What You Missed at HLTH 2022

Earlier this month, our team traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada for the 5th annual HLTH conference, and we’re still buzzing about this electric gathering. With over 9,500 attendees from tech giants to small-but-mighty startups, the four day conference nearly tripled in size from the 2018 event. Attendees came out in force for the stellar line up of sessions, featuring over 300 speakers. Health industry leaders, government officials, policy experts, tech industry influencers, and even celebrities came together to discuss the future of the healthtech ecosystem. With a strong focus on thought leadership, creative digital solutions, and health equity, the conference lived up to its mantra: “where the future of health happens.” 

While it’s hard to capture all of the excitement and innovation, here are some of our highlights from HLTH 2022. 

Digital Health Innovation 

As you can imagine, digital health innovation was central to this program. Taylor Bass, Business Development at Doximity, reflected: “It was cool seeing how many solutions there are attempting to solve a variety of health related problems. From creating games for physicians to practice surgery to tech-driven preventative diabetes campaigns, I was impressed with the plethora of creative healthcare companies in attendance.”

Clinician burnout and communication enablement were also hot topics, and it was great to see how many of the healthcare organizations present wanted to help shape a more collaborative future to tackle these massive industry challenges.

Health Equity Focus 

A notable addition to this year’s conference was a welcomed focus on health equity. HLTH 2022 featured an entire Health Equity Impact Program that had events throughout each day, including presenters from Deloitte, Moderna, American Hospitals Association, Zoom, and more. As the connection between tech and healthcare continues to grow, it’s essential for companies to think about health equity during their design and development processes. Innovative health leader Dr. Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and CEO of Cityblock Health, highlighted responsible health innovation that centers on historically marginalized communities. A great session with the Chief Health Equity Officer of AMA’s Center for Health Equity, Dr. Aletha Maybank, shared a framework for shared understanding of equitable innovation. Dr. Félix Chinea, Head of Health Equity and Inclusion Strategy at Doximity, spoke on a panel about the different priorities and needs of the largest and emerging working generations, Millennials and Gen Z. In this session and the overall conference, it is apparent that an emphasis on equity, inclusivity, community, and mission will be essential to the future of healthtech. 

Mental Health and Wellness 

It’s no shock that many companies in healthcare and digital health are turning their focus to mental health and wellness in some form or fashion. Whether it is providing resources for their employees or developing technology that supports mental health, mental health is central to this industry. Leaders like Bamboo shared how they are leveraging technology to support the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, 988, from dispatch to triage. Celebrity guest and passionate healthtech investor Lance Armstrong got candid about his personal experience with adversity, and posited the term “mental fitness” as a way to reframe the conversation around mental health. Jessica Damassa from WTF Health interviewed Will Ahmed, CEO and Founder of Whoop, and other leaders in the wearable space about how they are partnering with insurance organizations and employers’ wellness benefits to use their technology to incentivize workers to track, monitor, and improve overall health and wellness. Overall, HLTH 2022 showcased how companies are working together to address the multi-faceted challenges of health and wellness from all angles. 

Image via HLTH 2022 Event Website.