HLTH for All
Heading into HLTH this year, I expected there would be a lot of discussion around AI and GLP-1s. For the 12,000 attendees who converged at The Venetian in Las Vegas last week, there was plenty of both. And so much more.
The onsite experience was energizing, as this year’s theme invited speakers to “Be Bold” with a line-up of the most stellar and uniquely inspiring roster I’ve had the opportunity to witness in the four years I’ve attended HLTH. And little could compare to First Lady Jill Biden putting an exclamation point on an already rich dialogue around women’s health initiatives.
This year, our Real Chemistry team was out in full force attending sessions, staffing media briefings, and networking with the biggest names in the industry. Most importantly, our team was fully engaged supporting an impressive roster of clients driving headlines, leading panels on GLP-1s and health equity, advancing the conversation around AI and clinical implementations, and even keeping a close eye on “wastewater.”
With year-over-year social conversation about the conference growing at nearly three times the rate of inflation (+7% YoY according to Real Chemistry’s Integrated Intelligence analysis), people are turning to social to reinforce and amplify their in-person networking efforts at HLTH (e.g., "The Market Connect Lounge is a VIBE? How many meetings have you had today? #HLTHUSA"). But the most robust discussions – those that were sustained long after the initial buzz wore off – focused on a few key topics that kick-started much larger conversations:
AI Narrative Shifts to Results
While AI mentions rose by 30%, the conversation is evolving. Two years after ChatGPT exploded onto the scene and across the HTLH stages, the AI focus shifted from the technology itself to tangible outcomes and transformative impacts in areas such as drug discovery and patient care. The advancing conversation spoke of digital health AI agents, hospital digital twins, and digital humans to assist on the administrative side. This was attributed to foundational models with robust reasoning thanks to trusted knowledge resources now surrounded with incredible application layers plugging AI models directly into tools and systems already in use to improve workflows.
GLP-1s: the Buzz Continues
Conversations around GLP-1s tripled this year thanks to HLTH’s GLP-1 Summit, which received a dedicated stage and several panels of discussion. Key themes included cost, access and employer coverage. Panels featured discussions ranging from co-pilots to GLP-1 compounding.
Despite the proliferation of GLP-1s in the traditional healthcare system – and beyond, in med spas and compounding pharmacies – the transformational obesity market is still in its infancy. In a conversation with Dr. Spencer Nadolne and Calibrate CEO Rob MacNaughton, Real Chemistry Group President Rita Glaze-Rowe explored the importance of innovating beyond fractured solutions and encouraged the industry to move toward a more complete and connected approach to treating this lifelong condition. The goals? Sustainable health wins for individuals and improved population health for all.
Menopause Got a Rebrand
I was most surprised and delighted by a noticeable increase in focus on women’s health this year. According to our analytics, there was a remarkable 66% surge in conversations about women’s health coming out of HLTH. Standouts included First Lady Jill Biden presenting on the White House’s Initiative on Women’s Health and an incredible panel featuring Maria Shriver talking about her investments in women’s health companies. But it was the prevalence and sheer volume of conversations around “menopause” that most hit home. Halle Berry took the stage to share inspiration for her Respin brand based on her own menopausal journey. She called for a rebrand of this phase of a woman’s life – from an image of a hunched over woman to that of a vibrant woman benefitting from the four cornerstones of Berry’s brand: Community, Care, Content and Commerce. The star-studded dialogue brought much needed and long missing attention to women’s health. However, it was the panel on “The Under-researched, Under-diagnosed and Overlooked Truth about Women’s Health” featuring Dr. Alice Zheng of Foreground Capital and Dr. Sophie Yen of Pandia Health that left a lasting impression, with shocking statistics (e.g., menopause care results in $1.8 billion in productivity loss) to bold statements including “women’s health is an employer issue.”
Longevity and a Healthful Future
Data on decreasing life expectancy sparked essential discussions about what it means and what it will take for people to start living longer, healthier lives. Dr. Darshan Shah, board-certified surgeon, longevity specialist and founder of Next Health, led a discussion about "The Longevity Debate.” It also featured Casey Means of Levels who pointed to the difference between health span vs. life span and the connection between longevity and metabolic health. Dr Shah's Instagram post highlighting his panel became one of the top 10 social posts to appear during the conference.
More Health at HLTH
It was a productive and beneficial several days to focus on digital health and all the industry has to offer. But does it have to be in Las Vegas? For a conference focused on health and wellness, Las Vegas is anything but the poster child for healthy living. As evidenced by the line at the gym to get on a cardio machine at 6 a.m., I don’t think I am the only one looking for more health at HLTH.
My Final Take
Before this year, HLTH was THE must attend event for digital health leaders, start-ups, investors and journalists. Now, HLTH is a must-attend event for everyone working in healthcare.
Footnote: With this week’s news of HLTH’s acquisition by Hyve, it will be interesting to see what stays the same and what evolves. I’ll be attending HLTH 2025 to find out!
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