24.07 Marco's Newsletter
Announcements
Fabrice Zumbrunnen wird Ober-Chef von Swiss Medical Network
Fabrice Zumbrunnen, previously the President of the Directorate at Migros Cooperative Alliance, is appointed CEO of Aevis Victoria, taking over operational leadership of Swiss Medical Network, the second-largest private hospital group in Switzerland. His tenure at Migros was noted for significant expansion in healthcare sectors, and his new role at Aevis Victoria aims to drive integrated care strategies, improving healthcare quality and accessibility. Read the full article here.
LUKS holt Digitalisierungs-Experten aus Colorado
LUKS Gruppe has appointed James Joseph Thomas as the new Chief Medical Information Officer to lead digital transformation initiatives. With a background as a professor and pediatric anesthesiologist at the University of Colorado, Thomas will oversee the development of digital treatment pathways, integrate new diagnostic methods, enhance data-driven healthcare research, and establish telemedicine concepts bridging care to the home environment. For more details, visit the full article here.
KSW und die Kliniken Valens spannen zusammen
The Kantonsspital Winterthur (KSW) and the Kliniken Valens have entered into a long-term collaboration in rehabilitation services to ensure a seamless, high-quality treatment path from hospital admission to reintegration into family, society, and work. This partnership is expected to expand KSW's network and offer additional planning security, addressing the projected 30% increase in rehabilitation patients by 2032, thereby significantly contributing to an integrated care pathway. Read the full article here.
Cybersecurity
Data of half the population of France stolen in its largest ever cyberattack
This article reports on France's largest cybersecurity breach, impacting over 33 million people, nearly half its population. The breach targeted two service providers for medical insurance companies, exposing sensitive personal information but not including bank details, medical data, or contact information. It emphasizes the scale of the attack, the nature of the stolen data, and the potential consequences for affected individuals, including increased risks of phishing. Read the full article here.
Data breach affects more than 2,000 Texas hospital patients
Over 2,000 patients at Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center have been affected by a data breach, as reported by the Texas Attorney General. This breach, disclosed on March 7, compromised personal information including addresses, medical details, health insurance data, and birth dates. This incident follows a previous data breach involving MOVEit software that impacted various sectors last July. Read the full article here.
Massachusetts hospitals losing $24M a day from Change Healthcare hack
Massachusetts hospitals are experiencing significant financial losses, over $24 million daily, due to a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare. This attack has led to IT outages and reimbursement losses, compounding existing challenges such as capacity, workforce, and financial issues in the healthcare sector. The Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association has called for payers to ease certain administrative requirements in response to these challenges. Read the full article here.
World's best Hospitals
«The World's Best Hospitals 2024»: Universitätsspital Zürich in den Top Ten
Universitätsspital Zürich has secured the 10th place in Newsweek's "The World's Best Hospitals 2024" list, marking a significant achievement as it climbs from 12th place last year, surpassing Singapore Hospital and UCLA Health Center. This annual ranking by Newsweek, developed with Statista, is based on a global survey of healthcare professionals and evaluates hospitals based on recommendations, patient surveys, and quality assessments. The list, which places Mayo Clinic at the top, highlights the excellence of global healthcare institutions, including other Swiss hospitals ranking highly. For more details, visit the full article here.
M&A
Nivea-Konzern Beiersdorf kauft Klinik in Montreux
Beiersdorf, known for brands like Nivea, has acquired the Clinique La Prairie in Montreux, a clinic specializing in longevity and beauty. This move is part of creating a new partnership between the clinic and the cosmetics manufacturer, leveraging the synergy between the clinic's health services and Beiersdorf's luxury cosmetics brand La Prairie, which it acquired in 1986. The acquisition includes a resort with seven buildings, enhancing Beiersdorf's portfolio in luxury, longevity, and exclusive customer experiences. Read the full article here.
Digital Health Strategy
Evaluating a return on investment for virtual care
The article discusses the complexity of assessing the return on investment (ROI) for virtual care technologies. Experts highlight the importance of considering not just financial ROI, but also patient experience, clinical outcomes, and operational efficiency. It advises on examining direct program revenue, cost avoidance, and downstream benefits, while also considering costs like operating expenses and technology acquisition. Strategies for improving ROI include focusing on patient selection and capturing feedback to enhance patient adoption and efficiency. Read the full article here.
Health Care Platforms Need a Strategy Overhaul
The article examines the challenges and strategies for digital health platforms, focusing on research conducted in Sweden from 2018 to 2022. It suggests that digital health platforms struggle to achieve profitability and face unique challenges, such as integration with existing health care systems, limited network effects, and regulatory hurdles. The authors propose a three-part strategy overhaul focusing on market entry, business scaling, and ecosystem governance to improve growth and success in the health care sector. Read the full article here.
Optimizing processes in the OR
Eine App für digitale OP-Prozesssteuerung
The article discusses a new app developed by the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) and spior medical, aimed at improving surgical process management through digital assistance. This app facilitates efficient communication across different professional groups involved in surgical procedures, reducing the need for phone calls and improving overall operational efficiency. It represents a significant step towards integrating digital innovation in hospital settings to enhance patient safety and optimize resource usage. Read the full article here.
AI in Healthcare
Swedish researchers develop new AI computer model to detect lymphatic cancer
Researchers in Sweden have created an AI model named LARS that can identify lymphatic cancer with 90% accuracy. The development, a collaboration between several international bodies, aims to revolutionize lymphoma diagnostics by using AI for more efficient and accurate image analysis. For more details, visit the full article here.
Stanford Health Care adopts Microsoft AI copilot organizationwide Stanford Health Care is implementing Microsoft's Nuance AI copilot across its entire organization, following a successful pilot. This AI technology, Nuance's DAX Copilot, is designed to automate clinical note-taking during patient visits, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. A Stanford survey indicated high approval rates among physicians for its ease of use and effectiveness in expediting clinical documentation. Read the full article here.
Mayo Clinic Platform launches Solutions Studio
Mayo Clinic Platform has introduced Solutions Studio to speed up the creation, validation, and integration of digital health solutions into clinical workflows. This initiative aims to lower the commercialization hurdles for digital health companies by providing access to global de-identified data, streamlining the adoption of technological solutions in healthcare, and ensuring the development of effective, valid, and equitable AI-driven healthcare solutions. Read the full article here.
Mayo Clinic invents new healthcare AI
Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a new class of healthcare AI aimed at enhancing cancer care by incorporating current disease knowledge, such as genetic variants. This "hypotheses-driven AI" represents a shift from conventional AI, promising to improve the understanding of diseases and personalize medicine by integrating recent scientific findings, potentially offering insights overlooked by traditional AI methods. Read the full article here.
A year later, has ChatGPT fulfilled its promise for hospitals?
A year after ChatGPT's introduction to healthcare, experts offer mixed reviews on its impact in hospitals. While some see transformative potential, particularly in operational applications, challenges in clinical use remain due to maturity, accuracy, and regulatory clarity. Despite initial hype, the consensus suggests significant value in nonclinical areas and cautious optimism for long-term advancements in healthcare. Read the full article here.
Deep learning tool uses MRI to enhance brain tumor diagnosis
A new deep learning tool utilizing MRI data has shown a 78% accuracy rate in diagnosing brain tumors, exceeding traditional methods. Developed from over five years of research into magnetic resonance perfusion imaging biomarkers, this tool automates the pre-surgical diagnostic classification of brain tumors, offering a user-friendly interface for clinicians. It distinguishes tumor types by learning from the imaging characteristics of previously diagnosed cases, significantly improving the precision of diagnostics. For more details, visit the full article here.
Apple Vision Pro in Healthcare
Apple touts Vision Pro as healthcare tool
Apple's Vision Pro headset is being embraced by healthcare institutions like Epic Systems, UC San Diego Health, Boston Children's, and Cedars-Sinai for developing healthcare-focused apps. These apps range from Epic's charting and lab examination tools, Cedars-Sinai's behavioral health app Xaia, to Boston Children's immersive training environment CyranoHealth, and UC San Diego Health's diagnostic imaging app Visage Ease VP, showcasing the device's potential in enhancing clinical workflows and patient care through advanced spatial computing capabilities. Read the full article here.
Hospital at Home
Providers, vendors urge Congress to extend hospital-at-home
Healthcare providers, associations, and technology companies are urging Congress to extend the CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program beyond its 2024 expiration. They argue this extension is vital for building the necessary logistics, supply chains, and staffing to support the future of hospital-at-home care models, which allow for acute-level care to be delivered at home, enhancing patient care and reducing system costs. Read the full article here.
Telehealth
Roy Schoenberg, CEO, AmWell
Roy Schoenberg, CEO of AmWell, discusses the evolution of the telehealth platform, highlighting its use of IPO funds to revamp its platform and integrate services like Conversa AI and Silvercloud, alongside deeper EMR integrations. Despite the financial impact on earnings, Schoenberg explains why these developments are beneficial for AmWell's future. Read the full article here.
Consumerization of Healthcare
Primary care goes up against the healthcare disruptors
Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips and Sashi Moodley discussed the future of primary care in the context of retail health disruptors like Walgreens at HIMSS24. The conversation centered on how retailers offer healthcare services differently from traditional primary care, with Moodley emphasizing Walgreens' aim to complement and augment primary care rather than replace it, aiming to create a seamless patient experience and integrate more deeply with health systems. For more details, visit the full article here.
Startup Funding
Nest Health Lands $4M Seed Round
Nest Health, a new provider of value-based whole-family healthcare, has raised over $4 million in an extended seed funding round. The company, which started in New Orleans, focuses on making healthcare accessible, especially to vulnerable populations, through in-home and virtual services tailored for families. This round of funding, led by SpringTide and supported by various investors, will help expand Nest Health's services to new markets and health plans. Read the full article here.