Should I stay or should I go (Inoculated City)?
Monday, August 9, 2021 Issue 125 By now, readers of this newsletter have gotten used to my penchant for using pop/rock song titles as the subject line. The song I chose this week is by punk rock legends The Clash. What better metaphor could capture the zeitgeist that Casey Ross of STAT News describes as […]
Go on. Take the money and run.
Monday, August 2, 2021 Issue 124 Digital health companies are going through a steady consolidation. Startups are merging with other startups. Bigger tech firms are acquiring smaller ones. PE firms are swooping in, not wanting to miss out on all the action. The bottom line seems to be this: the incredible valuations for digital health […]
The healthcare data economy takes shape
Monday, July 26, 2021 Issue 123 My first book, The Big Unlock, was about the vast opportunity in front of healthcare organizations to harness data to drive digital health experiences. When I published the book in 2017, healthcare was horribly siloed. While new data sources were emerging, healthcare organizations were struggling to harness their patient […]
Digital health bubble? What bubble?
Monday, July 19, 2021 Issue 122 There’s a reason the subtitle to my book with Ed Marx was “how consumerism, technology and pandemic are accelerating the future.” A study published by consulting firm McKinsey points out to broad acceptance of telehealth among consumers as a factor driving the shift to virtual care. The report declares […]
Froth in the digital health markets
Monday, July 12, 2021 Issue 121 Digital health startups are having a moment. VC funding data published by VC firm Rock Health indicate that nearly $15 billion went into digital health startups for the first half of 2021. The funding levels have already surpassed the numbers for the full year 2020. To put it in […]
Digital transformation has paradoxically led to more work
Monday, June 28, 2021 Issue 120 The pandemic has dramatically expanded the role of technology in healthcare delivery. In the new era of digital/virtual/in-person care, new technologies for telehealth and virtual care models have not replaced the existing technologies – in fact, they are new and additional layers of technology that have to be actively […]
The next wave of digital health companies
Monday, June 21, 2021 Issue 119 With the CMS final rule having gone into effect and information blocking now no longer (hopefully) an issue, a new wave of innovation is getting underway. Last week, I wrote about Apple and the new health-related tools they are launching, many of which are based on information from EHR systems that consumers are granting access to. […]
Big tech goes deeper into healthcare
Tuesday, June 14, 2021 Issue 118 Over the weekend, I decided to link my Apple Health app to the Epic MyChart application from my primary care provider. Before I confirmed my choices, I had to walk through a few screens telling me clearly what I was signing up for. Here is the part that I […]
Cyberattacks, telehealth, and AI
Tuesday, June 7, 2021 Issue 117 This past week, I spoke at an event where the discussion focused on the evolving threat landscape for cyberattacks in healthcare. As recent incidents with Scripps Health and others have shown, a business can literally grind to a halt when hit with a ransomware attack. These incidents have even […]
Global supply chains and tech talent
Tuesday, June 1, 2021 Issue 116 Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. We honor those who served to protect our nation. This past weekend, I went looking for a pair of Sonos speakers for my surround sound system. The speakers were back-ordered on the company’s website with an estimated shipping date in mid-July. […]
