INSIGHTS
April 26, 2021

All aboard the platform train! Next stop: integration station

Action across the last week reinforces the fundamental pillars that will separate category winners in the raging digital health platform wars: maturing tech infrastructure to integrate consumer-centric UX that takes users from identification of need all the way through fulfillment. Accolade put competitors on notice announcing its intent to acquire virtual care provider PlushCare, thus extending its capabilities from simple navigation to providing a full care experience. Meanwhile, Hinge Health and Carrum Health are packaging their services together for employers, offering Hinge’s Digital MSK Clinic together with Carrum’s Center of Excellence bundles to guarantee spend in the high cost MSK category. And with its all-cash acquisition of medical education company Healthination, the value prop of GoodRx’s Gold membership extends from diagnosis and now, education—to prescription, discounts, and at-home delivery.

Successful virtual care platforms will require more integration than today’s siloed transactional digital tools, and the most agile digital health leaders will be at the helm of companies that look very different over the coming months—not years.

Headlines

Women’s Digital Health Startups Reap Record VC Funding On Covid Surge
Funding for women’s health cos rose 105% in 2020—but was still capped at $418M Bloomberg | (Tweet)

Building A Coherent Go-To-Market Strategy For Digital Health Solutions
A Q&A with ZS Associates’ Vijesh Unnikrishnan and Dan MacLeod Rock Health | (Tweet)

Oscar Health Launches A Tech Platform
A consumer engagement and analytics company that also happens to sell health insurance Axios | (Tweet)

This $2 Billion Digital Health Startup Aims To Reverse Type 2 Diabetes
Port co Virta Health is in it to win it with fresh $133M Series E Forbes | (Tweet)

Vicarious Surgical To Go Public In $1.1B SPAC Deal
Despite potential SPAClash, the exits keep comin’ Mass Device | (Tweet)

Experts Share Concerns About The Digital Mental Health Market’s Boom
Do the tools deliver what they promise? And what happens if they fail? Fierce Healthcare | (Tweet)

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