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Category: Health Tech

Healthcare Can Learn From Chess

By KIM BELLARD

Oh, gosh, two of my favorite things are in the news together: Twitch and chess. 

Just kidding.  I barely know what Twitch is, and the last time I played chess was, well, not in this century (and, even then, not well).  But I’m not kidding about their convergence.  Chess has become a big hit on Twitch, especially in these COVID times. 

I figure, if two such seemingly divergent things are meshing, there must be some lessons there, even for healthcare. 

For those of you over, say, fifty, Twitch is an online service that facilitates livestreaming, particularly of gaming.  That is, people watch other people playing games, such Fortnite or League of Legends. 

E-sports, as this is known, have become a big thing; colleges are even giving out scholarships for e-sports.   Major news outlets, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, reported on Twitch re-signing video game star Tyler Blevins, a.k.a “Ninja,” much as they might have reported an NFL team signing a star player. 

As I write, 2.7 million people are livingstreaming on Twitch.  Its all-time concurrent viewers peak is just over 6 million.  There were 1.6 billion hours watched in August, with over 11 billion year-to-date.  It draws more viewers than network television hits. There are 93,000 live channels at this moment. 

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THCB Gang Episode 24!

Episode 24 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, September 10th! Watch it below!

Joining Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) were some of our regulars: WTF Health Host Jessica DaMassa (@jessdamassa), patient & entrepreneur Robin Farmanfarmaian (@Robinff3), writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard), policy & tech expert Vince Kuraitis (@VinceKuraitis), and guest Mike Magee, a medical historian & health economist (@drmikemagee). The conversation was incredibly wide-ranging and one of the best we’ve had in a while–not the least because Mike Magee gave us a great base with how our non -health system somehow did actually act as a cohesive force in society before tech, then COVID19 broke it up!

If you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels — Zoya Khan

Don’t want my age revealed…

By LISA SUENNEN & MATTHEW HOLT

Yesterday it was Fortune’s 40 under 40, and a lot of great people, most of whom I thought were much older or at least seem to have been around a while, got listed in the health care section–including Andre Blackman, Ambar Bhattacharyya & Julia Cheek. Lisa Suennen (@venturevalkyrie) and I got into a Twitter exchange about whether we were eligible for the under 40 category or for that matter the category above that. The answer was, amazingly, “no”. Somehow she came out with the line that “we are old”. Knowing her love for 80s pop, I reminded her that this was the inverse of the first line of the Pat Benatar classic “Love is a Battlefield.” Somehow this ended up in us tweeting a new set of lyrics for that song to each other all day. Of course I feel compelled to share them with you. I encourage you to play the video below and sing along!

We are old
Wheelchair to wheelchair we sit….
No Promise ring, yes Depends
Don’t want my age revealed

Before Long
They will all sing our swan song
Scans of our hearts show something wrong
Both of us slowing..
Don’t want my age revealed

Ads begging me to Ro
Then making me pay
Why do my knees hurt so bad?
It would help me to know
Should I stand a different way?
My hip hurts too, I might add

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Big Health’s CEO: Working With Big Healthcare (CVS) & Big Pharma (as a DTx) on Mental Health

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

Big Health bills itself as a “complete 24-hour solution for mental health,” offering Sleepio to those who have trouble sleeping and Daylight to those who suffer from worry and anxiety during the day. Fresh off a $39M Series B in June 2020 (total $54.3M) — and having just landed Daylight onto CVS Health’s digital health formulary to join Sleepio there as a “point solution” payors can easily integrate into their benefits offerings — co-founder & CEO Peter Hames stops by for an ENORMOUS conversation about the ‘state-of-play’ for digital mental health companies like his own. Has CVS Health’s digital formulary made it any easier to contract with employers and get the attention of health consumers? And, what of the attention being paid to Big Health itself? As we hit “peak platformization” in digital health, is the company a prime acquisition target? (Note: Omada Health’s CEO Sean Duffy is a friend and investor and we get a good laugh around the 15-minute mark when we fact-check some rumors… ) Finally, another “insight highlight” worth mentioning: some candid conversation on what’s happening in digital therapeutics (DTx) as Peter is the Chair of the category’s industry org, the Digital Therapeutics Alliance. Does Big Pharma still have an appetite for DTx despite some rough news about partnerships with startups in recent months? You’ll want to tune in around 17:30 for more on that too.

THCB Gang Episode 23 8/27

Episode 23 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, August 27th! Watch it below!

Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) was joined by some of our regulars: health futurist Ian Morrison (@seccurve), WTF Health Host Jessica DaMassa (@jessdamassa), health care consultant Daniel O’Neill (@dp_oneill). The conversation revolved around how providers should reshape some of their practices amid the pandemic, what the large Teladoc-Livongo merger brings to the marketplace, and how there are still lots of potential ways start-ups can fit their models into care practices in the industry.

If you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels — Zoya Khan

The Bayer Deal: One Drop’s CEO on New $98M & How Data Science Will Fix Chronic Condition Care

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

One Drop just landed a $98.7M deal with Bayer — and we got the details from CEO Jeff Dachis. The timing of this deal is nothing short of impeccable: less than a year after the life sciences giant led One Drop’s Series B with a $40M investment, and amidst a veritable funding frenzy aimed at growing digital health companies focused on chronic condition management. So, how is One Drop planning to use this investment (part Series C/part development fees) to expand their data science platform known for diabetes and hypertension into some of Bayer’s biggest areas of focus — cardiology, oncology, and women’s health? And how does this even-closer relationship with such a consumer health brand help One Drop further evolve the retail side of its go-to-market strategy? Don’t forget — One Drop is sold direct-to-consumer via CVS, Walmart, and Amazon in addition to the more traditional routes via employers and payers. It’s a full breakdown of the deal and a walk through the key points of differentiation Jeff sees as integral to shaping One Drop’s move for greater global market share.

THCB Gang Episode 22, 8/20

Episode 22 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, August 20th! Watch it below.

Joining Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) today are some of our regulars: writer Kim Bellard (@kimbbellard), patient safety expert Michael Millenson (MLMillenson), MD & hospital system exec Rajesh Aggarwal (@docaggarwal), data privacy expert Deven McGraw (@healthprivacy), and Casey Quinlan (@MightyCasey). The conversation revolved around the responsibilities of the CDC & HHS, why the data hasn’t been shared properly around COVID19 transmission, and why payers & providers are cautiously innovating health care.

If you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels — Zoya Khan

Crossover Health: The Amazon Deal, Primary Care & The Rise of the ‘Health Activist’ Employer

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

“Next-gen” healthcare might just be getting its start in primary care. So says Crossover Health’s CEO, Scott Shreeve, who laughingly channels Justin Timberlake and says he’s “bringing sexy back” to it too. With Walmart launching its own Healthcare Super Centers, Walgreens partnering with VillageMD in a $1-billion-dollar three-year deal, and some soaring post-IPO stock prices for OneMedical and Oak Street Health — it appears he’s onto something. And, hopefully, it’s something big that’s borne from Crossover’s recent partnership deal with Amazon. Will this be the tech giant’s next foray into healthcare? We’ve got the analysis on Amazon, Scott’s insider insights on what’s next for the primary care market, AND some phenomenal perspective on the “rise of the ‘Health Activist Employer’” as healthcare’s “most innovative payer.”

THCB Gang Episode 21

Episode 21 of “The THCB Gang” was live-streamed on Thursday, August 13th! Watch it below.

Joining Matthew Holt (@boltyboy) today are some of our regulars: policy & tech expert Vince Kuraitis (@VinceKuraitis), MD turned leadership coach Maggi Cary (@MargaretCaryMD), patient advocate Grace Cordovano (@GraceCordovano), and Consumer advocate & CTO of Carium Health Lygeia Ricciardi (@Lygeia). It was a great conversation surrounding the patients’ role in all the technology being deployed, how providers can work to close the gap in care, and whose duty is it really to ensure a person is “healthy”. Give it a listen below if you missed the live show

If you’d rather listen to the episode, the audio is preserved as a weekly podcast available on our iTunes & Spotify channels — Zoya Khan

Don’t Underestimate Doctor On Demand – CEO Hill Ferguson on the Era of ‘Tele-Everything’ Healthcare

By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH

JUST before the Teladoc-Livongo merger was announced, I had a chance to catch up with Doctor on Demand’s CEO, Hill Ferguson. The future for telehealth, he said, is “bright green” — and I’m pretty sure it’s looking even greener now! Doctor On Demand has stood out among telehealth companies for being particularly early on virtual primary care and it sounds like they’re going to continue developing that line of business — in which they have key partnerships with Humana and Walmart — with the $75M series D funding they just received.

Add to that a brand-new, first-of-its-kind telehealth program for the Medicare Part B population, and crazy consumer-focused type UX features like same-day scheduling for behavioral mental health care (yes, that’s right, dynamic scheduling for healthcare is here, folks!) and you can start to see how DOD is strategizing to pull away from the pack.

With the competitive landscape shifting, especially after Teladoc-Livongo, how does Hill view the onslaught of new entrants like digital health companies who added telehealth in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, or potential unicorns like Ro or HIMS, who are focused on tying the prescription drug business into virtual care delivery? It’s the insider insight you’ve been waiting for in this era of ‘tele-everything’ healthcare.

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