2013 to 2016--A Look Back And Forward For Digital Health

About 3 years ago I labeled 2013 "The Year of Digital Health" on Forbes.  It seemed to make sense at the time and looking back it's fair to see the tradjectory still suggests that this important area is on track.  At least a track that sometimes is less linear or exponential and more a function of the "ups and downs" driven by everything from evolving tech to greed and our our humanity.

Nevertheless, I took a look back and found most of ideas still valid and supported even more by science and less by bravado.  And beyond science and hype lies the money that still aggressively support the innovations in digital health.  

So, let's take a look back at 2013 and see if it makes any sense in today's more evolved, skeptical and bolder world.

 It seems that the stars are aligned.  These glimmers of facts, figures, innovation and needs are converging on the year 2013. And the result promises to be an inflection point for digital health. The curve of innovation will shift and place us all on a new course for managing disease and wellness.

The Touch Points of Change…

#1.  Explosive new technology

Think about the smart phone and how far its come in just a few short years.  Today, technology is the new intellectual playground that connects vision with application.  The “computer” is yesterday’s news and now the advancement of innovation across a wide variety of areas (gaming, manufacturing, communications, etc.) is being applied to health with striking speed and expertise.  And the players are both big, well-funded companies as well as smart, adroit and nimble start ups.

#2. The pressing need to advance healthcare and the Affordable Care Act

There’s almost no scientific, political or sociological discussion that doesn’t find its way to health and healthcare.  The costs, access and resources are a key driver to seeking solutions to the health dilemma that exists right now and is projected to only get worse.  Technology has always been part of the answer in other areas.  Today, innovation and technology are poised to advance care in new directions that can drive new efficiencies and lead a course to self-care and wellness.

#3. The caldron of connectivity

Ideas are promiscuous.  The profound interconnectedness of thinkers and ideas create a “neural-network” that powers our imaginations. And while exclusivity and the reality of business may obstruct this free-form engagement, the cross-pollination still flourishes. Unlike other social and technological movement of the past, our path and mechanism of innovation is driven by a new nature of collaboration, still driven by a competitive spark!

Another important driver to the digital health revolution is the  increasing level of patient / caregiver connectivity.  The role of tele-medicine will foster new connections for care and become an essential proving ground for new “tricorder-type” technology that makes the interaction more clinically robust.

#4.  The power of cool

Change is a funny thing.  And for many people, that advancement of technology often diffuses slowly into a system.  The advantage of the digital health movement is that carries “the stamp of cool” and takes clinical / social utility to a place beyond the practical–the emotional.  It’s not about taking a pill, but living the life of innovation that is validated by science and medicine.

#5. The empowerment of the “quantified self” in health

Our lives are quantified in many ways. From banking to shopping habits, we exist as a complex set of numbers and actions.  Ask  American Express  or Amazon.  Their ability to quantify our lives provides a powerful engine of commerce and engagement. The same will come to be with our health and wellness.  Today, tools to measure key clinical parameters (serum glucose, blood oxygen, etc.) will combine with mainstream devices used by joggers and athletes.  The result will become “full circle” data that will proactively inform us of issues and concerns.

It’s really nothing new at all.  Think about your check engine light or tire pressure indicator in your car.  Simple diagnostic tools that allow you to get ahead of an automotive problem.  The same will apply to health as sensors and devices track, analyses and alert us to our own physiology. From tracking your body temperature to monitoring the effectiveness of an antibiotic to proactively tracking blood pressure, you will know more about yourself than ever before.  And all this data and knowledge will become less of burden and more of reassurance that all systems are go!

 #6.  Pharma’s search for new meaning

Unless you’re swallowing a micro-camera that visualizes your colon, the notion of a traditional pill is changing.  And the pharmaceutical industry knows it.  The evolution of pharmaceutical science will move therapy to include preventative care, gene therapy and other innovations.  The pill, as it conventionally exists today, will have a role, but innovation (and digital health) will make conventional therapies a bit harder to swallow.

#7. Big Data and the electronic medical record

New technology and the vast amounts of generated data come a rich source of information.  Research protocols, family history, medical records and large-scale epidemiological studies are a significant aspect of digital health.  These data may become the single biggest aspect of this new area.

#8.  Money

One look at the market potential and another look at the multiple and varied companies entering this area and the conclusion is clear.  Money is a key driver to innovation.  The increasing role of venture capital in digital health sends a clarion call of validation that this initiative is here to stay.  There’s also a $10 million prize that’s attached to bring the digital health to life.  The the Tricorder X Prize and $10 million prize also add to the rewards.

#9. The voices of brilliance

Science, medicine, geneomics, electronics, analytics, etc.  The list of contributors to digital health is vast and smart as heck.  And the very nature of the mixed and varied voices coming together will result in a “critical mass” of brilliance rarely seen in the conventional business model.

#10.  The moral imperative

There’s another simple, yet powerful driver at work here.  It’s the right thing to do.  The application of digital health to global health issues and the practice of medicine in developing countries can play a tremendous role in changing the very nature and quality of care that directly translates into life-changing and life-saving treatments.

But let's push on an add a bit more.  Do you agree?

#11 (2015)  Nanotechnology

For me, the promise of digital health is less about fancy pedometers and "nudge psychology" and so much more about advances that will allow us to find and track disease at a point that Daniel Kraft refers to as "stage zero".  This huge advances more our devices from athletic options to clinical imperatives as we take bold steps to get ahead of conditions like cancer and heart disease.

#12 (2015)  Software

Stanford Professor, entrepreneur and Andreesen Horowitz's newest general partner, Vijay Pander recently expressed the power of softwear in the company blog. He's expressed the power of technology--from genomics to clinical care--all empowered by computing power and analytics.  He calls it "computational biomedicine" and I certainly agree.  And while some may be tempted to add the concept of "artificial intelligence" into this section, it still gets us to the same conclusion.  Software and the applications to medicine and life will be a game-changer!

#13 (2016)  Your choice

What's on your radar for 2016 in digital health?    Ping me on Twiter @JohnNosta and let's talk!