10 Companies Changing the Future of Healthcare

I have yet to hear of an industry that hasn't been massively disrupted by technology. Healthcare is no stranger to this disruption. The question is which companies will actually break through the barrier and solve some of the major issues healthcare faces today?

Major trends are becoming anything but, nowadays. Think precision or personalized medicine, genomic testing, diagnostic mobile apps and wearable devices, to name a few. But the powerhouses behind these innovations and new approaches to healthcare are what will bring them to fruition and to the masses.

Globally, there are organizations aiming to achieve just this. The question is, can they? Healthcare issues tend to get really complicated really fast, even in your dinner party conversations with family and friends. Can anyone solve these issues or bring innovative possibilities to life? Well, here are 10 companies changing the future of healthcare. Who will succeed?

You decide.

1. Google: Let's start with the giant on everyone's mind. Google has announced, began, and eluded major initiatives often behind their semi-secret division Google X, dedicated to making major technological advancements. Inside Google X is a special sector dedicated to medicine called Google Life Sciences. This small but fast-growing effort led by top physicians and researchers is looking to use data to help prevent people from getting sick rather than just treat sick people. From building a new robotic surgery platform in collaboration with Johnson & Johnson to genome storage, Google is arguably the biggest player. The reason? Google owns all of our information. Yes, you and me. Our searchers, our conversations, our email. Think about it. If they find a sweet spot of ensuring the privacy of our data but leveraging it to further health technology, Google may be able to affect changes in major areas of medicine and disease such as a cancer-detecting pill, Smart contact lens for diabetic patients, and even a medical record open sharing platform.

2. IBM: There's no denying IBM's a major disruptor for healthcare. Watson, the supercomputer designed to mimic how human cognition works (hence, how we learn), holds major promise to improve health care, administration and even more critically, cancer treatment. IBM began rolling this out to the medical world through insurance provider WellPoint and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Watson is currently diving deep into understanding how cancer is treated today from the world's expert oncologists. Watson has the ability to memorize the data of thousands of studies and trials. What could this do? It has the potential to provide healthcare professionals significant patient care improvements using artificial intelligence and sharing that information with the click of a button.

3. Beijing Genomics Institute: This genome-sequencing powerhouse is what made DNA sequencing mass-market. The Institute invested in more cutting-edge-sequencing hardware, bringing to life the ability train analysts on making sense of reams of data output. It's become a go-to destination for scientists all over the world seeking to collaborate on ambitious projects to unlock the mysteries of plant, animal and human DNA. The Institute has become the most prolific research body to sequence human genomes. It has vastly reduced the cost of genome sequencing from $3 billion to a few thousand today. Genome sequencing is what has led to the discovery of genetic testing for cancer and other chronic diseases. Their goal is to organize all of the world's biological information available and even further, make it useful and accessible for further research and innovation. Think of it as a biological Google.

4. Medivation: Here is a company focused on finding new therapies for chronic diseases such as cancer. Based in San Francisco, one of the company's drug products, Xtandi, has been shown to extend the lives of men living with advanced stages of prostate cancer. They tackle some of the most serious diseases that currently have limited treatment options. Diseases include breast cancer and prostate cancer, two of the most common cancers in men and women. This biopharmaceutical research entity hopes to provide sound treatments to patients with otherwise critical illnesses.

5. Partners Healthcare: A non-for-profit integrated health care system based in Boston, Partners has invested more than $1 billion a year in drug discovery, genetics and healthcare information technology. This large investment has made it one of the top research organizations in the world. Alongside that, Partners is affiliated with some of the best hospitals in the country including Massachusetts General. The company is working to take the lead on genomic advances in the field of personalized medicine.

6. Counsyl: A health tech start-up, Counsyl is focused solely on genetic testing. Their goal? They want to focus on helping patients make more knowledgeable decisions about their lives. Currently, Counsyl provides genetic counselors to help clients interpret their individual test results and evaluate a possible prevention plan. This ties back to personalized medicine. If an individual understands their individual genetic makeup, new doors open for better treatment plans and even preventing diseases before they develop.

They currently offer three screening tests:

• Family Prep Screen

• Provides future parents with information about their genes that could pass on to their children

• Gives clear answers even before conception

• Informed Pregnancy Screen

• A test that gives accurate information after conception

• Inherited Cancer Screen

• Informs adults on their risks for developing breast, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancer

• Provides knowledge to further support getting screened earlier or more frequently, or in extreme cases undergo preventive surgeries

7. Medisafe: About half of all Americans are prescribed medication they take regularly. And what's more, half of them don't even take it properly, whether it's forgetting, missing or taking too much of said medication. Medisafe is aiming to solve that problem. A new app from the MediSafe Project actually makes taking whatever your prescribed medication safer, more efficient and even fun, given the integration of gamification user design into the app. Medisafe is a mobile medication management platform that reminds patients to take their medications via smartphones and tablets, serving to improve medication adherence rates and curb the growing annual healthcare costs globally. Think of it as your virtual pillbox that set reminders for when to take your pills, requiring a scan of the medicine's barcode at each dose. If the patient forgets, a family member or friend will get an alert as part of the setup of the app. Medisafe is one of the leading companies leveraging wireless and cloud technology to improve drug adherence. Last year, MediSafe revealed that Type 2 diabetic users of its technology boasted adherence rates of at least 26 percent higher than standard rates for long-term therapies.

8. Blueprint Health: This co-working space located in SoHo brings medical entrepreneurs together with innovative ideas and couples them with venture capitalists and mentors to help further their idea. It's arguably the premier health care incubator on the East Coast and even in the United States. Those who graduate from Blueprint have started many diverse companies and healthcare disruptors such as AdhereTech -- the smart pill-bottle maker. Other graduates are focused on IT solutions to improve the efficiency of doctors, hospitals and outcomes for patient care.

9. Ginger.IO: This mobile app tracks behavioral data to improve care. They analyze patterns in communication and location through algorithms designed to alert caregivers of changes that may indicate new symptoms or an emergency. To date, they've collected more than 6 million data points from patients which will help the company's technology improve as the customer base grows.

10. Foundation Medicine: This genomic leader was one of the first to demonstrate that the age of personalized cancer treatment has started. Their first clinical product titled "FoundationOne" is one of the first genomic tests that analyzes DNA mutations in tumors. It works to assist doctors in matching specific drugs to specific cancer types, or help doctor's direct patients to ongoing clinical trials for experimental treatments. Foundation's innovative tests may expand to assist drug makers in creating more effective therapies. The company is backed by Google Ventures and Third Rock Ventures and this year alone raised $106 million in an IPO.

Genetic Blueprints and the Rise of Epigenetics

Healthcare and medicine is living through a major transformation. We’re entering into a new era of medicine where prevention precedes treatment. Now this idea, believe it or not, is quite new. Of course, prevention is always the ideal, but sadly the healthcare sector has been programmed to curing the problem, rather than erasing the problem before it ever happens. Now, thanks in part to genomic sequencing and all that science has learned and continues to, doctors and healthcare professionals are moving towards a preventive attitude and passing this type of thinking onto their patients. I’ve often said that as doctors, we’re forced to give disease care versus health care. Focusing on health care, means we focus on prevention from the beginning of life. Here’s what I mean.

Genomic Sequencing: Where It All Began

Once upon a time, $3 billion was the magic number that brought the full sequencing of a human genome to life. Today, it has decreased to just a few thousand dollars and continues to become more cost-effective. Genomic sequencing reveals the secrets our genes keep from us. So how is this actually done? Less than a teaspoon of blood or saliva samples are collected from the patient. From there, chemicals are applied to the sample in order to break open the cell membranes and gather the DNA housed inside of them. Sophisticated machines analyze these sequences for about 2-3 months to find what essentially the errors are across the 20,000 genes we all possess.

Mapping Your Genetic Blueprint

Genes are often referred to as the blueprint for life. Here’s a simplified lesson in basic genetics; all of your body’s cells contain chromosomes or packages of DNA strands. DNA holds the map of your genes. As humans, we have 46 total chromosomes in 23 matched pairs and each pair contains one from our mother and one from our father. This is why family history largely determines your genetic destiny or which conditions you may be at risk for, especially when it comes to cancer. Every cell in your body contains your complete genetic blueprint or a map of your genes.

What genome sequencing has created is further discovery on what actually makes us unique from another individual. Behavioral genes are on the road to being discovered that identify why some people need less sleep, how likely we are to respond to exercise and how good we are at learning and memorizing, to even how confident we are.

So, where does this map lead to?

The Rise of Epigenetics

All this human genome sequencing, what are we to do with it? Enter the field of Epigenetics or the study of how biological traits are affected by environmental factors. This approach touches so many parts of how we live and the habits that go along with that lifestyle. Epigenetics studies gene expression and how the epigenome (chemical compounds that signal genes to operate) and how it influences DNA. We all know half of our genes come from our father and the other half from our mother. Even with this knowledge, many people fail to fully understand their family history. The expression of genes and how they regulate inflammation and immune function are under your control depending on the toxins or nutrients you're putting in your body.

Epigenetics looks at how our lifestyle can not only affect our genetic makeup but can be passed on to our children and grandchildren. Yes, it’s true some of your genetic makeup may in fact be a result of some of your ancestor’s lifestyle choices.

By looking at inflammatory markers. Inflammation gets to the heart of what many of us are destined to develop, which are chronic diseases. In cancer alone, it has increased from 1 in 3 to 1 in 2 people who will develop the disease worldwide.

Inflammation is often due to consuming processed foods, fast foods, white sugar, white flour and heat damaged oils. These foods turn on numerous genes that promote inflammation causing cancer, heart disease. Inflammation often begins in the gut, destroying gut bacteria that releases inflammatory chemicals that produce inflammation promoting cancer throughout the body.

Simple lifestyle changes can fight this. But Epigenetics is what discovered this.

Health Care Vs Disease Care

As a doctor, disease care seems to be what health care has transformed into. What few people focus on is preventing these diseases before they ever even happen. Now this ties in many arguments on how we raise our children and the health habits we instill in their lives early on, but regardless of all that, studying our genes closer has sparked a preventive attitude. Existing evidence does show that experience in our early lives are linked to health and behavioral outcomes in the future but the ways in which these experiences make a difference are not yet fully understood. What can we really learn from our genes? Prevention. Prevent what’s coming and make those changes now.

Outfitting offices with ‘active workstations’ improves employee health

Outfitting offices with ‘active workstations’ improves employee health

A seated desk job working at a computer many hours each day takes a toll on your body and health.  In a country afflicted by obesity and with an abundance of sedentary occupations, many employers are turning more and more to outfitting their offices with “active workstations.”  Taking a walk while working is no longer considered taboo.   Today, offices are outfitting themselves with treadmills, under desk ellipticals and desk cycles allowing employees to move more while on the job.

All of this is good news for any worker suffering from back and neck pain resulting from hunching over their desk for hours.  Sitting for long periods of time is also considered a major risk factor for weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. 

But just how effective are these in-office exercise equipment?  Is there sufficient evidence showing these active workstations to be of benefit for improving health and wellness among workers?

The answer appears to be “yes.”  Any movement that can be incorporated while at work is a far better solution to improving the health of our workforce than what we’ve been doing for decades.  Here’s what research is showing:

·      Alternative to a sedentary lifestyle

Here’s a scenario played out over and over every day for many of us – we drive or commute to work seated, we are seated at our desk for the entire day with little movement, we drive or commute back home seated, and then spend the evening seated in front of the TV or computer before going to bed. 

The active workstations are not meant to be in lieu of aerobic exercise but they are a far better alternative to a sedentary lifestyle.  Sedentary living or “sitting disease” has put America’s health in jeopardy.  A 2014 study published in Circulation: Heart Failure, followed 82,000 men for more than 10 years and found those who reported high levels of sedentary time and low levels of physical activity had 2.2 times the risk of developing heart failure than men reporting high physical activity and low sedentary time. 

·      Weight loss benefits

It makes sense that any movement will burn more calories than non-movement.  Maybe a 1.0 mph walk on a treadmill at work may not seem to be of much benefit but it’s more than most people realize.  A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found office workers who walked at a pace of 1 to 2 mph burned roughly 100 calories an hour more than those who remained seated all day.  It may not sound significant, but the cumulative effect can be powerful. After about a month of office treadmill workouts, employees could possibly lose 2 pounds without making any changes to their diet or going to the gym.  That averages out to 24 pounds a year making vast improvements in a person’s health. 

·      Improves resting metabolism

Seated at a desk for hours will do very little to anything for boosting metabolism.  But, get a person up and moving and suddenly their metabolism will be humming along at a higher rate of speed.  Do this the majority of their work day and suddenly they go from a sedentary activity level to a more active lifestyle.  When using an active workstation, people can double their resting metabolism by putting out 1.7 to 2.5 METs (measurements of energy output).  This can result in getting an individual’s maximum heart rate working at 60% allowing them to avoid the health risks of being inactive. 

·      Reduces boredom and improves job satisfaction

Sitting on your bottom all day can lead to feelings of boredom and less satisfaction with your job.  A 2014 study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that working while walking requires focus and concentration, reducing the dullness of tedious jobs while providing more fulfillment and gratification toward their work.    

While there is no guarantee a person’s productivity will increase, at the same time, it is unlikely to decline.  A Mayo Clinic study found workers who used a treadmill desk for one year had their daily activity increase along with a reduction in weight loss.  It showed there was no negative impact on performance and the participants became healthier as a result. 

·      Boost in job performance

All bosses are looking for employees who show improvements in performing their job.  Keep them active while working may be the answer.  With the ability to be actively exercising on the job, there is more incentive to continue working as opposed to taking breaks to get up and stretch your legs.  Not that an employee still wouldn’t want to do that, but knowing they are moving while working means less time spent in being away from the work at hand. 

In conclusion

Even though active workstations should not replace or be a substitute for actual exercise, they are a far better alternative to keeping employees seated for hours a day.  There are already too many seated activities many people do in addition to a sedentary job – online shopping, social media, playing video games, etc.  Active workstations are at least a move in the right direction for many workers who have been harming their health for years while seated on the job.