The Health Equity Landscape for 2023. Part 2 of 2.

How can healthcare build technology that ensures equitable access and use for everyone? The American Hospital Association says there are four ways to improve digital health equality. The first is applying a health equity lens and being intentionally inclusive. The second, leverage simpler and cost-effective approaches. Three, engage diverse patients to improve digital health literacy and individualize care. Finally, track patient engagement with digital tools to measure success and assess scalability.

Technology in health equity highlights this second episode of Verizon’s podcast series on connected healthcare. Lea Sims, Verizon’s Marketing Strategy Lead for healthcare, continues her discussion on the health equity landscape in 2023 with Robin Goldsmith, Health Innovation Principal at Verizon Business, and Abner Mason, Founder & CEO at SameSky Health.

In their first episode [insert link to episode one], Sims, Goldsmith, and Mason laid the foundation for why health equity is crucial for the success of healthcare today, some learnings from the pandemic that brought health equity into focus, and how to address the actual needs that will make a difference in health equity for patients.

In this second episode, Sims, Goldsmith, and Mason conclude their conversation by breaking down the technological advancements that can make a meaningful difference in care and bring health equity to everyone. Their discussion includes the following:

• Are the latest and greatest healthcare technology advancements focused enough on access, utility, and digital literacy? And which developers are keeping these areas in mind?
• The emerging technologies that show promise in edging healthcare closer to health equity.
• Examples of technology projects specifically addressing inequity.

“One thing we’re excited about at SameSky Health is the interest that our health plan partners, their willingness and desire to collect this type of REL data, race, ethnicity, and language, and then SOGI, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and SDOH data,” Mason said. “So, we’re being hired now. We built a solution called Culture Guide, and our plan partners are deploying it across their member populations. The level of interest and commitment to understanding more about who that patient or plan member is truly refreshing.”

Abner Mason is a Harvard University graduate and leader in the drive for health equity. Mason’s dedication to creating a more just, equitable, and effective healthcare system led him to found SameSky Health. He leads a team of diverse professionals who strive every day to improve outcomes and lower costs on behalf of health plans. SameSky Health is a post-Series B venture-backed company with leading investors, including 7wire ventures, Tufts Health Plan, Magnetic Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and DaVita Venture Group.

Robin Goldsmith is a data-driven sales leader leveraging best-in-class technology and innovation to address healthcare’s most challenging problems and focused on Innovation and strategy with Verizon’s top Enterprise Healthcare clients around connected hospital, virtual care, patient experience, digital front door patient experience, and health information security. He works to co-create business use cases with healthcare stakeholders to address clinical and operational challenges and provide end-to-end solutions to meet their needs.

Lea Sims is a marketing, messaging, and thought leadership strategist with 30+ years’ experience as a communicator, writer, and content developer helping nonprofit healthcare associations and enterprise organizations tell their stories–synthesizing industry voice with organizational narrative, enabling product and sales organizations to make meaningful connections to industry stakeholders, and forging strategic partnerships with influencer groups in key market spaces. Supporting Verizon’s growing healthcare practice as an industry subject matter expert, thought leader, and marketing strategist is her primary focus–everything from product strategy to market narrative to innovation partnerships that advance the digital evolution of care delivery.