Last week, we joined 6,000+ executives in Las Vegas for 4 days of learning and exploring trends that are shaping the future of healthcare in the U.S. The event brought together senior leaders across payers, providers, employers, investors, fast-growing startups, pharma, and policymakers to discuss the future of health — everything from creating a consumer-centric experience to addressing the social determinants of health. It was one of the industry’s biggest events of 2019, with over 300 speakers, 100 sessions across 20 different content tracks and 150+ media outlets in attendance.
Here’s a recap of our key takeaways and highlights from HLTH 2019.
Solving for the social determinants as health
Findings ways to address the social determinants of health was a running theme at the event. Solutions ranged from startup groups like Papa, which connects seniors with college students to address social isolation, to large-scale efforts from giants like Kaiser Permanente, which announced it will launch a campaign targeting food insecurity called Food for Life.
But the underlying message is that healthcare's next evolution must start at the individual level.
In that vein, Megan Callahan, our VP of Healthcare, hosted a fireside chat with Jami Snyder, Director of the state of Arizona’s Medicaid agency. They talked about how transportation is an important social determinant of health and how Lyft is reducing transportation barriers to care for millions of eligible Medicaid patients in Arizona. It was a packed house!
Putting the patient (consumer) first
Some of the biggest names at HLTH were well-known consumer brands such as Walmart and Google. Walmart, for instance, took attendees on a virtual tour of its new health clinic in Georgia, which was specifically designed using the retail giant's customer experience know-how to be a one-stop shop instead of the fragmented experience many patients face. CVS Health also spotlighted its new HealthHUB stores, which offer expanded services like chronic disease management and diagnosis and treatment for minor illnesses and injuries.
Whether they were led by payers, providers, or start-ups, all of the sessions had an incredible focus on the consumer — understanding their preferences and finding ways to engage them in the healthcare system.
Promoting self-care in our VIP suite
We're increasingly seeing a focus on concepts like well-being and self-care, both within the health industry and in society at large. Staying healthy isn't just about avoiding illness or injury, but about actively reducing stress and taking time to engage in activities that make us happy. With this in mind, we created a VIP suite where attendees could take a break from the hustle and bustle of the conference and get some much-needed R&R. The suite included everything from blow-outs and hot shaves to massages. Our goal was to help attendees experience the benefits of self-care firsthand, and we're pretty sure we succeeded!
Helping patients navigate care
Another big theme discussed at the event was how to help patients find the care at the right place at the right time. This was something billionaire Mark Cuban talked about during his keynote address. But he wasn't alone in his desire to improve patient navigation — the Chief Medical Officer of Hims & Hers, a telemedicine company that specializes in offering services to low-risk patients, said they’re filling a gap for people who don't have access to a primary care doctor. Their goal is to help patients find appropriate care at the lowest possible cost.
For those times when it's necessary to make an in-person visit, Lyft Business is proud to help patients navigate care. We offer reliable, low-cost transportation to medical appointments and support riders' social lives by taking them to community centers, classes, and meals with family and friends.
To reinforce this idea at HLTH, our Lyft ambassadors were stationed outside the MGM Grand to help attendees navigate the event. Over half of HLTH attendees used Lyft to get to and from the conference. Thanks to Jason and Aubrey, our ambassadors, for making the event a bit easier for everyone there!
New technologies are improving access to care
There were numerous sessions highlighting how organizations are focused on delivering more value to patients, beyond just insurance and payments. Improving access to care is a huge focus for us at Lyft Business, and that’s why we announced at HLTH that we’re providing rides for eligible Medicaid patients in 6 states . With the support of both Medicaid programs and health plans to include rideshare as a transportation provider type, we now have the potential to positively impact the lives of millions more across the country You can read more about our work with Medicaid programs here.
That’s a wrap for 2019! We hope to see you all at HIMSS 2020 in Orlando next year. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about Lyft Business for Healthcare, reach out here.