Who are iRhythm?
iRhythm Technologies is a digital healthcare company which is redefining the way cardiac arrhythmias are clinically diagnosed with its Zio service. Zio by iRhythm is a NICE-recommended small, discreet, and easy-to-use cardiac monitoring service which is used to detect a range of arrhythmias (including atrial fibrillation) quickly and accurately. The Zio XT device can be worn for up to 14 days by patients at home while working, exercising, or even showering. This continuous heart monitoring provides data that is then analysed for arrhythmias by both an AI algorithm and certified cardiac technician to produce a clinically actionable report. This supports clinicians in reaching a faster and more accurate arrhythmia diagnosis while reducing the pressure on NHS resources seen with traditional Holter monitoring.
What has been your greatest achievement to date? And were there any measurable outcomes that accompanied this achievement?
Our greatest achievement occurred just over a year ago when, in September 2020, iRhythm Technologies was named one of the first winners of the Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. The Award is run by the UK Government through the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) and NHSX and gives funding to innovative AI-based technologies to support their rollout and trial across the NHS. We were incredibly proud to be announced as one of the first winners of the Award by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care at an event during London Tech Week. The funding that has been granted to us through the AI Award is now being used to trial the Zio service across around a dozen NHS sites.
How has iRhythm improved outcomes for the NHS and patients?
Through the funding awarded to us by the AAC/NHSX AI Award, our Zio service is being trialled across a number of NHS hospitals, including Liverpool Heart and Chest, Barts, Bristol Southmead, East Kent and Gloucestershire, among others. Patients across these locations are already benefitting from the faster and more accurate diagnosis that our technology brings, and this is also leading to better operational outcomes for the hospitals themselves. For example, since January 2021, more than 1,000 patients in Liverpool alone have benefitted from the service and this has helped to reduce the waiting list for an ECG test from around six weeks to just a matter of days. It has also reduced the number of referrals for more invasive and costly procedures because patients can be diagnosed more accurately. Indeed, research has indicated that Zio has three times more diagnostic yield than Holter and Event monitors because of Zio’s continuous, uninterrupted monitoring. It is great to now see this benefitting both patients and the NHS.
What do you feel are the key points delegates need to digest when considering a partnership with iRhythm?
It is important that delegates are aware that, whilst a number of devices are now entering the market which claim to improve ECG data collection, interpretation and support quicker diagnosis, not all these devices are created equal. Zio by iRhythm is an NHSX AI Award winning technology and, as the only service in this space which is NICE-recommended, remains unrivalled on the market. Additionally, the service has over 40 peer reviewed publications which demonstrate its ability to support in faster and more accurate arrhythmia diagnosis, therefore helping to improve clinical outcomes. Given the growth of the patient backlog across the NHS and the burden it is placing on cardiology services – indeed, the British Heart Foundation is warning that waiting lists for heart diagnosis and treatment could more than double within two years – the need for delegates to consider new services which support in more accurate and faster diagnosis of arrhythmias has never been greater. If you would like to learn more about iRhythm please visit https://www.irhythmtech.com/
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