This week, we unveil a new look for our weekly newsletter. (Tell us what you think!)
We couldn’t have chosen a better week for timing the new look. Everything changed last week in the telehealth/digital health space with the blockbuster deal announcement of Teladoc’s acquisition of Livongo, arguably the two most mature companies in the new digital health technology landscape. Valued at a combined $38 billion, the announcement shook the markets. Digital health experts let out a collective gasp and unleashed a flurry of punditry on the meaning of it all. We’ve decided to feature a couple, including CNBC’s Chrissy Farr’s Arthur Conan Doyle-ish account of how the deal went down.
Now for the contrarian view. Earlier in the week, before the Teladongo (what an awful portmanteau) deal was announced, I published a couple of pieces in CIO and Healthcare IT news on the situation with telehealth adoption and penetration, especially among rural, elder, and indigent populations. A separately published article in NYT this past week raises the same questions. None of it takes away from the enormous opportunity at hand for virtual care delivery models.
My latest podcast guest is Sara Vaezy, Chief Digital Strategy & Business Development Officer, Providence Health. Take a listen.
P.S.: My new book Healthcare Digital Transformation hit #1 in new releases on Amazon last week and demand was so high the book sold out in 2 days. Order now so you get your copy as soon as it is restocked. I have a limited number of signed copies as well. See the link below.
Podcast of the week
Sara Vaezy, Chief Digital Strategy and Business Development Officer of Providence Health talks about their recently published series of reports – COVID-19 Digital Insight Series – that describes new digital requirements and opportunities brought by the acceleration of virtual care models due to COVID-19. Sara also speaks about the current state of telehealth adoption level and possible reasons for its drop after the industry witnessed a surge in telehealth visits in wake of the pandemic.
This Week in Digital Health Markets
We are selectively featuring guest posts in our newsletter from senior leaders in healthcare and technology. Reach out to us if you would like to contribute a blog to one of our upcoming newsletters.
How Livongo and Teladoc closed an $18.5 billion deal during a pandemic
Secret meeting. Airport hotel in Detroit. Men in masks. Socially distanced conference room set up. Chrissy Farr of CNBC lays on the drama in describing how the deal went down.
The Biggest Digital Health Deal Of All Time: Teladoc And Livongo
Hyperbole aside, the basic facts on how the merger creates a $38 billion digital health entity, easily the biggest telehealth player by a wide margin.
Defining the post-COVID-19 digital transformation of healthcare
The scramble to support a predominantly remote care model is now giving way to a more measured evaluation of telehealth technologies.
Has telehealth hit the high watermark?
In recent conversations with healthcare executives across the country, I hear the same story: The dramatic spikes in telehealth visits in March and April have dropped off, even as in-person visits have started climbing slowly.
Haven was supposed to reimagine health care. An exodus of talent has gutted it
Haven Healthcare that was set out to reimagine healthcare has made negligible progress in reaching the goal with many high-profile departures.
The momentum for telemedicine and its longevity depends on whether Medicare and private health insurers will adequately cover virtual doctor visits once coronavirus outbreaks subside.
Blackstone’s $4.7 B acquisition of Ancestry raises privacy questions
Ancestry reached a deal to be acquired by Blackstone for $4.7 billion. The deal raised concerns over what would happen to users’ health data.
Hard questions as scientists and governments seek covid-19 vaccines
As we get closer to the first COVID-19 vaccine, questions about who manufactures it, who gets access first, and how best to distribute the vaccine come up
Chart of the Week
Source: Nature Research
Damo Consulting Thought Leadership and Research
This paper provides best practices for a successful healthcare digital transformation in a post-COVID-19 era.
This ebook is a snapshot of the more detailed whitepaper ‘Interoperability and Patient Access: what it is, who gets impacted, and how to plan for the future.’
In this podcast with host Mark Weisman, Paddy Padmanabhan shares insights about what a CMIO needs to know about the digital front door.
A review of the financial and market performance of global technology consulting firms in healthcare. Our monthly update on major global IT consulting and services firms in healthcare, The WITCH Monthly Monitor, provides latest financial and market performance updates on WITCH companies along with other global IT consulting firms. It is now available as free 1-year subscription with every purchase of The WITCH Report– Annual Review
