drones to support the way they work. At the same time, upskilling them. Upskilling to us is very, very important because technology is something that is moving very fast,”said Mr Ng.

And in terms of running a hospital operations for us … this is one point that I always discuss with my colleagues and we should continue to use technology to drive efficiency and operations.”

Mr Ng also noted how the current COVID-19 pandemic also has thrown up manpower-related issues, and such new technologies can help address these problems.

“COVID-19 actually surfaced a very challenging issue – the dependence on manpower. And by leveraging on these technologies … it improves efficiency. At the same time, it lessens the need for manpower and to us in NUHS, it’s something that’s pretty important and we will continue to use technology to support our hospital operations.“

Another feature which NUHS plans to unveil is touch-free technology in the form of non-contact buttons lifts. This will help improve infection control and reduce the transmission of bacteria or viruses, especially during the current pandemic, said NUHS.

This will be introduced in selected lifts at NUHS campuses by March next year.

The medical device market is seeing steady growth thanks to new technologies and an emerging medical infrastructure around the world. Developing economies, which are investing more in healthcare, are also driving the expansion of the medical device market. Thus, by 2022, more than 30% of the global healthcare spending is expected to be from emerging economies. In developing countries, medical device companies leverage low manufacturing and labor costs to generate larger profit margins for investors.

As a result, the medical device market is projected to grow by USD 134.2 Billion during the period of 2020-2024 and at a CAGR of over 5%, according to Technavio. Among the many technologies that help transform the medical device market are the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and advanced 3D printing. For instance, IoT is increasingly being used in healthcare to promote active patient engagement and patient-centric service delivery through advanced devices that are constantly connected with each other. Yet, despite the market’s global growth, the United States is still the largest medical device market, with a value of USD 156 Billion, which accounted for 40% of the global industry in 2017. Research provided by SelectUSA, a U.S. government-wide program led by the U.S. Department of Commerce, approximates that by 2023, the medical device market is projected to grow to USD 208 Billion. Nemaura Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD), Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), Livongo Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVGO), NovoCure Limited (NASDAQ: NVCR)

Some of the fastest growing segments in the medical device market by application include diagnostic devices like patient-monitoring systems, MRI machines, diagnostic imaging equipment (including X-ray devices and other diagnostic imaging), and ultrasonic scanning devices. Remote patient-monitoring devices have become more popular due to the pandemic and social distancing measures which were implemented to combat it. Most commonly, medical wearable devices designed to collect data and measure vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, blood glucose levels and more. Remote medical monitoring is a complex sector. Herman Bonner, communication specialist at Firstbeat, which powers stress tracking features in a host of wearables from the likes of Garmin, Huawei and Suunto, explained in an article by Wareable that “it takes a lot of specialized expertise in mathematics, signal processing, pattern recognition, and programming to get to the point where you are providing useful information to people.”

Nemaura Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: NMRD) announced breaking news this week that, “it has licensed the rights to Healthimation, LLC’s mobile application based digital program, a well-validated and award-winning 12-week program to help patients manage their weight and pre-diabetes or early diabetes conditions. The program is intended to be combined with the company’s proBEAT™ non-invasive patch CGM (continuous glucose monitor) for an enhanced behavioral change experience.

Developed at a major diabetes center in the U.S. over more than 15 years, the digital program curriculum implements the most advanced approach to nutrition, exercise, and behavioral change and has been clinically tested and has demonstrated many benefits to a patient’s overall health, including weight reduction, significant improvements in A1C, lipid profile, and blood pressure, and a reduction in medications taken.

Healthimation, LLC has implemented this curriculum in an app that gamifies daily tasks and uses engaging high-quality animation and live coaching to encourage users to make healthy behavior changes, such as improvements in personal nutrition and exercise coaching, via the development and education of the app’s avatar Lena. Through machine-learning technology, the software makes Lena “smarter”, resulting in more personal recommendations for the patient over time.

Dr. Faz Chowdhury, Nemaura Medical’s Chief Executive Officer stated, “We are delighted and honored to be working with Healthimation to bring diabetic patients an easy-to-use solution that combines our proBEAT™ CGM product with a clinically validated diabetes management and reversal program. Our ultimate aim is to help patients with pre-diabetes from becoming diabetic while also providing support to those currently with Type 2 diabetes to potentially reverse their condition. Diabetes continues to be one of the largest growing medical problems in the U.S., and our aim is to provide an unparalleled product and suite of services that can compete favorably with existing products on the market that are less convenient and more invasive for patients.”

The Company believes that combination of the digital program with Nemaura’s proBEAT™ offering expected to launch this year, will allow for more beneficial outcomes in patients with Type 2 diabetes, help prevent high-risk pre-diabetic patients from becoming diabetic, and possibly even lead to diabetes remission in some patients. The integrated offering offers numerous advantages in breadth of application and depth of features over other competing digital platforms on the market attempting to address the weight control and/or diabetes markets, many of which are more expensive and more invasive than the Company’s anticipated solution.

SugarBEAT®, Nemaura’s patented, CE marked, needle-free CGM that is non-invasive, affordable, and painless, is easily applied to the skin via a small unobtrusive patch. The device transmits blood glucose data to users and/or healthcare professionals via a mobile app to allow for better monitoring or treatment. The Company’s BEAT™diabetes is a planned health subscription service driven by the personalized data provided by sugarBEAT® and processed through an artificial intelligence engine to provide personalized 1-on-1 lifestyle coaching and behavior change recommendations.

In the U.S., there are currently 88 million patients considered to be pre-diabetic and 25 million patients with Type 2 diabetes. Worldwide, there are 420 million patients with diabetes and over 1 billion people considered pre-diabetic.”

Medtronic plc announced this week first enrollments in the ALLEVIATE-HF clinical trial which will evaluate the ability of its Reveal LINQ™ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) in identifying patients at high-risk of worsening heart failure. The trial will determine if early information provided by the LINQ devices enable clinicians to take action before patients’ conditions worsen. The LINQ device will alert clinicians if a patient is at high risk for a heart failure event, allowing time for a physician to adjust medications to enhance patient health. The Reveal LINQ ICM allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient’s heart for arrhythmia disorders. With a proprietary algorithm added to the Reveal LINQ system for this study, clinicians will be alerted to signs of worsening heart failure. They will receive the information via nightly transmissions delivered to the Medtronic CareLink® Network from patients’ bedside monitors. Patient data will be stratified by risk level, providing physicians remote access to patient data and allowing them to intervene earlier than possible without this system.

Pfizer Inc. announced on August 7th, a multi-year agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to manufacture and supply Gilead’s investigational antiviral remdesivir, as one of multiple external manufacturing organizations supporting efforts to scale up supply of the investigational treatment for COVID-19. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will provide contract manufacturing services at Pfizer’s McPherson, Kansas facility to manufacture and supply remdesivir for Gilead.  In March, Pfizer launched a five-point plan, which called on all members of the innovation ecosystem – from large pharmaceutical companies to the smallest of biotech companies, from government agencies to academic institutions – to commit to work together in addressing the dire COVID-19 crisis.  “From the beginning it was clear that no one company or innovation would be able to bring an end to the COVID-19 crisis. Pfizer’s agreement with Gilead is an excellent example of members of the innovation ecosystem working together to deliver medical solutions,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Together, we are more powerful than alone. As one of the largest manufacturers of vaccines, biologics and sterile injectables, it is a privilege to offer our expertise and infrastructure to help fight this pandemic. In that spirit, we are pleased that Gilead is using our manufacturing capacity to help facilitate supply of this medicine to patients as quickly as possible.”

Livongo Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: LVGO) announced earlier this year that its Applied Health Signals platform will be available to New Jersey State and School Employee Health Plan Members. Livongo, in partnership with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ), will make the Livongo for Diabetes solution available to over 460,000 public employees and their dependents. “As the prevalence and cost of chronic conditions continues to rise, we are excited to be able to offer these new tools and services to make it easier for our members to manage their health,” said Christin Deacon, Assistant Director for the State of New Jersey, Division of Pensions and Benefits. “Working within the partnership between Livongo and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, we are now able to bring the industry leading Livongo benefit to the thousands of New Jersey State and School Health Plan Members living with diabetes.”

NovoCure Limited (NASDAQ: NVCR) reported back in June the launch of MyLink, a new tool that allows patients to download their Optune usage data from the comfort of home without the need for an in-person visit by a Novocure Device Support Specialist. Novocure initiated a phased launch with an initial wave of 30 U.S. patients to be followed by a broad rollout to all U.S. patients in the coming months. Novocure prioritized and accelerated the MyLink launch in response to recent U.S. FDA guidance supporting the expansion of remote patient monitoring. “Optune has a proven dose-response, and the establishment of usage goals coupled with regular review of Optune usage is key to maximizing treatment benefit,” said Pritesh Shah, Novocure’s Chief Commercial Officer. “MyLink is an important tool that provides a convenient way for patients to upload usage data. Early and ongoing monitoring of usage data coupled with effective patient counseling may drive increased average usage and improve patient outcomes.”