Morning Headlines 12/6/24

Cleerly raises $106M from Insight Partners for AI heart health early detection

AI-powered cardiovascular imaging company Cleerly raises $106 million in its latest funding round.

An HHS OIG analysis of simulated cyberattacks finds that the IT system of the of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network

The HHS Office of Inspector General recommends that the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network ramp up cybersecurity efforts after simulated cyberattacks uncover 22 vulnerabilities within its IT system.

Schneider Hospital Reports Second “Cybersecurity Incident” This Year

Schneider Regional Medical Center in St. Thomas, USVI, deals with a cybersecurity attack discovered over the weekend, its second in six months.

Morning Headlines 12/5/24

Artificial intelligence tops 2025 health technology hazards list

Non-profit healthcare safety group ECRI names AI as its top healthcare technology hazard for 2025.

Ransomware virus attack on PIH Health leads to network shutdown for hospitals in Downey, LA, Whittier

A ransomware attack first detected on Sunday forces PIH Health (CA) to take its IT systems offline and revert to downtime procedures

First Federal Health Agency Joins TEFCA, Selecting eHealth Exchange as its QHIN

The Indian Health Service adopts TEFCA and designates EHealth Exchange as its QHIN.

Morning Headlines 12/4/24

Soda Health closes oversubscribed $50M Series B led by General Catalyst to scale its Smart Benefits Operating System

Soda Health, whose platform allows members to use their health insurance benefit dollars on approved goods and services, raises $50 million in a Series B funding round.

Inside VA’s $369B FY 2025 Budget

The VA’s proposed $370 billion 2025 budget includes $900 million earmarked for the department’s Oracle Health-based EHR.

Healwell Acquires Control of Mutuo Health Solutions To Build Next Generation of AI-Powered Physician Co-Pilots

Toronto-based AI-enabled decision support vendor Healwell acquires a majority stake in Mutuo Health Solutions, which offers an ambient scribe product.

ECRI acquires The Just Culture Company to transform healthcare patient and workforce safety

Healthcare quality organization ECRI acquires The Just Culture Company, which addresses workforce culture.

Morning Headlines 12/3/24

CoachCare Acquires Revolution Health Solutions, Marking Its Sixth Acquisition

Remote patient monitoring and virtual care management company CoachCare acquires competitor Revolution Health Solutions.

Power Diary Rebrands to Zanda with a Bold Vision for Health Practice Management

Practice management software vendor Power Diary rebrands to Zanda.

Elimu Informatics Secures an SBIR Grant to Develop an EHR-interoperable Asthma Care Solution

Elimu Informatics will use an NIH grant to develop a SMART-on-FHIR clinical decision support app for asthma management.

Morning Headlines 12/2/24

Veterans Health Administration notifying Veterans of potential information disclosure

The Veterans Health Administration notifies 2,302 patients at six different VA healthcare systems of a third-party data breach that may have exposed their personal health information.

HHS Office for Civil Rights Settles with Holy Redeemer Hospital Over Disclosure of Patient’s Protected Health Information, Including Reproductive Health Information

Holy Redeemer Family Medicine (PA) pays $35,581 to settle federal allegations that it potentially violated HIPAA when it disclosed a patient’s full health record to a prospective employer, rather than the single test result requested by the patient.

CEO of Chicago-based VillageMD steps down as Walgreens considers selling stake in business

VillageMD CEO and co-founder Tim Barry steps down as parent company Walgreens Boots Alliance considers selling all or parts of the business.

Morning Headlines 11/28/24

Practice Better Secures US$13 Million in Growth Capital from CIBC Innovation Banking to Accelerate Expansion of Holistic Health Solution

Practice Better, a vendor of practice management software for health and wellness organizations, announces $13 million in new capital.

Sirona Medical Secures $42M in Series C Financing to Enhance Customer Success With Its Cloud-Native Unify Platform

Radiology workflow software company Sirona Medical announces $42 million in Series C funding, bringing its total raised to over $104 million.

Care IO Secures Strategic Seed Funding to Revolutionize Healthcare Data Collaboration

New Jersey-based healthcare data governance and interoperability startup Care IO announces an undisclosed amount of seed funding.

Morning Headlines 11/27/24

Another ‘major cyber incident’ at a UK hospital, outpatients asked to stay away

England’s three-hospital Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust cancels outpatient appointments due to an unspecified cybersecurity incident.

HHS Issues RFI for IT Staffing at Federal Occupational Health

HHS seeks companies that can provide IT staffing support services to Federal Occupational Health, an agency that provides occupational health services to federal employees.

Kyan Health raises $16.7M to upgrade workplace wellness with AI-powered preventative care

Kyan Health, an app-based provider of employee-focused mental healthcare, announces $16.7 million in funding.

Morning Headlines 11/26/24

Mount Sinai Opens the Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health to Transform Health Care by Spearheading the AI Revolution

Mount Sinai Health System’s new Hamilton and Amabel James Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Health in New York City will serve as a space for the research, development, and application of new AI solutions.

The Office for Civil Rights Should Enhance Its HIPAA Audit Program to Enforce HIPAA Requirements and Improve the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information

HHS OIG makes several recommendations after reviewing OCR’s program for performing periodic HIPAA audits, including expanding its scope and defining and updating metrics for more effective audits.

Cofactor AI Launches Platform to Help Hospitals Fight Tidal Wave of Claims Denials and Announces $4 Million Seed Round

Cofactor AI, which offers AI-powered software to help providers appeal denied claims, launches with $4 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 11/25/24

Forward’s leaders are already recruiting for a new startup, just a week after the healthcare company shut down

Executives of Forward — the CarePods and medical office company — have moved on to start a new venture just one week after Forward shut down after raising $650 million.

Mega US healthcare payments network restores system 9 months after ransomware attack

Change Healthcare restores its clearinghouse services, nine months after they went offline in a February ransomware attack.

TailorMed Secures $40 Million to Expand the Largest Affordability Network into an End-to-End Platform, Transforming Patient Access to Care Nationwide

Medication affordability, access, and adherence software company TailorMed secures $40 million in new financing.

Morning Headlines 11/22/24

House passes veterans’ package without EHR accountability measures

House lawmakers remove Congressional EHR oversight provisions before passing a VA legislative package that is now up for consideration by the Senate.

Headspace Axes 13% of Workforce, Transition Therapist Network to Part-Time and Contract Roles

App-based mental healthcare company Headspace lays off staff therapists and 13% of its workforce, and reshuffles executive roles as it looks to cut costs and improve revenue.

Alberta creates its own AI-powered scribe

ED physicians at Canada’s Alberta Health Services are testing a doctor-created AI scribe in a two-year project that is being funded by a Canadian Medical Association grant.

Morning Headlines 11/21/24

Verisma Acquires Olah, Streamlining Patient Data Management for Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities Nationwide

Release-of-information vendor Verisma acquires Olah Healthcare Technology, which offers enterprise archiving for legacy data.

Synapticure Raises $25 Million Series A to Expand Virtual Care for Patients and Caregivers Living with Neurodegenerative Diseases in all 50 States

Synapticure, a virtual provider of care for neurodegenerative disease patients, raises $25 million in Series A funding.

TigerConnect Acquires Twiage, Enhancing Real-Time EMS to Hospital Communication for Streamlined Emergency Care

Care collaboration and communication software company TigerConnect acquires Twiage, a New York City-based business that coordinates communication between EMS and hospital emergency departments.

Morning Headlines 11/20/24

Review of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Compliance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 for Fiscal Year 2024

HHS OIG rates HHS’s information security program as “not effective” in its annual review, the same rating it gave HHS last year.

Citizen Health Announces $14.5 Million Seed Funding and Strategic Partnership to Transform the Health Experience for Patients with Rare and Complex Conditions

Citizen Health formally debuts with $14.5 million in seed funding to offer patients health data technology tailored to those suffering from rare diseases.

ThoroughCare Secures $5 Million in Series A Funding from Empactful Capital

Care coordination software vendor ThoroughCare raises $5 million in Series A funding.

Sanford Health Unveils Physical Hub for Virtual Care

Sanford Health (SD) opens its new Virtual Care Center to offer areas for provider education and training, innovation, and patient and family experience simulations.

SIS Expands Capabilities with Strategic Acquisition of Surgical Notes

Surgical Information Systems acquires Surgical Notes, which offers billing, coding, and transcription services to ambulatory surgery centers.

Morning Headlines 11/19/24

BrightHeart Secures FDA Clearance for First AI Software Revolutionizing Prenatal Fetal Heart Ultrasound Evaluations

Ahead of its launch in the US, Paris-based BrightHeart receives FDA clearance for its AI-powered fetal heart ultrasound assessment software.

Trust reverses £65m EPR procurement decision after court claim

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust decides not to implement an EHR developed by Altera Digital Health and Insight Direct due to ongoing legal wrangling it would likely face from disgruntled software competitor System C.

Guidehealth and Emory Healthcare Announce Population Health Collaborative to Expand Primary Care Access Across Georgia

Emory Healthcare (GA) will launch new a population health program across its primary care network using technology and value-based managed care services from Guidehealth.

Morning Headlines 11/18/24

Upheal secures $10M to help reduce provider burnout and improve client outcomes with their AI-powered platform

Upheal, which offers a clinical documentation personal assistant for mental health professionals, raises $10 million in a Series A funding round.

DEA and HHS Extend Telemedicine Flexibilities through 2025

The DEA and HHS will extend telemedicine prescribing flexibilities for an additional year.

HealthLynked Corp. Announces Third Quarter and Year-to-Date 2024 Results with Strategic Restructuring, Third-Party Debt Repayment, and Core Technology Focus

Urgent care telehealth provider HealthLynked reports Q3 results: revenue down 56%, EPS –$0.01 versus $0.00.

Morning Headlines 11/15/24

Impilo Secures Series A Funding! Looking to Transform Healthcare Access Nationwide

Remote care software and services startup Impilo announces $11.5 million in Series A funding.

WashU Medicine, BJC Health System launch Center for Health AI

Washington University School of Medicine and BJC Health System in Missouri develop the Center for Health AI, which will develop and deploy healthcare AI technologies to improve patient care, streamline clinical workflows, and reduce administrative burdens.

Landmark Agreement Signed by Governor Albert Bryan Jr. to Share Data and Transform Care Coordination and Care Delivery for US Virgin Islanders

The US Virgin Islands Office of Health Information Technology will work with CRISP Shared Services to develop an HIE.

Morning Headlines 11/14/24

Inside Forward’s failed attempt to revolutionize the doctor’s office

AI-powered doc-in-the-box manufacturer Forward shuts down after an eight-year run, during which it raised $650 million.

The Future of Telehealth.org with Doxy.me

Telemedicine software developer Doxy.me acquires professional development and consulting organization Telehealth.org.

Harvard Medical School Alum Donates $6 Million for AI Health Care Education

Inovalon founder and CEO Keith Dunleavy, MD donates $6 million to his alma mater, Harvard Medical School, to expand education in AI in healthcare.

HHS has still not addressed key cyber recommendations, GAO says

A new report from the Government Accountability Office points out that HHS has failed to act on GAO cybersecurity recommendations made earlier this year, and stresses that the department must do a better job of coordinating ransomware mitigation efforts and tracking provider adoption of cybersecurity practices.

Morning Headlines 11/13/24

$3 billion startup Sword Health cuts some physical therapists as it ramps up AI to treat more patients

Digital physical therapy services provider Sword Health reportedly lays off 13 physical therapists, about 17% of its clinicians, as it prepares for an IPO and follows through on plans to manage more patients using AI.

23andMe cuts 40% of its workforce and discontinues therapeutics division

23andMe will eliminate 200 roles and shutter its therapeutics division in an effort to restructure its business, which has seen declining revenue and plummeting shares over the last 12 months.

Quadrivia: Babylon founder Ali Parsa launches AI assistant for doctors, gets seed funding from Swedish VC Norrsken

Babylon founder Ali Parsa launches healthcare AI assistant company Quadrivia with seed funding from Norrsken.