Sword Health has announced the acquisition of UK-based health tech supplier, Surgery Hero.
The acquisition comes as part of Sword Health’s investment in the UK, and will see the Surgery Hero tool integrated with the Sword Health offering, with the Surgery Hero team integrated also.
Sword Health describe itself as a “leader in AI care” with its platform initially starting with physical pain, moving to pelvic health, and now other areas, supporting 25,000 employers.
Founder and CEO of Sword Health, Virgilio Bento, commented: “Acquiring Surgery Hero is another key step in our mission of freeing the world from pain. The UK faces a mounting pain crisis, exacerbated by limited access to timely, high-quality care. Sword’s AI Care platform removes barriers such as long wait times and travel constraints, providing immediate access and scale to care and ensuring patients receive the support they need when and where they need it.”
The move will mean Sword Health collaborate with 18 NHS trusts, that implemented Surgery Hero.
Implementation of AI: the wider trend
A HTN Now panel discussion from last year looked at whether the reality of AI will live up to the current hype, and how to manage bias in healthcare data. Expert panellists included Puja Myles, director at MHRA Clinical Practice Research Datalink; Shanker Vijayadeva, GP lead and digital transformation for the London region at NHS England; and Ricardo Baptista Leite, M.D., CEO at HealthAI, the global agency for responsible AI in health. The session explored topics including what is needed to manage bias; what “responsible AI” really looks like; how to ensure AI is inclusive and equitable; how AI can help support underserved populations; the deployment of AI in the NHS; and the potential to harness AI in supporting the shift from reactive to proactive care.
We asked our LinkedIn followers for their thoughts on the biggest concern for AI in healthcare: equitability, bias, transparency or regulation? 52 percent of over 100 voters highlighted regulation as their main concern, with 21 percent voting for bias.
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s AI policy was recently shared by the trust’s chief scientist for data, operational research & artificial intelligence, focusing on the need for safe integration and an approach balancing innovation with ethical and legal responsibilities.
NHS Shared Business Services recently published a framework agreement with the purpose of bringing together the “wealth of experience” produced from current AI offerings to help “take the NHS above the foothills of digital transformation”. This framework will be used by NHS SBS approved organisations to cover the provision of health AI solutions and “related goods and services”, covering six lots. Find out more about the different lots here.
Last month, we interviewed Harvey Castro, AI expert and AI advisor to the Singaporean Ministry of Health, to learn more about his predictions for the future of AI. We covered the opportunities that arise from the implementation of digital and AI and how this can make an impact on healthcare, as well as discussing some of Harvey’s experiences from past digital projects.
Our latest feature from commercial director at X-on Health, Max Gattlin, covers the use of AI telephony as a digital front door within GP practices. It explores why AI telephony is important, how to get patients and clinicians on board and the benefits it could bring.
