Health IT

Three trends from the Digital Health Summit at #CES2018

#CES2018 was chock-full of new technologies to check out on the healthcare front. But despite the overwhelming amount of booths and presentations, a few key trends emerged out of the Digital Health Summit.

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From pole-dancing robots (yes, really) to smart fridges, this year’s CES was chock-full of technology. Even on the healthcare front, there was far too much for one reporter to check out over the course of two days.

Despite the overwhelming amount of booths and presentations, a few takeaways stood out. Here are the key trends that emerged out of the 2018 Digital Health Summit at CES.

Healthcare is moving to the home
This is nothing new, but it was undoubtedly highlighted at the summit in Las Vegas.

During a conversation at the conference, TytoCare Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Cutler talked about his company’s approach to telehealth. Through its TytoHome solution, it allows consumers to perform an exam at home and connect with their own physician through video. TytoHome comes complete with attachments for measuring a patient’s temperature and heart rate and examining the throat, ears and more.

Medically Home, which was also present at CES, has its own strategy. Its model relies on remote monitors and other technology. Patients are thus able to use their home as their care site.

The definition of healthcare is changing
Healthcare isn’t solely limited to what were traditionally considered medical conditions. The sector is expanding its definition. “Healthcare” has been revised to mean whole health, which encompasses every body part as well as mental health.

Virtual reality is emerging as a potential treatment for mental health issues such as anxiety. Lumen is a self-guided meditative experience aimed at doing just that. Launched by TIME Inc. and created in collaboration with Walter Greenleaf of the Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Lumen utilizes VR to help patients reach a calmer state. The platform was demoed during the Digital Health Summit.

However, not everyone has come to recognize what healthcare includes. Conditions like anxiety and depression are often separated from the rest of healthcare. They’re pushed to the side while the “medical stuff” is dealt with using a different pot of cash, Reena Pande, CMO of AbleTo, said during a panel discussion.

“Actually, you want to spend more on behavioral health,” she added.

Healthcare is moving toward personalization
Out of all three trends, this was perhaps the most frequently reiterated. It starts with a look at the current status of a sector like wearables.

“The problem people have with non-medical-grade trackers is they stop seeing the benefits,” Alexis Zervoglos, chief business officer of Qardio, said during the Digital Health Summit. “At some point, 10,000 steps isn’t enough.”

That’s why folks like David Rhew, CMO of Samsung Electronics America, believe a shift is going to happen.

“Down the road, we’re going to start to see devices like wearables being personalized to your condition,” he said during a separate discussion at the conference.

Len Greer, president of Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions, echoed Rhew’s thoughts.

“The reality is a tracker is telling me that I haven’t taken enough steps,” he said during an interview. “None of those things are really news to me. What would be helpful is to remind me that doing those things correctly will help me achieve what I want.”

Greer also commented on J&J’s recently announced Health Partner platform, which integrates behavioral science and technology to help patients better prepare for surgery and recovery. The platform can be personalized to each patient, who can use it to set their own unique goals.

“It’s to help them focus on some mission or purpose,” Greer said. “They can use it as an intrinsic motivator.”

Photo: MATJAZ SLANIC, Getty Images

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