Brigham and Women’s Hospital is collaborating with Japan-based Jolly Good to evaluate the educational effects of its medical virtual reality solution as it explores an entry into the US market. Jolly Good builds VR solutions for medical and welfare applications and artificial intelligence to analyze VR user behavior. The collaboration involves Kei Ouchi, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, becoming the medical advisor to Jolly Good.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital is partnering with Japanese medical technology firm Jolly Good to evaluate the educational potential of its medical virtual reality (VR) solution as it looks to enter the US market.
Under the agreement, Kei Ouchi, MD, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will become Jolly Good’s medical advisor. Brigham and Women’s Hospital is affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
Jolly Good is a Tokyo-based company that builds VR solutions for medical and welfare applications, as well as artificial intelligence to analyze VR user behavior. The Jolly Good medical VR solution enables medical professionals to create live-action 360-degree VR images, providing a realistic experience.
According to a press release, the medical AR/VR market is expanding, and Jolly Good has plans to begin a full-scale entry into the US medical market. The company also plans to create live-action medical VR in several medical departments under Ouchi’s supervision in the future.
“I realized the high quality of technology unique to Japan in Jolly Good’s live-action VR technology and simple remote playback operation technology. Although there are many VR development companies in the U.S., I thought that the high level of Japanese unique technology could revolutionize medical education in the U.S. and VR medical technology for patients. I would like to make this dream-like goal a reality with my technology and experience,” said Ouchi in a press release.
Jolly Good’s medical VR technology is expected to revolutionize medical education by allowing learners to get hands-on experience with realistic scenarios, thereby improving their decision-making skills.
Virtual reality has shown great promise in the healthcare industry, and its potential uses continue to expand. VR-based technologies can help improve medical training, diagnosis, and patient care. A growing number of healthcare providers are investing in VR technology to enhance patient outcomes and provide better care.
In March, Massachusetts General Hospital announced plans to work with Rocket VR Health (RVH) to gain insights into the abilities of a VR digital therapeutic. This effort involves determining the therapeutic’s effectiveness in improving quality of life, symptom burden, distress, and self-efficacy among patients with blood cancer.
Another promising development in the medical VR space is the use of VR solutions for clinical care. In November 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the clinical use of EaseVRx, a virtual reality headset that guides chronic low back pain patients through an eight-week program based on cognitive behavioral skills and other methods. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently established a unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Level II code for the program, creating a pathway for Medicare and commercial payer coverage.
Moreover, medical VR technology has shown significant promise in the treatment of mental health conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Medical VR therapy for these conditions involves exposing patients to virtual environments that trigger anxiety or trauma in a safe and controlled environment, allowing them to confront and overcome their fears. This treatment method has shown promising results in several clinical trials and has the potential to revolutionize the field of mental health.
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