As the digital health field becomes more and more crowded, so too has it become increasingly difficult to differentiate between the wide variety of tech-based healthcare offerings.
In a recent op-ed for Stat, Sean Duffy, co-founder and CEO of Omada Health, calls for standardized definitions for digital therapeutics and digital care — the two most distinct categories within digital health.
The term "digital therapeutics," according to Mr. Duffy, "categorize[s] evidence-based, clinically validated and regulatory-adherent digital interventions." "Digital care," meanwhile, represents "a constellation of hyperpersonalized care pathways."
For example, when Omada Health initially offered only a CDC-approved diabetes management program, the startup classified itself as a digital therapeutics company. Now that it has expanded into an entire platform of solutions addressing a multitude of physical and mental health conditions, however, Omada has rebranded as a digital care provider.
"The best analogy for the care we deliver today is a specialty medical clinic or hospital, 'digital Mayo Clinic,' if you will," Mr. Duffy wrote. "Put simply, our job as a digital care provider is to address the needs of the people who choose to use our program, much as brick-and-mortar clinics or hospitals address the needs of those who come through their doors."
Creating this distinction — not only internally at Omada, but also among the digital health industry as a whole — is crucial. "A category without a solid definition becomes little more than a marketing tool," Mr. Duffy concluded.
View his detailed definitions of digital therapeutics and digital care here.
More articles on health IT:
Americans would embrace AI and 24/7 monitoring to cut healthcare costs, survey finds
Deloitte launches patient-centered platform for clinical trial engagement
5 hospitals seeking CIOs