Are Digital Health Solutions Actually Solutions?

The digital health space is crowded with thousands of digital health companies vying for the attention of consumers, physicians, employers, and insurers. While it was relatively “easy” to capture the attention of consumers and businesses before 2022 (the market was very hot), today’s economic environment is making it more difficult. In this article, I’ll quickly highlight the current state of digital health, discuss the lack of clinical validation of digital health solutions, and describe a framework for how stakeholders may evaluate digital health solutions. 2022’s digital health funding was underwhelming, with startups raising just over half of 2021’s $29.3 billion and barely surpassing 2020’s $14.7 billion. The end of the public health emergency and looming recession, however, will affect consumer adoption of digital health. According to Rock Health, the companies that will continue to have momentum will focus on accessibility, affordability, and trustworthiness.