Innovaccer Inc., a Silicon Valley-based healthcare data platform company, announced the launch of its “unified patient record” as its proprietary model that allows the collection of data from the full range of a patient’s healthcare experiences and provides a complete view of that patient for the healthcare team.

Data Is Key Element in the Unification of Patient Data

“While working and interacting with different stakeholders (providers, payers, employers, patients, technology companies etc.) across the industry, I have seen how healthcare today is largely fragmented. Adding to that are problems like consumer demand, aging population, increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and excessive cost of care. I have realized that until we take the unification of patient data as a priority in healthcare, we are not going to move the needle sufficiently,” said Abhinav Shashank, Innovaccer’s co-founder and CEO.

Drive Care Team Collaboration in the Service of the Patient — for Better Outcomes.

In order to eliminate the challenge of seamless data access, the unified patient record serves as the backbone of Innovaccer’s Data Activation Platform that uses APIs and an analytical framework to manage complexity across all patient care settings. Innovaccer’s opportunity to connect patient-level data from a range of sources makes individual data truly interoperable for providers, payers and large employers who need it across the healthcare continuum.

With the power of a connected care framework, Innovaccer will be using its Data Activation Platform to unify patient records, automate routine workflows and apply analytic insights so providers, payers, employers, can deliver better outcomes for individuals and care as one.

“Our vision is to help healthcare care as one, and the unified patient record is critical to realizing this vision. One unified patient record, one platform, everyone on one page in service of the patient for better outcomes.” added Shashank.

Leveraging “Value-Engineering” to Activate Patient Data

Innovaccer also leverages artificial intelligence to automate workflows and create point-of-care alerts. The platform uses “value-engineering” to generate custom actionable intelligence to “activate” patient data. It also integrates applications on the platform using tools for collaboration, greater efficiency and the ability to address social determinants that factor into a patient’s health. So far, Innovaccer’s Data Activation Platform has unified over 3.8 million patient records, enabling more than 25,000 providers to transform care delivery and care as one.

CryoLife Inc , a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company focused on aortic disease, announced it has received CE Mark for the On-X Ascending Aortic Prosthesis (AAP), allowing resumed distribution in the European Union. The On-X AAP is indicated for the treatment of diseased, damaged or malfunctioning native or prosthetic heart valves in the aortic position involving an ascending aortic aneurysm. These associated aortic root diseases coexist in as many as 10 percent of all aortic valve replacements.

“The absence of the On-X AAP from the market since late 2016 has hindered our ability to compete for certain mechanical valve tenders in the EU. With the receipt of the CE Mark on the AAP, we once again have a complete portfolio of On-X products available in Europe, allowing us to be more competitive and potentially drive market share gains in the mechanical valve market. The On-X AAP offers the best hemodynamics of any commercially available valved conduit device, and we will resume selling the On-X AAP in the EU immediately,” said Pat Mackin, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of CryoLife.

The On-X AAP is part of the On-X Heart Valve portfolio, which also includes the On-X® Aortic Valve and ON-X® Mitral Valve. The On-X Aortic Valve was the first mechanical aortic heart valve to receive both FDA and CE Mark approval for labeling to permit use with a reduced warfarin dosage, based on results of the original PROACT trial that demonstrated a greater than 60% reduction in bleeding events without increased risk of stroke. The On-X Mitral Valve is currently completing enrollment in its own PROACT (Lowered INR Mitral Arm) Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial, seeking a reduced warfarin indication similar to that of the On-X Aortic Valve.

About CryoLife, Inc.
Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, CryoLife is a leader in the manufacturing, processing, and distribution of medical devices and implantable tissues used in cardiac and vascular surgical procedures focused on aortic repair. CryoLife markets and sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide.

LucidHealth, a physician-owned and led radiology company, announced that it is using an AI-powered diagnostic aid from leading AI vendor Aidoc to help prioritize and expedite treatment to patients with critical, life-threatening conditions. LucidHealth is one of the first radiology companies in the Midwest to incorporate artificial intelligence into their radiology practice, further cementing their commitment to continuously improving patient outcomes.

“LucidHealth is committed to bringing the most advanced, highest quality technological solutions to assist our patients,” said Mark Alfonso, Chief Medical Officer, LucidHealth. “Aidoc’s AI-powered alerting system combined with our own proprietary workflow software, RadAssist, enables us to prioritize the patients with the most urgent, time-critical, life-threatening conditions. For example, proactive examination for intracranial hemorrhages via AI automatically and immediately flags those cases to the radiologists, allowing them to prioritize and assist in addressing those patients sooner. This reduction in wait time could be life-altering; providing the ability to ensure rapid radiologist inspection and triage for expedited treatment.”

Aidoc’s FDA cleared solutions detect time-sensitive pathologies and flag them in the radiology worklist including Intracranial hemorrhage, Pulmonary Embolism (awarded Minnie’s Best Software), and C-spine fractures just to name a few. The addition of Aidoc’s deep learning solutions into LucidHealth’s platform will enhance patient care for the most critical cases across the Midwest.

“I’m delighted that LucidHealth will integrate Aidoc’s solutions into its clinical workflow,” said Tom Shearer, Regional VP Sales at Aidoc. “LucidHealth’s broad partnership base with radiology groups means hundreds of thousands of patients will benefit from the power of AI, saving lives in the most critical cases.”

About LucidHealth:

LucidHealth is a physician-owned and -led radiology management company. We partner with radiology groups to provide the technology and resources to increase the strategic value of their practices nationwide. Our belief is that all patients should have access to the highest quality of subspecialized imaging care, regardless of facility size or location. Our mission is to empower independent radiology groups to deliver world-class, subspecialized care to all patients within the communities we serve.

About Aidoc:

A leader in AI healthcare, Aidoc is one of Time Magazine’s 50 Genius Companies and its founders were recognized in Forbes’ “30 under 30” list. The company’s solutions analyze medical imaging to provide the most comprehensive AI offering in the field. Aidoc is used by radiologists worldwide, aiding them in maximizing their clinical performance and expediting patient care. In 2019, Aidoc’s pulmonary embolism solution won the “Best New Radiology Software” Minnie award. Aidoc is currently deployed at over 300 medical facilities in the US and around the world.

The arcomed Chroma infusion pumps take it a step further in the incorporation of the latest medical technology, by incorporating connectivity with the IQ Messenger system, one of the most frequently-used medical alarm management software. The alarms in infusion pumps can be of many types and may or may not require immediate attention, however the patient and their family members are unaware of this and usually turn to the nurses whenever a pump emits any type of alarm.

From now on, any arcomed Chroma pump (connected to a UniQueConcept module) that generates an alarm can replicate this alarm on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) connected to IQ Messenger. This allows the nursing staff to have greater freedom of movement, while knowing what type of alarm the pump is generating at any given time and deciding whether or not attending to it is a priority, which results in time savings, avoids unnecessary trips and simplifies workflows, while further improving patient safety.

Types of alarms in infusion pumps

Although there are many different causes of alarms and the Chroma infusion pumps report specifically on the type of alarm emitted, there are generally two main types of alarms in arcomed infusion pumps:

• Pre-alarm: Acoustic and visual signal that warns us of a relevant event, but that does not stop the infusion (for example, the “near-end infusion” alarm).
• Alarm: The same, but this time it stops the infusion, possibly activating the KVO (Keep Vein Open).

What can the arcomed Chroma infusion pumps alert us of? The pumps self-check constantly while they are in operation, so that any failure leads to the infusion being stopped and the emission of an alarm tone along with the appearance of an icon on the screen.

The alarms in the arcomed Chroma infusion pumps can detect problems that prevent the infusion from starting (such as a badly placed line or failure to have configured the infusion volume, for example). They can activate the KVO both at the beginning and at the end of the infusion (when the Start/Stop key is pressed or when the drug to be infused has run out) and can stop it completely without activating the KVO for different reasons, either related to patient safety (air in the lines, occlusion, any type of problems with the infusion flow, etc.) or to the operation of the pump (internal error, dead battery, open door, etc.).

The collaboration between arcomed and IQ Messenger is a reflection of our desire to continue offering hospitals and healthcare professionals the best technology that is available at any given time.

Seattle-based health technology startup Wellpepper has been sold to Caravan Health in a deal that promises to expand the reach of Wellpepper’s technology for digital patient treatment plans.

Founded more than seven years ago by two Microsoft veterans, Anne Weiler and Mike Van Snellenberg, the startup’s platform is used by health care providers to create apps and other interactive technologies to help patients understand and follow treatment plans in a variety of situations.

Wellpepper’s approach, which replaces verbal instructions and stacks of paper, was proven effective in clinical research studies and adopted by a variety of providers.

Caravan, based in Kansas City, Mo., specializes in accountable care, working with community health systems to improve patient care, reduce errors and avoid duplication of services. As part of Caravan Health, Wellpepper will continue to work with its existing customers, while also integrating with Caravan’s offerings.

“We’re super excited about the new home that we have here at Caravan, and the platform that it gives us,” Van Snellenberg said.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the founders described the deal as a successful exit for Wellpepper, which raised $1.5 million in funding over its lifetime.

Wellpepper had a six-person team prior to the acquisition. Van Snellenberg and most of the company’s employees are now working for Caravan from an office in Seattle, and they plan to make additional hires to further build out the team. Weiler left the company with the acquisition to explore other opportunities.

Wellpepper was born out of the personal experiences of the founders and their frustrations with the general lack of continuity of care in healthcare. Weiler’s eyes were opened to the challenges as a new mom who was discharged without instructions after a lengthy stay in the hospital.

“We started talking about how we were so connected everywhere else in our lives, and in this crucial moment, we weren’t,” said Weiler, explaining that they leaned on their roots in software for a solution: “We started prototyping, as one does.”

Weiler said they had the good fortune to connect early on with Dr. Terry Ellis, a Parkinson’s researcher and professor at Boston University, testing their concepts with her patients in what ultimately led to a randomized control trial that gave initial validation to their results. Another trial was conducted with Harvard University.

As a startup, Wellpepper partnered and worked with organizations such as Mayo Clinic, and customers including EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, Wash., helping to develop treatment plans for patients to follow before and after surgery. Over its lifespan as an independent startup, Wellpepper saw the concept of digital treatment plans go from a subject of skepticism in healthcare to one of acceptance and ultimately competition, as others developed rival technologies.

Then came consolidation, including the acquisition of Healthloop by GetWellNetworks, and Medumo by Philips.

Along the way, Wellpepper ran into an existential question, Weiler said: “Should we also be doing care delivery? If you’re monitoring people outside the clinic, who’s actually doing the followup?”

As software specialists, they opted not to go that route, which is one reason the acquisition by Caravan made sense.

“The fit there was pretty interesting because we knew that engaging patients in their health through technology solutions improves their outcomes,” Weiler said. “But the other side of value-based care is getting some of the costs under control. And that’s a lot of what Caravan does.”

Piedmont Rockdale Hospital’s cardiology department has earned an additional three-year term of accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Echocardiography in the area of Adult Transthoracic. The department, which has been continuously accredited by the IAC since 1988, completed an extensive application and review process that assesses metrics and validates demonstration of consistent quality care and dedication to improvement.

Echocardiography, also called Echo, is a painless test that uses ultrasound to create a moving picture of the heart. This allows a cardiologist to see how well the heart’s chambers and valves are working.

Piedmont Rockdale echocardiography technicians undergo extensive training to gain skills in the most effective echocardiography studies in order to examine heart muscle contractions, blood flow within the heart, to assess injury from a previous heart attack, to identify blood clots in the heart, or identify fluid buildup in the pericardium, or the sac around the heart.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half (47%) of Americans have at least one risk factor that contributes to heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, with one death every 37 seconds.

The use of echocardiography to diagnose heart problems and/or monitor changes of the heart helps cardiologists determine if there is a need for additional testing, as well as the next steps in treatment.

Piedmont Rockdale has a variety of cardiac and preventative health services available to patients in order to help them lower their risk of heart disease and to continue to lead healthy and active lives after a diagnosis of heart disease. These include general cardiology, interventional cardiology, heart failure clinic, advanced cardiovascular imaging services, electrophysiology, and cardiac rehabilitation.