Novartis and Tencent Launch China's First AI-Powered Heart Failure Disease Management Platform — 'HeartCare AI'

Today (November 6), on the occasion of the second China International Import Expo, Novartis and Tencent jointly announced the launch of “Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI),” China’s first artificial intelligence-based disease management platform for heart failure. As the first tangible outcome following the signing of a strategic cooperation memorandum between the two parties in March this year, the release of “Hu Xin Xiao Ai (AI)” not only enhances China’s comprehensive heart failure management system and addresses the gap in long-term patient disease management, but also further demonstrates how AI technology is empowering healthcare transformation and innovation, marking the feasibility of digital, full-course chronic disease management centered on patient needs.

Heart Failure Mortality Rivals That of Cancer, Highlighting a Significant Need for Long-Term Standardized Disease Management

On July 15, 2019, the State Council issued the "Opinions on Implementing the Healthy China Action," which emphasized the importance of implementing actions for the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases. Fully implementing standardized disease management and effectively reducing cardiovascular disease mortality have become key priorities in national healthcare reform.

Heart failure represents the terminal stage of all cardiovascular diseases, with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and valvular heart disease being major risk factors. Currently, the estimated prevalence of heart failure in China has reached 1.3%, corresponding to at least 10 million patients. However, the current status of disease management for heart failure remains concerning: approximately 50% of patients die within five years of diagnosis, resulting in a survival rate lower than that of many types of cancer. Furthermore, recurrent hospitalizations due to heart failure impose a substantial economic burden on patients, their families, and society. Data indicate that patients in China are hospitalized an average of 2.4 times per year, and approximately 69% of patients experience readmission within one year.

Professor Ma Changsheng, Director of the Heart Center at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, pointed out: “Heart failure is a severe, progressive chronic disease. Currently, disease management in China is generally suboptimal, with persistently high hospitalization and mortality rates. However, evidence from domestic and international cases demonstrates that long-term monitoring of patients’ health status and the standardization of heart failure management systems can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. It is imperative to establish a convenient, comprehensive management model for chronic heart failure throughout the entire course of the disease, which will undoubtedly help patients achieve better prognoses.”

However, real-world insights into patients with heart failure reveal widespread challenges in disease management, including low disease awareness, fragmented and unreliable sources of health information, non-standardized treatment and disease monitoring, and inconveniences in follow-up visits and medication procurement. There is an urgent need for a systematic and professional integrated platform to support these patients in long-term disease management.

Addressing Patient Pain Points: Pioneering a New Model for Long-Term Intelligent Management of Heart Failure

China’s First AI-Powered Disease Management Platform for Heart Failure—“Hu Xin Xiao Ai”—Has Been Launched. By leveraging insights into the real needs of patients and their families, the platform uses a WeChat Mini Program as its carrier and harnesses the advantages of artificial intelligence to provide interactive experiences such as voice and image recognition, assisting patients and their families in managing heart failure health information more conveniently and accurately. The core functions of Hu Xin Xiao Ai mainly include daily indicator monitoring, health status assessment, and personalizedNewsWeChat Mini Programs, characterized by their “lightweight” nature, further enable effortless, anytime, anywhere disease management.

Dr. Fan Wei, Dean of the Tencent Medical AI Research Institute and Head of the Tencent Medical AI Laboratory, stated: “‘Heart-Caring Xiao Ai’ was developed based on a profound understanding of the pain points faced by heart failure patients. By integrating artificial intelligence technology, it establishes a novel disease management model featuring single-platform, multi-functional coverage. This provides patients with a more convenient, uninterrupted, and comprehensive self-management experience, thereby alleviating the heavy burden associated with recurrent hospitalizations.”

Ms. Zhang Ying, President of Novartis China, emphasized, “As a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Novartis is committed to benefiting patients worldwide through transformative innovative medicines and services, while actively driving innovation in big data and digital applications. We are delighted to have applied Novartis’s profound understanding of heart failure and deep patient insights to the development of this Tencent product, marking the launch of a disease management solution truly developed based on patient needs. Looking ahead, we will collaborate to explore expanding this model to other chronic diseases, thereby benefiting more patients in China.”

Mr. Ding Ke, Vice President of Tencent, stated, “As a digital assistant, Tencent’s mission is to enhance the quality of human life through internet services. AI andHealthcareOur original intention behind this collaboration is to leverage technological means to address health challenges, which aligns with Tencent’s vision and mission of “Tech for Good.” The launch of this digital intelligent disease management platform for heart failure represents a significant milestone in our deepened partnership with Novartis, exploring the application of artificial intelligence in chronic disease management. We will continue to strive toward further opening up our technology and collaborative resources, streamlining the innovation chain in AI-driven healthcare, and building an open ecosystem for shared success.

It is reported that the “Heart Care Xiao Ai” released at this China International Import Expo is a preliminary beta version and has not yet been officially launched for patient registration and use. Following the release of the beta version, each functional module will be gradually refined based on patient feedback to better assist patients in disease management. The full version of “Heart Care Xiao Ai” is scheduled to complete all development in the first half of 2020 and will be officially launched for the broad population of heart failure patients.