Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: With the prevalence of food delivery services and healthcare apps, are there apps that could help alleviate the negative social determinants of health (SDOH), such as insufficient food or inability to pay for medication?

Alabama Subscriber

Answer: Yes, this technology is already being developed. Recently, two popular apps collaborated to address insufficient food access.

Welldoc and Instacart announced a partnership in June 2024 “to transform healthcare delivery for health plans and members by bridging the gap between nutrition and health,” Welldoc stated in a press release.

The collaborative goal is to enhance access to quality care and nutritious food, and help improve health outcomes and reduce overall care costs for individuals managing cardiometabolic conditions.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than one in eight Americans do not have reliable access to nutritious food. Additionally, over 100 million people in America experience cardiometabolic conditions as a result of a poor diet, according to the Washington Post. The Welldoc-Instacart collaboration aims to assist these patients.

“Improved diets could potentially save over $100 billion for patients, taxpayers, providers, and insurers, including employer-funded health plans and government-funded plans like Medicare and Medicaid,” Welldoc said.

Welldoc users will be able to import grocery lists from their app to Instacart and shop for nutritious foods recommended by Welldoc.