Unite Genomics, Mark Cuban file announced a novel partnership this week that the company says can assist personalize and tailor patient care information based on their medical records and detect potential gaps in care. The company said Monday that its direct-to-consumer platform uses artificial intelligence to analyze the medical care patients may have received and alert them to missing tests or treatment options.
Already used to treat ALS, some cancers and other sporadic diseases, and enabled by healthcare interoperability requirements on healthcare providers, this technology is setting a novel trend in patient engagement: offering patients a mechanism to share their medical records and then analyze treatment data to obtain information about potentially missing tests and treatments, Unite partners play an lively role in conversations about care.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The California-based health analytics and personalized engagement platform said in a statement that its newest pharmaceutical partner will integrate AI-enhanced clinical listening technology directly into its patient engagement efforts.
Patients must agree to allow the Unite platform to access and unify their medical data from multiple providers, Theo Ahadome, Unite’s chief commercial officer, said on Wednesday.
He said 90% of U.S. patients will be able to find their electronic health records through the company’s platform. Unite has access to patient data from over 12,000 health systems through the 21st Century Cures Act and its mandate that health care providers give patients access to their data.
According to the Unite website, the platform can import over 1,500 EHR data elements.
The primary operate case for patients is sharing standardized medical records with a novel provider, which is much faster than requesting them from multiple providers who can fax health record data, Ahadome explained.
However, the desktop publishing platform also analyzes patients’ medical data and doctors’ notes to provide detailed information tailored to their needs thanks to generative artificial intelligence. Ahadome says it is being used within existing partnerships to analyze healthcare gaps related to sporadic diseases such as ALS and muscular dystrophy, and breast and lung cancer.
Unite said on its website that it uses world-class artificial intelligence systems to understand patient care and make recommendations. According to Ahadome, he is trained based on accepted principles – such as medical guidelines and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved treatment lists – to understand what “should be happening” in a patient’s care.
As a patient, you may want to ask questions such as: “Am I receiving the best care possible for my condition?” and that’s when it gets more engaging,” he said.
For example, a patient diagnosed with breast cancer should undergo a genetic biomarker panel test based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network best practice guidelines.
“If for some reason it hasn’t been done, we can highlight it,” Ahadome said.
It is worth noting that there is no direct purchase of medicinal drugs.
But by analyzing EHR data and analyzing patient risk factors, and then using genAI to engage patients, Unite and its partners say they can remove friction from the treatment journey – and can improve patient outcomes.
“We obviously do not prescribe medications or provide care. But we’re giving you information that you can then take with you to your doctor to talk to.”
Patients need to talk to their doctor “to access the therapy they feel is appropriate,” he said.
Unite provides patients with detailed information based on its partnerships. AI could suggest that psoriasis patients using topical medications or creams may need systemic treatments and could be informed about available and FDA-approved oral or biologic medications.
“The patient then has to take that message to their doctor so they can have a conversation,” Ahadome said.
He noted that clinical listening can assist with all chronic diseases and cancer.
“This is particularly useful in cases where a patient has multidisciplinary care teams or may receive care from multiple different agencies.”
While the psoriasis treatment is the platform’s first test case outside of sporadic diseases and cancer, Unite plans to expand its applications to cardiovascular disease, other cancers and more over the next 12 months, he added.
A BIGGER TREND
“Clinical listening” through direct relationships with patients could enhance access to treatment at key moments in their care.
However, while desktop publishing technology could enable patients to advocate for the best possible treatment options, members of Congress and others are concerned about potential conflicts of interest for drug companies offering direct sales.
In August, Pfizer pledged to lower the cost of specialty drugs and simplify access to routine health care in collaboration with partners such as Instacart and Zocdoc through a user-friendly, direct-to-consumer online platform.
The desktop publishing space, called PfizerForAll, allows patients to operate their existing health insurance and pharmacy programs to talk to a doctor on UpScript or schedule an appointment on Zocdoc and get assist with prior drug authorizations.
cited an emerging trend of pharmaceutical companies selling directly to consumers as a potential circumvention of physicians’ first-hand knowledge of patients’ medical histories and comorbidities.
lawmakers asked recently pharmaceutical companies have questions about the operate of virtual care.
In a letter to the CEOs of Pfizer and Eli Lilly, four senators, led by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, R-Ill., expressed concerns about the potential for inappropriate drug prescribing, which could enhance spending on federal health care programs. noting that the Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits the intentional payment of remuneration to induce patient referrals for services or goods covered by Medicare or Medicaid.
ON RECORDING
“We created Unite to help fill gaps in care and improve the healthcare system as a whole,” Taner Dagdelen, founder and CEO of Unite, said in a statement.
“We are pleased to expand its use to psoriasis through this partnership, a disease with significant treatment challenges and complex patient journeys.”