With the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s mandate to improve health care quality in the US, hospitals are under increasing regulatory and reimbursement pressures to improve patient safety and reduce preventable adverse events (aka “never events”). One company that may be well positioned to help providers in this regard is EarlySense Ltd., based in Waltham, MA. The company’s EarlySense System detects a patient’s heart rate, respiration, and movement using a contact-free sensor that is placed underneath a bed mattress and never touches the patient. According to the company, the EarlySense System is designed to help medical personnel on medical surgical floors proactively respond to early warning signs of clinical deterioration, prevent extended lengths of stay, reduce unplanned ICU transfers, and avoid preventable adverse events such as patient falls and pressure ulcers.
In March 2013, EarlySense was granted a US patent for the respiratory trend analysis component of the system. The patented...