It’s Life in the Fast Lane for Iron Horse Dx

Iron Horse Diagnostics to receive the 2013 AZBio Fast Lane Award from the Arizona Bioindustry Association for Accelerating the Development of New ALS Diagnostic Tests.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a devastating disease that is nearly always fatal within 5 years of onset. Due to similarities in their symptomatic progression is it difficult to differentiate ALS from several other disease mimics (motor neuropathy, progressive muscle atrophy, etc.) until it is too late for intervention to have any real effect. With an earlier diagnosis, and therefore earlier intervention, current clinical care may increase the lifespan of these patients and additional drug therapies that are likely to be introduced to the market could be more rapidly initiated. Not only might life expectancy increase, but patients would be given the chance for a higher quality of life for a longer duration due to more rapid inclusion of the patient into multi-disciplinary care treatment offered at specialized ALS clinics.Continue reading

MSDx Announces Issuance of First Patent for Monitoring Disease Activity in a Multiple Sclerosis Patient

TUCSON, AZ, September 17, 2013 – MSDx, Inc., a personalized medicine diagnostics company developing blood test products for monitoring disease activity in neurological disorders, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent that broadly protects the company’s exclusive rights for monitoring or detecting Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in a patient, utilizing its proprietary technology.Continue reading

Health Care Sector Partnership Update

Healthcare Sector Partnership Top

Health Care Sector Partnership

Executive Summary

Health Care Sector Partnership Launch – July, 2013

 

The Health Care Sector Partnership met on July 17, 2013, identifying priority opportunities and requirements to grow the sector in the Phoenix region.  Over 44 individuals representing 36 businesses attended the launch identified the following priority opportunities driving growth of the sector:

 

  • Demographic changes are driving increasing demand for health care services in the area (e.g., overall population growth, an aging population, an influx of retirees from outside the area, increasing patients with diabetes/obesity)

 

  • National policy changes will grow demand for health services as well (e.g., the Affordable Care Act, including new emphasis on Medicaid expansion, primary care, and management of chronic illness and disease; a National HIV/AIDS Strategy)

 

  • The emergence of a new health care model will stimulate growth of the sector in new directions (e.g., shift to integrated, primary care delivery; integrated healthcare focusing on the “whole person”; personalized medicine; new wellness models; “triple aim” of improving care and patient experience while reducing costs)

 

  • New technology innovation and application in the sector will drive growth by helping facilitate the transformation to a new health care model  (e.g., integration/exchange of medical records, technology interoperability among institutions, greater patient self-management and engagement through technology)

 

Three Priority Areas for Action

 

To capitalize on these promising opportunities to grow the sector in the Phoenix area, participants then identified three priority areas for action, with individuals volunteering to be initial champions in each area:

  • Talent/Workforce:  Grow the Local Talent Base to Drive the New Health Care Model.  To enable growth, the sector will require more and new kinds of talent than in the past.  We need to focus on transforming the talent pipeline, from top-level talent (e.g., increasing residence slots for physicians, the number of doctors specializing in elder care) to the broad range of health care professions (e.g., increasing clinical student placements in all disciplines, preparing more students for national certifications, increasing educational capacity in “high demand” occupational fields).  Reshape education at all levels to prepare more talent for the growing “triple aim”/”whole person” integrated health care model (i.e., improve care, improve patient experience, reduce cost).

 

  • Vision/Communication:  Build Broad-based Support for the New Health Care Model.  To catalyze growth, there is a need to articulate the vision and communicate the benefits and requirements for implementing the new health care model.  Develop a unified message and pursue a multi-faceted communications strategy to reach specific audiences:  general public, patients, policymakers, employers, and other system partners.  Focus on increasing enrollment in health care coverage, preparing patients to be partners, encouraging employers to support the wellness of their employees, increasing collaboration among system partners for better “triple aim” results, and encouraging state and local policies to support shift to new Model.

 

  • Technology/Innovation:  Promote Technological Innovation and Adoption in Health Care.  Technology can be used much more effectively to help facilitate the shift to the new health care model.  Focus on health information technology applications, such as standardizing data collection/reporting/measurement, exchanging information, and enabling personalized medicine.

 

Action Teams – August, 2013

 

In August, 25 business representatives attended Action Team meetings and drafted outcomes (i.e., what does success look like in measurable ways) and actions (i.e., what needs to happen to achieve these outcomes) in the three priority areas including (1) Talent/Workforce (2) Vision/Communication and (3) Technology Innovation.

 

Next Step – October, 2013

 

These draft outcomes and actions will be discussed and refined at the next Phoenix Health Care Sector Partnership meeting for business, education and community leaders on October 2, 2013 from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the Phoenix Business and Workforce Development Center at 302 N. First Avenue, 6th Floor, Phoenix, Arizona.

 

 

For additional information on the Health Care Sector Partnership, please contact Pam Lindley, Program Manager, City of Phoenix, Community & Economic Development Department, at
602-262-6060 or pam.lindley@phoenix.gov.

 

Heathcare Sector Partnership footer