UPMC Enterprises: Ventured Episode 11: Serendipity, Digital Platforms, and Driving Behavior Change in Chronic Care Management

The lifestyle choices of people with chronic health conditions present a massive opportunity for health care organizations to address. Chronic diseases cause high rates of illness, disability, and death and are the leading driver of health care costs. An estimated 90% of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care spending goes to people with chronic and mental health conditions — and the costs from cardiovascular diseases alone are projected to top $1 trillion by 2035, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many organizations are pursuing digital health platforms as a solution to this problem, with the goal of driving positive behavior change and influencing patients to choose healthier lifestyles. In this episode of the Ventured podcast from UPMC Enterprises, we hear from two digital health experts — a clinical informatics leader from Verily and a behavioral scientist from UPMC Health Plan — on what they see as the most promising digital tools for improving the health of people with chronic health conditions. Join guest host Gretchen Mendoza, Vice President at UPMC Enterprises, as she leads an engaging conversation between Erich S. Huang, MD, PhD, Head of Clinical Informatics at Verily, and Ellen Beckjord, PhD, Vice President of Population Health and Clinical Optimization at UPMC Health Plan. This episode was recorded at the Top of Mind Summit: Digital Health in April 2024 at the Center for Connected Medicine (CCM) at UPMC where Dr. Huang and Dr. Beckjord were featured speakers. Download a recap report from the Summit from the CCM’s website. Discussion Topics The following topics are discussed by Dr. Beckjord and Dr. Huang in this podcast: The challenges and opportunities of using digital platforms to drive positive behavior change in patients. Lessons that can be borrowed from social media for influencing behavior and those that aren’t appropriate in health care. How digital health platforms can embody trustworthiness and competence in interventions. How digital health interventions can be dynamic and evolve as the patient’s journey evolves. The balance between just enough personalization to be engaging and too much personalization in a chronic care management. The potential role of AI and other technology solutions in driving a more personalized experience and greater engagement in health care.