# HLTH -- The Healthcare Innovation Community > HLTH connects leaders across the health ecosystem through flagship events, curated executive gatherings, > strategic insights, and an always-on professional community platform. ## Flagship Events - [HLTH Events](https://hlth.com/events): Upcoming and past HLTH healthcare conferences and events HLTH Events is the central hub for HLTH's major conferences and year-round programming across the healthcare ecosystem. It connects attendees to flagship events, virtual formats, and supporting resources in one place. - [ViVE](https://hlth.com/events/vive): The premier digital health event -- Nashville, TN, Mar 14 - Mar 17, 2027 ViVE is HLTH's premier event focused on digital health transformation, co-created with CHIME. It brings together providers, payers, investors, startups, and technology partners for high-impact strategy, networking, and business development. - [HLTH Europe](https://hlth.com/events/europe): Europe's #1 healthcare innovation event -- Amsterdam, NH, Jun 21 - Jun 24, 2027 HLTH Europe is the continent's flagship healthcare innovation gathering. It convenes cross-sector leaders from health systems, payers, life sciences, startups, and investors to accelerate partnerships and market adoption. - [HLTH USA](https://hlth.com/events/usa): Healthcare's #1 innovation event -- Las Vegas, NV, Nov 15 - Nov 19, 2026 HLTH USA is healthcare's largest innovation event, convening senior decision-makers across providers, payers, pharma, life sciences, and digital health. The program emphasizes practical collaboration, strategic partnerships, and scalable transformation. ## Membership - [HLTH Membership](https://hlth.com/membership): Year-round access to healthcare leaders, curated events, executive roundtables, and premium content HLTH Membership is HLTH's always-on platform for senior healthcare leaders seeking strategic relationships and trusted insight beyond event week. Members get access to curated introductions, recurring roundtables and masterclasses, and premium content designed to support decision-making year-round. ## Sponsorship - [Year-Round Sponsorship](https://hlth.com/sponsorship/year-round-opportunities): Bespoke events, thought leadership reports, and webinar sponsorships Year-round sponsorship helps organizations build sustained visibility with HLTH's healthcare audience through bespoke events, webinars, and thought-leadership programs. Offerings are designed to support lead generation, category positioning, and long-term brand influence. - [Content Partnerships](https://hlth.com/content-partnerships): Publish healthcare perspectives with HLTH's year-round community Content partnerships help healthcare leaders share credible perspectives with HLTH's audience through published bylines, newsletter and social promotion, and consideration for future event and virtual programming. - [Entree Dinners](https://hlth.com/member-events/entree/become-a-sponsor): Sponsor curated executive dinners with healthcare decision-makers Entree sponsorships focus on intimate, high-trust dinners with carefully selected healthcare executives and decision-makers. HLTH handles curation and logistics so sponsors can focus on meaningful conversation and relationship development. ## Advisory - [HLTH Advisory](https://hlth.com/advisory): Strategic consulting, trend analysis, go-to-market planning, and capability building for healthcare organizations HLTH Advisory provides evidence-led strategic support for organizations navigating complex healthcare innovation decisions. Services include market landscaping, customer-needs mapping, go-to-market planning, capability building, and workshop-led alignment. ## Industries - [Health System & Providers](https://hlth.com/industries/health-system-and-health-provider): Industry hub for Health System & Providers leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Health System & Providers industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Life Sciences, Pharma & Biotech](https://hlth.com/industries/life-sciences-pharma-and-biotech): Industry hub for Life Sciences, Pharma & Biotech leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Life Sciences, Pharma & Biotech industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Health Tech & Solutions](https://hlth.com/industries/health-tech-solutions-and-services): Industry hub for Health Tech & Solutions leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Health Tech & Solutions industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Payer & Insurer](https://hlth.com/industries/payer-insurer): Industry hub for Payer & Insurer leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Payer & Insurer industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Professional Services](https://hlth.com/industries/professional-services): Industry hub for Professional Services leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Professional Services industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Investor & Accelerators](https://hlth.com/industries/investor-and-accelerator): Industry hub for Investor & Accelerators leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Investor & Accelerators industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Startup](https://hlth.com/industries/startup): Industry hub for Startup leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Startup industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. - [Government](https://hlth.com/industries/government): Industry hub for Government leaders, tailored healthcare content, events, and connections. Explore HLTH's Government industry hub for relevant healthcare content, events, webinars, recordings, and community touchpoints curated for this company type. ## Upcoming Bespoke Events - [All Bespoke Events](https://hlth.com/member-events): In-person meetings with senior healthcare leaders Browse all bespoke in-person HLTH events, including sponsored events and member-exclusive sessions. - [Taking Healthcare AI Across the Finish Line](https://hlth.com/member-events/taking-healthcare-ai-across-the-finish-line): CMS has made its position clear: AI used in utilization management and coverage decisions must have... -- Los Angeles, Oct 21 2026 CMS has made its position clear: AI used in utilization management and coverage decisions must have a human in the loop, must not override clinical judgment, and must be auditable. For health systems and payers that have been building AI into their operations, that regulatory posture is reshaping what deployment actually looks like and what accountability structures need to be in place before you go live. The gap between a successful AI pilot and enterprise-wide deployment was already hard to close. Add CMS scrutiny, evolving guidance on prior authorization, and growing liability questions around algorithmic decision-making, and the finish line has moved. The organizations crossing it are the ones who got governance right before they scaled. Join a select group of healthcare leaders for a candid, peer-level conversation on what it actually takes to bring healthcare AI across the line in a regulatory environment that is watching closely. - [Closing the Distance When Healthcare's Equity Goals Meet Reality](https://hlth.com/member-events/closing-the-distance-when-healthcare-s-equity-goals-meet-reality): Health equity has moved from aspiration to operational imperative, but progress has been uneven. Org... -- Washington, DC, Oct 21 2026 Health equity has moved from aspiration to operational imperative, but progress has been uneven. Organizations that have moved beyond statements and into strategy are finding that closing gaps in access, outcomes, and quality requires changes to data collection, care delivery models, workforce composition, and community partnership. The how is harder than the why. For health systems, payers, and public health leaders, the conversation is practical: where is meaningful progress actually happening, what is driving it, and what organizational and structural barriers are still getting in the way. Join a select group of Washington, DC-area leaders for a candid, peer-led conversation on one of the industry's most important and most complex long-term challenges. - [Women Have Heart: The Health System They Actually Need](https://hlth.com/member-events/women-have-heart-the-health-system-they-actually-need): The conversation around women's health has never had more momentum. Research investment is growing,... -- Philadelphia, PA, Oct 22 2026 The conversation around women's health has never had more momentum. Research investment is growing, new care models are emerging, and a new generation of leaders is building what the system has long failed to deliver. And yet the gap between what's possible and what most women actually experience, as patients and as leaders, remains stubbornly wide. This dinner brings together a carefully selected group of women shaping healthcare from the inside, across health systems, payers, digital health, and beyond, for an evening of honest, off-the-record conversation. No slides, no agenda. Just a table of peers who understand the complexity from both sides, the professional and the personal, and who rarely get the space to speak to it candidly together. An intimate, invitation-only gathering designed around the idea that some of the most important conversations in healthcare happen over a good meal, in a room where everyone in it has something real at stake. ## Upcoming Virtual Events - [All Virtual Events](https://hlth.com/virtual-roundtables): Weekly roundtables and masterclasses with healthcare experts Browse HLTH virtual meetings, including roundtables and masterclasses. - [The Employer Health Reckoning: What's Still Worth Paying For?](https://hlth.com/virtual-roundtables/the-employer-health-reckoning-what-s-still-worth-paying-for): Employers are playing an increasingly significant role in how people access healthcare. From mental... -- Oct 22 2026 Employers are playing an increasingly significant role in how people access healthcare. From mental health and fertility to menopause, metabolic health, virtual care, and navigation, the range of health benefits available to employees has expanded significantly in recent years. At the same time, healthcare costs continue to rise. GLP-1s and specialty medicines are creating new pressures on benefits budgets, while employers are being asked to invest in an ever-growing number of digital health solutions and preventative services. As budgets come under greater scrutiny, the question is shifting from which benefits employees want to which ones are actually delivering enough value to justify continued investment. This is creating difficult decisions for benefits leaders. Utilization alone does not necessarily demonstrate impact, and improvements in employee health, productivity, retention, and long-term healthcare costs can be difficult to measure. Employers must determine which benefits are becoming essential, where evidence is strong enough to support investment, and where consolidation or a different approach may be needed. This roundtable brings together employers, payers, benefits... - [Is AI Actually Adding Value or Just Moving Costs Around? ](https://hlth.com/virtual-roundtables/is-ai-actually-adding-value-or-just-moving-costs-around): Healthcare organizations are investing heavily in AI, with growing expectations that these technolog... -- Oct 28 2026 Healthcare organizations are investing heavily in AI, with growing expectations that these technologies will improve productivity, reduce administrative burden, and ultimately lower the cost of delivering care. As AI moves from individual pilots to enterprise deployment, however, the economics are becoming more complicated. AI itself can be expensive. Compute, infrastructure, licensing, integration, governance, monitoring, and implementation all create new costs, while the savings generated by AI are not always straightforward to capture. An AI tool may save clinicians hours of work or automate an administrative process, but those productivity gains do not necessarily translate into a reduction in overall spend. This is creating a new challenge for healthcare leaders. Organizations need to look beyond individual use cases and understand the total cost of deploying AI at scale, where financial value is actually being created, and whether some investments are reducing costs or simply shifting them elsewhere within the organization. This roundtable brings together leaders across healthcare, pharma, payers, technology, and finance to explore the real economics of enterprise AI and how... - [Builders & Backers Series: From Funding to Scale](https://hlth.com/virtual-roundtables/builders-and-backers-series-from-funding-to-scale): Securing investment is a major milestone, but turning funding into sustainable growth is often the g... -- Nov 4 2026 Securing investment is a major milestone, but turning funding into sustainable growth is often the greater challenge. Healthcare companies must navigate complex buying cycles, regulatory requirements, evidence generation, and enterprise adoption while balancing investor expectations and commercial realities. As the market matures, attention is increasingly shifting from fundraising to execution. As part of the Builders & Backers series, this roundtable brings together founders, investors, and healthcare leaders to explore what separates companies that scale successfully from those that struggle to move beyond early momentum. Join us to discuss: What separates healthcare companies that scale from those that stall? How do startups move from pilots to enterprise adoption? What are investors looking for after the funding round? What role do strategic partnerships play in accelerating growth? ## Webinars - [All Webinars](https://hlth.com/webinars): On-demand and upcoming healthcare webinars Browse HLTH webinars covering timely healthcare innovation topics. - [Proof > Promises: Inside the Real-World Playbook of Value-Based Care Trailblazers](https://hlth.com/webinars/proof-promises-inside-the-real-world-playbook-of-value-based-care-trailblazers): Value-based care has reached a turning point. The industry has no shortage of strategies, technologi... -- Oct 22 2026 Value-based care has reached a turning point. The industry has no shortage of strategies, technologies, and transformation plans, yet many organizations still struggle to translate ambition into measurable outcomes. Join Pranam Ben, Founder and CEO of The Garage, and three healthcare leaders from the front lines of transformation for a candid discussion on what it actually takes to succeed in today's value-based care environment. Together, they'll share real-world lessons from building and scaling programs that deliver measurable clinical, financial, and operational results across health systems, provider organizations, and accountable care programs. The conversation will explore the operating models, data strategies, workforce innovations, and emerging AI-powered approaches that are helping leading organizations move from insight to action and from potential to performance. Panelists will discuss what's working, what's not, and the practical decisions healthcare leaders are making to drive sustainable outcomes in an increasingly complex landscape. Whether you're early in your value-based care journey or looking to accelerate performance, you'll leave with proven strategies and a c... - [Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg: Why Ambient AI Alone Isn’t Solving Clinician Burnout](https://hlth.com/webinars/beyond-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-why-ambient-ai-isn-t-solving-clinician-burnout): Across health tech, the race to implement ambient AI has hit an unexpected wall: adoption is soaring... -- Oct 27 2026 Across health tech, the race to implement ambient AI has hit an unexpected wall: adoption is soaring, but clinician burnout isn't budging. Data from Science at Suki reveals a critical industry gap: while over 62% of hospitals have deployed ambient scribes, physicians continue to report severe administrative fatigue and are leaving practice years earlier than in decades past. For health tech executives, product leaders, and digital health innovators, this poses a strategic dilemma: How do you design AI experiences that move beyond point-solution documentation to deliver true, end-to-end burden reduction? And as AI capabilities advance faster than internal roadmaps can keep up, how are leading organizations navigating the trade-offs between building proprietary models in-house versus integrating ecosystem platforms? Join Sudha Jayaraman, Surgeon, Scientist and Medical Director along with a panel of industry leaders for a candid discussion on the evolution of ambient clinical intelligence. Drawing from real-world implementation data and partner experience, this session explores what it takes to design AI that seamlessly integrates into clinical workflows and delivers measurable operat... - [Built for Yesterday, Facing Tomorrow: Healthcare Cyber Recovery in the Age of AI](https://hlth.com/webinars/built-for-yesterday-facing-tomorrow-healthcare-cyber-recovery-in-the-age-of-ai): New Cohesity research reveals that most healthcare cyber recovery plans were built for a threat land... -- Nov 5 2026 New Cohesity research reveals that most healthcare cyber recovery plans were built for a threat landscape that no longer exists. In a survey of 400 healthcare IT and security leaders, 97% say frontier AI — capable of finding vulnerabilities and executing multi-step intrusions faster than defenders can respond — will require real change to how they recover. Yet only 2% believe their current plan is ready. Just as concerning, only 16% have a formally documented and tested Minimum Viable Entity \(MVE\): the plan for keeping critical patient care running while broader recovery continues. Join Cohesity’s cyber resilience experts as they unpack the findings from the new Healthcare Cyber Resilience Report and outline what it actually takes to build a recovery plan that holds up under real conditions, before, during, and after an attack. By registering for this webinar, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . ## Reports - [All Reports](https://hlth.com/insights/reports): Strategic healthcare research and industry analysis - [The State of Healthcare Innovation — HLTH Europe 2026](https://hlth.com/insights/reports/the-state-of-healthcare-innovation-hlth-europe-2026): What healthcare leaders told us at HLTH Europe 2026 Created in collaboration with futurist Ian Khan... What healthcare leaders told us at HLTH Europe 2026 Created in collaboration with futurist Ian Khan and HLTH, the report captures insights from 13 conversations at HLTH Europe 2026 . It explores how AI, workforce pressures, regulation and changing patient expectations are reshaping healthcare. Read it to understand why the industry is moving from experimentation to accountability, and what leaders must do next. - [2026 State of Industry Medical Imaging](https://hlth.com/insights/reports/2026-state-of-industry-medical-imaging): *\]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-\[calc\(var\(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bot... *\]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-\[calc\(var\(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px\)+var\(--thread-response-height\)\)\] scroll-mt-\(--sticky-padding-top\)" dir="auto" data-turn-id="a2dcab34-d1a3-4dc0-a4b4-446f9fe8f87d" data-turn-id-container="a2dcab34-d1a3-4dc0-a4b4-446f9fe8f87d" data-testid="conversation-turn-3" data-turn="user"> *\]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-\[calc\(var\(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px\)+var\(--thread-response-height\)\)\] scroll-mt-\[calc\(var\(--header-height\)+min\(200px,max\(70px,20svh\)\)\)\]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="request-WEB:2f2b9a45-5827-439c-85e8-b4288581dd11-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:2f2b9a45-5827-439c-85e8-b4288581dd11-1" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant"> This 2026 state-of-industry report examines the forces reshaping medical imaging, from AI-enabled workflows and next-generation hardware to mounting workforce pressures. Based on 28 interviews conducted with industry leaders at RSNA 2025, it captures where innovation is delivering today, where adoption challenges remain and what comes next. The report highlights a clear shift from standalone AI tools toward integrated workflow... - [Building the Right E-Health Partnerships in Obesity Care](https://hlth.com/insights/reports/building-the-right-e-health-partnerships-in-obesity-care): Building the Right E-Health Partnerships in Obesity Care ## Past Event Recordings - [All Recordings](https://hlth.com/event-recordings): Watch past HLTH event sessions on demand Past Event Recordings includes session libraries from recent HLTH conferences. - [HLTH Europe 2026](https://hlth.com/event-recordings/hltheu26/sessions): Session recordings from HLTH Europe 2026 HLTH \(pronounced “health”\) is the leading platform bringing together the entire health ecosystem, focused on health innovation and transformation. From unparalleled events with industry-leading speakers to inspirational digital content and mission-driven initiatives, HLTH creates a unique marketplace for the health community leading the dialogue and development of a better health ecosystem. Our mission is to gather the health community in curated, purposeful engagements that accelerate healthcare innovation. - [ViVE 2026](https://hlth.com/event-recordings/vive26/sessions): Session recordings from ViVE 2026 Join the go-to event for digital health decision makers looking to maximize ROI and advance the business of healthcare February 22 - 25, 2026 | Los Angeles, CA - [HLTH 2025](https://hlth.com/event-recordings/hlth25/sessions): Session recordings from HLTH 2025 HLTH \(pronounced “health”\) is the leading platform bringing together the entire health ecosystem, focused on health innovation and transformation. From unparalleled events with industry-leading speakers to inspirational digital content and mission-driven initiatives, HLTH creates a unique marketplace for the health community leading the dialogue and development of a better health ecosystem. Our mission is to gather the health community in curated, purposeful engagements that accelerate healthcare innovation. ## News - [All News](https://hlth.com/insights/news): Latest healthcare innovation and industry updates - [Epic Partners With Amazon Pharmacy, Eli Lilly and Mark Cuban to Launch Drug Pricing Tool](https://hlth.com/insights/news/epic-partners-with-amazon-pharmacy-eli-lilly-and-mark-cuban-to-launch-drug-pricing-tool): Epic Partners With Amazon Pharmacy, Eli Lilly and Mark Cuban to Launch Drug Pricing Tool Epic is partnering with Amazon Pharmacy, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs, Costco and Eli Lilly's LillyDirect to develop a prescription marketplace that allows clinicians and patients to compare medication prices directly within the electronic health record. Expected to launch in summer 2027, the tool will display both insurance-based costs and pharmacies' cash prices before prescriptions are sent, helping patients identify more affordable options at the point of care. The marketplace will be integrated into Epic's prescribing workflow, allowing clinicians to review medication prices across participating pharmacies while discussing treatment options with patients. Depending on the drug, insurance coverage and pharmacy, paying cash can sometimes be cheaper than using insurance. By making these differences visible before patients leave the doctor's office, Epic aims to reduce unexpected costs and prescription abandonment. The platform will be open to any pharmacy willing to share its cash prices with healthcare organizations using Epic. Patients will be able to compare available options from pharmacy partners, including online and retail providers, and choose where to fill their prescripti... - [Commure and Compassus Partner to Automate Home Care Referrals](https://hlth.com/insights/news/commure-and-compassus-partner-to-automate-home-care-referrals): Commure and Compassus Partner to Automate Home Care Referrals Commure and Compassus have partnered to automate patient referrals for home-based care through a jointly developed platform called Commure Orchestrator. The technology centralizes referrals from fax, email and payer portals, then matches patients with available clinicians based on location and specialty. The partnership aims to reduce administrative delays and help patients transition more quickly from hospitals to home-based care. Compassus began using the platform in early 2026 following six months of joint development. According to the companies, Orchestrator now processes more than 500,000 referrals annually, reducing average processing time from approximately one hour to less than 10 minutes per referral. The platform has also helped Compassus process 6% more admissions, while missed referrals declined by 22% in states where the technology has been operating the longest. Before implementation, Compassus intake teams often had to navigate up to 15 different systems while reviewing referral documents containing 60 to 80 pages. Orchestrator simplifies these workflows by consolidating incoming information, automatically transferring referral and insurance details into existing sys... - [Sirona Medical Raises $40M to Expand Cloud-Based Radiology and Cortex AI Platform](https://hlth.com/insights/news/sirona-medical-raises-40m-to-expand-cloud-based-radiology-and-cortex-ai-platform): Sirona Medical Raises $40M to Expand Cloud-Based Radiology and Cortex AI Platform Sirona Medical has raised $40 million in Series D funding to expand its cloud-native radiology platform and accelerate the commercialization of its Cortex AI technology. The round was led by Avidity Partners, with participation from 8VC, GreatPoint Ventures, KLT Holdings and existing investors, bringing the company's total funding to approximately $150 million. Sirona says the investment provides sufficient capital to execute its long-term operating plan and move toward positive cash flow. The company's flagship platform, RadOS, is designed as a unified radiology operating system that combines picture archiving and communication systems \(PACS\), diagnostic imaging, structured reporting, worklist management and AI-powered workflow automation. Unlike traditional radiology environments that rely on multiple disconnected applications, RadOS integrates these capabilities into a single cloud-based infrastructure, allowing radiologists to manage imaging workflows more efficiently. Sirona reports significant commercial growth, with revenue increasing 2.5 times year over year and contracted annual recurring revenue growing 2.7 times. The platform now manages more than 12 million contracted p... ## Articles - [All Articles](https://hlth.com/insights/articles): Expert analysis and perspectives on healthcare innovation - [Missed Lab Results: A Physician Inbox Problem AI Can Solve](https://hlth.com/insights/articles/missed-lab-results-a-physician-inbox-problem-ai-can-solve): Missed Lab Results: A Physician Inbox Problem AI Can Solve We order too many labs. I'll include myself in that. Routine panels drawn without a specific clinical question behind them, and suddenly the inbox is flooded with borderline values that are almost certainly insignificant — but still require a response. Every single one. And somewhere buried in all of that noise is the result that actually matters. A biopsy. A high-risk HPV. A final pathology report. Text-based results that don't auto-flag, don't trigger alerts, and just quietly land in a pile. That's the problem I dig into in this week's Inefficiency Insights — why physician inboxes are set up to miss the things that matter most, and how I'm using AI right now to close the loop faster without the cognitive overhead. I heard a story secondhand of a breast surgeon who did a lumpectomy. The intraop frozen pathology was clean without evidence of malignancy. The specimen still went to the main pathology lab, as it always does. The final read, though, came back days later as cancer. The result landed in the surgeon's inbox for their review. But it just sat there. Either the surgeon didn’t see it or something else. Those results sat there… nobody touched it… for a long time. The point is... - [Is healthcare private equity that bad?](https://hlth.com/insights/articles/is-healthcare-private-equity-that-bad): Is healthcare private equity that bad? They're a product of their environment. Is private equity in healthcare bad? There’s been a ton of articles written about how bad private equity \(PE\) is in healthcare. It's hard not to hear some of the stories about serious understaffing at PE-owned facilities and the patients that get hurt in those scenarios. But I’m left with an open question that I would love your thoughts on. Is private equity uniquely bad? Below are some very half-baked thoughts I’m trying to organize. Or am I half-baked and the thoughts are fully formed? Share with me your thoughts on private equity in healthcare \(good or bad\), stories you have from private equity owned businesses or ways you think we can improve the use of private equity in healthcare. Private equity vs. hospitals I already know with this title I’m gonna get flamed a little bit. And to be very clear I’m not going to die on the hill defending private equity. I have much worse opinions, believe it or not. Like I think Succession is a bad show. I think there’s lots of things PE does that’s bad. But I think the things that private equity gets criticized for are basically the same things that hospitals do. Price/utilization - A private equity acq... - [The Pulse: Is the New Front Door for Mental Healthcare a Chatbot?](https://hlth.com/insights/articles/mental-health-chatbot): The Pulse: Is the New Front Door for Mental Healthcare a Chatbot? With 137 million Americans in provider shortage areas, AI is becoming the first stop for mental health support. Regulators and payers are still deciding how to intervene. Behavioral healthcare looks very different than it did in 2020. “So much has changed since the pandemic,” says Alifya Parekh, senior manager of content strategy and impact at HLTH, who is programming the behavioral health circuit at HLTH U.S. this year. “People finally started to wake up to the reality that mental health access needed to be expanded. Employers started investing more. There was improved regulation. Payers started to take notice, too.” Still, for the one in five U.S. adults who live with a mental illness, only about 50% receive care. Access is the problem, and the space is ripe for innovation. “It’s a very stark number even with all of these point solutions,” says Parekh, who adds that while there are more behavioral healthcare options on the market, there’s often less clarity about which option is the right one. For Tori Barnes , who formerly worked as a communications and marketing leader for Headspace, there is more room for improvement. “I still worry about whether we’re connecting the right per... ## Optional - [Contact Us](https://hlth.com/contact-us): Get in touch with the HLTH team Contact the HLTH team for questions, partnerships, support, and event-related inquiries. - [Newsletter](https://hlth.com/newsletter): Weekly healthcare innovation newsletter The HLTH newsletter covers healthcare innovation, trends, and highlights from the community. - [About Us](https://hlth.com/about-us): HLTH mission, team, and company background Learn about HLTH's mission and role in connecting healthcare leaders through events and insights.