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Nothing fosters innovation more than the challenges we face. Recently, the global healthcare sector has risen to the occasion: healthcare systems are implementing innovative measures to protect their staff and enhance patient outcomes, startups are launching or scaling crucial technologies, and regulatory bodies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been issuing emergency use authorizations to facilitate the adoption of these technological solutions.

In response to requests from various healthcare organizations worldwide, we organized a series of webinars showcasing enterprise-ready startup solutions built on AWS, aimed at assisting healthcare providers in navigating the challenges posed by COVID-19. This blog post marks the conclusion of our series, highlighting innovative startups and their solutions. You can explore their presentations via webinar recordings and reach out if your healthcare organization requires assistance. Increasing awareness of these ready-to-deploy technologies can equip the global healthcare community with the essential tools to meet these challenges.

By David Smith, AWS Connections, Global Startup Business Development & Corporate Innovation

Mental Health: A Global Challenge

Did you know that 1 in 5 people in the US and 1 in 10 globally are affected by mental health conditions? Astonishingly, only about one-third of those impacted receive evidence-based care. According to the WHO constitution, mental health is a vital and essential aspect of overall health—a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being—not merely the absence of a mental disorder. Nearly 800 million individuals worldwide live with mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression being the most common. These conditions cost the global economy a staggering $1 trillion in lost productivity each year. Furthermore, depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and increases the risk of developing chronic conditions by 40%.

Discussing mental health openly can reduce stigma and enhance access to care. By promoting awareness of new technologies that simplify access to and assist providers in delivering evidence-based mental health support, we aim for everyone who needs care to receive it.

Innovative Solutions from AWS-Based Startups

Our AWS-based startup partners, including MindfulTech, CareSync, and InsightAI, offer collaborative technology solutions that contribute to the vision of providing personalized, effective, and accessible mental health support. This initiative is incredibly relevant, especially as individuals around the globe cope with the anxiety, isolation, and stress brought on by the pandemic.

MindfulTech

Founded by healthcare professionals, MindfulTech recognizes the critical need for accessible mental health resources across various populations and care settings. Their solutions engage patients in their behavioral health, resulting in improved outcomes and reduced costs. MindfulTech was awarded the “Best Overall Mental Health Solution” in the 2020 MedTech Breakthrough Awards.

Organizations frequently encounter shared challenges in providing mental health support, such as low profitability, high operational costs, a shortage of providers, and stigma that hinders patient engagement. MindfulTech tackles these challenges by bringing their collaborative technology directly to clinics (including primary care, mental health systems, hospitals, and military partners) and care teams (physicians, behavioral health specialists, and care managers). By integrating tools into EHR systems (like athenahealth, EPIC, Cerner, and more) and offering a patient-facing application that drives measurement and engagement, care teams receive AI-driven insights on patients’ mental well-being and can act swiftly.

Addressing Barriers in Mental Health Delivery

MindfulTech addresses barriers in mental health delivery in three primary ways: measurement, management, and motivation. On the measurement side, their solutions gather more data more frequently, enabling remote performance tracking and population risk stratification using validated assessments, thus enhancing measurement-based care in behavioral health.

“It’s hard to attack the problem if we don’t know how big or pervasive it is,” says Julia Kastner, VP of Product at MindfulTech.

In terms of management, providing workflow tools to care teams ensures they can modify treatment plans with integrated care and insights (including via EHR), manage patients effectively, and receive evidence-based personalized tools automatically.

Lastly, to motivate patients to engage more actively in their behavioral health and combat stigma, MindfulTech employs educational approaches and behavioral nudges. They’ve harnessed marketing principles and behavioral economics to create a gamification engine that encourages users to engage with the application, allowing providers to connect with patients more efficiently. Patients earn rewards and receive automated prompts for assessments, enabling both patients and care teams to monitor progress. With a content library featuring personalized educational resources and evidence-based activities, higher engagement rates lead to improved outcomes. MindfulTech reports that 79% of their users experience a reduction in depression symptoms, with an overall engagement rate of 72%.

This approach offers care teams a continuous, comprehensive view of each patient with less effort, allowing for the identification of those who need the most care through automatic triggers.

Response to COVID-19

In response to COVID-19, MindfulTech’s clinical team utilized their measurement and engagement methodologies to create a risk assessment and anxiety screener while collecting best practices for managing stress, social distancing, and isolation. These resources were made available through their app and a public-facing website.

Beyond the general patient population, MindfulTech has also engaged with healthcare workers and first responders, providing resources to combat provider burnout. These initiatives aim to educate, build resilience, and assist frontline workers with symptom management during these tough times.

MindfulTech is already collaborating with the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Jefferson Health, and over 100 other organizations. Mental health is vital for everyone, as highlighted by Adam Thiel, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department: “There is still a gap in getting people to raise their hand, because sometimes the tendency is just ‘this comes with the job’.” According to the CDC, frontline workers may experience heightened stress in crises, and data shows that burnout among healthcare providers is often greater than in other fields, which is a serious concern.

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