Heart Strains in the Under-40s

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🌐 Healthcare | News

Under-40s and Heart Attacks: Unveiling the Surge Amidst Healthy Lifestyles

Stress, Obesity, and Unseen Risks Propel a Disturbing Increase in Heart Attacks Among the Youth. In a puzzling trend, heart attacks are becoming more prevalent among those under 40, challenging assumptions about age and heart health. Despite seemingly healthy lifestyles, factors like stress, obesity, and undetected risks contribute to this concerning phenomenon. Doctors express alarm as they witness a rise in heart-related issues among the younger generation.

Doctors Opinion:

• Dr. Martin Lowe, Consultant Cardiologist: "Between 10 to 20 per cent of my heart attack patients are now under the age of 40. In the US, data shows around one in five heart attack patients is under 40, and we’re catching up in the UK."

• Dr. Joe Mills, Consultant Cardiologist: "We have really noticed the trend for younger people from mid-20s upwards having heart attacks in the past five years in particular. Now as a cardiologist, you wouldn’t even raise your eyebrows when seeing someone in their late 30s — it’s becoming fairly typical, which is frightening."

• Dr. Lowe on Stress: "I’ve seen a huge increase in heart rhythm problems due to stress."

• Professor Thomas Lüscher, Consultant Cardiologist: "Younger people almost always fail to recognize symptoms. Unfortunately, many think they have indigestion when it’s actually a heart attack — they can feel very similar."

• Dr. Mills on Delay in Diagnosis: "Young people who have heart attacks often have worse outcomes...they do not get the treatment quickly enough to minimize long-term heart damage."

Read More

UnitedHealth Group Aims to Restore Change Healthcare Systems by Mid-March After Ransomware Attack

UnitedHealth Group announced its efforts to restore Change Healthcare's systems by mid-March following a cyber threat on February 21. Electronic prescribing is now fully functional, and payment transmission and claim submissions are available, with full electronic payment functionality expected by March 15. UnitedHealth assures that no other systems within the group were compromised. In response to the attack, a temporary funding assistance program has been initiated to support healthcare providers facing cash flow challenges, offering advances without repayment until claims flows return to normal. Read More

💰  Healthcare | Startups

Harness Wealth Secures $17M to Democratize Tax Planning with Innovative Platform

Harness Wealth, founded in 2018 to provide financial advice to startup founders, has expanded its focus to tax advisory services, raising $17 million in an extension to its Series A round, bringing the total funding to $32 million. The platform has experienced substantial growth, with a 10x increase in its client base and a 1588% surge in gross revenue.

The company's new tax advisory platform aims to address the financial complexities of its consumer clients, serving as a marketplace for discovering advisers and services. It also offers consumer financial insight tools. Harness Wealth has positioned itself as a collaborative space for tax advisors and clients, aiming to make sophisticated tax planning accessible beyond traditional high-net-worth individuals. Read More

Tiny Health Secures $8.5M in Series A Funding for Infant Microbiome Testing

Tiny Health, a startup focusing on infant microbiome testing, has raised $8.5 million in Series A funding, led by Spero Ventures. The Austin-based company offers home gut microbiome tests for babies, children, pregnant individuals, and adults, utilizing advanced shotgun genetic sequencing. The Series A funding will support Tiny Health's research initiatives, ongoing studies, and B2B deals, including co-branded partnerships with consumer packaged goods companies. The gut microbiome's impact on overall health, especially in infancy, makes interventions crucial, and Tiny Health aims to play a significant role in improving products and maintaining a healthy microbiome. Read More

 🚀 YC Launches

Somn - AI Receptionists for Healthcare Clinics. Somn introduces AI receptionists for healthcare clinics, streamlining phone tasks like appointment bookings and insurance verifications. These AI assistants, sounding human, integrate seamlessly with existing clinic systems, allowing clinicians to prioritize patient care. Co-founded by Shawn Shivdat and Deniz Sert, Somn aims to enhance clinic efficiency and patient interactions through intelligent automation.

Anaphero: Automating Patient-Facing Tasks. Happier Clinicians, Better Care. Anaphero tackles healthcare staffing shortages by introducing AI agents designed to automate routine patient-facing tasks. Focused on alleviating clinician burnout and enhancing patient care, the platform enables health systems to deploy customized AI agents. These agents interact with patients through text, voice, or video, emulating human clinicians to answer questions, collect information, and interface with electronic health records. Founded by Dr. Ryan Gallagher and Jeffrey Lamothe, Anaphero's goal is to increase clinical capacity, leading to more satisfied clinicians, improved care quality, and enhanced patient loyalty.

Kabilah - Simplifying Patient Handoff for Inpatient Nurses. Kabilah addresses the challenges faced by inpatient bedside nurses during shift handoffs, aiming to improve patient outcomes. The problem involves overwhelmed nurses managing multiple patients, leading to potential medical errors and increased length of stay. Kabilah's solution introduces Intelligent Patient Advocates, AI-powered digital report sheets tailored for each patient. These advocates offer customizable components, standardized communication, and simplified EHR data, automating and streamlining the shift change process. Founded by Sarah and Umar, both with strong backgrounds in computer science and a commitment to healthcare improvement, Kabilah strives to enhance communication and efficiency in nursing.

Arini: The AI Receptionist for Dentists. Arini serves as an AI receptionist designed for dental clinics, specializing in answering phone calls and scheduling appointments for patients. Recognizing the challenges faced by dental front desks, often overworked and understaffed, Arini provides a solution to the inefficiencies caused by missed calls and the need for extensive manual appointment management. With an AI voice agent seamlessly integrated into existing dental clinic software, Arini not only enhances appointment booking but also addresses patient queries about insurance, billing, and more. The founders, Abdul Jamjoom and Rami Rustom, leverage their technical expertise and firsthand insights gained by engaging with dental professionals to optimize front desk operations and boost clinic revenue.

🧠 Healthcare | AI | Tech

AI Transforms Central Florida Healthcare: Early Disease Alerts and Pancreatic Cancer Breakthrough

Central Florida's major health systems, Orlando Health and AdventHealth Central Florida, are at the forefront of leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare. AI is employed for administrative tasks and early detection of illnesses, including deadly pancreatic cancer and sepsis. While AI has the potential to enhance patient safety, a 2023 Pew Research poll reveals 60% of Americans are uncomfortable with its use in healthcare. Both healthcare systems emphasize that AI works alongside human decision-making rather than replacing it. Innovations, such as AI-guided technology for pancreatic cancer detection, highlight the region's role in advancing healthcare AI. Read More

Wearable Tech Breakthrough: South Korean Device Deciphers Human Emotions in Real Time

South Korean scientists have unveiled a revolutionary wearable device capable of recognizing and translating human emotions in real time. The transparent and stretchable device, powered by a triboelectric effect, captures verbal and non-verbal expressions with bidirectional sensors. Invented by Professor Jiyun Kim and his team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, the device applies machine learning algorithms to decode emotions accurately. While not commercially available yet, the technology holds potential applications for translating emotions for the disabled and acting as a personalized "digital concierge" in VR environments. Read More

Microsoft Joins Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) to Set Standards for AI in Healthcare

Microsoft, alongside over 1,300 members, is part of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI), a nonprofit aimed at establishing standards, testing metrics, and a national registry for health AI tools. With the current lack of a cohesive regulatory structure for AI in healthcare, CHAI seeks to provide transparency and repeatability to ensure consistent and accurate AI applications. The nonprofit, incorporated in response to President Biden's AI executive order in October 2023, plans to develop a framework that encourages industry and government collaboration to create best practices for testing and deploying health AI models. Read More

🗣️ Healthcare | Events | Conferences | March

March 11-15: 2024 HIMSS Global Health Conference (Orlando, FL)

March 11-12: Fierce BD&L Summit for Life Sciences (San Francisco, CA)

March 12-15: Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) Executive Conference (Amelia Island, FL)

March 12-14: AHIP 2024 Medicare, Medicaid, Duals & Commercial Markets Forum (Baltimore, MD)

March 18-20: Fierce Trial Master File Summit (Savannah, GA)

March 21: STAT 2024 Breakthrough Summit East (NYC & virtual)

March 25-28: American College of Healthcare Executives Congress on Healthcare Leadership (Chicago, IL)

That’s all for this week.
The Pulse Disruption Team