From artificial intelligence to glucagon-like peptide agonists, HLTH 2024 will feature healthcare's hottest topics and some of the industry's biggest names.&
The in-person event has run annually — except when it went virtual in 2020 — since its inception in 2018. It is expected to attract more than 12,000 people including digital health, provider, insurer and employer executives as well as venture capital and private equity investors.
Related: New York surpasses Silicon Valley as digital health hub
Here's what to know about this year’s event.
When is HLTH 2024?
The event runs Sunday through Wednesday.
Where is HLTH 2024 being held?
The conference, put on by a company with the same name, will be at the Venetian Convention Center after a one-year detour to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Who is speaking?
The glitzy show has its fair share of celebrity speakers including First Lady Jill Biden on women’s health, rock musician Lenny Kravitz and singer John Legend in separate keynotes on inclusivity and health equity, former NSYNC band member Lance Bass on diabetes care, actress Halle Berry on her menopausal health startup Respin and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton on women’s reproductive rights.
As for industry CEOs, keynote speakers include Kaiser Permanente’s Greg Adams and Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Tom Mihaljevic; Oscar Health’s Mark Bertolini and Blue Shield of California’s Paul Markovich. Also on the agenda are retail disruptor executives such as CVS Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sree Chaguturu, Amazon One Medical’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Andrew Diamond and Walgreens’ President of U.S. Healthcare Mary Langowski, and policymakers including Food and Drug Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf and Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz).
Executives from tech companies Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, GE Healthcare and Oracle Health also will speak along with leaders from health systems Mayo Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital and Providence as well as insurers Cigna and UnitedHealthcare. Investors from venture capital firms such as General Catalyst and UPMC Enterprise also are on the agenda.
What are the major themes?
One of the big themes of HLTH will be AI — the technology's potential and its drawbacks. At an AI pavilion on the exhibit floor, companies will do demonstrations and presentations on how the technology can help nurses and physicians. Also planned are sessions on the rise of GLP-1s in telehealth and how insurers and employers can manage the costs of the pricey medications. Other topics include the policy landscape and the 2024 Presidential Election as well as the effectiveness of health equity and food-as-medicine programs.
Will sessions be livestreamed?
HLTH does not livestream sessions but makes them available the next day for digital attendees. Modern Healthcare reporters will be covering the event live. Check Modern Healthcare for updates.
What makes HLTH unique among industry events?
HLTH is one of the glitziest events in healthcare and in addition to the formal program features dozens of after-hour parties, dinners and happy hour events along the Las Vegas Strip. Rapper and actor Busta Rhymes will perform at the event’s annual industry night Tuesday. Last year, Fat Joe and Ashanti performed.
What news was announced last year?
Former Intermountain Health CEO Dr. Marc Harrison and General Catalyst last year announced the launch of a company focused on helping health systems pivot to value-based care, among other things. Harrison and General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja said the company, Health Assurance Transformation Corp., intended to acquire a health system and in January plans to acquire Akron, Ohio-based Summa Health were announced. The deal has yet to close.
Google and Microsoft, along with several smaller companies, rolled out AI-related product announcements. The two big tech companies made product announcements ahead of this year’s show, although both will have a presence at the event.
On the insurer side, Cigna Group last year announced it paid an undisclosed sum to acquire digital health company Bright.md. Walgreens announced a virtual care offering while Walmart detailed a plan to extend virtual primary care services to all of its employees.