In an exclusive interview with BioPharma APAC, Ed Deng, Co-founder and CEO of Health2Sync, delves into the transformative impact of their collaboration with Western Sydney Diabetes (WSD). Deng highlights how Health2Sync’s technology improves patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency, discusses the challenges faced during implementation, and shares plans to expand their innovative model to other chronic diseases and local health districts.

As Health2Sync continues to redefine patient engagement and clinician workflows, their commitment to advancing diabetes care sets the stage for broader applications in chronic disease management.

How does Health2Sync plan to measure the success of this partnership in terms of improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare resources?

We have continuously seen in real-world settings that utilizing our solution leads to an improved outcome in terms of HbA1c and/or glucose control.   This is one metric that we will be monitoring to assess the success of the partnership.  

The other key metric is improving efficiency for the healthcare provider. In fact, we have already seen some success in this area.  In 2018, WSD used our solution for insulin optimization and found out that there were fewer cases where physicians failed to contact patients and that they spent less time per contact.  The positive feedback encouraged us to begin the partnership this year and expand usage into gestational diabetes services.  

What specific challenges were faced during the initial implementation of Health2Sync’s technology in Western Sydney hospitals, and how were they addressed?

Throughout the process, the clinicians were very supportive of using our solution as they could understand the value our platform brings. 

The real challenges included 1/ Going through the paperwork and the security/privacy assessment with the Local Health District. Part of this required us to set up a dedicated Australian server to host patient data within Australian borders and 2/Providing engagement and educational content aligned with Australia or Western Sydney’s practice. 

We then invested time and resources into relocating the server to host the patient data and customized an automated program called “Diabetes Together” with educational material already developed or used by the WSD team. We see strong potential for our solution in this market, not just within hospitals but among general practices.  

With the growing prevalence of diabetes in Australia, are there plans to extend this model to other chronic diseases or local health districts?

We have already engaged with several other Local Health Districts (LHDs) outside Western Sydney.  With the data we collect, it is possible to expand our services to support other metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.  This is something we have plans to start at the WSLHD.  

How does the automated patient engagement program ensure personalized care while maintaining efficiency for clinicians and patients?

The automated engagement program aims to help reduce many of the routine tasks carried out by clinicians or diabetes educators, specifically in delivering essential awareness and education.   

This will allow them to spend more time analyzing patient data via our patient management platform and provide patients with more personalized suggestions.  

How is feedback from patients and clinicians being incorporated into the ongoing development of the Health2Sync app and engagement programs?

We would conduct workshops with clinicians to get their feedback on using our platform in their clinical practice. Based on that feedback, we would evaluate and set priorities for feature enhancements. We would roll out updates every two weeks to address any issues and incorporate new features. 

What are the next steps for Health2Sync and Western Sydney Diabetes in advancing this partnership, and what long-term goals have been set?

The WSD will continue to utilize Health2Sync as part of its standard of care and explore deploying our platform and technology in other initiatives, including prevention programs.  Furthermore, we will work with primary health networks and general physician (GP) clinics to deploy these automated engagement programs through GPs,  who may not have the resources or time to educate patients on lifestyle behaviors.  The goal is to encourage self-management and reduce complications and hospitalization.