Digital health leaders review the most notable events of 2022

As 2022 draws to a close, MobiHealthNews asked digital health leaders about the biggest surprises and standout events of the past year.

Although the economic environment has proven more challenging for startups, executives noted several major deals — particularly by big retail players — and argued that consolidation could be a bigger trend next year. .

Guillaume de Zwirek, founder and CEO of Artera (formerly GOOD Health)

“While not surprising, the market downturn has been a standout event this year. Even when you spot a market bubble, you often don’t know when it will burst. Another notable trend is how retailers are acting aggressively to reshape their businesses and provide care for large populations Examples: Walgreens with VillageMD, CVS with Signify Health, Best Buy with Current Health, and Amazon with One Medical.”

Russell Glass, CEO of Headspace Health

“Point solutions in virtual care, and in particular virtual mental health, have begun to be absorbed by larger telemedicine and platform companies. In 2023, as market pressures and more limited available funding force the Continued consolidation, I think we will continue to see this happening – but at an even faster pace than 2022. And those with scale, a well-established unit economy and a clear path to profitability will come out on top.

Dr. Jon Bloom, co-founder and CEO of Podimetry

“From a digital health perspective, 2022 has been a year of resetting for many and a serious reality check. We’ve gone from dizzying growth to falling skies, and in 2023 I think that movement market correction will continue. For me, the biggest surprise of 2022 has been that despite the market crash, digital health companies have continued to push forward with huge deals. This includes massive acquisitions like Amazon and One Medical, as well as deals like CVS Health and Signify.

Vijay Ravindran, CEO of Floreo

“The post-COVID environment is now upon us. Telehealth as a necessity has backed off a bit in reopening America.

The layoffs in Big Tech provide an unprecedented opportunity to recruit high-level talent from startups that have funding for the next two years. Big business is likely to be accelerated by the talent that is now available and ready to take on the relative safety of a well-funded startup in the face of big business uncertainty grappling with macroeconomic issues.”

Christopher Lis, Managing Director of Global Healthcare Intelligence at J.D. Power

“The trajectory of investment and spending in the first and second quarters of 2022 could be seen more as periods of adjustment after a boom seen in 2021. This change is not surprising, but remains remarkable. While funding was down , M&A deal volume saw a slight increase in Q3 2022. More generally, the adoption of digital tools has increased significantly among all physicians, regardless of gender, specialty, or age. the average number of digital health tools used by a physician has increased from 2.2 in 2016 to 3.8 in 2022.”