Why healthcare industry leaders need to prioritize digital equity

Healthcare is facing a new frontier, as the industry has seen a boom in digital health tools and technologies on both the patient and provider side. An explosion of health dat has also been driving increasingly sophisticated predictive and prescriptive insights into individuals and populations. Unfortunately, this frontier has proven to be hostile to marginalized communities. There is a growing digital divide, where healthcare technology has actually posed challenges, instead of benefits. The barriers to accessing newly digitized care are legion: it’s everything from language barriers to low income, lack of broadband or mobile access, disabilities and physical differences, low digital literacy, a fully understandable mistrust of the healthcare system and much more. The danger is that this divide will continue to grow, and even become insuperable. To combat this, industry leaders must focus on "techquity." Techquity is using advancements in healthcare technology to drive health equity in underserved, vulnerable and at-risk populations, and close the access gaps. Leaders have identified meaningful and extensive outreach as the main vehicle by which techquity can be achieved, and bridge our nations' telehealth digital divides.