News 3/26/25

March 25, 2025 News No Comments

Top News

California-based consumer genetic testing company 23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Co-founder Anne Wojcicki has stepped down as CEO, but remains on the board and plans to bid independently to buy the company.

Once valued at $6 billion, 23andMe’s market cap has plunged to $20 million.

California’s attorney general has issued a consumer alert reminding customers that they can delete their genetic data, prompting heavy traffic that repeatedly crashed the company’s website.

Reader Comments

From Bill Bonkers: “Re: health tech. When will innovation focus on care instead of coding?” When care quality drives more profit than tweaking bills.

HIStalk Announcements and Requests

Welcome to new HIStalk Platinum Sponsor ReferWell. ReferWell is a digital healthcare company that is focused on helping health plans and provider organizations manage value by helping more people get on, and stay on, their healthcare journey. With a mission to transform access to care and improve patient engagement, the company’s innovative Care Access Scheduling platform and unique Care Access programs remove administrative burdens from health plans, providers, and patients to effortlessly connect patients with care to improve their experience and health outcomes. ReferWell, which is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, has grown to support plans and providers that are responsible for more than 10 million covered lives across the US. Thanks to ReferWell for supporting HIStalk.

Here’s a ReferWell explainer video that I found on YouTube.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

AI clinical insights company Navina raises $55 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $100 million.

The Financial Times reports that majority-stake owners Temasek and Warburg Pincus are considering selling their stakes in supply chain management technology vendor Global Healthcare Exchange at a $5 billion valuation. Singapore-based Temasek acquired its stake in the company from Thoma Bravo in 2017, while Warburg Pincus became an investor in GHX in 2021.

RCM vendor VisiQuate acquires Rotera, which offers a digital assistant platform.

Sales

University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics will expand its use of Abridge’s ambient documentation product to 300 more providers.

People

David Clickner (Beacon Healthcare Systems) joins Itiliti Health as SVP of sales.

Announcements and Implementations

Peterson Health Technology Institute looks at early adopters of ambient documentation systems:

Solutions are offered by 60 companies, the fastest adoption of any recent healthcare technology in the absence of a regulatory requirement.
Health systems are mostly using the technology in primary care settings.
The systems deliver the most benefit to clinicians who often fall behind in documentation or spend more time talking to patients.
Early adopters report reduced clinician burnout, enhanced productivity, and improved patient experiences.
PHTI suggests that health system leaders define the outcomes that they seek and then measure the performance and financial impacts of ambient documentation systems against those goals.

Centralus Health (NY) hospitals Cayuga Health and Arnot Health go live on Epic.

The State of Ohio adds Bamboo Health’s overdose history alert tool to its Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (FL) implements Epic. This LinkedIn clip offers a peek into its Super Mario-themed go live activities.

Other

The local paper reports on St. Luke’s University Health Network’s use of Engnite CardioCare, which analyzes EHR and ECG data to help diagnose heart conditions. Egnite President and CEO Joel Portice has health tech executive experience with Intermedix and Enclarity.

The US falls to #24 in the World Happiness Report 2025, continuing a slide that started in 2016 that has been led by declining social trust and growing inequality. The rankings are based on six factors:

GDP per capita.
Healthy life expectancy.
Social support.
Freedom to make life choices.
Generosity, as measured by charitable acts.
Perceptions of corruption.

Sponsor Updates

Black Book Research identifies market leaders in digital pathology.
Philips Capsule will exhibit at the ANIA Annual Conference March 27-29 in New Orleans.
Clinical Architecture publishes a new case study titled “Advance Real-time Insights with Data Quality Automation.”
CloudWave will exhibit at the MUSE New England Community Peer Group event March 28 in Saratoga Springs, NY.
CTG names Christina Kochan, RN (Oula) healthcare solution architect.

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