The aim of healthcare is to keep people healthy. The Viennese health tech start-up Medicus AI wants to support this goal – with an AI-based platform that presents medical findings in an easily understandable way. At the same time, the platform will support doctors and diagnostic laboratories in their work.
Doctors and other healthcare personnel are required to explain the results in a comprehensible way to those in their care. If they fail to do so, patients will be unaware of the implications for their health condition or the importance of therapy and monitoring. This is where Medicus AI comes in. The start-up was founded by dentist Baher al Hakim, who comes from a doctor’s family and knows the communication problems between doctor and patient that may occur from his father and brother. At the same time, he is convinced that technology has reached a point where automation and artificial intelligence is able to provide a lot of personalized information on a large scale.
The software that al Hakim developed as part of a global team depicts blood tests and medical reports in a clear and accessible manner. This way, the right information is delivered at the right time. In a personalized way and without doctors having to spend a huge amount of time on explaining this information. As a result, patients who are aware of the significance of the reports are more likely to adhere to therapies and check-ups. The Apple App is freely available and can be accessed in the App Store, yet also has premium functions that are specifically geared towards sports people and the chronically ill. For example, patients can also store their fitness data on it and thereby get a clearer picture of their health.
Cross-platform
According to the start-up company’s mantra, everything Medicus AI does should benefit the patient. Nevertheless, the business model is not primarily aimed at patients, but rather at diagnostic laboratories and statutory insurance companies. Al Hakim sees a wave of innovation ahead that will fundamentally change the entire diagnostics industry. Problems have to do with commodification, lower profit margins and stricter regulations. The start-up company’s solutions will provide laboratories with supportive, cross-platform software and an attractive, comprehensive service package, as CEO al Hakim said in a statement on derbrutkasten.com.
In addition, the intelligent features will also support physicians throughout various diagnostic stages.
Accordingly, the business model has been based on hospitals and statutory insurance companies which are trusted by consumers.
Confidentiality
Patient confidentiality is of paramount importance, not in the least because of the various stakeholders involved. As al Hakim points out, the system is DSGVO compliant. Aside from that, use of a central server has been avoided so that every form of information is directly available on the device. Data only leaves the user’s digital device with their exclusive consent. However, the user is able to share the data with any doctor and people whom they trust.
Cooperation
In November 2018, Medicus AI was recognized by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) as one of the Top 2 European Scale-ups in the ‘Digital Wellbeing‘ category. The start-up company received an investment in February 2019 of 2.75 million euros from Roche Diagnostics during a Series A round. At the end of July 2019, Medicus AI made it through to Kickstart Innovation, the largest accelerator in Switzerland. The prospects are good. However, al Hakim is not the only one on the market with this technology. As he notes in an interview on derbrustkasten.com, several industries are also involved and a lot of work has already been done. He sees competitors as partners. His goal is to cover various health aspects. Quote. “We will be faster if we cooperate and then share the revenue.”
Also of interest:
An App to Empower Patients in Healthcare
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