The 2021 HLTH conference took place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center from October 17-20. The event aims to bring together senior leaders to solve healthcare’s most pressing problems and realize the most promising opportunities to pave the path toward the future.

The event draws over 6,000 attendees to network, participate in educational sessions, and brainstorm about the challenges impacting the industry. HealthCare Business News checked in with executives from several healthcare companies who attended the meeting. We asked them what trends they saw at HLTH 2021, and what kind of takeaways they took from the show.

Here are some of the responses we received.

"Reflecting upon the proceedings of the HLTH 2021 meeting, there were a few key themes that highlight emerging trends in the industry. First, innovative techniques will be needed to translate the rapid progress in models of care delivery and the conduct of clinical trials stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic into durable and sustainable change. Second, a dynamic framework for governance and oversight of electronic health data is needed to ensure that these data are analyzed with the best available methods, are protected and secured, and are used properly to advance human health and mitigate disparities in care. Finally, creative and disruptive ideas and approaches can be embraced, rapidly developed and tested, and moved forward by aligning financial incentives and partnership models to achieve common goals." - Matthew Roe, MD, MHS, chief medical officer at Verana Health


"The HLTH 2021 conference reaffirmed two positive changes unfolding in healthcare: One, the shift from episodic to holistic services, and two, strong interest in value-based care. The focus on holistic care among colleagues was reassuring and there is unwavering agreement that value-based care leads to better outcomes both for patients and providers. Digital HealthTech solutions like eVisit are set to drive these transformations by enabling the continuum of care. Telehealth is uniquely positioned to advance equity and access while reducing burdens and costs. Soon, virtual care will just be 'care'." - Justin Miller, VP of customer success at eVisit


“One of the most significant things I experienced at HLTH2021 was a dramatic increase in conversations about the need for new and better services that support the care of patients in their homes. A lot of start-ups are focusing on this space, going beyond remote patient monitoring to enabling actual in-home care for things that haven’t been possible before. This includes mobile units that would come to a patient’s home to administer intravenous fluids and antibiotics, perform blood tests to check electrolyte levels and blood panels, and even take x-rays and ultrasounds. This reflects the appreciation we’ve seen for providing ‘healthcare without walls’ as part of our care collaboration platform, which includes telehealth. We expect to see interest in this area continue to push the boundaries of how providers meet patients where they are.” - Colin Banas, MD, chief medical officer for DrFirst


“The need for connectivity between payers and providers to support the adoption of value-based care contracts was a hot topic at HLTH. Additionally, we were excited to see discussion around the need for multi-payer collaboration to encourage behavior change and improved performance among providers. It’s clear that there is now more openness among payers and providers to engage in value-based care, look beyond fee-for-service, and incorporate technology that will enhance connectivity.” - Oron Afek is the co-founder and CEO of Vim


"HLTH demonstrated the vast opportunity to improve quality of care, productivity of frontline staff, and that transparency throughout the entire healthcare process is at the forefront for thought leaders. Solutions like at-home monitoring, faster sample testing, data aggregation and the elimination of silos, virtual care, AI disability assistance, and transportation of people and supplies between facilities are only a few examples of how our society can benefit from the winds of digital transformation in healthcare. For me, the overarching theme of HTLH was the synergy and partnership between innovators in an effort to, together, create something more than we can create separately.” - Micah Parker, director of engineering at Motient

"With more than $15B invested in the health technology space over the past year, this year's HLTH covered what this means in the broader healthcare industry. The key themes I heard: (1) Health technology is a marathon, not a sprint. Healthcare regulations will never move as fast as investments in the space, and new entrants need to focus on tangible solutions for real pain points. There's currently a lot of noise in the marketplace and not enough proven distinctions in the solutions offered. (2) 'Patient experience' is just one aspect of an engagement funnel. Activation is the key metric that both health technology vendors and providers should be measuring. While this isn't a new concept, the increase in 'healthcare-in-a-box' solutions is highlighting the value of continued and sustainable patient engagement." - Chris Young, head of product at Force Therapeutics


This was my first time attending the HLTH conference, and it was notable for its forward-leaning edge. The exhibits featured very few legacy interoperability players and EHR’s, rather the landscape seemed to be dominated by the value-based care ecosystem or patient engagement, payer technology, digital health enablers, and other similar companies and organizations. It was refreshing and a reminder that innovation in our industry – and transformational change – is well on its way. - Jitin Asnaani, VP of strategy and corporate development for Bamboo Health

"We heard from healthcare organizations across the industry about unifying their digital and consumer strategies. The pandemic greatly accelerated adoption of new technology and processes to reach and serve consumers, but now providers and payers are looking at how to make them work together in a synchronized way that can add strategic value instead of just adapting to COVID. There are a number of technologies that address pieces of the digital patient experience, but creating a coordinated journey is still a challenge for many, so they’re looking for platforms that can manage interactions across tools and channels." - Greg Miller, vice president of industry strategy, healthcare and life sciences at Talkdesk


“One major theme from #HLTH2021 was how the healthcare ecosystem needs to put more emphasis on patients. Reducing the cost of care and enabling better outcomes can be achieved through innovation that personalizes monitoring, alerting and treatment, engaging patients in their recovery plan. One specific approach is through technology that enables care-at-home programs across the continuum, inclusive of patient engagement resources like questionnaires, reminders and 24x7 clinical support.” - Sheeza Hussain, chief commercial officer of Biofourmis