Amsterdam, May 30, 2019 – CZ, one of the largest Dutch health insurers and SkinVision, the leading skin cancer detection app, announced a collaboration to provide 3.6 million CZ policyholders with a simple way to manage skin health from the comfort of their homes. With SkinVision, users can now manage their skin health permanently.
The number of skin cancer cases increase every year, and nearly 85.000 residents of the Netherlands are diagnosed annually. Melanoma, in particular, is a serious form of skin cancer that must be found and treated early-on to increase the chance of survival. As it remains, 800 individuals in the Netherlands die from melanoma alone each year.
The SkinVision Service aims to raise awareness of the dangers of skin cancer and enable users to quickly and accurately monitor their skin. It is estimated that one in five Dutch residents will get skin cancer in their lifetime. The service is available through CZ so that members can take skin checks into their own hands and seek medical attention when it’s needed.
With the SkinVision app, a user will take a picture of a skin spot, which is checked by the machine-learning technology for visible signs of skin cancer. Within 30 seconds, the user receives a risk indication varying from low to high risk, followed by a recommendation on the next steps to take. Individuals can use the service to check spots on their skin regularly and receive customised skin health education around skin type, skin cancer risk, UV index and typical signs based on an in-app survey.
CZ policyholder, Miranda used SkinVision and received a high-risk indication for a birthmark on her leg. She immediately made an appointment, and within a few weeks, was diagnosed with melanoma. The dermatologist removed the melanoma and the surrounding areas on the skin to prevent it from spreading.
Miranda is now recovering and grateful that she was able to detect the melanoma prematurely and prevent further spread. “I’ll have to be careful when I’m in the sun, but that’s a small sacrifice.” In the coming years, Miranda plans always to use SPF 50+ sunscreen while she continues to monitor her skin together with her dermatologist to keep it under control. “And of course I will continue to use SkinVision.”
Erik de Heus, CEO of SkinVision adds “We have been working with the CZ team for almost two years to develop this program for their policyholders and are convinced that the results will have a significant impact. We hope to see that more and more customers will want to take an active role in monitoring their health, and especially the largest organ of the body, the skin.”
In recent years, the government in the Netherlands has also been increasingly active in the development and implementation of innovation in healthcare, particularly in the areas of personal care, prevention and care in the home environment.
SkinVision is a Dutch company that is active worldwide, with users from the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom and Germany. SkinVision has also become widely used in New Zealand and Australia, where on average, two out of three residents have skin cancer. SkinVision is working to drive skin cancer detection globally and has helped over 1.2 million users who are already using the app. This year, SkinVision was also selected to be a part of the NHS Innovation Accelerator. The NHS aims to put the latest technology and innovation at the centre of people’s care and the future of healthcare. The AI technology that SkinVision uses to recognise skin cancer supports this mission and is available to the over 65 million UK residents who can take their health into their own hands.
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About SkinVision
SkinVision was founded in 2012 and is an awareness and tracking solution that supports individuals with the early recognition of Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma and Precancerous Actinic Keratosis. SkinVision is the first certified skin cancer application based on extensive clinical trials, conducted in partnership with the university clinic of Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU). The results of these trials were first published in the JEADV in 2014. The most recent data shows a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 80%. Well above that of a GP (sensitivity 60%), a dermatologist (sensitivity 75%) and even a specialist dermatologist (sensitivity 92%). The company has built up a customer portfolio of 1,200,000 users globally and a database of 3.5 million pictures of suspicious and benign skin lesions. SkinVision is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Notes to editors:
- The NIA is an NHS England Initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), hosted by UCLPartners. Highlighted in the NHS Long Term Plan, it supports delivery of the Five Year Forward View (FYFV) by accelerating uptake of high impact innovations for patient, population and NHS staff benefit, and providing real-time practical insights on spread to inform national strategy.
- The NIA supports individuals (‘Fellows’) with a set of values and passion for scaling evidence-based innovation to benefit a wider population, with a commitment to share their learnings.
- For more information about the NIA, emailnia@uclpartners.com or visit www.nhsaccelerator.com.
For an interview with Erik de Heus or more information, contact Abigail Blackburn:
SkinVision Press
Abigail.Blackburn@skinvision.com
