We reached out to six digital health executives for their key takeaways and reflections from attending the recent HLTH23 conference.
Patches Seely MBA, BSN, RN, Executive Vice President of Clinical Solutions, Carenet Health
“The energy of everyone I connected with was very encouraging. These are difficult times in healthcare, but I often heard people saying, “I’m not sure how exactly we will partner, but let’s figure it out.” The collaborative atmosphere spurred productive conversations about combining consumer and clinical data to address social determinants of health and the optimization of at-home care. Change can be made to address social determinants of health with policy engagement, risk-based models, and the use of innovation labs. The home is becoming the new clinic, ED, or hospital, and roles throughout the healthcare system are evolving to accommodate this shift.”
Rhonda Gibler, Chief Sales Officer, Carenet Health
“The conference included discussions on many important, relevant topics in the industry today. I gained valuable insight into ways generative AI applications can reduce the strain many individuals in the healthcare system are experiencing. With the combination of AI technologies and available domain experts, focus will be placed on patients and tasks best performed with human capital. This is an important challenge to address as we balance tech-enabled solutions and staffing strains throughout the healthcare ecosystem.”
Ted Ferrin, Co-founder and CEO of Rivet
Healthcare is not immortal — that was my overriding takeaway from HLTH. There has been real hesitance around funding, as well as M&A activities, due to economic instability, the hit in valuations and momentum to the broader tech startup world, and there have been some very publicly-failed health tech startups that are giving people reason to measure twice and cut once before putting any faith behind something new. My colleagues in the vendor community should take note that both provider organizations and potential funders are looking for the same thing: exquisite metrics. Now is the time to deliver undeniable value to your customers. Our industry will continue to see market conditions that require substance and only companies that can demonstrate it for their customers are going to win.
Jon Kimerle, Global Healthcare Strategic Alliances, Pure Storage
“Health tech startups and early-stage companies far outnumbered enterprise healthcare organizations and payers at this year’s HLTH conference, pushing new and innovative AI-powered technologies and services to the forefront of discussion. AI has long been a buzzword in the industry. However, the global pandemic continues to serve as a catalyst to driving transformation with advanced technologies, intensifying the urgency for healthcare organizations to deliver quality care, at scale. What will be most important moving forward is ensuring that the healthcare industry strikes the complex balance between investing in emerging and advanced technology that will positively impact patient outcomes, while setting up a foundation (data storage infrastructure) on which future initiatives – including advanced AI use cases – can thrive. With thoughtful investments, organizations can keep vital systems running efficiently while accelerating their ability to keep pace with digital transformation.”
Diana Zuskov, Associate Vice President, Healthcare Strategy, LexisNexis
“The overall expansion of the conference and the addition of many first-time attendees was a pleasant surprise. It was exciting to see some non-traditional healthcare companies joining the health innovation ecosystem. I heard lots of discussion on retail health and how that model is critical to transforming access. I was encouraged to see providers and solution vendors exploring how to bridge together the entire digital experience, from identity verification to identity management, to ensure all the data and touch points are efficiently mapped to the consumer.”
Andrew Norden, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, OncoHealth
“I was really pleased to see lots of oncology topics on the agenda, including early detection strategies, cancer care approaches among employers, and the new CancerX initiative. One session I found particularly interesting included Anabella Aspiras, Assistant Director of the White House Cancer Moonshot Engagement. She reminded attendees that improving access to cancer navigation is a key component of the Moonshot agenda, and she spoke to the importance of improving not just the outcomes of cancer but also the experience of cancer care, which I too feel strongly about. Generative AI also came up in virtually every session I attended, with many speakers focusing on its enormous potential to help in many different aspects of healthcare.”