The HLTH 2024 conference kicked off Sunday, Oct. 20, in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo Center, where all sorts of innovative companies from the healthcare industry will connect to share strategies, network and discuss their thoughts on the future. Speakers and presenters this year include leaders from Kaiser Permanente, Nvidia, Oracle, Walgreens and many more plus special appearances by Dr. Jill Biden, Halle Berry and Lenny Kravitz.
Follow here for updates throughout the day on the latest happenings from the conference.
Missed a day of the conference? Catch up here:
6:45 p.m. CT: Rural providers face high hurdles with technology
Technological innovation to improve care delivery is still a challenge in rural areas, executives said during a panel discussion Tuesday at HLTH.
At Cayuga Health System, it’s taken longer to build up necessary infrastructure necessary for technological advancement, such as telecommunications systems and technical staff.
“A lot of rural health systems like us are just now getting Epic,” said Melissa Cohen, chief innovation and transformation officer at Ithaca, New York-based Cayuga. “For us, it’s going to take a little bit to catch up to the tech and infrastructure required.”
Access to technology infrastructure isn’t the only factor, said Mike Mosquito, who helps lead emerging technology and innovation at Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System.
“It’s not only broadband. It’s having the resources in the community,” Mosquito said. “When I … go into southern Georgia, not only do we have food deserts, but we have health deserts. We had a mayor tell us they play rock, paper, scissors with [the town's] one ambulance. Heart attack, car wreck — who’s going to get it?”
— Caroline Hudson
4:45 p.m. CT: Executives discuss dangers, cost burden of GLP-1s
The industry still has a lot to learn about glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist drugs, or GLP-1s.
One of the big challenges with GLP-1s is making sure the drugs are provided to the patients who really need them, healthcare executives said at a panel on Tuesday.
GLP-1s, which were recently approved for weight loss purposes, have proven to be a costly treatment for patients, providers and payers, including companies and organizations that offer health plans to their employees.
About 10% of Geisinger’s medical costs are from employees using GLP-1s, said Dr. Terry Gilliland, president and CEO of the Danville, Pennsylvania-based health system. Many patients stop taking the drugs after less than a year, raising the question of whether there is any payoff, he said.
But costs aren’t the only issue. There is also a lack of knowledge about the drugs.
For example, compounded versions of GLP-1s are gaining traction in the market. Some argue the altered versions are a way to improve patient access at a lower cost, but others say they jeopardize patient safety.
Dr. Kavita Patel, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, said the rising popularity of GLP-1s and compounded versions suggest failure in the care delivery system for obesity, including the lack of support for a more significant lifestyle shift.
“I don’t think people start with, ‘Let me inject things into my body,” Patel said. “You have to make changes, and they’re not going to come from one drug.”
— Caroline Hudson
3:15 p.m. CT: Former CMS officials talk 2024 election issues
Two former administrators of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spoke about the 2024 election in a keynote address Tuesday at HLTH.
Seema Verma, CMS Administrator under former President Donald Trump, and Andy Slavitt, who held the job under former President Barack Obama, spoke about the future of the Affordable Care Act, the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling on healthcare, and how Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Trump differ on Medicare. Neither saw major differences on health policy.
“Unlike our most recent elections, healthcare is not the main event,” said Slavitt, who is the founding general partner of venture capital firm Town Hall Ventures. “Both candidates are tacking toward the center.”
Both Slavitt and Verma predict that neither candidate will make major changes to the Affordable Care Act. Verma, who currently serves as the general manager of Oracle Health and Life Sciences, said Trump could reinstate some tweaks under the ACA that were undone by the Biden administration but nothing that fundamentally change the law.
The Chevron ruling, which weakened the authority of regulatory agencies, could put a hamper on certain programs within the Health and Human Services Department, Verma said. This in turn would put more pressure on Congress to pass specific laws that target programs centered on areas such as pricing transparency and drug discounts.
One area of difference between Harris and Trump could be with Medicare policies. Trump could look at Medicare Advantage changes enacted under Biden around supplemental benefits and social determinants of health, Verma said.
“I do think that there will be a review of some of the more recent policy changes to say, ‘Do we really want to go this far?’ That doesn't mean that there's going to be an undoing because I think some of the changes that have happened are necessary,” Verma said. “But with any program, after a few years, you want to take a look at it and figure out what's working and what's not working.”
— Gabriel Perna
1:45 p.m. CT: Microsoft: AI models not ready for prime time
Microsoft is using artificial intelligence to unify and display disparate forms of data such as imaging and medical records.
The big tech company announced its latest AI capabilities on Oct. 10, including the introduction of imaging-focused AI models that will allow providers to analyze multiple data types.
During a keynote address at HLTH, Microsoft Chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz clarified that the models still need to be developed and refined.
“These are not, I would say, ready for prime time,” Horvitz said. “They are prime tools for the creative audience [at HLTH] and the creative community [at large] to work on.”
For its part, Microsoft has teamed with providers such as Renton, Washington-based Providence to refine these models. Providence has started integrating imaging, genomic and pathology data to improve cancer diagnostics.
Microsoft sees the models as a starting point for developers. They will need to understand the how the technology can augment clinicians and use them safely and effectively, Horvitz said.
“It’s mind blowing how far we’ve come, but what will be even more exciting is what people do with these tools,” Horvitz said.
— Gabriel Perna
