Interview with Denis Losik, co-founder & CEO of eMedSupport

This time around, we had the opportunity to ask Denis Losik of eMedSupport a few questions. A Cardiologist from Siberia, he has a rich background in managing chronic cardiovascular diseases that he used to co-found a promising startup in Dubai. Here's what Denis had to say:

1. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What's your background?

I am a Cardiologist from Siberia, with a rich background in managing chronic cardiovascular diseases. Throughout my career, I've focused on the enhancement of clinical practices and actively sought innovative treatment strategies — frequently presenting clinical trial results and addressing complex cardiology cases at various conferences.

Recognizing the gap between clinical guidelines and available patient data — especially in conditions like Hypertension, Atrial Fibrillation, and Chronic Heart Failure — I pivoted my attention to leveraging AI technologies in healthcare.

Over the past four years, my team and I have developed a digital solution using knowledge-based algorithms and cutting-edge deep-learning models. This digital tool came to be essential for managing cardiovascular patients to improve treatment outcomes.

2. Let's speak about your company. What is the market problem you want to solve and where do you see the opportunity?

The healthcare industry generates an overwhelming 30% of the world's data volume. Those are terabytes of information; only 57% of this data is used by healthcare organizations. At the same time, physicians struggle with data overload, spending 1-2 hours daily on work with EHRs and often sacrificing a patient-centric approach, which leads to errors and overspending. For instance, in the UAE, despite an annual healthcare expenditure of around $20 Bn, cardiovascular diseases remain a significant challenge, accounting for 2/3 of all deaths.

Our solution aims to address these challenges by automatically processing all the clinical data with evidence-based algorithms to provide information about risk calculation, treatment targets and other aspects in order to help physicians make optimal and personalized decisions.

At eMed Support, we automate EHR data analysis by processing them with our evidence-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS). Our clients, public health authorities and health insurers can proactively manage chronic cardiovascular patients, decreasing costs through hospitalization reduction. Whereas healthcare providers can save physicians time, reduce medical errors and manage check-up appointments.

3. What are the features differentiating your offering from competitors?

There are major players on the market, such as UpToDate by Wolters Kluwer and ClinicalKey by Elsevier, that provide valuable clinical decision support to physicians. They enable fast access to guidelines, publications, and tools. However, they require proactive search and analysis of provided extracts, so the inefficiencies in patient care still take place. We recognize that a significant percentage of patients do not achieve target treatment levels: for instance, only 25% of patients with Dyslipidemia in GCC achieve target levels of LDL-C.

One of the key features that sets eMed Support apart is our emphasis on public health analytics. We highlight patients who are not achieving treatment goals, enabling healthcare providers to approach their care proactively. Our automated analysis of EHRs not only saves valuable time but also ensures a comprehensive examination of the patient's clinical data, a task that could take up to 40 minutes when performed manually by a physician. By making all patient data work effectively, we cover aspects that might be overlooked, predict missing data, and provide a holistic report about the patient along with personalized recommendations tailored to each individual case. This eliminates the need for doctors to actively search for information and empowers healthcare providers to make well-informed, evidence-based clinical decisions.

We go beyond data analysis, and with Predictive AI algorithms, we detect patients with possible deviations in key health indicators, empowering diagnosis and earlier treatment initiation for conditions like Dyslipidemia, Chronic Heart Failure, or kidney dysfunction. Our vision is to train Generative AI on real cases from the clinical practice of highly qualified physicians so algorithms will provide trustworthy and evidence-based second opinions. This advancement will enable the expansion of our CDSS into other disease areas, such as diabetes or oncology.

The CDSS market is currently segmented by specific medical conditions, with startups specializing in digital tools for individual health concerns. However, we believe in a collaborative approach. Our commitment to effective chronic disease management transcends competition, emphasizing partnerships built on empathy and humanity. By combining expertise from various specialties, we aim to leverage digital technology to address the intricate needs of comorbid patients, ensuring a comprehensive and patient-centric healthcare experience.

4. Can you share some numbers and achievements of the business?

Now, we are in the process of launching our product on the GCC market and engaging in negotiations with public health authorities and clinics in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Our team has successfully launched a similar product in Eastern Europe already: over 100 primary care clinics were covered, and around 270,000 cardiovascular patients were analyzed by CDSS in 2023. We also have publications showing results of how CDSS can change the inertia of physicians.

5. What are your medium-term plans?

In our growth trajectory, we are seeking a Seed stage investment of $2.5M to facilitate team scaling, conduct pilot projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, enhance our product with Generative AI, as I mentioned, and obtain European Medical Agency certification for our CDSS to make its use during patient appointment legal.

We are looking for investors not just to fundraise, but we believe these partnerships will significantly support our global mission to revolutionize cardiovascular prevention and care.

Undoubtedly, now the team is focused on conducting our first projects in the Gulf region to achieve our goals: we project generating $8.7M in revenue by 2026.

6. Do you have some advice for other entrepreneurs in the digital health space in MENA?

In the MENA region, digital readiness is robust, and governments are supportive of innovation. However, building trust, including data security, is paramount. Focus on addressing critical challenges, aligning with value-based healthcare, and adopting a patient-centric approach.

To gain visibility, forge strategic partnerships, and immerse yourself in the region's vibrant startup ecosystem. Regardless of market dynamics, staying close to real clinical challenges is vital in digital health. eMed Support's success stems from the synergy between a clinical team comprising practicing physicians and an agile IT engineering team, enabling us to effectively address the genuine clinical challenges healthcare professionals face in their daily practice.

7. Anything to add for the end?

I find the rich history of the Arabic people fascinating, particularly the legacy of luminaries like the renowned physician Ibn Sina, whose groundbreaking work "Canons of Medicine" in 1027 transcended languages and became a cornerstone of medical knowledge across Europe.

Moreover, the Arabic world's contributions, such as the development of "Mashriki" numerals, have greatly influenced the use of Arabic numbers we witness today. With active economic development and a rapidly growing population, the MENA region stands as a remarkable intersection of digital and medical heritage, offering a prime opportunity to seamlessly integrate digital medicine into clinical practice by combining these invaluable experiences through centuries.