Minister of Health Canada-EmailJohn Smith 3:54 AM (11 hours ago) to Jane.Philpott (Minister of Health Canada) Hi Jane, My name is John Smith , I have never done something like this before, but I think that it needs to be addressed. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss globally, particularly among working-aged individuals. Diabetic retinopathy meets all the criteria for screening: first, the condition (diabetic retinopathy) is an important public health care problem; second, the epidemiology and natural history of the condition, including development from asymptomatic latent to severe disease, are adequately understood; third, the screening test (retinal photography) is simple, safe, validated, and acceptable; and fourth, an effective treatment (intravitreous injections of antivascular endothelial growth factor or laser therapy for severe diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema [DME]) is available for patients identified through early detection. Early detection and treatment can prevent 85% to 95% of blindness cases. The patient may experience no symptoms until the condition is severe. People who are unscreened are more likely to: Present in the ER - Become blind - Have other complications. People who are screened tend to take better care of their diabetes. Jane, let me introduce you to a Canadian company named Diagnos Inc., located in Brossard, Quebec. DIAGNOS sells an automated system to screen patients for eye diseases. Its system takes pictures of a person's eyes, and then uses an artificial intelligence image-recognition algorithm to assess the patient's risk of over 20 eye diseases. If it detects a risk, it refers the patient to a retinal specialist doctor, who prescribes the appropriate medication or treatment. Because the images can be sent over the internet, the doctor can be in a different physical location confirming the diagnostic. The diseases targeted by the algorithm include the leading causes of blindness among adults, such as diabetic retinopathy and aged-muscular degeneration. These diseases are treatable with existing medicine but only if caught in the early stage. However, people at risk are not getting their eyes checked regularly, and therefore going blind unnecessarily, for the following reasons: (A) There is a shortage of retina specialist doctors. (B) Seeing a doctor is expensive. (C) Seeing a doctor is inconvenient. The Solution: Early screening using artificial intelligence software DIAGNOS' Computer Assisted Retinal Analysis (CARA) Platform DIAGNOS' test is painless and quick, generally taking 2 - 3 minutes maximum, its one flash, the company takes the original image and enhances it to make it easier to read and then the algorithms do the interpretation. Having artificial intelligence in the loop to take care of a very demanding interpretation task that requires a high degree of proficiency, consistency, and accuracy 24/7 is a great benefit to specialists. DIAGNOS' software can operate at the same high level all day long, where as traditional methods rely upon alertness of humans. DIAGNOS' algorithms are capable of:Automatic detection of pathology in retinal photographs. Lesion classification. Pre-triaging patients in order of severity. Automated triage can help reduce healthcare labor requirements while increasing patient access to quality care and reducing healthcare expenditure. DIAGNOS ends its patient screening session by returning to the patient a copy of the image of their own eye, either by email, or smart phone, or a printed copy. That way they can see inside their own eyes, it makes an impression on the client to be more conscientious of their health. From the patient's perspective screening gives a visual representation of how well someone is managing their diabetes, leading to increased awareness, and increased compliance with diabetes management. DIAGNOS is aiming to target hospitals and clinics. Putting a camera in a clinic with say 12 doctors operating out of it makes sense; it would allow the doctors to get results on the spot and provide a higher level of care for their patients. DIAGNOS does not compete with specialist as the Company's algos do not diagnose, they flag patients most at risk with indicators to see the specialist. The old saying "A stitch in time saves nine" rings true. The cost of managing diabetic populations that have not been getting screened properly is exploding. In the case of Mexico, for example, ~7 years ago diabetics took up ~6% of the country's medical budget, now it is ~27% of their medical budget. Fact is, there is not enough money and it is endangering the quality of patient care. DIAGNOS is already working on one program in Mexico, it is so successful that the Company expects another contract which it has begun preliminary work on. Health Services is the largest ministry in Mexico, they take care of >8M diabetics. The Company has been requested to write specifications of service terms (essentially already done as it will the same as the first contract it did). No doubt the Ministry is pleased with DIAGNOS' ability to curb their budget expenses through wellness programs. CARA-already has Health Canada's -Approved - Class 2 Medical Device Diagnos web site : diagnos.ca Thank you for your time Jane