Rock Weekly – NEW

Last week, wearable giant Fitbit launched a large-scale study to test whether its devices can detect atrial fibrillation. The researchers see it as a bellwether of the viability of virtual research and care models. If results from Apple’s heart study are any indication, there’s room for improvement—particularly with engagement. Meanwhile, Evidation kicked off a nationwide study to understand the pandemic's impact on mental health.

The pandemic is laying bare unresolved tensions between tech-enabled innovation and data privacy. Reactions to Apple and Google’s contact tracing collaboration and reports that three in five consumers would be unwilling or unable to use the software point to a key takeaway from our previous research: most people don't want to share their health data with big tech or the government. To overcome this techlash for the greater good, we believe these stakeholders must act on three fronts.

As industry giants continue to push forward their pandemic response efforts, a very real risk has arisen: redundancy may be hampering progress. But we need collaboration as a rising tide to lift all boats—especially as the crisis accelerates trends reshaping healthcare as we know it. The gap in real digital transformation between healthcare and other industries is on full display (take clinical research, for example), and clinician burnout is at an all-time high. Telemedicine’s escape velocity is creating new opportunities, while fee-for-service's dominance may be nearing its end.

Disruption to most routine, in-person care means a second wave of crisis looms on the horizon—and remote technology solutions may be able to help. To prevent the downstream effects of mismanaged conditions, some digital health startups are doubling down on outreach to chronically ill patients. Others are responding to the surge in demand for virtual mental health care.

Welcome to the era of syndromic surveillance. After largely forgoing contact tracing early on, CDC Director Robert Redfield pinpointed the public health tool as a key focus going forward—and highlighted technology’s role in augmenting the human taskforce needed to do the job. Right on cue, Apple and Google announced the development of a COVID-19 tracing API to alert individuals if they’ve been exposed to someone with the disease.

Before running into uncertainty of pandemic proportions, digital health funding was off to a record-breaking start in 2020, with $3.1B invested across 107 deals in the second-most funded quarter on record. Signs of a maturing sector abound, as late-stage funding rounds comprised over 30% of deals and average deal size spiked to $29M. Although digital health startups are uniquely positioned to play a role in the immediate crisis response and drive sustained changes in its aftermath, they aren’t immune to macroeconomic stresses.

As FDA continues to “test and build” its Pre-Cert pilot, Pear Therapeutics’ app-based insomnia treatment emerged as the program’s first clearance. Speaking of sleep, Americans are sleeping more and moving less—though activity varies by state—according to fitness tracker data aggregated by Evidation. And wearables may offer even more critical insight into health in the midst of the pandemic.

Last week, federal officials expanded Medicare coverage of virtual visits while further hinting at regulation that would allow medical professionals to practice across state lines. Telemedicine is undoubtedly at a tipping point, but the companies powering these services are struggling to meet the surge in demand.

Amidst the elevation of COVID-19 to pandemic status, at least one “ray of light cracked through the ominous cloud” as Roche’s new coronavirus test received emergency FDA clearance, potentially doubling testing capacity in the US. In the meantime, could digital solutions be (virtually) perfect to help fill gaps in our healthcare system?

Sharing your health data is about to get easier. This morning, the Trump administration finalized long-awaited rules on information blocking and interoperability to give patients control of their health records. While privacy hawks have shared concerns, the call to action for digital health from the federal government is clear: move full speed ahead with these new standards to provide solutions for patients and caregivers.