De flesta har ännu inte sett vad den nya vågen av HealthTech är och vad den kan åstadkomma. Trots att Norden leder utvecklingen i världen. Vi blir allt fler äldre med kroniska sjukdomar som kan hållas i schack längre med HealthTech. Allt fler ungdomar mår dåligt men kan mötas tidigt med moderna digitala verktyg.

Förutom bättre hälsa och livskvalitet är potentialen att frigöra resurser i vården, korta köer och förbättra arbetsförhållanden enorm. Ändå införs HealthTech bara på vissa vårdcentraler, vissa kliniker, av enskilda eldsjälar.

I hälso- och sjukvården ökar behoven snabbare än resurserna. 80% av sjukvårdskostnaderna är relaterade till kroniska sjukdomar.

När allt fler blir sjuka utan att resurserna ökar i samma takt blir köerna längre, tillstånden kan bli allvarligare, t o m akuta, och belastningen ökar på sjukvården. Där resurserna som krävs är avsevärt högre. Jämför med kranen som står på, vattnet rinner över och ut på golvet. Idag svabbar vi allt vi hinner och kan. I stället för att försöka stänga kranen.

Vi behöver nya sätt att möta medborgarnas behov, förebygga allvarliga tillstånd och samtidigt göra arbetet möjligt och drägligt för dem som utbildat sig att ta hand om sjuka.

Allt fler kliniska studier visar att patienter mår bättre och får bättre livskvalitet med HealthTech designad för dem och deras behov. Dessutom minskar behovet av sjukvård och akuta tillstånd radikalt.

Det passar inte alla, men långt fler än man kan tro, gamla som unga. Och det är både säkert och billigare än man kan tro.

Mer avancerat bakom kulisserna men ändå lite likt de digitala möjligheterna vi fått att hantera vår privatekonomi och ta del av all världens musik. Elsa 74 mäter sina egna värden och får en enkel översikt att följa över tid och lära sig vad som är bra och mindre bra för henne. Hennes värden skickas automatiskt till vården. Doktorn eller sköterskan får en signal om tillståndet för Elsa eller någon annan av tusentals patienter där ute förvärras och kan ingripa innan det blir riktigt allvarligt. Elsa mår bättre, känner sig tryggare och kan ägna sig åt livet. Personalen får tid att ägna sig åt att ta hand om patienter som behöver dem, när de behöver dem.

Den nya vågen HealthTech omfattar bland annat tidig upptäckt, egenvård, prevention och sekundärprevention, digital behandling, distansmonitorering, smarta beslutssystem och minskad administration.

Samtidigt visar studier att kostnaden är avsevärt lägre för HealthTech än för motsvarande insatser med traditionella metoder. Resurser att införa HealthTech som ”motar Olle i grind” saknas dock i nuvarande system.

Den stora vinsten med HealthTech är alltså, förutom bättre hälsa och livskvalitet, den minskade belastningen på kostsam vård. Frigjorda resurser skulle kunna användas till att korta köer, få tid att ta hand om dem som behöver hjälp eller vård när de behöver det och till bättre arbetsmiljö. Givet att en liten del investeras i HealthTech-insatser, via t ex primärvård, äldreomsorg och skola.

Ändå införs och erbjuds HealthTech bara på vissa ställen, tack vare enskilda eldsjälar. (Eldsjälar som undanröjer de hinder som andra inte ser förbi.)

Varför? Vad har vi missat? Har vi råd att vänta?

Tag med dig dina tankar och frågor till en panel som inte vill något hellre än att förstå och förmedla vad de vet. Så att vi kan komma vidare i välfärden.

Plats: A1 – Vitalis, Svenska Mässan Göteborg
Dag: Onsdag 24 maj 2023
Tid: 16:35 – 17:00

Vi känner alla till de ökande utmaningarna att tillhandahålla god och jämlik vård. Åldrande befolkning, ökande kroniska sjukdomar, mer och mer kostsamma behandlingar, och fortfarande har 50 % av världens befolkning inte ens tillgång till sjukvård. OM resurserna ökade i samma takt skulle detta inte vara ett problem. Det gör de dock inte! Så, vi står inför allt längre köer, ökade kostnader och ökad ojämlikhet.

Den positiva nyheten är att tack vare modern digital teknik finns ett nytt sätt att ge och få hälso- och sjukvård, med bättre resultat till lägre kostnad, mer hälsa för pengarna. Dock ännu inte allmänt tillgängligt. En av orsakerna är svårigheter att ta till sig adekvat bevisning sedd genom traditionella glasögon, traditionella metoder för hur bevis erhållits. Metoder som är optimala för t ex nya läkemedel är inte optimala för de nya digitala verktygen.

De nya lösningarna möjliggör individuell vård, egenvård, tidig upptäckt, individuell diagnostik, individuell behandling – mer specifik och effektiv än den vård, diagnostik och behandlingar som finns idag.

De nya lösningarna påverkar också andra aspekter än det medicinska, såsom livskvalitet, känsla av trygghet, förebyggande, att hålla sig friskare längre.

Nuvarande metod (dubbelblind randomiserad klinisk studie)

Är designad för behandlingar som kan vara farliga för människor.

De flesta HealthTech-lösningar är inte farliga.

Utformad för att mäta specifika kliniska resultat, i studier utförda med kontrollgrupper i mycket specifika kohorter, vanligtvis runt 1000 patienter, ofta under mer än 2 år, för att säkerställa specifika kliniska resultat.

En klinisk studie på ett nytt läkemedel skulle vanligtvis involvera en kohort av patienter med specifika egenskaper, såsom ålder, kön, inkludering/exkludering av andra diagnoser etc. Historiskt har många studier utförts på endast män, samtidigt som de är godkända för och används för att behandla kvinnor. Ytterligare effekter, positiva eller negativa, kommer att bli uppenbara först efter lansering och spridning i stora populationer.

De flesta HealthTech-lösningar är designade för individuell variation, anpassade till individen.

Beviset som byggts är också utformat för en mycket lång livscykel, ett piller bör fungera på exakt liknande sätt i många år (patentet löper ut efter förlängning inom cirka 30 år från ansökan). 

HealthTech-lösningar har fördelen att omedelbart uppgraderas och distribueras (digitalt) för att tjäna användarna bättre och bättre. Allt baserat på kontinuerlig uppföljning av användardata. I likhet med vad Tesla gör, kontinuerligt uppgradera funktionaliteten automatiskt och på distans. Det betyder att en viss lösning inte längre skulle vara exakt densamma nästa månad eller vecka. Att använda nuvarande metoder, med en statisk lösning i åratal, är alltså begränsande. Det begränsar potentialen.

I många fall inkluderar studier mätning av förbättrad livskvalitet (QALY), men, som förklarats tidigare, endast inom ramen för studien, det vill säga den inkluderade kohorten och begränsad till de specifika effekterna av behandlingen, exklusive till exempel känsla av trygghet. 

Förutom medicinska effekter ger HealthTech-lösningar ett antal andra effekter, såsom ökad känsla av trygghet och av kontroll över det egna medicinska tillståndet, avsevärd tidsbesparing genom att inte behöva besöka sjukhuset så ofta, bara för att nämna några exempel. Och ännu bättre arbetslivsvillkor för hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal. Sist, men inte minst, kostnadseffekterna: många healthtech-lösningar ger radikalt minskat behov av dyr sjukhusvård. Sjukvårdsresurser frigörs och kan användas till att ge vård till dem som behöver när de behöver den.

Sådana parametrar är värdefulla och bör inkluderas när man utvärderar och implementerar dessa typer av lösningar. Om vi ska gå mer mot precisionshälsa och patientcentrerad vård är det helt nödvändigt att vidga horisonten för vad vi anser vara framgångsrik och effektiv sjukvård.

Av detta är det tydligt att vi måste titta på bevisskapande på ett nytt sätt, för att fullt ut nå potentialen med HealthTech. Vi kommer att behöva nya teorier, nya forskningsmetoder och nya mått. Det kommer att handla om s k Real World Evidence och mycket mer.

Kom och lyssna på och diskutera vad vi föreslår!

Plats: F-Expo – Vitalis, Svenska Mässan Göteborg
Dag: Onsdag 24 maj 2023
Tid: 10:30 – 11:15

It is becoming more evident that the emergence of healthtech solutions help provide an optimistic outcome on managing the challenges to provide quality healthcare for all, at a fraction of the cost. We have already seen, through evidence-based results, that healthtech does provide incredible impact in different areas.  

However, it is still challenging to assess the contribution each and every solution has to society in an aggregated way, especially when healthtech provides benefits in so many areas that go beyond the healthcare system itself. So how can decision makers, healthcare professionals, and society have a uniform view of what is the real impact of these solutions; whether it is a solution that tackles issues in mental health, cardiovascular conditions or whether it provides early and accessible detection of Alzheimer’s disease. What is the overall impact on the individual and in society?   

For that, HealthTech Nordic proposed the use of a widely utilized metric that could help streamline and evaluate the impact of a wide range of healthtech solutions. QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life Year), a widely utilized metric that assists decision making in healthcare and other areas, used for decades. Not only providing a measurement for medical and quality of life outcomes but also cost effectiveness.  HealthTech Nordic, with the support of NordIQ Analytics, performed a test with real life healthtech solutions to evaluate how feasible it was to apply this methodology and get a glimpse of the impact they could provide. Promising preliminary outcomes were shared in 2022. 

Come to participate in a discussion where we will share updated results and learnings (of this process). And more importantly, discuss together: Is QALY viable for decision making to implement healthtech solutions?  -What are the uses QALY could have and what’s its potential? – Could an aggregated QALY help us measure impact?  

Place: F3 – Vitalis, Svenska Mässan Göteborg
Day: Tuesday 23 May 2023
Time: 14:00 – 14:30 CET

​​​​​​​HealthTech Award, celebrating healthtech innovations that make a difference for people’s lives, is now open for companies in the Nordics.

This is the 3rd edition of the award by GREAT, Vitalis and Sahlgrenska Science Park, recognising innovative companies providing a healthtech solution or product that has a proven positive impact on healthcare, prevention, prediction, health and/or quality of life.

The award is open for applications from today through 14 April and the winner will be announced at the opening of Vitalis, the largest e-health event in Scandinavia, on 23 May 2023.

After the ceremony, ten selected finalists are invited together with the winner to give a 3-minute pitch at Vitalis.

Last year, Detectivio won the HealthTech Award in tough competition.

“A great acknowledgement that we are relevant, valuable and on the right track. It increased our credibility and encouraged our team,” says Stefan Malmberg, CEO, Detectivio.

The prize consists of:

• Tailored innovation session with IT and business consulting company CGI, focusing on how to improve speed and value from the innovation process Value 50 000 SEK
• A strategy workshop with Tech Consulting Company HiQ, tailored to the winning company’s digital needs. Value 50 000 SEK
• Expert legal advice with law firm MAQS Value 50 000 SEK
• Present at one of GREAT’s events during 2023

More info and how to apply for The Healthtech Award

What the jury is looking for:

Innovation, Involvement of users/patients in development, prediction, sustainability, care outcomes, social impact, scalability and market potential. More details are to be found here.   

The winner is selected by the jury, consisting of:

Annica Grimberg Lignell, Director and Head of the Accelerator @ Sahlgrenska Science Park

Anders Klingström, Director Consulting Services, CGI

Ebba Barret, MD, Innovation & healthtech Programme, Sahlgrenska University Hospital

Frode Langmoen, Ecosystem Development, IBM

Maria Sterner, Manager Vitalis

Marianne Larsson, Director, HealthTech Nordic

Markus Lingman, Chief of Strategy, Halland Hospital Group

For more information, please contact:

Maria Sterner, affärsområdeschef, Vitalis

maria.sterner@svenskamassan.se, tel +46 31 708 82 35

Lizelotte Edvinsson, Comunications Mgr, Sahlgrenska Science  Park

lizelotte.edvinsson@sahlgrenskasciencepark, tel +46 70 533 42 43

A new research report shows results from HealthTech Nordic 2.0 during the project period, 2020-2022, confirming 788 jobs created among companies in the Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerak region. Although the project has been conducted in a very challenging time, HealthTech Nordic has managed to drive technology, business, and sales development among the member companies – with the common goal of changing how the world cares.

HealthTech Nordic aims to unite pioneers in the field of healthtech and to create international competitiveness for the member companies. Since the first project started in 2017, 1 700 new job has been created. During the last three-year project, which ended in autumn 2022, 788 new jobs are confirmed in the region of Öresund-Kattegatt-Skagerrak. This despite major challenges in the world due to the covid 19 pandemic.  

Mikael Hilmersson, Professor of Business Administration at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, is ranked as one of the world´s five most prominent researcher on issues related to the internationalization of small and medium-sizes companies. As a scientific reviewer, Mikael Hilmersson has followed and evaluated HealthTech Nordic throughout the project period 2020–2020. In his final report, Mikael Hilmersson highlights an increasing international expansion among members in parallel with the emergence of the next generation of innovative companies. The member companies are currently selling in more than 30 countries and sales are taking place on all continents of the world, except the Arctic and Antarctica.

– The Nordic healthtech movement has an international shining force where we can see that HealthTech Nordic has grown into one of the strongest nodes in the world. Despite the challenges as a result of the covid 19 pandemic, the project has been very successful and has also acted as a safe haven during a turbulent time. In addition to contributing to the development of member companies, it has offered security and support during the pandemic, Hilmersson notes.

HealthTech Nordic aims to contribute to a democratisation of healthcare where everyone can get more health for their money. The project, which ended in the autumn, has focused on member companies ‘growth and scale their solution globally, with the ambition to make the Nordic region a world leader in digital health solutions. Mikael Hilmersson explains:

– To grow both nationally and internationally, companies need to establish a position in relevant networks. HealthTech Nordic and its members have together achieved an international visibility that in turn makes them attractive to international investors. In addition, a platform has been developed with the aim of creating contact interfaces between the member companies and the investor networks that each partner has established.

In the coming years, healthtech innovation and adoption is expected to increase dramatically, both in the Nordic region and internationally. A new three-year project period, HealthTech 3.0, started in early autumn 2022, with the aim of further strengthening companies’ innovation and competitiveness as this happens. Interventions within the project will be tailored based on where and with whom member companies have the greatest potential to succeed.

– As the Nordic region can and wants to be in the forefront globally, HealthTech Nordic 3.0 will build pan-Nordic groups with pioneers in healthcare for knowledge transfer, innovative collaborations and inspiration, says Marianne Larsson, Project Director of HealthTech Nordic.

The Ukrainian project Diia.Business won the European Enterprise Promotion Award (EEPA) 2022. Diia.Business is the first Ukrainian national project for entrepreneurship and export development. HealtTech Nordic came in joint second place and is ranked as one of the top EU-funded projects of 2022.

Since 2006 the European Enterprise Promotion Awards has rewarded those who promote entrepreneurship and small business at the national, regional and local level. Projects from across Europe compete in six categories and HealthTech Nordic came joint second in category four: Supporting the Internationalisation of Business. Ahead of the award ceremony on 29 November 2022, 186 projects from 26 countries have been evaluated.

Diia.Business covers the entire business development cycle, from finding an idea to its internationalisation, including participation in international trade events. The project has two components: an online portal and an offline network of 12 support centres for entrepreneurs. The total coverage of the online component of the project is more than 3.2 million visits. The total coverage of the network of support centres for entrepreneurs is more than 40,000 visitors.

In July, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth nominated HealthTech Nordic 2.0 for the European Enterprise Promotion Award for its job creation. In September, the European jury announced that the project had advanced to the finals.

– The whole HealthTech Nordic community congratulates Ukraine for the award. They are truly worthy winners. At the same time, we are incredibly proud to come in joint second place. We are among the top EU-funded projects of 2022. In HealthTech Nordic we do everything we can to support these entrepreneurs and accelerate their business internationalisation and expansion globally. Our members are growing, creating more jobs and expanding their businesses. Together we are changing the world, says Margareta Wallentén, Project Manager for HealthTech Nordic.

Thank you to all participants and guest speakers who joined us at the HealthTech Nordic international conference at HUONE in Copenhagen 8-9 September 2022. The ambition was to find a game plan that leads to smarter healthcare systems and tells us what needs to be done to get there. Which we did, and will work with going forward! The healthcare challenge is global, we need to work together to increase the implementation of healthtech.

Together we can break the waves towards smarter healthcare, for all.

Please find the full version of the recorded conference and interviews below.

AGENDA

1:35 HealthTech Nordic, Introduction
Marianne Larsson Director of HealthTech Nordic

13:01 QALY: A way to use health claims in your value proposition?
Filipa Sampaio and Camilla Nystrand, Health Economists at NordIQ Analytics, and Aldo Vermiglio and Johan Rosendahl Innovation Managers, at Innovation Skåne

40:49 Precision Health
Sofia Gerward, Head of Medical Affairs at Novo Nordisk

1:07:47 Public-private partnerships for healthcare AI
Tina Juul (PhD), Business Development Director at IQVIA

1:34:11 The importance of lowering barriers for procurers to identify state-of-art solutions
Nima Jokilaakso, PhD, Senior Advisor at Business Finland

2:06:52 How to become market leaders using co-creation
Andreas Dam, CEO of Daman

2:30:50 The future of digital health reimbursement
Jesper Grønbæk, Founder & CEO of Health Tech Hub Copenhagen

2:52:23 Panel: Hurdles for wide implementation in public healthcare systems, and how to overcome them. Moderator: Mette Smith Thastum, Special Advisor healthtech, Valentin Bejan, Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer at Health Tech Hub Copenhagen, Peter Kjäll HealthTech Lead at TechSverige and Mikael Rinnetmäki CEO of Sensotrend

3:21:06 The future must be Together
Towa Jexmark, Head of Innovation & Strategic partnership, and Sören Meelby, Business Innovation Director, at Ramsay Santé

3:48:30 Innovation in the Cloud – AWS Vision and Strategy for Healthcare
Harri Tatti, Sales Executive, EMEA Healthcare at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

4:21:10 The journey behind the vision to limit the spread of infectious diseases worldwide
Andreas Nyberg, CSO and founding partner at Diagonal Bio

4:44:42 How to create a scale-up: RTFM
Heidi Blengsli Aabel, CEO of CheckWare Norge

5:18:25 HealthTech Nordic conference, summary and what’s to come
Marianne Larsson Director of HealthTech Nordic

Short sum up of the conference

Our hosts sum up the days: Marianne Larsson Director of HealthTech Nordic, Annica Grimberg Lignell, Head of business department at Sahlgrenska Science Park, Bent-Håkon Lauritzen, Project manager and advisor at Norway Health Tech and, Anett Falussy, Head of Communications & Events at Health Tech Hub Copenhagen.

Interviews with participants at the conference

Margareta Wallentén, Project Manager at HealthTech Nordic, meets participants to find out what they will bring home from the two day conference – and what has been the best part.

A new study has analysed data from healthtech companies to test whether it is possible to measure the societal impact, based on the solution’s impact on quality of life. The used method is already well established within other areas, and the analysis indicates an application of the method has a big potential. The study – which shows new ways to measure effects of health-tech solutions – will be presented at the HealthTech Nordic International Conference the 8^th of September in Copenhagen.

The analysis was commissioned by HealthTech Nordic and aims to translate results from clinical studies to quality-adjusted life years “QALY”, which can be used to evaluate and compare different medical interventions. The method can also be useful in cost-effectiveness analyses and has, for example, been use for a long time by the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare providers when deciding what medicines may cost for the benefit they provide.

The method has, for example, been used for a long time by the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare providers when deciding what medicines may cost for the benefit they provide.

The idea of the study is to try to find a widely accepted, standardized and scientifically accepted way of evaluating the societal effect – also when introducing digital technology in the healthcare. Could it facilitate decision-making and contributing to a way of measuring the aggregate effects in society of introducing digital health technology.

– We wanted to explore new ways of measuring what effects health tech solutions have on the public health. The effects of new technology within healthcare is often difficult to measure, but this is an example which shows that it is possible, Johan Rosendahl, Innovation Leader at Innovation Skåne and HealthTech Nordic said.

The willingness to pay for a QALY-year is up to 500 000 SEK (46 700 EUR) for a moderate disease and up to 2 000 000 SEK (186 800 EUR) for uncommon, severe diseases according to The Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV). 

– This approach could provide important information to decision maker who are responsible for the development within healthcare. The data clarifies the effects and can hopefully contribute to better ways to measure effects of new solutions, Johan Rosendahl said and adds:

– We are aware that this method is based on one, of several, ways to measure. The long-term goal for us is to find a common way to evaluate the public benefit from innovations, and we want to encourage discussions about different ways to attack this issue, Johan Rosendahl said.

The QALY-analyse is done by NordIQ, a health economics and outcomes research consultancy.

– We are incredibly proud to have been nominated once again. The nomination is based on the results created in the project. We are convinced that the target of 1 000 new jobs within the project time will be reached. Hopefully, we will be as happy as we were 2019 in Helsinki winning the EEPA Award, at the finale in Prague in November, says Margareta Wallentén, project manager for HealthTech Nordic.

On a global market, the challenges are the same: access to good and equal care when lacking resources such as money, competence, and increasing care needs. The digitalization of healthcare and welfare provides more, better, health for the money by the individual, patients, relatives, and profession.

– The HealthTech Nordic community, of more than 330 member companies, is leading the way for this paradigm shift. The companies are changing the way we give and receive care with their unique solutions. The nomination from EEPA in the category Supporting internationalization of business proves to us that we are working in the right way, expanding businesses and creating new jobs Margareta Wallentén adds.

Awards projects which support startups and entrepreneurship

European Enterprise Promotion Award awards the best European projects which support startups and entrepreneurship. Projects from all over Europe compete in six categories. The European Commission’s European Enterprise Promotion Award has run continuously since 2006.

In July this year, The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) announced that HealthTech Nordic had won the national Swedish award which preceded the nomination for the European competition. The winner will be announced at the price ceremony in Praha, November 2022.

Sensotrend data integration solutions Sensotrend Connect and Sensotrend Uploader integrate with both medical devices and wellness trackers, and offer the most comprehensive set of data available on the market.

Sensotrend Dashboard, a data visualization tool combines data from multiple sources and derives actionable insights to assist in treatment of diabetes.

Sensotrend’s comprehensive Care Plan for Diabetes structures the best practices for diabetes treatment into an app. It highlights any gaps in treatment and focuses on the goals and life events of the patient.

Both the Dashboard and the Careplan are fully integrated with clinical workflows and can show the view of the patient with a single click on any SMART or CCOW capable electronic health record system.

With all its products, Sensotrend’s approach to data sharing is both secure and privacy-preserving, and respects patients’ rights over the use of their data. It has been recognized with several awards. Sensotrend is a founding member of the MyData Global organization and an awarded MyData Operator. Sensotrend is also one of the winners of Sitra’s Fair Health Data Challenge, and part of the first use case under implementation in the Gaia-X Health network.

– Healthcare systems around the world are renewing their services through digitization. The key to digitization is data, and we need to build the mechanisms to access the data in the right way, right from the start. We need to acknowledge the role of the patients, and respect their perspectives says Mikael Rinnetmäki, founder of the company.

Sensotrend at HIMSS

Sensotrend is a member of the HealthTech Nordic network and is selected to present at the HIMSS conference in Helsinki 14-16 June. Welcome to listen to their presentation 16 June, 10.30-11.30 am in conference room 206.

Contact: Mikael Rinnetmäki, mikael@sensotrend.com