Healthcare AI News 2/19/25

News

Google launches Co-Scientist, a Gemini 2.0-powered research LLM that researchers say is like having an expert collaborator. Users provide a plain language research goal, after which the tool provides a summary of published literature and cited suggestions for new hypotheses and possible experiments.

Healthcare accreditor URAC announces plans to release a healthcare AI accreditation program later this year.

CVS Health redesigns its app with AI-driven features to provide a personalized health concierge experience. The app allows users to manage prescriptions for their entire family across CVS Pharmacy, CVS Caremark mail order, and CVS Specialty pharmacies. It also allows them to open locked display cabinets and pick up prescriptions using a barcode. Future enhancements include conversational AI for checking refill status and tailored recommendations for chronic condition management.

Business

Innovaccer launches telephone-based AI voice agents for patient scheduling, protocol intake, referral, authorization, care gap closure, HCC coding, and patient access.

HP acquires wearable device maker Humane AI for $116 million, gaining its employees and software while discontinuing the device. The widely hyped product, criticized as a solution in search of a problem, will be retired. The year-old, $699 Humane AI Pin  — which also required a $24 monthly subscription – will become dysfunctional next week when its cloud service shuts down. The startup had raised $230 million and sought a $1 billion buyout.

Ambient documentation vendor Abridge raises $250 million an a Series D funding round. The company was previously valued at $2.5 billion.

Crunchbase lists five healthcare-related companies whose new fundraising rounds suggest a Unicorn Club valuation of at least $1 billion:

• Neko Health (body scanner), $1.8 billion.
• Hippocratic AI (AI agents), $1.6 billion.
• Aragen Life Sciences (drug discovery), $1.4 billion.
• Truveta (healthcare data from its provider owners), $1 billion.
• Cera (digital-first home health), $1 billion.

Research

A UK-based company develops an AI-powered “super test” for prostate cancer screening that offers greater accuracy and sensitivity than traditional tests like PSA. The multi-omics test uses AI to analyze blood and urine samples for the presence of specific genes and proteins that have been clinically associated with the disease.

University of Michigan and other organizations are using a federal grant of up to $25 million to develop an AI-equipped van that can help medical generalists deliver hospital-level services in rural areas.

Contacts

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