ExaWizards Enters Collaboration with CARE CONNECT JAPAN, a Leading Developer of ICTs for Nursing Care Recording,
to Jointly Develop an AI-based Voice-input System for Home-visit Care to Reduce the Burden of Introducing a Care Record System
Aiming to expand the number of offices to 20,000
–Creating a New System That Brings Favorable Outcomes Utilizing Accumulated Nursing Care Big Data –
ExaWizards Inc., a company that develops artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled services to resolve social issues (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & President: Ko Ishiyama; hereafter, “ExaWizards”) announces that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with CARE CONNECT JAPAN, Inc. (Headquarters: Shizuoka City; Representative Director & President: Yoshihisa Saito, hereafter “CARE CONNECT JAPAN”).
☑︎ What will be made possible through the collaboration?
In this collaboration, both companies will jointly develop a new system that assists nursing care operations and improves nursing care outcomes such as maintained ADLs*1 and enhanced self-reliance, utilizing the ExaWizards’ AI technology in combination with the nursing care big data that have been accumulated by CARE CONNECT JAPAN through its information communication technology (ICT) that has realized digitalization of 95%*2 of nursing care records.
This collaborative project aims to reduce the burden of introducing a nursing care recording system through bundling ExaWizards’ AI-based nursing care recording application CareWiz Hanasuto (hereafter “Hanasuto”) with CARE CONNECT JAPAN’s nursing care recording software CAREKARTE, taking the future use of nursing care big data in the new system into account. Furthermore, the two companies aim to expand the number of offices using Hanast to more than 20,000 over the long term by developing a nursing care recording environment for as many nursing care service providers as possible by enhancing the system for home-visit services using voice input x AI developed for Hanast, and to introduce Hanast to 1,000 offices in FY2023.
*1: ADLs stands for activities of daily living. It indicates daily activities required for independent living, including standing, sitting, transfer, mobility, eating, dressing, elimination, bathing, and managing personal appearance. It is used as an important index to measure the physical functions and the levels of daily activity of elderly people and persons with disability.
*2: According to a survey conducted by CARE CONNECT JAPAN.
☑︎ Background of the collaboration
The nursing care industry faces a serious labor shortage. Despite this, nursing care providers have recently been required to evaluate nursing care outcomes to facilitate self-reliance of care users and to prevent an increase in severity of disability. In response to the introduction of the Long-term care Information system For Evidence (LIFE)*3 along with the revision of nursing care fees in fiscal 2021 in Japan, it has become more important to easily and accurately record nursing care. In nursing care settings, networking of multiple devices using technologies such as a nursing care recording software with functions of voice-input recording, intercom and sensor-based information notification has drawn attention and has been introduced by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) as a model of the introduction of a nursing care robot package*4.
However, ICTs have not been widely used yet and only approximately 30%*2 of nursing care providers have introduced them into nursing care recording. To address this issue, ExaWizards and CARE CONNECT JAPAN aim to increase the penetration rate of ICT-based nursing care recording to 50% or higher and to make it a standard practice through utilizing the strengths of both compnaies and assisiting nursing care operation which uses nursing care record most. The companies will collect accurate data and, using collected data, create a new system that brings favorable nursing care outcomes such as maintained ADLs and enhanced self-reliance, in order to help nursing care workers spend more time with those in need of care. Through these efforts, the companies will accelerate the realization of sociaty where every individual will be able to receive evidence-based, good nursing care.
*3: MHLW’s document on the Long-term care Information system For Evidence (LIFE) <https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/shingi2/0000198094_00037.html>
*: MHLW’s document on the models of the introduction of a nursing care robot package <https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12300000/000928398.pdf>
☑︎ Collaborative projects
(1) Collaborative development of a new system: AI technology × Nursing care big data
The companies will bundle CAREKARTE with Hanasuto to reduce the burden of introducing nursing care recording system using AI technology. In addition, they will enhance customer experience, accelerating the user onboarding process (an initial step to introduce the system into nursing care practice). Through these efforts, the companies will increase the number of its users and evolve the AI through the use of nursing care big data to be accumulated. The system is expected to contribute to favorable nursing care outcomes such as better bathroom habits, maintained ADLs and enhanced self-reliance and to provide additional value to nursing care through assisting nursing care workers.
(2) Strengthening the system by applying the AI-based voice-input technology developed for Hanasuto to home-visit care settings
The companies will develop a new nursing care recording system with an intercom function that enables home-visit nursing care workers to record nursing care with voice when they have their hands full while, for example, driving a car or a bike, so that a wider range of nursing care providers will be able to use it.
☑︎ Messages from the leaders of both companies
Yoshihisa Saito, Representative Director & President, CARE CONNECT JAPAN Inc.
Since the foundation, CARE CONNECT JAPAN has been committed to developing and diffusing a nursing care recording system with a passion to reduce the burden of and time for nursing care recoring and help care workers spend more time with those in need of care. In collaboration with ExaWizards, the company will further evolve, and take the initiative in providing various solutions for nursing care. We will continuously make efforts to understand the needs of nursing care providers to contribute to reforming nursing care practice through innovation.
Ko Ishiyama, Representative Director & President, ExaWizards Inc.
ExaWizards’mission is to realize the well-being of society through solving social issues using AI. Since the foundation, the company has made efforts to realize the use of AI technologies in the nursing care field that is valuable to society. In the era of the 100-year lifespan, the use of AI will enable nursing care workers to spend more time with those in need of care and consequently improve the quality of nursing care. It will be useful also for solving problems with dementia care. In cooperation with CARE CONNECT JAPAN, ExaWizards will contribute to well-being of every individual through creating a new system that brings favorable nursing care outcomes using nursing care big data and maximizing the capability of nursing care professionals with technologies, with the goal of streamlining the nursing care costs and sustaining the social security.
【Overview of CareWiz Hanasuto】
CareWiz Hanasuto is an AI-based nursing care recording application that has been developed in response to the voice of care workers, “Can we make use of ‘talking’ for nursing care recording?” When a care worker says the name of care user and details of nursing care provided to him/her, AI-enabled Hanasuto picks up words relevant to nursing care and records them.
Care colleagues also can view the records as soon as they are saved. Therefore, they can easily confirm how much food and water a care user consumed and how his/her condition seemed to be. Hanasuto is equipped also with an intercom function that enables care workers to communicate with each other without operating a smart phone. Therefore, they can use the application as an ICT device including the intercom function even when they have their hands full.
In addition, Hanasuto can link to CARE CONNECT JAPAN’s CAREKARTE, a nursing care recording/billing software which is used by 15,000 nursing care providers or welfare service providers for persons with disabilities. After saving nursing care records with voice using Hanasuto, care workers can easily synchronize the records with CAREKARTE. Therefore, nursing care recording, information sharing and insurance claim processing can be completed in one go.
*CareWiz is a registered trademark of ExaWizards.
【Overview of CAREKARTE】
CAREKARTE is a nursing care recording software that can be connected with various types of ICT devices and totally support operations of nursing care providers including nursing care planning and recording as well as billing for care provided. CAREKARTE offers an instinctive mobile interface that allows users to easily record nursing care. It also provides various types of record forms, lists and graphs that can be customized by users. Data collected using different ICT devices can be consolidated as case records in CAREKARTE by networking these devices. Data accumulated in CAREKARTE can be used as nursing care big data that may help realize evidence-based nursing care.
Using CAREKARE in combination with AI-based voice-input function of ExaWizards’ CareWiz Hanasuto, care workers can record nursing care on a real-time basis even when they have their hands full and consequently streamline their work.
CAREKARTE will continuously evolve as a system that assists various people involved in nursing care, based on know-how on nursing care that has been accumulated over 30 years.
【Corporate profile of ExaWizards Inc.】
Company name: ExaWizards Inc.
Head Quarter: 21F, Shiodome Sumitomo Bldg., 1-9-2 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Founded in: February, 2016
Representative: Ko Ishiyama, Representative Director & President
Business Description: Industrial innovation and resolution of social issues through development of AI-based services
Corporate site: https://exawizards.com/
【About CARE CONNECT JAPAN, Inc.】
Company name: CARE CONNECT JAPAN, Inc.
Location: Southpot Shizuoka 2F, 18-1 Minamicho, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8067
Founded in: August 1989.
*The company name was changed from Fuji Data System to CARE CONNECT JAPAN in July 2020.
Representative Director & President: Yoshihisa Saito
Description of business: Development and distribution of software for nursing care, welfare, medical, and childcare services; surveys and consultations related to social welfare, medical and nursing care services.
URL: https://www.carekarte.jp/