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The need for innovation in health care has never been greater. Many emerging businesses are providing fresh takes on collaboration with hospitals and health systems to solve tough problems and capture new opportunities.

Last week’s AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego unveiled presentations from five health care startups that are addressing health care’s most complex and pressing challenges. The featured companies are backed by the AHA as part of its initiative to invest in and support the development of needed innovations for the field. Here’s a snapshot of each company’s value proposition.

Raydiant Oximetry

Since 1970, electronic fetal monitoring has been associated with a sixfold increase in cesarean delivery in the U.S. without any evidence that it reduces the rate of neonatal neurologic injury, stillbirth or cerebral palsy. In developing Lumerah™, a noninvasive sensor technology that directly measures fetal oxygen levels, Raydiant Oximetry aims to markedly reduce the rising mortality and morbidity rates among mothers and babies during childbirth. Raydiant Oximetry's devices provide real-time data to health care providers, facilitating timely interventions to optimize maternal and fetal health.

In preclinical trials, the device has proven to be significantly more accurate than fetal heart rate monitors, increasing diagnostic accuracy by 80%. Because of its life-saving potential, the Food and Drug Administration has assigned Lumerah “Breakthrough Device” status to fast-track its market approval.

NeuroFlow

NeuroFlow CEO Christopher Molaro, a West Point graduate and Army platoon leader in Iraq, founded NeuroFlow after witnessing the heartbreaking impact of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder on veterans. He recognized that the inability to make behavioral health risk more predictable and transparent is driving up costs, negatively impacting outcomes and adding undue burden to care resources.

Neuroflow helps health care organizations improve outcomes and lower the cost of care in medically complex populations by surfacing and supporting behavioral health needs that typically are undetected and under-addressed. NeuroFlow's scalable technology and analytics capabilities empower organizations with the behavioral health insights to manage these populations in a financially sustainable way.

This month, Neuroflow acquired Owl, a behavioral health data and insights tech firm, making it the largest end-to-end behavioral health measurement solution in the market, according to Neuroflow. It allows providers across the continuum to identify and stratify behavioral health needs and coordinate care appropriately.

Cylera

In 2023, more than 460 health care organizations reported cyber breaches, which collectively affected more than 83 million people. On average, there are more than 1,400 attacks per week on health care organizations. As the health care field continues to embrace digital advancements, the need for robust security solutions for connected medical devices becomes increasingly critical.

Cylera provides cybersecurity solutions tailored for hospitals, focusing on safeguarding medical devices and networks from cyber threats. Their approach includes real-time monitoring, threat detection and proactive response mechanisms to ensure that patient data and critical systems remain secure.

Cylera states that the company has helped partners improve their asset inventory records and risk score accuracy by 89%; reduce threats, alerts and mitigation workloads by 67%; and reduce costs by 74%.

Willow Health

More than 11 million people in the U.S. go to the emergency department (ED) annually for mental health needs. Many of these individuals could be cared for in lower-cost settings that offer more therapeutic support. Willow Health is a virtual crisis clinic that works directly with clinicians to assess patients, provide crisis treatment and ongoing care.

Through 3,000 visits, Willow Health states that it has reduced ED readmissions by 90%. Its multidisciplinary clinical team provides 24/7 crisis support and works with health systems like New York-Presbyterian to provide care at the time of crisis. Christina Gerdes, M.D., board-certified in adult psychiatry and substance-use treatment and co-founder of the company, estimates that Willow cuts the cost of care — which averaged $20,000 in 2023 for inpatient and intensive outpatient care — by at least 50%.

Transition

Transition uses AI-powered, skill-based simulations and innovative hiring tools to help employers attract, source and retain health care talent. It specializes in connecting qualified individuals with health care facilities and organizations seeking staffing solutions. Transition's services include recruitment, placement and career-development support tailored to meet the specific needs of both health care professionals and employers. Its skill simulations mirror actual work scenarios to evaluate candidates’ real-world abilities. These and other career tools prepare students for immediate success, ensuring that health care employers will receive job-ready candidates.

Transition supports top entry-level training programs including certified nursing assistant, medication aide, phlebotomy, EKG, patient care technician, medical assistant and more.