Linus Health, a digital healthcare company that enables early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, today announced two upgrades to its platform and the acquisition of a related vendor at HIMSS24.
It has introduced a new Digital Trail Making Test Part B, an FDA Class II listed medical device designed to capture much more data than a paper-based exam, and has introduced a Hearing Screener system in its AI enhanced digital cognitive assessment platform.
The company also revealed that it has acquired Aural Analytics, a provider of clinical speech analytics. The deal includes the assets of Aural Analytics, including its technology and intellectual property.
Healthcare IT news interviewed Dr. John Showalter, chief product officer at Linus Health, to get the lowdown on all the news.
Q. Talk about the hearing loss platform upgrade you announced today and how it will help clinicians and providers.
A. Nearly 48 million people suffer from hearing loss, a figure expected to double over the next forty years. With this in mind, Linus Health has added a Hearing Screener solution to its AI-enhanced digital cognitive assessment platform that patients can complete on an iPad in the doctor’s office.
Our digital cognitive assessment system, which was recently found to be more accurate and less biased than the standard Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), may accelerate and simplify the early detection and treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease.
Integrating hearing screening with a broader cognitive digital assessment is a simple but powerful tool for primary care physicians and specialists to determine whether hearing problems may be related to MCI or dementia that requires follow-up. Research shows that addressing hearing loss early can halve the rate of cognitive decline.
Nearly 80% of older adults have hearing loss in at least one ear. Research shows that the longer they wait to identify and treat the condition, the harder it becomes to prevent the progression of dementia. Many factors contribute to patients not seeking treatment, including confusion about available treatment options and not knowing where to get a hearing exam.
The Hearing Screener tests for hearing loss, but is primarily aimed at identifying signs of MCI. Registered as a medical device in the United States, Canada and Europe, the Hearing Screener is a scientifically validated, highly automated, two-minute assessment that records patients’ responses to a series of made-up words delivered via voice narration.
Data is processed immediately and delivered to an easy-to-use physician dashboard. The solution then provides an estimate of hearing task performance, which research has shown compares well with traditional audiology studies. Based on the results, healthcare providers can take steps to correct any hearing problems identified by placing patients on a care pathway to restore hearing and potentially slow the development of dementia.
The Hearing Screener would typically be part of Linus Health’s comprehensive cognitive digital assessment.
Q. Please discuss the Digital Trail Making Test platform upgrade you announced today at the conference and how it is designed to help clinicians and provider organizations.
A. Efficient triage in primary care plays a critical role in reducing wasted referrals, with research showing that as many as 45% of such specialist appointments are deemed unnecessary, leading to potential delays in care and increased costs for patients and providers.
Our new Digital Trail Making Test Part B (dTMT) is based on a manual assessment of higher-level cognitive executive functioning developed in 1944. However, the FDA Class II listed medical device collects much more data than a paper-based exam and provides rich insights thanks to its digital format and AI-driven analysis.
The Medicare-recognized, billable assessment asks patients to connect circles that alternate between ascending numbers and letters. It takes just three to five minutes to complete the test as part of Linus Health’s wider cognitive digital assessment, carried out on an iPad in the consultation room.
It evaluates both the speed of completion and the accuracy of the answers for each section to reveal any cognitive health issues. The results are immediately delivered to a secure platform for further analysis and interpretation, including remote assessment by a specialist if desired. Data can also be shared with a specialist, making a subsequent referral appointment more beneficial for patients and doctors.
We will demonstrate the new Hearing Screener and dTMT in booth 4668.
Q. Please explain your acquisition of Aural Analytics and your plans for the company.
A. Linus Health has acquired Aural Analytics, a leader in clinical speech analytics. The deal includes the assets of Aural Analytics, including its technology and intellectual property.
With the acquisition, Linus Health, which develops and delivers multimodal cognitive assessments, has added clinical-grade speech analytics to its platform. This allows Linus Health to further enable researchers and physicians to identify cognitive disorders and better understand the characteristics of those disorders.
Aural Analytics develops and processes voting statistics; Integrating them with other signals captured by the Linus Health platform will significantly expand the capabilities for assessing brain health.
The acquisition expands Linus Health’s activities into the life sciences industry. Aural Analytics’ speech analytics software, called Speech Vitals, is used by healthcare systems and life science organizations in pharmaceutical research and clinical trials.
It collects speech samples from patients through app-based tests and evaluates them to assess cognitive disorders. Speech Vitals’ patented technology has been successfully used to detect multiple neurological conditions, such as dementia, autism and ALS.
It ideally complements Linus Health’s focus on the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment and dementia by equipping healthcare providers with digital cognitive assessment tools, such as the award-winning Digital Clock and Recall.
Linus Health had previously integrated some aspects of Aural Analytics’ voice analysis into its multimodal algorithms, and the combination outperformed standard paper-and-pencil tests. The acquisition will allow Linus Health to fully integrate Aural Analytics technology for even more accurate performance and develop additional tools for use by physicians.
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