What You Should Know:
– Medtronic and AWS, today announced a partnership to provide underserved communities with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted colonoscopy technology through AWS’s $40M Health Equity Assistance Program for colon cancer screening.
– Amazon Web Services will support the effort to provide Medtronic GI Genius™ intelligent endoscopy modules to facilities that primarily serve communities with low screening rates or where access to this technology is not currently available, to enable early detection, giving patients a better chance of survival.
Increase Early Detection and Diagnosis in Underserved Communities
Certain types of colorectal cancer, when caught early, can have a survival rate (five year) of up to 91% (opens new window); however, it remains the third most common and third deadliest cancer among adults in the United States. With these placements, there is an opportunity to potentially impact more than 350,000 patients over three years.
AWS has provided computing credits that have made the funding of this program possible and continue to work with Medtronic to support the ongoing development of GI Genius™ and innovative future Medtronic health screening technologies that will further support Medtronic’s health equity efforts. ASGE is independently leading the application and selection process to determine the facilities that otherwise would be unable to fund this innovative solution for underserved patient populations. Initial recipients will be announced in March 2022 during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
GI Genius Intelligent Endoscopy Module
The GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module, authorized by the FDA in April 2021, detects colorectal polyps of varying shapes and sizes automatically in real-time which helps diagnose and prevent colorectal cancer. It is the first-to-market, computer-aided polyp detection system powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that provides physicians with a powerful solution in the fight to screen, detect and prevent colorectal cancer and an increase of up to 14.4% absolute detection rate (ADR)(opens new window). Each 1% increase in ADR decreases patients’ risk of colorectal cancer by 3%.
“The crisis of health inequities cannot be solved without expanding access to healthcare technologies that put people first,” said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and chief executive officer. “We must begin with local efforts that consider the needs of the community. This program is an important step towards ensuring that our powerful technologies help reduce disparities, improve care and enhance patient outcomes.”
