Executives in the digital health space shared with MobiHealthNews the most impactful events in healthcare in 2023, including the integration of generative AI into the mainstream, the rise of ChatGPT, the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, and Medicaid opt-out.
Matthew Stoudt, co-founder and CEO of Applied VR
“Silicon Valley Bank was clearly the Black Swan event of 2023 and sent shockwaves through the entire system. This was unprecedented and created a lot of uncertainty for founders and investors. This showed us how fragile, but also resilient, our innovation industry is. What was really remarkable was that everyone came together – from investors to other entrepreneurs – to figure out how to make this work.
Ankit Gupta, CEO and Founder of Cycling health
“Like COVID-19 The public health emergency is over, the DEA released proposed regulations that could restrict access to telemedicine, despite overwhelming support for its impact on patients. The proposed regulations ultimately received more than 38,000 comments from patients and leaders, convincing the DEA to rethink the proposed in-person attendance requirement and work on an alternative. This is a critical moment for telemedicine as a whole and is a major step in the right direction to protect access to care. »
Amit Khanna, senior vice president and general manager of healthcare at Selling power
“It goes without saying that the biggest surprise was generative AI – No one could have predicted how dramatically this would change the technology landscape. After ChatGPT was released, technology companies had to change course in a very short period of time to integrate genAI capabilities into their technology stacks. This is a new technological chapter that will fundamentally change the way software is created and consumed. This is an “Internet” moment for technology – just as “the Internet” has fundamentally changed every business, genAI has the power to change the software industry.
Munjal Shah, co-founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI
“The launch of ChatGPT since OpenAI was the biggest event of 2023. For years we talked about the promise of AI, but it wasn’t smart enough. Today, we truly have AI that has an IQ of 130 versus 60. In recent months, investors, hospital systems, and digital health companies have rapidly invested time and capital to realize the benefits of this technology. »
Eran Orr, CEO of XRSanté
“THE Apple Vision Pro was the biggest surprise of this year. Before its launch, the headsets were fully VR or AR, but Apple took a completely different approach by combining the two for a mixed reality solution. The Apple Vision Pro is not only for gaming, but also for everyday use that can eventually replace the computer. I was surprised that they offered a mixed reality solution from the start. »
Ann Bilyew, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Health and Group, WebMD Ignite
“2023 has been a very tumultuous year – a year of great fluctuations with equal doses of innovation and retrenchment. We have had the launch of technologies with enormous potential like AI/LLM, a review following the exuberance of investors in digital health in 2021 and 2022, major regulatory developments from the OCR on digital marketing and the cultural phenomenon of GLP-1 agonists.
Russell Glass, CEO of Headspace
“We have seen AI-based healthcare become a topic of mainstream dialogue. While companies like ours have been using AI for several years, it has been fascinating to see the entire industry begin to put ideas into action and assess areas ripe for AI disruption. I’m excited to see the continued adoption of innovative technologies like generative AI, I share others’ concerns about the risks. As an industry, we must proceed with great caution – particularly in the area of mental health, given that we serve what is arguably the most vulnerable population in the country.
Doug Hirsch, co-founder and head of mission at BonRx
“It will be difficult to forget Medicaid Disenrollment, which has affected millions of Americans this year. Those who rely on Medicaid coverage are no longer able to access vital health care due to procedural reasons such as missing documentation or outdated contact information. And that applies to some of our country’s most vulnerable populations. This is not fair, and we will likely see a very tangible impact on community health in 2024 as a result.”