In digital health innovation, true expertise is rare

Just 5 percent of health organizations are operating at the highest level of digital health innovation for proficiency and expertise, according to Enspektos, an innovation consultancy conducting several waves as part of its State of Digital Health Innovation Study. 

This research initiative is designed to help the global health ecosystem understand how organizations are progressing in their digital innovation efforts. The majority of organizations globally are in the digital health pilot testing and experimentation phase, the firm revealed, and progress is slow even in relatively mature technology areas such as social media and mobile. Organizations do not yet have sufficient technical expertise or budgetary resources to efficiently scale their innovation efforts.

"As we see from this study, digital health is accelerating due to many driving forces, including technology, economic dynamics, policy and the consumerization of healthcare," said Chris Edwards, chief marketing officer for Validic, which sponsored this research. "This research is more evidence that health organizations are moving from talking about to actually doing digital health."

Enspektos fielded Wave 1 of the State of Digital Health Innovation Study between December 2015 and February 2016. More than 360 individuals working at health organizations (hospitals, pharmaceutical firms, payers) or their partners (technology firms, startups, etc.) from around the world were recruited via email and other channels. 

Access the complete report.

Beth Walsh,

Editor

Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.