Heart Attack Response 90% Faster? | Rakesh Shah, mHeart

Can AI and at-home EKG technology help patients respond to potential heart attacks faster? On this episode of The Healthcast, Phil Zappone speaks with cardiologist, healthcare leader and mHeart founder Dr. Rakesh Shah about improving access to cardiovascular care through remote monitoring, rapid triage and AI-driven insights. Dr. Shah explains how mHeart is being designed to connect patients directly with their cardiologists, provide an at-home EKG assessment and help determine the appropriate next step—whether that means scheduling an office visit, visiting urgent care or seeking emergency treatment. They also discuss the major gaps in cardiac care across rural America, the burden of unnecessary emergency-room visits and the potential for personalized health data to identify cardiovascular risks earlier. In this episode: • Why heart-attack response time is so critical • The personal experience that inspired mHeart • How an at-home EKG assessment could work • Completing a preliminary cardiac assessment in approximately seven minutes • Using AI to analyze EKGs and other vital signs • Reducing unnecessary emergency-room visits • Expanding cardiac care in underserved and rural communities • Improving medication adherence and chronic-disease management • Creating better outcomes for patients, clinicians and health systems • Dr. Shah’s journey from interventional cardiologist to healthcare entrepreneur CHAPTERS 00:53 – Why Dr. Shah chose cardiology 01:54 – His unconventional path to medical school 03:05 – Earning an MBA from Oxford 05:02 – Why heart-attack patients often seek care too late 06:18 – The question that inspired mHeart 08:04 – Developing the first mHeart prototype 09:02 – Testing the technology during a family emergency 11:56 – Completing an assessment in seven minutes 13:25 – Is mHeart a replacement for the emergency room? 15:06 – Patents, fundraising and commercialization 15:31 – How patients would use the platform 18:35 – Responding to chest pain and other symptoms 20:09 – The red, yellow and green triage system 21:18 – Benefits for patients, clinicians and health systems 21:54 – How the at-home EKG device works 22:43 – Where AI and machine learning fit in 24:03 – Why many chest-pain cases may not require the ER 25:08 – The lack of cardiologists in rural America 26:28 – Who could benefit from mHeart? 27:36 – Future lifestyle and nutrition features 28:19 – What’s next for the company 29:50 – Dr. Shah’s advice for embracing change LEARN MORE Website | https://www.doctorslink.com LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rakesh-shah-md-mba-mheart Check out what I do helping small businesses here: Website | https://nxaihealth.com/ LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-zappone-647957379/ Subscribe to The HealthCast for more conversations at the intersection of healthcare, technology and business. #DigitalHealth #Cardiology #HealthcareAI