Dr. Patrice Harris sees the Promise, and The Peril, of Digital Health Innovation

The former president of the American Medical Association says that development requires clear-eyed conversations about the potential consequences of technology.

There's no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for accelerated digital transformation.

The past 18 months have seen an enormous uptick in interest and use of digital health tools, including those enabling telehealth, COVID-19 testing and data sharing, contact tracing and vaccine verification passes.  

But as Dr. Patrice Harris points out, not every tool is appropriate for every person, or every situation.   

Innovators can and should ask themselves: "What can we do to not be a one-size-fits-all solution, but be complementary to a cadre of solutions?" said Harris, past president of the American Medical Association and cofounder and CEO of at-home testing vendor eMed.  

Harris spoke with Healthcare IT News about how the federal government and other stakeholders can support innovation, the best ways to ensure digital health tools don't exacerbate disparities, and how eMed hopes to play a role in filling the COVID-19 at-home testing gap.