December 13, 2021 I Issue #139
Editor’s note
This weekly newsletter is brought to you by the Damo Consulting research and insights team to provide you with highlights of news, events, and insights on digital health and digital transformation. Please share with your colleagues and friends in the industry.
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Digital Health in the News
American Hospital Association, Johns Hopkins and others launch pro-telehealth campaign
Telehealth Access for America is aimed at educating the public about the benefits of expanding access to virtual care services. <Healthcare IT News
Anthem-backed Hydrogen Health rolls out virtual primary care services for insurers, employers
Anthem-backed digital health solution Hydrogen Health is rolling out its virtual primary care service for self-insured employers and insurers. Fierce Healthcare
The Cambrian explosion driving digital health and digital transformation
The Cambrian explosion refers to an intense burst of growth in life forms on earth during a relatively short time in the Cambrian period, over 500 million years ago. Today, we are witnessing a similar explosion in digital health solutions. MedCity News
The future of patient data: 3 pillars of successful analytics implementation
In the COVID-19 era, health systems recognize that existing data infrastructure is inadequate. Here are the three things large datasets need to be useful. Healthcare IT News
This Week in The Big Unlock Podcast
Dr. Mark Weisman discusses the role of analytics and informatics in identifying bottlenecks and the opportunities where technology may be harnessed to enhance the quality of care.
Previous episodes
Srulik Dvorsky, Co-founder and CEO of TailorMed, discusses how healthcare organizations can improve patients’ financial management and enable the chronically ill to reduce their out-of-pocket costs and financial burden, thereby enhancing access to care.
B.J. Moore, EVP and CIO of Providence, Health discusses how strategizing with the leadership at Providence and drawing on his tech experience has helped his team usher in digital transformation in a change-averse domain
Go to podcast archives
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Insights & Research
Telehealth visits increased 63-fold for Medicare patients, according to HHS study
A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that telehealth use increased 63-fold during the pandemic. But it also found significant disparities in telehealth use between urban and rural residents. MedCity News
Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinician ambulatory electronic health record use
A study of Epic-using ambulatory care clinicians finds that EHR clinician time and after-hours work dropped early in the pandemic but had recovered by July 2020. Patient messages increased 157% of the pre-pandemic average, with each message requiring more than two minutes of additional clinician EHR time. The authors speculate that increased messaging was caused by the increased use of patient portals, leading them to conclude that higher message volume will persist. JAMIA
Patients, healthcare providers have privacy concerns about telemedicine, report finds
Despite the increase in telehealth use throughout the pandemic, patients and medical professionals alike have voiced concerns about its privacy and safety, a recently published report found. Becker’s Hospital Review
Events
Today in Health IT podcast with Paddy Padmanabhan at the CHIME Fall Forum 21
In this podcast, Paddy Padmanabhan discusses the state of digital health and how it will play out in healthcare with host Bill Russell. Podcast Recording
Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Reimagine Patient Journeys Through Whole-Person Care
In this webinar, Paddy Padmanabhan and Craig Thomas of Sanitas USA, discuss how the pandemic has amplified the need to accelerate the transformation of provider organizations, the barriers that hamper providers from achieving success, and more. View the session recording here. Session recording
Chart of the week
Urban vs. Rural Rates of Telehealth and In-Person Medicare FFS Part B Visits per Week in 2020, per 1000 Beneficiaries.
Damo Thought Leadership and Media Mentions
Is healthcare too hard for Big Tech firms?
With Google Health and Apple both reported to be, respectively, closing down and scaling back their healthcare efforts, it’s worth asking just how disruptive consumer technology companies can be in this hugely complex and fragmented industry. Blog
The book by Paddy Padmanabhan that provides actionable insights on developing enterprise digital roadmaps and implementing digital health solutions at every touchpoint in a consumer’s journey. Book
Other Stuff We're Reading
In a drug-pricing system driven by perverse incentives and greed, everyone wins but patients suffering from America’s most expensive chronic disease. Fortune
As Mark Zuckerberg aims to build his social network empire into the foundation for a virtual metaverse, his other company is tying itself even more closely to the physical world and the delicate human bodies that reside there. STAT News
Digital Health Funding, M&A
Kaiser, Mubadala, B Cap may invest $150 million in Innovaccer
US hospital and health insurance giant Kaiser Permanente is joining forces with UAE’s Mubadala and B Capital, the investment firm launched by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Raj Ganguly, formerly of Bain Capital, to invest $150 million in Innovacer, said people in the know. The Economic Times
Voice assistant startup Suki raises $55M
The company is working on a voice assistant to lighten clinicians’ documentation burdens by automating some of that work. It faces competition from large companies like Nuance, which was acquired by Microsoft earlier this year. MedCity News
Bright Health banks $750M investment from Cigna Ventures, New Enterprise Associates
Insurtech startup Bright Health has secured a $750 million capital investment that includes funding from Cigna Ventures. Fierce Healthcare
Cerebral Inc. lands $300M; AI-backed clinical assistant Robin rakes in $50M
Digital mental health startup Cerebral Inc. scored $300 million in equity funding. This new round brings the company’s total raise to $462 million. MobiHealth News
SoftBank backs mental health app Cerebral, giving it $4.8B valuation
The company recently raised a $300 million funding round led by SoftBank’s second vision fund. It’s one of several digital health startups looking to address access to mental healthcare. MedCity News
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