What is digital health? Although a single definition is hard to fine, digital health uses data collected from patients to improve care. Mobile health, the use of electronic medical records, the “quantified self” movement and various forms of health information technology all count as digital health.
Is digital health just a fad or will it revolutionize health care? If you look where the money is going, a good bet is on the latter. WonkBlog reports:
Companies in the Big Data and analytics space are the biggest fundraisers this year, with 77 deals totaling $1.17 billion, according to StartUp Health. That’s followed by companies that help navigate the health-care system (40 deals, $794 million) and practice management (26 deals, $598 million).
This isn’t just a San Francisco phenomenon either, though that city leads the country in digital health funding this year (62 deals, raising $948 million). It’s followed by New York ($584 million, 33 deals) and the D.C./Maryland area ($536 million, 14 deals).
The question seems now whether or not digital health will be the wave of the future, but rather exactly how it will affect the care provided to patients in the US and around the world.