Bridging Oncology Care Between the U.S. and the Developing Nations

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 17, 2020 / The United States has long been considered a leader in medicine, but this is most apparent in the field of oncology, where billions of dollars of research funding are being invested into new drugs and therapies with constant updates to the therapeutic options available to patients. This is why it is internationally recognized that the most up-to-date cancer care and professional guidelines on therapy originate in the US.

However, not all patients who are stricken with cancer have the benefit of being treated in the US. China has a population of over 1 billion people, with an estimate 40 million cancer patients that have a dismal 30 percent 5-year survival rate, compared to a 70 percent 5-year survival rate in the United States. Most Chinese cancer patients are not wealthy, and do not have the means or the ability to leave their home to seek out optimal treatment in the U.S. According to an article published in The Economist just last year, “China has some of the least affordable cancer drugs in the world…Just 6% of Chinese are estimated to own health insurance policies that cover cancer treatment…A week’s dose of a generic lung cancer drug is USD $1,470, almost twice the average monthly disposable income in rich provinces like Shanghai and Beijing. In poorer provinces, the cost burden can be much greater.” These staggering statistics are only made worse when it becomes apparent that most major Chinese hospitals are so busy with the influx of cancer patients that they do not have time to do research, publish papers, and update themselves on the newest updates in cancer care.

E-Health Now was established to help facilitate knowledge transfer on complex medical cases from US expert oncologists to Chinese oncologists and their patients through a combination of secure video conferencing and lectures, as well as in-person educational conferences. This helps disseminate the newest diagnostic and therapeutic options for cancer to Chinese oncologists through better learning, resulting in better patient outcomes. This model can be exported to any other country in the world for any disease.

This unique business model represents the intersection of financial opportunity with sustained international social good. Founded by Kelly Xu (Wharton MBA, CEO), Vinayak Kumar (MD/MBA), and Ram Prasad M (M.S.EE) in Philadelphia, CTO Ram Prasad Modalavalasa says, “We optimize and implement Cancer treatment plan for patients in China locally, by connecting them to our partnered oncologists/hospitals in U.S. and in China.” Through a secure video communication technology, an extensive network of health care providers in the US and China, early entry into the relatively isolated Chinese market, and careful development strategies, E-Health Now has built a successful company that provides education to international physicians and patients that ultimately helps with medical decision-making in the field of cancer care. This model can be exported to other countries and be applied to other disease models, with the ultimate outcome of improving international cancer care, thereby reducing the large quality gaps that currently exist between countries.

In short, E-Health Now helps develop better doctors and healthier patients by connecting the world through education, primarily in the field of cancer care.

E-Health Now has reached excellent success in China in the field of Hematology/Oncology. Through a series of conferences and multi-way video calls, it has serviced over 800 patients, gained a user network of over 550,000 through over 20 insurance and corporate partnerships, partnered with over 60 hospitals in China, and communicated with over 1000 US physicians for these initiatives. Oncologists trained at accredited, high ranking hospitals in the United States are given the opportunity to virtually connect with patients in a vastly different geographic region and culture, to learn about the medicines, practices and treatment opportunities currently available there, while at the same time, consulting with local Chinese oncologists to come up with the best possible care for their cancer patients.

Modalavalasa says “Through the use of an online portal where patients can sign in, upload their medical data including imaging, test results and more, physicians in both countries can have translated access to notes, medical recommendations, and even perform evaluations based on the responses given inside the portal as well as through video chat. The patients and doctors are carefully matched to ensure that every patient has a corresponding doctor and every physician has a patient that would best be suited for their specialty. As such, the global impact of these efforts is rapidly growing in China, and will soon be expanded to other countries for other diseases.”

This was only possible because of the founders’ complementary backgrounds in technology, medicine, and business. They all contributed to the concept design, focus, and successful execution of this business.

• Kelly Xu has two Master’s degrees in in business (The Wharton School of Business and the Whitman School of Management). She has previously worked in corporate finance to help establish joint venture investments between the Chinese government and a Fortune 100 media company. Similar to her cofounders, she bore witness to the tremendous variability in medical care between hospitals in China and those in the United States, and developed the motivation to improve the quality of international health care. She serves as the proud female CEO of this startup, establishing and optimizing the China operations for E-Health now, developing hospital and corporate connections, and obtaining investment for the business.
• Ram Prasad Modalavalasa holds a Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He first became passionate about patient care during his time in India, where he witnessed the discrepancies in quality care between different hospitals in India. After coming to the US, he became a researcher who fabricated micro-gratings to refine CT imaging and reduce patient radiation exposure, and developed an interest in the technical aspects of supporting patient care. He developed these skills as a Cloud Engineer for Comcast and Sungard AS. With his motivation for improving international patient care and his advanced skills in developing software platforms, Ram led the entire development of the secure online services used to support the knowledge transfer for the business, and also leads the US operations for E-Health Now.
• Dr. Vinayak Kumar holds multiple degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, including a Bachelor’s in Biochemistry, Master’s in Chemistry, MD degree, and an MBA degree from the Wharton School of Business. He has previously helped establish an international nonprofit that improved the quality of life for impoverished individuals in Peru through microfinance projects to fund local health and educational initiatives. Like Ram, he witnessed the high variability of medical care between developing countries (e.g. India, Peru, Colombia, China, etc.) and the United States. He is currently a resident physician at Mayo Clinic. With his knowledge of medicine, experience in organizational management, and network of physicians, he helped establish and run the clinical operations of the organization.

Launched formally in Jan 2017. Since that point, E-Health Now have transformed this idea from a coffee-stained sketch to a business that has raised over $2.2M in Pre-A funding and has impacted the lives of hundreds to thousands of patients and doctors globally in a short time span, an impact that continues to grow. This business will later expand to other countries for other diseases where major gaps in international clinical practice exist.

Contact:

Ram Prasad Modalavalasa
ram@ehealthnowsolutions.com
225-938-3123

SOURCE: E-Health Now LLC

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