American Heart Association Hosts Physician “Shark Tank”

While we often lament the lack of the clinician voice digital health industry, five health tech startups are going to get an earful later today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions.

At the AHA’s annual meeting, five startups & early stage companies have been selected to make their pitch to a panel of four cardiologists plus an audience of several hundred more. According to the event site,

A Judge’s Choice and Audience Favorite awards will be presented based on how well the product addresses both the patient and the provider’s needs and its potential to improve patient outcomes via an innovative and novel approach. Outside of the competition, these companies will be showcasing their technologies to the 15,000 attendees on the convention floor.

Some of the names of the entrants will be familiar to regulars at iMedicalApps including Eko Devices, Sense.ly, and Dr. Chrono.

The focus here on addressing real world clinical needs is something we’d love to see happening more. The AHA has increasingly looked to take a leadership role in the space of digital health, recognizing the potential impact to be had on cardiovascular disease. In fact, they recently held the inaugural AHA Health Tech Forum in Austin, Texas in partnership with the Aetna Foundation which sought to increase collaboration between clinicians and entrepreneurs.

Hopefully, this event will showcase a way in which other similar organizations or professional societies can begin to take a leadership role in this area. Its not hard to imagine how the American Diabetes Association, American College of Physicians, and others could host similar events. It would certainly send a strong message that clinicians are paying attention and hopefully bring the features cited by the AHA, particularly the focus on outcomes, to the forefront.

The original article can be read here.