Direct-to-patient platform uses AI to identify gaps in care
Unite Genomics on Monday announced a new clinical listening partnership with a “Top 10 pharmaceutical company” that can personalize and tailor care insights for psoriasis patients based on their medical records.
This direct-to-consumer platform uses artificial intelligence to analyze the medical care patients may have received and alert them to missing tests or treatment options. It is already used for ALS, certain cancers and other rare diseases.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The California-based health analytics and personalized engagement platform said in a statement that its newest pharmaceutical partner will integrate AI-enhanced clinical listening technology directly into their patient engagement efforts.
Patients must agree to allow the Unite platform to access and aggregate their medical data from multiple providers, said Theo Ahadome, Unite’s chief commercial officer. Healthcare IT news on Wednesday.
He said 90% of U.S. patients would be able to find their electronic health records accessible through the company’s platform. Unite has access to patient records from more than 12,000 healthcare systems, thanks to the 21st Century Cures Act and its mandate that healthcare providers give patients access to their records.
According to Unite’s website, the platform can import more than 1,500 EHR data elements.
The main use case for patients is sharing their unified medical records with a new provider, which is much faster than requesting them from multiple providers who may all be sending medical record data by fax, Ahadome explains.
However, the DTC platform also analyzes patient medical data and physician notes and provides tailored insights through generative AI that can support their treatment journey. Ahadome said it is being used through existing partnerships to analyze care gaps related to rare diseases, such as ALS and muscular dystrophy, and breast and lung cancer.
Unite said on its website that it uses world-class AI systems to understand patient care and make recommendations. It is trained on accepted rubrics — such as medical guidelines and approved U.S. Food and Drug Administration treatment lists — to understand what “should happen” in a patient’s care, Ahadome said.
As a patient, “you may want to ask questions such as, ‘Am I getting the best possible care for my condition?’ and that’s where it gets more interesting,” he said.
For example, a patient diagnosed with breast cancer should undergo a genetic panel test with biomarkers based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s best practices guidelines.
“If for some reason that didn’t happen, we can point that out,” Ahadome said.
Please note that there is no direct purchase of treatment medications.
But by processing EHR data and analyzing patient risk factors, and then using genAI to engage patients, Unite and its partners say they can remove friction from the treatment journey and improve patient outcomes.
“Of course we don’t prescribe medicines, we don’t provide care. But we give you information that you can then take to your doctor for a consultation.”
The patient should speak with his or her healthcare provider “to access therapy that the healthcare provider believes is appropriate,” he said.
Unite provides patients with specific information based on its partnerships. The AI could suggest that patients with psoriasis using topicals or creams may need systemic treatments, and could be advised about oral agents or biologics that are available and approved by the FDA.
“Then the patient has to take that message to their doctor to have that conversation,” Ahadome said.
Clinical listening could support all chronic conditions and cancer, he noted.
“It is especially useful in cases where a patient has multidisciplinary care teams or may receive care from many different settings.”
While psoriasis care is the platform’s first test case outside of rare diseases and cancer, Unite plans to expand its commitment to cardiovascular disease, other cancers and more over the next 12 months, he added.
THE BIG TREND
Clinical listening through a direct relationship with patients could improve access to treatment at crucial points in their care journey.
While DTC technology could allow patients to advocate for the best possible treatment options, members of Congress and others are concerned about the potential conflict of interest for pharmaceutical companies that offer direct sales.
In August, Pfizer pledged to lower the cost of specialty medications and simplify access to routine health care with partners like Instacart and Zocdoc on an easy-to-use web-based platform aimed directly at consumers.
Called PfizerForAll, the DTC space allows patients to use their existing health insurance and pharmacy programs to speak with a doctor at UpScript or make an appointment on Zocdoc and receive prior authorization support for medications.
Forbes mentioned the emerging trend of pharmaceutical companies sell directly to consumers as it could potentially circumvent physicians’ first-hand knowledge of patients’ medical histories and comorbidities.
Lawmakers recently asked that pharmaceutical companies are questioning their use of virtual care.
In a letter to the CEOs of Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly, four senators led by U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, said they were also concerned about creating the potential for inappropriate prescribing, which could increase spending on federal health care programs. noting that the Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits the intentional payment of fees to refer patients for Medicare or Medicaid covered services or goods.
ON THE RECORD
“We founded Unite to help close the gaps in care and improve the healthcare system as a whole,” Taner Dagdelen, founder and CEO of Unite, said in a statement.
“Through this collaboration, we are excited to expand its use to psoriasis, a disease with significant treatment challenges and complex patient pathways.”
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.