As the digital health market hits its highest funding milestone to date, the American Medical Association is bolstering its programs for startups, AMA News Editor Kevin O'Reilly writes for the organization.
According to a Rock Health report cited by Mr. O'Reilly, 2018 was a record-breaking year for digital health funding. Digital health companies raised $8.1 billion in 2018, up 42 percent from $5.7 billion in 2017 — which had been another record-setting year.
Four things the AMA has done to support the emerging digital health market:
- Creating the AMA Physician Innovation Network, an online networking site that facilitates collaboration between physicians and health tech companies.
- Launching Health2047, a program that helps healthcare and technology companies develop and commercialize new solutions
- Co-founding Xcertia, an organization that helps develop industry guidelines for mobile health applications.
- Developing the Digital Health Implementation Playbook, a guide of key steps, best practices and resources to help healthcare organizations adopt and scale digital health solutions.
When it comes to digital health, "the road to success depends on ensuring physician confidence in solutions, involving physicians early and often in the development of solutions, and helping physicians crack the code on how best to integrate solutions in practice," AMA Chief Medical Information Officer Michael Hodgkins, MD, told Mr. O'Reilly.