The Digital Technology Supercluster is investing $2.5 million into a new $3.1 million initiative aimed to help wound patients access care virtually.
The project, called Telewound Care Canada, will use an artificial intelligence-powered mobile app created by Toronto-based healthtech startup Swift Medical to capture and share high-precision wound images from home.
By the summer, the project is expected to help over one thousand wound patients in Ontario and Québec.
Swift Medical’s wound care management platform delivers wound care visualization and touchless 3D measurement through its Swift Skin and Wound software. The platform is designed to streamline clinical and administrative wound care management workflows, from image capture and automatic risk scoring to assessment scheduling and claims submission.
In addition to the Supercluster and Swift Medical, the project is being supported by several Canadian health networks, as well as homecare solution startup AlayaCare. Industry partners are co-investing approximately $500,000 alongside the Supercluster’s $2.5 million investment.
By the summer, Telewound Care Canada is expected to help over one thousand wound patients in Ontario and Québec, and the partners behind the initiative intend to scale it across North America.
The Digital Technology Supercluster’s involvement is aimed to help the initiative build partnerships, accelerate the initiative’s timelines, and expand the adoption of AI-powered digital health technologies in Canada.
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According to Wounds Canada, 30 to 50 percent of all healthcare activities in Canada involve a wound. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting public health restrictions have also made it difficult for wound patients to access adequate care.
Telewound Care Canada is one of a number of telehealth initiatives that have been supported through federal capital. In May, Ottawa announced a $240.5 million investment to develop, expand, and launch virtual care and mental health tools to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s healthcare sector.
The Digital Technology Supercluster’s investment follows reports it is one of three Superclusters close to having their budgets fully committed. As revealed by The Logic, the Digital Technology Supercluster and other Superclusters are lobbying the federal government for more funding.
It appears the Supercluster ramped up its funding last year, given that an October report from the parliamentary budget officer revealed many Superclusters were far behind their spending targets as of March.
