It seems as though there’s an ever-increasing number of companies entering the healthcare space. And in a sense, all of them have a similar mission: to fix our country’s broken healthcare system. Are these organizations are actually solving the issue or contributing to the fragmentation of healthcare?
At HLTH in Las Vegas, a group of panelists was asked this very question about their companies’ intentions.
“I hope not,” Lori Evans Bernstein, cofounder and COO of HealthReveal, said in response to the query. “I really hope not.”
The New York City startup is leveraging analytics to examine the health of at-risk patients and determine when to provide assistance. Instead, she posited that HealthReveal is working in response to the system’s fragmentation by using various sources, including claims and EHR data.
Daniel Etra, cofounder and CEO of New York City-based Rethink, said his company seeks to provide a solution that unites “all the different elements involved in the care” of a specific child. The entity uses technology to assist families of children with developmental disabilities, and its clients include everyone from large employers to public school districts to government agencies.
Livongo chairman and CEO Glen Tullman answered the inquiry with another question: “Are you satisfied with the way healthcare is working for you today?”
Chances are, the answer is no. Thus, it’s worth it for new companies to enter the healthcare arena.
Livongo, a digital health startup, utilizes connected devices and virtual coaching to assist patients with diabetes and hypertension. Tullman noted the company gives consumers the chance to opt in and opt out if they find Livongo’s solutions are not working for them.
One can also draw a parallel to the consumer tech space. No one is complaining that there are too many apps out there. “No one’s saying we need to shut down the app store,” Tullman said. If you find an app you like, you use it often.
The same goes for healthcare. If a patient has diabetes, that’s all that matters, and Livongo can be of assistance. If a consumer has autism, Rethink’s solution can have an enormous impact.
“You just need to know your issue is getting solved,” Tullman said. “The goal ought to be, how do we achieve people who say, ‘This is the best thing I’ve ever had from my healthcare provider’?”
Photo: Wavebreak, Getty Images
