Announcements
Mater partnership continues to make waves thanks to an innovative approach to care and dedicated team
Our partnership with Mater in North Queensland has again made the news for its impact in enhancing equitable care throughout the region.
"Mater believes every patient has the right to receive world-class healthcare whether they live in Brisbane or the bush," Mater Townsville Acting General Manager Anna Olsen said.
"New technology is making that aim a reality: It's having a transformative impact by bringing expert care and support straight into the homes of patients."
Cardihab's Chief Executive Officer, Helen Souris echoed these sentiments, emphasising the importance of Mater’s leadership in embracing scalable, validated digital health solutions that enable high-quality healthcare for people living in regional areas.
“Through this successful pilot we have received strong support from health services across the state that valued access to our virtual cardiac rehab program, and touching letters from patients that have personally experienced the benefits of our program."
The program was initially funded thanks to a grant from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation and Advance Queensland. The program has helped to deliver virtual cardiac rehabilitation to hundreds of patients across thousands of kilometers as far west as Mt Isa and as far north as Weipa.
Souris noted, "This initiative showcases the impact of government investment in enabling partnerships in healthcare innovation to deliver meaningful impact to those who need it most, regardless of location.
The recent inclusion of digital health solutions in The Heart Foundation and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Acute Coronary Syndrome Clinical Guidelines strengthens the call to action for continued support and funding for validated digital therapeutics to advance healthcare accessibility, reducing disparities in patient outcomes between urban and rural populations.”
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Brisbane MedTech Accelerator program success after the strength of Cardihab’s global potential recognised
Cardihab has been selected to participate in the Brisbane Economic Development Agencies (BEDA) MedTech accelerator program. Aimed at fast-tracking global investment and market entry for local MedTech organisations, the program is designed to connect startup or early-stage innovation companies with international capital funders and strategic partners.
Delivered in partnership with US based investment facilitator Life Science Nation, the BEDA MedTech accelerator cohort companies are invited to attend the global investor RESI Conference in San Francisco where they will pitch to active investors during JP Morgan Healthcare Week in January 2025.
Cardihab is committed to transformational change in the way that cardiac rehabilitation is equitably accessed and experienced for patients and clinicians, with the aim of impacting poor rates of participation and correlated health outcomes.
“We know there is significant need for a high quality, clinically validated solution like Cardihab, particularly in the US where the current cost of poor health outcomes for those with heart disease is in the vicinity of $1 billion per day,” says Cardihab CEO Helen Souris.
“We’re very happy to have been awarded the opportunity by BEDA to participate in this accelerator program, and the opportunity to meet with partners who can provide a pathway into these markets where the need for quality healthcare solutions is significant.”
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says, “Brisbane is at the forefront of medical technology innovation globally and this year’s cohort represent the next wave of groundbreaking health solutions.”
“We are proud to support these businesses as they continue to innovate and make a positive impact on healthcare worldwide.
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Cardihab partners with private health insurer Bupa to enable member access to its virtual Cardiac Rehab program
Cardihab is proud to announce it has recently partnered with Bupa and Honeysuckle Health to expand access to its digital therapeutic for Cardiac Rehabilitation. This partnership now means that more people will be able to access the essential cardiac rehabilitation support they need after heart surgery or heart events.
Bupa is one of Australia’s largest private health insurers and is a healthcare partner to more than 4.3 million of its customers. This partnership has the potential to make a significant difference in improving cardiac rehab participation rates, quality of life and outcomes for people living with heart disease.
Bupa offers a range of personalised health and wellbeing programs that can be completed from the comfort of home. Health service company Honeysuckle Health will deliver the program via their team of registered nurses and virtual healthcare specialists.
Cardihab CEO Helen Souris says, "Establishing valuable partnerships with key healthcare stakeholders such as Bupa and Honeysuckle Health is the key to delivering quality virtual healthcare to people at the time and place that works conveniently for them.”
“Our long-term goal is to radically increase equitable access to cardiac rehabilitation and preventative healthcare through proven virtual models and partnerships. We are thrilled that Bupa members can now access our digital cardiac rehabilitation program through this initial pilot.”
Bupa Director of Connected Care Adam Simson says, “We’re always looking for ways to increase access to healthcare and offer our members greater choice around where their care takes place.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Cardihab to help expand our care offerings that improve health outcomes.”
Echoing the excitement from Cardihab and Bupa, Honeysuckle Health CEO, Rhod McKensey says, “Our mission is to help people lead healthier lives by connecting them with effective, affordable and personalised care, and to that point we’ve seen outstanding results through our partnership with Cardihab to date. The prospect of having the Honeysuckle Health clinical team now delivering the program to more people and supporting Bupa’s valued members is extremely exciting and we can’t wait to help those that need it on their recovery journey.”
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READ THE PULSE+IT ARTICLE:
'Cardihab add Bupa to growing list for cardiac rehab digital therapeutics'
READ THE HEALTH SERVICES DAILY ARTICLE:
'Cardihab to expand virtual rehab program with Bupa Partnership'
DTx potential highlighted in ‘Leveraging Digital Technology in Healthcare’ research paper
Cardihab’s digital cardiac rehabilitation program was recently highlighted as a case study in the Australian Government Productivity Commission's paper, ‘Leveraging Digital Technology in Healthcare’. The paper explored how digital technology can enhance patient outcomes and boost productivity within the healthcare sector, highlighting the potential for significant cost savings and efficiencies through improved integration of digital technologies.
Recommendations included a clearer definition of digital therapeutics (DTx) to distinguish clinically tested prevention or management platforms from general wellness apps. The report emphasised the value of well-defined digital technologies in enabling patients and healthcare providers to access high-quality care. It also noted that these technologies can deliver care in a cost-effective and labor-efficient manner, empowering patients to manage their health from the convenience of their homes.
Cardihab’s digital cardiac rehabilitation solution meets all three of the following criteria used in this report:
The Commission estimates that as at April 2024, a total of only 31 devices that could be classified as DTx were listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).
Some key points in the analysis of a DTx included:
- DTx can enhance access without compromising quality of care.
- DTx can improve access to treatments for a range of chronic conditions (figure 4.1), and allow patients to access treatment via their smartphones, tablets or laptops.
- DTx can be more, or equally as effective as traditional treatments.
- By allowing patients to complete a round of treatment independently from the comfort of their own homes, DTx can not only reduce costs, but improve access to treatment.
- DTx offer considerable labour-saving potential. As treatments are provided as part of a blended care model or self-administered, labour costs can be reduced and scarce practitioner time freed up.
- Reduced travel and time costs can also improve access to care for patients who would otherwise have to attend outpatient clinics.
Cardihab Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation program - 'Leveraging digital technology in healthcare' case study
The increase in convenience offered by DTx encourages patients to seek treatment where they previously
would not have. For example, Cardihab’s Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation programme greatly increased
participation in cardiac rehabilitation in one study, as those who declined traditional models of care were
more willing to use a digital treatment program (Cardihab 2020).
The case study included in the report is below:
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Cardihab receives ISO/IEC 27001 certification for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)
Cardihab has recently earned certification in accordance with the ISO/IEC 27001 standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This is an important step in the recognition of the strength of our operations and systems in meeting the rigor of international security and compliance standards.
ISO/IEC 27001 is an information security standard created by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), which provides a framework and guidelines for establishing, implementing and managing an ISMS.
Cardihab CEO Helen Souris says, “We are very proud of this achievement which reflects our dedication and commitment to governance at the highest standard. A huge amount of planning, training, assessment, evaluation, and time is invested in our governance practices and this certification demonstrates our commitment to our customers, patients, partners and shareholders.”
Charlene Loo, Managing Director, BSI Australia and New Zealand, said “Cardihab’s ISO/IEC 27001 certification showcases their unwavering dedication to safeguarding client data and their continued commitment in upholding the highest security standards across their organization for all information assets. Congratulations to the team on this achievement.”
If you would like to learn more about our ISO/IEC 27001 Certification, privacy and security compliance please visit our Security page or contact us.
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2023 End-of-year-message from Cardihab CEO Helen Souris
As we move towards the end of another year and into the festive season, it’s a great time to reflect on our achievements, the topics that captured our attention, and to take a moment to recharge as we plan for another exciting year ahead.
2023 was a significant year of growth in terms of the number of people we helped recover from cardiac events Australia wide through our network of pioneering customers and providers. We have also made significant progress in our strategic initiatives with heartfelt thanks to the tireless effort of our incredible team, our valued Cardihab Providers, and made possible by a number of government and industry grants, as well as the continued support from our investors and shareholders.
The topics that captured our attention included the welcomed push (again) for a change from activity-based funding to outcomes/value-based care, a movement that is building momentum but, in line with the traditional pace of change in healthcare, is moving cautiously and slowly.
While the resounding buzz around the potential for digital health solutions to overcome inequities in care remained throughout 2023, it was abruptly overshadowed by the frenzy of interest in AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT.
The vulnerability of businesses, services, and consumers was exposed when Optus went down, triggering an Australia wide disruption and a critical reassessment of risk management and business continuity measures.
These are just some of the many topics that consumed our thoughts and inspired our reflections on what we needed to do to be resilient and emerge successfully from these testing times.
“Like it or not, we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind. And everyone here will ultimately be judged - will ultimately judge himself – on the effort he has contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which his ideals and goals have shaped that effort.”
There are plenty more exciting projects and enthusiastic partnerships to be announced in the new year and we look forward to sharing future highlights.
Best wishes,
Helen Souris
Cardihab Chief Executive Officer
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Cardihab helping further support patient care through Heart Support Australia partnership
Connecting with others who have had a similar experience of surviving a cardiac event or undergoing a procedure, and the shared understanding of what that experience is like can be very powerful and have a profound impact on a person’s recovery and ability to get back to living.
Cardihab is therefore proud to announce its partnership with Heart Support Australia, a peak advocacy body helping Australians affected by heart disease through peer support.
Heart Support Australia offers a comprehensive peer support group program designed for patients to participate in following their cardiac rehabilitation program, to help build connections and ensure ongoing care in their communities.
Heart Support Australia CEO Dr Christian Verdicchio says, "We’re very happy to partner with Cardihab, both to help improve awareness of our services and the key role support services play in recovery from a heart event, as well as to highlight the power of their digital programs in delivering equitable access to Cardiac Rehabilitation across Australia."
The collaboration will help to ensure those needing access to CR are aware of what options are available to them to ensure timely access to quality patient-centred care, and the availability of digital solutions to improve long-term outcomes.
Cardihab CEO Helen Souris is excited about the association and its potential to help raise the profile of cardiac rehabilitation, and its proven benefits.
“We know that strong partnerships such as this one can have great impact in helping to generate awareness of the importance of ongoing cardiac care and rehabilitation programs, and the role of digital platforms such as Cardihab in helping patients to do this. We’re very happy to partner with Heart Support Australia, and look forward to working with them to help them achieve their goals of providing long-term support to people living with cardiac disease.”
Learn more about Heart Support Australia here or contact us to learn more about this collaboration.
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Cardihab and Albury Wodonga Health collaborate to improve accessibility in cross border region
Cardihab and Albury Wodonga Health recently launched a partnership to ensure ongoing access to quality rehabilitation services are made available for those living with chronic diseases in regional New South Wales and Victoria.
Albury Wodonga Health is a cross-border health service providing a comprehensive and growing range of health services throughout the region. Like many communities in regional Australia, issues such as transport and distance create significant barriers to essential services for many Albury Wodonga patients.
After successfully integrating the Cardihab digital cardiac rehabilitation program into their outpatient offering for cardiac patients, the Albury Wodonga Health team are excited to now extend the program to their Health Coordination Team (HCT). The HCT coordinates much-needed services for those suffering from a range of long-term chronic illnesses including complex respiratory conditions, diabetes, and heart failure. Access to a digital program will mean many in the region who may have previously missed out due to lack of access, and who are at a high risk of another hospital admission, will receive the care that they need.
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is traditionally an exercise, education and support program designed to help guide patients through their recovery after an event or procedure. CR is proven to improve health outcomes and reduce the chance of a hospital readmission within 12 months after a cardiac event by up to 56%. Despite this, up to 80% of eligible patients do not participate in cardiac rehabilitation after they have had an event, with common barriers such as transport, distance and flexibility contributing to poor participation and completion rates.
The Cardihab digital platform provides a high-quality, guideline-aligned and convenient cardiac rehabilitation program designed to overcome many of the common barriers to participation, enabling equitable access to essential healthcare post-cardiac event, regardless of a patient’s location.
Cardihab patient app—SmartCR, provides patients with a personalised care program that addresses their risk factors. The app allows patients to record data such as health measures (eg blood glucose, weight, blood pressure) exercise sessions, symptoms, receive medication reminders, access education modules, and connect with their clinician via telehealth consults. The app connects to a secure clinician portal allowing the care teams involved to review—in real-time—their patient’s health data and progress.
Cardihab CEO Helen Souris says, “we are delighted that Albury Wodonga Health, a significant healthcare provider servicing a large regional area, are using the Cardihab solution to support their communities.
While the health industry has been aware for some time of the potential for digital solutions to make improvements to outcomes—particularly in regional areas where there is significant health inequity—it takes vision, effort, time, and the dedication of people passionate about making a difference to make change happen. We are thrilled to be collaborating with the Albury Wodonga Health team, as we work together to enhance healthcare outcomes throughout the region.”
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Cardihab selected for Amazon Web Services (AWS) Health Equity Program
Cardihab has been selected for a global program from Amazon Web Services (AWS), supporting organisations that are developing solutions to advance health equity.
Cardihab will receive computing credits and technical expertise from Amazon Web Services which will be used to further facilitate its digital cardiac rehabilitation platform. Cardihab's digital programs are designed to help ensure the significant proportion of marginalised patients that should participate in cardiac rehabilitation but cannot due to common barriers—such as lack of transport, time constraints, competing work/life commitments, psychosocial factors etc— will have an alternative pathway to participation.
Through the program, AWS offers AWS credits and customised technical expertise to selected organisations around the world that want to use AWS services to improve health outcomes and health equity in any of the following areas:
1) increasing access to health services for underserved communities;
2) addressing social determinants of health;
3) leveraging data to promote more equitable and inclusive systems of care; and
4) advancing equity in diagnostics and screening
The support from AWS will advance Cardihab’s efforts to deliver more equitable access to care for those at risk of, or living with, cardiovascular disease (CVD).
In addition to delivering a high quality, flexible, guideline aligned cardiac rehabilitation program that can have a critical impact on patient outcomes, the Cardihab solution also establishes a dynamic dataset that includes observations, activity, medication and psychological metrics which are gained throughout the course of a rehab program.
Integration with wearable technology and objective measures entered by clinical staff create a comprehensive set of high-quality data that facilitates an AI supported feedback mechanism to personalise care for optimal outcomes. Data is mapped into FHIR resources for maximum interoperability.
“To be selected to be part of this program is a wonderful testament to the potential of the Cardihab solution to have an impact on how we deliver equitable patient care, and to improve patient outcomes in the future. Our strong data solution is a key component in ensuring robust insights and key metrics are harnessed in an incisive and adaptable way, to help build sustainable care pathways”, said Cardihab CEO Helen Souris.
“AWS believes individual health outcomes should not depend on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or neighbourhood, “said Maggie Carter, Global Lead, Social Impact at AWS. “Cloud technology can be a force multiplier when it comes to addressing the inequities in global health that have been amplified by the pandemic. Through this program, we look forward to helping Cardihab and other organisations worldwide use AWS to advance health equity and improve health outcomes.”
To learn more about the AWS program, visit https://aws.amazon.com/health/health-equity.
Integrated modern day digital solutions are the key to solving age old issues of poor cardiac rehab uptake, completion and preventable hospital readmissions.
The Sydney Morning Herald yesterday shone a spotlight on new research by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, which recognised the importance of integrating digital health solutions into cardiac rehabilitation services to help more people recover from cardiac events and deliver greater impact.
The study sought to understand whether mhealth enabled Disease Management Programs (DMP’s), were effective in reducing readmissions and mortality in patients with heart disease. DMP’s are a framework for providing care for patients with cardiac disease and typically coordinated by nurses in collaboration with health care professionals. They commonly include heart health education; care coordination; exercise prescription; medication management and adherence; self-monitoring strategies; psychosocial support; behaviour change and goal setting.
The published literature review was conducted by researchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, and lead by Snr author Assoc Prof Melinda Carrington Head of the Baker Institute’s Pre-Clinical Disease and Prevention unit. The study showed, there were clear and significant benefits regarding cardiac related hospital readmission reductions, all cause readmission reductions and reduced emergency department visits, when digitally enabled options were provided to patients. Equivalent results were observed in mortality and composite endpoints (MACE) for digital modalities compared to traditional models of care which today are perceived as the gold standard.
Assoc Prof Melinda Carrington suggests that while the study does not conclude tradition programs are less effective than digital, the impact lies in the fact that more patients can access and complete digital programs thanks to the flexibility and convenience afforded by the digital delivery format.
The research also highlighted the importance of providing patients with options of cardiac rehab programmes that can be accommodated into busy lives and that patients can commit to. The flexibility, convenience and personalisation which is enabled through technology based solutions has clear benefits, as opposed to the traditionally more fixed structures, time commitments and metropolitan locations of traditional clinic/gym based programs.
“We need to look at more modern day, alternative delivery methods of cardiac rehabilitation to increase access and engagement to improve the quality of life for people with heart disease and to reduce preventable and costly re-admissions to hospital.
“That’s why mobile health-enabled rehabilitation programs should be considered for improving outcomes in people with heart disease, allowing them to choose their preferred program type and setting”, says Assoc Prof Carrington.
Mr Brown who‘s personal experience was shared in the SMH article, explained how he benefited recently from Cardihab’s digitally enabled CR program and laments the missed opportunity from 20 years ago, where he received a stent after his first cardiac event, and set on his way home without CR.
Brown in his 80’s, found the six-week program he completed was helpful on a variety of levels. Each day, he entered his blood sugar levels, blood pressure and weight into the app, and was prompted to walk for 15 to 30 minutes.
He was also able to track what medications he was taking and when. “Half the time you can’t remember what you’re taking, and they change the names of medications,” he explains. “With this, I had a full record of all the medication I was taking and the amount. That was very helpful.”
The staggering reality, 20 years on, is that Mr Brown’s experience is still very common. While this time he was fortunate to have access to Cardihab’s digital CR program, the reality for the vast majority of people post cardiac event, is that they miss out. 80% of people who should participate in CR currently do not.
Clinical staff shortages, closures of cardiac rehabilitation services across Australia as a result of COVID measures and low levels of funding for cardiac rehab contribute significantly to the low availability and access to programs for patients who need them.
Rob Newton, a professor of exercise medicine and deputy director of Edith Cowan University’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute was not involved in the study, but was interviewed for the SMH article to comment on the findings.
“It is clear from the research that access is a major barrier to participation in cardiac rehab,” he says. “There is also a nationwide shortage of accredited exercise physiologists or appropriately qualified physiotherapists to assess, deliver and monitor the cardiac rehabilitation.”
For these reasons, he says: “Telehealth delivery of exercise medicine is increasingly demonstrating huge potential to address the chronic disease epidemic facing Australia.”
Read the publication in JACC 'Digital Health Programs to Reduce Readmissions in Coronary Artery Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis'
Authors: Justin Braver, Thomas H. Marwick, Brian Oldenburg, Ayuba Issaka, and Melinda J. Carrington
Cardihab is the first and only digital therapeutic (DTx) for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Australia. Our clinically validated digital programs are delivered via a smartphone app that connects patients with healthcare professionals and allows patients to progress through their program at the time and place that suits them.
Cardihab is registered with the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) and the only DTx in the world with a regulatory classification.