Newswise — LOS ANGELES (July 10, 2018) — Nine health-tech companies have joined the newest class of the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator as they look to develop and refine solutions to some of healthcare's most pressing challenges, particularly those affecting the experience of patients.

The companies, selected for the intensive three-month program after a rigorous international search, will receive an initial investment of $120,000, training from Cedars-Sinai physicians and executives, and exposure to a global entrepreneurial network through Techstars, an organization that works with entrepreneurs to cultivate their ideas.

This is the accelerator's fourth class. Companies in the program are developing technologies to address a variety of healthcare industry needs, including health system efficiency and patient care, through artificial intelligence applications, hardware innovation and other digital platforms. 

"It's exciting to see these founders and their teams using innovative technologies to tackle a variety of healthcare challenges," said Anne Wellington, managing director of the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator. "Some offer solutions that will be used by patients and front-line clinical staff, while others are focused on supporting medical device technicians, billing office staff or supply chain analysts. I'm thrilled to partner with this impressive group of companies whose solutions emphasize the multifaceted nature of the healthcare industry." 

The aim of the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator is to speed healthcare ideas and solutions to the healthcare marketplace. The program is based in the Cedars-Sinai Innovation Space across the street from the medical center. 

"From the first class at the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator, we've endeavored to bring together cohorts that are developing solutions to healthcare challenges faced here as well as at health systems across the country and around the world," said Darren Dworkin, senior vice president and chief information officer at Cedars-Sinai. "This latest class, with companies addressing pressing issues such as health system efficiencies, physician burnout and improving the patient experience, reflects that ongoing effort." 

The nine companies in this year's class are: 

  • ALIS Health
    ALIS Health supports physicians by providing guidance in ordering appropriate diagnostic testing for patients. Using information about an individual patient, ALIS offers recommendations for appropriate testing and connects providers to certified laboratories to complete the tests. Its initial focus is on genetic testing and women's health. 
  • CardioCube
    CardioCube provides at-home support to patients with chronic heart disease through a voice-enabled, interactive platform that allows them to track symptoms and receive guidance and education. The platform also shares patient-reported symptoms with cardiologists, resulting in more effective home monitoring. 
  • Digital Medical Tech
    Digital Medical Tech has created a platform to allow health systems to proactively track medical devices and equipment. Using Bluetooth technology, Digital Medical Tech's real-time location system provides monitoring and management of a wide variety of medical assets, while requiring less infrastructure and shorter installation time than typical tracking solutions.
  • KelaHealth
    KelaHealth uses patient-specific information, along with machine learning capabilities, to identify potential surgical complications and offer specific recommendations to surgeons about steps to reduce risk and minimize potential complications.
  • MedPilot
    MedPilot supports health system billing departments by using data science and behavioral targeting to recommend patient engagement methods, personalize communications and resolve outstanding balances.
  • Nicolette
    Nicolette helps guide parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit in comprehending and following care plans for their newborns. The application provides up-to-date clinical information and education about their child in a clear, easy-to-understand format. 
  • Relatable
    Relatable helps clinicians and administrators analyze and manage the medical products they use though an interactive database of product specifications. The system allows users to easily find detailed and specific information about products they use and to compare them to similar options. By centralizing and standardizing this information, Relatable allows users to be more efficient in making product decisions. 
  • Sopris
    Sopris uses voice recognition, natural language processing and machine learning to automatically translate doctor-patient interactions into clinical notes. The Sopris app allows clinicians to focus more fully on their patients: It listens to conversations during visits and automatically summarizes relevant clinical information, reducing the amount of time required for documentation and data entry.
  • SureConsent
    SureConsent helps clinicians, patients and hospitals by presenting patient consent information and forms in a user-friendly format with video, animations and follow-up questions to ensure comprehension. SureConsent also uses electronic signatures to capture and manage completed forms.

About the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator
The Cedars-Sinai Accelerator is transforming healthcare quality, efficiency and care delivery by helping entrepreneurs bring their innovative technology products to market. This three-month program, based in Los Angeles, provides companies with funding, mentorship from more than 300 leading clinicians and executives, access to Cedars-Sinai and exposure to a network of more than 10,000 entrepreneurs and investors. Since 2015, the accelerator has helped dozens of companies transform healthcare delivery and patient care. 

About Cedars-Sinai
Cedars-Sinai is a leader in providing high-quality healthcare encompassing primary care, specialized medicine and research. Since 1902, Cedars-Sinai has evolved to meet the needs of one of the most diverse regions in the nation, setting standards in quality and innovative patient care, research, teaching and community service. Today, Cedars-Sinai is known for its national leadership in transforming healthcare for the benefit of patients. Cedars-Sinai impacts the future of healthcare by developing new approaches to treatment and educating tomorrow's health professionals. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai demonstrates a commitment to the community through programs that improve the health of its most vulnerable residents.