Digital Healthcare Service Itphy CEO Rhee Sung-min
'RingDoc', a Service Connecting Doctors and Patients in a Single Ring
Rhee Sung-min, CEO of Itphy
Germany began covering digital therapeutic devices under health insurance in October 2020, and a total of 49 products were listed by September 2023. While mental illness or cognitive behavioral therapy usually comes to mind when thinking of digital therapeutic devices, the second most used item in Germany is Vivira, aimed at treating back pain. In Korea, digital therapeutic devices also started with mental diseases such as insomnia treatment, but there are companies developing digital therapeutic devices and health promotion devices for musculoskeletal diseases. 'Itphy' is a company providing digital healthcare services for the prevention and management of musculoskeletal diseases. We met CEO Rhee Sung-min, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Kyung Hee University Medical Center, ahead of the service launch on the 20th.
Q. Specifically, what services do you provide?
“I appeared on the EBS program 'Precious Body' in the shoulder pain episode this past June. The content showed patients with various shoulder diseases improving through exercise and stretching over two weeks. For musculoskeletal diseases, exercise and rehabilitation are as important as surgery, procedures, and medication. If a hospital issues a personalized exercise prescription for a patient, RingDoc is a service that allows the patient to perform exercise and rehabilitation better at home, monitors whether they are exercising well, and helps the patient exercise consistently through appropriate feedback.”
Q. There are already various musculoskeletal health management services and digital therapeutic devices domestically and internationally. What are the differences compared to them? What are RingDoc's advantages?
“The existence of various digital services for musculoskeletal diseases domestically and internationally means there is demand and effectiveness, but it also means competition is fierce. RingDoc plays the role of connecting hospitals and patients. Hospitals can manage patients better, and patients can enhance treatment effects.
The hospital suggests an exercise program suitable for the patient, and the patient performs the exercise and self-evaluates. RingDoc provides feedback on exercise via messages. It evaluates the patient's range of motion through motion recognition using a smartphone camera and references existing questionnaire-type patient assessment tools. Artificial intelligence is improving accuracy by learning from over 100,000 data points collected not only from Kyung Hee University Medical Center but also from several university hospitals.
Since using the hospital consistently is also important, to continue using RingDoc, one must receive periodic hospital treatments. Hospital interest is high, with about 30 hospitals already expressing their intention to adopt it even before the launch.
The function of guiding exercises and checking exercise status through motion recognition in health management apps is already commonly used in several apps. Representative examples include Seoul City's 'Wrist Doctor 9988' and apps from various private insurance companies. Our difference is that it is an app made by doctors, prescribed by doctors, and managed by doctors.”
RingDoc can precisely measure up to 3D angles with a 2D posture using just a single front camera.
Q. I am curious about the revenue model.
“We are considering both methods where the hospital pays and where the patient subscribing to the service pays. Users can also purchase various items needed for exercise within the app. In the long term, we aim to receive health insurance reimbursement by obtaining approval as a digital therapeutic device.”
Q. The main project for chronic disease management started in September. It targets diabetes and hypertension to ensure appropriate testing, treatment, and education, but considering the aging population, chronic musculoskeletal diseases will also increase. However, there seems to be no project for musculoskeletal disease management.
“I am also curious why there isn't one. In 2020, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service announced that 1 in 3 citizens received treatment for musculoskeletal diseases, and 1/3 of them were VDT syndrome, which frequently occurs in modern people. It is the disease with the most outpatient visits, and spinal and joint diseases rank high in frequent surgeries. The necessity for managing chronic musculoskeletal diseases will also grow in the future.”
Q. One of the important parts of digital health management is adherence. Adherence might be lower than when a human intervenes, and elderly people, in particular, might find it difficult to use.
“Doctors cannot observe patients every day, but RingDoc can. I explain to patients that I am their stalker and will see them every day through RingDoc. The personalized messages we provide also give patients the perception that they are being noticed. RingDoc adjusts the difficulty level according to the patient's performance and evaluation to increase adherence. If they follow well, we provide points.
Looking at the patients who participated in the development process, those up to about 65 years old used it without difficulty, but those over 65 had some difficulties. We also plan to operate offline RingDoc branches for elderly people who find it difficult to use the app.”
Q. Are there other services Itphy is planning?
“In addition to exercise prescriptions for patients with musculoskeletal diseases, there is also a health management function for office workers. Workers who sit at desks for long periods can develop trapezius tension and turtle neck syndrome due to improper desk or monitor heights. We are preparing a service that monitors workers' lifelogs, analyzes risks, and suggests customized exercise programs. Through this, companies can prevent industrial accidents, and workers can improve their health.”
Q. Is there a concrete plan to become a digital therapeutic device?
“As mentioned earlier, we are first preparing for exploratory clinical trials. In Korea as well, digital therapeutic devices are receiving approval and starting to be used in clinical fields with temporary reimbursement. Musculoskeletal treatment using apps has substantial literary evidence, and various digital therapeutic devices are being used abroad. Once the health management service is launched this month, papers using RingDoc will be consistently published. We will create grounds for Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approval and health insurance listing by generating various research results, not just clinical trials for approval.”
'RingDoc', a Service Connecting Doctors and Patients in a Single Ring
Rhee Sung-min, CEO of Itphy
Germany began covering digital therapeutic devices under health insurance in October 2020, and a total of 49 products were listed by September 2023. While mental illness or cognitive behavioral therapy usually comes to mind when thinking of digital therapeutic devices, the second most used item in Germany is Vivira, aimed at treating back pain. In Korea, digital therapeutic devices also started with mental diseases such as insomnia treatment, but there are companies developing digital therapeutic devices and health promotion devices for musculoskeletal diseases. 'Itphy' is a company providing digital healthcare services for the prevention and management of musculoskeletal diseases. We met CEO Rhee Sung-min, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Kyung Hee University Medical Center, ahead of the service launch on the 20th.
Q. What is the meaning of 'Itphy' and Itphy's 'RingDoc'?
“Itphy is a company established with the goal of becoming a global leader in the prevention and management of musculoskeletal diseases. RingDoc was named to mean connecting doctors and patients in a single ring. Founded in 2022, we plan to officially launch on the 20th of this month.”
Q. If you talk about 'prevention and management of musculoskeletal diseases' without mentioning 'treatment,' it sounds like a health management service. Are there any plans for that later?
“We also have plans for digital therapeutic devices to treat musculoskeletal diseases. To this end, we have currently received IRB approval from Kyung Hee University Medical Center and plan to enter exploratory clinical trials after the public launch of RingDoc on November 20th.”
Q. Specifically, what services do you provide?
“I appeared on the EBS program 'Precious Body' in the shoulder pain episode this past June. The content showed patients with various shoulder diseases improving through exercise and stretching over two weeks. For musculoskeletal diseases, exercise and rehabilitation are as important as surgery, procedures, and medication. If a hospital issues a personalized exercise prescription for a patient, RingDoc is a service that allows the patient to perform exercise and rehabilitation better at home, monitors whether they are exercising well, and helps the patient exercise consistently through appropriate feedback.”
Q. There are already various musculoskeletal health management services and digital therapeutic devices domestically and internationally. What are the differences compared to them? What are RingDoc's advantages?
“The existence of various digital services for musculoskeletal diseases domestically and internationally means there is demand and effectiveness, but it also means competition is fierce. RingDoc plays the role of connecting hospitals and patients. Hospitals can manage patients better, and patients can enhance treatment effects.
The hospital suggests an exercise program suitable for the patient, and the patient performs the exercise and self-evaluates. RingDoc provides feedback on exercise via messages. It evaluates the patient's range of motion through motion recognition using a smartphone camera and references existing questionnaire-type patient assessment tools. Artificial intelligence is improving accuracy by learning from over 100,000 data points collected not only from Kyung Hee University Medical Center but also from several university hospitals.
Since using the hospital consistently is also important, to continue using RingDoc, one must receive periodic hospital treatments. Hospital interest is high, with about 30 hospitals already expressing their intention to adopt it even before the launch.
The function of guiding exercises and checking exercise status through motion recognition in health management apps is already commonly used in several apps. Representative examples include Seoul City's 'Wrist Doctor 9988' and apps from various private insurance companies. Our difference is that it is an app made by doctors, prescribed by doctors, and managed by doctors.”
RingDoc can precisely measure up to 3D angles with a 2D posture using just a single front camera.
Q. I am curious about the revenue model.
“We are considering both methods where the hospital pays and where the patient subscribing to the service pays. Users can also purchase various items needed for exercise within the app. In the long term, we aim to receive health insurance reimbursement by obtaining approval as a digital therapeutic device.”
Q. The main project for chronic disease management started in September. It targets diabetes and hypertension to ensure appropriate testing, treatment, and education, but considering the aging population, chronic musculoskeletal diseases will also increase. However, there seems to be no project for musculoskeletal disease management.
“I am also curious why there isn't one. In 2020, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service announced that 1 in 3 citizens received treatment for musculoskeletal diseases, and 1/3 of them were VDT syndrome, which frequently occurs in modern people. It is the disease with the most outpatient visits, and spinal and joint diseases rank high in frequent surgeries. The necessity for managing chronic musculoskeletal diseases will also grow in the future.”
Q. One of the important parts of digital health management is adherence. Adherence might be lower than when a human intervenes, and elderly people, in particular, might find it difficult to use.
“Doctors cannot observe patients every day, but RingDoc can. I explain to patients that I am their stalker and will see them every day through RingDoc. The personalized messages we provide also give patients the perception that they are being noticed. RingDoc adjusts the difficulty level according to the patient's performance and evaluation to increase adherence. If they follow well, we provide points.
Looking at the patients who participated in the development process, those up to about 65 years old used it without difficulty, but those over 65 had some difficulties. We also plan to operate offline RingDoc branches for elderly people who find it difficult to use the app.”
Q. Are there other services Itphy is planning?
“In addition to exercise prescriptions for patients with musculoskeletal diseases, there is also a health management function for office workers. Workers who sit at desks for long periods can develop trapezius tension and turtle neck syndrome due to improper desk or monitor heights. We are preparing a service that monitors workers' lifelogs, analyzes risks, and suggests customized exercise programs. Through this, companies can prevent industrial accidents, and workers can improve their health.”
Q. Is there a concrete plan to become a digital therapeutic device?
“As mentioned earlier, we are first preparing for exploratory clinical trials. In Korea as well, digital therapeutic devices are receiving approval and starting to be used in clinical fields with temporary reimbursement. Musculoskeletal treatment using apps has substantial literary evidence, and various digital therapeutic devices are being used abroad. Once the health management service is launched this month, papers using RingDoc will be consistently published. We will create grounds for Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approval and health insurance listing by generating various research results, not just clinical trials for approval.”
[Source] Itphy is a Musculoskeletal Disease Management Platform Made, Prescribed, and Managed by Doctors
View ๐| Written by Reporter Yoon Gu-hyun, Hit News |