NIH $2.7M Machine Learning Grant, HHS Forges Family Caregiver Strategy
The NIH issued nearly $3 million in grant money to Eko to build its machine learning algorithm, and HHS announced a new home caregiver strategy.
Source: Getty Images
By - Digital health vendor, Eko, received $2.7 million from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) to build its machine learning smart stethoscope device. The machine learning algorithm that will make the device tick uses phonocardiogram and electrocardiogram data to better detect pulmonary hypertension, which can cause heart failure.
And for the first time, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created a unique strategy to improve the government resources available to family caregivers.
Ambry Genetics Settles Data Breach Suit for $12.25M
Ambry Genetics reached a $12.25 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit after the California-based diagnostics vendor suffered a data breach that impacted 232,772 patients. In January of 2020, a hacker accessed an employee’s email account and was able to view sensitive patient information and possibly exfiltrate that data. Plaintiffs claimed that Ambry failed to alert patients of the breach within HIPAA’s 60-day notification period and that the breach directly resulted from the firm’s failures to safeguard data. READ MORE.
NIH $2.7M Grant Goes to Eko
The NIH awarded digital health vendor EKO a $2.7 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to fund a machine learning algorithm for chronic disease detection. The algorithm developed by Eko will seek cases of pulmonary hypertension using phonocardiograms and electrocardiograms. Eko’s grant will support a study that should determine if a machine learning algorithm can produce a new gold standard for pulmonary hypertension detection. READ MORE.
Labor and Inflation Increase Healthcare Spending by $370B
A new McKinsey report found that rising inflation and labor costs will increase healthcare spending by $370 billion in the next five years. The report estimates that the US healthcare system will lack 200,000 to 450,000 registered nurses and 50,000 to 80,000 doctors by 2025. Researchers that compiled the report claim that the effects of inflation will be felt years down the road and may cut hospital profits to the bare minimum. READ MORE.
New HHS Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The first National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, created by HHS leadership, includes 350 actions for federal agencies to support the roughly 53 million people who serve as caregivers.
“Many of the more than 150 million people who receive health care coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplaces® rely on trusted friends and family for care,” commented CMS Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “CMS is committed to advancing home and community-based services and other forms of caregiver support across the lifespan to give caregivers the recognition and resources they need and deserve.” READ MORE.
FDA and NIH Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and NIH are creating a public-private partnership to champion research for rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Critical Path for Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases, facilitated by the Critical Path Institute, will bring together researchers, patients, companies, and government resources to leverage expertise and knowledge in the hunt for new treatments. Goals included in the partnership’s announcement focus on building knowledge and creating treatment and diagnosis capabilities. READ MORE.
