Welcome Post
Here’s why this is needed.
There’s 1,000 healthcare newsletters that are essentially “healthcare is expensive, broken, terrible, never works, everyone hates you and it’s never going to get better”. At the same time, we aren’t that far removed from the Salem Witch Trials, where if you exhibited any behavior outside the norm for the day you were potentially burned at the stake. Also, surgery was done without anesthesia before 1846. Feels like we’ve at least made some progress.
I originally wanted to name this the “Rosiest Colored Glasses Birthday Party of Healthcare Happiness” newsletter, but turns out that domain name is taken (just kidding, but that is a lot to type). I feel it in my soul that some healthcare optimism is needed in the world, and I’m willing to put it out there every week.
Sometimes the One Good Thing of the week will be a current hospital system. Maybe even a health insurer. A new drug that shows promise. Many times it will probably be a startup in the news or shared with me. It may be a person or set of people who did some good thing that should be shared.
I rooted so hard for Theranos. As someone who doesn’t like blood draws and lab work, I desperately needed a single finger prick to work for all my future healthcare needs. I’ll probably write excitedly about something that ends up being the next Theranos, but that doesn’t mean directionally we aren’t getting it right. We should root for the people and organizations taking big swings to make a difference, even if all the ones that fail simply inspire the next one that succeeds. Our healthier future depends on it.
Sometimes good things need to be pointed out for you. It gets easier over time to start looking for and recognizing the good. My hope is that every day you find some good thing in health. At the very least, every Monday you will :)
Weekly Dose of Healthcare Optimism
One Good Thing in Health
The best thing I saw this week (last week technically, since this is Monday?) was this:
Oura Ring coming out with “health panels” for $99 with results directly to their app, where members can ask questions about their results, and be connected to clinicians for worrisome numbers.
Wearables are having a moment.
Right now, the primary care experience is often “here’s how I’m feeling this week or literally today” vs. “here’s how my numbers have looked compared to my baseline over the last 8 months”. These capabilities and expanded access (cheaper testing, easier to find and understand results, ability to ask questions and get feedback) have the potential to improve personal health and physician patient relationships.
A close friend shared how she found out she was pregnant from her Oura ring before any other way. Knowing something is wrong, or in this case, something is right, can be crucial to making health decisions and accessing care.
Direct from Oura: https://ouraring.com/blog/health-panels/?srsltid=AfmBOor68DSGyJoa9lTfEZyiMakc8WC42Fgj4bXOyCbfkI8kRvPDs1nA
Why it’s One Good Thing:
Membership is more affordable than a lot of wearable and fitness options ($5.99 a month, often subsidized through employers or health plans)
Oura has sold more rings in the last year than the previous 9.
More people have more access to their data over a longer timeframe to be able to make decisions on (and now with labs and even meals, the picture of health at different times of life is growing).
Directionally, more data over a longer period of time in a standard way = huge potential to find out what drives health at the individual level and make significant changes at the individual and societal level in the future.
*This could have very well been about Whoop, Superpower, Function Health, Apple Watch (or AirPods with heart rate and hearing test/aid features) or many of the wearables and the testing companies, but it’s literally called “One Good Thing”. This was Oura’s week.
