Description

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) held its annual conference and expo in Chicago from April 29 to May 1, with the theme “Learn, Connect, Discover.” The event drew more than 4,200 attendees, including representatives of established and start-up telemedicine and digital healthcare companies and healthcare professionals from provider and payer organizations. The agenda featured informative sessions, educational opportunities, and a large exhibit hall.

The 2018 conference was upstaged by two significant acquisition announcements. American Well announced a definitive agreement to acquire Avizia, and InTouch Health announced a definitive agreement to acquire REACH Health. This news created significant buzz during the meetings. Many exhibitors voiced the opinion that the telehealth markets are at a tipping point. It appears that the best approach among early entrants to meet the rising demand for telehealth services will be to join forces. This will result in a market shakeout that will enable companies to increase their scale while growing revenues. There was a definite sentiment among attendees and exhibitors that additional acquisition activity will occur in the short term.

Three keynote speakers presented their views of the telehealth market landscape. Attendees also had the opportunity to create a customized agenda based on four major tracks and several content format options. The large exhibit hall appeared to be less well-attended than in past years, which worried some exhibitors. It was also observed that several notable telehealth companies did not have exhibits. Among those that did exhibit, it appeared that the market messages were focused on the value and end-to-end services offered by telehealth providers rather than specific products or technology specifications.

The bottom line is that for those industry stakeholders who needed to increase their awareness and contacts with telehealth leaders, ATA 18 was the place to be.

This growth insight presents an analysis of the major themes in telehealth in 2018, noteworthy vendor developments observed at ATA 2018, key findings from the event, and analyst opinion on what this means for the market moving forward. Vendors discussed include American Well, MDLIVE, Honeywell Life Care, Philips, TytoCare, GlobalMed, AMD Global Telemedicine, and Vivify Health.