Innovation often flourishes in the face of challenges. Recently, the global healthcare sector has risen to the occasion: healthcare systems have implemented innovative strategies to protect their personnel and enhance patient outcomes, startups have been launching or scaling vital technologies, and regulatory bodies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have granted emergency use authorizations to facilitate the adoption of these tech solutions.
In response to the needs of various healthcare organizations globally, we have rolled out a series of webinars showcasing vetted, enterprise-ready startup solutions leveraging AWS to assist healthcare providers in tackling the challenges posed by COVID-19. This article marks the final entry in a series highlighting innovative startups. Explore their solutions, watch their webinar presentations, and connect with us if your healthcare organization requires assistance. By promoting awareness of these ready-to-use technologies, we aim to equip the global healthcare community with essential tools to meet these challenges head-on.
Did you know that approximately 1 in 5 individuals in the US and 1 in 10 globally experience mental health issues? Alarmingly, only about one-third of those affected receive evidence-based care. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is a vital aspect of health—encompassing complete physical, mental, and social well-being—not merely the absence of a mental disorder. Nearly 800 million individuals worldwide suffer from mental health conditions, with anxiety and depression being the most common, costing the global economy an astounding $1 trillion in lost productivity each year. Depression is also a leading cause of disability worldwide, increasing the risk of developing chronic conditions by 40%.
Discussing mental health can reduce stigma and enhance access to care. By raising awareness of new technologies that facilitate access and aid providers in delivering evidence-based mental health support, we hope to ensure that everyone who requires care receives it.
Collaborative Technology Solutions
Our AWS partners—Harmony Health, MindfulTech, and Insightful Health—present collaborative technology solutions that contribute to a vision of delivering personalized, effective, and easily accessible mental health support. This vision is particularly crucial as individuals worldwide contend with the anxiety, isolation, and stress exacerbated by the pandemic.
Harmony Health provides an integrated approach to mental healthcare, connecting patients, providers, and payers through analytics to match patients with appropriate care at the right time. MindfulTech has developed a digital health platform and analytics solution that enhances patient outcomes through effective monitoring and targeted guidance. Insightful Health has pioneered AI-based voice analysis to enhance the clinical experience and deliver personalized behavioral health services at scale, providing clinicians with actionable insights.
MindfulTech, founded by a veteran, focuses on ensuring access to mental health services across diverse populations and care environments. The company fosters patient engagement in their own behavioral health, leading to improved outcomes and reduced costs. In 2019, MindfulTech was recognized as the “Best Overall Mental Health Solution” in the MedTech Breakthrough Awards.
Addressing Shared Challenges
Many organizations face shared challenges in offering mental health support, such as limited profits, high operational costs, and a shortage of providers. MindfulTech addresses these issues by delivering their collaborative technology directly to clinics and care teams, including primary care, mental health systems, and hospitals. Their tools integrate with EHR systems (like athenahealth, EPIC, and Cerner) and include a patient-facing application that enhances measurement and engagement. This allows care teams to receive AI-driven insights on patients’ mental well-being and respond promptly.
MindfulTech removes barriers to mental health delivery in three key ways: measurement, management, and motivation. Their solution facilitates frequent data collection, enabling remote tracking of performance and risk stratification using validated assessments, thereby enhancing measurement-based care.
“It’s challenging to address the issue without understanding its scale,” remarks Peter Green, VP of Product at MindfulTech.
For management, the provision of workflow tools for care teams ensures that treatment plans can be adjusted using integrated insights, enabling more effective patient management and the automatic provision of evidence-based tools and resources.
To motivate patients to engage with their behavioral health and combat stigma, MindfulTech employs educational strategies and behavioral nudges. By applying marketing principles and behavioral economics, they have created a gamification engine that encourages patients to interact with the application. Patients receive rewards and automated reminders for assessments, with quantitative tracking allowing both patients and care teams to monitor progress. This increased engagement translates to improved outcomes, with MindfulTech reporting that 79% of users experience a reduction in depression symptoms and an overall engagement rate of 72%.
This holistic view of patient care allows teams to efficiently identify individuals needing the most support through automatic triggers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MindfulTech’s clinical team utilized their methodologies to create a risk assessment and anxiety screener, compiling best practices for managing stress and isolation, which they made accessible via their app and a public website.
Supporting Healthcare Workers
Beyond the general population, MindfulTech has been actively engaging with healthcare workers and first responders, providing resources aimed at alleviating burnout. These resources are designed to educate, foster resilience, and assist frontline workers in symptom management during these challenging times.
MindfulTech is already collaborating with organizations such as the US Air Force, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Jefferson Health, and over 100 others. While mental health is a priority for all, as noted by a representative from the Philadelphia Fire Department: “There remains a gap in encouraging individuals to seek help, as the common perception is that ‘this is just part of the job’.” The CDC highlights that frontline workers may experience heightened stress during crises, and even prior to the pandemic, burnout rates among healthcare providers were notably high, comparable to other sectors, making effective support critical.
Further Insights
For further insights on this topic, check out this related blog post here and explore authoritative resources, such as this one.
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