Combination of healthcare and medical device in one app

The fusion of health counselling and medical device in the form of an app marks an innovative approach to improving the care of kidney patients. Oska, a pioneer in this field, focuses on early detection, individualised care and significant cost savings.

How would you explain your solution in three sentences to a professional colleague from the health sector?

"Oska improves the care of kidney patients through early detection, targeted care and significant cost savings. Our combination of an app, qualified nursing staff and intelligent algorithms supports patients individually in implementing medical therapy recommendations optimally. Our aim is to reduce the risk of complications, particularly in the area of cardiovascular diseases, and thus avoid hospital stays."

What problem motivated you to start the company?

"Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a neglected widespread disease in Germany, affecting almost one in ten people. Many CKD patients also suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases, which makes treatment complex. Effective treatment of CKD requires more than medication; it needs comprehensive support for behavioral changes, which is often neglected in the short consultation time of doctors. From our experience in dialysis clinics, we know the serious consequences of CKD. Our aim at Oska is to prevent complications and improve patients' quality of life through targeted care."

How do you convince a pharmaceutical company, a health insurance company or another potential client to set up a pilot project with you?

"Oska improves the detection and care of kidney patients and helps to reduce costs. In Germany, around 10% of people are affected by kidney disease (CKD), with 2.5 million suffering from advanced stages of CKD 3 and 4. CKD patients often also suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, which increases their risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. Annual treatment costs for this patient group average EUR 9,300 per patient. To minimize risks, behavioural changes, correct medication and a healthy lifestyle are crucial. Oska combines health advice with a medical device-approved app and intelligent algorithms to help kidney patients develop healthy habits and thus reduce hospital stays. In addition, Oska helps health insurance companies to identify kidney patients at an early stage, target them and enroll them in the program. Focusing on kidney patients enables Oska to effectively manage high-risk individuals and reduce treatment costs."

Who are your current customer (groups) and who do you want your potential customers to be?

"Oska offers targeted support for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at all stages, with the exception of dialysis patients. Typically, CKD patients suffer from several conditions simultaneously, often including hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular problems. In order to offer our service to a wide range of patients, Oska is actively working on contracts with both private health insurers and statutory health insurers. Once a contract is signed, Oska is available to all CKD patients of the respective insurance company.

We are currently focusing on the German market, but also have plans to expand Oska internationally."

Where do you see yourself in 3 years and how can 5-HT support you?

"Over the next three years, our main focus will be on the successful launch of Oska in Germany. Our goal is to build stable partnerships and sign further contracts with German health insurance companies to ensure broad availability and accessibility of our program. 5-HT can help us to establish valuable contacts with key players in the healthcare market and thus support the growth of Oska."

You participated in the Bitkom Digital Health Conference in November 2023. What is your impression of the event and what have you gained (so far) from participating?

"It was a great event with many interesting participants from different areas of the healthcare market in Germany. We were able to make some interesting contacts and are already looking forward to next year's conference!"