Morning Headlines 7/15/25

FTC Takes Action Against Telemedicine Firm NextMed Over Charges It Used Misleading Prices, Fake Reviews, and Deceptive Weight Loss Claims to Sell GLP-1 Weight-Loss Programs

Online weight-loss prescription delivery company NextMed will pay $150,000 to settle FTC charges related to deceptive and false representation of its products and consumer reviews.

CMS Proposes Physician Payment Rule to Significantly Cut Spending Waste, Enhance Quality Measures, and Improve Chronic Disease Management for People with Medicare

CMS seeks comment on its 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule, which, if adopted, could simplify the process of making select services available via telehealth and expand payment policies for digital mental health treatments.

Goldman Sachs Alternatives Leads EvolvedMD’s $34mm Series B Investment

EvolvedMD, which offers primary care providers tech-enabled behavioral healthcare coordination services, raises $34 million in a Series B funding round.

Morning Headlines 7/14/25

KC-area hospital sues Blue KC, says AI-powered insurance denials ignored doctors

AdventHealth Shawnee Mission sues BCBS of Kansas City, claiming that the insurer withheld $2 million in payments using Apixio’s AI chart review technology, which flagged “clinically invalid” physician diagnoses.

Duke Endowment awards $4M to Atrium, funding first rural NC virtual nursing facility

Atrium Health (NC) will use Duke Endowment grant money to implement virtual nursing capabilities at its Stanly hospital, study the effects of a recently implemented AI translation tool, and develop an app and online platform for improved communication between the health system and its virtual clinics in local schools.

Samsung to launch AI health coach beta in US by end-2025

Samsung will roll out a beta version of an AI-powered health coach chatbot in the US by the end of the year.

Morning Headlines 7/11/25

Canopy and Commure Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Staff Safety in Healthcare

Canopy Health drops its May 2025 lawsuit against Commure and will take over customer management of Commure’s Strongline Pro panic button system.

Johns Hopkins Health System Announces the Official Launch of Illustra Health

Johns Hopkins Health System (MD) makes its new Illustra Health suite of population health analytics and implementation services commercially available.

Humanoid robot startup Diligent taps Cruise executives as it looks beyond healthcare

Diligent Robotics, which sells the Moxi hospital robot, hires two executives from a robotaxi firm as it moves into other industries.

Morning Headlines 7/9/25

Samsung Electronics Acquires Xealth, Bridging the Gap Between Wellness and Medical Care

Samsung Electronics will acquire digital health integration company Xealth.

University of Maryland Medical System Announces Spinout of Gallion Health, Developer Of Award-Winning Supply Chain Application

Gallion Health launches out of University of Maryland Medical System’s IHarbor Innovation Center to offer providers cloud-based digital supply chain capabilities.

Naviant Acquires Amitech Solutions to Expand Healthcare and Intelligent Automation Capabilities

Intelligent automation and process consulting company Naviant acquires healthcare services firm Amitech Solutions.

Morning Headlines 7/8/25

CDC data chief announces departure from agency

CDC Chief Data Officer Alan Sim announces his departure from the agency after nearly five years in the role.

VitalHub Announces Acquisition of Novari Health Inc.

Health and human services technology company VitalHub acquires patient flow software vendor Novari Health for $32 million.

VA to reduce staff by nearly 30K by end of FY2025

The VA announces that it is on track to reduce its staff by 30,000 by the end of the year without the need for a reduction in force.

Morning Headlines 7/7/25

Blue Stream Academy Joins Agilio Software to Create an Integrated Healthcare Training and Compliance Platform

England-based healthcare software vendor Agilio acquires Blue Stream Academy, which offers healthcare e-learning services.

The Villages Health Announces Strategic Restructuring and Agreement to be Acquired by CenterWell

The Villages Health, which offers healthcare services to the 150,000 residents of The Villages retirement community in Florida, files Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will sell itself to Humana’s CenterWell health services business.

Complete Family Medicine to launch Epic EHR System

Complete Family Medicine, a part of Hannibal Regional Healthcare System (MO), will implement Epic July 9.

Island Health lays off VP, ‘several’ executives, citing financial pressures

In Canada, Island Health lays off a number of executives amidst an organizational restructuring that has also eliminated IT positions related to the health system’s 300-site EHR implementation.

Morning Headlines 7/3/25

Symplr Acquires AMN Healthcare’s Smart Square Scheduling Software, Enhancing AI-Driven Workforce Optimization for Health Systems

Healthcare operations software vendor Symplr acquires AMN Healthcare’s Smart Square workforce scheduling software.

Feeling sick? Use ‘ChatGPT of the NHS’ first, patients to be told

England’s NHS will enhance its patient app with an AI-powered assistant called My Companion that helps users review their health information and explore care options.

Mayo Clinic’s AI tool identifies 9 dementia types, including Alzheimer’s, with one scan

Mayo Clinic researchers develop an AI tool that can identify the brain activity patterns of nine types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, from a single PET scan.

Morning Headlines 7/2/25

VisiQuate Acquires Etyon to Supercharge Insight Automation and Denials Management for Healthcare Providers

RCM technology vendor VisiQuate acquires Etyon, whose technology optimizes revenue cycle workflows.

More than 300 employees cut in Sharp HealthCare layoffs

Sharp HealthCare (CA) lays off 315 employees, with several media outlets reporting IT staff among those affected.

Nordic Capital partners with Arcadia to drive data-focused healthcare innovation

Nordic Capital takes a majority stake in health data insights vendor Arcadia.

Morning Headlines 7/1/25

Premier, Inc. Expands Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Capabilities with Acquisition of IllumiCare

Premier, Inc. acquires IllumiCare, which adds a financial component to clinical decision support, and will market it under its Stanson Health brand.

NHS will use AI in warning system to catch potential safety scandals early

England’s NHS will deploy an AI-powered early warning system that will analyze near real-time data to look for patterns of problems that will trigger urgent inspections.

Steward Health Plans Litigation to Unwind Transfers to Cerberus, Other Insiders

An investigation by the bankrupt Steward Health Care System finds that its former private equity owner and former executive Ralph de la Torre improperly extracted $1 billion from the hospital chain during its insolvency.

Morning Headlines 6/30/25

CMS Launches New Model to Target Wasteful, Inappropriate Services in Original Medicare

CMS announces a six-year pilot in six states to test tech-enabled prior authorization for traditional Medicare, which has traditionally avoided prior authorizations.

CalmWave raises $4.4M for tech that targets non-actionable patient alarms in hospital ICUs

Seattle-based medical device alarm management software startup CalmWave raises $4.4 million in seed funding.

Handspring Raises $12M Series A to Expand High-Quality Mental Health Care for Children and Families

Virtual mental healthcare clinic Handspring announces $12 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 6/27/25

Certify Secures $40M Series B Funding to Continue Building the Healthcare Provider Data Infrastructure of the Future

Provider data management vendor Certify raises $40 million in a Series B funding round.

Arine Raises Series C to Scale AI-Driven Medication Optimization and Power Value-Based Outcomes

Arine, which offers an AI-powered medication optimization platform, raises $30 million in a Series C funding round.

Novo Nordisk says WeightWatchers will sell Wegovy, announces $299 price

Novo Nordisk will make its weight-loss drug Wegovy available to WeightWatchers members through its online prescription service.

Morning Headlines 6/26/25

$40 Million to Obliterate Specialty Drug Paperwork

Mandolin, which uses AI agents to manage specialty drug intake, benefits, prior authorizations, and RCM, raises $40 million in seed and Series A funding.

Best Buy Sells Current Health Back To Co-Founder, Former CEO

Best Buy divests care-at-home technology company Current Health less than four years after acquiring it for $400 million, selling it back to co-founder and former CEO Christopher McGhee.

BlueBriX Announces $15 Million Investment to Scale Agentic AI Workflow Orchestration for Value-Based Care

Health IT vendor BlueBriX announces $15 million in new funding.

Veradigm Provides 2025 Financial & Business Update

Veradigm expects to bring its SEC filings up to date sometime next year, after which it will seek to relist its stock.

Morning Headlines 6/25/25

Abridge Secures $300M Series E Led by a16z to Pioneer a New Paradigm of Care Intelligence

The ambient documentation vendor’s valuation reaches $5.3 billion after its latest investment follows a $250 million round just five months ago.

HHS Secretary Kennedy, CMS Administrator Oz Secure Industry Pledge to Fix Broken Prior Authorization System

HHS lists the details of the pledge by insurers to streamline PAs.

RFK Jr. wants a wearable on your wrist

The HHS secretary wants every American to wear a health tracker within four years.

Morning Headlines 6/24/25

Prompt Health Acquires PredictionHealth to Amplify AI-Driven Rehab Therapy Innovation

Rehab therapy-focused practice management software vendor Prompt Health acquires PredictionHealth, which offers AI scribe and coding capabilities and compliance analytics.

CoachCare Acquires MD Revolution, Creating the Nation’s Leading Remote Care Platform

Remote care management company CoachCare acquires competitor MD Revolution.

VA needs to better plan appointment scheduling modernization, watchdog says

A new Government Accountability Office report stresses that the VA needs to improve the modernization of its appointment scheduling capabilities as many facilities grapple with legacy VistA systems and some prepare to move to new Oracle Health-based software.

Morning Headlines 6/23/25

Insurers Pledge to Ease Controversial Prior Approvals for Medical Care

Major US health insurers pledge to improve prior authorization practices, noting that they are aiming for 80% real-time decisions by 2027.

NM Vintage Fund Invests in Electronic Caregiver to Strengthen Expansion of Leading Virtual Care Ecosystem

New Mexico Vintage Fund invests in New Mexico-based Electronic Caregiver, which specializes in virtual care and remote patient monitoring technologies.

Enhancing the provider search experience through Smart Choice

UnitedHealthcare announces AI-powered provider search for members.

Morning Headlines 6/20/25

Commure Raises $200 Million in Growth Financing from General Catalyst’s CVF to Accelerate AI-Powered RCM Platform

Commure raises $200 million in growth financing to advance its RCM, ambient documentation, and practice management tools.

Hoppr Secures $31.5M Series A to Scale AI Infrastructure for Medical Imaging

Hoppr, which offers a platform for developing medical AI imaging applications, raises $31.5 million in a Series A funding round.

Overland Park digital health startup closes $2.5M seed round with local, national investors

AI healthcare copilot developer CarePilot raises $2.5 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 6/19/25

Healthcare referrals are where patients get lost. Tennr raises $101M to bring the visibility our system desperately needs

Referral optimization company Tennr raises $101 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $160 million.

Vestar Capital puts Quest Analytics up for sale

Vestar Capital reportedly prepares to sell Quest Analytics, which offers management solutions for provider networks.

Huron to Acquire Revenue Cycle Consulting Firm Eclipse Insights

Professional services firm Huron acquires revenue cycle consulting business Eclipse Insights.

RevelAi Health Secures $3.1 Million Seed Funding to Scale Artificial Intelligence Care Coordination for Musculoskeletal Health

AI-powered musculoskeletal care software startup RevelAi raises $3.1 million in seed funding.