Top Trends In Digital Health For 2019

Last year was the year of the consumer, and there’s no sign of a change any time soon. The smartphone has paved the way for direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing, driving refinements in marketing tools and redefining consumer expectations. Consumers increasingly value experience over product, and have come to expect personalized, targeted experiences — radically shifting the focus of the business marketplace.

The healthcare landscape is no exception to this shift: it is increasingly driven by the needs and desires of patients. Thanks to the rise of high-deductible health plans and premiums, patients are shouldering a greater portion of healthcare costs than ever before. This increase has positioned patients as consumers at the center of operational changes across the healthcare marketplace.

But innovations in digital health look different from those in DTC technology. First of all, health tools are not about “cutting out the middle man” — instead they are about reinforcing and improving the relationship between patient and provider that is fundamental to care. And they come with a unique set of challenges. At the risk of stating the obvious, the stakes are much higher when consumer health is the product: patient safety is an imperative. Additionally, the wealth of data that is required for the success of many digital innovations raises serious concerns about data security and patient privacy, and the rapid growth of tech innovation complicates regulation.