Amazon on Wednesday announced its selection of 10 startups for the 2022 AWS Healthcare Accelerator, a program that will provide the companies with technical and business mentorship from experts with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and KidsX, a digital health accelerator from Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Amazon Web Services just launched a health care accelerator. Here's why it matters.

Details on the program

Applications to the program were open to any startups "focused on increasing access to health services, addressing social determinants of health, or leveraging data to promote equitable and inclusive systems of care."

As part of the program, startups will receive mentorship from AWS and KidsX, up to $25,000 in AWS Computing Credits, and the ability to collaborate with AWS health care customers, leaders in the industry, and members of the AWS Partner Network.

Following an assessment of each startup in the program, the companies will develop a curriculum with technical training and a cloud architecture review. Then, the companies will experiment with AWS technologies to learn more about cloud architecture, operations, and data.

Startups in the program will also have the opportunity to collaborate with AWS health care customers, including the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Mass General Brigham, and Philips.

The 10 startups selected for this year's program

Amazon selected 10 startups from more than 250 applicants, evaluating each applicant based on a variety of factors, including the innovation of their solution, product-market fit, and health equity impact.

"We cast a very broad net," said Jeff Kratz, AWS general manager for worldwide public sector partners, programs, and sales. "Health equity is such a needed area for practical solutions."

The startups selected for this year's program are:

• Clinify Health, a value-based care enablement company providing clinical decision support to Medicaid-managed care and health care provider organizations helping vulnerable and low-income people
• ClosedLoop.ai, a health care data science platform which has developed an auto-machine learning engine with a health care content library aimed at quickly delivering accurate and explainable predictive models
• CognitiveCare, which has developed an artificial intelligence machine learning solution that quantifies maternal health risks to help pregnant patients and infants
• Harmony Health, an engagement platform aimed at optimizing the intersection between community-based organizations and sponsors
• Kinetik, which provides the health care transportation industry with products and API solutions
• Pair Team, which connects underserved communities to high quality health care
• Samaritan, a support platform aimed at helping those without a home find housing and reach their health goals
• SameSky Health, which identifies disparities and barriers to care for underserved patient populations using analytics
• Vincere Health, a provider of smoking cessation and engagement services for low-income, vulnerable populations
• Zócalo Health, a virtual family medicine platform aimed at connecting Latino patients to primary care

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Kratz said the idea of the accelerator program is to help improve the health of underserved communities, which could lead to savings for the health care system.

"Many of the accelerator efforts out there in the market right now focus either on technology or on business—we actually bring the best of both of those," he said. "In areas like [artificial intelligence] and machine learning, how do you price your solution? We assist on ideas ranging from cash-flow topics to ensuring that they meet, exceed and understand their commitment to HIPAA compliance and the security that needs to be done proactively."

Kratz added that AWS is "providing the tools and the access to the smallest startups to the largest health care institutions to hospitals and clinics and more, which is revolutionizing the healthcare market."

"Health inequities are a major issue across the globe, and addressing these disparities is a complex challenge no one organization can solve alone," said Shakeeb Ahkter, SVP and CIO at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "To remove geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic barriers to care and ensure data is collected and analyzed equitably, the healthcare industry must collaborate and apply technology and data in new ways. By working with the AWS Healthcare Accelerator, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia hopes to be a part of the solution." (Kratz, AWS Public Sector Blog, 8/31; Bruce, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/31; Gliadkovskaya, Fierce Healthcare, 8/31)