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.

Two major health systems poured $100 million in hospital-at-home care startup Medically Home—here’s why so many health systems are lunging for hospital-at-home solutions and a glimpse at what could hold them back.

How many rural hospitals shuttered in 2020?

Digital billing platform snapped up rival OODA Health for $450M—tech like this could not only help patients improve financial literacy, but also help hospitals better comply with CMS’ price transparency mandates.

Olive and health system TriHealth are partnering to automate revenue cycle management—which can save hospitals a ton of money in denied claims, but AI RCM vendors are also focusing on digital billing to recoup hospital revenue.

The CMS may repeal a long-awaited hospital price transparency rule it just enforced, much to hospitals’ liking—here’s how digital health solutions could disrupt the healthcare payments space and address this contentious issue.

US Hospitals need more nurses

Medtronic and Surgical Theater partnered to use AR to boost real-time neurosurgery visualizations. While hospitals like Johns Hopkins are turning to AR to streamline surgeries, it’ll likely take some time before cash-strapped hospitals can hope for wide-scale implementation of the tech.

More US adults would feel comfortable getting the vaccine at their physician’s office, rather than at a hospital or a health clinic.

Telehealth companies with built-in, AI-powered triage tools are gaining steam among large US hospitals—making now an opportune time for Babylon to make a splash on the public market. Chatbot-based telehealth cos have been inking deals with major US health systems over the last year.

While hospitals are still reeling from the pandemic, which could be stymieing precision medicine efforts in the short term, the one-third of hospitals that were already operating moderate- or high-maturity programs pre-pandemic will likely continue to focus their efforts on oncology. Consumerization of Healthcare.

The bigger picture: Quantum computing’s presence in healthcare is still unfolding—besides drug discovery, hospitals could leverage the tech for two key use cases:. Diagnostics. Quantum computing can considerably improve low resolution and replicability of medical imaging techniques like CTs and MRIs, according to IBM.

In November 2020 the CMS launched its Acute Hospital Care at Home program, which lets hospitals provide Medicare patients with acute care services via virtual care outside traditional hospital settings.

While US hospitals and health systems lost nearly $203 billion in the first few months of the pandemic, per the AHA, institutions that already had digital health capabilities or quickly implemented them fared better: For example, CIOs from Penn Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital said telehealth tools were key to their pandemic response.

Consumers want their healthcare journeys to mirror their retail experiences, so hospitals slow on digitization are turning to players like Adobe to boost patient satisfaction.