Category: Health

Sociodemographic and health-related factors are associated with long-term use of digital health devices, according to a study published in npj Digital Medicine.

Researchers followed a cohort within the long-running and ongoing Framingham Heart Study that used three digital components: a smartphone app, a blood pressure cuff and a smartwatch. 

Participants received app-based surveys at enrollment and every three months. Step count and heart rate data were collected daily from the smartwatch, while blood pressure measurements were taken weekly. During in-person exams, researchers collected sociodemographic information as well as data about health status and behaviors.

The study found that older age (55 years and above) was associated with higher use of each device over the yearlong follow-up period. Women and participants with higher levels of education were more likely to complete the app surveys. Higher scores for depressive symptoms and lower-than-excellent self-rated health were linked to lower smartwatch use. 

“These

San Francisco-based Augmedix has progressed from a Google Glass-based clinical documentation startup to a publicly-traded, AI-enabled ambient automation platform that documents patient encounters and generates medical notes that can be transferred to an EHR.

The company, founded in 2012, also provides pre- and post-visit documentation offerings to give providers a more complete digital picture of a patient’s health journey. 

Ian Shakil, founder, director and chief strategy officer at Augmedix, spoke with MobiHealthNews to discuss the company’s evolution and its anticipated release of a new product in 2023. 

MobiHealthNews: Can you tell me about Augmedix and how it works in the ambient documentation space?

Ian Shakil: I started the company about 10 years ago with the mission to rehumanize the provider/patient interaction. Originally, we were only operating on Google Glass. What we did is we put technology at the point of care when providers and patients are having conversations.

What

MobiHealthNews spoke with several digital health stakeholders about 2022’s funding environment and how it affected digital health startups.

Investments in 2022 decreased drastically compared to the swells of financial capital raised in 2021, and that lack of funding forced companies to rethink their business models.

Read digital health execs’ insights on how this year’s decreased funding forced layoffs, business model redesigns and an increased focus on company value.

Dr. Jon Bloom, cofounder and CEO of Podimetrics 

“The funding environment for digital health startups in 2022 was, well, rough. As an industry, we went from being a beacon of innovative hope amid the pandemic to an unintentional harbinger of bloated valuations and a destroyer of shareholder value.” 

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Dr. Jennifer Schneider, cofounder and CEO of Homeward

“The current market dynamics have forced entrepreneurs to focus clearly on what truly matters for the business and the industry more broadly. While the recent widespread

After digital health startups scooped up huge amounts of investor dollars last year, the market slowed down significantly in 2022. But it’s still a relatively new field, and there’s plenty of room for startups that can prove their ability to improve care, says John Beadle, managing partner at Aegis Ventures.

He sat down with MobiHealthNews to discuss the growth in partnerships with health systems and venture capital firms, the changing funding environment, and what digital health investment in 2023 could look like.

MobiHealthNews: What are some of your big takeaways when you look back at digital health in 2022?

John Beadle: Despite the macro environment obviously turning down, the transformation and care delivery and innovation that was spurred by COVID is definitely continuing to accelerate in a lot of different areas. I think the industry has really hit a tipping point, and we should continue to see innovation advancing at

Aledade, which works with primary care providers to build tech-enabled accountable care organizations, hired Ananya Banerjee as chief commercial officer. 

Sean Cavanaugh, who had previously managed the role, will remain at Aledade as chief policy officer. 

Before joining Aledade, Banerjee served as chief of strategic payer partnerships at ChenMed, a primary care company geared toward seniors. ChenMed recently sued Banerjee and Aledade, alleging she broke her confidentiality agreement in favor of a competitor. 

Banerjee had also previously worked at Optum and McKinsey & Company.

“In every step of my career, I’ve looked for opportunities to support structural alignment within the healthcare system to bring higher-quality care to more people at lower costs,” she said in a statement. “Aledade’s model, mission, scale and trusted relationships drew me to the company, and I am excited to support the next phase of its growth.”

Aledade recently raised $123 million in a Series