What's New In Digital Health

Announced in late 2017, Canada’s Digital Supercluster project is a nationwide initiative looking to drive ambitious technology projects. Today’s launch event marks the beginning of Phase 1 of the 3-year program funded with $153 millions from the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). The creation of products and platforms are expected to increase the national GDP by $5B while creating 13,500 new jobs in a 10-year period, positioning Canada as a world leader in the development of digital healthcare assets. The event is appointed for 10 am at UBC Robson Square and will count with the participation of Sue Paish, CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster and ISED’s Minister, Mr. Navdeep Singh Bains.

The Supercluster Cohort 
As part of the inaugural cohort of members of the Digital Technology Supercluster, MetaOptima has been an active participant in the initiatives that constitute the driving force for a sustained development of common projects leading towards the advancement of technology in BC and Canada. During the project selection round last May, MetaOptima was chosen to partner with companies and institutions such as Telus, Change Healthcare, CareTeam and the University of Victoria, with common efforts to lead and execute the Dermatology Point‐of‐Care Intelligent Imaging Network project.

The Intelligent Imaging Network initiative is a patient-centric approach following the potential skin cancer journey as experienced by patients. The expectations are not only for the system to expedite e-referrals and e-triages during regular daily practice, but also to contribute on the clinical decision support offered by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, trained to assist with improved diagnostic accuracy as well as medical educational services.

Similarly, the system will provide coordination and assistance to all involved stakeholders, including general care practitioners, dermatologists, pathologists, surgeons and oncologists. Additionally, patients will actively participate in the whole healthcare cycle by having access to web and mobile patient portal and being able to add surveillance images to their records, thus reducing the need for in-person consultations with a specialist.

 
MetaOptima’s role in this project
Founded in 2012, MetaOptima’s vision is to offer world-class intelligent healthcare solutions to empower medical professionals with the technology to detect several skin conditions, including melanoma. The company’s participation in the Supercluster’s project comes as the point of contact between skincare experts and technological resources utilized for intake and handling of patient data.

Included within the general 3-year timeline assigned to the nationwide Canadian Supercluster initiative, Phase 1 of this project will focus on the province of BC. Being part of a collaborative effort, MetaOptima’s main responsibilities will be specifically focused on the integration of technological resources to allocate the acquisition of patient imaging from dermatologists, pathology image viewing strategies as well as the use of artificial intelligence for dermatology and pathology image viewing and classification.

“We are excited to be a part of this great initiative and unique partnership through the contribution of our products and technologies for improved patient outcomes and care. Artificial intelligence is shown to offer immense contributions to the evidence-based diagnosis and management of dermatological cases with particular emphasis in the area of skin cancer”, said Dr. Maryam Sadeghi, CEO of MetaOptima. “This digital supercluster partnership will facilitate implementing this cutting-edge technology, expediting access to quality expert care for in-need patients that can touch the lives of millions while saving a significant cost to our healthcare system”.

The dynamic of the project contemplates the creation of a common platform available to all parties involved, regardless of patient data origin. AI algorithms are expected to run sophisticated analyses to curate the amount and nature of the data processed, allowing for prioritization and clinical decision support. The consortium of companies and institutions looks to build a shared solution made of a patient-centered, cloud-based e-referral and e-triage system for optimized workflow solutions with the superlative goal of earlier action on skin cancer cases.

The primary initiative driven by the Supercluster is expected to take digital scenarios to the next level for patients’ healthcare in BC and across Canada. The highly anticipated success of the cohort is expected to drive the future of Canada’s global influence as a digital health leader, while helping improve the lives of millions of citizens with enhanced skin care initiatives.