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36 INNOVATION Banner Health launches virtual waiting rooms: 4 things to know By Katie Adams P hoenix-based Banner Health launched virtual waiting rooms in its 300 clinics May 14, expanding its use of telehealth technology amid the pandemic. Here are four things to know about Banner Health's virtual waiting rooms: 1. Patients can access the rooms through a mobile device or computer. 2. The rooms will be available for both virtual and in-person visits with physicians and specialists. 3. The rooms use chatbots that interact with Banner patients through auto- mated conversational messaging to help fill out intake forms. 4. The chatbots can also enable remote check-in and offer patient education. n Mayo to invest in COVID-19 remote patient management platform: 4 details By Laura Dyrda M ayo Clinic will become an investor in Current Health, which has a remote patient management platform that can help identify and assess treatment for COVID-19 patients. Four things to know: 1. Current Health's platform can accelerate the identification of COVID-19 positive patients and predict the symptoms and disease severity for pa- tients, healthcare workers and other at-risk individuals. 2. There are more than 40 hospital systems worldwide using Current Health's platform to manage health, and it is increasingly being used to manage COVID-19 patients who are at home as well as those who are hospitalized. The company is also working on using digital biomarkers, including temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation and activity, to devel- op artificial intelligence-based algorithms to detect and predict symptoms and disease severity. 3. Mayo will add the algorithms it has developed to Current Health's current patient database, which includes information from hundreds of COVID-19 patients and thousands of uninfected patients, to provide indi- vidualized care for patients with complex and critical medical conditions. 4. The partnership will examine known and novel biomarkers, and how they manifest in diverse populations. n Mass General Brigham: 12 disruptive innovations in healthcare By Laura Dyrda B oston-based Mass General Brigham named 12 technologies and innovations that will have the most significant effect on healthcare through the end of 2021 based on interviews with Harvard faculty. Here is a brief description of the 12: 1. Tools that map the spread of COVID-19 that will incorporate artificial intelligence and data analytics to understand how the virus spreads globally. 2. Technologies to reduce health disparities and improve outcomes. 3. Technology platforms designed to digitally manage chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. 4. Innovative approaches and technology to reduce infections among total joint replace- ment procedures. 5. Treatments and technologies to protect eyes and ears from age-related decline. 6. Gene therapy to treat patients with rare dis- eases and conditions. 7. New therapies for managing sickle cell disease. 8. Innovative methods to extend the time transplant organs can be stored outside the body. 9. A disease-modifying therapy for Alzhei- mer's disease. 10. Advanced tools for high-resolution cell vi- sualization. 11. Video game technology to help stroke pa- tients regain functions and improve patient motivation and compliance. 12. Tools to make the prior authorization pro- cess more efficient. n