iRhythm solution passes through digital health tech pilot

iRhythm Technologies, a digital health care solutions company focussed on the advancement of cardiac care, is the first technology to pass through a new digital health tech pilot, resulting in a successful recommendation for adoption from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

iRhythm’s Zio XT Service – an ambulatory cardiac monitor supported by deep learning algorithms – has been assessed as part of NICE’s first pilot project to evaluate digital health technologies. Zio XT has been positively recommended by NICE as an option for people with suspected cardiac arrhythmias who would benefit from ECG monitoring for longer than 24 hours.

The guidance concluded that Zio XT is convenient and easy to wear, with greater patient compliance and improved diagnostic yield (a measure of how many people with cardiac arrhythmias are diagnosed) compared with standard 24-hour Holter monitoring. Clinical evidence showed that patients preferred Zio XT compared to current monitoring practice in the NHS, which usually involves wearing a continuous ECG monitor. 

Justin Hall, GM and VP EMEA at iRhythm said: “We are delighted that Zio has received such positive guidance from NICE in this first of its kind evaluation, especially at such a critical time. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen a number of cardiac patients avoiding hospitals and suffering in silence, even when experiencing serious conditions such as strokes. This has led to a backlog of patients requiring care, putting additional pressure on medical staff and services.

“Fortunately, services like Zio can help ease this backlog, offering clinically-validated services remotely. Patients are not required to expose themselves to high-risk hospital environments, while staff can still offer the same continued level of care. It’s critical, therefore, that patients have access to these technologies and for clinicians to be able to implement them quickly and easily.”

The guidance, which evaluates new medical devices and diagnostics, aims to help people in the NHS make efficient, cost-effective and consistent decisions about adopting new medical technologies. A positive NICE Medical Technologies Guidance opens the door for future support of the Zio service through the MedTech Funding Mandate, which aims to help accelerate the uptake of proven affordable innovations as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.

iRhythm’s positive recommendation from the NICE digital health pilot builds on the company’s recent win of the UK government’s AI in Health and Care Award, in which iRhythm will utilise the funding to evaluate its Zio service in selected NHS sites across the UK. Throughout the three-year programme, clinical, pathway and economic outcomes will be monitored and evaluated in order to inform any future commissioning decisions around the adoption of Zio within the NHS.