Incubateurs

  • Inde : Tech Mahindra acquiert le groupe HCI (USA), expert IT dans le secteur de la santé

    Le fournisseur de technologies IT Tech Mahindra (Inde) a récemment signé un accord visant à acquérir CJS Solutions Group LLC (groupe HCI), une société américaine de conseil en technologies de l’information spécialisée dans le domaine de la santé .

    Cette acquisition s’aligne avec les objectifs de Tech Mahindra, qui place la numérisation parmi les cinq principaux piliers de sa stratégie de croissance.

    Le groupe HCI : l’une des sociétés privées les plus dynamiques des États-Unis

    Le groupe HCI travaille avec d’importants fournisseurs de services de santé à travers le monde. Il est présent en Europe, au Moyen-Orient et en Asie-Pacifique.

    L’entreprise se concentre sur la mise en œuvre complète de dossiers médicaux électroniques (EMR) et de dossiers de santé numériques (EHR). Elle propose des services de consulting aux entreprises, centrés sur la mise en place des EMR et des EHR mais aussi sur des domaines plus spécifiques comme l’intégration de systèmes d’information, l’adoption de systèmes IT en clinique, l’optimisation et la cybersécurité.

    Le groupe HCI a été reconnu comme étant l’une des sociétés privées les plus dynamiques aux États-Unis par divers titres de presse spécialisés, comme le magazine INC et le Consulting Magazine.

    Tech Mahindra: un investissement initial de 89,5 M. US$ pour obtenir 84,7 % des parts du groupe HCI

    « [Cette] acquisition permettra non seulement de positionner Tech Mahindra comme un acteur significatif dans l’espace des fournisseurs de soins mais sera l’occasion d’aller plus loin dans l’industrie via la mise en œuvre d’EMR et de services environnants », a déclaré C. P. Gurnani, directeur général de Tech Mahindra.

    Les revenus de la société perçus entre septembre 2015 et septembre 2016 s’élèvent à 114 M. USD (106 M. €). La valeur du groupe est actuellement estimée à environ 110 M. USD (102 M. €).

    La transaction devrait être conclue d’ici avril 2017, sous réserve de l’obtention de toutes les approbations réglementaires nécessaires. Selon les modalités fixées, Tech Mahindra effectuera un paiement initial de 89,5 M. USD (83 M. €) et obtiendra ainsi 84,7 % des parts de l’entreprise.

    Tech Mahindra compte sur cette acquisition pour moderniser le secteur de la santé en Inde et ailleurs dans le monde

    « [Ce nouveau contrat] (…) s’aligne parfaitement avec notre nouvelle philosophie de marque, « Connected World. Connected Experiences » (« un monde connecté, des expériences connectées ») », a déclaré Atul Kunwar, président et directeur technique de la société indienne.

    Selon Ricky Caplin, P.-D.G. du groupe HCI, ce partenariat avec Tech Mahindra « améliorera le secteur de la santé grâce à la combinaison [de différents facteurs, dont] une perturbation [positive de l’industrie], des innovations et une réduction des coûts ».

  • India: Tech Mahindra to acquired the HCI Group (US), IT consulting firm in the health sector

    Tech Mahindra (India), specialist in digital transformation, has recently signed an agreement to acquire CJS Solutions Group LLC (The HCI Group), a US-based healthcare information technology consulting company.

    This acquisition is in line with the objectives of the Indian firm, which places « digitalization » among the five main pillars of its growth strategy.

    HCI: one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States

    The HCI Group works with leading Tier-I healthcare service providers throughout the world. The company is present in Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

    The firm focuses on providing end-to-end implementation of EMR and EHR software, training and support services. It offers enterprise-wide advisory services, focused on on IT system implementation and training but also on specialty service lines in integration, testing, optimization and cybersecurity.

    The HCI Group has been recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States by various specialized journals, such as INC magazine and the Consulting Magazine.

    Tech Mahindra: an upfront payment of $ 89.5 million for the purchase of 84.7% stake in The HCI Group

    « The acquisition will not only position Tech Mahindra as a significant player in the healthcare provider space, but will also provide an opportunity to go deeper in this space via EMR implementation and surrounding services route, » said CP Gurnani, managing director and chief executive officer of Tech Mahindra.

    The company had revenues of US$114 M (€106 M), for 12-month period ended 30th September 2016. The group value is currently estimated at about US$110 M (€102 M).

    The transaction is expected to close by April 2017, subject to obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals. Under the terms of the acquisition, Tech Mahindra will make an upfront payment of US$89.5 M (€83 M) for purchase of 84.7% stake in the company.

    Through this acquisition, Tech Mahindra would like to modernize the health sector in India and around the world

    « The acquisition (…) aligns perfectly with our new brand philosophy – Connected World. Connected Experiences, » said Atul Kunwar, president and chief technology officer of the Indian firm.

    According to Ricky Caplin, CEO of The HCI Group, this partnership with Tech Mahindra « will improve the healthcare industry through a combination of disruption, innovation and cost reduction ».

  • Appel à candidatures : trophées de la e-santé 2017

    Dans le cadre de l’université d’été de la e-santé qui se déroulera du 4 au 6 juillet 2017 à Castres-Mazamet, un appel à candidatures est ouvert pour les trophées de la e-santé 2017 jusqu’au 21 mai 2017. Huit catégories de e-santé seront représentées et trois prix seront remis.

    Critères de participation

    Ouvert aux parties prenantes de l’écosystème de la e-santé

    Le programme est ouvert à tous les entrepreneurs, chercheurs, patients, professionnels de santé, étudiants ayant développé un outil ou une application en matière de e-santé dans les domaines suivants:

    • Télémédecine
    • M-santé patient / Grand public
    • M-santé Professionnel de santé 
    • Big Data / Data
    • Coordination des soins
    • Autonomie / Maintien à domicile
    • Objets connectés de santé
    • Étudiants

    Trois prix spéciaux

    • Le Grand prix Pierre Fabre
    • Le prix des internautes
    • Le prix coup de cœur du Jury

    Calendrier et inscription

    Calendrier

    • mars 2017: ouverture des candidatures
    • 21 mai 2017: date limite de candidature
    • du 22 mai au 4 juin 2017: étude des candidatures et présélection des dossiers
    • 6 juin 2017: annonce des finalistes
    • 5 juillet 2017: présentation orale, délibération du jury et cérémonie de remise des prix

    Inscription

    Tout(e) Start-up, entreprise du secteur des technologies et de la santé, établissement de santé, professionnel de santé, association de patients et d’aidants, acteur de la protection sociale, chercheur et étudiant peut candidater avant le 21 mai 2017 en retournant le Dossier de candidature à l’adresse trophees@universite-esante.com.

    Vous pouvez retrouver le Règlement du concours ici.

  • MD Anderson and IBM Watson fall apart: is this a harbinger for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine?

    MD Anderson announced in September 2016 that its partnership with IBM Watson was put on hold. The partnership had been signed on October 18, 2013. The project had been designed to be a one-year collaboration between MD Anderson and IBM leading to a work product called Oncology Expert Advisor, engineered to assist Oncologists with treatment options for patients.

    In March 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported that MD Anderson placed the partnership with Watson on hold due to four main reasons:
    • Project kept shifting focus, it started as a Leukemia project and shifted to Lung Cancer as part of the evaluation phase.
    • MD Anderson switched to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system by Epic and Watson was incompatible with Epic.
    • Watson’s OEA was not piloted at other hospitals, even though this step was a contractual obligation.
    • The project was continuing to run up costs and not meet goals.

    Oncology Expert Advisor (OEA) was intended to give patients and clinicians immediate, and world wide access to the expertise of MD Anderson Oncology staff.  It was thought that Watson’s ability to extrapolate insights from large data sets with speed and accuracy would help clinicians create, observe, and improve on patient treatment plans while paying special attention to adverse events.  It was expected that this combination of talents would result in improved quality outcomes for patients.

    MD Anderson stated that cognitive systems in computing were able to understand the context of users questions and uncover answers from Big Data, thus continuing learning from user experiences would lead to improved patient outcomes in Cancer patients. In 2013 the American Cancer Society projected 1.6 million new Cancer cases, and the Watson project was intended to first target Leukemia due to its lethality in children (the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society states that Leukemia causes 1/3 of all Cancer deaths in children under the age of 15).

    MD Anderson has more than 100,000 patients in its Houston area population annually. Including other network locations that MD Anderson engages with this number is even higher. MD Anderson has amassed an unprecedented amount of clinical oncology data, both in depth and breadth. Unlocking this data would release an unprecedented amount of knowledge by presenting actionable insights.

    MD Anderson’s main challenge was that data related to day to day patient care and clinical trials is often captured in the notes and minds of the patient care team and researchers, or inaccessible due to the length of time since patients were treated. Watson was supposed to come in and assist physicians and researchers with understanding data to advance innovation and to place the right patients in clinical trials.

    The Watson project was put on hold in September 2016, costing MD Anderson $62 million and failing to meet its milestones. As of February 2017, MD Anderson was actively seeking bids for competitors to Watson.  IBM defended the MD Anderson collaboration stating that the OEA product would have been successful if MD Anderson deployed it and citing a 90% agreement rate when compared to Tumor board expert recommendations. Current Oncology practice is for Tumor boards to meet weekly and discuss patient treatment plan recommendations.

    Lynda Chin, the MD Anderson researcher who led the Watson collaboration stated in February 2017, that this set back should not mean the end of treating Cancer using A.I. tools at MD Anderson. Chin pointed out that the OEA functions as designed, and is able to deliver actionable insights from big data for treating Cancer patients. Chin left MD Anderson in 2015 and is singled out in a 48-page audit conducted by University of Texas that harshly criticizes the project.

    Ron DePhino, MD Anderson’s CEO (DePhino and Chin are married to each other) expressed continued support for the OEA project in a February 2017 message to employees, and further stated that the project was put on hold to allow for the development of a commercialization plan.

    IBM Watson continues to develop new partnerships with organizations and continues to be a leader in A.I. tools for clinical decision support.

  • IA : le partenariat entre le centre de cancérologie MD Anderson et IBM Watson suspendu

    MD Anderson a annoncé en septembre 2016 la suspension de son partenariat avec IBM Watson. Signé en octobre 2013, le partenariat avait été conçu sous la forme d’une collaboration d’un an entre MD Anderson et IBM pour développer l’outil d’aide à la décision Oncology Expert Advisor (OEA).

    En mars 2017, le Wall Street Journal indiquait que la suspension du partenariat par MD Anderson s’expliquait pour 4 raisons :

    • le programme a constamment changé de cible ;
    • MD Anderson a adopté le EHR d’Epic et Watson était incompatible avec Epic
    • OEA n’était pas piloté dans d’autres hôpitaux, alors qu’il s’agissait d’une obligation contractuelle
    • Le projet continuait à engendrer des coûts sans atteindre ses objectifs.

    Oncology Expert Advisor (OEA) était destiné à donner aux patients et aux cliniciens un accès immédiat, partout dans le monde, à l’expertise des médecins de MD Anderson Oncology. L’idée était que la capacité de Watson à interpréter rapidement et avec précision de grands jeux de données aiderait les cliniciens à créer, observer, et améliorer les traitements des patients tout en accordant une attention particulière aux effets indésirables. Il était prévu que cette combinaison de talents améliorerait les résultats pour les patients.

    MD Anderson traite plus de 100.000 patients chaque année autour de Houston, et ce nombre est encore plus élevé si on y ajoute les autres centres qui font partie de son réseau. L’institution a  donc une base de données extrêmement riche en oncologie.

    Watson était censé venir aider les médecins et les chercheurs à comprendre ces données pour faire progresser l’innovation et inclure les bons patients dans les essais cliniques.

    Le projet Watson a été suspendu en septembre 2016, avec un coût de 62 millions $ pour MD Anderson. En février 2017, MD Anderson cherchait activement des offres de concurrents de Watson. IBM a de son côté indiqué que OEA aurait réussi si MD Anderson avait déployé cet outil.

    Le PDG de MD Anderson a de son côté déclaré que le projet avait été suspendu pour permettre l’élaboration d’un plan de commercialisation.

  • Le NHS élabore son cadre du partage des données de santé en réaction aux failles dénoncées

    Le British Journal of Healthcare Computing a indiqué, le 21 mars 2017, que le National Health System travaillait sur le cadre du partage des données de santé pour faire face aux craintes soulevées par le Bureau chargé de l’Information (ICO, Information Comissioner’s Office).

    Des failles supposées dans SystemOne

    En réponse aux craintes de violation majeure des données de santé de 26 millions de britanniques, l’ICO a enquêté sur près de 3000 utilisations des dossiers de patients par les médecins généralistes.

    Le NHS travaille pour le développement d’un cadre politique pour tous les fournisseurs de logiciel adhérant au partage de données. En effet, le logiciel actuel SystemOne a suscité des craintes que le ICO tente de résorber en partenariat avec NHS Digital, NHS England et TPP, fournisseur du logiciel.

    Suite aux préoccupations entraînées par les failles du système, l’ICO encourage les patients à continuer de partager leurs données pour le moment et assure qu’un travail restant à faire pour assurer un processus de données « juste et légal » est considéré comme principale préoccupation.

    Un porte-parole du NHS a déclaré que « les organisations du NHS sont déjà prêtes à aider TPP pour répondre aux enjeux soulevés » en travaillant étroitement avec l’ICO et les médecins généralistes et pouvoir proposer une réponse complète à la fin de l’été 2017″.

  • South Korea: robots and AI to lead futur medical sector

    In the near future, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) will occupy a central place in the medical supplies and equipment sector in South Korea, healthcare experts predicted on March 19, 2017, in Seoul at the 33rd Korea International Medical Clinical Laboratories and Hospital Equipment Show (KIMES).

    This international summit is hosted every year by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. This year, about 1,300 medical instrument manufacturers from both South Korea and abroad attended the event to showcase their latest medical products.

    South Korea: 940,000 new jobs will be created by 2020 in the medical industry

    « An era of future medicine has opened with the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), robots and the Internet of Things (IoT), said during the opening ceremony Health Minister Chung Chin-yeob. South Korea should prepare to nurture the medical device sector. »

    Medical robots are increasingly used in operating theaters in South Korea. This increasing deployment is partly due to the support of the Korean government in the field of healthcare and specifically in the advanced medical equipment sector.

    The government said it will also expand the budget dedicated to research and development of various medical devices. He also wants to put effort into improving distribution channels to further promote exports. Goal: to make South Korea a global biotech and medical industry hub.

    940,000 new jobs will be created by 2020 in the industry, the government also said. This project could male the country’s leading growth industry after IT.

    Market experts who attended the KIMES show believe that the development of robotics and artificial intelligence on the South Korean healthcare market is expected to increase in the coming years because also the first feedback from local hospitals is positive, on the part of the medical staff, faster and more efficient, as well as patients, who can have a better health care offer.

    KIMES: South Korea in the spotlight

    The South Korean market was well represented at the KIMES show. Among the exhibitors:

    • Curexo. The company unveiled its latest surgical robots, developed through a joint project with Hyundai Heavy Industries.
    • Samsung Electronics. The group said to have focused on access to care, accuracy and efficiency for its latest products, including GM85, a mobile digital radiography (DR) system providing mobility, enhanced user-convenience and a high image quality.
    • Selvas AI . The company highlighted its AI-based medical speech transcription solution, Selvy MediVoice. Based on deep learning algorithm, the performance is enhanced with additional add-on features optimized for transcription of medical treatment, surgery, reading, and consultation.
      The firm also presented Selvy Checkup, a heath checkup machine to monitor the patients’ health status.

    KIMES: over 30,000 medical equipment were showcased to attract buyers

    Over 30,000 advanced medical supplies and equipment were exhibited at the KIMES by leading tech companies in the industry and major research centers in order to grab the attention of international buyers.

    Among them, there was IBM. The US group presented Watson, a supercomputer based on artificial intelligence that can diagnose and treat cancer more accurately than the tools currently available on the market.

    The system was adopted in 2016 by Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Seoul for the first time in the world. Andrew Norden, deputy chief health officer at IBM Watson Health, said the AI devices developed by IBM, such as Watson, were created to help doctors and not to replace them.

  • Japan: eHealth company Welby joins forces with Janssen to fight against disorders of attention

    The Japanese digital health company Welby unveiled in March 2017 that it has partnered with Janssen, a pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson (US), to develop a mobile application for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD).

    Called Aozora, the app created by Welby will be available in Japan on iOS and Android and distributed by Janssens for people with ADHD who are prescribed medication.

    A mobile app for medication adherence of people with ADHD

    The system sends notifications to users to remind them to take their medication and features goal-setting and schedule management tools to encourage them to change some of their behaviors and to progress day after day.

    Reducing the number of careless mistakes is one of the Welby’s objectives but the main goal of its application is medication adherence.

    Welby has currently ten pharmaceutical clients, including Janssen and AstraZeneca, an English biopharmaceutical group. The Japanese company makes applications and open data collection and aggregation platforms for doctors, health systems and pharma companies directly to manage conditions.

    The application is part of Janssen’s Healthy Mind program, an initiative created to combat stigmatization of people with mental illness in the Asia-Pacific region. The US society has previously developed apps with Welby for use by patients with prostate cancer and chronic pain, and is looking to expand its business into more therapeutic areas.

    Welby has created an open platform to centralize patient data

    Welby’s activity and the use of its application are limited to the Asia-Pacific region but their impact is quite important. The company has deployed a unique approach to digital health tools by working directly with global pharmaceutical groups for the distribution of its device in Japan.

    Founded in 2011, Welby is licensed as a medical device company but has also been involved in various areas of the health technology sector. The start-up has created an open platform to centralize personal health records and various health data, which can connect to medical devices, activity trackers and manual-input data from lab tests or prescriptions.

    The use of health mobile applications is still marginal in Japan

    « The situation in Japan is different than the US, especially for the mobile area, said Hideki Inoue, Welby’s Executive Officer for the Medical Solution Unit (source: MobiHealthNews.com). We have most of the foreign pharmaceutical companies, and most are looking at developing a mobile app in Japan, but there are very few companies who can do that. »

    Moreover, interoperability between information systems is not as advanced in Japan as it is in the United States, which is why the use of the platform developed by Welby is not yet widespread.

    « With a daily app, the aim is to really improve patient engagement and adherence by allowing the patient to clearly communicate symptoms and log them, which is really challenging to do in a regular five-minute appointment every few weeks, » said Inoue.

    Welby wants to develop solutions in other areas of health

    Welby began selling its products to the country’s health systems to ensure more accurate medical records. Then, the company extended its activities to pharmaceutical companies in the last couple of years.

    Next step: growing its clinical research partnerships network. Welby don’t plan to expand outside Japan for now, but would like to expand its role in healthcare overall.

    « Once we prove these solutions in Japan, on some of our biggest health concerns like aging, then we will see how they can be used in other countries. »

  • Inde : data et algorithmes parmi les 5 start-up health tech primées à la HITLAB World Cup

    « L’innovation en santé numérique axée sur l’empathie : améliorer les résultats en matière de santé par la compréhension des besoins de l’utilisateur final », tel était l’enjeu du sommet des innovateurs HITLAB, un laboratoire d’innovation en soins de santé, qui s’est tenu à l’Indian Institute of Technology, à Delhi en février 2017.

    L’événement a été l’occasion de mettre en avant les cinq start-up locales finalistes de l’HITLAB World Cup.
    – Health Vectors (1er prix) ;
    – Ekincare (2e prix) ;
    – Apcegen ;
    – Zeolr Technologies ;
    – Wide Heart Solutions.

    Les 5 lauréats ont mis au point des technologies pour tenter de faire face aux défis les plus pressants de l’industrie de la santé en Inde mais aussi à échelle mondiale.

    HITLAB World Cup : les cinq lauréats

  • India: 5 health tech startups rewarded to address health challenges

    Health Tech leaders met in February 2017 at the 2017 Innovators Summit organized by HITLAB, a laboratory of health care innovation, which was held at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi

    Talks were focused on the following theme: “Empathy-Driven Digital Health Innovation: Improving Health Outcomes by Understanding the Needs of the End-User”.

    The event was an opportunity to highlight the five local finalists startups of the 2017 HITLAB World Cup:
    – Health Vectors (1st prize);
    – Ekincare (2nd Prize);
    – Apcegen;
    – Zeolr Technologies;
    – Heart Wide Solutions.

    HITLAB Summit: bringing together key industry players to engage in a fruitful debate within the industry

    Participants included the heads of Fortis, TCS, IBM and Boston Scientific.

    The event was punctuated by discussions and interventions of various panels and talks to expand the network of participating industry players.

    One of the key moments of this meeting between professionals was the presentation of the five finalists of the HITLAB World Cup, a competition open to Indian innovators specialized in the eHealth sector.

    « The HITLAB World Cup enables highly creative healthcare technology entrepreneurs to showcase ideas with the highest probability of significant diffusion that will lead to healthcare transformation, said Devmalya Sarkar, Summit Director at HITLAB. The competition is the highlight of our (…) summit (…) »

    The winners have developed original technologies to address the most pressing challenges of the healthcare industry in India but also globally.

    HITLAB World Cup: the five finalists