At HLTH, General Catalyst Principal Candace Richardson discussed some of the questions she frequently asks startups during investment meetings. Some of these include “Do you stratify your outcomes data by different populations to ensure your model works well for everyone?” and “Is serving Medicaid populations on your roadmap?”

HLTH 2023 introduced a new program focused on technology trends for and perspectives from payers in a series of conversations around AI, health equity and healthcare innovation.

The healthcare industry is sitting on a wealth of data gathered from electronic health records, commercial pharmacies, health systems and payers, and health tech companies. So much that it makes up one-third of the world’s data. Pharmaceutical companies need to tap into this type of data to build inclusive clinical trials,

The fusion of clinical and engagement data can revolutionize the way we understand and treat patients. By optimizing data collection and synthesis, securely sharing data, and ensuring equitable access, we can make significant strides towards delivering more personalized, effective, and patient-centered care.

Next year REACH ACOs will have to show success in developing and maintaining comprehensive health equity plans, and by kicking the can down the road they risk not knowing enough about their patient population in terms of what works better and what doesn’t. ACOs can pay in the effort of continuous iteration now or they can pay in poor health outcomes for their patients and the resulting increased costs. The choice is theirs, but one they each have to make.

OptumRx’s Chief Clinical Officer shares his insights on the latest developments and trends he’s seen in the healthcare industry.

A new cohort of startups has graduated from PharmStars, a digital health accelerator. This latest group focused on women’s health and health equity.

The series, part of a content partnership between HLTH and MedCity News, will share insights from executives from both public and private payer organizations based on developments and trends they’ve seen in the healthcare industry and what keeps them up at night.

Asynchronous care represents a transformative approach in healthcare, enabling equitable access to quality care while overcoming geographical and technological barriers.

Doulas — who provide physical, emotional and informational support to expectant mothers — have shown to improve maternal health outcomes, but there’s little insurance coverage of their services. That’s starting to change, however, particularly in Medicaid programs.

Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium, provided hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 tests and vaccines to Black and Brown people in Philadelphia’s underserved neighborhoods during the pandemic. In her view, her work was impactful because she acted promptly and focused on community-based patient engagement.

Health equity strategies need to take factors like racism and lack of power into account, said Dr. Shreya Kangovi, executive director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers. She made these comments last week at the MedCity INVEST conference in Chicago.

Ending access and outcomes disparities in HCT and cell therapy will require a collaborative effort, from clinicians, associations and non-profit organizations in the hematology/oncology, HCT and cell therapy communities to policy makers and payers

Traditional fertility benefit practices — like dollar cap benefits and step therapy — are creating inequities in treatment, said Ann Gaines, senior vice president of business development at Progyny. Gaines made these comments Wednesday during the Midwest Business Group on Health conference in Chicago.

L.A. Care Health Plan and Health Net’s commitment will help secure up to 1,900 housing units in the private rental market and fund field assessments to find those who need assistance with Activities of Daily Living (such as feeding and personal hygiene). It will also help pay for vacancy coverage, damage repair, trash services, greenspace, maintenance and pest control.

Through a new partnership, Hopper Health’s providers and peer navigators will receive a personalized training plan from Violet that will help the clinicians and navigators understand how to provide inclusive care for patients of color and LGBTQ+ communities. It will teach topics including anti-racism, allyship, social determinants of health, trauma-informed care and other areas.

Health technologies are often built based on the “reference man” and frequently don’t take other demographics into account. It shouldn’t be this way, experts argued on a panel Thursday at the HIMSS 2023 conference.

Health disparities are often a result of other socioeconomic factors like housing and nutrition. Because of this, the healthcare industry needs to work with other sectors to improve health equity, said Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe of the World Health Organization, at the HIMSS 2023 conference.

At the AHIP Medicare, Medicaid, Duals and Commercial Markets Forum held last week, two healthcare leaders from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and CVS Health stressed that reducing maternal health disparities is a top priority, with several strategies at play. For CMS, the focus is on encouraging states to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage, while CVS Health is working to leverage doulas in their care delivery.

During an interview at the AHIP Medicare, Medicaid, Duals and Commercial Markets Forum held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure discussed CMS’ key focus areas for 2023. This includes the end of the public health emergency, health equity and prescription drug costs.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee’s health equity report analyzed disparities in behavioral health, cancer, child and adolescent care, chronic condition management, Covid-19 and maternal health.

The newly launched Techquity for Health Coalition from the HLTH Foundation will share findings from its first national survey of techquity at the conference. Healthcare leaders will also discuss on ways to improve health tech design, tech literacy, accessibility, workforce equity, patient trust, and equitable use of data.

HLTH Foundation Executive Director Janna Guinen described its focus on promoting equity, inclusion and opportunity in healthcare on behalf of patients, healthcare professionals and health tech entrepreneurs.

The Community Equity Alliance aims to grow the community health workforce, advance the connections between healthcare institutions and communities, and improve disparities in heart health and mental health. The first organizations working with CVS Health are Meharry Medical College, Sinai Chicago and Wayne State University.

After another insightful conference this year, these are some of the key legal deal trends to expect from the health care and life sciences industries in 2023.

About 98% of healthcare companies have a health equity strategy, but nearly 60% initiated the strategy in just the last five years and 34% created it during the Covid-19 pandemic, the EY report shows.

Possible strategies for employers to reduce disparities include addressing social determinants of health, improving care navigation, leveraging virtual care and upgrading plan offerings, the authors of a Harvard Business Review report said.

We expect 2023 to be a pivotal year for the industry, as the accelerated acceptance of virtual care and demographic trends, such as an aging population, increasing chronic illnesses and healthcare worker shortages, sustain demand for medtech-enabled solutions.

Our research has found that to advance ongoing work, community health ecosystems likely will need additional partners, shared goals, technology, and metrics. But most importantly, they will need the participation and leadership of more community members.

When diversity is well-implemented in healthcare materials, trust is built and patient-provider relationships improve. It also enhances the medical accuracy of the information presented.