Yonsei University Hospital System launches DTx ecosystem
A government-funded initiative to seamlessly connect hospitals, government, insurers and medical device manufacturers across the healthcare process, based on digital therapies and big data, has begun at Yonsei University Health System.
Yonsei’s Severance Hospital recently started prescribing the insomnia DTx Somzz through its integrated platform called Connect-DTx.
HOW IT WORKS
Connect-DTx can collect patient user health data in near real-time once DTx is prescribed. Doctors can use this data to tailor and personalize the treatment of their patients. When used by admitted patients, Connect-DTx can link to the hospital’s EHR to also collect their data.
In addition to the healthcare team, the platform also connects with government regulators and insurers. For example, the National Health Insurance Corporation and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety can easily inquire about the progress of DTx-based treatments and process insurance claims and assessments through Connect-DTx.
Additionally, DTx manufacturers can track which healthcare facilities are using their products without contacting them individually to confirm.
Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Boramae Hospital, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital are all introducing and implementing Connect-DTx. More DTx devices for other conditions, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and smoking cessation, will be introduced soon.
WHY IT MATTERS
In 2022, YUHS received 7.8 billion won ($5.8 million) from the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to develop Connect-DTx. The goal is to provide convenient and secure access to patient health information collected in near real-time through hospital DTx devices and EHRs. This allows doctors to leverage data and be better informed before creating personalized treatments for their patients. It also allows the government and insurers to easily assess and process insurance claims.
THE BIG TREND
Somzz, an insomnia DTx developed by Aimmed, is the first of its kind to be approved in South Korea. It delivers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which is said to help improve sleep in patients. Just four months after Aimmed’s approval in January 2023, Welt received the second approval for its insomnia called DTx WELT-I.
These market approvals come as the number of South Koreans struggling with insomnia has increased almost twofold in the past decade. Today, at least 15% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia. CBT has become a first-line treatment for this condition, and its integration into mobile applications helps bridge the gap to this treatment, which is said to be more effective than taking regular sleeping pills.
ON THE RECORD
“The development of the Connect-DTx platform has enabled industry stakeholders such as medical institutions, ministries and medical device companies to easily and securely use medical data and provide patients with personalized treatment to offer,” says Joon, head of YUHS’s Digital Health department. -Seok Lim said about Connect-DTx.
“We expect this to catalyze an era of advanced medical care based on big data that systematically analyzes patients’ daily living algorithms and treatment patterns that were once difficult to pin down,” he added.