Back in the middle of the 19th century, the American Medical Association declared war on the so-called “snake oil elixirs” that were all the rage. Today, it has identified a new target: digital health apps.
In a speech delivered at the AMA’s recent annual meeting, CEO James Madara described the digital health industry as peddling apps and devices that “impede care, confuse patients, and waste our time.” Without naming names, he referenced ineffective electronic medical records, direct-to-consumer digital health products, and apps of “mixed quality.”
“This is the digital snake oil of the early 21st century,” he declared.
Before evaluating these comments, it’s worth taking a moment to define digital health. Author and cardiologist Eric Topol describes it as the “digitization of human beings,” which certainly sounds like the stuff of science fiction. After four years of reporting on the topic, I still struggle to come up with a working definition. Instead, I prefer to think in terms of categories: wellness (weight loss apps, fitness trackers) and IT (tools for browsing health insurance options, medical record systems); regulated medical devices (FDA-approved cardiac-event recorders, apps for measuring real-time blood loss, clinical decision support tools); and the “gray area” stuff in between (some diagnostic tests).
However you choose to define it, digital health is nothing new. But in recent years, it has recently gone mainstream thanks to investors pouring capital into the space in the wake of health care reforms, including the Affordable Care Act and the lesser-known HITECH Act. In 2015 alone, digital health startups amassed a mind-boggling $4.3 billion, according to early-stage venture firm Rock Health.
