< + > Meanwhile at HLTH2024: Other Interesting and Important Stories

At Healthcare IT Today we enjoy interesting stories and perspectives. Sometimes those stories are “big news” that move the industry. However, more often, the truly interesting stuff bubbles under the radar. Over the years we have learned this is the best place to find future trends and innovations in healthcare.

While we were at the 2024 HLTH Conference #HLTH2024, we spoke with many companies that had interesting stories and announcements. Here are four notable conversations I had featuring Kroger Health, Surescripts, 1upHealth, and Imagine Pediatrics.

Kroger Bucks the Retail Health Trend – Leans into Healthcare

Unlike other retailers who are shuttering their retail health clinics, Kroger Health is leaning into their healthcare efforts and improving access to care without delving fully into primary care. Kroger Health’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jim Kirby, discusses the company’s latest initiatives, such as a partnership with bitewell to introduce a simple food scoring system that helps patients make healthier choices while reducing overall healthcare costs and working with healthcare providers to integrate nutrition data into patient care records.

Surescripts Tackles Prior Authorization

Prior Authorization is a not a popular topic. In fact, we have not found many organizations willing to talk about it. Simply put, it is a complex challenge. We were pleasantly surprised when Frank Harvey, the CEO of Surescripts was willing to come on-camera to share the work they are doing in this area.

Surecripts is collaborating with Cleveland Clinic and OptumRx to streamline the prior authorization process. What used to take days or hours can now be completed in seconds – without changing physician workflows. This is possible through careful coordination of data between the provider, payer, and Surescripts. This advancement not only ensures patients can access critical therapies sooner, but also reduces provider burnout. For now, this process is only for a limited number of therapeutic areas, but Surescripts plans to expand to more in the coming year.

1upHeatlh Recommends a Pragmatic Approach to Interoperability

One of the questions we get asked a lot by new digital health entrepreneurs here at Healthcare IT Today is whether building on top of FHIR will mean a solution will be interoperable. The answer, sadly, is no. Healthcare remains a mishmash of data formats.

Andrea Kowalski, Chief Product Officer at 1upHealth, shares this pragmatic view on the state of interoperability. While the promise of FHIR as a universal data standard is enticing, Kowalski recommends digital health companies accommodate multiple data formats (including FHIR) so that their solutions can be adopted by healthcare providers TODAY. Kowalski also shared how 1upHealth’s platform simplifies the complex work of interoperability, enabling startups and healthcare organizations to focus on innovation rather than the intricacies of data exchange.

Imagine Pediatrics

Imagine Pediatrics has built itself to be a specialty provider of care for children with special healthcare needs in underserved populations. Imagine Pediatrics’ Chief Technology Officer, Eden Klein, explained how their virtual-first care model combines proactive data analytics with hands-on clinical support to reduce emergency visits and keep families at home. Leveraging technology allows them to offer needed care in a cost effect manner. Watch the full interview to learn more.