Just returned from what’s become arguably the premier healthcare conference in the country (avert your eyes Jamie Dimon) — HLTH USA in Vegas.
A few observations:
AI and GLP-1 Are Everywhere — And Deservedly So
Bubble or no bubble? Who knows, but walking the expo floor one finds dozens of AI companies…not companies that use AI to say, do nurse staffing better, but true AI companies. Right behind them? A wave of GLP-1 and obesity-adjacent startups. These feel like two of the most significant tech and medical disruptions in recent memory. The attention they’re getting seems justified.
Personalized Medicine Is Getting Personal
Someone will remind me that precision medicine and personalized medicine aren’t the same. Fair. But for most consumers, the idea that the health system could know me at a cellular level has always felt like a pipe dream. Now? I’m convinced we’ll get there soon. AI, longevity science, genetic screening, and patient-centric medical records are forces/movements that are indeed changing the game. The energy from a few speakers on this topic was electric.
Innovation Is Here — But Misaligned Incentives are Major Barriers to Healthcare Nirvana
Of course, it often comes down to this: the tech is good, hashtag#innovation is rampant, and consumers care more than ever. But misaligned incentives remain a massive hurdle. Whether it’s consumers spending freely with their insurer’s credit card, employers hesitating to reimburse GLP-1s because the benefit of better health might lag their employees’ employment, or as Viome Life Sciences Founder and CEO Naveen Jain put it: How can you win in a system where advancing the cure for cancer is not to the financial benefit of the company ushering in the miracle?
What didn’t I hear that I thought I might?
Chatter around health equity seemed lite. Perhaps AI and GLP1s have taken all the attention away or corporate priorities have shifted, or the important health equity conversations are taking place behind closed doors. Hard to know. I hope I missed it.
Final Take: The Establishment is Real / But the Future Looks Different
Like a Vegas casino, healthcare still has that feel like the HOUSE ALWAYS WINS….and while the fraught-with-challenge of better alignment of incentives is critical to making healthcare all it can be, there’s a lot to be excited about. Whether it’s the shift from sick care to health care or the AI enablement of everything, I’m convinced healthcare will look very different in the decades ahead.