Multimodal approach combining ophthalmic imaging and EHR data improves speed and accuracy of identifying eligible patients for studies

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Verana Health^®, a digital health company dedicated to revolutionizing patient care and clinical research through real-world data (RWD), has announced a new partnership with Bitfount, an on-premise federated AI analysis platform. The collaboration aims to significantly improve and accelerate patient identification for ophthalmology clinical studies.

By combining ophthalmic imaging with electronic health record (EHR) data, this joint solution enables faster, more accurate patient prescreening. The approach was recently clinically validated in a study with Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Under the collaboration, patients at participating sites can be evaluated for clinical trial eligibility based on integrated patient imaging and EHR data assessed against the study’s protocol inclusion and exclusion criteria. The prescreening results are viewable in the HIPAA-compliant Verana Trail Connect (VTC), a platform providing sites with a pre-validated list of patients, including imaging qualification status, as well as within Bitfount’s on-premise application. In VTC, Bitfount contributes an imaging eligibility flag for each patient, generated locally via AI analysis of that patient’s existing OCT or fundus scans, which appears alongside the EHR-derived criteria.

“Clinical trials informed by real-world data start with a stronger foundation, and are more likely to avoid the mismatched enrollment, study amendments and costly delays that plague traditional trials,” said Sujay Jadhav, CEO of Verana Health. “We’re committed to providing innovative technology and data-driven solutions for advancing ophthalmic research and patient care.”

The combined prescreening results improve ophthalmic study efficiency and expedite enrollment by providing a pre-validated patient pipeline. The integration mitigates risk by reducing manual chart review and screen failure – without disrupting existing imaging infrastructure or data privacy processes.

“By combining exclusive real-world ophthalmology data with leading OCT and fundus image analysis, we’re equipping research teams with the tools needed to design and run studies that reflect the actual nature of patient populations, ensuring that future treatments are informed by and beneficial for all,” said Blaise Thomson, CEO and co-founder, Bitfount.

The Verana Health and Bitfount collaboration leverages artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for the analysis of ophthalmic images and curation of unstructured EHR clinical notes.

Verana Health has exclusive access to RWD from the American Academy of Ophthalmology IRIS^Ⓡ Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) with longitudinal (12+ years), point-of-care data on over 90 million de-identified patients from over 15,000 contributing clinicians to advance clinical research, treatment optimization, and patient outcomes.

Ophthalmic imaging, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus photography, is essential for diagnosing and monitoring eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration by providing detailed, non-invasive, cross-sectional views of the retina, optic nerve, and cornea.

To learn more, visit veranahealth.com or the Verana Health Booth 2301 at the AAO 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, October 9-12. To schedule a meeting in advance of the event, click here.

About Verana Health 

Verana Health, Inc.^® is a digital health company revolutionizing patient care and clinical research by utilizing physician expertise and artificial intelligence to unlock the true potential of real-world data. With exclusive access to the world’s largest patient data sources in oncology, ophthalmology, neurology, and urology. Verana Health is powering real-world evidence generation. Clinicians utilize these insights to improve the quality of care and quality of life for patients, and life sciences companies rely on the insights to accelerate the development of new therapies. For more information, visit www.veranahealth.com.

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SOURCE Verana Health