March 22, 2022 - Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, today announced an agreement with Rehab Boost, a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) to develop an innovative platform to diagnose movement abnormalities. The body motion recognition technology being developed under the name Gait Boost, LLC is a first-of-its-kind platform, which also marks Baptist Health Innovations' first startup company.

Gait Boost, will focus on a person's gait, better known as a person's manner of walking. Abnormalities in movement may provide early indicators of severe sicknesses or medical conditions.

"Gait Boost is intended to work at the intersection of technology and medical knowledge, ultimately offering a new way to identify abnormalities," said Mark Coticchia, Corporate Vice President, Baptist Health Innovations. "The opportunity and ability to diagnose patients sooner than currently available with new medical approaches, advancements and innovation is precisely why Baptist Health Innovations was created "to commercialize novel ideas for patient benefit."

As the first-ever startup company under Baptist Health Innovations, Gait Boost licensed the Rehab Boost patented remote diagnostic platform to enhance analysis of gait and other movement outcomes. Gait Boost will be developed with clinical expertise from Dr. Elizabeth Anne Ouellette, Medical Director and Vice Chair of Research at Baptist Health, and Dr. Ron Tolchin, Medical Director of the Spine Center at Baptist Health's Miami Neuroscience Institute.

Elizabeth Anne Ouellette, M.D., MBA, is a renowned orthopedic hand surgeon, the chief of Hand for the Baptist System, specializing in the treatment of wrist fracture, ligament tear, nerve injury, joint instability and small joint replacement. She performs surgeries of all complexities. She has more than 30 years of clinical experience treating athletes and people of all ages and teaching and mentoring medical students, residents and fellows. She serves in numerous clinical and academic leadership roles, including the vice chair of research for the Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute and leadership roles at both a local and national level in orthopedics as well as hand surgery. She is widely published in peer-reviewed medical journals and is an invited speaker at national and international academic symposiums, and has published on how hand surgery affects gait.

Ronald Tolchin, D.O., is the chair, division of physical medicine & rehabilitation and pain management, and medical director of the Spine Center at Miami Neuroscience Institute. He has been in clinical practice for more than 25 years and specializes in rehabilitation medicine, lower back pain and spine disorders.  He has been involved in medical education of students and residents and has held many leadership positions. Dr. Tolchin has authored and co-authored several book chapters in rehab and musculoskeletal medicine and has published a number of research papers with ongoing research in low back pain.

Rehab Boost's proprietary AI mobile applications and cloud platform will enable Gait Boost to use smart phone video of a person's movement and provide feedback regarding remedying deficiencies and potential causes. With the Gait Boost diagnosis tool, both patients and doctors will have access to remote real-time data in a visually meaningfully manner.

"The time to apply Artificial Intelligence Technology to gait was long overdue to increase outcomes and journey of recovery with reduced barriers of time or travel between them and their requirements to get better," said Paul Jaure, Founder, Rehab Boost. "Our patented body motion recognition technology and platform aims to redefine how gait diagnostics and therapy will be delivered in the future."

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Rehab Boost, which is one of the owners of Gait Boost and has licensed AI technology to Gait Boost, continues to operate as an independent company. Rehab Boost provides both patients and therapists flexible rehabilitation tools that can be configured to evolve dynamically, through self-guided or therapist-led programs. Using data-rich AI technology, Rehab Boost helps complement the medical community while enhancing user life experience and the rehabilitation process.

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 24,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Rehab Boost

Rehab Boost is dedicated to creating sustainable, affordable, and scalable adjuncts to clinical visits that require space, staff, and additional support. Treatment plans can be configured to evolve dynamically through self-guided programs or directly modified by the therapist based on the rich data Rehab Boost provides. To learn more about Rehab Boost, please visit https://www.rehabboost.com