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Category: WTF Health

Leading Mental Health Platform on DTx Reimbursement, Scaling | Ken Cahill, SilverCloud Health

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

Digital mental health platform SilverCloud Health is the digital-therapeutic-of-choice for mental health services in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and serves nearly 250 healthcare organizations around the world, racking up 1.5 million therapy hours and 5 million clinical interactions. CEO Ken Cahill stops by to catch us up on SilverCloud Health’s impressive clinical outcomes and how he’s tackling challenges around reimbursement that are common for many digital therapeutics startups. His unique approach (spoiler alert: he partners with providers to approach payers for exception codes) may give some inspiration to those in a similar situation, but tune in for Ken’s full explanation and details on how the company plans to double over the next year.

Filmed at Frontiers Health in Berlin, Germany, November 2019.

A Hospital Chief Pharmacy Officer on Innovation Needs | Jennifer Tryon, Wake Forest Baptist Health

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

Health system pharmacists are frustrated with the lack of time they spend connecting with patients. Why? Jennifer Tryon, Chief Pharmacy Officer for Wake Forest Baptist Health breaks it down for us by talking specifics about the outdated processes and old-school tech that are underpinning many health systems’ medication management programs — and holding back their pharmacists as a result. When she’s sourcing innovative new solutions for her pharmacy at Wake Forest Baptist Health, what are the pressing priorities that are getting her attention (and her budget)? Jennifer’s description of the challenges and opportunities for innovation in the health system pharmacy and medication management space is a MUST watch for anyone looking to learn more about taking their tech into this space.

Filmed at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, December 2019.

The Digital-First Health Insurance Startup Changing Healthcare in Nigeria | Femi Kuti, RelianceHMO

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

RelianceHMO is a Nigerian-based health insurance startup that aims to turn the traditional health insurance world upside-down. CEO Femi Kuti delves into how his company is using mobile phones, telemedicine, data science, and even underwriting (!) to make health insurance cheaper — and more accessible. With more than 1800 hospital partners across Nigeria, RelianceHMO is making a name for itself, but how does it plan to scale throughout Africa? And, what can payers around the world learn from their approach as they seek to make health insurance easy and affordable for Nigeria’s 190M uninsured? We love talking about disrupting payment models in healthcare and after hearing Femi’s story, you’ll understand why.

Filmed at Bayer G4A Signing Day in Berlin, Germany, October 2019.

Ouchie, a Chronic Pain Management App Mapping “Pain Journeys” | Rachel Trobman, Upside Health

BY JESSICA DAMASSA, WTF HEALTH

Not only is ‘Ouchie’ what you say when you’re in pain, but now it’s also what you say when you need to find relief! Rachel Trobman, CEO of Upside Health, introduces us to Ouchie, a remote patient monitoring and treatment tool for chronic pain that patients can download onto their phones. Central to the patient experience of the app is the focus on documenting the patient’s “pain journey” where they answer a series of important lifestyle questions that inform the platform to come up with ways to receive support and other health resources. Not only does this self-reported data help patients identify triggers and patterns that impact their pain level, but it is also a treasure trove of information for physicians who can use it to better (and more quickly) tailor treatment to suit individual needs. The business behind Ouchie, called Upside Health, is starting to take off too and Rachel talks through revenue model, funding, and future plans.

Filmed at Frontiers Health in Berlin, Germany, November 2019.

Livongo Takes on Hypertension | Zane Burke, CEO, Livongo

BY JESSICA DAMASSA, WTF HEALTH

Livongo CEO, Zane Burke, has been a busy guy since the company’s IPO late last year. The applied health signals company has seen triple-digit (148%) growth and a robust expansion of the weight management and behavioral health platforms they’ve been building to support the ‘whole health life’ of people with diabetes. Case-in-point, Zane talks through the outcomes of the company’s latest clinical research on Livongo’s hypertension management tool, which showed that clients who used both Livongo’s diabetes management tool and hypertension tool in tandem experienced significant decreases in their hypertensive blood pressure in as little as four weeks. As traditional healthcare companies and digital health startups alike continue to watch Livongo’s every move for an indication of ‘what’s possible’ for health tech startups, we asked Zane to clue us in on how he’s keeping his team focused on product development, market expansion, and issues related to reimbursement.

Filmed at Frontiers Health in Berlin, Germany, November 2019.

Consumer Weight Loss Platform Noom Heads for Digital Health | Saeju Jeong, CEO, Noom

By JESSICA DAMASSA

Popular weight management app Noom is officially stepping into the world of digital health and digital therapeutics. CEO & co-founder, Saeju Jeong, shares some of the impressive stats that the behavior change platform has been able to help users achieve — including an average 7.5% reduction in body weight in 6 months. With more than 1 million (!) users around the world already, Noom is expanding globally and is venturing further into the healthcare space as a result of their successful pilot with Novo-Nordisk, which saw Noom as a ‘wrap around’ support to the drug company’s diabetes medication. On tap next, Saeju tells us he’s headed further into diabetes management, hypertension, kidney failure, and various cardiac conditions.

Filmed at Frontiers Health in Berlin, Germany, November 2019.

Disrupting How We Detect Asthma & Hypertension | Edward Allegra, BioLum Sciences

BY JESSICA DAMASSA

BioLum Sciences is introducing new chemistry that has the potential to completely change the way we test for respiratory illnesses, like asthma, and analyze blood samples to identify hypertension. CEO Edward Allegra talks through the science behind both their breath and blood tests, both of which are patent-pending and have the ability to completely bend the cost-curve when it comes to identifying and monitoring these two common chronic conditions. What’s next for the early-stage health startup? A range of applications to detect everything from COPD to lung cancer and more.

Filmed at Bayer G4A Signing Day in Berlin, Germany, October 2019.

Digital Therapeutics Category Outlook for Reimbursement | Megan Coder, Digital Therapeutics Alliance

BY JESSICA DAMASSA

What’s ahead for digital thereaputics as the category carves out its place in the broader world of digital health and health tech? Megan Coder, Executive Director of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (the professional org founded in 2017 to guide the development of the category), swings by to level set with some definitions, talk reimbursement trends in US and Europe, and explain the intention behind the DTA’s recently published code of conduct and best practices for DTX companies.

Filmed at Frontiers Health in Berlin, Germany, November 2019.

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Detecting Heart Conditions Faster: The Case for Biomarkers-PLUS-AI | Dean Loizou, Prevencio

BY JESSICA DAMASSA

Can artificial intelligence help prevent cardiovascular diseases? Biotech startup, Prevencio, has developed a proprietary panel of biomarkers that uses blood proteins and sophisticated AI algorithms to detect cardiovascular conditions like coronary and peripheral artery disease, aerotic stenosis, risk for stroke and more. Dean Loizou, Prevencio’s VP of Business Development, breaks down the process step-by-step and explains exactly how Prevencio reports its clinically viable scores to doctors. How does the AI fit into all this? We get to that too, plus the details around this startup’s plans for raising a B-round on the heels of this work with Bayer.

Filmed at Bayer G4A Signing Day in Berlin, Germany, October 2019.

Innovative Cancer Care Meets Digital Health | Janhvi Patel, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

BY JESSICA DAMASSA

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is known worldwide for their leading-edge approach to cancer care…so, how can digital health help? MSK’s new Digital Ventures Lead, Janhvi Patel, talks about the types of tech companies she’s looking to partner with (or invest in) when it comes to advancing her organization’s oncology practice. Sure, precision medicine is an important area of innovation, but so are patient journey, provider workflow improvement, and data analysis. What else does one of the world’s leading cancer centers need to take their care to the next level? Tune in to meet Janhvi and find out.

Filmed at HLTH 2019 in Las Vegas, October 2019.