Transforming Healthcare With Person-Centered Digital Approaches
Can digital tools and human empathy work hand in hand? Otsuka Precision Health is redefining healthcare to prove it.
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Healthcare’s complexity is undeniable, but the fragmented experiences individuals must navigate point to deeper systemic flaws. Today’s model often treats symptoms instead of whole people, responds to problems rather than predicting and preventing them and forces people to stitch together their care through one-size-fits-all solutions.
These structural shortcomings trigger a cascade of consequences – fostering mistrust, delaying diagnoses, driving up costs and ultimately delivering suboptimal outcomes.
At Otsuka Precision Health (OPH), a new vision is emerging – one that puts people, not just their conditions, at the center of care. The company is advocating for structural change by combining digital innovation with meaningful human connection to create a more seamless, personalized health experience.
Following the Galien Forum, Technology Networks spoke with Sanket Shah, president of OPH, to learn how the company is working to transform healthcare from the ground up.
Balancing digital tools with the need for human connection
Speaking with Shah made it clear that digital tools and data are crucial for expanding access and precision, but they must be paired with moments of genuine human support to actually impact the experience.
“Healthcare's future isn't an either-or choice between digital innovation and human connection – it must be both, seamlessly integrated to deliver the right care at the right time for each individual,” Shah said.
While digital tools dramatically broaden access and reach, moments at any stage of a person's health journey require the irreplaceable power of human support and connection.
“What makes this approach transformative is when technology and humanity converge,” shared Shah. “Data and artificial intelligence (AI) can uncover critical moments when human intervention is needed. This enables perfectly timed one-on-one conversations that answer essential questions and empower individuals to confidently navigate healthcare”. OPH calls this "high-tech and high-touch.”
“This isn't about forcing people into standardized protocols or in using point solutions; it's about empowering them to achieve and navigate health on their own terms, with experiences that feel genuinely personalized to their unique circumstances and needs,” Shah explained.
“This means measuring both sides of this equation – tracking digital engagement and tool adoption alongside the quantity and quality of human connections, capturing insights about what happens next and how these interactions create lasting impact in people's lives,” he added.
Problem-led solutions, without clinical burden
OPH focuses its approach on “problem-led solutioning, ensuring that we are addressing challenges facing individuals rather than creating generalized technology for technology's sake.” Its portfolio includes RejoynTM, a prescription digital therapeutic for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms, and ElevmiTM, a support platform designed for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. Both reflect the company's deep commitment to personalized, problem-led solutions.
“Rejoyn helps people manage MDD symptoms from the palm of their hand,” Shah explained. “It’s designed to complement medication, with opt-in nurse support and personalized text messages that encourage continued engagement.”
Elevmi, meanwhile, shifts focus to caregivers – a group often overlooked in traditional health systems.
“It was developed by caregivers, for caregivers, using insights from over 300 familial caregivers to create AI-powered personalized support and tools that ease the burden while prioritizing caregiver self-care and well-being.”
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For Shah and the team, bringing Rejoyn to market was a learning process that revealed the importance of integrating digital therapeutics seamlessly into existing care frameworks.
“We had many learnings from bringing Rejoyn through US Food and Drug Administration clearance and into market launch. On the clinical side, two key insights that surfaced are the need for prescription digital therapeutics to integrate seamlessly into real-world clinical practice, and the need to apply the same scientific rigor expected of traditional pharmacologic treatments to underscore that credibility, safety and measurable outcomes, are essential for digital therapeutics to be embraced as standard care.”
“As an adjunctive treatment for MDD in adults on antidepressants, Rejoyn helps reduce depressive symptoms and supports continuity of care without adding burden to clinical teams,” Shah explained. “Clinicians can prescribe and monitor progress within existing workflows – no new infrastructure or staffing needed. On the patient side, they can get a prescription from their doctor, or we offer completely digital pathways to access via telehealth to make it seamless to activate and engage on their own terms. We are working within the system that exists today while working to support its evolution as the world changes.”
Advancing beyond “traditional” disease
While OPH started in areas that they knew well (e.g., mental health), the team is focused on more than “traditional” disease areas. The team shared the perspective that individual health needs extend beyond the time when people are confronting a formally defined disease – that is how better overall quality of life and outcomes can be achieved while improving health span and reducing the total cost of care.
“Women’s health provides a good view of what that means,” said Shah.
Menopause and perimenopause are marked by challenging symptoms, fragmented information and persistent stigma – making this life stage especially difficult for women. Yet, menopause is not a disease; it's a natural transition that may coincide with an increased risk of conditions like depression.
“That makes it [menopause] a natural place for us with how we’re using digital across the health journey – to better understand an individual’s unique situation, psychosocially and physiologically, then bridge them with products, services or simply support to better care for themselves on their terms.”
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“And that’s only one piece of many where we see potential applications of our digital capabilities in women’s health, and we plan to complement those with various types of work with other organizations” added Shah.
Towards a better health experience
OPH’s aspiration for the future is a fundamentally better health experience – one where healthcare is truly individualized, and precision health becomes the foundation for reimagining the entire system to support people in ways that are connected, intentional and built for the full picture of their lives.
“We believe healthcare should feel simpler, more connected, and more human.”
“Recognizing that healthcare is not just about clinical outcomes or managing disease, but about how people engage with their health and are empowered to achieve total health on their terms every single day,” Shah said.
Digital health is turning this vision into reality by transforming how technology enhances healthcare, reshaping how we conceive, design, deliver and experience care, especially for those who need it most.
“We stand at the precipice of innovation and transformation within a traditional system that has long needed reimagining, and we're excited to be at the forefront of shaping the change and impact we want to see in the world. This isn't just about advancing technology; it's about advancing humanity's relationship with health itself,” Shah concluded.
