Game On
The most important news in healthcare: Tuesday, June 23rd
Good morning. Today we’re talking about new changes you might eventually see in your workplace and a major milestone in the world of digital medicine.
Big brother will see you now
The pulse
Many tech companies are rebranding to repurpose existing technologies as new tools for COVID-proofing the workplace. These tech-based solutions are likely to raise some serious privacy concerns for employees, however.
What technologies are being repurposed?
One example is Clear, a biometric identification company well known for its airport security software, which has recently introduced HealthPass. HealthPass has facial recognition technology that will be combined with worker-provided health information to ensure only COVID-free employees are allowed to enter the workplace. Of course, this also means employers would have stored data on unique features of their employees.
What else has the tech world been up to?
PwC is turning a technology initially designed to track inventory into a way to track people. Their software Check-In monitors employee interactions so that employees can be alerted if they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 in the workplace. Similarly, Microshare is adapting a Bluetooth technology originally designed to track the locations of wheelchairs and beds in hospitals into a wristband worn by employes. The wristbands would allow employers to see which employees have been interacting and where employees are spending their time.
Does this mean my employer could know how long my lunch breaks are?
Not just your lunch breaks – this information could enable inclined employers to monitor the length of lunch breaks, coffee breaks, and even bathroom breaks. It could also allow employers to see if you’re spending more time chatting with your office BFF than on that presentation due next week.
What are the steps being taken to protect employees’ privacy?
While most of these companies have some basic statements about encryption efforts to protect employee privacy, it’s clear their focus right now lies in marketing to employers. The jury remains out on how this will actually affect employee privacy in reality.
Bottom line it for me
New tech-based solutions in the pandemic workplace may also present new threats to employee privacy.
Source: Businesswire.com
Who wants the world’s first ADHD video game?
The pulse:
Last week, in a major step forward for digital medicine, Akili Interactive became the first company to receive FDA clearance for a prescription video game. The game, EndeavorRX, treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but it’s unclear just how widely used it will be.
A medical video game? How does it work?
According to Akili’s website, EndeavorRX is an immersive video game that is specifically designed to “challenge a child’s brain” and require “the child’s attention and focus on multiple tasks at once.” The game itself involves steering a craft through obstacle courses and avoiding hazards, like fire pits or underwater mines, while collecting targets. Despite Akili’s claims of uniqueness, it isn’t clear how EndeavorRX is designed differently from task-based video games that can be bought in stores without a prescription.
How well does it work to treat ADHD?
In clinical data released earlier this year, 47% of kids with ADHD playing EndeavorRX showed an improvement in a standard attention measuring scale, as compared to 32% of kids who did not play the game. EndeavorRX has only been tested over short time periods (4 - 8 weeks), and children are expected to play intensely over that period -- 4 - 5 times a week for roughly 30 minutes per day.
Are people going to buy it?
Akili hasn’t yet priced EndeavorRX, but it’s expected that the game will cost roughly the same as existing ADHD medication -- a couple hundred dollars a month, before insurance. That’s a lot higher than the $60 it costs to pick up the average new video game in stores, and a lot of Akili’s success will depend on whether insurers agree to pay for it. Analysts at the investment bank Jefferies are optimistic, and expect Akili to hit $300 million dollars in annual sales. Still, Akili has its work cut out to get doctors to prescribe the game, insurers to pay for the game, and kids to like the game.
Bottom line it for me.
The first FDA-cleared video game represents a major step forward for the digital health field, but iffy data and a high price may present challenges to wide use.
Rapidfire:
COVID-19 infections are on a continued rise in many Southern states. Young people under 30 are now making up a majority of cases in some counties, likely reflecting poor social distancing practices in these areas.
A South Korean start-up has created an AI chest x-ray analysis suite that is up to 99% accurate and cuts the amount of time radiologists spend per case by a third. GE Healthcare is the latest to adopt the AI suite, which can even help identify COVID-19 infection.
Sana Biotechnology announced today that it raised a whopping $700 million in its initial financing round back in 2018, among the highest early stage amounts ever raised by a biotech startup. However, what exactly they’re doing with their funding remains unclear, as they continue to be secretive and vague on the therapies they are working on.