3 Boulder Valley companies selected for digital-health pilot program

BOULDER — Two Boulder-based companies and one in Broomfield have been chosen to participate in a pilot program that has health-care organizations trying out new digital products.

Radish Systems LLC and Prima Temp Inc., both in Boulder, and Broomfield-based Novum Concepts Ltd. were three of eight tech companies chosen from 21 nationwide that applied to participate in the three-month pilot program.

In a “Shark Tank” setting, health-care organizations on Sept. 30 bid on the products after hearing pitches from company reps at the 2015 Digital Health Challenge presented by Prime Health of Colorado.

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Radish’s ChoiceView, a product that adds visuals to phone calls when using a mobile device or browser, will be used by the Northwest Visiting Nurses Association in Craig and Clinica Tepeyac, a mental-health service in Denver to improve communications between staff and with patients. With the system, callers can see, hear and send visual content and data.

Prima Temp Inc., headed by chief executive Lauren Costantini, has an intra-vaginal device that monitors continuous core body temperature, one of the most reliable indicators of female fertility. When a woman is fertile, the device activates an alert — one option for which is singer Barry White’s voice — on the woman’s smart phone app.

Novum Concepts Ltd., started by two Denver paramedics, has created a communications system that is used onboard ambulances to send advance information to emergency rooms. It can send a photo of a driver’s license, an EKG or video of the patient symptoms, viewable on an iPad. Novum’s Biophone currently is being tested at Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette.

The Digital Health Challenge is funded through a $150,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation.

Theresa Szczurek, chief executive and co-founder of Radish Systems, said each of the eight companies chosen will receive “a little bit of that money” to offset the costs of participating in the program. She said companies are donating a portion of their services in return for learning how well they perform in a work setting.

Other tech products being used in the pilot program are:

Westminster-based C3LX’s online networking technology engages people with pre-diabetes to increase their activity and help them make good food choices. Data also can be shared with patients’ providers, enabling them to focus efforts on people who are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Play-it Health of Kansas City, Kansas has a smartphone app that collects an individual’s activity information and converts it into one easy-to-understand score. The concept provides rewards and instant feedback to patients and helps providers keep track of patients’ progress.

Telluride-based Physician Cognition’s Xebra Pro tool helps clinicians consider the various possible diagnoses for a set of symptoms. It also offers a range of treatment protocols for the physician’s selection. The company plans to release a version that provides guidance to individuals.

NextStep.io in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has an online gaming app that groups pre-diabetes patients together with health coaches who present daily challenges and rewards. The solution uses data collected by wearables, such as Fitbits.

Test Appropriate LLC in Littleton has a computer tool that gives physicians immediate information about possible diagnostic tests, enabling them to choose the most proven and cost-effective ones.