Execs Weigh In on the Gaps in Suicide Prevention
There are several gaps in suicide prevention, including a lack of screening and access to care. During a recent panel discussion at HLTH 2023, execs detailed what gaps need to be filled.
Heard at HLTH 2023: Execs Share Progress on Digital Health for Pharma, Hospitals, and Behavioral Health Care Coordination
In the second part of the Heard at HLTH series, executives from BrightInsight, Iodine Software, Intelligent Medical Objects, Carrum Health, Clarify Health and Trayt Health shared new developments across their businesses and perspectives on value-based care at the HLTH 2023 event.
Unlocking Transparency in PBM Pricing
The TSX Venture Exchange has a strong history of helping early-stage health and life sciences companies raise patient capital for research and development.
Exo Is On a Mission to Put an Ultrasound Machine In Every Care Provider’s Pocket
With its new handheld ultrasound device, Exo is seeking to take point-of-care ultrasound beyond just the emergency medicine field — into areas like urgent care, primary care and the home. Kurt Hammond, Exo's chief commercial officer, said that the device sets itself apart from other handheld ultrasound devices, such as those sold by GE, Philips and Butterfly Network, because its AI does a better job of making the ultrasound process quick and easy for providers.
Can Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Be Used for Prevention?
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is currently used to treat severe mental health conditions. But there is evidence it could help with prevention as well, and more research needs to be done on this, said Sherry Rais, CEO and co-founder of Enthea.
11 HLTH Announcements You Don’t Want to Miss
This year's HLTH conference brought a bevy of news announcements — from partnerships to new product features to acquisitions and more. In this list, MedCity News compiled short summaries for 11 of the conference's most notable announcements.
How Nemours Children’s Is Working to Solve the ‘Horrendous’ Youth Mental Health Crisis
If you could only do one thing to improve the health of children in the U.S., it would have to be in the behavioral health sphere, Nemours Children's Health CEO Lawrence Moss declared at HLTH. The state of youth mental health has reached a crisis point in the U.S., and Moss' health system is working hard to address this. Some of its efforts include embedding behavioral health into primary care and deploying behavioral health workers in schools.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
7 Hot Takes I Heard at HLTH
At HLTH 2023, I had dozens of conversations with providers, digital health investors, startup CEOs and other players in the healthcare industry. When I got home, I compiled seven refreshingly honest takes I heard from them while at the conference.
4 Ways Investors Think the Health Tech World Will Change in 2024
At HLTH, Bessemer investors Sofia Guerra and Steve Kraus detailed four predictions about where they think the digital health world is headed in 2024. One of these was that "services-as-software" will emerge as a new category of healthcare AI. Another was that some healthcare technology vendors will have to rethink their distribution models and rely on indirect monetization strategies.
Mercer Exec: Employers Are Extremely Concerned About Cost
Cancer and pharmacy services are driving up costs for employers. One Mercer exec recently laid out several recommendations for employers to manage these costs.
3 Questions This Healthcare Investor Finds Herself Asking Startups All The Time
At HLTH, General Catalyst Principal Candace Richardson discussed some of the questions she frequently asks startups during investment meetings. Some of these include "Do you stratify your outcomes data by different populations to ensure your model works well for everyone?" and "Is serving Medicaid populations on your roadmap?"
At ViVE 2024, Panelists Share Prior Authorization Progress and Frustration in Payer Insights Program
At the Payer Insights sessions on Day 1 of ViVE 2024, a panel on prior authorization offered compelling insights from speakers who shared the positive developments in this area after years of mounting frustration. Speakers also shared challenges as they work with providers to figure out how policy developments and technology will work in practice.
Is Medicare Advantage a Failed Experiment? Experts Debate
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage is increasing, but the program has been drawing scrutiny from the government. Can the program be saved? One expert believes Medicare Advantage is a failed experiment. Another thinks that while the program has its flaws, it shows tremendous potential.
Why the AMA President Thinks Scope of Practice Expansions Are a ‘Terrible Idea’
To address the growing physician shortage, some people argue that the scope of practice should be expanded for skilled healthcare professionals like nurse practitioners and pharmacists. American Medical Association President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld said this is a “terrible idea.” He argued that throwing other professionals into physicians' roles will have poor ramifications of patient safety. In his view, the industry should focus on uplifting strong interprofessional care teams.
Main Street Health Rakes In $315M to Scale Value-Based Care in Rural America
Main Street Health announced the close of a $315 funding round at HLTH — some of the investors included UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Elevance, Centene and CVS. The startup, which scales value-based care in rural areas for both Medicare Advantage and original Medicare patients, also announced that it is expanding to 26 states.
Why One Expert Thinks the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Is Here to Stay
Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs, believes the Medicare price negotiation program is here to stay, no matter who is president and no matter how many Big Pharma players file lawsuits. Her reasoning? Every other high income nation has been negotiating prices with drugmakers for years, and the program is widely popular in the U.S. among pretty much everyone who isn’t a pharma company, she said during a session at Engage at HLTH.
How Can LLMs Be Deployed Safely in Healthcare?
Healthcare technology experts have confidence that the industry will put the right guardrails up around LLMs as it continues to develop and deploy these AI tools, they said Sunday during a panel discussion at Engage at HLTH.