At Frontiers Health, we believe the future of healthcare is shaped not just by technology, but by the people who challenge how it’s used. 

Dr. Aditi U. Joshi, global digital health strategist, author, and long-time contributor to our community, is one of those voices. 

In her latest LinkedIn article, “If You’re Designing for Reimbursement, You’re Not Designing for Care”, Dr. Joshi offers a candid and timely reflection on the misalignment between innovation and incentives in healthcare. Drawing from her experience as a clinician, startup advisor, and member of the AMA’s Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group, she explores how reimbursement models often dictate product design—frequently at the expense of meaningful care. 

This isn’t a new theme for Dr. Joshi. At Frontiers Health 2024, she moderated two standout sessions:

• “The Future of Telehealth”, where she explored how RPM, AI, and VR are converging to shape the next generation of precision care [WATCH NOW]
• “Hybrid Care, Remote Diagnostics, and Digital Health”, where she led a conversation on the evolution of hybrid models beyond telemedicine [WATCH NOW]

In her new piece, she affirms “we must design digital health tools that serve clinicians and patients—not just billing “ and extends that call to the rise of AI in healthcare. As the industry scrambles to fit AI into outdated reimbursement frameworks, Dr. Joshi warns of repeating past mistakes. 

“If we optimize for billing,” she writes, “we will get systems that game the rules. If we optimize for care, we might actually make healthcare better.”

From remote patient monitoring to AI-assisted documentation, she highlights a familiar pattern: innovation gets boxed into legacy payment structures, resulting in fragmented care, clinician burnout, and missed opportunities for real transformation. 

But this isn’t just a critique—it’s a call to action. 

Dr. Joshi urges us to reframe the question. Not “How do we get paid for this?” but “Does this actually improve care?” In a moment where AI, telehealth, and hybrid models are reshaping the care landscape, her message is clear: reimbursement should follow good care, not define it.

This perspective couldn’t be timelier. As we prepare for Frontiers Health 2025, where Dr. Joshi will once again join us to explore the future of virtual care and clinician-centered design, her insights offer a grounding reminder: the future of digital health must be built around people—not just payment systems. 

Read the full article here and join the conversation at #FH25 in Berlin this November.