MedTech Outlook Magazine: Specials Magazine

When someone presses a medical alert button, or if a fall is detected, what follows is indicative of the quality of the emergency response. For nearly five decades, LifeFone has used customer-centric guidelines to design its medical alert service, building an emergency response model that follows each situation from first contact through resolution. This is because an alert may begin the conversation, but protection depends on how information is gathered, how judgment is applied and how the response is carried through. It is this sustained approach to response management that underpins LifeFone’s recognition as Med Tech Outlook’s Medical Alert Systems Company of the Year. By treating every alert with human-centered connectivity, the company has redefined what dependable emergency response looks like in practice. “Our value comes from making technology feel personal,” says Ron Maggio, president. “In an emergency, when a subscriber needs help, a real person is there to ensure they are heard, understood and supported. This continuity of human support throughout an emergency is what people rely on when every second counts, and it’s at the heart of LifeFone’s service model.” Its professional emergency care agents are available around the clock, so help is always available when an alert comes in. More importantly, these agents do not follow a one-size-fits-all script. Each subscriber has a personalized care plan on file, which guides agents in assessing the situation and determining the most appropriate next step, whether that involves contacting a family member, coordinating with a physician or dispatching emergency services. The same human oversight applies when an emergency does not announce itself clearly. Daily wellness calls handled by an agent help identify subtle but worrisome breaks in routine. Missed check-ins or unexpected nonresponses trigger follow-up actions, including wellness checks, allowing concerns to be addressed. Care continues even after the initial call is handled. The agents keep the subscriber’s designated care circle (such as family members or caregivers) in the loop with phone calls, text and email updates about any given situation. Keeping everyone on the same page prevents needless panic or escalation while fostering a sense of teamwork and reassurance during a stressful moment.

Is the mole benign or quietly signaling melanoma? Dermatologists answer that question every day. They read every detail on the surface of a mole; its color, symmetry, borders and evolution. But most often, they are working within a gray zone where visual cues cannot fully reveal the underlying biology. Until now, confirmation has relied solely on biopsies. Across the U.S., millions of mole biopsies are performed each year, with many confirming no malignancy. Orlucent was founded to close this diagnostic gap. It developed the Orlucent^® Skin Fluorescent Imaging (SFI) System, the first handheld, fluorescent, molecular imaging system that non-invasively evaluates the early tissue remodeling that signals the likely transition to melanoma. It transforms evaluation from subjective guesswork into objective insight, enabling clinicians to understand risk before prescribing a biopsy. “A biopsy shouldn’t be the first step forced by a lack of information. It should be the informed step guided by the right information,” says Dr. Catherine Shachaf, co-founder and co-CEO. For Dr. Shachaf, this mission began with a reality she witnessed repeatedly. A loved one has a phenotype strongly associated with higher melanoma risk. Each time a mole looked even slightly different to the doctor, the pattern repeated—another biopsy, another scar, another stretch of waiting. The physicians were cautious and completely justified each time they proceeded with a biopsy. Most results came back benign. But the relief never offset the dread that preceded it, because there was no way for physicians to understand what was happening inside the mole without removing it. Witnessing that cycle reshaped Shachaf’s view of the problem. As a scientist who had spent her career imaging cancer biology at the molecular level, the limitation was impossible to ignore. The current system simply offered no way to understand biological risk during the exam itself..