There are a number of trends shaping the status of digital health, but the four that stand out above the rest as the most disruptive of this year are artificial intelligence, telehealth and the internet of medical things, care delivery for underserved populations, and value-based care and the patient-first approach.
Massachusetts was named a top digital health hub in 2019, and here are eight Massachusetts-based digital health companies leading the charge into 2020.
Value-based care and the patient-first approach are quickly becoming recognized as ways to cut costs and improve health outcomes. Boston-based Kyruus has a platform that helps health systems reduce referral misdirection and improve capacity utilization through the use of search and scheduling products. One of the fundamental reasons that this supply-demand mismatch happens—and the problem Kyruus solves—is a lack of systematic, high-resolution, accurate data about providers’ schedules.
The Kyruus ProviderMatch platform, which provides both search and scheduling solutions, enables health systems to optimize their ability to match patients with providers. This boosts patient acquisition and conversion and delivers a consistent patient experience across key access points such as websites and contact centers. Kyruus has a network of more than 50 health systems, 550 hospitals, and 250,000 providers, and the company is putting the patient first to improve, transform, and optimize patient access enterprise-wide.
Another Massachusetts company working in the value-based care space is PatientPing, a national care coordination network connecting health care providers with real-time notifications wherever their patients receive care.
The Massachusetts companies setting the trend in the artificial intelligence arena are Buoy Health, which provides personalized clinical support through AI technology the moment individuals have a health care concern; and PathAI, which provides AI-powered research tools and services for pathology.
When it comes to telehealth and the internet of medical things, Akili Interactive Labs and American Well are the state’s biggest disruptors. Akili Interactive is using augmented and virtual reality to build clinically validated cognitive treatments and assessments delivered in an action video game interface, and American Well is a telehealth platform connecting and enabling providers, insurers, and patients to deliver greater access to more affordable and higher-quality care.
In the field of care delivery for underserved populations, two Massachusetts companies are leading the way. Aavia is the first-ever physical product and accompanying app to help women take their birth control pill on time; and Devoted Health is a health care company serving seniors, aiming to launch Medicare Advantage plans. The firm’s mission is to help users navigate the health care system with personal guides.
Read more about health care trends and these groundbreaking companies here.