New technology to improve professional approaches and patient outcomes was on display in sessions, demonstrations, competitions and even a lounge at Scientific Sessions 2016. Two different types of technology advances were highlighted in the HealthTech Competition and the Early Career Lounge.
In the HealthTech Competition, medical technology startups competed for the Judge’s Award and the People’s Choice Award, with the product demonstrations and announcement of the winners drawing a large crowd in the Science & Technology Hall. The winners were selected by a panel of distinguished cardiologists, venture capitalists and industry thought leaders.
The Judge’s Award went to Wellth, which created a platform to measure patient behavior changes once patients return home. The platform uses digital technologies to monitor and reward adherence to medication, diet and other health-related activities. Its interventions target activities ranging from taking medication to self-weighing for congestive heart failure and home blood pressure monitoring for hypertension, said Matthew Loper, Wellth CEO.
“While other adherence-aimed technologies suffer from low engagement rates, Wellth interventions use the power of financial incentives as a hook that generates immediate user buy-in and opens the door for long-lasting habit formation,” he said.
Wellth has developed two clinical trials to study adherence following hospital discharge for congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction.
“We allow healthcare providers to succeed under value-based care,” Loper said. “We drive better patient satisfaction, outcomes and costs on behalf of our health system customers so that they can ensure profitability and sustainability as they are forced to take on more risk.”
Twiage was recognized with the People’s Choice Award. Twiage has developed a HIPAA-compliant pre-hospital communication and care coordination platform that delivers real-time data from ambulance to hospital while helping to accelerate care.
“Cardiologists and neurologists are able to track all incoming patients with GPS, vital signs, clinical data, and photos, videos and audio communication to activate the right teams for the right patients at exactly the right time,” said YiDing Yu, MD, Twiage founder and chief medical officer. “Any paramedic can take advantage of Twiage using our free EMS app, which is available in the Apple and Android app stores.”
Twiage also makes it easier for cardiologists to view electrocardiograms at home or while on call to help better coordinate care, he said.
“We are so delighted to win the AHA People’s Choice Award and grateful that cardiologists across the world recognize the importance of streamlining care from ambulance to hospital,” Yu said.
Technology of a different sort was on display at the Early Career Lounge, and remains available at the AHA/ASA Early Career Voice and News, part of the AHA Early Career Blogging Program. The program is a platform that provides early career professionals the opportunity to establish a robust digital portfolio by writing blog articles. Blog topics included the abstract submission process, securing funding for attendance, the implementation of new AHA science in daily practice and research.
During Scientific Sessions, eight early career bloggers worked in the Early Career Lounge, where they could network and attendees could learn more about the program.