Why the US healthcare system is in urgent need of digital health solutions 

The US has access to some of the most advanced healthcare treatments and innovations. In fact, with a spend of over $4tn annually, according to The Financial Times, America’s expenditure on healthcare is almost double that of peer countries. 

From an economic perspective, the healthcare system is a major source of job creation and helps to drive investments in adjacent industries such as IT services. 

Yet the US remains the only major economy without universal health coverage, meaning the system is also one of the most expensive. KFF, an independent health polling group, found that exorbitant costs mean one in four adults have skipped or postponed getting necessary healthcare in the past 12 months. 

It’s not only individuals who feel the brunt of these costs, with many Americans relying on private healthcare plans offered by employers. Yet rising medical inflation has seen employer healthcare costs jump from 5.4% to 8.5% in 2024 meaning these healthcare plans could become unsustainable for organizations to provide as a workplace benefit. 

The acute strain across the US health systems needs addressing. If we ignore this problem the burden is passed on to patients, who end up with worse health conditions due to a lack of proper, affordable care and organizations that are already under pressure during tough economic conditions. 

Jonathan Bush, CEO of Zus Health and co-founder of Athenahealth, has spent decades in healthcare technology. The entrepreneur is no stranger to tackling problems in this space.

Zus Health: The digital health platform easing the burden 

One immediate way to ease some of the pressure that the US healthcare system currently faces is with smarter healthcare infrastructure. 

Here, digital healthcare platform Zus Health is a leading example. Launched in 2020, the company offers a way to not just access electronic patient records, but also access intelligent insights with the power to prevent hospitalizations and limit disease progression. 

The platform is centered around the Zus Aggregated Profile, or ZAP, which represents a single, comprehensive and actionable view of a patient’s healthcare information. Last year the company picked up $40 million in fresh capital to continue building out its health data platform as a common layer digital health companies use to build their tools. 

Zus Health aims to empower patients and healthcare providers by providing intelligent, integrated access to data. Drawing on sources from the entire healthcare system, the platform offers a single point of truth and deeper insights. 

To date, the flow of information across the US healthcare system remains fragmented with electronic records often kept in silo. However, Jonathan Bush is keen to highlight that HIPAA and another law that we worked on called the Cures Act back in 2016 makes it illegal to block the sharing of electronic data with another doctor who’s treating a patient. 

Moving forward, the presence of digital innovations like Zus Health offers a powerful way to make the US healthcare system operate in a more efficient way to reduce overall medical costs and drastically improve patient outcomes thanks to predictive insights. 

Helping to spearhead healthtech

As founder and CEO of Zus Health, Jonathan Bush is driving the future of digital healthcare innovations. The progress of the company to date is thanks to his extensive experience in the sector.

Bush is also the co-founder and former CEO of Athenahealth, which was originally founded as an effort to  reform maternity care through collaborative medical practice, and pivoted to internet-based information services. 

Today he also is the Executive Chairman  of Firefly Health, a pioneer in real-time virtual primary care, and he sits on the boards of SonderMind, which provides virtual and in-person behavioral healthcare, and Innovaccer, which is building a series of technology platform services for population health.

He also chairs the Board of the non-profit Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, which funds policy research on how the market economy can most effectively be managed to ensure equal access  to markets by all members of society. 

Digital future for healthcare 

Technology has the potential to make a material difference to the lives of patients and bring the U.S. healthcare system back from the brink. By supporting medical practitioners with administration and diagnoses, enabling to better patients access care and making early detection and disease prevention possible, we can see immense savings. 

However, we still have a long way to go. Entrepreneurs have the ability to come up with innovative solutions, but applying tech to enact real change in healthcare will require the support of partners large and small.

The acute strain across the US health systems needs addressing, and technology undoubtedly should play a key role here. If we ignore this issue the burden will be passed on to patients, who end up with worse health conditions due to a lack of proper, affordable care and organizations that are already under pressure during difficult economic conditions. 

Featured photo of Jonathan Bush