Linus Health, a digital health company enabling early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, today at HIMSS24 has introduced two upgrades to its platform and the acquisition of a related vendor.

It has debuted a new Digital Trail Making Test Part B, an FDA Class II- listed medical device designed to capture far more data than a paper-based exam, and has introduced a Hearing Screener system to its AI-enhanced digital cognitive assessment platform.

The company also has revealed it has acquired Aural Analytics, a vendor of clinical-grade speech analytics. The deal includes Aural Analytics' assets, including its technology and intellectual property.

Healthcare IT News interviewed Dr. John Showalter, chief product officer at Linus Health, to get the lowdown on all the news.

Q. Talk about the hearing loss upgrade to your platform that you announced today and how it will help clinicians and provider organizations.

A. Nearly 48 million people are affected by hearing loss, a figure expected to double in the next four decades. With this in mind, Linus Health has added a Hearing Screener solution to its AI-enhanced digital cognitive assessment platform that patients can complete in a doctor’s office on an iPad.

Our digital cognitive assessment system, which was recently found to be more accurate and less biased than the standard Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), can accelerate and simplify the early detection and management of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.

Integrating hearing screening with a broader cognitive digital assessment is a simple yet powerful tool for primary care physicians and specialists to determine if hearing issues may be tied to MCI or dementia, which would necessitate follow up. Research indicates that addressing hearing loss early can halve the rate of cognitive decline.

Nearly 80% of older adults have hearing loss in at least one ear and evidence shows the longer they wait to identify and treat the condition, the harder it becomes to prevent the progression of dementia. Many factors contribute to patients not seeking treatment, including confusion over the treatment options available and not knowing where to get a hearing exam.

The Hearing Screener tests for hearing loss but is primarily focused on identifying signs of MCI. Registered as a medical device in the United States, Canada and Europe, the Hearing Screener is a scientifically validated, highly automated, two-minute-long assessment that captures patients' responses to a series of made-up words delivered via voice narration.

Data is immediately processed and delivered to a user-friendly clinician dashboard. The solution then offers an estimate of hearing task performance, which has been found in studies to compare well with traditional audiological exams. Based on the results, providers can take steps to course-correct any hearing impairment that has been identified by setting patients up on a care pathway to restore hearing and potentially slow the development of dementia.

The Hearing Screener typically would be part of Linus Health’s comprehensive cognitive digital assessment.

Q. Please discuss the Digital Trail Making Test platform upgrade you announced today at the conference and how it is designed to aid clinicians and provider organizations.

A. Efficient triage in primary care plays a critical role in reducing wasted referrals, where studies indicate that a staggering 45% of such specialist appointments are deemed unnecessary, leading to potential care delays and higher costs for patients and providers.

Our new Digital Trail Making Test Part B (dTMT) is based on a higher-level manual assessment of cognitive executive functioning developed in 1944. The FDA Class II- listed medical device, however, captures far more data than a paper-based exam and offers rich insights thanks to the digital format and AI-driven analysis.

The Medicare-recognized, billable assessment asks patients to connect circles that alternate between ascending numbers and letters. The test takes only three to five minutes to complete as part of Linus Health’s broader cognitive digital assessment done on an iPad in the doctor’s office.

It evaluates both the speed of completion and the accuracy of the responses for each section to reveal any cognitive health concerns. Results are immediately delivered to a secure platform for further analysis and interpretation, even enabling remote review by a specialist, if desired. Data can also be shared with a specialist, making a subsequent referral appointment more beneficial for patients and physicians.

We will demonstrate the new Hearing Screener and dTMT in Booth 4668.

Q. Please explain your acquisition of Aural Analytics and your plans for the company.

A. Linus Health has acquired Aural Analytics, a leader in clinical-grade speech analytics. The deal includes Aural Analytics' assets, including its technology and intellectual property.

With the acquisition, Linus Health, which develops and provides multimodal cognitive assessments, has added clinical-grade speech analytics to its platform. This allows Linus Health to further enable researchers and clinicians to identify cognitive impairment and better understand the characteristics of those impairments.

Aural Analytics develops and processes voice metrics; integrating them with other signals captured by the Linus Health platform will substantially expand brain health assessment capabilities.

The acquisition expands Linus Health's operations into the life sciences industry. Aural Analytics' speech analytics software, called Speech Vitals, is used by health systems and life science organizations in pharmaceutical research and clinical trials.

It collects samples of speech from patients via app-based tests and evaluates them to assess cognitive conditions. Speech Vitals' patented technology has been used successfully to detect multiple neurological conditions, such as dementia, autism and ALS.

It is an ideal complement to Linus Health's focus on the early detection of Alzheimer's and other forms of cognitive impairment and dementia by equipping healthcare providers with digital cognitive assessment tools, such as the award-winning Digital Clock and Recall.

Linus Health had previously integrated some aspects of Aural Analytics' voice analysis into its multimodal algorithms and the combination has outperformed the standard paper-and-pencil tests. The acquisition will allow Linus Health to fully integrate Aural Analytics' technology for even more accurate performance and develop additional tools for use by clinicians.

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