SAN FRANSISCO – Rock Health, a San Francisco firm, has padded it’s portfolio with eight more start ups. The firm is a major catalyst in digital health space and provides seed funding or grants to over 61 companies.
Acumen is one of the projects that the San Francisco firm is building to help both parents and doctors detect autism earlier and provide treatment sooner. According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) one in every 68 children are diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum. Acumen is using videos of kids with autism spectrum disorders which both parents and doctors can view.
This new venture in making meaningful medical patient video’s to revolutionize the way neurological disorders are diagnosed and treated. Through a very simple process a parent can capture a short video of play-based activities with their child, fill out a short survey on your child’s behavior and send the information to be analyzed.
This information will be analyzed and reviewed by a child development expert. The expert will use the proprietary analytical tools to prepare a personalized report containing an action plan, treatment plan and the names of local resources that are available. This first assessment gives both the parents and the doctor a baseline to monitor and guide the child’s progress.
The project is making great progress and has already attracted venture funding from TPG and Versant Ventures. The medical profession, insurance companies and concerned parents are waiting to see how much of what is being offered under the term digital health will actually improve health. It is the beginning of putting applications and other tools into the hands of the patient (or guardian) enabling them to take charge over changing their health issues.
This new approach gives many parents the hope of early intervention in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders.
For more information please look at Acumen’s website here.
The original article by Alex Lash on the XConomy website can be read here