Morning Headlines 4/24/24

Change Healthcare attack did not result in harm to veteran care, VA says

The Change Healthcare ransomware attack has not resulted in harm to VA patients, though it did delay the filling of prescriptions, most of them refills, for 40,000 veterans.

Oracle is moving its world headquarters to Nashville to be closer to health-care industry

Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison says the company will move its headquarters from Austin to Nashville to be closer to a major center of healthcare.

Medical Informatics Engineering Secures Growth Investment from Healthcare Technology Investor Serent Capital

Serent Capital invests in occupational health IT company Medical Informatics Engineering.

FTC Announces Rule Banning Noncompetes

The FTC votes to ban noncompetes in a ruling that it predicts will lead to the creation of 8,500 new businesses each year.

Morning Headlines 4/23/24

Lumeris Completes $100M Equity Growth Capital Investment Round

Lumeris, a tech-enabled population health services and insurance company, raises $100 million in a funding round led by Deerfield Management.

Hackers Broke Into Change Healthcare’s Systems Days Before Cyberattack

Sources say that members of the BlackCat ransomware group broke into Change Healthcare’s system nine days before initiating the February 21 ransomware attack, using stolen employee credentials to log in to a remote network access application.

Clarity Pediatrics raises $10M for treating ADHD and other chronic childhood conditions

Clarity Pediatrics, a provider of online pediatric ADHD care, raises $10 million in a seed funding round.

Morning Headlines 4/22/24

About Healthcare Acquires Edgility, Advancing AI and Decisioning Across the Patient Journey

About Healthcare, which specializes in software for patient flow management across healthcare settings, acquires patient flow predictive analytics vendor Edgility.

DHA looks to contract a ‘digital front door’ to modernize its health system

The Defense Health Agency solicits bids for digital front door technology that will enhance the DoD’s MHS Genesis EHR.

VA Seeks Vendors to Support T&E Work on Modernized Electronic Health Record Platform

The VA issues an RFI for testing support for the department’s Oracle Health-based EHR Modernization program.

Morning Headlines 4/19/24

DrFirst Acquires Myndshft Technologies to Revolutionize Medication Management by Addressing Both Pharmacy and Medical Benefits

Medication management vendor DrFirst acquires Myndshft Technologies, which specializes in real-time eligibility and benefits verification and expediting prior authorizations.

23andMe CEO mulls go-private deal

After three years as a public company, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki expresses interest in taking the company private.

AngelEye Health Acquires NICU2Home

AngelEye Health, developer of neonatal and pediatric patient and family engagement technology, acquires NICU care coordination and patient engagement company NICU2Home.

Morning Headlines 4/18/24

Medicus IT Strengthens Commitment to Community Health Centers through Acquisition of BlueNovo

Healthcare IT and professional services firm Medicus IT acquires BlueNovo, a health IT consulting company focused on community health centers.

Change Healthcare’s New Ransomware Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse

RansomHub makes good on its threat to put stolen Change Healthcare data, including files from MetLife, CVS Caremark, Davis Vision, Health Net, and Teachers Health Trust, up for sale on the dark web.

Two Chairs raises $72M Series C in equity and debt to scale its therapist network

Hybrid mental healthcare provider Two Chairs raises $72 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total funding to $103 million.

Morning Headlines 4/17/24

UnitedHealth beats on revenue despite impact from cyberattack

Shares of UnitedHealth rise on the news that the company beat Q1 revenue expectations in spite of costs incurred by the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

Sunstone Partners Announces Growth Investment in Accuhealth

Sunstone Partners invests in remote patient monitoring and chronic care management company Accuhealth.

Kontakt.io Raises $47.5 Million Series C Funding from Goldman Sachs to Fuel AI Development and Expansion into US Hospitals

Kontakt.io, which offers patient flow analytics and optimization solutions, raises $47.5 million in a Series C funding round.

RFX Solutions Closes on $9 Million in Series A Funding to Revolutionize Healthcare Compliance through SaaS Technology

Healthcare regulatory compliance software vendor RFX Solutions announces $9 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 4/16/24

Change Healthcare stolen patient data leaked by ransomware gang

RansomHub leaks several files stolen during the Change Healthcare ransomware attack on its dark web site in an effort to convince Change parent company UnitedHealth Group to pay a second ransom.

Proposed FTC Order will Prohibit Telehealth Firm Cerebral from Using or Disclosing Sensitive Data for Advertising Purposes, and Require it to Pay $7 Million

Online mental healthcare provider Cerebral will pay $7 million to settle allegations that it shared the personal data of users with third-party sites for advertising purposes without their consent, and that it failed to honor company cancellation policies.

Particle Health Affirms Ongoing Connectivity With Epic Systems and Refutes Recent Reports

Particle Health announces that the vast majority of its customers have continued to receive data from Epic without interruption.

Eating disorder telehealth startup Equip raises $35M, according to filing

Virtual eating disorder treatment company Equip Health raises $35 million, according to a recent securities filing.

Chrys Capital looks to sell GeBBS at $1b valuation

India-based private equity firm ChrysCapital considers selling HIM and RCM vendor Gebbs Healthcare Solutions, which it acquired in 2018 for $140 million.

Morning Headlines 4/15/24

Texas Surgeon is Accused of Secretly Denying Liver Transplants

Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center abruptly shuts down its abdominal transplant program after suspicious irregularities pertaining to patient eligibility criteria within a federal database come to light.

Health records giant Epic cracks down on startup for unauthorized sharing of patient data

Epic informs customers that it has cut off its connection to Particle Health because it believes the company is using patient data in ways unrelated to patient treatment.

Virtual physical therapist Hinge Health lays off 10% of its workforce

Virtual physical therapy provider Hinge Health lays off 170 employees as it prepares for an IPO.

Morning Headlines 4/12/24

SAMHSA and ONC Launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative

ONC and SAMHSA will invest $20 million over the next three years to improve health IT in behavioral health and practice settings through the new Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative.

VA plans to restart EHR deployments before the end of FY25, secretary says

VA Secretary Denis McDonough says that the department will resume rolling out its Oracle Health-based EHR before the end of fiscal year 2025, despite the fact that the 2025 budget doesn’t include any funding for additional deployments.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment Firm will be Banned from Disclosing Health Data for Advertising to Settle FTC Charges that It Shared Data Without Consent

The FTC bans virtual alcohol addiction treatment company Monument from sharing patient health data with third-party advertising sites.

Morning Headlines 4/11/24

Tower Health and Ensemble Health Partners Announce Strategic Revenue Cycle Partnership

Tower Health (PA) will outsource its revenue cycle operations to Ensemble Health Partners this summer, transitioning 675 employees to the RCM company.

Physicians struggle to keep practices afloat after Change cyberattack

New survey findings from the American Medical Association reveal that 51% of physician practices have lost revenue due to an inability to process patient co-pays after the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, while 80% have lost revenue from unpaid claims.

Bayer and Google Cloud to Accelerate Development of AI-powered Healthcare Applications for Radiologists

Bayer and Google Cloud will collaborate on developing AI solutions for radiologists.

Morning Headlines 4/10/24

Avant Technologies Acquires Wired-4-Health, Advancing AI Interoperability in Healthcare Data

AI software development company Avant Technologies acquires Wired-4-Health, which offers healthcare technology and data integration services.

Model N to be Acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.25 Billion

Vista Equity Partners will acquire life sciences revenue optimization vendor Model N in a $1.25 billion take-private deal.

Rivia Health Raises $3.25 Million in Series Seed Funding with PHX Ventures

RCM vendor Rivia Health raises $3.25 million in a seed funding round led by PHX Ventures.

Morning Headlines 4/9/24

Second Ransomware Group Demands UnitedHealth Pay for Stolen Data

RansomHub threatens to sell data stolen during the February ransomware attack on Change Healthcare if the company doesn’t pay a second ransom.

FocalPoint Holdings and CodexIT Join Forces to Acquire Conclusn, Building a Best-in-Class Healthcare Analytics Dashboard System

Healthcare software developer FocalPoint Holdings forms a joint venture with health IT and consulting firm CodexIT to acquire healthcare analytics company Conclusn.

Grow Therapy Raises $88M Sequoia Capital-Led Series C to Advance Effective Mental Healthcare

Mental health technology company Grow Therapy raises $88 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $180 million.

Rater8 Accelerates Expansion With Strategic Investment

Provider reputation management and patient feedback company Rater8 raises an undisclosed amount of Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 4/8/24

Teladoc Health Board of Directors Announces Leadership Transition

Teladoc shares rise slightly on the news that the company’s board fired CEO Jason Gorevic after 15 years in that role.

Amwell Receives Continued Listing Standard Notice From NYSE

Telehealth company Amwell risks having its shares delisted by NYSE due to low share price.

Change Healthcare wants data-breach lawsuits heard in Nashville federal court

Change Healthcare asks the court to consolidate lawsuits related to its February data breach in the federal court in Nashville, its hometown.

Morning Headlines 4/5/24

Massachusetts Justices Mull Applying Wiretap Law to Web Tracking

A court reviews a class action lawsuit that argues that hospital use of web tracking technologies violates the state’s Wiretap Act.

Cerberus says its investment in Steward hospitals yielded an $800 million profit

The investment firm tells a Senate subcommittee that its only cost in creating the now-struggling, for-profit Steward Health Care that it sold at an $800 million profit was buying Caritas Christi for $246 million.

Former University of Iowa Hospital employee used fake identity for 35 years

A hospital network architect pleads guilty for living under another man’s identity since 1988, which caused that man to be wrongly confined to jail and then a mental hospital for 20 months.

Morning Headlines 4/4/24

Aegis Ventures Announces Partnership with Nine Health Systems to Build and Deploy Healthtech Solutions

Nine health systems will co-develop and invest in solutions with venture studio Aegis Ventures.

FDA authorizes Prenosis software as first AI tool that can diagnose sepsis

FDA grants marketing clearance to the sepsis detection tool of Prenosis, which applies AI to biomarker and EHR clinical data to assess sepsis risk.

Epic plans to launch AI validation software for healthcare organizations to test, monitor models

The product will help health systems evaluate and monitor the performance of AI models, both third party and self developed.

Morning Headlines 4/3/24

Risant Health completes acquisition of Geisinger

Kaiser-backed hospital operator Risant Health completes its acquisition of Geisinger, which will become its inaugural health system.

HealthArc Secures $5 Million in Growth Funding to Revolutionize Healthcare

Virtual care management company HealthArc announces $5 million in funding.

Electronic prescribing giant Surescripts is exploring a sale

Surescripts is reportedly exploring a sale of its business, the ownership of which is evenly split between pharmacy benefit managers CVS Health and Express Scripts and pharmacy trade groups.

Providence Spins Out Praia Health with $20M in Oversubscribed Series A Funding led by Frist Cressey Ventures to Scale New Consumer Platform for Health Care

Praia Health, which offers automated personalization of a patient’s care journey, secures $20 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 4/2/24

Solventum Begins Trading on the New York Stock Exchange

Solventum, a 3M spinoff that includes health information systems among its four business segments, begins trading on the NYSE.

Walmart Health Clinic Expansion On Track For 70 By Year’s End

Walmart will open 22 new health clinics within Walmart Supercenters this year, bringing its total to 70 across the country.

New Valley Hospital ready to welcome patients with state-of-the-art tech

New Jersey-based Valley Health System will open a new hospital in Paramus equipped with smart beds, bedside infotainment systems, and AI-powered fall-prevention technology.