Competitive/Comparative Analysis

#1 Medical Diagnosis

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November, 13, 2022

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Primary Sources Summary

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Wellthy

MyChart

1 representative screenshot of this offering

Fitbit

Psychology Today

Each one of these sources is attempting to connect the user to their immediate and long term health needs, whether it be physical, emotional, mental, or financial, and streamline the often-overwhelming process of obtaining support for reaching their individual health goals.

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Apple Health

Psychology Today

Psychology Today is an online resource that helps users locate mental health professionals within their area. It also serves as a news platform with many articles written by psychologists and therapists.

Key features

• Find therapists within your area
• Able to use filters to search for specific professionals
• Allows you to see if specific professionals take your insurance
• Has a news section

[Find a therapist near you search bar.

Find the right therapist for you by reading their bios and credentials.

Logo / App Icon

Fitbit

The Fitbit app offers tracking options and support for your physical, mental, and emotional health. By tracking your physical activity, exercise, diet, relaxation, mindfulness, heart rhythm, sleep, etc…, as well as offering health tips and access to a social support network, the goal of the app is to improve the user’s overall health.

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Key features

• Includes relaxation, mindfulness, and stress tracking with guided breathing exercises, personalized tips, and support options.
• Provides insights to your sleep patterns to improve the quality of your sleep.
• Offers Cardiovascular health tracking, and alerts for irregular heart rhythms.
• Works with a wide range of data collection devices that are customizable for your needs.

Very important mobile screenshot to share

Heart rate monitoring with irregular rhythm notifications to support cardiovascular health.

Very important mobile screenshot to share

The Stress Management Score is assessed from multiple collected health and activity data points and additional inputs by the user.

Apple Health

The "Health" app by Apple, introduced in 2014, is a comprehensive mobile health management tool. It tracks various health metrics, syncs with wearables, and stores medical records. With features like medication reminders and "Medical ID" for first responders, it has evolved significantly since its initial release. Additionally, it supports the HealthKit API for third-party integrations and offers ResearchKit and CareKit for medical research and care plans. It's a valuable tool for holistic health management.

Key features

• Tracking and storing various health data and metrics.
• Integration with clinical medical records for supported health insurers and hospitals.
• Data categories covering activity, body measurements, cycle tracking, hearing, heart, medications, mental well-being, nutrition, respiratory, sleep, symptoms, vitals, and more.
• Automatic import of health information from connected Apple Watch devices.
• Period and fertility tracking.
• Medication logging with reminders and potential drug interaction alerts.
• Emotional and mood tracking for mental health.
• "Medical ID" for essential medical information accessible to first responders.
• Organ, eye, and tissue donor registration (in the United States).
• Support for third-party applications and integrations through the HealthKit API.
• Introduction of "Health Records" for importing and managing medical records.
• ResearchKit and CareKit for medical research and care plan applications.

MyChart

MyChart is a digital health portal that lets you see your medications, test results, upcoming appointments, medical bills, price estimates, and more all in one place.

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Key features

• Search for and communicate with healthcare providers and schedule appointments.
• Review test results, plan of care, medications, and health reports.
• Receive and pay medical bills and review insurance coverage.
• Access educational resources including a medical library.

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The MyChart homepage.

The main MyChart drop down menu.

Wellthy

Wellthy is a personalized support service designed to simplify the administrative and logistical tasks involved in caring for loved ones, including oneself. By providing tailored support, Wellthy aims to make caring for loved ones more manageable and efficient, ensuring that individuals can take care of their loved ones in the most effective way possible.

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Key features

• Care plan with a dedicated care coordinator, a real life person who manages care
• Messaging to communicate directly with care coordinator
• Shared Calendar and Documents
• Medications
• Contacts
• Tasks, both suggested and custom
• Shareable with loved ones instantly via email any time there’s an update or message

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Secondary Sources Summary

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Each of these sources helps users track and reach their health, nutrition, and fitness goals or connects them with mental health professionals, both helping them improve their physical or mental health.

Medisafe

MyFitnessPal

Brightside Health

Fooducate

1 representative screenshot of this offering

Samsung Health

Garmin Connect

GoodTherapy

HealthView

Brightside Health

Virtual care that is customized to the users needs. This is a subscription based model that allows access to professionals across the country

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Key features

• Personalized assessment to help understand what’s needed
• Ability for professionals to sign up and work with Brightside
• Crisis care plan that is specific for those dealing with suicidal ideation

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Ability to search for psychiatric care and receive medication

Assessment to help understand where to start

GoodTherapy

Helps connect those looking for mental health resources with professionals in their area.

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Key features

• Worksheets to help manage depression and anxiety
• Search the local area for telehealth or in person therapists
• Blog that has articles all about mental health

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Search for a therapist in the area

Resource library that breaks down different mental health conditions

Garmin Connect

Garmin Connect is a mobile and web based platform which is designed to help users track and analyze their health and fitness data to more effectively meet their health goals.

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Key features

• Includes workout and training analysis to assess your pace, distance, heart rate, cadence, etc…
• Helps you create training plans and track adherence.
• Offers personalized performance insights and recommendations to help you reach your goals.
• Includes Map and GPS data which tracks routes, elevation and other navigation information.
• Tracks stress levels and offers stress management advice.

Your My Day summary displays a customized list of health points so that you can quickly assess your progress.

The Stress Management interface uses your heart rate and other data to cohesively assess your stress levels..

MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is a fitness and nutritional tracking and support app, designed to help their users reach their various health related goals.

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Key features

• Offers an extensive food database, to make tracking calories and diet easier
• Includes a Recipe Calculator so you can input your own recipes and it will calculate the nutrition for the whole dish.
• Can integrate with other wearable trackers
• Offers Macro nutrition tracking for premium users

Calorie Tracking allows the user to easily input and track their total nutritional intake for the day.

Easily track and edit a customizable list of health goals.

Samsung Health

Samsung Health is a health and fitness application (for iOS and Android) designed to motivate users to maintain an active lifestyle. Although not the most complex or data-intensive application, Samsung Health is a reliable platform for promoting a healthy lifestyle.

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Key features

• Samsung Health tracks health metrics using Samsung watch wearables.
• Stress, food, sleep, menstrual cycle, water, and fitness tracking and coaching.
• Ability to manually add data points and choose which data points show up on your home screen.
• Together tab allows user to enter fitness challenges with other Samsung Health users and keep people motivated on their fitness journeys.
• Just partnered with AWS

Medisafe

Medisafe is a medication management and adherence platform. It is a mobile-only application designed to help people manage their medication regimens and adhere to their prescribed treatment plans.

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Key features

• Medication reminders, tracking, information, management, and history.
• Refill reminders to let the user know when their medication is running low.
• The application can tell when there are medication interactions and coach the patient to ask their prescriber questions about their medication regimen.
• The app allows people to connect with family members and caregivers to provide additional support and monitoring of medication adherence.

Fooducate

A nutrition guide app that allows you track what you eat and help you meet your health, nutrition, and weight loss goals.

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Key features

• Log your meals and chart food grades to reveal the quality of the calories you consume.
• Scan barcodes and track foods quickly & easily with the scanner.
• View calories consumed, and macronutrients—carbs, protein & fat to maintain a balanced diet.
• Choose diet options like low-carb, vegan, paleo, keto diets & more.

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Some of the goals the Fooducate app is designed to help users achieve.

The homepage of the app.

HealthView

An app that integrates with Apple Health to neatly present health data and isolate the details that are important to you.

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Key features

• Unclutter the data and figures gathered by Apple Health.
• Presents figures and insights in the form of widgets on your phone’s home screen.
• Can present dozens of data sets, including step counts, calories burned, workouts, BMI, caffeine intake, sleep, and more.

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Some examples of data presentation in the HealthView app.

Tertiary Experiences Summary

Awareness Campaigns

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Digital Content

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Events

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Games, Competitions, and Incentives

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The following topics include organizations, communication methods, and technologies that promote healthier lifestyles or help raise awareness about various threats to public health.

Hardware

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Locations

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Organizations

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Physical Content

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Policies, Laws, and Customs

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List of topics where potential tertiary experiences reside

Awareness Campaigns

• In-school Health Education
• Public Health Campaigns
• Viral Campaigns

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Digital Content

• Informational websites
• Company websites
• Social media and influencers
• User-generated content
• Videos

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Events

• Conferences
• Workshops
• Vaccination Campaigns

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Games, Competitions, and Incentives

• Fundraisers
• Wellness Contests
• Patient Participation Incentives

Hardware

• Watches and wearables
• IoT
• Lifestyle trackers
• Kiosks
• Digital signage
• Add-ons to existing items

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Locations

• Pop-up shops and booths
• Permanent structure
• Virtual reality

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Organizations

• Non-profits
• Interest groups
• Government organizations

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Physical Content

• Books & Magazines
• Handouts
• Flyers

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Policies, Laws, and Customs

• Policies
• Laws
• Customs

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Awareness Campaigns

• In-school Health Education
• Provides young people with critical information.
• This is a foundational experience that can help people manage their health better in adult life.

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• Public Health Campaigns
• Breast-cancer awareness is an incredible example of the power of a campaign to produce research funding and better healthcare.
• Helps people facing a diagnosis not feel alone.

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• Viral Campaigns
• The ALS campaign and others like use social media as a tool for good.
• Viral campaigns can spread like lightning; quicker than anything else at their best.

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Awareness campaigns educate the public on a health crisis and signs to look out for.

Digital Content

• Social Media and influencers
• Reddit communities are grouped into specific diagnoses. For example, r/POTS draw in people with POTS, r/hEDS draw in people with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos, etc.
• There are also more general forums for things like women’s/men’s/queer health, mental health, wellness, etc. These forums seem to be resources for those without access to medical care, or those without medical literacy.
• Redditors will ask questions about their diagnosis in these forums, not to get professional answers, but to hear that they are not alone in their experiences and daily struggles.
• Forums like r/AskDocs or Inspire are known for their access to medical professionals, but there’s no guarantee that your questions will be answered and therefore it’s not a replacement for medical advice.
• Tiktok and X are more influencer-focused, and Reddit seems to be the starting point for those seeking answers and community.

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• Informational Websites
• Websites like WebMD, MedlinePlus, the NIH, Healthline, etc. are search hubs for people trying to discover information about a particular condition. WebMD articles are physician reviewed for accuracy and to alleviate liability.
• These informational websites are very clear that the medical information they provide is not advice, and have a reputation within disabled communities for being anxiety-inducing. They list every possible side effect, and many of the rare ones can be quite scary.
• Smaller publications act like blogs and tend to gather information from these larger publications.
• Videos
• Youtube is a fantastic resource for those who want to find more information on their medical conditions.
• Many doctors are almost Youtube “influencers” and will discuss specific cases or diagnoses. For example, Yale Medicine will do features on specific patients to both market their value as a medical institution and get the word out about specific rare diseases/disorders.
• There are also more general videos on disorders, like those made by Osmosis from Elsevier.

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People generally will seek out digital content to either supplement or replace professional medical advice. Many people with diagnoses seek out forums of those with similar diagnoses for information, reassurance, and community, while informational websites and videos can provide access to physician-reviewed information.

Events

• Conferences
• Public health conferences shed light on blind spots and educate professionals on the most up-to-date information.
• To make the diagnosis process easier for the patient, we must empower healthcare providers.
• Workshops
• Workshops can arm patients with actionable knowledge relevant to their situation.
• Workshops run by clinics and community centers are vital to helping people navigate the healthcare system.
• Vaccination Campaigns
• Whether it’s the annual influenza shot or for COVID-19, these campaigns give patients something to
• Raise awareness of symptoms and present a solution.

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Convening interested parties and orgs with the power to make change can yield tremendous results for the efficacy of diagnosis for emerging health issues.

Games, Competitions, and Incentives

• Fundraisers
• Marathons, bake sales, and selling cookies inspire people to achieve for causes that help others.
• These activities help people feel like they can do something about the problem.
• Wellness Contests
• Work sponsored step-challenges incentivise people to stay fit and raises awareness about the dangers of sedentary lifestyles.
• For little cost to the employer, these contests promote healthy lifestyles.

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• Patient Participation Incentives
• Clinicians and researchers can give participants monetary incentives to participate in surveys or research.
• While monetary incentives can help gather data, it can also make people aware of an emerging health issue.

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Interactive experiences like competitions make raising awareness about diseases and their symptoms compelling to a wider audience.

Hardware

• Watches and Wearables
• According to Grand View Research, the global wearable market was valued at $61.30 billion USD in 2022 and continues to grow.
• Watches and wearables hold the largest market share for wearables, but glasses, footwear, bodywear, and more are also included in this category and take up a part of the market share.
• Tracking is very attractive to those who care about health - understanding steps, heart rate, sleep, stress, blood oxygen, and more can help people take control of their health.
• Kiosks
• Patient check-in kiosks help streamline the check-in process by prompting patients to confirm they’ve arrived, update any personal information, and verify insurance and payment. Quest uses patient check-in kiosks.
• Biometric screening kiosks are designed to track personal information using biometric data. These kiosks are not necessarily health-related, but use highly personal biometric data including fingerprinting, facial recognition, etc. to identify people (such as CLEAR).
• Vaccination check-in kiosks are similar to patient check-in kiosks, but also provide information on vaccinations. For example, CVS/Labcorp has vaccination check-in kiosks that are specifically designed to parse out patient information and the type of vaccination that patients are hoping to receive.
• IoT
• Telehealth and telemedicine has revolutionized the way that people receive care. Instead of being limited to the physician options around an immediate area, telemedicine helps patients find care and specialists anywhere in the world.
• Telemedicine is particularly helpful for people who are in rural areas and do not have other access to specialists.
• Medical Devices
• Smart implants, such as pacemakers, utilize IoT technology to monitor health conditions and provide continuous updates to physicians and patients.
• DexCom is a great example of utilizing IoT - it’s revolutionized how those with diabetes manage their care, and it’s all tracked online using continuous monitoring and bluetooth. Dexcom CGMs come with software or mobile apps that allow users to analyze their glucose trends over time.

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The wearable market is rapidly growing and driving the demand for health-oriented watches and wearables, catering to users with or without medical diagnoses. The healthcare industry is also experiencing a significant transformation thanks to the widespread adoption of health kiosks and IoT technologies.

Locations

• Pop-up shops and booths
• While the concept of pop-up shops is not usually associated with the healthcare community, there has been a surge in the proliferation of mobile clinics in recent years. These clinics travel to underserved communities and areas with limited access to healthcare. They provide health screenings, inoculations, medical advice and support. In urban areas, wellness popups are gaining popularity as well, providing health screenings, fitness classes, nutrition consultations, and mental health resources. You will also see a variety of health services promoted and offered at community events and health fairs.
• There is an evolving push to break down the barrier to healthcare services by making these services more accessible, reaching individuals where they are, and providing support in a convenient though temporary setting.
• Permanent structure
• There are several types of permanent healthcare facilities that offer short and long-term support services for patients managing specific medical conditions, including but not limited to: hospitals, health clinics, mental health/counseling clinics, halfway houses, and gyms.
• Although permanent healthcare facilities provide an obvious benefit to the local community, they are often costly and the quality of access can be limited based on your financial status, location, and [ironically] your physical, emotional, and mental health.
• Virtual Reality
• Virtual Reality Technology has already been utilized successfully in several fields of healthcare and medical support. It has been used in physical rehabilitation, providing the patient with targeted activities to improve mobility and function; pain management, used as a distraction from pain resulting in less pain medication needed; and mental health treatment, providing a controlled space to work through anxieties, PTSD, and depression. It has also been used for chronic disease monitoring, patient education and remote consultations, giving the user easy access to information and support they need from the comfort of their home.
• VR is a relatively new technology and is expanding rapidly into mainstream healthcare practices. The long-term effects on patient safety, privacy, ethics, and accessibility Is not fully known and needs to be extensively addressed and considered when utilizing this technology.

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There are many different types of locations where people can find support for managing their medical issues. This can be at a mobile clinic, healthcare facility, or through virtual reality. Successfully meeting an individual’s healthcare needs requires that the support reach the individual where they are, in a space that is accessible to them.

Organizations

• Non-profits
• Meet community members where they are.
• Can specialize their messaging to their community.

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• Interest groups
• Focusing on a sole issue/ disease can create subject matter authority people will trust.
• In times of uncertainty following a medical diagnosis, people may turn to the “authority” on a topic.

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• Government organizations
• Can quickly organize large scale communications campaigns and physical treatment sites.
• Are looked to for trustworthy information by patients seeking more information.

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Orgs without a direct profit incentive can pursue public health and research goals without the limitation of needing to present short-term profitability to shareholders.

Physical Content

• Books & Magazines
• Provide a deep-dive when needed.
• Can help patients understand all the nuances of their diagnosis and guide them through their emotional journey.

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• Handouts
• Quick and easy way to inform a patient.
• Can quickly remove fears or misconceptions.

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• Flyers
• Can be placed in common public spaces, i.e. the grocery store.
• Are important for grabbing attention where people

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Physical reading materials, including those with diagrams and other visuals, can help patients navigate their diagnosis and treatment options.

Policies, Laws, and Customs

• Policies
• A healthcare policy is a set of guidelines to direct decision making and actions taken within an organization. Unlike a law, policies suggest a standard of operations, procedures or behavior by a company. There are several active policies that medical providers, insurance firms, and pharmaceutical companies are compelled to follow. An example of this is drug price transparency policies, which push price transparency for the consumer and healthcare providers; telehealth policies, which affect regulations to allow needed expansion of telehealth services; and public health initiatives, which address broader health issues such as emergency preparedness, disease prevention and health education.
• Policies are critical to the function of any healthcare system. They exist to ensure that the system can operate successfully and that the healthcare it provides remains safe, accessible, and affordable for the patient.
• Laws
• There are several laws that have been enacted over the last several decades to improve the quality and access to healthcare in the US. Some notably examples are The Social Security Act (1965), which ensures healthcare for individuals over 65 (Medicare) and low-income individuals (Medicaid); the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA - 1996), which includes privacy rules to safeguard medical information, it also ensures portability of health insurance when changing jobs, and includes subsidies to help families afford insurance; and the Affordable Care Act (ACA “Obamacare” - 2010), improves access to health insurance, and better regulates the insurance industry. There are also MHPAEA – 2008, EMTALA – 1986, COBRA – 1985, and the 21^st Century Cures Act of 2016. All of these laws were put into place to protect privacy and healthcare quality and access for the individual.
• Understanding the rights of an individual and the laws that govern their care is critical to facilitating their care in an appropriate and efficient way.
• Customs
• There are many accepted and traditional practices, behaviors and norms expected within the healthcare system that are not necessarily covered by law or policy. These include a high standard of professionalism expected from healthcare providers when dealing with patients, respect for the autonomy of the patient, clinical decisions made for the patient based on best available evidence, etc. These “customs” can vary greatly depending on the type of care or services provided but are necessary within medical practice to create a patient focused environment.
• Customs effectively observed within the medical field can provide a feeling of quality, care, and consistency of care and can give the patient much needed additional confidence in the medical process.

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The existence of policies, laws, and customs within the healthcare system determine boundaries, rules, and expectations that affect the accessibility of care, safety of treatment, quality of service, affordability of care, and patient rights when dealing with medical needs.

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