Startups, Patient Engagement

MedCity announces winners of patient engagement startup contest

MedCitys' panel of judges picks the winner and two runners-up for MedCity's patient engagement startup contest and readers pick their favorite as well.

Winners podium

Patient engagement is key to get patients involved in their own health and is the cornerstone for some of the behavior change that is necessary to move the needle in healthcare.

As such, not only is it a topic of immense importance (MedCity has dedicated a whole conference — ENGAGE — which kicks off Tuesday in San Diego) but also an area where innovations must be recognized. That was the basis for why we launched a patient engagement startup contest and enlisted judges to pick a winner in August.

And the results are in.

We received 60 submissions, out of which a handful was disqualified for not fulfilling contest criteria. MedCity’s editorial team selected 15 finalists and published them online for a reader vote. While the readers were weighing in with their popular choice, the judges were also evaluating the final 15. Ultimately, they — Dave deBronkart, also known as ePatient Dave; Nancy Fabozzi, principal analyst for Connected Health at Frost & Sullivan; Dr. Fred Rachman, CEO of Alliance of Chicago Community Health Services; and Lygeia Ricciardi, a national thought leader in consumer engagement and digital health  — chose AdhereTech, based in New York, maker of a smart pill bottle, as the winner.

“Enabling patients to achieve their care plan is one of the thorniest issues
in healthcare — especially with regard to medications. Digital health technologies like the smart wireless pill bottle supplied by AdhereTech goes a long way towards improving medication adherence and fulfilling one of the key goals of patient
engagement — improved health,” Fabozzi said, in an email.

Another judge — deBronkart agreed.

“AdhereTech makes smart pill bottles that keep track of what’s been taken and not taken, sending reminders only when they’re needed,” he said in an email. “In my patient engagement advocacy, I often tell healthcare ‘Make it easier to do the right thing!’, and that’s what I see here: it helps the patient stay on plan.”

He added that the company’s API may enable integrating AdhereTech into other apps and workflows and that is the “springboard to an ecosystem that can grow opportunistically as useful mashups emerge.”

The judges chose HealthSlate to be the first runner-up. The Bellevue, Washington company has developed mobile apps to deliver the Diabetes Prevention Program remotely.

“HealthSlate offers a program to help prediabetics minimize the risk of developing the disease. Using a combination of psychology tools for behavior change, literacy-level adjusted online learning, coaching, and wireless devices, HealthSlate has helped participating patients  to lose 5% of their body weight in 20 weeks–enough to diminish the risk of diabetes by 57%. The mere introduction of technology alone solves few health problems, but leveraging technology as part of a more comprehensive, connected care system can make a dramatic difference,” said Ricciardi.

The second runner-up is Palo Alto, California-based Kurbo, which has a digital program targeting childhood obesity.

“Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States — with overall prevalence over 17%, highest in older children and adolescents — and health care providers struggle to find and implement effective interventions,” Dr.Rachman said. “Kurbo has taken an evidence-based intervention and made it accessible to children via mobile devices.”

There is one last winner to announce – after nearly a 900 votes online, the reader’s choice award goes to Vital Score.

Photo: pialhovik, Getty Images

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