www.modernluxuria.com
Disrupting Healthcare Edmonton company links new technology to old problems in a bid to change the way healthcare is delivered in Canada WORDS BY ERIN SLOBODIAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY TATYANA SEMENOVA
Health City is focused on finding cutting-edge
Canada for development and to market.
medical solutions that will bring the Canadian
Health City is working on several projects right
healthcare system into the modern age and the
now. One is with a local company that has
company has chosen Edmonton as ground zero
found a way to conduct diagnostic imaging in
to do it in. CEO Reg Joseph spoke with Modern
remote areas which will allow patients who live
Luxuria Magazine on a windy afternoon in his
far distances from cities to be x-rayed or receive
downtown Edmonton office. “We’re trying to
an ultrasound where they live rather than being
catalyze health transformation with two goals:
forced to travel great distances, in some cases,
one, to improve health outcomes and secondly,
to an urban centre for the required diagnostic
to drive economic development,” he said.
imaging. Other projects include the use of machine-learning and artificial intelligence
Joseph talked about companies and researchers
to read data in order to better predict and
who find innovative ways to conduct health care
ultimately prevent chronic disease such as
that “you often hear about in news headlines
diabetes. Joseph says new technologies like
but years later when you look to see the impact
these could be used to disrupt the Canadian
[the technologies] have had on health statistics
hospitals system to be less reactive and become
you usually find those stats remain unchanged.”
more preventative.
Joseph explained that often innovation stays in the discovery phase due to difficulties
The concept of disrupting the system with
in obtaining Health Canada approvals and
new technology isn’t new. It has revolutionized
sometimes the technology is developed by
several industries: the transportation industry
companies outside of Canada only to have
now has Uber, Lyft and other rider-share
those companies sell the technology back
services, cable television is being replaced with
into the Canadian healthcare system. Joseph
streaming services like Netflix and Amazon,
thinks Canada can do better for healthcare
even banking allows for texting funds and
and the economy and so Health City was born.
depositing cheques with an app. New health
It is a company that links new solutions to old
technology development is a multi-billion dollar
problems to change the way healthcare is
a year industry but Canada is not a big player.
delivered while keeping Canadian innovation in
Health City plans to change that.
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