Cardihab developing intuitive AI driven analytics solution set to revolutionise patient care

Copy of Linkedin image AC Grant announcement

Healthcare providers and patients will soon benefit from an intuitive health data analytics product called C.R.O.P.S which is designed to unlock insights gained from digital health platform Cardihab®.  

Cardihab were recently awarded $782,768 in matched funding from the Australian Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme - Accelerating Commercialisation, to further develop data analytics capabilities and products within the Cardihab ecosystem under the product name C.R.O.P.S—Cardiac Rehabilitation Outcomes and Process Synopsis. 

The project titled ‘C.R.O.P.S - impact via health data and augmented intelligence in care’ has the potential to transform the efficiency of care and outcomes for patients and health services by automating much of the collation and analysis of  complex health data entered by patients and clinicians. It will also leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI)  and Machine Learning (ML) systems to process the real world data from Cardihab’s patient care plans to identify signals or trends in patient behaviour that could indicate positive progress and/or deterioration that would require clinical attention.  

The project will address key challenges of efficiency in care delivery and scalability, by both reducing the administrative and analytical burden of governance reporting as well as providing an augmented and intelligent point of care solution that will give clinical teams valuable decision making tools. 

Cardihab CEO Helen Souris says this is a highly sought after solution that is targeting the growing challenge of extracting meaning from the petabytes of health data that are in our health system, and one that promises to transform current care practices for the better. 

“Many of our customers have expressed a desire for a product like this to help efficiently extract insights from the huge amount of health data that is generated through the daily use of our platform.  We’re building a suite of tools to support clinical and business decision making, that will ultimately enable more patients to have access to care.”

Accelerating Commercialisation is a service under the AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Programme, that provides organisations with advice and funding up to $1 million, to assist in the development and commercialisation of products that represent genuine innovation and a compelling value proposition backed up by market demand.

Cardihab CEO Helen Souris speaks to Talking HealthTech about the need for a data analytics solution to transform patient care and outcomes.

Long COVID study participants report promising results to tailored exercise program

The PERCEIVE study by Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is returning positive results around health outcome improvements and increases in exercise capacity for participants.

The PERCEIVE study is aimed at investigating how exercise might be able to help improve symptoms for those suffering from long COVID. The Cardihab digital health solution SmartCR is currently in use in this study.

Many of those living with long COVID suffer from compromised exercise capacity, and in some instances periods of depression.

The pilot study has found that tailored exercise programs can be effective for those with a reduced capacity for exercise as a result of their condition, with reports of a 15 per cent increase in the amount of exercise participants were able to do.

Cardiologist and principal PERCEIVE study investigator Prof Tom Marwick is encouraged by the results.

 

"It's not a cure for all of the symptoms of long COVID but there are people who get significant benefit from this, and what we best need to understand is who is it that most benefits and how best to deliver it for them."

 

Read the full article - ABC News

 

If you are interested in participating in the study, or would like to learn more click here.

 

Pulse+IT enews highlights success of Mater virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation program

North Queensland-based sugar cane farmer Stephen Fabbro uses the Cardihab app for his Cardiac Rehabilitation after Heart Surgery through Mater Private Hospital Townsville
North Queensland-based sugar cane farmer Stephen Fabbro uses the Cardihab app for his Cardiac Rehabilitation after Heart Surgery through Mater Private Hospital Townsville

Pulse+IT enews features Cardihab’s virtual cardiac rehab program being rolled out throughout North Queensland through the Mater Health network.

Rural and remote areas of Australia, and in particular Queensland, are often the hardest hit when it comes to healthcare accessibility and Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) programs which are proven to improve outcomes for those who have had a heart procedure or event are no exception.  Difficulty accessing traditional clinic-based programs due to distance, work or family commitments, or long wait lists keep attendance at CR programs disappointingly low with up to 80% of those who should participate missing out.

“It’s a real area of crisis. There are massive bottlenecks of people who can’t get access, but this [virtual program] works because people can do rehab from home using the app and telehealth,” says Cardihab CEO Helen Souris. 

Ms Souris suggests this should be a nationwide standard of care but more government funding is required.  

 

Read the full article in Pulse+IT

Digital Cardiac Rehab program making a difference to Mater patients up North

Copy of Digital Cardiac Rehab in North Queensland

Thanks to a partnership between Cardihab and Mater Private Hospital Townsville, Mackay residents like Sharon Nuttall are now enjoying the benefits of Cardihab’s clinically validated digital cardiac rehabilitation program designed to help people who have had a cardiac event or procedure with recovery. 

Prior to the Cardihab program becoming available, participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation in the region was low according to Mater Private Hospital Townsville Exercise Physiologist Shaun Whiley. Mr Whiley worked with the Mater Allied Health team and Cardihab to introduce the program, which has been getting great feedback from participants. 

“Rehabilitation is vitally important, not only because research suggests that those who do not rehabilitate following heart procedures have a higher chance of being rehospitalised, but so these people can return to their normal lives: we are from a region where everyone is very physical and social in work, social and family settings.”

“Our vision was exactly this - to make Cardiac Rehabilitation accessible to everyone, no matter where they are.  Regional and remote Australians are heavily impacted by Cardiovascular Disease but there is a huge gap in access to care in these regions.  Through our partnership with Mater Private Hospital Townsville we are happy to be able to help meet this need for improved access to healthcare” said Cardihab CEO Helen Souris. 

Cardihab is proud to be working alongside the Mater Private Hospital Townsville team to deliver interventions to help patients manage their cardiac health and recovery in ways that work for them. 

 

Read the full article in the Mackay and Whitsunday Life

Merry Christmas and thank you for your support

Christmas Message Helen - WordPress article (2)

What a year!

It is hard to believe the year end is upon us in what seems like a flash, and how much we have delivered in the tail end of the year as we resume face-to-face life. The general feeling from the people we speak with is that they are tired and in the same breath looking forward to the new year. What is most important is that people are optimistic about the future and focused on taking the necessary time out to re-energise and start the new year brighter and with resolve to have a strong and positive impact in 2023.

Since its inception Cardihab has been paving the way for Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation to become a core part of clinician workflows so that more patients have a better road to recovery post cardiac event and/or procedure.

This year we have celebrated numerous milestone achievements and heard heartening accounts from patients and clinicians who have benefited from our programs. A new publication in JMIR arrived earlier in the year, reinforcing the impact we can have on improving patient uptake, and signaling important insights for hospital readmission rate reductions. New real world evidence was also presented at a range of scientific congresses in Australia and the US, with uptake in local media and publications pending.

We were thrilled to begin our journey in the inaugural ANDHealth+ program, and initiated our collaboration with Queensland Cardiovascular Group’s Atrial Fibrillation Institute. With thanks to funding from the Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA), we began our journey towards a Heart Failure specific digital therapeutic in partnership with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

As we come to the end of 2022 I am both humbled and proud to be part of the Cardihab mission and thankful for the wonderful team of passionate and dedicated people that I work with each and every day. We often reflect on the impact we are making with people that work tirelessly on improving access to cardiac rehabilitation across Australia.

In collaboration with customers, partners, suppliers and through the important support from our investors and grant funding, the opportunities we are creating will not only propel Cardihab’s impact for patients, but elevate the capabilities within the Australian ecosystem to deliver quality digital therapeutics that change the way we manage cardiovascular disease in Australia.

On behalf of the Cardihab team I would like to sincerely thank you all for your support and commitment throughout the year. We wish you a happy and safe Christmas, and an energised and prosperous New Year.

 

All the best,

Helen

Read more about our 2022 highlights on our NEWS page.

Cardihab enables home-based, digital cardiac rehab for remote North Queensland patients

Home Hill famer Stephen Fabbro using Cardihab's Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation App.
 

Image: Thanks to Mater Private Hospital Townsville
Home Hill famer Stephen Fabbro using Cardihab's Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation App. Image: Thanks to Mater Private Hospital Townsville

Cardihab is proud to be enabling home-based, digital cardiac rehabilitation to remote and regional patients recovering from heart events through our partnership with Mater Private Hospital Townsville.

Mater Clinical Exercise Physiologist Shaun Whiley and Mater Private Hospital Townsville Executive Officer Steph Barwick recently spoke to Channel 7 Townsville about the successful initial uptake of the Cardihab program with patients from North Queensland that otherwise may not have had an opportunity to complete a program.

“So far we’ve had a number of patients complete the program and have said they loved the fact that they were able to do the program, and were given the opportunity.   It can be quite confronting (for patients) going home to a rural area after having gone through a cardiac event and not knowing where to go, what is their exercise capacity, so it's really been fulfilling to get them back to normal function,” said Shaun.

North Queensland-based cane farmer and Mater patient Stephen Fabbro discussed his experience using the Cardihab digital Cardiac Rehabilitation platform in helping him to manage a program post heart surgery that he otherwise would not have been able to do due to time constraints and the long distance to the Townsville-based rehab centre. 

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is a significant health problem in rural Australia with rural populations experiencing a 20-30% higher CVD prevalence¹.  Offering effective interventions that suit the needs of the patient helps to bridge the gap in care that exists.  

Cardihab CEO Helen Souris says, "we're thrilled that Cardihab has been integrated into the Mater’s cardiac rehabilitation program and so well received by patients in the area."

Read more at Mater News.

References:

  1. Estimating the Return on Investment of a Randomised Controlled Trial on Telehealth-based Medical Nutrition Intervention in Rural and Regional Australia  - Associate Professor Haitham Tuffaha & Professor Stephen Birch University of Queensland

Local investment gaps and the need for dedicated funding for digital startups

Cardihab CEO Helen Souris recently spoke to Yolanda Redrup, an award-winning senior journalist from The Australian Financial Review to discuss the impact of the Australian investment landscape on digital health startups. They discussed how things need to change in order to strengthen the Australian ecosystem and capital support to compete with other markets.

According to ANDHealth CEO Bronwyn Le Grice, where the US has significant investment funding pools dedicated to accelerating emerging digital organisations and supporting digital growth, Australia’s funding landscape focuses more toward mature organisations with little support for start-ups at the beginning of the journey.  This can lead to organisations moving their ideas and talent offshore to bigger markets that can offer support.

Helen says there is a gap in understanding by local investors that often limits investment, forcing digital health and technology entrepreneurs to look beyond their backyard for scale support.

“There’s lots of seed funding, and seemingly a lot of money for $20 million rounds, but when you’re a start-up that needs to scale up and need to have two to three years of runway to execute to deliver results, that’s where it’s hard.”

She says urgent discussions need to be had around building sustainable investment models that can support and maintain the growth of the Australian digital health ecosystem and nurture innovation to ensure the future viability of Australia’s role in the sector. There is also strong support for government-led policy changes and reimbursement that enable evidence-based digital health innovation to transform our health system.

 

Read the full article

To learn more about Cardihab or to book a demo or meeting with the Business Development team click here.

What is the secret sauce to improving Cardiac Rehabilitation participation and outcomes?

“Give people what they want, or what they need, and they’re more likely to adhere to the program and get the results they need.” — Cardihab CEO Helen Souris

Cardihab CEO Helen Souris recently spoke to Talking Health Tech about all things Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) and the significant impact it could have on reducing the burden of Cardiovascular Disease on the healthcare system—if only people could get access to a program that would work for their lifestyle.

Cardiovascular Disease costs Australia around a billion dollars every month¹, with over 1.1 million hospitalisations being the main contributor to this cost. Many of these readmissions would be avoidable and would save the country millions² if patients had access to high-quality, evidence-based cardiac rehabilitation which is recognised to improve outcomes.³

Programs such as the digital cardiac rehabilitation program developed and provided by Cardihab allow those patients who—for a broad range of reasons cannot participate in face-to-face programs—the flexibility to participate in a clinically validated and clinician-run program that is individualised to their needs and available on demand at a time and place that suits them is the key.

Currently up to 80%³ of patients who should be participating in CR do not due to reasons including a lack of referral, waitlist bottleneck, distance, travel restrictions, time constraints, social and cultural barriers - the list goes on. These and many other barriers could be overcome with a high-quality digital solution, still delivered by a clinician but available on demand at a time and place that suits them.

While there is recognition that digital is not going to be the solution for all, it's a modality that many patients want and need. Helen highlights that more work needs to be done to ensure it is ingrained and embedded into the way that healthcare is delivered, not perceived as an extra or beyond what usual care is considered to be. Through this shift in delivery mindset statistics can be influenced significantly, and numbers like 80% non-participation rates could be changed.

So the secret sauce to improving CR participation and outcomes we believe is providing options of modalities that fit with the needs of the patient, and this is something Cardihab is working to help deliver.

To learn more about Cardihab or to book a demo or meeting with the Business Development team click here.

References:

  1. Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. No second chances: controlling risk in cardiovascular disease. Melbourne, Australia: Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute; 2018. https://baker.edu.au/-/media/documents/impact/baker-institute_no-second-chances.pdf
  2. Heart Foundation, Data and Evaluation Unit. Unpublished report 2015 via Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association
  3. Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Scientific Statement From the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology Randal J. Thomas, Alexis L. Beatty, Theresa M. Beckie, LaPrincess C. Brewer, Todd M. Brown, Daniel E. Forman, Barry A. Franklin, Steven J. Keteyian, Dalane W. Kitzman, Judith G. Regensteiner, Bonnie K. Sanderson and Mary A. Whooley