Brook Health, an AI-enabled remote patient care company, announced it is collaborating with brain-focused health tech company Linus Health, to allow patients to be screened, assessed and sent home with a treatment strategy for cognitive issues on the same day. 

The combination of Linus Health's advanced digital cognitive assessment tools with Brook Health's remote care platform, aims to empower primary care physicians, making early detection of mild cognitive impairment, a forerunner of dementia, as standard as other preventive screenings. 

The companies say primary care providers can offer specialist-level cognitive care without the need for immediate referrals. The plan is backed by direct access to a 24/7 remote clinical care team.

"This collaboration addresses a major healthcare concern with a solution that starts where healthcare coordination needs to happen, with the primary care physician," Oren Nissim, CEO and cofounder of Brook Health, said in a statement. 

"By providing both assessment tools and immediate treatment options, we're transforming how cognitive care is delivered, especially benefiting those in areas with limited access to specialists. This represents a major step forward in our mission to provide care that treats the whole person, not simply a single condition."

David Bates, CEO and cofounder of Linus Health, asserted that his company's collaboration with Brook Health allows it to deliver early, personalized cognitive care, seamlessly blending early detection with ongoing tailored interventions and monitoring.

"This comprehensive approach not only supports individuals dealing with cognitive challenges but also engages caregivers, offering holistic and continuous care to enhance both cognitive and physical well-being," Bates said in a statement. 

Among the key benefits resulting from the alliance are:

• immediate care initiation, so patients can start targeted intervention immediately.
• comprehensive support that offers a full spectrum of care including cognitive assessments and customized treatment plans.
• accessibility designed to deliver high-quality cognitive care to patients irrespective of their geographic location.
• reduced patient anxiety by providing immediate support and guidance to help ease stress.
• empowered primary care providers – an integrated platform that equips primary care physician with tools to manage cognitive care,
• a holistic approach that addresses cognitive health, including cardiac care, sleep and lifestyle modifications.

THE LARGER TREND

In 2022, Linus Health acquired Kinesis Health Technologies, an Irish startup focused on physical function assessment. Kinesis concentrates on digitally assessing gait, balance, mobility, fall risk and frailty. According to Linus Health, the acquisition helped it expand its scope of services to include physical and cognitive assessments.

In July, Linus acquired Together Senior Health (Together), a brain health company delivering evidence-based solutions for individuals with cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. 

Together became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linus Health, and the acquisition included Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia AlgoRithm (RADAR), a proprietary cognitive-impairment identification and stratification algorithm. 

In June, Erie County Medical Center partnered with Brook Health to address hypertension care through an AI and remote-monitoring platform. The program increased the percentage of patients with controlled blood pressure from 37.4% to 67.7%.

In January, Brook teamed up with Independent Health, a health plan in Western New York, to offer its members Brook Health's CDC-recognized Diabetes Prevention Program, Brook+. Program members were able to engage with Brook+ anytime, from any location, using a smartphone, tablet or computer.