Why the Best Ideas in Digital Health are Still to Come

"We are in a transformational moment and the possibility of delivering better healthcare in our country and around the world," Mr. Andriola said. "There are so many forces pulling and pushing on healthcare to improve it, whether it's the digital movement with technology being driven into the space, or the explosion around data and the focus on really understanding the health consumer and not just the patient personalization."

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation in healthcare, Mr. Andriola said, and healthcare organizations weren't able to go through the typical change management process. Instead, organizations had to move forward with telehealth, data gathering, artificial intelligence initiatives and more.

Some technology initiatives that were sidelined before the pandemic — because some thought they couldn't be done while maintaining high quality of care — were moved forward out of necessity once COVID-19 hit, and health systems proved they could integrate technology and change quickly.