If we can go with a vendor into a setting, alongside the provider, to change what may be 5 percent of Stage 4 cancer patients getting an Immuno-Oncology drug to 25 percent, that’s a win for everybody.”—Joel Kirkston

The two healthcare providers on the panel reflected on the challenges of implementing and integrating digital health into existing operations. Viren Shetty, Chief Operating Officer of Narayana Health, one of India’s largest hospital chains, joked that he represented “the interests of the grumpy old men of healthcare: the doctors, CTOs, CIOs, administrators” who decide whether to deploy new digital products. “I try to work with innovators to see if it can be integrated within the existing setup rather than bypassing them entirely. While that means we sometimes resemble a plodding dinosaur, it also means you’re able to bring a lot more people along,” he said.

According to Erin Bali, Founder and CEO, Carbon Health, “With the majority of innovations, it doesn’t really work unless it’s plugged into the core healthcare delivery system” as delivery is still mostly done in person, in a physical space. His company’s approach has been first to automate administrative processes as much as possible to save time and cost and then “become the hub of all technology innovation” by putting innovations on a single platform and deploying them as needed through partnerships with providers. They are not interested, he said, in owning physical facilities—rather like how Uber is a transport company that does not have cars, and Airbnb is a hoteling network that does not own buildings.

“With the majority of innovations, it doesn’t really work unless it’s plugged into the core healthcare delivery system.”—Erin Bali