Canadian startup joins US healthcare incubator

TORONTO – Shift Health Paradigms, a healthcare startup transforming medical data collection from hospital waiting rooms, announced it is the first Canadian company to join StartUp Health (www.startuphealth.com), a global startup platform. The Canadian digital health company, which has created an innovative solution called TickiT, was selected out of more than 1,400 applicants to become part of the exclusive three-year StartUp Health Academy.

“The overall goal of Shift Health is to improve patient outcomes in pediatric care and we can’t do that alone. So, we are thrilled about being accepted into one of the top digital health and wellness innovation programs in the world,” said Daniel Penn (pictured), co-founder and COO of Shift Health Paradigms. “Not only are we looking to build an impactful and sustainable healthcare company, it’s important for us to bring visibility to all the health and wellness entrepreneurs and innovators North of the border.”

Over the last two years, Shift Health Paradigms has doubled in size and implemented TickiT software into pediatric hospitals around the world, including Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, B.C. Children’s Hospital, Boston and Seattle Children’s Hospitals, as well as Sydney and Westmead hospitals in Australia.

StartUp Health will support Shift Health Paradigms through a three-year coaching and networking program that will encourage the company to scale and implement software roll-outs and implementations into other top pediatric hospitals in the Northeastern seaboard by the end of 2014 and beyond.

“Most pediatric doctors only have 15 minutes per patient visit, and because of that, only a limited amount of information is collected,” continued Penn. “Our software, TickiT, is solving that problem and positively affecting patient outcomes in Canada and elsewhere.

“However, the healthcare landscape can be challenging when faced with unique laws for each province, state and country, and because of that it takes a community to bring these solutions to both the patient and clinical environments. We know StartUp Health can support us through this transformative journey.”

Shift Health’s flagship product, TickiT, is a patient friendly, interactive mobile survey platform used in the waiting room. TickiT’s unique platform breaks down the communication barrier and comfortably educates and prepares patients for the visit while collecting relevant personal health information for physicians. The process improves the clinic visit, resulting in sustainable and effective health outcomes.

About Shift Health

Shift Health Paradigms is a medical software startup based in Toronto and Vancouver. Founded in 2011 by Dr. Sandy Penn, an adolescent health physician with 25 years of experience, Shift Health now has clients in the US, Canada and Australia. For more information, see www.shifthealth.ca/‎