Sensehealth, one of seven health IT companies that made up New York Digital Health Accelerator‘s second class, got an interesting introduction from drug developer Genentech. It’s talking with the mobile health business about using its communication platform for Medicaid patients at risk for readmission to improve interactions with care managers and applying it to clinical trials.
The program is designed to improve patient engagement. Patients receive a combination of customized motivational messages, reminders and messages to improve their understanding of their condition that support their care plan.
Stan Berkow, the CEO, presented data from a randomized control trial with Montefiore Medical Center earlier this year demonstrating a 12 percent increase in prescription refills, a 40 percent increase in attending health appointments and a 22 percent increase in their knowledge of the recommended lifestyle changes for their care plans. The trial also validated that its technology fits in with care managers’ workflow.
Berkow said the company is adding more services to its platform. For example it is working on a program for high risk pregnancies. It works with patients with multiple chronic conditions and has developed programs for 15 chronic conditions. It is poised to do a pilot focusing on patients with HIV-AIDS. It’s also in talks on a pilot for cancer patients undergoing treatment to help them feel more supported and better connected to local health resources.
Although improving adherence is a big part of the company’s goal, it’s interested in doing that through behavior change. Several of the company’s management team have a neuroscience or behavior management background. Before Berkow co-founded the company three years ago, coordinated clinical trials in the Department of Behavioral Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center. Brad Hammonds, the COO and co-founder, worked with Berkow at Columbia as a researcher. CTO and co-founder Paul Biancaniello worked at Lockheed Martin as a senior research scientist in their Brain Inspired Computing department.
