HEALWELL’s Orion Health and Lean to power AI-driven healthcare across the Middle East

Healthcare in the Middle East is poised for a digital transformation. HEALWELL AI, its subsidiary Orion Health, and Saudi Arabia's Lean Business Services have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to co-develop artificial intelligence and digital health solutions. The partnership, signed during the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, could transform the way patient data, AI, and care delivery interact across the region.

In the words of Lean CEO Mohanned Alrasheed, "Our goal is not just to digitize healthcare, but to enable personalized, proactive care for every individual in the Kingdom." That sentiment captures the heart of this collaboration: turning data into action, and technology into better health outcomes.

How will it work?

At its core, this partnership blends three strengths:

• HEALWELL's AI expertise, with deep capabilities in clinical decision support and preventative care;
• Orion Health's proven interoperability tech, already powering some of the world's largest health information exchanges;
• Lean's national reach and infrastructure serve as the digital backbone of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 healthcare goals.

Together, the trio will explore co-developing and commercializing new tools for:

• Population health management, helping identify risks before they turn critical;
• Clinical AI, integrating smart diagnostics into everyday workflows;
• Data interoperability, ensuring seamless and secure information exchange between providers, insurers, and regulators.

One of the first areas of focus will be enriching Saudi Arabia's NPHIES platform, the world's largest health information exchange. Built by Lean and Orion Health, NPHIES already connects over 5,000 healthcare providers, enabling real-time, standardized data flow for a population of more than 30 million.

As HEALWELL AI CEO James Lee put it, "This MoU represents a powerful alignment between three leaders in digital health... accelerating the transformation of healthcare in one of the world's most dynamic and forward-looking regions."

Why does it matter?

Because this isn't just about better software — it's about smarter care.

Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a proving ground for large-scale digital health innovation. By integrating AI into national systems, the country aims to transition from reactive to predictive healthcare, detecting illnesses earlier and optimizing how clinicians allocate their time.

The move also signals a broader regional ambition. Orion Health's Brad Porter highlighted the Middle East's growing importance, calling it "a cornerstone market for digital health innovation." His point rings true — the region's investments in national data platforms and AI-led reforms could serve as a model for others looking to modernize healthcare at scale.

For patients, this could mean fewer repeat tests, faster diagnoses, and a healthcare experience that feels more personal — and less bureaucratic. For clinicians, it could mean more time with patients, less with paperwork.

The context

This isn't HEALWELL or Orion Health's first rodeo in the region. Back in 2019, Orion Health helped launch Malaffi, Abu Dhabi's health information exchange, which now links over 3,000 facilities and 13 million patient records. By 2023, the company went on to help deploy Saudi Arabia's national HIE, now the world's largest.

Lean, meanwhile, has been the digital heartbeat of Saudi healthcare transformation, providing secure cloud infrastructure and data systems that align tightly with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 agenda.

The MoU with HEALWELL and Orion Health takes this foundation to the next level — embedding AI into the very fabric of healthcare delivery. To drive this vision forward, HEALWELL has tapped Ayham Swed as its new Head of Sales and Business Development for the Middle East. Swed, who previously played a key role in the Malaffi and Saudi health exchange rollouts, will steer HEALWELL and Orion's initiatives across the region.

With partnerships like this, the Middle East isn't just adopting healthcare innovation — it's helping define what the future of AI-powered medicine looks like.