Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally and result in an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year. 

It’s one of the reasons why Moving Analytics has made it their mission to conquer heart disease through digital prevention. To do so, the company partners with providers such as cardiac rehab programs, cardiology clinics, and heart failure clinics to expand access to secondary prevention, improve patient outcomes, and lower costs.

We sat down with co-founder and CEO Harsh Vathsangam, PhD, to learn more about Moving Analytics and how Acuity saves him valuable time, allows him to present better to investors, and even helps him sleep more soundly at night!  

Read our Q&A with Harsh below, or scroll to the bottom of the page for the full video interview.

Let’s get started: Tell us a little bit about Moving Analytics.

Prior to starting the company, my background was in computer science and a lot of my work involved using machine learning AI to send physiological signals to the human body and developing models of the human body based on machine learning data. The idea behind our business is that we provide a fully supportive home care system after someone has a heart attack or other acute event. And we do this through an app device that we mail you once we identify you as a potential patient.

Can you tell us a bit about the Movn app?

Movn is the service that’s available to you as a potential patient with heart disease. Basically, the problem we solve is one of access, where essentially, if we didn’t exist, 90% of patients wouldn’t have access to care for their programs. 

That’s really because, in order to get access to a rehab program, you would have to visit a facility that could be an hour or more away. You’ve got to drive there and back, find parking, spend 30 minutes waiting, and the whole process can end up taking your entire morning or afternoon to complete. What we’ve done is we’ve taken the entire process and we’ve just said, “Hey, you stay at home.” We will bring the help to you and make sure that it’s available to you as you’re proceeding. We’re trying to make [healthcare] more convenient and accessible. 

Earlier this year, you guys became exclusive industry partners in the arena of virtual cardiac rehabilitation with MedAxiom. What else are you celebrating from the past year?

You know, I think this year has definitely been a tough year for the entire nation, and so we’re taking it as it comes and trying to do our best. I think that partnership [with MedAxiom] was great for for us in terms of how we can expand the applicability of our approach, and we’re actually working with them to basically talk about our solution in webinars and showcase our customers to the broader community with their idea of promoting awareness and then also potentially getting more patients into our system as well.

Like many businesses, we’ve been forced to adapt to Covid and a post-Covid world, and part of that involved making our program 100% remote. Prior to 2020, there was still a slight in-person component where you had to come in and get an assessment. We actually began working with our partners to make sure that the assessment can also be done at home. So basically, right now, you don’t have to move more than half a foot outside of your house. That’s been a great innovation that’s been forced upon us, but I’m glad we went through that process. 

And internally, of course, like a lot of businesses, we’re looking to leverage remote working. I think we are always looking to see how we can maintain our company culture while also trying to make sure we keep people safe and secure during this time of Covid.

Do you have any thoughts on applying Moving Analytics technology to other medical situations?

I think that there’s tremendous potential in expanding Movn. Our core program, which is in post acute cardiac care, definitely has the potential for other applications. First of all, in peripheral artery disease, which is basically when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs. Another one is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which involves the lungs. 

You know, one out of every three Americans has hypertension and we have a growing population of 5 million patients with an increase of half a million heart patients every year. But the common piece behind all these approaches is that we have evidence-based therapy that can help you build the lifestyle behaviors that you need in order to live longer and healthier. 

And we also want to make sure that it’s convenient for you at home. We strongly believe that this is the way healthcare is proceeding. We want to be a part of that wave, I think, barring emergencies or very serious conditions. Very few people are wanting to go to clinics or hospitals nowadays. It’s like, I get my movies at home, I get my pizza at home — why shouldn’t I get my healthcare at home? I think that’s how it’s going to go, and we want to be part of that.

During Covid, we’ve seen many peoples’ lifestyles change from more active to sedentary with working remotely. Do you think that Moving Analytics could potentially help everyone adopt a healthier lifestyle at home?

That’s a great question. I think the long-term implications of Covid on our lifestyle remain to be seen, but we’re starting to see some trends. I think what we’re seeing is that, you know, being at home can be quite lonely and disheartening — especially if you’re not allowed to interact with friends and family. 

I think what would be an interesting way to tackle that is by promoting local communities more. Maybe you can “bubble” not just by yourself, but with five other people in your neighborhood and community who can function as your immediate social circle. And then at some point, I’m sure that the vaccine will also allow us to travel a bit more and allow us to stay in touch with our friends and family from across the country. 

There are also a lot of lifestyle changes that you can do, too. For example, assuming it’s warm enough, you can walk outside and explore your neighborhood. You could do exercise videos at home or you can start experimenting a little bit with new foods that might be healthier. And I think, in every crisis, there is an opportunity that you can tap into. We can still see the silver lining behind the cloud. 

Currently, Moving Analytics uses Acuity’s bookkeeping, controller, and CFO services. What kind of impact have these services had on your business?

We’ve been with Acuity for almost four years now, and we started off with basic bookkeeping and have been gradually adding on more services since then. As we’ve grown as a company, the quantity and the complexity of our transactions has increased — you know, I think Acuity has been with us from when we were essentially operating like a cashbox to now, when we have a much more sophisticated financial back office. 

Working with Acuity has helped me in several ways. Number one, it’s given me back some time that I can now use to focus on growing the business, talking to customers, and finding quotes. Two, I think it’s really helped me present to investors better because we have really strong financials that are kind of above our class in terms of the details but also the accuracy and so on. Three, it’s also helped me sleep a little better at night! For example, through our financial planning, I’m able to forecast and determine what kind of working capital we need in order to grow our business. And, more or less, it’s produced a lot of predictability. So when I know that I need so much working capital, I am usually within 10-15% of what we actually estimate. So that’s been great for us.

I think Acuity has been great in terms of providing that full-stack solution, and you guys do a really good job of making your services addictive as well so it’s been great to work with you.

What is one word that comes to mind when you think Acuity?

I would say stress-reducing! Also, a “partner.” 

Love those! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us, and we’re excited to see where things are headed as you continue to grow.

Thank you for being a part of this journey and, hopefully, we’ll keep growing with you, and you can help us keep growing as well.

Want to stay in-the-know? Connect with Harsh here, and keep up with Moving Analytics here.