Peterson Health Technology Institute

What Peterson Health Technology Institute does

The Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) is an independent non-profit research organization founded in 2023 with a $50 million philanthropic commitment from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, via the Peterson Center on Healthcare. PHTI's core function is producing rigorous, evidence-based evaluations of digital health technologies that analyze clinical efficacy and economic impact. Its underlying methodology is the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework, co-developed with the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and supported by systematic literature reviews (Curta), health-economics modeling (Charm Economics), and strategy/legal advisory (Manatt Health). To date PHTI has independently assessed more than 60 digital health technologies spanning diabetes management, musculoskeletal care, gastrointestinal solutions, hypertension, mental health, opioid use disorder, and AI-enabled clinical and administrative tools.

PHTI serves healthcare decision makers rather than consumers of a commercial product. Primary users are self-insured employers, health plans, and health systems, organized through a Purchaser Advisory Council of 26 employers, 18 health plans, and 6 health systems; secondary stakeholders include digital health vendors, investors, and policy organizations. All assessments are published free of charge on phti.org. Distribution is amplified by the Digital Health Collaborative (AARP, AHIP, AMA, ATA, and others), an AI Taskforce that includes health systems (CommonSpirit Health, Intermountain Health, Mass General Brigham, Ochsner, Providence) and AI vendors (Abridge, Commure, DeepScribe, Nabla, Suki), clinical advisors drawn from MGH, Harvard, Vanderbilt, and others, and an annual PHTI Summit plus a Washington, D.C.-based AI workshop series.

The business model is structurally distinct from a typical growth company: PHTI does not sell products or services, charges no fees for assessments, and refuses outside funding for its evaluation work. The organization is funded solely by the Peterson Foundation, incorporated as Peterson Health Technology Institute LLC in New York, and led by Executive Director Caroline Pearson. Reported outputs include quantified findings such as wraparound virtual GI solutions reducing net spending by approximately $1,900 per IBS patient per year, clinician-led virtual IBD solutions saving approximately $2,900 per patient per year, digital diabetes management tools adding $2,002 in annual spending with minimal clinical benefit, and physical therapist-guided MSK solutions at a $995 price point potentially generating $4.4 million in annual savings per 1 million commercially insured members.

Name

Peterson Health Technology Institute

Legal name

Peterson Health Technology Institute LLC

Website

https://phti.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PHTI is an independent non-profit research organization, founded in 2023, that produces evidence-based evaluations of digital health technologies for employers, health plans, health systems, and investors, using the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework and publishing all assessments free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Technology Assessment & Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Evaluation & Health Technology Assessment (Public Programs) (HLAJANAL)

Keywords

• Digital health assessment
• Health technology evaluation
• Evidence-based research
• Clinical efficacy analysis
• Healthcare cost analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: PHTI is funded solely by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation through the Peterson Center on Healthcare. PHTI was founded in 2023 with a $50 million philanthropic commitment. Assessments are publicly available and free of charge. PHTI does not accept other outside funding for its work, including its assessments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PHTI provides independent, evidence-based assessments of digital health technologies, evaluating both clinical benefits and economic impact to inform purchasing, coverage, and adoption decisions. It applies the proprietary ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework — co-developed with the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review — to publish publicly available reports on therapeutic categories such as virtual MSK, digital diabetes management, virtual GI care, hypertension, mental health, opioid use disorder, and AI in healthcare administration and clinical workflows. Deliverables are published free of charge on phti.org and disseminated to employers, health plans, and health systems through the Purchaser Advisory Council and Digital Health Collaborative.

Product overview

PHTI is a research and assessment organization (not a software product company) that provides independent, evidence-based evaluations of digital health technologies. Its core offering is the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework combined with published assessment reports covering various digital health categories including diabetes management, musculoskeletal care, gastrointestinal solutions, hypertension, mental health, and opioid use disorder. The organization operates through collaborative programs including the Purchaser Advisory Council (26 employers, 18 health plans, 6 health systems), the Digital Health Collaborative (20+ healthcare organizations), Clinical Advisors, and the AI Taskforce. PHTI also publishes research reports on AI applications in healthcare and provides a Performance-Based Contracting Toolkit to guide purchasers in structuring value-based contracts with digital health vendors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Health Technology Assessments Rigorous, evidence-based evaluations of digital health solutions analyzing clinical benefits and economic impact to inform decisions for providers, patients, payers, and investors about technology effectiveness and budget impact.
• Digital Diabetes Management Solutions Assessment Assessment of eight digital diabetes management tools (Type 2 diabetes), evaluating clinical effectiveness and economic impact to inform purchasers and payers.
• Virtual Musculoskeletal (MSK) Solutions Assessment Assessment of three categories of virtual MSK solutions (app-based exercise therapy, PT-guided solutions, RTM-augmented PT) to determine which improve outcomes and reduce healthcare spending.
• Virtual Gastrointestinal Care Solutions Assessment Assessment of five virtual GI solutions for IBS and IBD treatment, quantifying clinical outcomes and economic impact across different care delivery models.
• Digital Hypertension Management Solutions Assessment Evaluation of digital hypertension solutions targeting improved patient self-management and expanded access to timely, effective treatment.
• Virtual Solutions for Depression and Anxiety Assessment Assessment of on-demand digital content and activities for depression and anxiety, including usage patterns alone or combined with therapy and medication.
• Virtual Opioid Use Disorder Solutions Assessment Evaluation of virtual opioid use disorder solutions intended to improve treatment retention and expand access to medication-based care.
• Administrative AI: Current Use and Potential Impact Industry insight report on how AI reshapes healthcare administrative processes, focused on prior authorization and medical billing, and the risk that current AI deployment adds system activity without reducing costs.
• Clinical AI: Evidence and Policy Requirements for Scaling Adoption Workshop report on requirements for safe, effective, and scalable clinical AI adoption, with autonomous hypertension prescribing and mental health chatbots as illustrative use cases.
• Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare Delivery Systems: Early Applications and Impacts Market trend report on early applications and impacts of AI in healthcare delivery systems, informed by PHTI AI Taskforce research on ambient scribes and other AI solutions.
• ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework for Digital Health Technologies Custom assessment framework co-developed with ICER to evaluate clinical benefits and economic impact of digital health solutions, built on input from employers, health plans, and health systems about their selection priorities.
• Performance-Based Contracting Toolkit Practical guidance for employers and health plans to structure performance-based contracts with digital health vendors, including financial guarantees tied to clinical outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wraparound virtual GI solutions decrease net healthcare spending by approximately $1,900 per year per IBS patient in the commercial market
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HLTH FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2024Digital Health Collaborative Research & Impact Fund grant to assess digital health solutions in community health centers (CHCs) and explore feasibility of scaling innovative tools to CHC patients.
• American Telemedicine Association (ATA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2024Grant to enhance the U.S. Digital Infrastructure Disparities Score (DIS) and heat map tools to highlight infrastructure gaps and identify interventions supporting digital health access.
• Center for Innovation & Value ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2024Collaboration on patient interviews and development of a toolkit enabling healthcare systems, payers, and purchasers to assess equity and patient-centered economic impacts.
• Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2024Partnership to define how Integrated Evidence Plans can be developed, optimized, and used to support regulatory and commercial success of digital health products.
• Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPHTI partnered with ICER to develop the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework for Digital Health Technologies, a custom framework for evaluating clinical benefits and economic impact of digital health solutions.
• CurtacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCurta conducts systematic literature reviews of clinical and economic information using the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework to inform PHTI evaluations.
• Charm EconomicscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCharm Economics translates insights from clinical and health economics research into real-world cost and savings estimates for digital health and medical technology businesses and purchasers.
• Manatt HealthcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerManatt Health provides strategy, legal, public policy, and analytic services to PHTI, integrating consulting and legal expertise for complex healthcare needs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Definitive Healthcare: Healthcare commercial intelligence platform providing data and analytics on providers, technology vendors, and market activity. Definitive competes for the same buyer intelligence use case as PHTI, though with data versus evaluation-led approach.
• The Lewin Group: Health policy and human services consulting firm producing economic analyses, program evaluations, and policy research for federal and commercial healthcare clients. Overlaps with PHTI in evidence generation for health-system decision makers.
• Avalere Health: Health policy consulting and research firm advising payers, providers, and life sciences on coverage, reimbursement, and value-based care. Avalere's evidence and policy practice competes for the same payer/employer decision-support wallet as PHTI.
• RAND Health: Established health research division producing rigorous evidence reviews and health technology assessments for government and commercial clients. RAND's methodology and independence profile closely parallel PHTI's value proposition.
• KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation): Independent non-profit producing policy analysis, polling, and journalism on US health policy. KFF operates adjacent to PHTI on healthcare value evidence for policymakers and large purchasers, though with a broader policy lens.

Direct peers

• Center for Innovation & Value Research: Non-profit research organization advancing patient-centered value assessment in healthcare. PHTI is a current partner, and the two organizations share the HTA-for-purchasers mission, making them direct peers in health economics evidence generation.
• KLAS Research: Independent healthcare IT research firm that evaluates vendor performance and product capability for health systems and payers. KLAS operates in the same evidence-and-evaluation niche that PHTI addresses for digital health buyers.
• Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER): Independent HTA organization producing clinical and economic value assessments of drugs and, increasingly, digital health technologies. ICER is PHTI's explicit methodology partner for the ICER-PHTI Assessment Framework and serves the same payer/employer evidence gap.

Emerging players

• Digital Medicine Society (DiMe): Professional society advancing the safe, effective use of digital medicine. DiMe is a PHTI partner on Integrated Evidence Plans and shares the digital health evidence-standards mission, making it a peer in the ecosystem.
• Chilmark Research: Independent digital health advisory and research firm publishing vendor assessments and market reports for payers, providers, and investors. Chilmark overlaps with PHTI on evidence-based digital health evaluation for enterprise buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Peterson_HTI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peterson-health-technology-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Peterson Health Technology Institute