Yan Chow, MD, MBA

Key trends and takeaways from HLTH 2024: 1. AI's Evolving Role: AI dominated discussions, with executives acknowledging its potential while also recognizing challenges in accuracy and clinician trust. There's a shift towards focusing on the practical applications of AI, with a call for partnerships to ensure reliable testing and implementation. 2. Infrastructure Focus: Beyond the glitzy AI tools, there's a growing emphasis on the "picks and shovels" needed for healthcare data accessibility, including infrastructure, compliance, and interoperability. Executives believe that improving data flow will facilitate the effective use of AI. 3. Middlemen Under Scrutiny: Pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) faced criticism for their role in rising drug costs, with discussions highlighting misaligned incentives and the need for transparency in healthcare pricing. 4. Women's Health Spotlight: Women's health initiatives gained attention, particularly following government funding announcements and personal stories shared by advocates. However, investment in women's health remains minimal compared to overall healthcare funding. 5. Interest in Psychedelic Medicine: The potential of psychedelics for treating mental health conditions garnered significant interest, with discussions about funding and research moving forward, especially within the Veterans Affairs system. Executive Takeaways: Leaders from various sectors emphasized the importance of consumer-focused strategies, collaboration, and the need for responsible AI usage. There was a consensus on the critical role of addressing healthcare accessibility, improving patient experiences, and fostering innovations that genuinely enhance care delivery.

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Healthcare tends to lag behind in tech adoption, but that might be its biggest strength as AI transforms our industry. Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z, recently made a compelling point: Unlike other industries, healthcare isn’t weighed down by billions of dollars of investment in legacy software systems. This lack of "sunk-cost bias" means we have a unique opportunity to leapfrog directly into the benefits of AI without the burden of ripping out decade-old tools. Our industry is slow to adapt not because of a lack of awareness, but because the mindset is deeply rooted in established ways of working. The key to advancement lies in shifting this mindset. Luckily, this opportunity couldn’t come at a better time. Healthcare is facing a critical workforce shortage, with hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses short of what’s needed to meet growing demand. AI can help fill this gap by scaling clinical expertise, making certain that the best practices are shared widely and that every patient receives the same high standard of care, regardless of location. However, none of this matters if we don’t build trust in the AI tools being developed. Healthcare already has strong regulatory frameworks, with the FDA approving hundreds of AI-driven clinical products. But trust is built slowly, and the human element must remain central to any transformation. At PROXDIS, we’re focused on how AI can drive positive change, without sacrificing the relationships and trust that are the core of patient care. Technology has incredible potential for improving care, but it can never replace the relationships and trust that are at the heart of patient care. As Julie pointed out, healthcare can use this opportunity to jump ahead—but only if we guarantee that this innovation is always centered around the real needs of providers and patients alike. Are we ready to adapt to AI at a pace that allows for meaningful change while keeping the human element front and center? Let me know your thoughts.

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Here’s your recap of last week’s health IT news 🗞️ 👇 🤖 AI Clinician Assistant • athenahealth released Ambient Notes, a fully integrated AI ambient scribe for ambulatory practices, which also supports switching between AI models based on context and individual preference. • Abridge is partnering with OpenNotes to evaluate AI-generated visit summaries. 📞 AI Contact Center • healow health released Genie, a phone-, text-, and chat-based AI conversational chat solution for appointment scheduling, prescription refills, and more. 🏥 AI Facility Management • Kontakt.io released a security app that allows staff to page security personnel with location information, and a Kio Nurse app for locating items with a live map view. 📈 Data & Analytics • Alameda County selected Innovaccer to unify and analyze the data in its Social Health Information Exchange.    • Cornerstone AI announced an additional $5M investment, bringing its total funding to $10M. • emtelligent released their Clinical Workflows solution, which offers both clinical and business users across healthcare organizations an interface experience to interact with their existing LLM and NLP engine. 💼 Provider & Practice Administration • Axuall announced two new health system partnerships—VA-based Inova Health System and IN-based Community Health Network—and a partnership with PayrHealth, which helps providers negotiate contracts and reimbursements. 🔁 RCM • SmarterDx released an AI denials solution that creates AI-generated appeals letters.    • Inovalon hosted its Empower 2024 summit and announced a host of new solutions and updates, including an eligibility verification solution for provider organizations and several other tools for health plans and research organizations. • XiFin, Inc. added two new payers to its Payor Rate Transparency Monitor—Humana and Blue Shield of California—and launched Payor Intelligence Hub to help providers better understand payer policies and behaviors. ⚙️ Clinical Operations • Oracle hosted its Oracle Health Summit and announced a number of new features and product updates, including an AI-native EHR, patient admin tools, and plans to become a QHIN. • eClinicalWorks hosted its National Conference and released AI RCM tools, VBC scorecards, and patient engagement updates. • Altera Digital Health released a new EHR, Paragon Denali—natively deployed in Microsoft Azure —intended for rural, critical access, and community hospitals. 🤝 Staffing, Consults, and Referrals: • Tennr raised a $37M Series B. • Cottage Hospital partnered with ShiftMed to add more flexible per diem options for acute care staff. 🧑‍💻 Virtual & At-Home Care • Brook Health is partnering with Linus Health to provide treatment plans and ongoing remote clinical care for cognitive care patients. --- Want the latest healthcare tech news delivered to your inbox each week? Sign up here 📬 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2UJ3ckP

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After a brief writing hiatus… Part III of “Who Pays for Healthcare AI” is live. The third installment defines five performance-based pricing models for healthcare AI and explores: • Four types of Return on Investment (ROI) in healthcare and life sciences • The importance of shielding at-risk pricing models from operational externalities • How better pricing model design can mitigate negative working capital risk under performance-based models • Taming the beast: attribution Check out Part III below, and subscribe to receive the final post of the series! https://lnkd.in/dPZSHMiy

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AI is undoubtedly reshaping healthcare as we know it, but without stronger data and training, it risks amplifying existing disparities. AI trained on biased or incomplete data—like the lack of representation in skin cancer algorithms mentioned in this article—could potentially lead to worse outcomes for marginalized communities. To ensure AI serves all populations equitably, we have to guarantee the use of inclusive datasets in development, otherwise we risk potential misdiagnosis and unequal treatment. #AI #Healthcare #HealthEquity

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Learn about ethical and practical integration of AI, focusing on creating systems that improve patient care without compromising physician autonomy or patient privacy from speaker Jesse Ehrenfeld MD MPH at AIMed24. He advocates for responsible AI use that supports clinical decision-making, enhances patient safety, and alleviates administrative burdens on healthcare providers. #AIMed24

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This isn't a post about #AI, but about data foundation and #interoperability in #healthcare. The demonstration of AI through #LLM is not sexiest part of this presentation. There's no silver bullet, we should know that at this point. Instead, I draw your attention to the rich discussion around the applicability of #OpenEHR and #HL7 #FHIR standards, and the importance of understanding why each of these #standards was developed and what for. Data definitions, data schemas, and how we apply standards to structure and represent information, both in storage and transportation, are key. Any further comments from me would be spoilers. I hope you enjoy the presentation and share your point of view, folks. Have a great week!

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Unmet social needs could increase risk of costly surgical complications by 2-3x in some circumstances. Assessing and addressing SDOH factors is thus becoming mandatory under a variety of VBC payment models and episodic bundled payments. RevelAi Health's use of LLM-powered voice AI for specialty care management, social needs screening and closed loop social referrals with integration with Findhelp is delightfully seamless and groundbreaking at the same time - with far reaching applications. Very proud to share this simple demo and contribute to this work pioneered by Christian Pean M.D., M.S. and Hadi Javeed.

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One of the most important concepts we introduced in our recent Healthcare AI roadmap is the notion of “Modality—Business Model—Market fit.” This concept describes how the delivery method and business model of AI in healthcare directly shape its potential to create value. There are many possible combinations of modalities and business models in healthcare. AI can be delivered as software, copilots, agents, services, diagnostics, or therapeutics, supported by business models ranging from usage-based and volumetric pricing to performance-based and shared savings arrangements. Nailing selection of modality and business model is essential for AI companies seeking large market opportunities and profitable operations. As we describe in an example with computer vision-based diabetic retinopathy screening, modality and business model selection can drive a difference in TAM by upwards of 25x, and has serious implications for overall margin structures. Read more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eK7rjpJz

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As AI becomes more embedded in healthcare decisions, ensuring traceability from algorithmic decisions back to clear guidelines and submitted clinical evidence is critical. Recent findings on companies like EviCore reveal a disturbing gap where AI and algorithms drive treatment denials, often with little transparency. When decisions about patient care are delegated to AI, every outcome should be fully accountable—linking directly back to both the clinical guidelines and the evidence provided by the physician. For AI-driven decisions, transparency is not a nice-to-have; it’s essential. This traceability not only fosters trust among healthcare providers and patients but also ensures that cost savings don’t come at the expense of patient care or quality. As we advance AI in healthcare, let’s prioritize clear, traceable pathways that support both efficiency and patient-centered care. https://lnkd.in/gV-AP8j9 #HealthcareInnovation #AIEthics #PatientAdvocacy #HealthcareTransparency #PenguinAi #Healthcare #PriorAuth #Denials ProPublica Missy Krasner Peter Longo Kishore Ayyadevara

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Stop scrolling for one second! . As the CEO and Founder of a telemedicine menopause practice serving patients in nearly all 50 states, having my company powered by AI has been nothing short of eye-opening. realDocAI [founded by myself and Nihar Ganju, MD] has massively reduced my healthcare overhead, increased revenue, and therefore sustainability. AI helps us power every aspect of our business, from customer acquisition and satisfaction to inside the clinic, where the "Heather" AI chats with patients, supports the medical assistants and provides me with real-time and daily insights on how the business is thriving. . Want to know what we are integrating? Read the article below or reach out and ask us! Think that is all we are up to? Revolutionizing healthcare is kind of our thing, and more is coming soon so watch closely.

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What are some of the best examples of how AI is helping tackle and improve patient care? How is AI impacting patients in real time? These were some of the questions we tackled in a wide-ranging panel discussion at the recent Fortune Brainstorm Health conference. I came away inspired by the knowledge that we are actively deploying the technology in a multitude of ways, and as it evolves, its impact will only continue to grow. In a discussion moderated by Fortune’s senior writer Erika Fry, several of us shared insights into how it’s being utilized for precision care in women’s health, to assist clinicians with patient note-taking, in medical devices that deliver therapeutics, in assessing mental health, and in Carrum’s case, how it enables rigorous provider quality evaluations and in identifying patients at risk for chronic health issues even before they’re aware of it. # My take is that we can harness AI for virtually every component of patient care, but the human element is still key for the critical context we need to make decisions, and this is where care concierges who pull all the pieces together and steer the patients matter the most. AI has the potential to dramatically enhance the care concierge team's performance and help them serve patients more effectively. # Second, the challenge with healthcare claims data is that it’s not a clean set like it is in other industries like financial services. So cleaning up claims data is a project in itself. With patients facing critical health issues, weaving data into the mix needs to be done with care so it truly enhances the patient experience. We use AI to predict which members in a given population are on a path to an acute care event in the near future. This is where I see it truly making a difference - until now, health care has been sick care. But with sophisticated data analysis, we can upend that so health care is preventative care. Plus, data we currently generate from handling thousands of patients going through surgery and cancer care also informs all the potential ways to help future patients avoid pitfalls and navigate their care better. #fortunehealth #patientcentricai #patientexperience

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This analysis explores how Point of Care Testing (POCT) digital health technologies impact emergency care. It highlights how AI-powered remote monitoring can significantly improve operational efficiency in healthcare and enhance patient outcomes. Read more: [Nature](https://lnkd.in/gYb4hjXX)

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In our last blog, we explored the potential impact of a Trump 2.0 administration on healthcare and its implications for HealthScoreAI™. Today, we expand on that analysis, dividing this discussion into three parts: (1) recent developments in the Trump 2.0 administration, (2) the current state of healthcare, and (3) the role of AI in this evolving landscape.

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HLTH USA 2024 was more than just a conference; it was a vibrant hub of optimism and collaboration dedicated to transforming healthcare. The energy was infectious which I love as I believe that positive energy is required for positive change. Some core themes I observed were: 🎯 AI as a Productivity Tool: While AI is everywhere, the real excitement lies in its potential to empower staff. Imagine AI tools that streamline workflows, reduce burnout, and increase efficiency! 🔐 However, responsible implementation with a focus on AI governance is crucial. ⚒ Building the Infrastructure for the Future: As healthcare embraces digital tools, the need for a secure and compliant infrastructure becomes paramount. This includes robust data management, cybersecurity, and open standards for easy integration. ⚖ Scaling for Accessibility and Affordability: The true measure of healthcare innovation is its reach. Many sessions focused on making healthcare accessible and affordable for everyone, particularly in underserved communities. 🚺 Women's Health in the Spotlight: From menopause support to reproductive rights, sessions tackled crucial issues head-on. Overall, HLTH 2024 left me with a renewed sense of optimism about the future of healthcare. The spirit of collaboration and the focus on using innovation to improve lives were truly inspiring. #HLTH2024 #healthcareinnovation #digitalhealth #futureofhealthcare

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