IBM Watson Health to Integrate MedyMatch Technology into Cognitive Imaging Offerings to Help Doctors Identify Head Trauma and Stroke

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MedyMatch Technology today announced a collaboration with IBM (NYSE: IBM) Watson Health to bring MedyMatch's A.I.-based clinical decision support application to imaging experts working in hospital emergency rooms and other acute care settings to help doctors identify instances of intracranial bleeding as a result of head trauma and stroke. Initially, IBM Watson Health's Imaging group will distribute the MedyMatch brain bleed detection application globally through its vendor neutral sales channels. Moving forward, IBM Watson Health and MedyMatch will develop interoperability between MedyMatch's application and IBM Watson Health Imaging's offerings.

According to the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA), stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and one of the top causes of preventable disability in the United States. Affecting 4% of the U.S. adults, it is forecasted that by 2030, there will be approximately 3.4 million stroke victims annually in the U.S., costing the healthcare system $240 Billion on an annual basis.

MedyMatch aims to bring cognitive tools into the daily workflow of an emergency department to help physicians assess patients suspected of head trauma or stroke, and rule out the presence of a bleed in the brain. The MedyMatch algorithm uses sophisticated deep learning, machine vision, patient data, and clinical insights to automatically highlight for a physician regions of interest that could indicate the potential presence of cerebral bleeds –and does so without interrupting how a physician works.   

"The opportunity to license our deep vision application to IBM Watson Health creates a unique value proposition in healthcare," said Gene Saragnese, chairman & chief executive officer of MedyMatch. "Engaging closely with IBM allows for a near-zero footprint implementation at a customer location delivering 'A.I. to the bedside' where I believe the future of healthcare lies.  At MedyMatch, we believe improvements in the interpretation of data will lead to better decisions, better decisions will lead to better outcomes for patients and lower cost for healthcare.  This is what drives us forward every day."

"The implementation of A.I.-based computer aided detection and clinical decision support tools to medicine in general, and to the emergency department, in particular, has the potential to increase the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of patient management – with the potential to ultimately reduce diagnostic errors and improving clinical outcomes," said Michael Lev, M.D., director of emergency radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School.  "MedyMatch is ideally positioned to leverage this technology, and their willingness to collaborate with industry partners reflects their awareness of, and sensitivity to, the complexities of patient assessment in the acute care setting.  The Company's first algorithms - CT detection of intracranial bleeds - represents the confluence of physician know-how and artificial intelligence clinical support."

"The opportunity to leverage MedyMatch's inventive technology is an exciting addition to the vendor-neutral capabilities we are working to deliver to providers who specialize in brain health," said Anne Le Grand, vice president of Imaging for IBM Watson Health. "IBMs alliance with MedyMatch supports Watson Health's global strategy to apply the power of Watson to the world's most pressing healthcare challenges.

MedyMatch is currently conducting a clinical trial for its intracranial bleed assessment application and is working towards a PMA Class III approval by the U.S. FDA.

About MedyMatch Technology, Ltd.

MedyMatch is bringing to market a new category of medical solutions. MedyMatch utilizes advanced cognitive analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver real-time decision support tools to improve clinical outcomes in acute medical scenarios. The foundation of clinical discovery and value creation lies in the deep clinical understanding of how to utilize the right data (electronic medical record, medical imaging, and genomic data).  The MedyMatch team of artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning and algorithmic experts along with its medical and science advisory boards are achieving breakthroughs in standards of cost and care. To learn more, please visit www.medymatch.com. Join the conversation at #medymatch and follow us on twitter at @medymatch.

About IBM Watson Health

Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing capability representing a new era in computing. The system, delivered through the cloud, analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions posed in natural language and proposes evidence-based answers. Watson continuously learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time, from previous interactions. In April 2015, the company launched IBM Watson Health and the Watson Health Cloud platform. The new unit will help improve the ability of doctors, researchers and insurers to innovate by surfacing insights from the massive amount of personal health data being created and shared daily. The Watson Health Cloud will allow this information to be de-identified, shared and combined with a dynamic and constantly growing aggregated view of clinical, research and social health data. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/watson. For more information on IBM Watson Health, visit: ibm.com/watsonhealth. Check out the IBM Watson press kit at: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/27297.wss. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson and #watsonhealth. Follow Watson on Facebook and see Watson on YouTube and Flickr.

Press Contacts:

For MedyMatch
Michael Rosenberg, Chief Commercial & Financial Officer
Email: [email protected]

For IBM Watson Health
Lorie Fiber, Communications
E-mail: [email protected]

Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/emergency-department.htm

SOURCE IBM Watson Health