Monday Morning Update 8/25/25

Top News

RTLS vendor Sonitor will merge with Tagnos, which offers asset management and clinical workflow software.

Its platform supports asset tracking, patient flow optimization, staff safety and efficiency, infection control, and environmental monitoring.

Reader Comments

From Dee Lorean: “Re: AI use cases. Replacing much of the EHR user interface seems likely.” Ambient documentation is now table stakes, with the differentiator mostly being EHR integration. AI tools could shift vendor work from tweaking screens and forms to building an AI layer that intelligently summarizes information, supports voice navigation, makes real-time recommendations, and manages the logistics of visit prep and follow-up. Success will hinge on stability, change management, and ease of user education compared to standard app development. Since vendors don’t want to rewrite their EHRs, AI may offer a way to improve UI, workflow, and connectivity without heavy reprogramming. Oracle Health’s approach seems sound for refreshing Millennium without a rewrite, while Epic’s seems more ambitious in addressing research data, patient involvement, and clinical decision support. After decades of obsessing over native screen designs, the real power move will probably be the lessened importance of them as AI becomes more of the UI. 

HIStalk Announcements and Requests

Most poll respondents receive appointment text messages from their providers and are satisfied, although many agree with Dr. Jayne that they get too many.

New poll to your right or here: Which services have you received in the past year from an online clinician you’ve never met? It’s “none of these” for me, so enlighten me with a poll comment after voting. 

DonorsChoose was matching all classroom project donations last week, so I applied reader donations and matching money from my Anonymous Vendor Executive to fund several projects:

• Digital writing tablets for Ms. B’s high school class in Lynchburg, VA.
• Math books for Ms. M’s kindergarten class in Clearlake, CA.
• Headphones for Ms. B’s elementary school class in Stockton, VA.
• Headphones and computer speaker for Mr. K’s elementary school class in Philadelphia, PA.
• Headphones and a document camera for Ms. B’s elementary school class in Dallas, TX.

Ms. B sent a note:  “Because of you, my students will now have the resources they need to learn, grow, and thrive. Your contribution is making a real difference—not only in our classroom today, but in the confidence and curiosity my students will carry into the future. We are so excited to put these materials to use, and I know my students will be thrilled to see how many people believe in them and their potential. Your support reminds us that education is a community effort, and we are truly grateful to have you as part of ours.”

Sponsored Events and Resources

Instant Access Webinar: “Healthcare Data Strategies: Retire, Retain, and Ready for AI.” Sponsor: Triyam, an Access Company. Presenters: Sudhakar Mohanraj, founder and CTO, Triyam; Benjamin Cassity, director of research and strategy, KLAS; Jamie Greenstein, senior marketing manager, Access. The presenters deliver practical tactics to help IT leaders manage exploding data volumes — how to clean up legacy systems, craft smarter retention policies, and prepare historical data for analytics and AI.

Contact Lorre to have your resource listed.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Sleep solution vendor Eight Sleep raises $100 million in new funding. The company, whose biometric-powered system adjusts temperature, bed elevation, and sleep routines, will use the funds to accelerate its AI roadmap. The company will develop AI solutions for menopausal sleep and sleep apnea and will seek FDA approval for medical sleep challenges. Its package costs $3,000 to $5,000 and its top-end app and monitoring package runs $33 per month.

People

IDX co-founder Rich Tarrant has died at 83. Search Vince’s HIS-tory to for more on his legacy.

Announcements and Implementations

Tampa General Hospital goes live with Epic’s MyChart enhancement that allows patients to register as organ donors. So did UK HealthCare, which implemented the registration feature that was the result of a collaboration between Epic and Donate Life America.

The state of Tennessee goes live with the Findhelp-powered Tennessee Community Compass, which allows care teams to identify health-related social needs, refer and authorize services, track outcomes, and pay community organizations for the services they provide.

Researchers develop a machine learning tool that detects heart failure decompensation with 98% accuracy from the patient’s self-reported daily weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and symptoms.

Athena Security introduces an IPad-powered hospital visitor management system that offers check-in and check-out,  badge printing, and offline operation if connectivity is lost.

Other

Former Google AI expert and startup founder Jad Tarifi, PhD, advises people who are considering earning a PhD in AI should skip it and instead spend those years working in a relevant job instead since the field will outpace their studies before they finish. He adds that medicine and law education are especially vulnerable, as both rely heavily on memorization and knowledge that quickly becomes obsolete.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic Global releases a new “Designing for Health” podcast featuring Mukul Mehra, MD.
• Optimum Healthcare IT becomes the first healthcare IT consulting firm to integrate Clear for workforce identity verification.
• Capital Rx releases a new episode of “The Astonishing Healthcare Podcast” titled “Rx Retro: An Approach to Safe & Effective Deprescribing, with Lauren Carroll, PharmD.”
• Redox releases a new episode of its “Shut the backdoor” podcast titled “A Hacker Summer Camp – Inside DEFCON 2025.”
• Wolters Kluwer Health will exhibit at Rise West August 25-27 in Las Vegas.

Blog Posts

• How to Achieve Reimbursement Wins Under the Fiscal Year 2026 IPPS Final Rule (CereCore)
• AI Safety in Healthcare: Applying the ASL Framework to Responsible Innovation (Netsmart)
• Seamless Patient Care Starts with Smarter Integration (Five9)
• The Hidden Costs of Ignoring Legacy Systems (Optimum Healthcare IT)
• Older Adults, New Expectations: What Providers Need to Know About Digital Payments (TrustCommerce, a Sphere company)

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
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