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CrossCare 2.0 - 6 first WAVE I innovation processes approved
We are pleased to announce that 6 SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are officially part of our CrossCare 2.0 project: Ambee, Co-medic, HvNL, Moonbird, My Add On, and SAY IT!
Together, we will test groundbreaking innovations in healthcare organizations over the next 15 months, with a focus on improving the healthcare experience for everyone. Below, you can find more information about the participating companies.
Ambee (NL)
Society is grappling with a severe and growing shortage of healthcare workers. Additionally, there is a high mental and physical workload, along with a high attrition rate and declining influx of healthcare workers. The dual aging (of both staff and patients) exacerbates this problem. Part of this can be addressed by recruiting and retaining more people, providing them with more autonomy in their roles, and improving hospital processes. However, this approach is not sufficient to solve the issue structurally.
A recent research report by Gupta argues that the use of smart technology in healthcare is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high quality of care. This technology should support nurses and other healthcare workers in their work. However, direct patient care, bedside care, is human work that should not be replaced by technology. Ambee specifically focuses on eliminating non-patient-related tasks of nurses and other healthcare workers, especially the often unplanned logistical activities. These tasks do not contribute to direct patient care and well-being and provide little satisfaction to perform. By taking over these tasks through the use of a new generation of smart and mobile logistical robots, time and capacity become available for better patient care. The focus is on deploying these robots to perform logistical tasks between (nursing) departments and the lab and pharmacy. This not only results in a reduced shortage of (nursing) care capacity but also in better quality of care.
The goals of this CrossCare project include conducting in-depth market research in the Flemish market, further developing Ambee technology and robots based on these new insights, and validating the robot functionality and behavior in two live tests. This makes it possible to successfully integrate robots into the highly complex and dynamic environments of various hospitals, thus solving the problem.
Call to action:
- We are looking for a hospital in the region to conduct a live test with approximately 10 users.
Co-Medic (VL)
Co-Medic provides an innovative solution to challenges within healthcare. This project focuses on enhancing the efficiency of general practitioner (GP) practices by making valuable medical data accessible and usable through the generation of data reports on patient populations. With a focus on simplifying the identification of high-risk patients and supporting preventive care actions, Co-Medic aims to transform primary care. The project targets group-based GP practices in Flanders and the Netherlands, which are increasingly under pressure due to demographic changes and the rise of chronic conditions. Additionally, the project aims to promote collaboration with the Nurse in the General Practitioner's Office (ViHP), a profession that is playing an increasingly important role. Efficient access to structured data helps the ViHP organize effective care.
Throughout this project, Co-Medic will closely collaborate with a Flemish living lab, working towards a real-life test of the product in Flanders. In the Netherlands, the company will collaborate with a living lab focusing on market exploration and the initial introduction of the product to Dutch GPs.
Co-Medic has the potential to make a significant impact on healthcare in the cross-border region. By structuring the health data of healthcare providers and enabling them to easily overview it, they gain better insights into their patient population and any care gaps. This allows GPs and ViHPs to collaborate more efficiently, resulting in improved and more effective care and the possibility of cost savings. The further development through the pilot project will lead to a high-performing SaaS platform, which will be valuable for value-based care within primary care practices.
HvNL (NL)
General Practitioners of the Netherlands (HvNL) is implementing a hybrid patient flow management system as a partial solution to the staffing shortage in general practitioner (GP) care. This solution has been distinguished with the National Healthcare Innovation Award 2023. The system analyzes patient care inquiries, assigns urgency levels and potential diagnoses, and delivers this information in a structured manner to a practice staff member. This results in demonstrable time and cost savings, facilitates task redistribution, leading to practice growth, and more time for patient care.
Our data indicates that a significant number of care inquiries are classified as non-urgent. Theoretically, these can be addressed through self-care advice, without the involvement of a practice staff member. HvNL aims to make its current system even more efficient by incorporating an automatic self-care module. This module should provide suitable care inquiries with self-care advice, with the option to still forward the inquiry to the practice staff member. For patients, this means an immediate response to their care inquiry. For assistants and GPs, this implies an expected reduction in care inquiries of 10-15%, facilitating capacity reduction and practice growth. For health insurers, this means cost reduction and support in meeting their care obligations.
Flemish and Dutch Living Labs will support HvNL. Two healthcare groups in West Brabant already utilizing our existing solution will participate alongside Living Labs from Southeast Brabant and Flanders in developing, testing, and implementing the self-care module. For the content of self-care advice, we collaborate with Thuisarts.nl. In the Belgian border region, a market exploration will be conducted with Flemish Living Labs, aiming to implement the patient flow management system in a Flemish GP practice that can serve as an example and catalyst for the Belgian market.
Call to action: We are looking for
- 4-6 GPs/healthcare group managers willing to participate in a co-creation session
- 4-6 patients willing to participate in a co-creation session
- 4-8 healthcare professionals willing to participate in a demo session
Moonbird (VL)
The DOBBY (Development Of a Breathing Buddy for Youngsters) project, managed by Moonbird, focuses on developing an innovative breathing companion specifically designed for children aged 6-12. The device aims to alleviate stress, anxiety, and overstimulation in children and promote their sleep. Through a child-friendly approach, DOBBY aims to support the mental health of children, tailored to their individual needs and in a safe and engaging manner.
What sets the DOBBY project apart is the tactile stimulation it provides, allowing children to easily and playfully learn to consciously experience and regulate their breathing. In contrast to the existing Moonbird for adults, which focuses on intrinsic motivation, the new device will use an interface that elicits extrinsic motivation in children.
This approach is essential to engage children in a fun and interactive way in their own well-being. A crucial aspect of the DOBBY project is the close collaboration with various stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, educational institutions, parents, and their children, to ensure a product that closely aligns with the needs and preferences of the target audience. This collaborative approach ensures broad acceptance and effectiveness of the device in different environments.
The project aims to have a significant impact on the mental health of children within the Cross-Border Region of Flanders and the Netherlands, and by extension, globally. It will not only contribute to improving the well-being of children and youth but also provide economic opportunities by strengthening Moonbird's position as a progressive health technology enterprise. The involvement of CrossCare living labs in the project will assist in testing, refining, and validating the product, paving the way for a successful market introduction and widespread societal acceptance.
Call to action: We are looking for
- 6-8 children aged 6-12 willing to participate in a co-creation session
- 10 children willing to participate in a live test
My Add On (VL)
MyRamp, a project led by My Add On, is developing the most compact and lightweight mobile ramp for manual wheelchair users. The target audience includes active manual wheelchair users who have sufficient strength to operate the manual wheelchair themselves. These individuals also enjoy going out independently and want to overcome inaccessible thresholds. However, current solutions are often deemed too heavy, cumbersome, and large to be carried alone. MyRamp aims to increase autonomy, prevent falls, and contribute to inclusion by improving the accessibility of buildings.
The core of innovation lies in listening to the users, making it a crucial part of the R&D process. To ensure that MyRamp is tailored to both the most commonly used wheelchairs in Belgium and the Netherlands, it is important to conduct on-site testing, for which the healthcare living labs are the perfect partners.
In our pursuit of the market introduction of MyRamp, collaboration with Dutch healthcare organizations is crucial. Not only is the Netherlands our neighboring country and our focus for growth in this area, but we also aim for a strategic partnership with a Dutch distributor. Therefore, increasing our presence in the Netherlands is important, as well as ensuring that our future products, including MyRamp, align perfectly with the needs of the Dutch market.
Securing reimbursement from agencies such as RIZIV/VAPH in Belgium or similar Dutch organizations for MyRamp is essential for our end users. This cross-border collaboration with the Healthcare Living Labs is crucial to assist as many people as possible. Dutch healthcare organizations provide us with valuable expertise and support essential for successfully bringing this unique product to market. The synergy between our innovation and the expertise of our Dutch partners will undoubtedly contribute to the success of MyRamp, and we look forward to further developing this valuable collaboration.
Call to action: We are looking for
- 6-8 active wheelchair users for a co-creation session
- 5 active wheelchair users to participate in a live test
SAY IT (VL)
More than 90% of the 10 million Parkinson's patients worldwide experience speech-related challenges. They often struggle to be clearly understood due to speaking too softly, difficulty articulating, or speaking too quickly or slowly. This significantly impacts their lives and those around them. Unfortunately, there is currently no permanent solution for these issues, creating a substantial need for solutions that can enhance social interactions and participation in society.
SAY IT Labs, a Leuven-based spin-off from imec and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has developed an entirely new way to support Parkinson's patients with innovative technology: our solution is a smart glasses device designed to improve daily communication. This device provides real-time and discreet feedback during speech through augmented reality and speech technology, allowing Parkinson's patients to see how they can adjust their speech to be more understandable.
This smart glasses device is one of the products SAY IT Labs has developed to support individuals with speech difficulties. Recently, we released our first product, Stutter Stars, a video game for children who stutter. The game is available in English and can be downloaded from the App Store and the Play Store. It is currently being translated into Dutch.
The smart glasses device is still in the development phase. With the support of CrossCare 2.0, we will be able to demonstrate and test a prototype of the smart glasses in both Flanders and the Netherlands. This will enable us to further tailor the device to the needs of Parkinson's patients and prepare for the subsequent steps leading to the commercialization of this groundbreaking technology.
We plan to initially launch this device in Flanders and the Netherlands to assist the more than 80,000 Parkinson's patients in these regions. The smart glasses work seamlessly in all languages and will subsequently be made available worldwide.
Call to action: We are looking for
- 4-8 individuals with Parkinson's for a demo session
- 3-5 paramedics for interviews
- 3-5 individuals with Parkinson's for a live test
We're looking for you!
Are you or do you know someone at a healthcare organization where this innovation can be tested? We look forward to seeing these innovative solutions contribute to the improvement of the healthcare sector. Together, we are building a healthier future!
Reach out!