The FDIC take-over of the Silicon Valley Bank this weekend will hit the healthcare technology market hard, affecting not only digital health startups but health systems looking to plan their innovation strategies.
The collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank last week sent a shudder through the healthcare industry, and could have an impact on the digital health ecosystem for some time.
SVB, the 16th largest bank in the country, reportedly had almost $80 billion in deposit and investments—many from healthcare technology companies and venture capital firms—when a run on withdrawals Thursday forced the bank to shut down. Its total assets, according to federal regulators, stood at roughly $209 billion, with some reports saying more than 97% of that was uninsured.
That run was caused by an announcement on Wednesday by the bank, which said it needed money to address a $1.8 billion hole caused by the sale of a $21 billion loss-making bond portfolio consisting mainly of US Treasuries.
This, in turn, created turmoil in the banking sector, with several banks reporting rapidly declining stocks. By the end of the day Thursday, more than $80 billion in stock market value from 18 of the world's biggest banks had disappeared.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) stepped in on Friday and seized the bank, transferring insured deposits to the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Santa Clara. Over the weekend the FDIC announced that insured depositors would have access to their money on Monday morning, while uninsured depositors would have access to at least an advance dividend and a receivership dividend.
Social media was filled with stories of digital health startups scrambling to determine whether they could make payroll, or even remain in business.
According to SVB, the bank was used by more than three-quarters of healthcare-based, VC-backed initial public offerings (IPOs) over the past three years. News reports listed some of the digital health clients as Dispatch Health, Oak Street Health—recently purchased by CVS Health--and Privia Health.
Analysts say this could affect a digital health innovation market that had been flush with cash just a few years ago, when the pandemic contributed to a surge in digital health and telehealth adoption and many banks and investment firms were eager to support these new ideas. This was also helped by federal and state actions reducing barriers to telehealth adoption and reimbursement.
The end of the pandemic, along with a struggling economy, is forcing many healthcare organizations to reassess their innovation strategies. They're pushing startups to show value and demonstrate ROI quickly.
"This is an 'extinction level event' that will set startups and innovation back by 10 years or more," Garry Tan, president and CEO of California-based startup accelerator Y Combinator, said on Twitter, adding that thousands of smaller tech companies could collapse "before the FDIC gets through its receivership process and releases the funds" that these companies need to pay bills.
The impacts of the SVB collapse might also be seen in upcoming healthcare events like ViVE and HIMSS, where innovation is a popular topic. The crisis could impact attendance and cut into the activity in the exhibit hall.
A new study from Trilliant Health finds that the number of people needing help for behavioral health issues is outpacing the healthcare industry's efforts to meet demand, and driving a need for more and better telehealth and digital health services.
The surge in demand for behavioral health services is pushing providers to embrace telehealth and digital health solutions, according to a new report.
The report, Trends Shaping the Health Economy: Behavioral Health, from analytics and market research firm Trilliant Health, finds that behavioral health visit volume has jumped 18% over pre-pandemic levels, and the percentage of virtual visits for behavioral health concerns has surged from 34.4% in 2019 to 63.8% in 2022.
This increase, the study noted, isn't driven by frequent users, but by those seeking help for the first time or occasionally: Some 66% of patients diagnosed with a mental health condition saw a care provider five or fewer times per year.
And it's driving up costs. According to the report, behavioral health issues can exacerbate other health issues, such as diabetes or hypertension, driving up cost by some 20%.
Combined with noted increases in patients seeking specialized behavioral care services and the use of prescription drugs, the study paints a picture of an industry struggling to catch up.
"While the magnitude of the national behavioral crisis is well documented, less is known about how the pandemic changed the behavioral healthcare journey for patients," Sanjula Jain, PhD, Trilliant Health's chief research officer and SVP of market strategy, said in a press release accompanying the report. "Our longitudinal analysis of how Americans accessed care and were treated for behavioral health conditions reveals that, despite increased investments in technology-enabled behavioral health services and inpatient psychiatric capacity, demand continues to outpace available supply."
“This mismatch is already resulting in fewer patients receiving specialized behavioral healthcare, increased prescription use and comorbidity risk, while also growing the total cost of care," Jain added. "These distressing trends suggest that by the laws of economics, the post-pandemic behavioral health market will likely increase the economic burden facing the US healthcare system, which is already fast approaching 20% of GDP.”
The study, compiled from claims databases, also found that the demand for and use of prescription drugs in behavioral health has grown to 21.5% of all prescriptions in 2021. One alarming trend is the prescription of Adderall or its generic equivalent for treatment of ADHD for patients age 22-44. That segment of the population saw a 58.2% increase in prescriptions from 2018 to 2022, while other age groups remained relatively consistent before and after the pandemic.
As for specific behavioral health concerns, anxiety and depressive disorders accounted for 40% of all behavioral health visits in the first half of 2021, yet the condition with the highest increase since 2019 was eating disorders (52.6%). That was followed by anxiety (47.9%), alcohol- and substance-abuse (27.4%), depression (24.4%) and bipolar disorder (12.2%).
The report also finds that those under 18 years old are in need of behavioral health services more than any other age group – with diagnoses for eating disorders more than doubling between 2018 and 2022, followed by depressive disorders (44%). And prescription for this age group jumped 35% over the same time frame.
The jump in virtual visits for behavioral health means that fewer people are seeking help at the hospital. According to the report, the overall share of behavioral health visits to the ED has decreased over the past four years.
But there's a catch. Of those going to the ED for treatment for depression or anxiety, almost half didn't receive follow-up care within 60 days, and 84% of patients seeking treatment for alcohol or substance abuse disorder didn't seek follow-up care at a inpatient or residential treatment center within 60 days. In fact, almost 10% of those patients returned to the ED within 30 days.
The upshot of the study is that America's healthcare industry isn't keeping up with the surge of people needing help for behavioral health issues, even as more healthcare organizations embrace digital health and telehealth to address access issues. The challenge lies not only in adding virtual care alongside in-person care but making the process as easy and intuitive as possible.
The health system is partnering with the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina to add healthcare and wellness services, including telehealth clinics, in 17 sites across seven counties.
Novant Health is expanding access to health and wellness services for underserved populations through the YMCA.
The four-state, 15-hospital health system is bolstering a long-standing partnership with the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina with a program that includes wellness resources, support for youth sports, and on-site and telehealth healthcare services in 17 locations across seven counties.
The partnership seeks to close gaps in care by offering access to services in areas where it may be difficult to connect with healthcare providers, and through community-based locations that are easy to reach. The health system will use TytoCare telemedicine technology to facilitate virtual visits.
For example, Novant Health is building a 1,500-square-foot clinic inside the Winston Lake Family YMCA, which serves the East Winston-Salem community. The first-of-its-kind clinic will offer primary care, women's and children's care, rehabilitation services and diabetes and nutrition support resources. The clinic is expected to open in 2024, and services will be provided through a mobile community care cruiser until then.
“From diabetes prevention to cancer survivorship, Novant Health and the YMCA have always offered complementary services for our communities,” Chad Setliff, senior vice president and president of Winston-Salem-based Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, said in a press release. “Moving forward, we’ll offer a more integrated wellness experience that leverages the best of both organizations to improve health outcomes for patients and members, strengthen wellness offerings, and reduce barriers to care through a combination of digital tools and co-located clinics.”
“Now more than ever, organizations need to truly collaborate and partner together to drive systemic, meaningful change in our communities,” added Darryl Head, president and CEO of the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina. “Our strategic health and wellness partnership with Novant Health is an example of what can happen when two organizations work together to make change happen. Not only does this collaboration highlight our shared community benefit, but it will also expand our combined services, create new and innovative programming, and bring additional healthcare opportunities to East Winston, one of our most vulnerable areas, with a new, in-branch clinic.”
Health system executives said each new clinic will offer services identified through a Community Health Needs Assessment.
The hospital is launching a pilot program in which 80 patients being treated for blood cancer will use a VR platform to address behavioral health and care management issues.
Massachusetts General Hospital will be enrolling 80 patients in a trial program testing the value of a virtual reality digital therapeutic platform on behavioral health.
MGH, which is Harvard Medical School's largest teaching hospital, is partnering with Rocket VR Health on the program, which aims to improve quality of life, symptom burden, psychological distress, and self-efficacy for patients living with blood cancers who are undergoing hematopoietic set cell transplants (HCT). These patients often deal with a wide range of health concerns during their four-week hospital stay that can affect both short- and long-term health and wellness.
"The capacity to use VR to improve the physical and psychological wellbeing of patients with cancer enduring prolonged hospitalization can increase access and potential for scalability and dissemination of this supportive care platform," Areej El-Jawahri, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, director of digital health at the Mass General Cancer Center, and a co-investigator of the study, said in a press release.
“Today, we can deliver therapeutic VR interventions on lightweight, affordable and ergonomic headsets with therapeutic experiences that are more engaging than what has been possible in the past," Rocket VR Health Co-founder and CEO Sid Desai added. "This study will guide us towards validating the efficacy of our digital therapeutic in our effort to build the go-to distress management solution for hospitalized patients.”
MGH and Rocket VR Health have been working since 2021 on a digital therapeutic platform incorporating VR technology, leveraging research on palliative care interventions for patients undergoing HCT. They've developed a four-week program that includes interactive sessions, doctor holograms and meditations in nature-based locations.
HealthLeaders editor Melanie Blackman is joined by Tiffany Miller, DBA, MHA, CEO of Yoakum Community Hospital, a 100-year-old, 23-bed critical access hospital located in Yoakum, Texas. During the conversation, Tiffany talks about transitioning into her role earlier this year, strategies she's looking forward to implementing, and shares advice for aspiring healthcare leaders.
Lehigh Valley Health Network's chief of neurological surgery is using the innovative technology to educate his patients and improve surgical procedures.
Healthcare organizations are slowly embracing augmented and virtual reality for a variety of uses centering around education and training. But the ability to take a two-dimensional image or concept and give it depth and substance also holds promise for clinical care—even surgery.
As chief of the division of neurological surgery at the Lehigh Valley Health Network, Walter Jean, MD, has been using AR and VR for more than five years, not only to plan delicate surgeries, but to actually do those surgeries as well. The technology helps him to get a better look at a patient's anatomy both before and during the procedure.
"It's basically operating with GPS," he says. "And it's getting better. Every year the technology improves, and we're seeing more nuances. It's gotten quite apparent that we're going to see surgeries become much smaller and less invasive."
Jean is one of the front-runners in using AR and VR in surgery, where he uses the technology to help his patients understand what they're going through and what he can do for them. He is an integral part of the Fleming Neuroscience Institute at LVHN, which supports the use of those and other state-of-the-art tools and platforms and to attract and train top talent.
"Augmented Reality (AR) is a real-world augmented experience with overlaying or mixing simulated digital imagery with the real world as seen through a camera or display, such as a smartphone or head-mounted or heads-up display (HUD). Digital imagery may be able to interact with real surroundings (often controlled by users). This is sometimes referred to as mixed or merged reality."
"Virtual Reality (VR) is a virtual world immersive experience that may require a headset to completely replace a user's surrounding view with a simulated, immersive, and interactive virtual environment."
Both technologies, the FDA says, "have the potential to transform healthcare, delivering altogether new types of treatments and diagnostics, and changing how and where care is delivered. Central to their potential in diagnosis and treatment is their ability to deliver both standard and entirely new types of content in highly immersive and realistic ways, remotely, and tailored to a variety of clinical contexts. Physicians, patients, and caregivers can enlist AR/VR to help them prepare for, or perform, certain treatments or procedures."
At LVHN, Jean uses the platform first to help his patients understand both their medical conditions and how he treats them. The process is much better, he says, than giving them images and trying to get them to imagine what's going on inside them.
"You're taking 2D images and converting them to multi-colored 3D renderings in VR," he says. "It's much easier for them to comprehend, for example, where a tumor is and what it does. It's also much easier for doctors to explain the intervention."
The platform also gives doctors an opportunity to better understand and map out a surgery before it takes place, an important benefit when one is talking about neurosurgery and the brain. Imagine, Jean says, stepping into the pathology of a patient rather than viewing it in images, and planning your journey before taking it.
Then, he says, imagine taking that technology into the operating room.
Jean says the platform is integrated with technology-aided microscopes that project images onto the patient, guiding surgeons every step of the way. The process enables surgeons to be more precise with their movements, reducing everything from the size of the incision and subsequent surgery to the recovery time, which in turn improves clinical outcomes.
And that, he says, is where the next phase of innovation is likely to target. While the platform is now contained within tech-enabled microscopes, future iterations might separate the technology from the microscope and allow clinicians to use VR goggles or smartglasses, giving them more freedom to move around during the procedure.
In addition, Jean sees the use of AR and VR in surgical procedures expanding to other specialties and other parts of the body as well, especially in surgical procedures that are delicate and complex, like spinal surgery.
And finally, he sees the potential for AR and VT technology in reducing health inequities across the globe. Millions of surgical procedures aren’t being done in underserved parts of the globe because clinicians there lack access to the necessary guidance and resources. AR and VR technology could link those providers to specialists in other countries, such as the US, to teach them how to perform certain procedures and guide them during those procedures.
As an example, Jean points to the pediatric neurosurgery partnership that now connects the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Global Surgery Program at Children's of Alabama with physicians in Vietnam. Using a telemedicine platform called VIPAAR (Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality) on standard iPads, specialist at UAB and Children's of Atlanta have been guiding doctors in Ho Chi Minh City on certain surgical procedures targeting epilepsy.
"There is a lot of potential here," says Jean. "Yes, there is some nervousness attached to it as it's a new way of using technology, but this is a gift that will keep on giving."
Azizi Seixas, PhD, who is chairing the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's new Department of Informatics and Health Data Science, talks about the benefits and challenges of using data in healthcare.
Today's healthcare landscape is all about data—collecting it, analyzing it, using it, and making sure that it's accurate and reliable and not stuffed into a silo where it can't be easily accessed.
With that in mind, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine recently launched the Department of Informatics and Health Data Science, with a goal of "reimagin(ing) academic medicine, healthcare, and the life sciences to make profound improvements in patient care." To lead this new venture, the university has selected as interim chair Azizi Seixas, PhD, director of the Media and Innovation Lab and Population Health Informatics in the school's Institute of Data Science and Computing and associate director of the Center for Translational Sleep and Circadian Sciences.
“We are bringing in data scientists, biostatisticians, and computer scientists, but that’s just the start," Seixas, a noted data evangelist who spent several years at NYU Langone Health before joining the University of Miami in 2021, said in a recent press release. "We are also reexamining the Miller School’s relationship with data to make transformative changes in healthcare. We're entering this space to redefine it.”
Seixas recently sat down—virtually—with HealthLeaders to talk about the new department and his views on the use of data in healthcare.
Q. This is a new department. How was it created?
Seixas: The Department of Informatics and Health Data Science was created at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to address the growing need for health data analytics and informatics in today's rapidly changing healthcare landscape. The department's focus is on developing innovative solutions to enhance patient care, improve health outcomes, and optimize the use of healthcare resources through the use of data-driven approaches. With the increasing importance of data in healthcare decision-making and research, the [department] is committed to training the next generation of healthcare informatics professionals and advancing the field through cutting-edge research and partnerships with industry leaders.
Q. How will this department affect how healthcare is measured and delivered?
Seixas: By leveraging advanced data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques, the department will enable healthcare providers to identify patterns, trends, and insights in patient data that were previously undetectable.
Azizi Seixas, PhD, interim chair of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Department of Informatics and Health Data Science. Photo courtesy University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
This will not only improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care, but it will also facilitate the development of more effective treatment protocols, personalized medicine, and innovative medical devices. Additionally, the department will develop new methodologies for managing and analyzing health data, making it easier to securely store, access, and share data across different institutions.
Ultimately, the creation of this department represents a transformative shift in how healthcare is practiced, moving from a reactive model that responds to acute illnesses to a proactive model that focuses on preventing disease and optimizing health outcomes through data-driven insights.
Q. What technologies will you be using?
Seixas: We will be focusing on a range of technologies to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. This includes leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyze complex health data and develop predictive models for disease prevention and management. We will also be using digital technology to improve communication and collaboration among healthcare providers, as well as implementing remote patient monitoring to enhance patient care and access. We will also be trailblazing cloud and edge computing to facilitate the use of internet-of-things digital devices for real-time patient care whereby patients can be monitored at home and provide real-time insights to improve and achieve health and wellness.
In addition, our department will be exploring the use of digital biomarkers and digital therapeutics to personalize treatments and optimize health outcomes for patients. We believe that by integrating these cutting-edge technologies into healthcare, we can revolutionize the way healthcare is delivered and improve the lives of patients across the globe.
Q. What are the challenges you see ahead in obtaining and using data?
Seixas: There are several challenges that we anticipate. One of the biggest challenges is data quality, as there is often incomplete or inaccurate data that needs to be cleaned and standardized before it can be used effectively. Additionally, there are concerns around data privacy and security, which need to be carefully managed to ensure patient confidentiality and compliance with regulations.
Another challenge is interoperability, as different systems and platforms may use different data formats and structures that need to be reconciled for meaningful analysis. Finally, there are issues around data ownership and access, as different stakeholders may have competing interests in how data is collected and used. Addressing these challenges will be critical to maximizing the potential of health data for improving patient outcomes and driving innovation in healthcare.
Q. What new technologies or strategies do you want to use? What's on the horizon?
Seixas: The [department] is focused on leveraging new and emerging technologies to advance healthcare. One exciting area of focus is digital twins, which can facilitate precision and personalized population health. By creating digital representations of patients, clinicians and researchers can gain a deeper understanding of individual health and develop personalized treatment plans.
Other technologies and strategies we are exploring include advanced analytics, machine learning, and remote patient monitoring. We are also committed to addressing the challenges around data privacy, security, and interoperability to ensure that data is collected, analyzed, and used in an ethical and responsible manner. Overall, our goal is to improve patient outcomes and transform the way healthcare is delivered through innovative uses of technology and data.
Q. How will health systems be able to learn from your department? What do you hope to teach them on how to gather and use data?
Seixas: In addition to helping healthcare systems learn how to gather and use data, we also hope to work closely with life sciences and clinical operations to advance innovation in these areas. Our department will provide training and education on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, machine learning, and digital biomarkers, as well as offer courses on precision and personalized population health, digital therapeutics, and remote patient monitoring.
Through these efforts, we aim to create a new cadre of medical providers and scientists who are innovative and have a deep understanding of how to leverage data and technology to improve patient outcomes. This will ultimately lead to better decision-making, more efficient operations, and improved overall quality of care.
Additionally, we plan to collaborate with life sciences and clinical operations [department] on research projects that leverage the power of data and technology to accelerate drug discovery, improve clinical trials, and optimize care delivery. Our goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between the various stakeholders in healthcare, all working towards the common goal of advancing patient care and improving health outcomes.
Q. Are there specific programs or services offered by health systems that you feel this department can refine or improve?
Seixas: There are several programs and services offered by health systems that we believe our department can help refine and improve through digital transformation. Our focus is not on any one specific department, but rather on collaborating across all areas of the health system to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. We will also be instrumental in the digital transformation of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
One area of particular interest is improving the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials through the use of digital technologies such as AI, machine learning, and digital biomarkers. We also aim to improve the delivery of care through the use of remote patient monitoring, digital therapeutics, and other digital technologies that can help patients better manage their own health.
Q. Are there any trends or practices in healthcare now that you would like to end? In other words, what are healthcare providers doing wrong?
Seixas: One trend that I would like to see change is the overreliance on hospital-based care.
Many medical procedures and treatments can now be provided at home, with the right technology and support. Additionally, decentralizing healthcare by making it more accessible to all, including those in underserved and remote areas, is crucial. Healthcare providers are not doing anything wrong, but they are often overwhelmed and suffer from huge burnout.
The use of AI and technology can help alleviate some of these burdens and allow for more focus on patient care. We will be focusing on developing innovative solutions that empower patients and healthcare providers, and promote healthcare at home and decentralized care. We hope to be key players in the digital transformation of healthcare and to help improve the overall health of our communities.
Q. Do consumers or patients have a role to play in this department?
Seixas: By using digital technology and tools such as patient portals, wearables, and remote monitoring devices, patients can actively participate in their own healthcare and contribute to the collection of health data. Additionally, patient feedback and input can be used to improve healthcare delivery and inform the development of new technologies and strategies. The department also aims to educate patients and the general public about health data science and the importance of data-driven healthcare decisions.
Q. How do you see your work evolving in, say, 10 years?
Seixas: In the next 10 years, we expect to see significant advancements in healthcare technologies and data science. Our department will continue to stay at the forefront of these developments and help shape the future of healthcare delivery.
We see ourselves expanding our partnerships and collaborations with other institutions and industries to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. We also anticipate a greater emphasis on precision and personalized medicine, with the use of digital twins and other cutting-edge technologies becoming more commonplace.
Our focus will remain on using data-driven insights to improve healthcare delivery and patient care. Ultimately, we hope to be at the forefront of a paradigm shift in healthcare, where digital technology and data science play an integral role in shaping the future of medicine.
A new report from the Consumer Technology Association finds that both consumers and providers are bullish on the value of consumer-facing digital health technology, but there are still barriers to widespread adoption.
Consumer-facing digital health technology has the potential to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes, according to healthcare providers eyeing the market. Yet those providers also say the technology isn't living up to that promise.
That's the main takeaway from a new report from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), Driving Consumer Adoption of Digital Health Solutions. The report, prepared with IPSOS and culled from interviews with 1,000 consumers, 300 providers, and a dozen digital health companies, finds that consumers and providers are both ready to embrace digital health, but they often find issues with the technology that sour their interest.
“Economic, social, and geographic divides make the adoption of health technology at scale challenging," René Quashie, CTA's vice president of digital health, said in a press release accompanying the report. "Digital health technologies need to be adaptable, portable, and meet the needs of consumers. Healthcare providers can drive adoption by building and sharing awareness of the tools available, while lowering barriers to entry.”
The consumer-facing digital health market is large and growing, and includes mobile health devices like blood pressure monitors, insulin pumps and pulse oximeters, mHealth apps , smart devices like scales, wearables (like smartwatches and fitness bands) and smart patches, AR/VR devices, hearing aids, even pacemakers, defibrillators, and portable ECG kits.
The research touches on a long-standing gap between consumer-facing technology and the healthcare industry, which often casts a skeptical eye on the validity and reliability of those products. Many companies are seeking to bridge that gap by developing products that meet clinical standards, while healthcare organizations are exploring innovative ways to use consumer products in health and wellness programs.
According to the CTA, whose annual CES event in Las Vegas is attracting more healthcare organizations each year, digital health companies need to focus more on building consumer awareness around the healthcare benefits of their products, while also talking to providers about their products and rallying behind policies that drive access to digital health.
According to the report, 58% of healthcare providers agree that these digital health solutions can lessen the burden on the healthcare industry, yet 44% say the products aren't living up to their potential. Among consumers, the top reason for using these devices is to take control of one's own health, followed by accessibility, reliability and the support of an insurer.
The cost of these products is the main barrier to widespread adoption or continued use. Providers say adoption could be increased through more clinical evidence proving the value of the technology and more support from payers.
The Health Systems Implementation Initiative features a wide range of healthcare organizations that will be adopting comparative clinical research strategies supported by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
More than 40 health systems have joined a new program aimed at adopting innovative practices and technologies to improve clinical outcomes.
The organizations have joined the Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII), a $50 million effort being shepherded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The HSII aims to advance the adoption of comparative clinical effectiveness research results that PCORI has supported over the years.
“Comparative clinical effectiveness research produces actionable information that helps people make informed healthcare choices and improve their outcomes, but even the best evidence only works if clinicians and health systems are aware of it and can use it,” PCORI Executive Director Nakela Cook, MD, MPH, said in a March 2 press release. “Leveraging health systems’ on-the-ground knowledge and experience in care delivery will enhance PCORI’s efforts to implement practice-changing findings in clinical care and accelerate sustainable and scalable efforts to support lasting changes.”
The 42 health systems joining HSII, representing 800 hospitals serving 79 million patients, will also be candidates for funding awards from PCORI to advance capacity-building programs. Each participating health system can earn up to $500,000, with awards being announced this summer. Future funding announcements for health systems that launch programs supported by PCORI research could range from $500,000 to $5 million.
Officials said the participating health systems will not only be part of a collaborative network sharing best practices, metrics and other resources, but will also help PCORI develop new topics for future research.
“HSII provides a unique opportunity for participant health systems with a wide range of capacities and patient populations to adopt evidence-based, care-transforming approaches,” Harv Feldman, MD, MSCE, PCORI’s deputy executive director for patient-centered research programs, said in the press release. “The vital financial and peer support provided through HSII will not only facilitate the uptake of useful evidence that can improve patient outcomes, but also lay the groundwork for future, nationwide scale-up of successful implementation approaches.”
Virtua Health is using AI technology to fine-tune its messages to patients, giving them access to the right information at the right time.
One of the more popular current uses of AI in healthcare is to improve marketing and messaging campaigns. This includes getting the word out to the right population that they’re good candidates for a specific healthcare service.
Virtua Health, for example, has been using AI for several years to refine engagement campaigns. One such campaign targeted people with or at a risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Working with digital health company Actium Health, the 400-site New Jersey health system created a messaging campaign that increased patient engagement and scheduled check-ups and generated roughly $800,000 in revenues.
The health system is also using the technology to target teens and young adults in need of bariatric surgery, a tricky and often underserved population that would just as easily steer clear of healthcare if the message wasn't right. And while one recent study finds that more teens are getting the surgery, experts say this service could save many more lives.
"There's an art and a science to marketing," says Ryan Younger, Virtua Health's vice president of marketing. "You want to connect the right people to the right information that they would find most helpful, so that they can choose their own path. It's not easy."
Whereas healthcare organizations traditionally send out mailers to targeted demographic groups, the advent of AI technology has made the process much more efficient. Using algorithms that comb through claims and EHR data (and, more recently, social determinants of health), health systems, health plans, and CRM companies can drill down to specific people and offer personalized messages.
For Virtua, this platform led to the scheduling of more than 470 bariatric surgeries and 8,500 scheduled appointments to related services, which in turn boosted revenues. More important, it helped the health system get in front of patients who needed access to care, and who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten that care.
"There are a lot of challenges to accessing healthcare, especially in underserved groups," Younger points out. "This helps us to [address] health equity as well."
While emphasizing that the platform gives patients the resources they need to make their own healthcare decisions, Younger notes that the information is more personal than a generic mailer or message. And where those traditional campaigns were lucky to get a 20% open rate, newer outreach efforts are pushing that number even higher. Simply put, the more personal the message, the greater chance that it will engage the reader and make an impact.
"We want to get in front of people [and see that] they're interested in the message," he says. "I know it's still a pleasant surprise when that works … but we're getting better at this."
Younger says the value of these programs goes beyond extra services and revenues. Better engagement means that patients are getting the care they need or the resources they need to improve their health and wellness. That translates to improved clinical outcomes, as well as fewer acute care needs and hospitalizations later on.
Aside from cardiovascular health and bariatric surgeries, Virtua has used the platform to reach out to patients at high risk for breast cancer, a campaign that can save lives through early detection and diagnosis. Younger says the opportunities are plenty, ranging from bone and joint care to kidney care to cancer and behavioral health services.
"Bariatrics is such an important issue because it's a long patient journey," Younger says. "It can take more than a year, with a lot of requirements and choices to make. It's so important that we get the right information in front of them as soon as possible [so that they] can make those decisions."
