Intermountain Healthcare is handing off its retail pharmacy operations to CVS after experiencing massive losses with the venture—a nod to how digital health transformation is inciting greater cross-pollination across the healthcare ecosystem.

Health systems that are already looking to build out their digital health ecosystems may find it more convenient to invest in a comprehensive solution, like Philips'. In addition to all its HealthSuite features, Philips also has its own cybersecurity services arm, and a remote patient monitoring offering (via its $2.8 billion acquisition of BioTelemetry).

Report: The Digital Health Ecosystem.

How we got here: Google Cloud’s new API diversifies its portfolio of healthcare cloud offerings, which have already nabbed the attention of players from every corner of the digital health ecosystem.

The Digital Health Ecosystem. Latest DTx market trends and companies in growing digital health sector. eMarketer and Business Insider Intelligence have joined forces to become the leading research company focused on digital transformation. For more insights and key statistics on the biggest trends in today's most disruptive industries, subscribe to Chart of the Day.

Best Buy Health also has its own senior-focused virtual care ecosystem that connects remote patient monitoring (RPM) devices, telehealth, and home visits. Best Buy’s Caring Center specialists observe users’ health data and reach out when they spot any unusual changes. When necessary, the Caring Center team can connect users with their preferred on-demand care provider.

We then outline the benefits that virtual care offers for players across the healthcare ecosystem—including health systems, payers, and clinical researchers.

Both markets are being driven by the undercurrent of a burgeoning population of seniors in the US—who are also increasingly warming up to digital health tech. Telemedicine use among adults 65+ increased 300% during the pandemic, more than any other age group.

For example, Amazon could create a whole ecosystem to provide seamless care: Amazon Pharmacy could complement the medical care consumers receive from Amazon Care services, Amazon’s HIPAA-compliant Alexa could be used to make appointments or monitor health, and Amazon HealthLake could be leveraged to optimize in-person care when needed.

This report explains the rise of tech-focused SDOH initiatives among US health insurers and hospitals, unpacks how these entities’ heavier focus on SDOH has ushered in opportunities for digital health vendors and tech companies operating at the periphery of healthcare to help address nonclinical health gaps, and lays out the factors driving the prioritization of SDOH and inhibiting these efforts’ growth.

While the pandemic put many healthcare organizations in a pinch, UnitedHealth and its health services subsidiary Optum ramped up their digital health strategy—which is what set the stage for strong Q1 performance:. UnitedHealth and other insurers partly benefited from the impacts of the pandemic.

This “triple threat” will help companies refine their visions for smart homes, connected mobility, digital health, smart cities and other interconnected environments. Technology convergence is giving birth to an ecosystem of new inter- and intra-industry partnerships among companies that, in the past, may have made strange bedfellows.

Build out a partner ecosystem. Healthcare organizations should evaluate which vendors—including telecoms, hardware, software, content, and other tech providers—they’d like to include in their partner ecosystem for the various applications of 5G. Prepare for a hybrid environment.

Lastly, I reflect on how we demonstrate our unique value to ecosystem partners, such as employers and health plans, who want to provide their members and employees with great health outcomes, while reducing costs. Again, there is so much potential ahead.

Although long-term trends explain the majority of this increase, the pandemic clearly boosted growth, particularly in mobile activities like video streaming, gaming, mobile shopping, and digital health. The average US adult will spend an additional 11 minutes daily with social media apps this year.

VR headset maker HTC held its first virtual “VIVE Ecosystem Conference” completely in VR. The March 2020 event, which drew 2,000 registrants from more than 55 countries, marked the first physical industry event that was fully replaced by extended reality (XR), an umbrella term that encompasses VR, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).