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With an idea to acknowledge the fast-growing companies, contributing extraordinarily to the revolution of disruption in healthcare, we bring to you the special edition of “The 20 Most Disruptive Healthcare Solution Providers 2018”.
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www.insightscare.com November2018 THE 20 Most DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARESOLUTION PROVIDERS 2018 LaurieGoodman CEO&BoardManager CLEARLIGHT BIOTECHNOLOGIES Developing a Next-Generation 3D TissueProcessing Platform by LeveragingCLARITY
Editor-in-Chief SeniorEditor ManagingEditor ExecutiveEditor ContributingEditors Visualiser Art &DesignHead Art & DesignAssistant Pooja M.Bansal AnishMiller Ashwini S.Deshpande AishwaryaNawandhar Devasish, Sneha, Sayali DavidKing Amol Kamble Poonam,Shweta Co-designer PaulBelin Art & Picture Editor KaranGaikwad Peter Collins MarryD’Souza MarkWilliams John, Amy, Bill, Sarah JacobSmile Swapnil Patil David, Robert Alina Sege PrashantChevale Rahul, Gemson,Swati EricSmith Tanaji Business DevelopmentManager MarketingManager Business DevelopmentExecutive SalesExecutives TechnicalHead Assistant TechnicalHead TechnicalConsultants Digital MarketingManager Assistant Digital MarketingManager SME-SMOExecutives ResearchAnalyst CirculationManager sales@insightscare.com November,2018 CorporateOfces: InsightsCare Insights Success MediaTechLLC 555 Metro Place North,Suite100, Dublin, OH 43017,UnitedStates Phone -(614)-602-1754 Email:info@insightscare.com For Subscription:www.insightscare.com Insights Care Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt.Ltd. Ofce No. 510, 513, 5th Floor, Rainbow Plaza, ShivarChowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra411017 Phone-India:+917410079881/82/83/84/85 Email:info@insightscare.com For Subscription:www.insightscare.com Follow uson: www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/https://twitter.com/insightssuccess We are also available on: Copyright © 2018 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorpermissionfromInsightssuccess. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Insights Care is powered by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt.Ltd.
Editor’sColumn Istart-ups as well as thebiggiantsinthissector, andratherdisruptively.Yet,there is nnovation is the key to unlock the future in every sector. Same is the casewith healthcare. The need of innovation in this segment is being fed by thenumerous place for more. With so many emerging trends and changes in healthcare, onequestion that comes to the mind of any professional willing to establish a new business is-How can it be done in a betterway? In healthcare, success of a business is not determined by only the ordinary terms.There are some industry-specific points that one has to consider. To start with, one must know that it is not a consumer market. In most of the cases, patients are not the ones paying their own bills and selecting their own products. Here's where the doctors and insurance companies play a role and should be considered as well. Also, the investment needed in a healthcare start-up is long term. Even if the company manages to incur decent amount of money to initiate the business, therecomes a need for second and third and more rounds of investments required. It is of significance to have a proper businessmodel. Another important factor to consider is the regulations that are to be abided in healthcare. Various regulations such as HIPAA, the Affordable Healthcare Act, and many more are unavoidable. The companies need to embrace these, in order toremain in the picture. Alongside, while thinking of disruptive technology, in healthcare there are already several giants and companies present that are working on the same. It isof benefit to learn to work with them, rather than against them. A lot of start-ups do not think sufficiently overthis. There are various other things to be thought of while establishing a new business inthe healthcare space. An idea is the path laid; to walk through it is the execution of that idea; and to end up successfully, requires a lot more than just idea and execution. So, with the right ingredients, one can embark on this path anddisrupt! AishwaryaNawandhar Editor Kick-Starting Your Way inHealthcare
08 ClearLightBiotechnologies Developing a Next-Generation 3D Tissue Processing Platform by Leveraging CLARITY - CoverStory 20 22 28 Clearsense Driving Innovations toBring an End to the Era of DisconnectedData BehavioralHealthWorks Restoring Hope for Families Facing Autism withPremium ServiceDelivery Genpharm A ForemostPharmaceutical Organization OfferingTailor- made and Comprehensive Solutions
CXO 18 40 Expert’sView Why is it important for healthcare providersto move towards patient- personalisedservices? Exclusive Proteins are Better Biomarkers thanGenes Science Scoop Never Miss aDose MedicationApps 24 C O N T E N TS HIV AwarenessMonth HIV Still an Impending Threat toMankind Articles 34 Editor’sInsight Telemedicine A RevolutionaryStep inHealthcare 44 30 38 46 Phronetik Unmasking Geneticsto Improve Health TheTeleDentists Delivering Top-notch Dentistry Services at Your Doorstep in a Cost-effectiveWay Sunny DaysIn-Home Care Re-shaping the Healthcare Landscape with In-HomeCare
Innovators Disrupting the HealthcareIndustry MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 Tcircumstancein which aninnovation starts reshaping an industry or amarket by makingitsimpler, he term “Disruptive Innovation” was first coined by a Harvard Professor, Clayton M. Christensen. Today, itis a word widely heard and spoken across the entire business landscape. According to Clayton, it isa convenient, accessible, and affordable. The process initiates in a niche area that may be inconsequential to the whole market, but eventually ends up transforming the entire industry. Healthcare is one of the spheres that highly need disruptive innovation. With the numerous new technologies launched, the opportunity for this is greater than it has ever been. It is expected that in the future, withdisruptive innovation, patient care will be provided at reduced costs and improvedquality. With an idea to acknowledge the fast-growing companies, contributing extraordinarily to the revolution ofdisruption in healthcare, we bring to you the special edition of “The 20 Most Disruptive Healthcare Solution Providers 2018”. Featured on its “Cover” is ClearLight Biotechnologies. It is harnessing next generation technologies torevolutionize the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive treatment ofdisease. Apart from this insightful cover story, we have also enlisted the leading companies transforming the healthcare landscape. This list includes Behavioral Health Works, a company focused on improving autism andrelated-disorder treatment; Clearsense, which is solving all the fundamental problems of data in healthcare; Genpharm, offering comprehensive solutions to the pharmaceutical companies; Phronetik, answering the unanswered questions of healthcare and advancing precision medicine; Sunny Days In-home Care, providing best-in-class and affordable in- home care services; The Teledentists that has enabled top-notch dental care anytime, anywhere; American Telepsychiatrists; Avera eCARE; Bikham Information Technology; Cydar Ltd; Direct Radiology; KPMG LLP; LiveProcess; Livio Health Group; Medivizor; NaphCare, Inc.; Rethink; Singapore O&G Ltd; andZilico. In addition to this, we have also featured two interesting articles from the industry experts Stephen Critchlowand Steven Pelech. To further engage your thoughts, we have incorporated a few gripping write-ups from ourin-house editors. Flip through the pages and enjoy a goodread!
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 ClearLIGHT BIOTECHNOLOGIES Developing aNext-Generation 3D Tissue Processing Platform by LeveragingCLARITY , We are developing a novel, nextgeneration , technology platfam faprocessing and visualizing tissue in3D
CoverStay Laurie Goodman,Ph.D. CEO & BoardManager
H ealthcare presents aparadox when it comes toinnovation. Although many of thehighly innovative discoveries come atavery swift pace, ideas that can transform healthcare occur gradually, overa prolonged period of time. These gradual transformations arealsoknown as ‘Disruptive Innovations’. In this, the existing methods or traditions are improved to increase the quality of care and simultaneously make it affordable by leveraging the existing or up and coming technologies. This allows the whole populationto significantly seek the benefits of various healthcare technologiesand thereby promotingpopulation health. Looking at thescenario of the health space today, disruptive innovationin healthcare is a significant revolution that theworld needs. A smallBiotechnology startup, ClearLight Biotechnologies, LLC, is leadingthe revolution of a positively disruptive innovation in healthcare. Formerlyknown
as Clearlight Diagnostics, LLC, it was founded in 2014 by Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD, the inventor of CLARITY, Optogenetics, and STARmap technologies and D.H.Chen, Professor of Bioengineering and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University as well as the Investigator of the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute. ClearLight is an early stage company, focused on developing automated instrumentation andassociated reagents to simplify and expeditenon-destructive 3-Dimensional (3D) tissue analysis to facilitate preclinical and clinical research applications. It is creating a platform that will enable an end-to-end solution for 3D analysis of preclinical and clinical models of disease. It will consistof an automated multi-sample and individualized 3D tissue processor paired with optimized biomarker panels as well as multi-sample imaging and custom 3D image analysis software. FocusAreas The current focus of the company is in the area ofoncology prognostic and predictive applications. In this, it emphasizes on predictive biomarker applications for immune-oncology T-cell based drugs as well as standard of care (SOC) biomarkers. Neuroscience is another area of interest for ClearLight Biotechnologies. In neuroscience, it emphasizes on the models of Alzheimer’sdisease. However, the technology could be easily applied to any biological area that relies on 2D thin-section analysis ofa tissue. The VisionaryLeader Laurie Goodman, Ph.D. is the current CEO and Board Manager of ClearLight Biotechnologies and previously served as the Chief Scientific Officer since 2015 before assuming her new role. Dr. Goodman is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience in innovative technology development, clinical cancer diagnostics, and translational cancer research within the biotechnology industry. She holds a BS degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Arizona State University and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from University of California Berkeley. Following a postdoctoralfellowship at Genentech, she began her career at Lynx Therapeutics (currently Illumina) where she initiated and developed a breast cancer scientific program to validate the company’s next generation sequencing platform. Dr. Goodman is also an author on several key publications and patents related to analytic and clinical cancerbiomarkers. , , the future ofpredictive treatment At ClearLight, we are focused onimproving She has worked in broad senior level roles encompassing research and development as well as clinical and medical affairs. Prior to joining ClearLight, Dr. Goodman held the position of Senior Director of Scientific and Medical Affairs for Biodesix, an innovator of blood-based cancer diagnostics. She was instrumental in building and leading the company’s first scientific and medical affairs team, as well as initiating key academic collaborations in the areas of lung and breast cancer. Her other senior level roles include directing the analytic team involved in the CLIA validation and commercialization of Monogram Biosciences’ first oncology diagnostic product,HERmark®. The Problem in the Already ExistingTechniques Current gold standard techniques, for the analysis of diseased and normal tissues are outdated and around a century old. It relies on the analysis of 2D thin-section formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissue techniques.The spatial analysis of a potentially heterogeneous tissue microenvironment can be highly limited by such techniques, as can the analysis of the tissuemorphology. Furthermore, 2D analysis is destructive, slide-based, variable and highly manual, and does not representthe entire biology. Mathematically speaking, asingle 5-micron tissue section from a 2 cm3 breast carcinoma is exactly the same as the ratio of a single Manhattan blockto all of Manhattan (adapted from a personal communication with Dr. Geoffrey Baird MD PhD). It is not representative of the more comprehensive biology of that tumor and therefore may hinder successful treatment outcomes for patients.
biomarker information. Importantly, the technologyenables the storage of samples indefinitely for future analysis and the microscopic imaging capabilities including confocal, light sheet, and SPIM. The workflow of this platform is very simple andincludes: , • Embedding the tissue in a hydrogelmatrix solution; • Removal of light scattering lipids that impedethe ability to image deeply within atissue; • Multiplexed interrogation with directly or indirectly fluorescently labeled antibodies or nucleic acids to identify key structural and microenvironment biomarkers and refractiveindex matching; • Microscopic imaging of the tissues, using long working distance objectives and eitherconfocal, light sheet, or SPIM; • 3D image analysis using ArtificialIntelligence (AI) and machine learningtechniques. • The development program of the company is acombination of external software and hardware engineering contractors, as well as strategic academic and businesspartnerships. • TeamClearLight • The internal team of ClearLight is comprised of a Director of Operations, two Directors of Research and Development, a Head of Lab Operations along with the CEO. In order to keep costs to a minimum, the company operates primarily with an extensive external network support that handle human resources, IT, accounting & taxes, engineering, animal facility CRO, marketing/website support, and legal works (corporate and IP). It also has key academic collaborations in the area of oncology andneuroscience. • Determined to Revolutionize the Future ofMedicine • The mission of ClearLight is to revolutionize the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive treatment of disease by enabling next generation technologies for non- destructively and digitally analyzing diseased and normal tissues in 3D. It predicts a similar future of this industry as to that of the adoption of next generation sequencing(NGS) into clinical decision making that took more than 20 years and has now become a billion-dollarindustry. • Dr. Goodman says, “We predict a similar steady trajectory with treatment of cancer is ourgoal , Revolutionizingthe ClearLight’s Ingenious Solution ClearLight is developing a next generation instrument, reagent and software platform for volumetric tissue processing and 3D image analysis. It is developing this solution by leveraging the revolutionary technology called CLARITY, which is an acronym for ClearLipid-exchanged Acrylamide-hybridized Rigid Imaging/Immunostaining/In- situ hybridization-compatibleTissue-hYdrogel. “CLARITY is a novel approach that is innovative in both function and utility, and has been applied broadly to the field of neurobiology, primarily as a qualitative tool,” says Dr. Goodman. The company believes in the technology asit enables the formation of a hydrogel matrix (HM) by crosslinking biological molecules to a 3D network of hydrophilic polymers, followed by lipid removal to generate a transparent and structurally intact tissue. This tissue retains its original structural features, can be labeled with macromolecules, and imaged without destruction of the tissuemorphology. Another advantage of the CLARITY technology, is that it is compatible with previously frozen, fresh, formalin-fixed, and FFPE research and clinical human or rodent tissue. It is non-destructive, and therefore fewer samples are required, thus allowing recapitulation of spatial heterogeneitywithout laborious sectioning and registering of samples. It is compatible with standard nucleic acid and antibody interrogation techniques. This technique also allows for multiple interrogations of a single sample to increase3D
3D processing and imaging of diseased tissue being adopted initially into the research use only (RUO)market and eventually entering the clinical market as adoption increases and clinical utility is established.” Future Business Plans Reorganization of leadership in recent months, has resulted in changes to several aspects of the company, including a name change to more accurately portray the revised business model of the company and future potential commercialization plan. By the fourth quarter of 2019 or first quarter of 2020, the company will be launching a Research Use Only (RUO) in-house service model along with limited beta platform testing in the field, for 3-4 academic sites. The in-house custom service model will be offered to academic and pharmaceutical customers in any field, like preclinical, clinical drug development, exploratory inclusion in clinical trials; as a means to growa profitable business over the next five years. These Beta platform studies will allow the company to validate the system and facilitate the generation of key clinical utility data, informing about its futurepotential. Following long term adoption of the RUO product by pharma, academics, and CROs, ClearLight has plans to enter the Laboratory-Derived Testing Clinical Market or a Potential FDA-cleared platform/companion diagnosticwith potential partners, although the plans for this have not been established at this time. The strategy of the company is to first establish the RUO and potential clinical utility and develop the market for the technology. It foresees this timeline for FDA approval and clinical utility to be similar to NGS technology marketadoption. “With any new disruptive and revolutionary technique, adoption takes time and patience but the rewards are extensive for a company like ClearLightBiotechnologies since it holds exclusive intellectual property rights to develop the CLARITY technology for diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive future clinical applications,” asserts theCEO. , We aimto deliveran unprecedented way tovisualize andquantify 3Drelationships , within thetissue microenvironment
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018
Proteinsare BetterBiomarkers thanGenes Tplummeted by amillion-fold over thelast 25 years. hardwired into the structures of these proteins as dictatedby their gene sequences. But, they are also tightly controlled by reversible modifications after they are initially manufactured, which are added on by regulatory proteins that operate within cellular intelligencesystems. While gene sequences can provide some clues as to the potential functions and interactions of proteins with each other and other molecules, this information is extremely limited. Even now, we do not have a real sense of whatover a third of these diverse proteins do, and less than 20% of these proteins have received any real serious attention in researchlabs. The disconnect between genetic information and the actual occurrence of disease is due to the high impact of environmental factors such as diet, life style and exposure to agents in the environment that can affect the proteome. Proteomes are immensely complex and dynamic. For example, blood plasma may contain as many as 40,000 different protein products, and their individual concentrations can range over a trillion-fold.Consequently, tracking proteins offers much better insights into the occurrence of diseases than genetic profiling, and importantly the opportunity for more rational therapeutic intervention. While about 21,300 genes encode proteins in the human genome, the actual number of distinct protein entities inthe proteome may actually exceed several million, largely due to the range and degree of added modifications and other processing. More than 50 types of modifications havebeen |November 2018|18 he costs of sequencing the order of nucleotidebases in the DNA strands found in chromosomeshave The entire sequence of 2.9 billion nucleotide base-pairs ina single human genome can now be determined for lessthan $1000. Complete genomes of hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be sequenced over the nextdecade. While the acquisition of such genomic knowledge was originally forecasted to herald better diagnostics and therapeutic treatments, the actual deliverables forimproved health care have been disappointing. Excluding cancer, it has become apparent that only about 10% of the cases of the most common diseases that afflict our population havea genetic basis that can be ascribed to hereditary mutationsin the DNA sequences of specificgenes. Over 100 million single nucleotide variants appear toexist in the human population, and perfectly healthy people appear to commonly harbour about 100 or so serious disease-associated mutations without any apparent manifestations of these particular diseases. Studies, with over 50,000 genetically identical twins, have shown no increased risks for the 24 most common diseases amongst the twins than for a twin with the generalpopulation. Over 95% of the known 21,300 genes carried in the human genome serve as the blue-prints for the construction of all of the cellular proteins, known as the proteome. These proteins function like molecular robots to regulate andcarry out all of the biochemical reactions needed to keep cells alive. Their programming for specific tasks ispartly
Exclusive ABOUTTHEAUTHOR Dr. Steven Pelech is the Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, and concurrently a fullprofessorintheDepartmentof MedicineattheUniversityofBritish Columbia.Hewasformerlythe founderandpresidentofKinetek Pharmaceuticals. He hasauthored more than 230 scientific papers and created the SigNET on-line Knowledge-bank. Dr. StevenPelech Founder, President & Chief ScientificOfficer documented in proteins, with phosphorylation as the predominant reversible regulatory mechanism. Over 85%of the proteome is known to be phosphorylatable at over 250,000 sites, but the actual number of phosphosites appears to be closer to a million. The occurrence of these and other modifications in proteins represent a rich source of biomarkers that may correlate better with the development ofpathologies. Most sites of known protein modification were originally revealed by mass spectrometry (MS). However, apart from being very expensive, MS requires milligram amount of biological sample material and is finicky for reliable detection of desired target proteins. For example, out of some 3000 phosphosites in proteins that have been well documented to be functionally important in the scientific literature, about 22% have not been reported in any MS studies, whereas another 16% were documented in onlyone of thousands of MS analyses that had beenperformed. Antibodies have been well proven to be reliable and effective probes for the detection and quantification of specific proteins for their present and modification states. Over a million different antibodies against diverse proteinsare presently commercially available. Furthermore, the printing of antibodies as individual microdotson microscope slide-sized chips with densities exceeding5000 spots per chip has paved the way for biomarker discovery that is easily translatable into the development of routine diagnostic tests. Biomarker antibodies can readilybe re-deployed into other tried and true platforms suchas immunoblotting, ELISA, andimmunohistochemistry. Problems with sample preparation, high background issues, and low sensitivity of detection initially hampered thewide- spread adoption of antibody microarrays. However, recent breakthroughs on all of these fronts have poised antibody microarrays to become the most versatile, reproducible, and cost-effective tools in the foreseeable future for biomarker discovery, using as little as 25 microgram amounts of protein samples from crude, unfractionated lysates from cells, tissues, and bio fluids. High content antibody microarrays can identify the most appropriate and robust panel of biomarkers. When used to probe lysatemicroarrays printed instead with hundreds of patient specimen samples on each slide, these biomarker antibodies can provide accurate, comprehensive and economical diagnoses for diseases and for the monitoring of the effectiveness of therapeutictreatments. 19 |November2018 |
Behavioral HealthWorks Restoring Hope for Families Facing Autism with Premium ServiceDelivery Aperson socializes, behaves, or interacts with others. utism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is aneurological and developmental disorder that impacts the waya Till date, there is no possible cure for autism. Butsome practices can help improve learning, social functioning,and quality of life for both children and adults withthis condition. Behavioral Health Works (BHW) is aleading provider of treatment for individuals with autism and related disorders having offices across the UnitedStates. The company helps individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities reach their potential by working collaboratively with families, schools, and relevant professionals. By focusing on ways in which people respond to their environment (behavior), it provides opportunities to learn in specific and observable ways, leading to a positive outcome (health). BHW renders superior personalized care and service delivery,maintaining a personal connection with each family and committing to the advancement of each and every client. It operates from a CARES philosophy with the focus on Compassion, Accountability, Research-based treatments, Effective and Efficient changes, and is consolidated with a family unit Systems-approach. The Philanthropist’s Story Dr. Rob Douk is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of BHW. Fleeing death and seeking hope, Rob’s family escaped a Cambodian labor camp and migrated to America in the early 1980’s. Building their life from nothing, his parents taught him how to love hard and work hardthrough any situation. Today, these circumstances best define him. Regarded as a thought leader in the behavioral health industry, Rob is a clinician turned social entrepreneur, executive coach, and ForbesBooks Featured Author. He isa Dr. RobDouk Founder, Chairman, &CEO ” We strive to bring lightinto dark placesofthisworldbydelivering premium care andservices ” |November 2018|20
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 serial entrepreneur, having built multiplesuccessful enterprises, incorporating an emphasis on making measurable societal changes in eachventure. Rob married his college mate, Ami, and together theybuilt the Hope Out Loud Foundation, an international nonprofit that helps communities around the world. Rob is knownto coach from a principle of having “faith over fear” and he believes that “character” is the most important to hirefor. BHW’s PrudentApproach BHW’s approach to treatment is naturalistic, using everyday family routines to foster generalization of skills and to promote independence right from the start. This approach is rooted in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with emphasis on individualized programs, focusing on each person’s strengths and challenges. Its programs focus on increasing each client’s motivation to learn, makingeach session both fun and functional. It also considers all scientifically proven methods when tailoring each program to fit the unique needs of each client. The company’s treatment approach in each of BHW’s programs shares the common goal of teaching individuals the tools necessary to obtain a better quality of life and to lead a more independentlife. Patients’ Journey withBHW When with BHW, patients get more than a clinical teamat their front door. They also get an administrative team to support them, behind the scenes, every step of theway. BHW has a friendly and smart team at the back office, along with a caring and knowledgeable clinical team to work with patients using the best and the latest in clinical research. To keep everything together, the company has a user-friendly and robust proprietary technology platform that captures every BHW program to make what it does simply a cut above the rest. It has been servicing across multiple regions with one united team with aconsolidated approach and onevoice. Services andAccomplishments BHW is a one-stop shop for premium autism service delivery. It offers ABA therapy for the entire life span, diagnostic clinics, speech and occupational therapy aswell as social skills groups and counseling. The company provides a holistic customized program suited forevery individual. From certifying its therapists with RBT credentials to responding to the patients’referrals in less than 2 hoursand retaining more than 99% of the clients, BHW strongly believes in delivering premium services. This is its biggest achievement and a testament to all its employees that deliver on this commitment, day in and day out. The company has graduated over 70% of its clients within two years and has a 0% client relapserate. Continuously Improving withTQM Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy and set of guiding principles that BHW adopts to focus on continuously improving the organization, its procedures, and the services that it provides the clients. TQM focuses on the needs of the client and on improving the quality of work and providing a finished product. It promotes continuous monitoring and improvement of company procedures in order to reduce inefficient or wasteful practices. It also involves the entire organization in the improvement of quality and also empowers employees atall levels. The Three C’s of WorkEnvironment Collaboration: BHW prides itself on maintaining a fun, open-door working environment where collaboration isthe cornerstone of itssuccess. Cause-driven: BHW and its employees embrace thatthere is more to a career than a title. What they do actually matters tothem. Celebration: Members of BHW, aka “BHWers”, support one another through celebrating their clients’ successes. The employees are encouraged to stop by the main office to enjoy the staff lounge, take a break, and indulge in posting on or reading the client successboard. Speaking about the future, Rob asserts, “We would like to serve as many families in need as we are able to, while maintaining high quality service delivery for eachfamily.” 21|November 2018 |
Clearsense Driving Innovations to Bring an End to the Era of Disconnected Data Ipositively disrupted by thetechnology. Disruptive s there anything in common between financeand healthcare? Not much, but both of them arebeing innovation is leading the new era of advancement, and it is much needed. One of the major factors contributing to this innovation in healthcare is the use of data science. Withthe rise in the number of clinical documents produced every day and the sensitive nature of medical data, it is necessary to find a way to collect, organize, and process the huge amount of data for a more informed, better healthcare. One of the companies leading this revolution isClearsense. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Clearsense is a technology- based company that provides a platform to solve the fundamental problem of data in healthcare. The companyis an offshoot of Optimum Healthcare IT that has been around since 2012. Started as an analytics company, Clearsense, today, has become a technology driven organization that is re-imagining and simplifying data analytics to help healthcare organizations realize measurable value from theirdata. CharlesBoicey Co-founder &CIO ” The NovelLeader Charles Boicey is the Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Clearsense who has expertise and experience ina variety of areas. In the medical field, he specializes in Trauma Critical Care Nursing. Charles ran the trauma unit at LA County USC medical center for about 15 years and then made a transition into Biomedical Information Systems as well as Biomedical Engineering. After that, he earned the degrees in Computer Science and Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technologyin We are here to organize thechaos inhealthcare ” |November 2018|22
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 Hoboken New Jersey and then brought that training back into healthcare. During his time at the University of California Irvine, he was the user of various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. He was very fascinated with their technologies and was set to implement the same kind of ease in data management for healthcare. Working on this, he has innovated his way tothe top and led Clearsense to its successtoday. holistic team, which includes clinical professionals, data scientists, developers, etc. This has proved to be a great benefit for the company. Another one of its key differentiators is that the company has not just learned the technologies, but has helped develop them. This brings a huge advantage to the business as well as itsclients. Clearsense provides a full-blown data ecosystem and has made use of big data. This has helped it automate thelarge part of work processes for its clients. Also, the company allows the integration and synchronization of data in the database within days and not weeks, saving a lot of time and at affordable costa. It also has different governance around the data and provides adequatesecurity. Tracing Back the Roadmap toSuccess Clearsense started small; they had just a couple of clients who were Charles’ partners at the University of California Irvine and Meharry Medical College. For MeharryMedical College, the company built a data science institute, and for the University of California Irvine, it developed a system for real-time monitoring of patients in high acuityarea. With this, Clearsense brought all the patients’ datatogether, which includes data from a clinicalenvironment,laboratory systems, etc. in real time. This helped make the clinicians aware of the patients whose health would be slightly deteriorating so that there can be intervention before reaching any adverseconditions. Life atClearsense The company fosters a free work environment. At Clearsense, every individual is accountable and has the freedom to be innovative and creative. The company encourages its employees to ask questions and seek help. “It is very important in a tech company and it kind ofgoes back to you know, my clinical time when somebody new enters the clinical environment, the most important thing they could say is ‘I don’t know, I can’t figure this out,’and we come in and help them,” says Charles. The company also has a provision for the employees to work remotely. There is also a culture of celebration in theorganization. Additionally, the company has also brought in the legacy data systems and made it available for folks in health information systems. Another thing the company did create and provide a platform for its clients involved in mergers and acquisitions. It takes the data from the segment being acquired and brings it into Clearsense and sends it to the system doing the acquiring after adequate transformationof that data. Clearsense does this in a very short period of time, comparatively. What’sAhead? “We are very much in a growth trajectory. We are signing up more and more healthcare clients as we go,” says the CIO. This will allow its clients to collaborate with each other. The company has already started to get involved with Academia and wants to expand in it further. It isalso getting inquiries from outside of healthcare. So, it will be potentially moving outside of healthcare as well, keeping healthcare at itsnexus. So, started with a few initial clients and have reachedmiles already, it plans to expand further. What sets itApart? The technologies used by Clearsense have just started to creep in the healthcare market. Although the company hasa couple of competitors that have started to bring these technologies in, Clearsense started long back and had already adapted to these technologies. Alongside, it hasa 23 |November2018 |
ScienceScoop Never a Miss Dose:Medication Apps M obile phones, especially smartphones, aredoing to a report published in Annals of Internal Medicine, September 2012, America loses $100 – $289 billion in a year due to medication non-adherence. The situation is graver in case of chronic illnesses. Treatment of such disease requires long-term use of medicines. But patients are seen not adhering to it due to various reasons. A study from Mayo Clinic states “approximately 50% of patientsdo not take their medications as prescribed.” This amounts to not only monetary loss but also health issues. Somepatients end up in emergency rooms because they did take medicines on time. Even small issues turn into serious ones if not treated properly. Doctors have long been advising people to take their medicines as prescribed. But the results just don’t matchup. Keeping a digital eye onhealth Mobile apps are now being used to fight this underrated health concern. A huge population of these patients uses smartphones. Mobile apps are now being recommendedby |November 2018|24 more than what they were intended todo. Thanks to all the apps that developersaround the world are busy making to simplify the lives.These mobile apps come in all shapes and sizes and do a myriad of things for smartphone users. While gaming, socialmedia, and retail apps continue to rule the charts, health appsare surely catching up. With people becoming more health conscious than ever, these apps are also making theirmark. Good health is attributed to many factors. One needs to have a proper diet, exercise, routine checkups, and thelikes. What most people tend to neglect intentionally or unintentionally is the medication routine. Medicines, be it a lifesaving drug or just a vitamin pill, is also essential for good health. Unfortunately, most people tend to forget taking their pills on time. Some blame it on their schedule, some don’t find the time, some are too busy to remember, and some, like the elderly, just forget to take it.According
doctors and other patients alike to tackle this menace.These apps are easy to use, mostly free, and are designed to perform a lot of things for the patients. These apps have a number of features to assist patients with drugadherence. The process is simple and starts with the patientuploading their prescription or filling in the drugs that they areon. They can then customize alarms, set up emergency numbers, put a tracker, and other such features. Someapps even use games to help patients understand theimportance of taking medication ontime. Apps full of features Different apps offer different features and sometimes address only a particular concern. Some apps are freeof cost while some are premium and offer much-advanced features. But most apps do thefollowing: Set up reminders -- Easiest way to get your dose on time is to set up alarms. The apps set off alarms at a definitive time and some even light up the screen with particular colors to remind the patients of their pending dose. Some even auto- adjust to the time zones, so that the patients do not mess up their dosage when traveling to different parts of theworld. Send messages to caregiver -- Some apps send messagesto the patient’s caregiver (mostly family member) and doctor when they miss a dose. They can then remind the patientto take theirmedicine. Manage family health -- Some apps can help patientsdeal with multiple profiles. This allows one member track the medicine habits of the entirefamily. Drug Interaction – Few apps have the feature to letpatients know about drug interactions i.e. if any two or moreof one’s medicines can react and cause issues to his/her wellbeing. This feature can really help if one takesover-the- counter drugs with prescribedmedicine. Medical Jargons – Mobile apps can let patients understand medical terms too. Terms like CR (Controlled Release) printed on the medicine can often be confusing forpatients. These apps help them crack suchcodes. Refill reminders – These mobile apps remind patients in advance when they are about to run out of theirprescribed medicines. ContactingPharmacy--Afewappsletpatientsuploadtheir prescription with the pharmacy and get their medicines door-step delivered when they need it. They even allow the pharmacy to cross-check with the patient’s doctor to make sure that the prescribed medicines need to becontinued. Generic Report – Some medicine mobile apps also let patients record their blood pressure, sugar levels and send them to their doctors at a fixed time interval (say once ina month). These mobile apps are really proving to be a boon especially for the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses or illnesses like Parkinson where the patient genuinely forgets to take the pills. Timely reminders, interactive interface, easy-to-use and manage features, sounds and lights, all make them suitable for patients across the world. Some paid and advanced apps even let patients take a video consultation with their doctors. The world is getting smarter and better. The world of medicine apps is slowly recognizing the opportunity and the what thismarket can be in the future. Such apps are surely going tomake this world a healthierplace! - SnehaSinha |November 2018|26
A Foremost Pharmaceutical Organization Offering Tailor-made and ComprehensiveSolutions Gmainly on nichetherapeuticsanddiagnostics for enpharm is a leading regionalpharmaceutical market access and marketing companyfocused Genpharm rare genetic diseases. The company has partneredwith multinational companies that have evidence-based and innovative drugs looking to expand into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The company operates through an experienced and dedicated team of medical science liaisons and key account managers. Thecompany’s partnerships are based on long-term regional commercial agreements or in-licensing deals under the Genpharm brand. Genpharm was established by the two influentialFounders & Managing Partners, Karim Smaira and Kamel Ghammachi, whose leadership has been a consistent presence in the MENA pharmaceutical sector for overforty years. They both have successfully occupied several industry roles and managed large multinational pharmaceutical organizations in both regional and internationalfunctions. Outshining with its DiverseServices Genpharm offers its expertise to achieve fast market access for companies looking to expand into the Middle East region. Being the exclusive partner for pharmaceutical organizations, it offers every required service to its clients at the highest standards which include regulatory, medical and pharmacovigilance support, quality and logistics, market access (pricing and reimbursement). It also dedicates field staff for them to work closely with the key stakeholders on disease awareness, patient support programs, CME events, scientific meetings, advisoryboards and expertpanels. ” KarimSmaira Founder &MP KamelGhammachi Founder &MP Our mission is to providehealthcare organizations with innovative therapeutic solutions in niche and rare genetic disease areas, market access strategies andsustainable commercialsolutions ” |November 2018|28
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 Genpharm also offers consultancy services on market entry strategies for companies interested to set up a regional office or that simply want to understand the commercial potential of their portfolio and the best strategies to approach the Middle East marketwith. • solutions that it offers, particularly in the areas of market access, disease awareness, anddiagnosis. • Accountability: The company wishes its employees to be responsible and accountable for their actions. It believes that the organizational culture of ownershipand entrepreneurial spirit is extremely difficult to maintain if employees don’t feelaccountable. • Integrity: Ethical standards and honesty are corevalues. Genpharm stays transparent internally and with its externalstakeholders. • Teamwork: Joining experiences, skills andsharing information helps them achieve more together as a group than loneindividual. • Prominent Landmarks in Genpharm’sJourney • Genpharm was a simple entrepreneurial idea and avision shared by the two founders that saw the light in2012. • Seeing a significant gap in the rare disease space in the Middle East, possessing the regional pharmaceutical expertise and a wide global network, they decided to turn this into an opportunity. With every new initiative, thereare risks and many “nay-sayers”. This has been a constant motivation to set ambitious objectives and surpassthem. • Genpharm was born out of the idea to become a market access provider for small pharmaceutical as well asbiotech organizations with innovative products. The industry reputation of its experienced management, the strongbrand identity acquired and the high quality of the work performed, attracted large leading corporations such as GSK, Sanofi and Novartis which embodied a validation for its business model and standards aswell. • Genpharm’s work has been recognized by working references from its partners and also through several business and industry awards such as the “Best Pharmaceutical Market Access Company” and the “Best Pharmaceutical Marketing and Consultancy Company”in 2016 and 2017 by the MEA businessawards. • Creating Eminence with its Core Values andVivid Visualization • Genpharm believes that its core values have been itsreal drivingforce. • Patient Care: It is focused on rare diseases, caring for the patient and their families are central to what we do. This is a key motivator that is used in our communication and our recruitment. We are usually the only hope that these patients have for a better life. This is the overarching motivation and the drive behindwhat Genpharm standsfor. • Innovation: Although, the product innovationcomes from its partners, Genpharm innovates in themarket Elevating Environment atGenpharm Being a start-up business, Genpharm is fully focused on maintaining an interactive work environment and offers its employees learning on the job through hands-on experience. Moreover, it tends to look internally for promotions which are very motivating. Today, itsmid-level management is composed exclusively of internaltalents. Genpharm maintains a very open environment for discussion and feedback with management practicing an open-door policy. The Management team likes to emphasize the fact that, “If you want to lead people,lead them from behind”. This has led to several internal promotions, particularly for those that believe that “leadership is what you do when your manager is not around”. Future Potential Genpharm is all set to continue its growth trajectory with several new collaborations, capitalizing on its expertise and recent track record. The company believes that the current research and technological breakthroughs will certainlylead to new advancements in disease management and even to curative therapies creating opportunities for its business developmentappetite. “We are growing organically at an average of 23% per year. We see no reason why we cannot continue this aggressive growth and complete our current expansion plans. We believe we have an unlimited potential for profitable growth”, asserts the duoconfidently. 29 |November2018 |
Unmasking Genetics to ImproveHealth Rmammals.Asarace, we have always been easoning, the power to question andsearch answers makes human beings different fromother Phronetik TaniaM President &CEO autodidacts and found solace in learning, growingand teaching. Why and how has it always been importantand has invoked us to find answers to the unknown? Thereason for this inquisitiveness ranges from personal to social, but what is important is the fact that the journey to the truthhas mostly ended in benefitting thesociety. It was with this curiosity and a quest for answers to unanswered questions that Phronetik was founded. What triggered the quest was a simple question, “How and why does one get a disease without any genetic predisposition, no family history or adverse lifestyle behaviors?”Phronetik was started to try and find answer these and otherquestions. The company’s name is an amalgamation of two Greek words: phronesis (wisdom) and kinetic (to move) which justifies its quest to leverage technology and innovation to improve health care, as they move forward withwisdom. A biotechnology company, Phronetik advances precision medicine by leveraging OMICS data, artificial intelligence and informatics to improve diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. It also supports translational research with particular interest in studies that encompass precision medicine. Over years the company has been trying to answer the questions with the science behind genetic predisposition followed by epigenetic studies and population health research. The diagnosis andinterpretation of data and calculation to determine the diseases has become the central focus of thecompany. Never sayNever Quitting is unacceptable for Tania Martin-Mercado, President & CEO, Phronetik, and the ideareverberates ” We aim to provide answerswhere there were previouslynone ” |November 2018|30
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 throughout the company, its employees and its workings. She started the company in 2013 with modest beginnings, no outside venture capital or influx of seed money and has toiled hard to bring it where it stands today. When asked what keeps her going, she answered, “I have questioned my sanity from time to time. Then I remember why I’m doing this. Maybe, though the efforts of the Phronetik team, its University partners and industry collaborators, we help a family predict and prevent the onset of disease.” She continues to voice her thoughts, “We prevent a death. We improve quality of care at a practice and quality of life fora patient. We provide answers where there were previously none. I believe in what we are doingwholeheartedly.” Spearheaded by its leader and aptly supported by its staff, Phronetik has been designing and re-designing its offerings and focus, starting with clinical trial services and support and broadening to sequencing and genetic services. It now partners with a number of CAP/CLIA accredited laboratories where it offers the services of genomic testing such as diagnostic testing, predictive genetic tests, pharmacogenomics, and carrier testing. This OMICS datais then processed to offer next-generation sequencing services and data analysis. It also offers technical support to the solutions. These professional services include strategic planning, technology roadmaps, HIPAA risk, security assessments and more. Its managed services, SupportDR™, is an IT offering perfect for providing technical support for clinical trials, private practices and other health care organizations. Specific SupportDR™ services include public portals, asset and inventory management, system monitoring and maintenance, 24x7x365 support, remote end-user support andmore. The company is committed to its mission to provide sustainable, innovative, transformative and disruptive technologies and services to support clinical trials, translational research, and patient-driven outcomes. It offersa holistic approach to translational and clinicalresearch. The company being anti-silo believes in informational transparency and necessary (compliant) data exchange to achieve its goals of advanced scientific discovery, reproducible studies with data to back them up and accurate, accessible data for clinicians to improve healthcare delivery. Phronetik credits its power to remain flexible and adaptable to the needs of the clients as the key to its towering stature over competitors. It helps in offeringa wide array of services to support the client’sinitiatives. Phronetik’s effort, as it strides along the path to realizing its values of “Good science, good data, excellence in innovation, and integrity in all we do”, has received recognition and accolades in many leadingmagazines. Phronetik serves the government, life science, hospitals, ambulatory/private practices, pharmaceutical,non-profit, and community-based organizations. The company values its employees like its customers and doesn’t hesitate in going that extra mile to keep them motivated, innovative and in love with their work. With the exception of lab work, employees are allowed to workfrom home, providing Phronetik access to the best talent in data science and biotech regardless of geographicallocation. Employee development is highly encouraged and theyare given an environment where they have the freedom to be creative and think outside thebox. Preparing Today, for a BrighterTomorrow The healthcare and biotechnology landscape is constantly changing, and Phronetik’s journey continues. It opines this journey as an opportunity and is the passion that the company thrives on. It entails the discovery of ways it can be a part of improving health care while contributing to the larger body of scientific knowledge. It keeps an eye on the other developments happening worldwide, from new vaccines to new human cell structures. Innovations which help population and individual patients induce a sense of pride and self-worth in them for being a part of this industry. The management and employees keep up with trends by reading publications like Science Daily andGene, Engineering & Biotechnology News. The Phronetik team also stays in touch with groups and organizations in the life science and biotechnology space news coming from individual practices, hospitals, ambulatory centers, and mental health practices to spark ideas to workupon. Phronetik aims at having its own CAP/CLIA accredited biotechnology laboratory in the near future. That is a very important goal. Releasing an artificial intelligence engine for point-of-care diagnostics is also on the charts. The company strives to learn from failure and move aheadwith double the zeal. Phronetik will continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing science, technology, and healthcare space. 31|November 2018 |
HIV AwarenessMonth HIV STILL AN IMPENDING THREAT TOMANKIND HIV research has come a long way since the disease was discovered in the1980's. Antiretroviral therapy was a major milestone that has changed the lives of millions, but the goal now is to nd an HIV cure before 2020. Over the past several decades, researchers have learned a lot about the human immunodeciency virus (HIV) and the disease it causes, acquired immunodeciency syndrome(AIDS). |November 2018|34
01 STOPPING THE REPLICATION OFHIV Lastyearinaclinicaltrialscientistsshowedthatthis approachhasthepotentialtobecomeafunctional cure for HIV. The key to its potential is that it can target the reservoir of HIV viruses that “hide” inactive within our cells. Current therapies suppress the virus in circulation by inhibiting the formation of new viruses, but they don't touch the reservoir. Once you stop, the virus comes back in 10-14 days. ABX464 is the rst drug candidate ever shown to reduce the HIV reservoir. The drug, calledABX464,bindstoaspecicsequenceinthe RNAofthevirus,inhibitingitsreplication. 02 SHOCK ANDKILL Another approach that is becoming popular in the ght againstHIValsogoesafterthehiddenHIVreservoir.The “shockandkill”or“kickandkill”approachuseslatency- reversing agents (LRAs) that activate or “kick” the latent HIV reservoir, making it possible for standard antiretroviral therapy to “kill” these viruses. In 2016, a groupofUKuniversitiesreportedpromisingresultsfrom onepatienttreatedwiththisapproach.Asimilarstrategy using vaccine is currently being tested. One stimulates the production of antibodies that blockthe replication of HIV,whiletheotherattacksthereservoir. 35 |November2018 |
GENETHERAPY It is estimated that about 1% of the people in theworld are naturally immune to HIV. The reason is a genetic mutationonthegenethatencodesCCR5,aproteinon the surface of immune cells that the HIV virus uses to enter and infect them. People with this mutation are missing part of the CCR5 protein, makingit impossible for HIV to bind to it. Using gene therapy, it would, in theory, be possible to edit our DNA and introduce this mutationtostopHIV.Inthefuture,genetherapyforHIV could be done with CRISPR, a gene editing tool that is mucheasierandfastertomake.ItspotentialinHIVhas already been shown in vitro, and soon HIV could becomeoftherstdiseasestobecuredwithCRISPR. 03 04 IMMUNOTHERAPY What makes HIV so dangerousis that it attacks the immune system, leaving people unprotected againstinfections.Butwhatifwecouldsupercharge immune cells to ght back? That's the reasoning behind immunotherapies.Researchers reported last year that thanks to an immunotherapy that primes the immune system against the virus, 7 out of 15 patients were cured. Their approach combines a drug to activate the hidden HIV reservoirwithavaccinethatcaninduceanimmune responsethousandsoftimesstrongerthanusual. WHEN WILL WE HAVE ANHIV CURE? Although there are several approaches that could eventually bring a functional HIV cure, there are still some challenges ahead. One of the biggest concerns around any HIV treatments is the virus’ ability to quickly mutate and develop resistance, and for many of these new approaches there is still no data on whether the virus will be able to becomeresistant. So far, none of these functional cures have reached late-stage clinical testing, meaning it doesn’t seem likely that we will meet the goal of having an HIV cure by2020. - SayaliRane |November 2018|36
Sunny Days In-HomeCare Re-shaping the Healthcare Landscape with In-HomeCare O riginated from the founder’s desire toprovide quality care for people, Sunny DaysIn-Home Care is committed to providing highquality, client-centric, and affordable in-home care services toits clients. It assists them in leading dignified and independent lives in the comfort and safety of theirown homes. The company sees that its clients’individual needs are carefully assessed, understood, and met through the selective assignment of qualified, trustworthy, and a compassionatepersonnel. Sunny Days began in a small in-home office with the Founder, David Ellenwood, controlling all operations. Shortly after, David met with clients, developed care plans, and hired caregivers, while his wife helped assist with building the business structure. Later, a field manager was hired to manage care and client shift coverage. After about one year into the business, a new office space was rented, office staff was hired, and additional field management was brought to the team. Today, Sunny Days is headquartered at Canonsburg,PA, and operated by an office staff of about ten along with ten Regional FieldManagers. The company desires to provide the individuals, with disabilities and seniors, an atmosphere in their homes that is respectful, caring, and compassionate, so thatthey can live their lives to thefullest. The BenevolentKingpin David has worked as a sales professional most of hislife. His experience has been in marketing for several home healthcare agencies. Addressing the same, he asserts, “I witnessed first-hand companies providing sub-par at- home care, who were in the business just to makea DavidEllenwood Founder ” We are committed toprovide enriched andcompassionate in-home careservices ” |November 2018|38
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 buck.” For David, this became increasingly frustrating because he believed people deserved good care first.This led to the doors of Sunny Days In-Home Care openingin February2011. David himself was the very first caregiver. He worked around the clock caring for clients while learning their needs. During this time he worked at keeping all other functions of the new business running smoothly. Hewas, essentially, a one-man band for the first fewmonths. Later, his wife, Evelyn, quit her full-time job andjoined him. Together they continue to make a great team while providing elite healthcare solutions for patrons seeking home careservices. Distinctive Products and Services Sunny Days provides professional, affordable, and caring in-home living assistance for seniors in the Pittsburgh area and surrounding regions. Its Pittsburgh home care offers companionship, light housekeeping, medication reminders, personal care, transfers, and a lot more. The company aspires to provide the highest level of care in every home by making the seniors the most important part of what it does. At Sunny Days, local fieldmanagers develop relationships with the clients and caregivers and strategic training is provided with an aim to equip caregivers as much aspossible. The company currently cares for 234 clients, in about 10,000 care hours, weekly across western Pennsylvania. Clients are locally managed by Field Managers, who meet with the client, develop a care plan, and strategically match them with a caregiver to make sure that their needs are met. Client care is monitored monthly by a monthly client visit by the Field Manager and care is regularly assessed through an online portalto make sure tasks are completed at eachvisit. NoteworthyAccomplishments Sunny Days In-Home Care has been an Inc. 5000 recipient for two years, 2017 and 2018. This list represents some of the fastest growing companies inthe nation, and the company was honored to beincluded. Additionally, Sunny Days is recognized by the BBB. In 2016, David and Evelyn Ellenwood were nominatedfor EY Entrepreneur of the Year. Sunny Days has also received local recognition for participation inlocal events and assisting with thecommunity. The ValuesAbided • Client care is the toppriority • Sunny Days is always accessible andavailable • Commitment to the godly principles that SunnyDays was founded upon • To create a caring and respectful environment inthe homes of theclients • To foster an atmosphere of trust and safetybetween the clients andemployees • To create a positive work environment forthe employees in its clients’homes • To conduct business with the highest level ofintegrity Staying at Pace with Advancements in theIndustry Since the healthcare industry is ever-evolving, the company continuously tries to stay compliant and up-to- date on the newest methods and information on quality care and for those with disabilities. In Pennsylvania, Medicaid recipients of in-home care recently were made to fall under the control of Managed CareOrganizations. At Sunny Days, new methods, technology, and procedures are now in place to make sure all clients are served appropriately. The agency has “adapted with the times” to ensure needs are met and protocols are being followed. Future Plans Sunny Days plans to continue to grow within theregion. “The growth and service opportunities are limitless!” asserts David. The company also plans on adding different certifications to diversify the types of care that it can provide to itsclients. 39 |November2018 |
Expert’sView Iindependent of wealth.Whenhealthinformationenters explicitly under GDPR for permission to share their datait is not possible to do it. If however people had copies of their health records stored and ready to share they could offer immediate permissionthemselves. People powered health - IT systems should placethe person at the heart ofdesign Whilst it has been clear that the national IT programmes over the years did not listen to the clinical users it is even more clear that they did not deliver what the people they serve want. Over the last 20 years many successful commercial IT initiatives were driven by serving the suppliers of services even if the NHS failed in this way. This is why when we compare the IT we use to shoponline with receiving letters from the NHS though the post we are frustrated anddisappointed. Newer ways of working which have delivered companies like Airbnb focus not on the supplier of the service buttheir customer. They have a ruthless desire to deliver what weall want from their services. This allows completely new ways of working to be adopted and improves our lives. I would argue the NHS needs to think thisway. If we were to improve the booking of trains by focussingon the ticket office we would increase the number of staff and give them better computers. The Trainline app means we don’t need a ticket office to book a train. Apply this to the NHS and we could see a world where there are no server rooms and everything is cloud based. Without this drive there will always be a need for the organisation to buy better computers and employ morestaff. What needs tochange? The latest NHS IT policy states that projects should be focussed on the user need, so it seems that lessons are starting to be learned. I believe we also need to considerthe following: n the UK, the NHS is the backbone of ourhealthcare Why is it important for healthcare providers to move towards patient-personalisedservices? system - a place we know care will beprovided the equation, the IT systems that have been put in placeare focussed on the system rather than what patients andhealth professionals need - relevant information at the point of care to improve care outcomes and make informed healthcaredecisions. Today we are more than familiar with IT systems being there to help keep us informed - the parcel that arrives from online shopping, the carrier knows exactly where it is, and shares that information with us. In healthcare, it’s still a very different story – our doctors are reliant on letters sent through the post to keep information and we can waitweeks to know our results. The medicines we take and the notes about our health are stored in multiple systems that often mean we must tell our healthcare professionals what’s wrong rather than them already knowing. It’s estimated that in 2000, 70% of errors in hospitals are caused by nothaving record at the point of care, and this hasn’t reallychanged. Centralised standards rather than person-centred standards have failed repeatedly The National Programme for IT “NpfIT” started in 2002 with a budget of £6.5bn. By 2012 it was estimated that up to £40bn was spent and the programme is now seen as the biggest IT project failure ever. The objective of the project was to build software under the direction of the NHS with 5 IT integrators. There was a published ambition to stopusing IT solutions from the open market. The NHS IT market has still not recovered, and investment markets are now wary about investing in IT if the NHS is thecustomer. The NHS is not one organisation. It is thousands of different legal entities. Each organisation including every GP practice is responsible independently for its own information governance. Even if there was a central plan that could work it is highly unlikely that every Trust in the NHS would decide to adopt it. Unless people areasked |November 2018|40
About theAuthor Stephen Critchlow is the Founder and CEO of Evergreen Group – compromising of three brands – Evergreen Life, apersonal health record app used by over half a million people in the UK; Evergreen Energy, helping individuals and businesses take control of theirenergy supply, and Evergreen Smart Power – an innovative energy business designed to load balance domestic energy. Critchlow initially founded healthcare software company Ascribe in 1989, with a vision to ensure all health decisions were informed at the point of care. This business served more than 75% of UK hospitals as well ashospitals overseas. Critchlow grew the business by acquiring 9 other companies,employing 270 staff and was eventually listed on the AIM market. In 2013 Ascribe was acquiredby fellow healthcare software provider EMIS Group in a sale worth an initial £57.5m. After thesale, Critchlow then went on to set up ASC Renewables, a pioneer for renewable energy which he is now inthe process of scaling as the EvergreenGroup. Critchlow has also invested in other sustainable businesses and ventures that align with his vision and provides ongoing mentorship to, including SuperCarers, Open Bionics and Switchee. Critchlow was awarded Icon of the Year – North Region in the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards2018. StephenCritchlow Founder &CEO Stop all hand-written health records within twoyears including notes and any personalinformation Make all health data, as it is created, available via a standard interface to any organisation the patient wishes to share it with and offer a copy for their personal health record so that they can share it as and whenneeded Halt the delivery of the NHS App (technology whichis already available and proven) and instead provide an integration layer for all appproviders Health information should be owned and controlled by us Most people don't get care just from the NHS; social services provide care and often use different systems, and most of us travel and receive private healthcare at some point in our life. IT systems are managed separatelyfor 41 |November2018 | each country in the UK. We also get private care and we now record information ourselves from steps and weightto bloodpressure. The NHS is only one provider of health data. We all want all our health data to be available and we want to take this anywhere to be treated in England or not, private or not. This, together with the fact that not all NHS organisations have the permission to share data with each other shows that the only real way we can have a complete record is if we have a record owned and controlled by us. By doing this we can also solve the problem that the NHS has not yet got a single record for us and take information each time we use an NHS service instead. By moving towards a more personalised approach when it comes to owning andsharing health records, more accurate, up to date information will help improve care outcomes forpeople.
Athemarketatabreak-neck speed. Over the s technology advances atexponential levels, innovative technologies arehitting last decade, the healthcare domain haswitnessed gigantic transformation by embracing trending technologies, improvising patient amenities, exploring new dimensions in medical research to name a few. The medical fraternity hasunearthed new opportunities that continue to streamlineand minimize the challenges faced by the patients as well as thedoctors. With the abundance of healthcare providers in the industry, players are now concentrating on developing new delivery models that help to improve medical care facilities. Among thevarious trending business models that are shaping the current healthcare industry, ‘Telemedicine’ stands tall among making a lasting impression and bringing about a break-through change. It comes with a promise of eradicating healthcare’s lastmile issue. Although it has been in the industry forquite a while, it has seen a remarkable growth in thepast twodecades. An interesting analysis by experts reveals thatthe ‘doctor-patient’ ratio in India is around 1:921. If compared over the last few decades, this datais |November 2018|44
Editor’sInsight A Revolutionary Step inHealthcare actually impressive. However, as a populous nation,several patients living in tier II and III towns along with the people living in rural areas still don’t have the access to quality medical facilities. Inspite of all the advancement in the medical sector, a majority of the people cannot utilize the benefits or fall short of the best medical solutions. This blockade is primarily due to the physical distance from a city along with the unawareness among the rural and underservedpopulation. This is where telemedicine technology evolves as a boon for the patients living in far-off areas. This technology is the amalgamation of state-of-the-art electronics, ICT, and associated applications that assist in providing education to healthcare professionals. By connecting the doctors together with the patients, telemedicine is changing the dynamics of the sector at a rapid pace. Simplifying the interaction, this technology bridges the existing gaps and diminishes the obstacle to avail optimum medicalfacilities – even while staying at any remotest corner of the country! Right from having a medical consultation, complex ailments, medication reminders, tracking health parameters, transmission of medical records –telemedicine does it all! In general, there are three versions of this technology that can be used as perrequirement: to offer the best medical services at a PAN India-level. By investing in interactive video conferences, aligning the software and hardware components and seamless high- speed connectivity, the medical giants are successful in penetrating into the remotest geographies of thecountry. Making aDifference! Before anything, the ease of accessibility is the foremost reason for this technology to witness a positivetrajectoryof growth in the last few years. The high volumes of elderly and specially-abled patients are also a major factor fuelling the rise of telemedicine services in thesub-continent. Offering the most viable health care services to the inaccessible corners of the country has made it theultimate choice for the providers. Knowledge sharing andeducating the medical services available at the rural areas enables them to build their own resources and facilitates complex emergency and intensive careservices. To a huge extent, telemedicine reduces the financialburdens on the families by minimizing the hospital stays, traveling charges, and by cutting off other expenses. This technology is one of the best in its kind, as a patient gets access to premium healthcare, irrespective of the time and location. Additionally, it plays a pivotal role in doing epidemiological surveillance for creating the healthcare database of a particularregion. The JourneyAhead The country has taken big strides forward in adopting technology and delivering innovative healthcaresolutions. However, this is just the beginning and a lot needs to be done. Countries like India and other developing countries can act as the pioneers to innovative medical solutionsand match the medical superiority of the westernworld. Knitting the country with this technology is surely a progressive step to eradicate the stigma of theunavailability of quality medical services across thenation. Telemedicine • Collaborative medicine: real-timecommunication withphysicians • Store & Forward: sharing patientinformation • Remote Monitoring: done throughmobile monitoringdevices Along with the private players, the Government is providing assistance in the form of initiatives, reforms, unified platform and reliefs. Since 2000, the Government of India has taken various measures to implement this technology at the remote ground levels. This technology is gaining momentum as there is a huge surge in the Indian tech industry. Many hospitals already have and majorities are in the process of setting-up the state-of-artinfrastructure - DevasishKanojiya 45 |November2018 |
TheTeleDentists Delivering Top-notch Dentistry Services at Your Doorstep in a Cost-effectiveWay Csome of the most commondental problems that avities, worn tooth enamel or fillings,gum disease, fractured teeth, or exposed rootsare have been prevalent since ages. According toa prominent research, more than six million people annually experience an urgent dental problem butmany find it challenging to find a right doctor on immediate basis. Moreover, Hospital Emergency Departments (ED) are not fully equipped with the state-of-art infrastructurethat is needed to provide efficient dental solutions to patients. This ultimately results in no dental treatment and ultimately bears a high treatment cost to the patient. To solve this prevalent problem, a U.S. based company- The TeleDentists entered into themarket. Founded by notable dentists with decades of vital experience in healthcare, this company is seen as atele- health pioneer in healthcare industry. This company offers an innovative model that saves patients’ time and money, reduces unnecessary Emergency Department visits and provides health payers and employers a more cost-effectiveoption. The TeleDentists has engineered a cutting-edge cloud- based SaaS service that enables hospitals and urgentcare facilities access to a specialist who can treat oral care level one problems at a fraction of the cost that wouldbe incurred if treated by the ER doctor. With its leading- edge solution, this company is transforming the way people treat urgent oral and dental problems. Its solution is one of the first in the market that offers an improved way to access care, providing essential dental services 24/7/365, wherever a dentist isneeded. Michael Sigler Co-founder Drs. MariaKunstadter Co-founder ” Our innovative model saves patients' time, money, and reduces unnecessaryEmergency Department visits aswell ” |November 2018|46
MOST DISRUPTIVE HEALTHCARE SOLUTION PROVIDERS2018 BriefJourney The company has done a lot of research and customer surveys to craft a platform that can alter the face of dentistry treatment in the U.S. region. The company began its research and development in 2014 and launched its platform in 2016. In the subsequent year, The TeleDentists had launched the next 2.0 version ofits trademarked solution after receiving immense praiseand acceptance from people all across theU.S. The company’s vision is to expand the horizon ofdental services into the far deeper pockets of U.S., such that everyone who encounters a dental problem can use its platform to connect with the dentist in quick time. Its platform also integrates oral health into total healthcare and provides much greater financial benefits to the patients in terms of total healthcare costreduction. Studies show a 12% reduction in overall healthcarecosts by integrating oral health so the healthcare system benefits and patients benefit by beinghealthier. The TeleDentists provides a virtual dentist at the desired time by adding virtual dentists in emergency rooms, urgent care centers, walk–in clinics, senior living centers, primary care clinics, and as an additionalservice to current tele-healthcompanies. Its dentists provide patients/providers with consultations to assess the problem and make recommendations regarding the best patient outcome. If an antibiotic is needed, the dentist sends an e-script to the patient’s pharmacy of choice. Non-narcotic pain meds can alsobe prescribed. In some instances, if a follow-up visit with an actual dentist is needed, their platform assists the patient to arrange an appointmenttoo. Services and ItsUniqueness The company offers dental emergencies, provides answers to the vital questions concerning oral health through its cutting-edge platform. It also addresses the huge urgent care market as well as provides an oral health maintenance program for primary care,workplace wellness centers, and FQHCs. The TeleDentists has a robust network of 35,000 specialist dentists who are spread across 48 states inthe U.S. territory and available on demand whenever required in quick time. “Since the rollout of the 2.0 version of our platform, we have acquired several strategic partners, started our Series A fundraising round, secured contracts to provide our services and are land-grabbing the healthcare industry as the Dental Specialist,” stated thecompany. About the Ingenious Leadership Drs. Maria Kunstadter and Michael Sigler are the Co-founders of The TeleDentists. They are bothdentists and have delivered dental care for years. In 2012,Dr. Kunstadter was appointed the Dental Director of the PAINS Alliance of Kansas City, a group dedicatedto help with the chronic pain crisis inAmerica. While recounting the challenges of healthcare industry especially of dentistry, Dr. Kunstadter revealed many interesting facts. “There are no dentists in emergency rooms. Something had to change. When $1.7B is being spent in ERs, where no treatment or remedy isprovided, we had to come up with a better solution. That’s when telemedicine came to mind. A virtual dentist can be in all the places people go to seek help with their dental needs,” Dr. Kunstadterasserts. RoadAhead The company aspires to become a dental specialist in coming years as its tele-dentistry platform has the potential to provide an easy access to oral health specialist at the touch of the finger. “We are going internationally as well. Since dental disease is themost prevalent disease in the world, we have an unlimited marketplace,” concluded Dr. Kunstadter. 47 |November2018 |