HLTH 2023 champions healthcare consumerization, preventative care, and ongoing mental health innovation
Recent years have been marked by extraordinary healthcare challenges and exorbitant (and wasteful) spending. These challenges have highlighted the American healthcare system's vulnerabilities, but they’ve also spurred unprecedented innovation that illustrates technology's ability to address pressing health concerns.
The annual HLTH conference brings together leaders across the health ecosystem who are acutely focused on health innovation and transformation. Amino Health was a proud participant. Here are some of the biggest trends from this year’s conference.
A rise in the consumerization of healthcare
With the cost of healthcare continuing to balloon, we’re experiencing a surge of innovation across the sector in the form of new point solutions, plan designs, contracting strategies, and more. Though each promises to reduce costs, the reality is that each incremental offering adds new complexity to an already complicated healthcare system, making it even harder for people to navigate.
Simultaneously, there’s an observable power shift from service providers to consumers in just about every industry. People are increasingly comfortable and confident using e-commerce experiences for their needs, and now have the expectation that it should be easy to search for, evaluate, and procure goods and services. Healthcare is no exception.
Healthcare solutions that harness this marked shift towards consumerization will revolutionize how patients interact with the system to find care. By leveraging great consumer design and providing visibility into the cost and quality of various care options, we empower people to make confident choices about the care they choose for themselves and their families.
An increased emphasis on preventative care
The United States faces the bleak reality that we spend nearly twice as much per person on healthcare than other wealthy nations, yet our health outcomes lag behind our international peers.
Despite evidence around the value of preventative care on both healthcare costs and patient outcomes, the U.S. primarily operates under a care model that only treats patients once they’re already sick. This leaves us facing skyrocketing expenses and a healthcare system that falls short in delivering the best possible care to its citizens.
We must turn this on its head. Not only does primary care reduce wasteful spending and improve patient outcomes, but it has significant effects on care access and rates of early detection, and can even assuage the current healthcare worker shortage.
Resolute commitment to mental health
Though we’ve made immense strides in reducing the stigma around mental health, the issues themselves continue to plague adults and children: 21% of adults are experiencing a mental illness and 60% of youth with major depression do not receive mental health treatment.
Technology has emerged as a powerful tool to confront the crisis. With the rise of telehealth platforms and mobile applications, people can access mental health services from the comfort of their own homes, reducing barriers to entry and improving the reach of care. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms are being harnessed to analyze vast datasets and identify early warning signs of mental health issues, allowing for timely interventions. Furthermore, wearable devices and sensors can even track physiological and behavioral indicators, providing clinicians with valuable insights into a patient's mental well-being.
These innovative technologies not only enhance accessibility but also offer personalized treatment options, ultimately allowing us to be more proactive and effective in addressing mental health challenges.
Conclusion
With more than 10,000 attendees and 350 speakers, HLTH broached innumerate topics. In addition to the three listed above, other popular ones included AI, value-based care, health inequities, and digital health adoption. We’re so proud to be one of the many organizations working toward a healthier future.
About Amino Health
Amino Health is the leading digital healthcare guidance solution. The only guidance platform that can handle the complexity of modern benefits programs, Amino makes it easy for members to navigate tiered networks, point solutions, incentive programs, and more. Amino replaces member confusion with confidence, ultimately driving cost savings, improved engagement with point solutions, and better health outcomes.
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