Event recap: Big Tech, Big Health...Big Deal?
2020 Virtual Dealmakers Summit
Presented by our I.D.E.A. (Insights, Data, Experiences & Analytics) team in New York
Moderated by Ken Sonenclar, Managing Director, Oaklins, New York
On 10 September, our I.D.E.A. (Insights, Data, Experiences & Analytics) team in New York brought together thought leaders from the healthcare insights industry to discuss how the crisis created by COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of change in the delivery of healthcare services.
Kicking things off, Carol Fitzgerald, Founder & CEO of Buzzback, examined digital touchpoints of the patient journey and the new ways the pandemic has forced patients and providers to interact. New research from Buzzback (encompassing both the USA and the UK) took a deep dive into telehealth and its widespread adoption in recent months. Consumers remain concerned about the availability of care, but are connecting to doctors virtually. Providers, meanwhile, see telehealth continuing to expand, although hybrid approaches (a mix of in-person visits and contact via the web) are evolving and will likely form the long-term solution that lets providers tend to patients safely and efficiently.
Following Carol’s presentation, 23AndMe focused on its mission, which is to “help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome”. Eric Rasmussen, Head of Consumer Insights, discussed how the company is researching genetic connections with COVID. The goal is to understand how any given individual’s genome may signal predisposition to contracting the novel Coronavirus and the potential severity of their reaction. The company, he noted, continues to publish insights from the proprietary data set it has accumulated from its 12 million clients.
Next, Mike Hennessy, Jr., CEO & President of MJH Life Sciences, discussed how the company is responding to the rapidly-changing landscape in medical media. Forced to pivot and innovate by the pandemic, the company has re-enforced its close alliances with healthcare thought leaders to ensure that providers stay educated on the latest advancements. The company is especially focused on its “Coalition on COVID” Series, which provides up-to-the-minute information on COVID-19 via webinars and white papers.
Last, but certainly not least, Justin Sunshine, Managing Director and healthcare specialist at General Atlantic, tied everything together from a financial perspective. General Atlantic offers growth financing and strategic support to healthcare technology companies. Justin noted that COVID has created an exciting and dynamic time to invest, letting healthcare firms seize opportunities to change the way care is delivered beyond COVID. These opportunities include the acceleration of virtual care and the extension of traditional offerings by existing brick-and-mortar providers using new virtual tools to innovate their business models.
