Morning Headlines 12/2/20

Say “Hey!” to Project US@ – a Unified Specification for Address in Health Care

ONC, HL7, and other participants announce Project US@, which hopes to publish a healthcare standard for representing patient addresses sometime next year.

Olive Attracts Additional $225.5MM Investment to Fast-Track AI Workforce For Healthcare

Healthcare process automation vendor Olive achieves a $1.5 billion valuation after announcing a $225 million financing round.

Salesforce acquires Slack for over $27 billion, marking cloud software vendor’s largest deal ever

Salesforce acquires Slack for $27.7 billion.

DAS Health Acquires Randall Technology Services

Ambulatory health IT company Das Health Ventures acquires Randall Technology Services and its portfolio of Allscripts EHR and practice management solutions.

Morning Headlines 12/1/20

Skylight Health Announces Rebrand and Corporate Plan to Provide Primary Care Nationally to Millions of Americans

Clinic operator and health IT developer CBS Insights rebrands to Skylight Health Group.

M12 Invests in the Future of Virtual Health with Andor Health

Virtual healthcare collaboration and delivery company Andor Health announces a Series A funding round from Microsoft’s M12 venture fund.

Change Healthcare Announces Sale of Capacity Management Business to HealthStream

Change Healthcare sells its Capacity Management business, which includes services related to nurse staffing, patient flow, and anticipated patient demand, to workforce solutions company HealthStream.

Morning Headlines 11/30/20

Health systems are using AI to predict severe Covid-19 cases. But limited data could produce unreliable results

Health systems are using AI to assign COVID-19 risk scores despite lack of proof that they correlate to real-world outcomes or whether their training was broad enough to be generalizable.

Federal system for tracking hospital beds and COVID-19 patients provides questionable data

A CDC analysis finds that HHS Protect’s COVID-19 data do not line up with other hospital data sources used by many states, potentially giving government health officials and hospital personnel inaccurate estimates of disease burden and resource availability.

Full implementation of P.E.I.’s electronic record system not planned until March 2022

In Canada, Prince Edward Island health officials postpone the implementation of an enterprise EHR due to COVID-19-related vendor delays, pushing the project to 2021-2022.

Morning Headlines 11/26/20

$47M invested, $47,000 left for creditors: HealthSpot bankruptcy winding down

After five years in bankruptcy, telemedicine kiosk vendor HealthSpot has just $47,000 left to distribute to creditors.

UVM Medical Center restores electronic medical records nearly a month after cyberattack

The University of Vermont Health Network announces that it has restored access to its Epic EHR for all inpatient and outpatient sites.

Elizabeth Holmes Prosecutors Say Texts Show Theranos Beset With Problems

Federal prosecutors seek a judge’s approval to use texts between Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former president Sunny Balwani to help prove they knew that the company’s technology was not as groundbreaking as they led investors to believe.

Morning Headlines 11/25/20

Well Health Secures $45 Million in Series C Funding to Transform Patient Communication for Healthcare Providers, Payers, and ACOs

Digital patient communications company Well Health raises $45 million in a Series C financing round, bringing its total funding to $75 million.

DataLink Receives Growth Equity Investment from Investor Group Led by DWS

Population health software company DataLink will use a growth equity investment to further scale its provider engagement services and pursue M&A activities.

Healthcare technology maker G Medical Innovations withdraws $30 million US IPO

G Medical Innovations, an Israel-based vendor of remote vital sign monitoring software, withdraws its IPO plans – for the second time – after filing to raise $30 million on the Nasdaq.

Morning Headlines 11/24/20

CompuGroup Medical strengthens US business with one of the largest acquisitions in company history

Germany-based health IT company CompuGroup Medical will acquire ambulatory-focused health IT vendor EMDs for $240 million.

GigCapital2 to merge with two telehealth firms in $1.35 billion deal

Special purpose acquisition company GigCapital2 will merge with Cloudbreak Health and UpHealth Holdings to create a telemedicine company valued at $1.35 billion.

Signify Health Acquires PatientBlox to Accelerate Prospective Episode of Care Payment Models, Advance Transition to Value-based Care

Value-based care coordination and payments vendor Signify Health acquires blockchain startup PatientBlox for an undisclosed sum.

CentralReach Acquires AI-Based Scheduling Algorithm to Automate Scheduling Operations for Autism & ABA Care Delivery

Health IT vendor CentralReach acquires Cartocal and will incorporate its automated scheduling technology into its software for providers specializing in applied behavior analysis.

Morning Headlines 11/23/20

UVM Medical Center takes cautious steps to restore services after cyberattack

University of Vermont Health Network begins restoring access to Epic beyond a read-only view at inpatient and ambulatory sites of UVM Medical Center.

ClosedLoop.ai Secures $11M Series A Funding to Assist Healthcare Organizations Improve Clinical and Financial Outcomes

AI-powered predictive data modeling vendor ClosedLoop.ai raises $11 million in a Series A funding round led by Greycroft and .406 Ventures.

Butterfly Network, a global leader in democratizing medical imaging, to be listed on NYSE through a merger with Longview Acquisition Corp.

Phone-connected ultrasound transducer manufacturer Butterfly IQ will go public on the NYSE in a merger with a special purpose acquisition company that values the company at $1.5 billion.

VA Moves to Expand Its 5G Experimentation

The VA will expand its 5G testing to sites in Florida and Seattle following its initial work in its Palo Alto hospital, looking at technologies such Microsoft HoloLens for surgical navigation and adding telemetry monitoring to new areas of hospitals.

Morning Headlines 11/20/20

Clearlake carves out nThrive’s tech arm in $1bln-plus deal

Private equity firm Clearlake Capital will reportedly buy the software business of revenue cycle management company NThrive, which was formed in late 2015 by private equity firm Pamplona Capital in combining its MedAssets and Precyse acquisitions.

Subtle Medical Raises $12.2 Million in Series A Funding to Expand Its AI Imaging Solutions

AI-powered medical imaging enhancement company Subtle Medical raises $12.2 million in a Series A round led by 3E Bioventures Capital.

Medsphere Systems Corporation Acquires Micro-Office Systems

Medsphere acquires Micro-Office Systems, which offers custom medical practice technology services and a patient engagement service.

Nuance Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020 Results

Nuance announces Q4 results: revenue down 9%, adjusted EPS $0.18 versus $0.23, beating Wall Street estimates for both.

Morning Headlines 11/19/20

Central Logic Acquires Ensocare to Ease Transitions from Hospital to Post-Acute Care

Healthcare access and orchestration solution vendor Central Logic acquires Ensocare, which automates the referral of hospital patients to post-acute care.

K Health raises $42 million to expand its AI-powered telemedicine platform

Israeli company K Health raises $42 million and announces that the Mayo Clinic will integrate its telemedicine technology with its clinical data analytics platform.

Nuance Announces Sale of HIM Transcription and EHR Go-Live Services Businesses to Accelerate Growth as Conversational AI Market Leader

Nuance will sell its health information management transcription business and EHR go-live services business to DeliverHealth Solutions, of which it will become a minority shareholder.

COTA Secures $34M in Growth Capital and Triples Data Access to Better Serve Life Science Partners and Provider Institutions

Oncology-focused analytics vendor Cota announces a $34 million Series D funding round led by Baptist Health South Florida and ONC Capital, alongside a $20 million investment from Varian Medical Systems.

Morning Headlines 11/18/20

Introducing Amazon Pharmacy: Prescription Medications Delivered

Amazon launches an online pharmacy, giving customers the ability to order prescriptions, compare prices, and consult with pharmacists.

SOC Telemed Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results

SOC Telemed, which began trading on the Nasdaq last month, reports an 11% dip in Q3 revenue, attributable to a decrease in hospital utilization during the pandemic.

Upfront Healthcare Raises $11.5 Million in Series B Funding Round Led by Baird Capital and Co-Led by LRVHealth

Communication and patient engagement platform vendor Upfront Healthcare raises $11.5 million in a Series B funding round, increasing its total to $21.5 million.

AccuReg Acquires Digital Patient Engagement Technology Company

RCM vendor AccuReg acquires Zenig, a patient engagement company focused on appointment reminders, touchless check-ins, virtual waiting rooms, and communication tools.

Morning Headlines 11/17/20

Centauri Health Solutions Adds Referral Management and Analytics Capabilities with Acquisition of Ivy Ventures, LLC

Centauri Health Solutions bolsters its physician referral services with the acquisition of Ivy Ventures, developer of referral services using proprietary scheduling, analytics, and outreach software.

AliveCor Closes $65 Million Financing to Accelerate Growth of Its Remote Cardiology Platform For Consumers, Employers, and Providers

AliveCor will use a $65 million Series E funding round to further develop its remote cardiology technology with the addition of telemedicine and detection and condition management services.

Heads Up Health Closes $1.35M Seed Round Led by Innosphere Ventures

Health data tracking, aggregation, and analytics software startup Heads Up Health raises $1.35 million in a seed round led by Innosphere Ventures.

Morning Headlines 11/16/20

Student Medical Records at UC San Diego Make Epic Change and a California First

UC San Diego Health reports the benefits of moving UC San Diego’s student health service to Epic, including instant access to medical records from 262 US health systems for its 39,000 students.

Inclusion of patient headshots in electronic health records decreases order errors

Researchers find that including a patient’s headshot in the EHR significantly reduced ED wrong-patient order entry errors without creating provider burden.

Oklahoma to Launch Health Information Exchange

The Oklahoma Health Care Authority will launch a statewide HIE in the fall of 2021, initially focusing on connecting Medicaid providers.

Morning Headlines 11/13/20

Health Catalyst Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results

Health Catalyst reports Q3 results: revenue up 20%, adjusted EPS –$0.21 versus –$0.27, beating Wall Street expectations for both.

Amazon Alexa Care Hub update will make it easier to help aging family members

Amazon introduces Care Hub, a free Alexa app feature that allows people to connect to a loved one’s Echo device from an app to view their Alexa activity, set alerts, or answer their call for assistance.

Solv Health raises $27 million as health care providers move online

Web-based urgent care appointment booking and telemedicine startup Solv Health raises $27 million in a funding round led by Acrew Capital.

Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock Joins The Chartis Group

The Chartis Group acquires strategic healthcare communications and change management firm Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock.

Morning Headlines 11/12/20

RxVantage Acquires onPoint Oncology

App-based life sciences resource company RxVantage acquires OnPoint Oncology, which offers oncologists reimbursement data and analytics related to cancer care.

SA Health scores $200m to complete ehealth records system rollout

In Australia, SA Health will spend $146 million to finish its stalled roll out of Allscripts Sunrise EHR and patient administration system over the next three years.

Hendrick Health System shuts down IT networks because of ‘security threat’

Hendrick Health System (TX) shuts down IT systems at its main campus and several clinics after becoming aware of a network security threat.

Morning Headlines 11/11/20

HST Pathways and Casetabs Merge and Secure Majority Investment Led by Bain Capital Tech Opportunities

Ambulatory surgery center software vendors HST Pathways and Casetabs will merge with the support of investments from Bain Capital Tech Opportunities and Nexxus Holdings.

Carbon Health Secures $100M in Series C Funding to Become Leading National Healthcare Provider

Tech-enabled primary care company Carbon Health raises $100 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $172.5 million.

eClinicalWorks, LLC – Corporate Integrity Agreement

HHS OIG imposes additional Corporate Integrity Agreement terms on EClinicalWorks, which paid $155 million in 2017 to settle false claims act charges.

Cigna Ventures, Humana, and Optum Ventures Among Investor Set Re-Upping in Buoy Health Series C Financing

AI-powered symptom checker and provider search startup Buoy Health raises $37.5 million in a Series C investment round led by Humana and Cigna Ventures.

OptimizeRx Third Quarter 2020 Revenue Up 110% to Record $10.5 Million, Driving Non-GAAP Net Income of $1.1 million or $0.07 Per Share

OptimizeRx announces Q3 results: revenue up 110%, adjusted EPS $0.07 versus –$0.07, with shares jumping 10% to give the company a valuation of $350 million.

Morning Headlines 11/9/20

Update on Cyberattack

Six-hospital University of Vermont Health Network has regained access to a week’s worth of patient schedules following its October 25 malware-caused systems outage.

Region’s Leading Academic Medical Center Launches New Venture Capital Fund, Tampa General Hospital InnoVentures

Tampa General Hospital (FL) launches InnoVentures, a venture fund that will also offer an accelerator program and in-house lab that will give staff the chance to test out ways of improving operational efficiencies within the hospital.

Change Healthcare (CHNG) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Change Healthcare reports Q2 results: revenue down 5%, EPS $0.32 versus $0.27, beating Wall Street expectations for both.

Building Company Culture And Innovating The Future With Judy Faulkner

Epic will launch EpicShare.org in the next few weeks, which will enable healthcare people, whether Epic users or not, to share innovative ideas for solving common clinical problems.

Vizient to Acquire Intalere, Expanding its Supply Chain Capabilities

Intermountain Healthcare (UT) sells its Intalere supply chain management business to its clinical and operational analytics vendor, Vizient.

Morning Headlines 11/6/20

Vermont National Guard to assist UVM Health Network

Vermont’s governor sends a National Guard cyber response team to help University of Vermont Health Network inspect each of its end-user devices for malware after a cyberattack on October 25.

Koa Health secures over €14m initial funding and spins out of Telefónica’s moonshot factory

Koa Health launches its digital mental healthcare solutions and services in the US with a $16.5 million Series A funding round.

Connected Care Pilot Program Application Window to Open on Nov. 6

The FCC will begin accepting applications on November 6 for its Connected Care Pilot Program, which will provide up to $100 million to help providers cover costs related to connectivity for telehealth programs.