The healthcare industry's annual showcase of innovative ideas is off to a good start. Here's what attendees are talking about.
This week's HLTH 2024 event in Las Vegas is giving the industry's innovators a chance to make their case for new technologies and strategies. But at a time when healthcare seems as fragmented and costly as ever, what are themes here that really resonate?
Here are three gleaned from the first two days in Sin City.
AI is Still the Talk of the Town
AI is as big as ever, and very few conversations in the Venetian don't include some mention of how revolutionary the technology will make healthcare—for the health systems and hospitals, the payers and, most importantly, the patient. In fact, it's the consumer/patient who stands to really influence how healthcare evolves. They're using AI tools to better understand their healthcare needs and options, and they're connecting with both their health plans and their care providers (or providers recommended to them) to map out that healthcare journey.
The talk on the HLTH 2024 floor is that payers and providers may be jumping all in on AI, but they have to develop their strategies carefully and purposefully to meet patient/consumer needs and preferences. And that means understanding how to use data coming in from all angles, including some very non-traditional channels. In short, AI is revolutionary, but it's important to learn how to surf that wave rather than go under.
Healthcare Collaboration Will Focus on Navigation
That may be the biggest theme coming out of HLTH, and it's something Glen Tullman and Transcarent are emphasizing with their release of WayFinding, an AI-powered platform for benefits navigation, clinical guidance and care delivery. True disruptors in the healthcare space recognize that so many health systems and hospitals offered limited pathways to care for their patients, while payers rely on the "in-network" strategy to guide members on a certain path. But the healthcare marketplace is much larger, with new options and ideas available to the consumer almost daily.
As AI evolves and true innovators understand the marketplace, they'll create platforms on which consumers can select what services they need, with AI in the background analyzing their needs and giving them the relevant options. Providers will need to be transparent with what they can offer, and payers will be on hand to manage the financial strategies and give guidance. Primary care, specialists, behavioral healthcare, pediatric care, oral and eye care, rehabilitation providers even services that address SDOH like nutrition counselors and alternative therapies will have a place on this platform.
It's admittedly an ambitious and optimistic view of the healthcare landscape of the future, but that's what AI could do if applied strategically. And it's what consumers will demand as they come to realize how they can control their healthcare choices.
From Niche Services to an Enterprise Platform
Again, the platform. But from the healthcare executive's perspective, this is where health systems and hospitals can develop their presence. Healthcare is inundated with services and technologies that address specific populations or conditions. The Exhibit halls of events like HLTH, ViVE, CES, HIMSS and ATA all feature companies offering unique and specialized services or technologies. Those solutions may be quite effective, but health systems and hospitals have to look at a much larger patient base.
Healthcare leaders are now interested in enterprise-wide platforms that can allow care providers to better coordinate and manage care for their patients. They'll put a premium on interoperability, and tools and services that can integrate with the health system and its technical infrastructure (the EHR). The ongoing workforce shortage will put a premium on services that can be delivered on virtual channels, allowing providers to reach the patient without straining the already-stressed enterprise.
And this is how providers can best address SDOH. Using AI and other tools to understand the challenges and needs of their patients, they can populate this enterprise platform with programs and services that address those challenges. And they'll be able to scale out these services to reach larger populations, improving sustainability.
These are all, admittedly, optimistic strategies. But that seems to be the mood at HLTH this year, amid the usual trappings of Las Vegas and the parade of celebrities on the Main Stage putting their name and face to high-profile public health issues. Healthcare may be in a rough place right now, beset by cost and quality issues, clashes with payers and a declining workforce, but there are innovative ideas out there that deserve attention. And with AI, the chances are good they'll get their chance.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor for Innovation at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
AI is as big as ever, and very few conversations in the Venetian don’t include some mention of how revolutionary the technology will make healthcare.
As AI evolves and true innovators understand the marketplace, they’ll create platforms on which consumers can select what services they need.
Healthcare leaders are now interested in enterprise-wide platforms that can allow care providers to better coordinate and manage care.