What is digital health?

In the 1990s, eHealth emerged as the use of personal computers expanded, especially for the electronic processing of files . In the early 21st century, with the growth of the Internet and the advent of the second version of the web (web 2.0), the same concepts entered the field of health with a title such as the second version of health or Health 2.0 . With the advent of mobile in the mid-2000s, a new branch called Mobile Health (mHealth) was introduced. After that, the digitization of all aspects of human life today called area Interactive Digital (Digital Health) came into existence .

According to the World Health Organization, eHealth means the use of information and communication technologies and mHealth means the use of mobile and wireless technologies (Wireless) in health. The organization's digital health as an area larger eHealth and mHealth In addition, the use of emerging technologies including big data (Big Data) , genetic (Genomics) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in providing modern solutions in health, all subsets of Are, defined .

 

The place of digital health in the future

Digital health solutions have gradually entered the field of health in the last two decades. But they have not yet been able to find a special and significant place for themselves or to make a fundamental change in their health. For a better understanding, this issue can be compared with other areas, including finance. If you only compare the way you pay your bills today to ten years ago, you will see that technology has somehow changed the interactions and structures in the financial field that it is impossible to even imagine going back to the past. However, in the field of health, no such case can be found. The way the health system interacts and approaches has remained the same for many years .

However, almost all predictions consider digital health solutions to be more or less an essential part of the future of health. There is disagreement about how these developments will turn out, but few doubt that digital health will make a significant difference in health .

In terms of business, in addition to the fact that the number of digital health startups has increased significantly in the last decade, the amount of investment in this area has also increased. According to Startup Health, investment in digital health startups has grown more than 10 times to $ 14.6 billion in 2018, from $ 1.2 billion in 2010. This shows that investors' forecasts also indicate the growth and development of digital health and finding a special place in the field of health .

 

Classification of digital health startups

There are several categories in the field of digital health, including those provided by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) . But these categories each with a specific purpose has been done, for example the FDA this category for monitoring and provisioning has prepared and WHO to help health systems and the development of digital health in the Department of Public Health (Public Health) categories have been introduced .

But these categories are not suitable for brainstorming and innovating in the field of digital health. For this reason, we present here a categorization based on digital health goals and perspectives. The four goals and perspectives of digital health are as follows :

1. Empowering people and patients: in order to increase and facilitate people's access to health services and increase their responsibility for their health
2. Coordination of health system components: In order to establish communication and facilitate the exchange of information between different components of the health system
3. Changing the payment system: In order to implement an output-based payment system and maintain public health
4. Personal medicine: in order to personalize the diagnosis and treatment for people as much as possible

This classification, which is designed based on these goals, is introduced in the form of a map called the Digital Health Innovation Map .

 

Digital Health Innovation Map

Because the field of digital health is very emerging and many innovations are still being formed in it, it is not possible to draw a clear line between these categories. Therefore, the digital health innovation map is designed in the form of a pyramid in which startups and digital health solutions are located inside the pyramid and between its vertices, which are in fact the same goals mentioned above .

To better understand this map, we first define and introduce the outlines or the same goals and then introduce the categories that can be placed between these outlines. Of course, in addition to the 4 vertices that meet the goals of digital health, there is also the top vertex of the pyramid, which is related to big data .

 

-Tvanmndsazy Patient Patient Empowerment

Patients are significantly excluded from decision-making and participation in health care. When patients and people feel involved, their motivation and desire to take positive action for their own health and health care increases. For example, if the patient feels that he or she has not been given enough information about the medication prescribed, the likelihood of discontinuing or not continuing treatment increases. Without an efficient system for searching for doctors and accessing them online, many steps will not be taken to receive health care .

To solve these problems, startups in this field are trying to empower patients and people to be responsible for their health and take action to maintain and improve it. Most of these startups facilitate receiving and accessing services by creating a customer-centric environment .

 

- Coordination of health care Healthcare Coordination

The health system is very fragmented and not only patients do not participate in care but also different parts of the health system are isolated and isolated. In many cases, even in a hospital, the infrastructure and databases vary from department to department. Medical records are not transferred from one doctor to another. Insurance companies have their own independent data that can be useful for health care and are not available. When the patient is discharged from the hospital, there is usually no follow-up on how to continue treatment and follow instructions .

Such problems are solved by startups by connecting different stakeholders in the field of health. Any startup that tries to make connections between components of the health system, such as physicians, nurses, hospital physicians, or hospital insurers, falls into this category .

 

-  Payment Reform payment system reform

The cost of health care is rising and treatment is becoming more expensive. Although better management in the health system can reduce costs, this will not be sustainable without fundamental changes in how health is paid. The main question is, can we provide financial incentives to health system stakeholders to provide better care?

Although government solutions are provided for these problems, startups have also taken action by addressing platforms that help align financial incentives with the interests of health stakeholders, especially patients. The incentives to make these changes are now slim because those who benefit from cost savings are not the same as those who invest in them. Although patient care is always the primary goal, financial perspectives differ between insurers, physicians, or the health care system. Therefore, startups in this field have focused on redesigning financial incentives among health care stakeholders in order to provide a solution to these problems .

 

-Pzshky personalized   Personalized Medicine

Today's therapies are designed and developed for the human population. Clinical studies are performed to evaluate treatments and medications on hundreds or thousands of people, and even clinical guidelines are designed for large populations. Access to new patient data and the advent of easy and inexpensive genetic testing have opened up a new arena for personalized medical research. That is, treatment is personalized according to the individual's medical history and genetic composition. Although the cost of personalized medicine can be expensive, startups are also paying attention to reducing these costs .

In personalized medicine, it is believed that the more data we get from patients, the better and more specific treatments we can design for patients. Startups in this field are more focused on personal diagnostic methods and genome-based therapies and strive to improve diagnostic and therapeutic methods .

 

Huge Data Health  Health Big Data

At the top of the pyramid map of health startups is big health data. Medicine and health is one of the oldest fields of science and many mysteries have been discovered and solved over hundreds of years, but we have almost reached a period in history where solving many problems using old methods does not work. We need more and more data and more and more thinking power to analyze and evaluate them. Big data science, on the one hand, and artificial intelligence and machine learning, on the other, have opened a new horizon for us to discover new solutions .

Big data is more active in some startups in collecting, analyzing and using them, and some less so. It is clear that startups that make the most of big data in their work are targeting the future of health .

 

A variety of digital health solutions

As mentioned, the solutions are located in the interior of the pyramid and between the vertices and can be more inclined to one vertex. Here are some suggestions on how to look or get an appointment for antique items. In the following, we will introduce these solutions or in fact subcategories .

Between personalized medicine and patient empowerment

Consumer Diagnostics:   Provides easy, low-cost, or universal access to diagnostic tools and methods .

Assessment Solutions   : Provide new tools and solutions for diagnosing diseases .

Wearables : Wearable   gadgets or devices that allow continuous monitoring or easier treatment .

Wellness and   lifestyle are platforms that help improve and enhance the health and lifestyle of people .

Health Education   : Platforms and strategies designed to teach or change behavior .

Patient Engagement : Platforms and strategies that increase a person's motivation to treat or improve their health

Some of the digital health startups that are in this space are as follows :

-Startup 23 and May - andMe 23

Startup 23 Endem offers two service packages for genetic testing. One package includes only family genealogy reports, and the other package includes health status reports, genetic risks, carrier status for some pathogenic genes, as well as genes such as hair and eye color and even fear of heights .

 

-Astartap Sentinel  Sentinel

Sentinel is a virtual platform for monitoring blood pressure. The procedure is that the doctor, after diagnosing high blood pressure, registers the patient on the Sentinel platform and provides the patient with a wrist sphygmomanometer. On a daily basis, the patient is reminded of the blood pressure measurement through the application, and the information is automatically entered into the platform. The doctor has access to the patient's information and condition at any time and also receives a monthly report on his or her treatment status .

 

Healthy.io Health  Startup

" Hlsy Aon" product called "Deep Aon " (Dip.io) , home kit provides a urine test. This product saves millions of people a day when they go to the lab for urine tests. Applicants for this test, in addition to people with suspected nephrological and urological diseases, are pregnant women, people with diabetes or hypertension. This kit includes a dipstick , a calibration plate, a urinal, and a Deep Iowa app .

 

 Misfit startup

Misophyte was founded in 2011 with the goal of using digital sensors to monitor people's health. The goal of this startup is to produce wearable gadgets that everyone in the community can use during the day. The company currently manufactures smart watches, bracelets and necklaces, and in addition to selling ready-made products, it also sells these products in a personalized manner .

 

 Owlet startup

The Ovlet Baby Monitor is a sock that measures children's heart rate and oxygen levels and alerts parents if they have trouble breathing during the night. Olt addresses these concerns by using a combination of a pulse oximeter in hospitals and new connections through a personalized system that grows with your child .

 

-Startup Sano  Sano

Startup Sano طراحی has designed a wearable patch that continuously but painlessly monitors blood glucose levels. The patch is a biometric sensor that is placed on the skin and measures and records glucose and biochemical factors of the blood from the interstitial fluid in the last layer of the skin. Patch Sano then sends this information to smart devices and data analysis platforms, providing unique information about his biometric status along with ways to improve his health .

 

-Arivale  startup

The startup failed in 2019 and ceased operations .

Startup Arival offers a scientific and personalized solution to achieve health and avoid diseases. Using the information it obtains from you, Arival offers personalized programs to promote and improve your health. Arival coaches are also with you in this way and help you to achieve your health goals .

 

ToMorrow   startup

Tomaro Startup is a behavior change platform designed and implemented using an evidence-based behavior change program. The model used by this startup is based on years of study and research around the world and is known as the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Model or ACT . In fact, startup Tomaro has designed a smartphone-based behavior change engine with this model. Quitting smoking, weight loss, stress and chronic pain are some of the things that this startup has provided a solution for .

 

-Korbo Health  Startup Kurbo Health

Corbo Health is a personal coaching platform for weight loss and control in children. In Corbo, after selecting a coach based on the needs and situation of the child, realistic and achievable goal setting is done. After that, nutritional status and physical activity are recorded using a mobile application designed with the traffic light technique. At the end of each week, the instructor reviews the progress and situation of the week and provides operational suggestions .

-Astartap Vybtr  WayBetter

Waybetter's products are online group games that use friendly competition and money to encourage people to lose weight. The company started in 2010 with a product called DietBet and then added three other products StepBet , RunBet and SweatBet to its products. The game is such that players set a personal goal for themselves and bet on it. If within 4 to 6 weeks of the game the player can reach the set goals, he wins the bet and the money collected is divided among the winners .

 

-Startup Belong.Life  Belong.Life

Billang is an application for cancer patients and their families and caregivers to consciously follow the path of treatment and disease management. The Belang app is a social network for people with cancer that provides users with a variety of features such as chat rooms, health information registration, treatment calendar and participation in clinical trials .

 

Startup Out Health  Outcome Health

Autocom Health provides dedicated patient education content in the form of digital displays for hospitals, clinics and clinics. In addition, distance patient education is another service of this startup .

 

  Between patient empowerment and health care coordination

Health Convenience:   Solutions that make service delivery more transparent and lead to better and easier access to health services .

Tele Health   : Platforms that provide remote health services .

Care Delivery : Solutions that provide on-site health services to individuals .

Care Management:   Solutions that guide people within a complex health system to receive the best services .

Decision Support Systems   : Platforms or solutions that help different health stakeholders to make better decisions . Some of the digital health startups that are in this space are as follows :

Zacdoc  startup

Zakudak is designed to solve patients' problems. Every month, millions of patients use Zakudak services to find the doctors around them, make the best decision based on approved reviews, book appointments for free immediately, listen to other patients' opinions, make appointments reminders, check-ups, and more. You can fill in the required administrative forms only once and save them forever. Zakudak search engine allows you to search for the information you want based on your city, health insurance, doctor's name, medical status and medical practice, and to arrange your desired appointment accordingly .

 

- Startup  Specialist Oncal Specialists On Call

With telemedicine technology, hospitals can easily enlist the help of specialist physicians to advise and examine the patient to provide emergency care. Designing and implementing a dedicated telemedicine program for hospitals is time consuming and expensive, and there may be errors during implementation. Ancal specialists' telemedicine platform called TeleIQ allows medical centers to easily design and implement their own telephone and video counseling program at their center. To do this, simply select the medical specialty you want in tele-IQ, then select the specialists you want for consultation and run the program .

 

Startup  First Derm First Derm

Podderm is a demand-driven research service for dermatologists. First Derm allows users to use the app and the web to anonymously send pictures of skin, hair or nails to a dermatologist who has been reviewed and approved by the board and within a few hours, the expert opinion of experts And receive their prescription .

 

Home team -Astartap  Hometeam

Home team provides home care services for the elderly. This startup offers unique services at home through caregiver training and support .

 

Grand Rounds startup

Grand Round Services provides a technology-driven solution to employees of organizations and their families to access the highest quality health care. These services are divided into two general categories. One is the opinion of a specialist that the local physician remotely connects the patient to a specialist in order to create teamwork for diseases and difficult and complex cases. Another is an office visit that identifies the best local specialists and introduces them to the patient. The Grand Round accompanies the patient during the treatment and the patient and his family can benefit from the various services and assistance he provides .

 

-Astartap Amino  Amino

Amino is a comprehensive healthcare cost management platform. Amino Startup claims that the most important concern for employees in the United States is health care costs, which are even more important than paying installments or becoming unemployed. This startup, with the right guidance of employees to use cost-effective and effective health care services, in addition to reducing the costs paid by the employees themselves, also leads to a reduction in employers' insurance costs .

 

VoxelCloud  startup

Startup Wexcloud provides diagnostic assistance for the analysis of radiological images using artificial intelligence. Currently, the startup's products include lung cancer screening, retinal disease screening and cardiovascular plaque analysis. The Voxcloud system works using cloud computing and is available using a simple browser .

 

-NIRAMAI  startup

Nirmai is an Indian deep tech startup in the field of health that offers breast cancer screening in a non-invasive, accurate, safe, affordable and inexpensive way using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Unlike mammography, Nyrama solution does not require expensive devices and radiology specialists. Force detection is done by analyzing high quality thermal images and machine learning algorithms .

 

-Astartap iPhone triage  iTriage

Etriage was a mobile application that helped patients make better decisions during illness. This was done by providing relevant information, transparency about the quality and information of local health centers and access to them. The app allowed patients to evaluate their symptoms and provide a list of possible diagnoses and centers they could visit for treatment. Over the course of nearly ten years, itriage activity has added many possibilities .

 

 Between health care coordination and payment system reform

Health IT and EHR   : Solutions that focus on facilitating and improving infrastructure and processes within the health system .

Care Management and Monitoring   : Platforms or solutions that are specific to a condition or disease and often reduce the cost of care and treatment .

Quality Metrics Reporting:    By increasing the need for a better understanding of the performance and effectiveness of the health system, solutions in this area evaluate the quality of health system services .

Health System Engineering   : Solutions that improve the quality and reduce costs by redesigning the health system, such as primary health care .

Health Exchange and Maketplace  :  Platforms that facilitate exchanges and sales between different health stakeholders . Some of the digital health startups that are in this space are as follows :

 Practice Fusion startup

Practice Fusion is a startup in the field of electronic health records, founded in 2005. By designing electronic health records on cloud servers, this #startup can provide patients' health records to physicians examining patients .

 

Qentus  startup

Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and decision science , the Quentus platform analyzes massive and erratic electronic health records (Elactronic Health Records) , surgery schedules, staff attendance schedules, and other health care data, and solves solutions based on them. Provides instant to improve hospital performance. Cuventos can anticipate problems, then, by reviewing cost-effectiveness, suggest the best solution and directly identify the right person from the team to solve the problem. It is important to note that the platform learns and adapts to data and events each time .

 

-Glaoko  startup

Gluco has made it its mission to facilitate the management of diabetes. In this regard, the startup products, mobile app glucocorticosteroids, the cable MeterSync for iOS and Android and monitor population has released glucocorticosteroids. Klogo mobile application can record and store various information such as blood sugar, insulin, physical activity, biometric data, nutrition and other lifestyle information. Gluco is compatible with a large number of blood glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and physical activity monitors and can receive information automatically from them .

 

Aledade  startup

Elded clients are general practitioners or family physicians who provide primary care. Eldel has been able to solve some of the problems of this model by redefining the model of accountable care organizations . In the United States, caregiver centers have been established since 2011 to operate with a value-based care model. This means that these centers are responsible for the health of the number of people, the quality of services and the results of their care. The income of these centers is also determined by the number of people who take care of them and not by visiting or treating them .

 

-Startup Cityblock  Cityblock

Startup City Block offers its care services in a personalized way by a team of different experts. These services range from medical services to psychological counseling, help and even financial. Citiblock establishes a long-term relationship between the care team and the client so that it can improve people's health with a preventative approach and infrastructure changes. Another feature of Citiblock is that customers can access service providers in person or anywhere, anytime, anywhere .

 

Between payment system reform and personalized medicine

Insurance   : Solutions that try to reduce the costs of the insurance system or improve the health of the people covered by various methods .

  Alternative Financing and Value Based Care:   Platforms and solutions that create or facilitate new payment methods in the health system .

Companion Diagnostics : New diagnostic strategies that improve or transform the treatment of diseases .

  BioMed and BioPharma:   Solutions that market medical devices or new and innovative drugs with a personalized approach .

Genetics-Based Therapy    : Solutions that offer personalized therapies based on genetic structure . Some of the digital health startups that are in this space are as follows :

Oscar Health startup  Oscar Health

Oscar is a technology-based insurance startup. Oscar has been able to create a new market in the insurance industry by creating transparency, providing data-driven guidance and user-friendly information that lets one know what one is paying for. To reduce costs, Oscar also provides telemedicine services and care and prevention. The startup now claims to be able to save up to $ 600 a year on healthcare costs. The Oscar insurance program is offered to employers both individually and organizationally .

 

-Astartap Health Clover  Clover Health

Clover Health is an insurance startup that has revolutionized the way insurance services integrate technology with all services offered. Like other insurance startups, Clover Health seeks to increase health and save on medical costs by constantly reviewing data and monitoring information .

 

 Grail startup

Startup Grail is one of the few startups that work on diagnosing cancer with a blood test. The startup is focusing on early detection of cancer with a blood test. In fact, Grail is looking for a comprehensive cancer screening test through a blood test .

 

MindStrong  startup

Mind Strong is a way to diagnose mental disorders such as depression early by interpreting human-computer interaction. In fact, Mind Strong examines how a person uses their smartphone, including the touch screen pattern, and uses highly advanced and sophisticated algorithms to detect signs of a disorder even before the person realizes it. If there is a possibility of a disorder, specialists will take action to prevent and treat the disorder through text messages or voice or video calls .

 

-Astartap Proteus Digital Health  Proteus Digital Health

The goal of this startup is to improve drug use by patients and evaluate the effectiveness of the drug. Especially for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes or tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis C , continuous use of the drug can greatly reduce the complications of the disease. To that end, Proteus has developed a four-part solution consisting of a digestible sensor, a wearable sensor patch, a smartphone app, and a healthcare portal. In addition to tracking medication, the Proteus wearable patch also measures sleep, activity, and heart rate information .

 

-CureApp  startup

Curap is a digital therapy startup that aims to produce therapeutic solutions using state-of-the-art technologies. The first product of this startup was in the field of smoking cessation. This product is provided in the form of a mobile application, management system for physicians and healthcare personnel, and a carbon monoxide measuring device. The application can provide personalized tips for quitting smoking, as well as a robot for smart conversation with the audience. Carbon monoxide detector also allows smoking cessation to be validated. This startup has also produced another product in the field of fatty liver and mental health .

 

Source: medleanmag