CB Insights Future of Health Proves It's All About Outcomes

I’ve just returned from New York and The Future of Health Conference, where Vida was honored as one of CB Insights’s 150 Most Innovative Digital Health Startups. It was an inspiring event, and I felt grateful to be able to share our vision and our progress with those that are similarly committed to improving care. 

As you would expect, many of the biggest players in the space, as well as the most innovative startups, were all in attendance and eager to discuss what the future of health really needs to be. While there is still room for friendly debate, overall it was encouraging to see how aligned key stakeholders are on the core issues of the industry. Here are the big ideas that I’m reflecting on now that the conference is finished. 

It’s All About Outcomes.

Tech can do some really amazing things in healthcare, but it’s all trivial if it doesn’t make sick people healthier and prevent healthy people from getting sick. As digital health leaders, we need to remember that this is a domain where people have a lot of scar tissue when it comes to new solutions. We need our health offerings to be evidence-based and have outcomes to back them up. 

We’re proud that everything we do at Vida is outcomes-oriented and is supported by proven results from our members. We address the behavioral root causes of chronic disease, from diabetes to anxiety and depression in ways that have real impact on our members’ lives. Our cognitive behavior therapy programs for depression and anxiety have seen meaningful clinical reduction in these conditions — on average of over 50% reduction in PHQ and GAD scores after program completion at Fortune 500 companies. In our initial diabetes studies participants saw an average weight loss of 7% after 6 months, and an A1c reduction from >8% to <6%.

These numbers reflect the lived experience of our members, and they guide us in every decision we make.

You Can’t Effectively Treat the Body Without Treating the Mind. 

Behind every chronic condition is a behavioral health condition. Often, this means depression or anxiety, but bad health habits can also be reinforced by something as simple and pervasive as poor stress management. Our behavior dictates how we manage our health, and it’s not uncommon for people to get trapped in vicious, hard-to-break cycles that are unaddressed by most of today’s health offerings. 

At Vida, we understand that often you can’t treat the diabetes without treating the depression. That’s why we offer a full platform that has solutions for chronic physical and behavioral health. It’s also why our licensed coaches and therapists are trained to think of our members holistically. 

Integration is Key. 

There are so many point solutions, but people need to be treated holistically in a way that integrates with payers, insurers, doctors, and any number of other important parts of the system. I believe we can’t say we’re seriously tackling issues of access until we’re also finding solutions to issues of integration. Without integration, we can’t transform our system. 

Healthcare is Big Business Today – and It’ll Be Even Bigger Tomorrow. 

Healthcare is perhaps the most important industry in any individual’s life. Voters consistently identify it as their top issue at the polls, and a person’s access to healthcare has a substantial impact when it comes to their finances and quality of life. That means it’s rightfully recognized as a big business, ripe with opportunity. What is sometimes left out of the conversation, though, is where it’s going next.

I was pleased to see that conversations at CB Insights dove even deeper into the factors driving healthcare industry growth – including the fact that we have a huge aging population who are living longer. And that has sizable implications. Even a healthier aging population will require much more health care than we see today. But the reality is that chronic conditions continue to plague the American population. Moreover, those with chronic conditions are taking the vast majority of resources. In America, 5% of the people account for 50% of the spending. It’s important to look ahead and consider how we alleviate this burden on the healthcare system by helping people earlier and better. 

Healthcare Is Becoming Consumerized. 

More and more consumers are taking ownership of their own care – both treatment and prevention. And more and more companies need to engage consumers directly in ways that drive outcomes. 

On the whole, I’m a supporter of the wellness movement that has blown up over the past few years, but I think it needs to go further. I believe part of the reason that consumers have embraced self care so fully is because it feels attainable and non-threatening. And while meditation and mental health days are good, they need to be supported by professionals and tools that help you address the root cause of your conditions as well. Digital health can bridge this gap.

Ultimately, my time in New York reinforced my reasons for founding Vida. As the digital health industry converges on some universal truths, I’m proud of the fact that Vida has been leading these conversations for years and helping to educate consumers along the way. 

Creating a platform that is focused on impactful outcomes has been our overriding goal, and we’ve been fortunate to have strong partners help us scale this vision. Companies like Boeing, Cisco, and Humana are helping us reach new groups of people and enabling us to get straight to the heart of transforming health. 

There are many exciting things on the horizon for Vida — and for digital health more broadly. If you were at CB Insights, I’d love to hear what you thought were the most important takeaways. Leave a comment below and let’s continue the discussion.