How Technology is Revolutionizing Healthcare Purchases with Caroline Pearson, the Executive Director at Peterson Health Technology Institute

[00:00:08] Hey everybody, welcome back to the Health Matters podcast.

[00:00:12] I'm Saul Marquez, your host and today I have the privilege of hosting Caroline Pearson,

[00:00:17] the Executive Director for Peterson Center on Healthcare and Peterson Health Technology

[00:00:21] Institute.

[00:00:23] She enjoys tackling some of the most complex issues in healthcare and brings this passion

[00:00:27] to the center's mission to create a high-performing health system that lowers spending and

[00:00:32] improves outcomes.

[00:00:34] The center runs programs that aim to improve healthcare data, support better market functioning,

[00:00:39] and transform digital health purchasing.

[00:00:41] Caroline, thanks so much for joining us.

[00:00:43] I'm so glad to be here, thanks Saul.

[00:00:45] Yeah, so look before we dive into the work that you guys are up to, tell us a little

[00:00:48] bit about what inspires your work in healthcare.

[00:00:51] I am one of those regular stories.

[00:00:54] I thought I'd be a doctor growing up.

[00:00:55] I came from a family of physicians and really became passionate about health policy

[00:00:59] as I was in college and then have really gotten into working in the field of policy research

[00:01:04] and really just trying to translate data into information and inform decision makers.

[00:01:10] Thanks for sharing that Caroline.

[00:01:11] Yeah, it's great.

[00:01:12] Your background with your parents in it, it was in your destiny.

[00:01:15] It was, it was.

[00:01:16] I don't know that I could have gotten out.

[00:01:17] I just put a little bit of a personal twist on it.

[00:01:19] I love that.

[00:01:20] I love that.

[00:01:21] You've got to take your own way.

[00:01:22] Look, let's dive into some of the questions that we have here for you.

[00:01:25] Why is raising the bar for digital health purchasing so important for the Peterson Center on Health

[00:01:30] Care and the Peterson Health Technology Institute?

[00:01:34] And why now?

[00:01:35] The Peterson Center has long been dedicated to improving health outcomes and lowering cost.

[00:01:41] And unfortunately, we don't have a lot of silver bullets to solve that really audacious

[00:01:45] problem.

[00:01:46] And we've always thought that technology should be part of the solution.

[00:01:49] Technology has the potential to drive better outcomes and produce greater efficiency,

[00:01:54] but not necessarily the way we're adopting it right now.

[00:01:57] We went out and we talked to a ton of folks throughout the industry, both digital health

[00:02:02] developers, purchasers, meaning the health plans, the providers, the employers, and everybody

[00:02:07] was really overwhelmed.

[00:02:09] Coming out of the COVID pandemic, there's been tons of investment into the space.

[00:02:12] A lot of new companies an opportunity to drive towards more judicious purchasing

[00:02:17] and make sure that the tools that we're putting into the hands of patients are ones

[00:02:21] that have great evidence behind them because I think we all deserve that.

[00:02:24] Yeah, and it's a worthwhile mission to be behind because there's so much noise in the

[00:02:29] market.

[00:02:30] And how do you identify those right technologies at the right price point to make a difference?

[00:02:34] I think one of the things that we did was after hearing that market need, we decided

[00:02:39] to launch the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

[00:02:41] We announced in July it's an independent philanthropically backed institution that

[00:02:46] is really going to evaluate digital health tools and try to identify those that have

[00:02:52] the best evidence of clinical benefit and the ability to drive budget impact.

[00:02:56] That's really the mission that we're on and hope to drive a lot of benefit as a result.

[00:03:00] That's great.

[00:03:01] Yeah, no, thank you.

[00:03:01] And I think there's a huge need, right?

[00:03:03] Right now, a lot of people need that type of help.

[00:03:06] So it's great that you guys are invested and wanting to make a difference.

[00:03:10] What digital health technologies will PHTI evaluate and how were those technologies decided?

[00:03:16] We just announced this week that we're going to have technologies, remote patient

[00:03:20] monitoring tools for diabetes management and second, virtual musculoskeletal solutions,

[00:03:26] including virtual physical therapy.

[00:03:28] And we are really looking for interventions that address sort of three big points.

[00:03:34] First, we want things that have a lot of budget impact.

[00:03:36] So we're looking for big areas of clinical spending or solutions that have the

[00:03:41] potential to drive either higher spending or higher savings.

[00:03:43] So big ticket items.

[00:03:45] Next, we are really looking for places with great innovation.

[00:03:49] We have traditional care models.

[00:03:51] We're looking for technology based solutions that can really disrupt the system,

[00:03:55] drive more access, more convenience for patients, and really a lot of innovation in the space.

[00:04:02] And with that, we need great evidence.

[00:04:04] We need to look at sectors where there is evidence about how technology can work

[00:04:08] and how it can deliver value.

[00:04:10] And then lastly, we listen hard.

[00:04:12] We've convened a big group of health plans, employers and providers to say to us,

[00:04:17] where can we be helpful in driving your decision making?

[00:04:20] Ultimately, those are the audiences that are deciding which companies get contracts and which don't.

[00:04:25] And we want to say, where is there places that we can look closely at the data

[00:04:31] and give you some information to think about how you're integrating these tools into your delivery model?

[00:04:36] Yeah, thanks for sharing that, Caroline.

[00:04:37] And is there a particular interest for the work that you guys do inside of the four walls of the hospital in the home both?

[00:04:45] Definitely both.

[00:04:46] We're starting really focused on clinical technologies.

[00:04:48] There's a lot of excitement around back end admin tech and we will definitely go there in the future.

[00:04:52] But for now, we're focused on things that are patient facing,

[00:04:55] but they can be supports for providers in institutional care delivery models

[00:05:00] or things that bring that care into the home.

[00:05:02] A lot of wearables, remote monitoring technology

[00:05:06] and things that really enable people to access care in ways that are more convenient to them

[00:05:11] and don't require them to drive to their doctor's office necessarily.

[00:05:14] Got it. Thank you.

[00:05:15] So you're focused on the continuum of care, but the clinical applications that can make the biggest difference.

[00:05:20] Exactly.

[00:05:20] Very cool.

[00:05:22] Thanks for sharing that.

[00:05:23] So shifting to a different area, how is PHTI engaging digital health stakeholders and others in its work?

[00:05:31] We don't want to be sitting in an ivory tower producing reports that nobody reads.

[00:05:36] We really want to be market movers.

[00:05:38] And in order to do that, we need to build really strong relationships with folks across the industry.

[00:05:43] We are building lots of groups to organize those audiences.

[00:05:47] We've got that purchaser group that helps us guide our thinking about which technologies we choose

[00:05:53] and what sorts of report outcomes or outputs will be most valuable to them.

[00:05:57] We have groups of clinical advisors who help us think about how is that care being delivered today

[00:06:03] and how will it change with digital technologies?

[00:06:05] For instance, just because you move care to home,

[00:06:08] it depends on how that data feeds back to the provider to really link it with the continuum of care

[00:06:13] and the sort of whole management of that patient.

[00:06:15] And then really thinking about that patient voice and understanding what's valuable to patients.

[00:06:21] We believe that digital tools should produce equal or better clinical outcomes for every patient that uses them.

[00:06:28] And patients deserve to know that when they're using those tools,

[00:06:31] that they are getting the same benefits that they would if they went to see their doctor.

[00:06:35] And so really making sure that we're understanding both the benefits to the patients

[00:06:39] and what they can expect out of that technology on their end.

[00:06:42] It sounds very comprehensive and that you guys are really taking a multi-stakeholder view.

[00:06:47] So really exciting to really have a partner like you guys in the industry

[00:06:51] helping get through a lot of the noise.

[00:06:55] We are hoping to cut through the noise excitement.

[00:06:57] We think there's great technology out there and we really want to be a champion for it

[00:07:00] and make sure that it continues to get adopted and accelerated in the industry.

[00:07:03] Yeah. And look, so as we close here, Caroline, what closing thought would you give to our listeners today?

[00:07:09] I think it's time for us to evolve how we think about digital health

[00:07:13] and really drive towards better evidence.

[00:07:16] We've got amazing claims bubbling around this hall here

[00:07:19] and we want to see it backed by evidence

[00:07:21] because that's the only way that these technology solutions are really going to be here to stay

[00:07:26] and to drive us towards the next generation of amazing healthcare delivery.

[00:07:31] Well said. And folks, in the show notes you'll find ways to get in touch with Caroline,

[00:07:36] find out the work that they're up to, but for the sake of somebody listening

[00:07:39] that might have a pen in hand, Caroline, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you

[00:07:43] and learn more about the organization?

[00:07:45] That's great. First of all, sign up for our mailing list at phti.com

[00:07:48] and feel free to reach out to us at info at phti.com.

[00:07:51] We read every email and we'll be happy to get back to you.

[00:07:54] Amazing, Caroline. Thank you so much.

[00:07:56] And folks, take action on what you heard today.

[00:07:58] You got to have clinical evidence for these technologies to move forward

[00:08:02] and thanks to Caroline and the team at PHTI.

[00:08:04] There's a way forward. Caroline, thanks for being with us.

[00:08:06] Thanks so much, Saul.