The Perfect Moment for Digital Health to Go Further by Patrick Sheehan

Patrick Sheehan is a healthcare leader at the intersection of technology and care delivery, with a focus on virtual and at-home services for people with chronic conditions. At Withings, he serves as Vice President of Value-Based Care, partnering with risk-bearing organizations to design and scale programs that improve affordability, outcomes, and the care experience.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a fee schedule that would drastically expand funding for remote patient management — a move that could mark a turning point in how we think about healthcare delivery in America. If finalized, it would be more than a policy update; it would be a recognition that the future of healthcare lies in providing patients with a concierge-like experience focused on delivering care that is coordinated, comprehensive, and personalized. At Withings, we believe this shift is coming at exactly the right time. Digital health has proven it can improve access, but to truly improve outcomes and drive savings, it must go beyond the occasional video visit, the siloed widget, and the noisy data. It requires impactful patient engagement, integrated data communication, and the accessibility of evidence-based preventive care. That’s where our technology can make a measurable difference.

Our connected ecosystem for virtual heart health, anchored around award-winning medical devices, captures a breadth of biomarkers and patient-reported outcomes; everything from ECGs to body composition to symptom assessments—giving care teams an ongoing, comprehensive view of a patient’s cardiovascular function along with key metabolic and respiratory drivers. Paired with personalized care pathways, this actionable insight empowers patients to play an active role in their own care while enabling clinicians to deliver timely interventions. This means more healthy days at home and fewer costly, preventable acute care events.

The opportunity is only accelerating. Withings recently secured a large grant to develop advanced artificial intelligence that precisely detects risk based on multi-marker analysis of device-captured patient data. When applied to a Heart Failure population for example, this would enable intervention weeks prior to weight gain, and increase the likelihood of avoiding decompensation and an acute care event. It’s a leap from reactive to proactive care—one the healthcare system urgently needs.

CMS’s proposal creates the framework for digital health to play a cornerstone role in a future of healthcare that places the patient at the center. This future of healthcare will be defined by its ability to predict and prevent, not just treat. With the right policies, technologies, and partnerships, we can make that future a reality now by giving patients more healthy days at home and delivering on the promise of a stronger, more sustainable healthcare system.

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