Morning Headlines 6/10/22

Oracle’s Ellison Pitches US Health Database With Power of Cerner

Oracle board chairman and CTO Larry Ellison shares the company’s plans for newly-acquired Cerner including developing a national system of anonymized digital health records and updating Millenium with voice interface, more telehealth features, and disease-based AI models.

Northside Hospital fined more than $1 million for failing to publish medical prices

CMS issues the first civil money penalties against hospitals that failed to comply with federal price transparency laws, with Georgia’s Northside Hospital system fined more than $1 million.

H1 secures an extension on its Series C to further its mission of creating a healthier future through the use of connected and accessible healthcare data

Clinical, scientific, and research data company H1 adds funding to its Series C investment, bringing the round’s total to $123 million.

Morning Headlines 6/9/22

Bon Secours bags Nordic Consulting Partners in $400M-plus deal

Sources report that Accrete Health Partners’ acquisition of Nordic Consulting, first announced last week, is valued at just over $400 million.

Arnot Health says technical issues resolved

Arnot Health (NY) resolves computer hardware issues that first surfaced in early May, leading to weeks of outages.

Data breach at health care organization may affect 2 million

Imaging and ambulatory surgical services provider Shields Health Care Group reports a March data breach that may impact 2 million patients.

Morning Headlines 6/8/22

Oracle Completes Acquisition of Cerner

Oracle has closed its deal to acquire Cerner for $28 billion.

Introducing Advata, a Software Company Improving Patient Outcomes Through Advanced Analytics

Providence-backed Advata launches as an RCM analytics and clinical decision support software company leveraging integrated solutions from KenSci, Colburn Hill Group, Alphalytics, Lumedic, Quiviq, and MultiScale.

Virtual addiction startup Bicycle Health rides Series B to $83M

Virtual opioid use disorder treatment provider Bicycle Health raises $50 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total raised to $83 million.

News 6/8/22

Top News

Oracle shares see a slight uptick on the news that the company has closed its deal to acquire Cerner for $28 billion.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Bain Capital has acquired a majority stake in LeanTaaS, a technology vendor specializing in hospital operations and capacity management optimization. The company, founded by CEO Mohan Giridharadas in 2010, has raised nearly $238 million. Its cloud-based software is used by over 500 hospitals and 130 health systems.

People

Lyniate promotes Scott Galbari to president, COO, and CISO; and hires Mikael Andén (Intelerad Medical Systems) as EVP of sales.

Surescripts names Frank Harvey (ATLS Investments) CEO. Harvey succeeds Tom Skelton, who announced his intent to retire late last year.

Mark Costanza (Spok) joins MobileSmith as chief client and operations officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Stanford Health Care (CA) implements interactive bedside patient entertainment and hospital services technology from Sonifi Health.

Great Falls Clinic (MT) has implemented Phreesia’s patient intake technology.

LeadingReach announces GA of care coordination analytics.

Medical Center Health System (TX) rolls out a patient portal app incorporating EHR technology from Cerner and video visit capabilities from Amwell.

Government and Politics

After more than a year of training, Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning in Georgia will go live on MHS Genesis this weekend.

A new report from the Australian Digital Health Agency finds that routine patient visit information is still missing from many health records within the national My Health Record system, launched in 2012 with a price tag of over $1.4 billion. Patient use has also been wanting, with just 2.69 million out of the nation’s 23 million patients accessing their information since the system’s launch. Physicians have found the software’s design to be problematic, with many preferring to instead access patient data via their hospital’s EHR.

Plans to implement a Cerner-based EHR across facilities on Prince Edward Island have come to a halt due to usability issues. The province had hoped to have all sites live by 2020. Forty-three clinics and 118 physicians have been connected to the system, with 100 more clinicians still to go. The same software has been in use at Island Health hospitals for over a decade. Two independent reviews of that $178 million implementation have been conducted based on physician complaints of poor usability and patient safety risks.

The State of Wisconsin eliminates EHR integration fees to encourage more providers to connect to its electronic prescription drug monitoring program.

Other

The latest release of the Philips Capsule Surveillance solution has received 510(k) market clearance from the FDA.

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found that access to telemedicine visits and continuous glucose monitoring during the pandemic helped diabetic pediatric patients control their glucose levels and stay out of the hospital at rates similar to pre-pandemic levels.

Apple adds medication list creation, reminders, and critical interaction alert features in its latest iOS update.

A small study conducted at a stroke clinic within the UC San Diego Health system has found that patient satisfaction with telemedicine visits improved when patients were texted a log-in link when the physician was ready for the appointment, rather than queuing in a virtual waiting room. Over half of patients were seen early during the two and a half month study, while zero were seen late, resulting in time savings of nearly an hour. As a result, the health system is rolling out the text messaging option to high-volume primary care and surgical care clinics this summer. The text-to-video technology was developed by Doximity.

Sponsor Updates

• AGS Health will exhibit at CHIACON22 Convention & Exhibit June 12-15 in Riverside, CA.
• Baker Tilly publishes a new case study, “Product value communication results in new payer coverage for diagnostic testing coverage.”
• Cerner publishes a new client achievement story, “Clinicians at pediatric health system save charting time following ambulatory optimization.”
• CHIME releases a new CHIMEcast Podcast, “Challenge, Change, and Resilience with Michael Jefferies.”
• Clearwater names Mike Scheerhorn (Everly Health) to its compliance and privacy consulting team.
• Current Health has been named the 2022 Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year in the global virtual home care platform industry.
• CarePort adds predictive analytics for post-acute care planning after discharge to its CareManagement and Insight solutions.
• Patient privacy monitoring company Protenus updates its website.
• OptimizeRx completes integration of TelaRep’s one-click prescriber connectivity solution with its Therapy Initiation and Persistence Platform.
• Diameter Health partners with Smile CDR, giving customers the ability to implement Diameter Health’s Fusion technology for upcycling data along with Smile CDR’s clinical data repository capabilities.

Blog Posts

• Value-based Care Can Be More Than a Buzzword: Thoughts on Health Plan Priorities (Diameter Health)
• What Will the Future of Healthcare Look Like? (Experity)
• Recent HIPAA Breaches: How to Avoid an Email Breach & Secure Your Practice (AdvancedMD)
• Where Interoperability is Succeeding in Healthcare (Arcadia)
• Leveraging Care Coordination for Success Under the CMS Kidney Care Choices Model (Bamboo Health)
• Physician opinion: Quality metrics fail to measure improved outcomes (Bravado Health)
• Health Literacy and the Patient Portal: Start Assessing Your Community and Facility (CereCore)
• Why Nurses Are Joining the Great Resignation and What Can Be Done (ConnectiveRx)
• Navigate Common EHR Challenges with Stewardship from an Experienced Partner (CTG)

Contacts

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Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

Morning Headlines 6/7/22

Aledade Raises $123 Million Series E to Accelerate Growth in Medicare Advantage and Support Primary Care Physicians With Expanded Services

Tech-enabled practice management company Aledade secures $123 million in Series E funding, bringing its total raised to nearly $420 million.

LeanTaaS Announces Growth Investment by Bain Capital Private Equity to Fuel Leading AI-Driven Platform for Hospitals to Achieve Operational Excellence

Bain Capital has acquired a majority stake in LeanTaaS, a software vendor specializing in hospital operations and capacity management optimization.

Minneapolis women’s telehealth clinic Visana Health raises $2.6 million

Virtual women’s healthcare company Visana Health raises $2.6 million in a seed funding round.

Morning Headlines 6/6/22

Software glitch at hospitals caused patients to receive inaccurate test results

In Israel, at least five hospitals report that physicians have been sent inaccurate lab test results due to a software problem.

DeliverHealth Opens Its New Headquarters And Experience Center In Clearwater, Florida

DeliverHeatlh, which specializes in healthcare documentation, coding, and revenue integrity software and services, relocates its Madison, WI headquarters to Clearwater, FL and opens a customer experience center in the same facility.

Leading Healthcare Artificial Intelligence Company Raises $20m Series A Extension

Sleep data interpretation and analysis software vendor EnsoData adds $20 million to its Series A funding round, bringing the round’s total to $29 million.

Meriplex Acquires Healthcare-based MSP, LightPoint

Managed IT and cybersecurity firm Meriplex acquires LightPoint, a managed services provider with a niche in healthcare IT.

Morning Headlines 6/3/22

A Message from Carbon Health CEO Eren Bali

Tech-forward medical care provider Carbon Health lays off 250 employees, about 8% of its workforce, citing “changing market conditions.”

Net Health’s Tissue Analytics for Wound Care Granted Breakthrough Device Status by FDA

Net Health’s wound imaging and analysis software, Tissue Analytics, earns FDA designation of Breakthrough Device Status, the first time an EHR company has been given that distinction.

Harris Continues Healthcare Growth with Acquisition of Sedona Learning Solutions

Harris will incorporate newly-acquired Sedona Learning Solutions, which offers hospitals custom health IT learning solutions and consulting services, into its IatricSystems business unit.

Morning Headlines 6/2/22

Oracle Purchase of Cerner Approved

Oracle has gained the antitrust approvals necessary for its proposed $28.3 billion acquisition of Cerner, now set to take place next week.

SoftBank-Backed Telehealth Firm Cerebral Announces Layoffs

Amidst federal scrutiny and the recent ouster of its founder and CEO, Cerebral announces that it will lay off an undisclosed number of employees by July 1.

Moxe Health Raises $30M Series B to Further Advance Interoperability

Health data exchange vendor Moxe Health raises $30 million in a Series B funding round led by Piper Sandler Merchant Banking and Vensana Capital.

Accrete Health Partners Acquires Nordic Consulting Partners

Accrete Health Partners, a digital health holding company that launched in May, acquires Nordic Consulting for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 6/1/22

Lightbeam Acquires Jvion AI and SDOH Solutions

Population health management vendor Lightbeam Health Solutions will acquire Jvion, which specializes in AI-powered predictive analytics and social determinants of health software.

Cerner ticks higher on report Oracle deal targeted for mid-June close

Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner is reported to be on track to close within the next couple of weeks.

By Light Awarded $82M VA Contract

The VA awards By Light Professional IT Services a five-year, $82 million contract for the continued development, security, and operation of its My HealtheVet patient portal.

Morning Headlines 5/31/22

VA Ordered to Report Performance of Troubled Health Records System to Congress

Pending President Biden’s signature, new legislation will require the VA to submit quarterly reports to Congress on the performance of its new Cerner EHR software.

Doctor-Founded Cherry Health Closes $1.23 Million to Expand Job-Matching Platform for Physicians

Cherry Health, a Canadian health tech startup that has developed a job-matching app for physicians, has raised $1.23 million CAD in pre-seed financing.

Report rejects Rebekah Jones’ claim that Florida doctored COVID data

A report from the State of Florida’s Inspector General determines that a former department of health data scientist’s claim that the department intentionally falsified COVID-19 data to support opening the state back up cannot be substantiated.

Morning Headlines 5/27/22

Chipmaker Broadcom to buy cloud services firm VMware in $61 billion deal

Broadcom will acquire cloud services vendor VMware for $61 billion.

Change Healthcare Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2022 Financial Results

Change Healthcare reports Q4 results: revenue up 8%, adjusted EPS $0.39 versus $0.42, beating revenue expectations but falling short on earnings.

IT Specialist Charged in Cyber Intrusion of Suburban Chicago Health Care Company

A federal court indicts IT contractor Aaron Lockner for allegedly hacking into the server of a clinic operations company, which had denied him full-time employment two months earlier.

Morning Headlines 5/26/22

Drummond Group Launches New Program, Pilot Initiative for Pediatric Health IT Certification

Drummond Group launches a pediatric health IT certification and pilot initiative that will help vendors comply with the ONC’s voluntary EHR certification requirements.

Walmart, CVS to halt filling prescriptions for controlled substances by Cerebral, Done

CVS and Walmart will stop filling prescriptions for ADHD medications from Cerebral and Done Health due to internal concerns and increased federal scrutiny faced by the telehealth companies.

CynergisTek Inc. Enters Into A Definitive Agreement To Be Acquired By Clearwater In A $17.7 Million Transaction.

Cybersecurity, compliance, and risk management company Clearwater Compliance will acquire competitor CynergisTek for nearly $18 million.

Morning Headlines 5/25/22

Oracle to win unconditional EU nod for $28.3 billion Cerner deal

The EU reportedly gives Oracle unconditional antitrust clearance for its proposed $28 billion acquisition of Cerner.

Plano Telehealth Startup Raises $14.1M

Virtual care company VitalTech raises $14.1 million in equity.

KAID Health Announces Series A to Fuel Growth of its AI-Powered Provider/Payer Whole Chart Analysis Platform

Kaid Health, developer of AI-powered Whole Chart Analysis software, raises $4.25 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 5/24/22

Hospital ward where tragic Meltham dad walked out was ‘understaffed with slow computers’

IT problems prevented staff at a hospital in England from seeing that a behavioral health patient was restricted from leaving unsupervised, after which he was killed when he was hit by a train, an inquest hears.

Disclosure of Lab Results

A former health executive in Georgia writes an op-ed piece urging the state to follow Kentucky’s lead in overriding Cures Act requirements that patients be given their lab results immediately, saying that his late wife was stressed by seeing lab results related to her lung cancer that she didn’t understand.

The dangers of digital health monitoring in a post-Roe world

Popular Science advises its readers to use a browser that doesn’t retain a search history, use a VPN, turn off location sharing, use encrypted messaging, avoid asking about potentially illegal topics publicly, and be aware that the US does not protect period tracker users from having their data sold.

NHS doctors urge bosses to let them WFH! Hospital consultants say they can safely assess ward patients by a ‘computer on wheels’

The British Medical Association urges ministers to study the benefits of a hybrid working model for some physicians and at certain times, citing experience gained during the pandemic.

Morning Headlines 5/23/22

Governor Gianforte, DPHHS Announce Major Investment in Montana’s Health Information Exchange

Montana will invest $20 million in the Big Sky Care Connect HIE, which will fund improvements that include a clinical data repository, ADT alerts, a quality measurement program, and image exchange capabilities.

Why So Slow? Legislators Take on Insurers’ Delays in Approving Prescribed Treatments

Lawmakers attempt to speed up prior authorization approvals by imposing insurer time limits, although an electronic PA process may hold the most promise to get patients their meds faster.

How far has the digitization of medical teaching progressed in times of COVID-19? A multinational survey among medical students and lecturers in German-speaking central Europe

Most medical students have experienced digital education, some to the near exclusion of in-person coursework during the pandemic, but they complain about lack of contact with patients, lecturers, and fellow students.

Morning Headlines 5/20/22

Doximity Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results

Physician social network and pharma marketing vendor Doximity reports Q4 results: revenue up 40%, adjusted EPS $0.21 versus $0.09, providing lowered guidance that sent shares to all-time lows in after-hours trading Tuesday.

Harris Expands in California with the Acquisitions of Innovative Medical Management and MedBill IQ

Harris acquires workers’ compensation EHR/PM/RCM vendor Innovative Medical Management and MedBill IQ, which will become part of the company’s Resolve Healthcare revenue cycle business unit.

IU health doctor says he was fired for objecting to visit time limit

An internal medicine physician sues Indiana University Health, which he claims fired him for complaining about a policy that limits doctor visits to 10 minutes as monitored via the EHR.

Morning Headlines 5/19/22

Cerebral just replaced CEO Kyle Robertson as the mental-health startup faces increased scrutiny

The board of mental health telemedicine startup Cerebral votes to oust CEO Kyle Robertson amidst federal scrutiny of its controlled substances prescribing practices.

HealthStream Acquires CloudCME

Healthcare continuing education company HealthStream fully acquires CE application vendor CloudCME for an additional $4 million.

Futura Healthcare Announces Acquisition of Leading Healthcare IT Solutions Provider

IT consulting and staffing firm Futura Healthcare acquires competitor Winola Lake Health IT for an undisclosed sum.