Today on Health in 2 Point 00, it’s IPO day! On Episode 89, Jess asks me about the recent IPOs, Oscar Health getting into Medicare Advantage, and Fitbit accuracy in people of color. Jess asks me to weigh in on whether Livongo’s IPO was better than we expected and it’s safe to say that they are growing fast. On the flip side, the “silent” IPO that no one seems to be talking about is Health Catalyst, which is also doing quite well with a $1.6 billion valuation although they are not growing as fast as Livongo is. Next, Oscar Health decided to enter into Medicare Advantage, which is not surprising because that’s where the real money is in the insurance side. Finally, Fitbits and other wearables may not be tracking heart rates accurately in people of color, so what does this mean for the wearables industry—and their potential use for medical purposes? —Matthew Holt
Those Digital Health IPOs—Flipping the Stack & Filling the Gap
By MATTHEW HOLT
I’ve been driven steadily nuts by a series of recent articles that are sort of describing what’s happening in health tech or (because the term won’t die) digital health, so I thought it was time for the definitive explanation. Yeah, yeah, humility ain’t my strong suit.
It won’t have escaped your attention that, after five years during which Castlight Health more or less single-handedly killed the IPO market for new health tech companies, suddenly in the middle of July 2019 we have three digital health companies going public. While Livongo, (FD-a THCB sponsor) Phreesia and Health Catalyst are all a little bit different, I’m going to use them to explain what the last decade of health tech evolution has meant.
Don’t get carried away by the precise details of the IPOs. Phressia is already out with a market cap of $845m. Yes, it’s true that none of the three are profitable yet, but they are all showing decent revenue growth at an annual run rate of $100m+ and Livongo in particular has been on a client acquisition and annual triple digit revenue growth tear. It’s also the newest of these companies, founded only in 2014, albeit by buying another company (EosHealth) founded in 2008 that had some of the tech they launched with. Going public doesn’t really mean that the health care market will swoon for them, nor that they are guaranteed to change the world. After all, as I pointed out in my recent somewhat (ok, very) cynical 12 rules for health tech startups, UnitedHealth Group has $250 Billion in revenue and doesn’t seem to be able to change the system. And anyone who remembers the eHealth bust of 2000-2002 knows that just because you get to the IPO, it’s no guarantee of success or even survival.
But just by virtue of making it this far and being around the 1/10th of 1% of health tech startups to make it to IPO, we can call all three a success. But what do they do?
They are all using new technologies to tackle longstanding health care problems.
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 81 | Takeover, Take Two with Jenny Schneider
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, we have another takeover! Dr. Jennifer Schneider, president of Livongo, is here to give us her take on health tech news. On Episode 81, Jess asks Jenny about Daye, a startup developing cramp-fighting CBD tampons, which just raised $5.5 million, and LetsGetChecked, which raised $30 million for at-home health testing. Jess also asks about Jenny’s new book, Decoding Health Signals, which offers a blueprint for building a consumer-focused healthcare company.
Is the ‘Applied Health Signals’ Category the New ‘Digital Health’? | Glen Tullman, Livongo
By JESSICA DAMASSA, WTF HEALTH
One of the fastest growing chronic condition management companies in healthcare, Livongo just made some big new hires and minted a new category in health tech called “Applied Health Signals.” What’s this? Well, if your new health solution ties together devices, data science, coaching, and clinical management, YOU might be an Applied Health Signals company. CEO Glen Tullman walks us through the new concept, shares his insight on the good & bad of consumer tech companies heading into health… then explains the strategery behind changes to the company’s C-suite and confronts the rumors I’ve been hearing about an IPO.
Filmed at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA, January 2019.
Jessica DaMassa is the host of the WTF Health show & stars in Health in 2 Point 00 with Matthew Holt.
Get a glimpse of the future of healthcare by meeting the people who are going to change it. Find more WTF Health interviews here or check out www.wtf.health.
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 71 | Livongo’s SIGNUM 2019, Bobblehead Edition!
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, Jess and I are at Livongo’s SIGNUM 2019 conference in San Francisco—in bobblehead form. In this episode, Jess asks me about my key takeaways from the conference, which focused on chronic condition solutions. It was really exciting to hear how the experience of patients with chronic conditions has been changed. We heard some fun stuff from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz about his book Everybody Lies and Daniel H. Pink’s When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, and from Stephen Klasko of Jefferson University and Mark Ganz of Cambia Health about the importance of proper partnerships and innovation from traditional healthcare companies. At the end of the day, at a relatively small scale we’ve made a difference in the lives of people with chronic illness—but can we deliver this at a huge scale? —Matthew Holt
Tips for Scaling a Health Tech Startup | Glen Tullman & Zane Burke of Livongo
By JESSICA DAMASSA, WTF HEALTH
What can you learn about building a successful health tech company from the guy who took Allscripts public? What if you add the former CEO of Cerner to the conversation? Glen Tullman, Executive Chairman of Livongo, introduces his new CEO, Zane Burke, and shares the details about how they’re expanding their chronic condition management platform beyond diabetes. The two talk strategy, acquisition, building bench strength, culture, and fundraising…right in front of an inflatable unicorn. A hint of things to come? Will Livongo go public?? Listen in to find out.
Filmed at HIMSS 2019 in Orlando, Florida, February 2019.
Jessica DaMassa is the host of the WTF Health show & stars in Health in 2 Point 00 with Matthew Holt.
Get a glimpse of the future of healthcare by meeting the people who are going to change it. Find more WTF Health interviews here or check out www.wtf.health.
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 68 | Livongo, Clover Health, Aetion, Hims, and Healthy.io
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, there appears to be money falling from the sky… There’s been a lot of funding going on this week. In this episode, Jess asks me about Livongo acquiring myStrength, which provides digital behavioral health solutions; Medicare Advantage startup Clover Health’s $500 million raise; real-world data analytics platform Aetion’s $27 million raise; men’s wellness company Hims’ $100 million raise; and urine analysis company Healthy.io’s $18 million raise. Be sure to stay tuned for next week’s big preview episode of HIMSS.—Matthew Holt.
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 64 | J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
Today, for the first episode of Health in 2 Point 00 of 2019, Jess and I are reporting from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. In this episode, Jess asks me about the big news from the conference and whether there should be a second event in New York. We also have our special guest star, Dr. Iya Khalil, to tell us about the non-profit Female Equity –Matthew Holt
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 63 Walgreens & Fedex partnership, Verily’s adherence program, & more!
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, Jess and I get festive for the holidays. In this episode, Jess asks me about Walgreens and its new partnership with FedEx for next day prescription delivery and with Verily to help patients with prescription adherence. She also asks me about blockchain startup PokitDok getting its assets acquired by Change Healthcare. Lots of job changes are happening as well. Amy Abernethy, the chief medical officer at Flatiron Health, was named Deputy Commissioner of the FDA. Rasu Shrestha, who was previously at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the new chief strategy officer of Atrium Health. Finally, Zane Burke, who recently stepped down as president of Cerner, was just hired as Livongo’s new CEO, while Glen Tullman remains executive chairman of the company. Dr. Jennifer Schneider was also promoted from the company’s chief medical officer to president. We have one more episode of Health in 2 Point 00 for 2018, so be on the lookout for our year-end wrap-up. —Matthew Holt
Health in 2 Point 00 Episode 56
On Episode 56 of Health in 2 Point 00, Jess and I report from Livongo’s new office in San Francisco. In this episode, Jess asks me about Carrot Health’s $25 million raise for their digital smoking cessation program and 98point6’s $50 million raise for their on-demand primary care app. We also have our special guest star Dr. Jennifer Schneider here to tell us about how Livongo is working to Silence Noisy Healthcare with Applied Health Signals- Matthew Holt
