Value to patient, seamless integration into practice keys to digital therapeutics success

WASHINGTON — Digital health technologies must have value, and must meet certain requirements for improved patient care, according to a panel discussion at the Digital Therapeutics Alliance Summit.

“If people feel like [digital health] technologies have value for them, then they are going to adopt them,” Tanisha Hill, digital Health Medical Lead, Teva Pharmaceuticals, said in a presentation here.

“From an equity standpoint you have to think about cultural differences, social determinants of health ... how what we call digital determinants of health,” said Hill, who is also the president and founder of the Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance, a coalition that supports social change through digital health technology. For instance, “are these apps actually requiring broadband ... because not everyone has access to that.”

Enthusiasm is high for digital health, but physicians have key requirements for digital health to provide better patient care, according to Meg Barron, vice president of Digital Health Strategy at the AMA.

“Prove to me it works and has an evidence base to it,” Barron said. “Prove to me that there is a reimbursement pathway that I am going to provide fair payment if I use this or prescribe this. Prove to me that there is liability coverage so who is going to be liable if I use this or prescribe this in my practice or clinic. And, lastly ... how will I go about most seamlessly integrating just one more thing into my practice environment.”

She noted that the integration of digital health is at the intersection of physician burnout, the fact that one in five physicians are planning to leave practice in the next 2 years and an epidemic of suicide among physicians.

Barron said that when she talks to digital health innovators, she often points out that even though “you are able to show positive outcomes ... or point to signs of success, you have to put that in the context of layering in just one more thing ... you have to speak about it from the context of the big picture: how can this seamlessly integrate into existing workflows?”