Mysphera's PATHMAKER: EIC-backed AI for patient pathways and the evidence gap

Brussels, July 9th 2024

Summary

›Mysphera received about €1.81 million from the EIC Accelerator to deploy PATHMAKER, an AI-driven platform for automated patient pathways.
›The company reports adoption in more than 50 European hospitals and claims deployment times for critical projects fell by over 50 percent.
›PATHMAKER combines AI methods with Lean process improvement to plan elective care and manage capacity under constrained budgets.
›Key questions remain on independent validation, regulatory classification, data protection, interoperability, and real world impact on patient outcomes.

Mysphera's PATHMAKER: EIC-funded push to automate patient pathways

Mysphera is a healthcare technology company that says it applies artificial intelligence and Lean methodology to optimise patient pathways and hospital operations. The company was awarded nearly €1,810,550 in EU contribution under the European Innovation Council Accelerator. The PATHMAKER project began in May 2022 and aims to automate and speed up planning for elective care and other hospital processes that are under pressure from growing demand and constrained budgets.

What PATHMAKER is designed to do

Problem addressed:Long and growing waiting lists for elective care create a need for more efficient scheduling, capacity planning, and pathway redesign. Hospitals and specialised consultancies often invest significant time and resources to reorganise care when demand or circumstances change. PATHMAKER targets these planning bottlenecks with automation and decision support.

How the platform is described to work:Mysphera presents PATHMAKER as an AI-powered pathway platform that proposes fast automated patient pathways. It aims to optimise resource allocation, sequencing of procedures, and patient flow while reducing the manual effort involved in planning. The company pairs algorithmic recommendations with Lean process improvements to remove inefficiencies in operational workflows.

AI and optimisation methods likely involved:Although detailed technical documentation is not provided in the announcement, tools that claim to automate patient pathways typically combine demand forecasting models, optimisation solvers, and simulation. Machine learning can predict patient arrivals and lengths of stay. Optimisation algorithms, including integer programming or heuristic search methods, schedule resources under constraints such as operating theatre availability and staff rosters. Simulation models help test pathway changes before deployment.

Lean methodology in this context:Lean refers to process improvement practices that focus on reducing waste and increasing value for patients. In hospitals this often means mapping processes, standardising steps, removing unnecessary waiting and transport, and increasing first time right rates. Combining Lean with data driven optimisation can align daily practice with algorithmic recommendations.

Reported adoption and results

Mysphera reports that its solutions have been deployed in over 50 European hospitals. The company states that, through the PATHMAKER project, deployment times for critical projects have been cut by more than 50 percent. The announcement attributes improvements in operational efficiency and reduced patient effort and time to the combined use of AI and Lean methods.

These outcomes are noteworthy if confirmed. The EIC community post frames the results as transformative. At the same time the published text does not include independent evaluations, precise performance metrics, or peer reviewed study references. The claims therefore rest on company reporting rather than externally validated evidence.

Funding, timeline and prior support

Item	Detail	Notes
EIC funding instrument	EIC Accelerator	Provides grants and blended finance for scaling deep tech SMEs
EU contribution to PATHMAKER	€1,810,550	Awarded as part of the EIC Accelerator package
Project start date	May 2022	Project is ongoing as presented in the announcement
Previous EU support	SME Instrument Phase 2, OR4.0	Predecessor scheme to EIC Accelerator supported earlier development
Reported deployments	Over 50 European hospitals	Figure given in company communication
Reported impact	Deployment times reduced by over 50 percent	Claim reported by Mysphera; details and evaluation methods not provided

Key questions and limitations

Evidence and evaluation:The announcement does not present independent evaluations, study design, or quantitative baseline and follow up measures. For buyers and policy makers it is important to see comparative analyses, reproducible metrics, and assessments of patient outcomes not only operational indicators.

Regulatory classification and compliance:Depending on its intended use and claims, software that advises clinical pathways may be considered a medical device under EU rules. That triggers conformity assessment under the Medical Device Regulation if the software provides information used to diagnose, prevent, monitor, or treat. The announcement does not state whether PATHMAKER underwent such procedures or whether assessments for clinical safety were completed.

Data protection and governance:Any solution working with patient data must comply with GDPR and local health data rules. Integrating multiple sources of health data raises questions about consent models, data minimisation, audit trails, and secure hosting. The communication does not detail how these concerns are handled.

Interoperability and integration challenges:Hospital information technology landscapes are heterogeneous. Effective pathway optimisation typically requires integration with electronic health records, scheduling systems and resource management tools. Successful deployments depend on data quality, mapping of local processes, and change management. The 50 hospital figure suggests broad interest, but the announcement lacks information on integration effort and variability in outcomes across sites.

Why this matters for EU health systems

European health systems face ageing populations, rising demand for elective procedures, and fiscal constraints. Tools that improve scheduling and capacity utilisation can in theory increase throughput and reduce waiting times. The EIC Accelerator aims to help scaling companies bring such technologies into clinical practice. However the value for patients depends on measurable improvements in access, quality and safety beyond operational efficiencies.

Public procurement practices and reimbursement rules will influence uptake. Even with EIC backing, scaling across different national systems requires evidence, local adaptations, and often long procurement cycles.

Recommendations and next steps for stakeholders

For health providers and procurers:Request independent evaluations and site level case studies. Clarify regulatory status and data governance. Assess total cost of ownership including integration and staff training.

For investors and policy makers:Look for reproducible impact metrics and evidence on patient outcomes. Consider funding mechanisms that reward demonstrable improvements in access and quality. Support independent comparative studies and open data where possible to build trust.

For the company:Publish technical documentation and evaluation protocols. Be transparent about regulatory compliance and GDPR safeguards. Provide disaggregated results across deployment sites and describe integration costs.

Conclusion

Mysphera's PATHMAKER is an example of AI applied to hospital operations that has attracted EIC Accelerator support. The reported reductions in deployment time and use across many hospitals are promising if validated. At present the available information is company reported and lacks independent peer reviewed evidence and details on regulatory and data governance. For European health systems to benefit at scale, deployments must be backed by transparent evaluation, compliance with legal and clinical safety requirements, and realistic appraisal of integration challenges.

Mysphera's PATHMAKER: EIC-backed AI for patient pathways and the evidence gap

Mysphera's PATHMAKER: EIC-funded push to automate patient pathways

What PATHMAKER is designed to do

Reported adoption and results

Funding, timeline and prior support

Key questions and limitations

Why this matters for EU health systems

Recommendations and next steps for stakeholders

Conclusion

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