By Stephanie Fraser
Conference Correspondent, Answers Media Network
LinkedIn: Stephanie Fraser
Event: HLTH 2024
When: October 2024
Where: Las Vegas NV
In true Vegas fashion, HLTH 2024 brought the healthcare industry’s bougiest conference to life with a mix of celebrity star power and cutting-edge technology. However under the flashy exterior, HLTH USA zeroed in on deeper issues like women’s health and reaching the underserved.
Amid the excitement of AI and silvertech, HLTH reminded its 12,000+ attendees that the future of healthcare is as challenging as it is promising. With systemic issues of equity and accessibility still unresolved, the conference highlighted that true innovation means bridging gaps, breaking barriers, and delivering tech-driven solutions that lift everyone—not just those already within reach.
Speaker Spotlight
- First Lady Dr. Jill Biden – Dr. Biden called for increased funding and research into women’s health, which remains critically underfunded. Her keynote emphasized the need to prioritize issues affecting millions of women that are often overlooked in healthcare.
- Chelsea Clinton – Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, alongside Jennifer Klein, assistant to the president and director of the Gender Policy Council, led a powerful discussion on the effects of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, highlighting the widening disparities and gaps in access to care.
- Halle Berry, actress and founder of Respin, called attention to the lack of menopause care in the healthcare system and urged for more research into women’s health.
- Lance Bass and John Legend took the stage to share personal stories—Bass with his journey through Type 1.5 diabetes–raising awareness of this lesser-known condition–and Legend with his son’s Type 1 diagnosis—both advocating for early diagnosis and health equity, especially in underserved communities.
Notable Quotables
- “We have the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy country. And it’s not just maternal mortality; infant mortality has increased in every state with an abortion ban. This isn’t just a women’s issue—it impacts entire families and communities.” and the abortion bans in place only make this crisis worse.” – Chelsea Clinton, addressing the maternal health crisis and how current legislation exacerbates disparities.
- “85% of women over 50 didn’t realize the link between oral health and menopause, yet many experience symptoms in their mouth. That connection is vital.” – Maria Ryan, DDS, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, revealing the gap in awareness around menopause and oral health and advocating for improved education.
- “Imagine if every patient had a quick test for oral bacteria that links to colorectal cancer—testing that could save lives and prevent further health issues.” – Stephen E. Thorne IV, CEO of PDS Health, emphasizing the critical role of oral health in preventing not only cancer but also other major diseases, noting that people with gum disease face a 20% higher risk of heart disease and that diabetes patients experience a 50-100% higher risk of complications due to inflammation and infection from poor oral health.
- “Despite 80% of Americans accessing care through dental visits, only 2% of digital health funding goes toward dental startups and innovation—a gap we need to address to reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes,” Maria Ryan, DDS, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, emphasized.
- “Menopause needs a rebrand. We need products that speak to us, but we also need more dollars, more research, and more clinical trials.” – Halle Berry, advocating for dedicated funding for menopause research to address the lack of resources and support for women’s health.
Voices from the Top
- Jeff Smith, CEO, Bamboo Health – “This year’s HLTH conference showcased the incredible momentum behind healthcare transformation. From leveraging real-time insights to fostering deeper collaboration among providers, payers and community partners, the focus was clear—integrating technology and human connection is essential to improving outcomes. As Bamboo Health continues to prioritize high-cost, high-need patients, I’m inspired by the innovative solutions aimed at enhancing care navigation, bridging behavioral and physical health and ensuring patients are seamlessly guided to the most appropriate care during pivotal moments.”
- Dan Vreeman, DPT, Chief Standards Development Officer, HL7 International – “Back from HLTH and one thing stands out—open data standards like HL7 FHIR are accelerating healthcare’s transformation. Beyond interoperability, they’re paving the way for scalable, AI-driven solutions that can tackle complex challenges from SDOH to seamless virtual care. The future is a unified, data-powered ecosystem, and open standards are the infrastructure we need to make this vision accessible for all.”
- Matt Fusan, SVP Product & Strategy, Azara Healthcare – “At this year’s HLTH conference, data was front and center, with much of the conversation focused on how it can empower better health access, outcomes and equity. For those of us at Azara, this is our mission. We see every day how provider organizations are leveraging their data to better understand their communities’ needs, reduce health disparities, and proactively close care gaps. The enthusiasm for data-driven care at HLTH has us more motivated than ever to expand these capabilities to support population health and value-based care initiatives in even more impactful ways.”
News & Announcements
- HLTH opened with a partnership between Meta and Be My Eyes, introducing Ray-Ban smart glasses that offer virtual assistance for individuals with disabilities, including those who are blind or visually impaired.
- Blue Shield of California partnered with Salesforce to streamline the prior authorization process by co-developing a tool that will allow physicians and patients to receive PA answers in near-real-time, even during visits.
- CHAI – The Coalition for Health AI – published its draft frameworks for certifying independent Health AI Assurance Labs and standardizing the output of these labs with CHAI Model Cards, which are pretty much a “nutrition label” for AI solutions.
- CirrusMD is making physician-first, on-demand healthcare available to over 55k for-hire-vehicle drivers in New York State through a new collaboration with The Black Car Fund.
- GE HealthCare launched an AI Innovation Lab to accelerate progress across areas like clinical decision-making, cancer recurrence predictions, and model training for medical imaging.
- HealthSnap unveiled its new Principal Care Management program that delivers disease-specific pathways to patients with a single complex chronic condition, enabling providers to comply with CMS requirements for PCM through automated patient eligibility reporting, care coordination, and tailored care plans.
- Solera Health shared key findings from its new report showing that strategically supplementing in-person care with a multi-condition virtual care network could lead to a 2.3%-3.1% reduction in total cost of care. It was great kicking off the show with Solera diving into the details.
- Spring Health took the lid off its Specialty Care solution that provides rapid access to intensive treatment for acute behavioral needs, addressing the harsh fragmentation within the mental health system by supporting 50+ conditions through a single platform.
Favorite Booth
- Helloooo Brooklyyyn! – Photon Health, a Brooklyn-based startup digitizing prescriptions, offered a nostalgic twist on modern healthcare with a Blockbuster inspired booth. Past a secret wall of VHS tapes, attendees are welcomed inside a chill “living room,” where Photon showcases its “Netflix” inspired vision:
Photon – Prescriptions for people
With remote in hand, this is where patients receive prescriptions via text with real-time options for pharmacy, cost, and availability—making the process as easy as online shopping.
Fan Favorite
- Digital Health Hub Foundation Awards – Now in its 6th year, the annual Digital Health Hub Foundation Awards once again celebrated the best in health tech innovation at HLTH 2024. Recognizing groundbreaking achievements across categories like Best in Class and Rising Stars, the awards spotlighted pioneering companies and impactful solutions selected from over 1,500 global applicants. With a packed house, the awards have become a premier highlight of HLTH, fostering collaboration and showcasing transformative advancements in digital health. Shout out to Cytovale has been awarded with their ‘Biggest Healthcare Savings Story’ win for transforming sepsis gaps and reducing costs.
Unfiltered Hot Takes
- Rik Renard – Best live commentary of the HLTH USA event, and the industry. If you aren’t already, do yourself a favor and give @rikrenard a follow.
See you next year!