Fourteen healthcare and consumer organizations have joined the Digital Health Collaborative, a new organization supported by the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) that is working to advance digital health evidence and adoption.
PHTI, an initiative of the Peterson Center on Healthcare, independently evaluates digital health solutions to determine their clinical effectiveness and budget impact for purchasers, such as payers, providers, and employers on behalf of patients.
The organization notes that purchasers are often overwhelmed when trying to determine which solutions that can best meet their needs. The Collaborative will share collective learnings and collaborate on needed research and programs to help raise confidence and adoption in digital health.
The new Collaborative brings together provider groups, purchasers, and end users committed to evidence-based, cost-effective, equitable digital health solutions, PHTI said.
Initial Collaborative members include:
• AARP
• AHIP
• Alliance for Connected Care
• American Medical Association (AMA)
• American Telemedicine Association (ATA)
• Consumer Technology Association (CTA)
• Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)
• Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA)
• HLTH Foundation
• Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI)
• International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM)
• National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
• RockHealth.org
Initial activities are expected to include a national purchaser survey, grant-making, and convenings.
“The Digital Health Collaborative is raising the bar for guidance, research, and resources that can accelerate the adoption of solutions that work and are worth it,” said Meg Barron, managing director of engagement and outreach at PHTI, in a statement. “From a first-of-its-kind survey of digital health purchasing to making grants that advance evidence efforts, the Digital Health Collaborative is moving the industry forward at a critical crossroads.”
Additionally, the Digital Health Collaborative, through support from PHTI, will offer a Research and Impact Fund for aligned research and programs. The first grant was provided to DiMe for its Integrated Evidence Plans for Digital Health Products project to help developers align digital health products with purchaser evidence requirements.
The Collaborative’s work parallels and is separate from PHTI’s independent evaluations that assess the clinical benefits and economic impact of digital health technologies, as well as their effects on health equity, user experience, privacy, and security.
