If we want better innovations in health tech, we need more competition

Google’s chief health officer Karen DeSalvo has repeatedly called access to accurate information “a determinant of health” as she aims to leverage Google’s reach as a tech platform for the benefit of public health. We have ample evidence to support the idea of information as a health determinant, as the pandemic revealed the dangers of rampant misinformation, and we know basic internet access impacts health outcomes. 

But to achieve what DeSalvo called “a doctor in your pocket”—meaning convenient access to our electronic health records (EHR), real-time chat, or personalized care plans—incumbents in healthcare technology need to feel a sense of competition-driven fear sparked by novel technologies that drive meaningful change. 

Take recent moves by Amazon, for example. Amazon knows the disruptor role better than anyone and, in fact, just recently made waves in primary care by acquiring One Medical for nearly $4 billion and shutting down its Amazon Care service, which I view as a move to seed its investments strategically and not necessarily a step backward. It’s important to always be thinking about where you are seeding investments, nurturing them, harvesting and pruning them. Amazon is very good at this and these choices are keys to company success. Incumbents are—and should be—afraid of how Amazon could reshape the landscape and drive consolidation. But I believe the outcome will ignite positive change.

With behemoths, such as Apple and Google, joining Amazon with various initiatives in healthcare, now is the time for transformation. These are the areas where tech innovation can drive the most meaningful change. 

Health and Medical Records Data

Every time I list my current medications, allergies, and medical history with a pen chained to a clipboard, I receive a vivid reminder that our data systems need an upgrade. Fortunately, recent legislation that includes the 21st Century Cures Act, is aimed at encouraging tech innovation through open-source standards. Even with the new legislation, realizing the “doctor in your pocket” feels a long way away when we see fax machines still functioning in doctors’ offices.

But DeSalvo herself represents a changing tide in healthcare technology and leadership. She served as President Obama’s assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was the national coordinator for health IT before joining Google in 2019. Her role at Google is part of a larger movement across tech to create healthcare “platforms.” 

Big tech companies mastered the concept of a platform long ago by creating an intertwined ecosystem of applications and functionality for communication, navigation, web browsing, you name it. Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android represent the evolution from software to platforms. So, what if there was a single app for instant access to personal health records? In the spirit of a true platform, the app could connect the user to any number of resources, such as data from their FitBit, the status of their latest insurance claim, or a CDC advisory on the severity of this year’s flu season. And healthcare providers would, for the first time, have access to a singular and holistic view of a patient’s health profile, with no need for the clipboard and pen.

This is not “pie in the sky.” By continuing to encourage competition, platform builders are close to achieving these kinds of solutions. 

Health Benefits Data

Patients need a clearer understanding of what their insurance plans cover. A survey from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners found over 30% of patients did not know the amount of their insurance deductible, and a quarter of patients did not know their co-pay amounts.

The driving force for change in this space will come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)’s enforcing its new price transparency requirements for commercial insurers. Patients will have more resources than ever to “shop” for the best plan, and the insurers that adapt quickly to patient expectations will outpace their competition.

A platform approach to health insurance and benefits reduces friction in accessing, navigating, and paying for care. Consider when a physician writes a prescription. The patient may not know if their insurance covers the drug or what it would cost out-of-pocket. When the patient learns the drug is too expensive while standing at the pharmacy counter, they may call their doctor’s office and ask for a different prescription, or they might not fill the prescription at all. If the patient could easily access coverage data, this scenario would have been resolved before they left the office.

Achieving that experience requires a more consumer-centric tech approach that makes the aforementioned patient medical history and health plan information easier to access.  

The Fight is on

The average consumer cannot feel it yet, but the signs of seismic change in healthcare are everywhere. Having spent my career in tech innovation, we are now witnessing healthcare attracting more diverse talent and more tech-savvy talent than ever before because the health technology landscape is starving for more competition. That wave of new talent and new ideas has the legacy EHR providers, insurers, and pharmacies feeling the pressure—if not outright fear—building from upstarts that want to compete with them, while others want to help the incumbents improve the consumer experience.

I encourage big thinkers in engineering, technology R&D, robotics, the life sciences, or any other innovative field to join the fight to “platformize” healthcare, because we know competition drives results and will help us achieve “a doctor in your pocket.”

Mike Serbinis is the cofounder and CEO of League, a technology-focused health company powering the digital transformation of healthcare.