Morning Headlines 9/15/23

Senators call on DOD to explain whether its medical records system is causing recruiting delays

Several senators question whether or not the DoD’s new MHS Genesis EHR has caused delays in processing new military recruits.

NHS still reliant on paper notes and drug charts despite electronic upgrades

Seventy-five percent of NHS trusts report they still rely on paper patient notes and drug charts, despite government initiatives to eliminate paper prescribing by 2024 and to implement digital health records at 90% of trusts by the end of 2023.

Apple introduces the advanced new Apple Watch Series 9

The newly announced Apple Watch Series 9 adds the ability to use Siri to request on-device health and fitness information, such as data from connected monitors, and to log health data such as weight and meds.

Morning Headlines 9/14/23

Aspirion Acquires Infinia ML, an established leader in AI and Machine Learning

RCM technology vendor Aspirion acquires AI-powered intelligent document processing platform vendor Infinia ML

VA Going ‘Back to the Drawing Board’ for EHRM Deployment Schedule

The VA will develop a new deployment schedule for its EHR Modernization program, likely resuming in the summer of 2024 provided the scheduled March 2024 roll out of the Oracle Health system at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center goes well.

Carenostics helps clinicians prioritize at-risk patients

Carenostics,a clinical decision support software startup initially focused on chronic kidney disease, raises $5 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 9/13/23

Bain & Company and KLAS study finds 80% of US healthcare providers are accelerating spending on IT and software with AI top of mind

A study of 200 provider executives finds that most health systems increased their spending on software and IT significantly in the past year, with revenue cycle management and clinical workflow optimization being the top investment areas.

Senate confirms deputy secretary at VA

The Senate confirms Army veteran and VA Chief of Staff Tanya Bradsher as deputy secretary, where she will be responsible for the VA’s Oracle Cerner implementation.

HSHS, Prevea restore health records system

Hospital Sisters Health System and affiliate Prevea Health restore their Epic system after a cyberattack forced both organizations to downtime procedures two weeks ago.

Morning Headlines 9/12/23

Oracle comes up short on revenue but touts AI cloud contracts

Oracle’s quarterly revenue falls short of analyst expectations, with Cerner’s revenue growth slowed by its “accelerated transition” to the cloud.

Cano Health Announces Plans for Regaining Compliance with NYSE Stock Price Criteria

The NYSE puts troubled primary care company Cano Health on notice for listing noncompliance, given that the average closing price of a share of its Class A common stock was less than $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period.

Thoma Bravo Weighs $1 Billion Private Credit Loan for NextGen Acquisition

Private equity firm Thoma Bravo considers arranging $1 billion in private financing for its acquisition of ambulatory health IT company NextGen Healthcare.

CT hospitals unsure if patient records were breached in cyberattack

Prospect Medical Holdings is working to determine if patient information within its 16 hospitals was breached in a ransomware attack by the Rhysida group more than a month ago.

Morning Headlines 9/11/23

Walmart Explores Buying Majority Stake in ChenMed

Walmart reportedly considers acquiring a majority stake in Medicare Advantage primary care clinic operator ChenMed.

US indicts nine alleged members of Russian cybercrime gang that targeted hospitals

The Department of Justice indicts nine men with ties to a cybercriminal group that has accumulated $100 million in ransomware payments from US hospitals.

Ranking Member Cassidy Seeks Information from Stakeholders on Improving Americans’ Health Data Privacy

HELP Committee ranking member Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) solicits solutions to protecting patient privacy related to wearables, smart devices, and apps, none of which are covered by HIPAA.

Morning Headlines 9/8/23

US healthcare tech company to lay off around 100 workers in Dublin

Michigan-based Merative, the former IBM Watson Health, will lay off 100 Irish employees ahead of opening three facilities in India.

Integral Secures $6.9 Million Seed Round led by Haystack to Maximize Data Privacy and Quality

Health data privacy automation startup Integral raises $7 million in seed funding.

More technical problems found with VA’s disability claims system

The VA will review its online disability systems after discovering that technical issues delayed disability claims for veterans who tried to update their dependency status or to file appeals online.

Morning Headlines 9/7/23

NextGen Healthcare Enters into Definitive Agreement to Be Acquired by Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo will acquire NextGen Healthcare in a take-private deal valued at over $1.5 billion.

Concord Health Partners Invests in NeuroFlow

Behavioral health technology vendor NeuroFlow secures funding from Concord Health Partners.

ERPHealth Acquires Manifesto, Expanding its Behavioral Health Outcome Tracking Platform to include Peer Support and Health Coaching.

Behavioral health outcomes tracking software vendor ERPHealth acquires Manifesto, which offers a peer support and behavioral health coaching app.

ModuleMD Acquires Diversified Healthcare and MedEase to Expand Revenue Cycle Management Footprint

Specialty-focused health IT company ModuleMD acquires Diversified Health Care Management and Professional Management Services, both of which offer practice management and RCM software and services.

Morning Headlines 9/6/23

UPMC is preparing for a massive transfer of medical records

UPMC will replace Oracle Health / Cerner and eight other EHRs with Epic over the next three years.

Thoma Bravo Nears Deal for NextGen Healthcare

Private equity firm Thoma Bravo is reportedly in advanced stages of negotiation to acquire NextGen Healthcare.

TeleVox Acquires Odeza Patient Engagement Business from Ensemble Health Partners

Patient engagement technology vendor TeleVox acquires the Odeza patient engagement business of RCM company Ensemble Health Partners.

Morning Headlines 9/1/23

Firm behind NHS GP at Hand service places two divisions into administration

Babylon Health sells its UK business, including the GP at Hand app, to US-based in-home test kit vendor EMed Healthcare.

FBI, Partners Dismantle Qakbot Infrastructure in Multinational Cyber Takedown

The FBI and its partners shut down the Qakbot bot that was used to perform several recent cyberattacks on US hospitals.

SoftBank, General Atlantic-Backed Biofourmis’ Founder Steps Down As CEO

Biofourmis CEO Kuldeep Rajput resigns from the remote patient monitoring platform vendor one month after the company laid off 120 employees.

Morning Headlines 8/31/23

OpenAI releasing version of ChatGPT for large businesses

OpenAI releases an enterprise version of ChatGPT that features enhanced security, privacy, and speed.

Better Life Partners Raises $26.5 Million in Series B Financing

Hybrid substance use disorder treatment company Better Life Partners raises $26.5 million, bringing its total raised to $38 million.

Houston hospital opens tech hub in the Ion

Houston Methodist opens a 1,200 square-foot Tech Hub to showcase innovative solutions it’s implementing in the hospital setting and to promote cross-industry collaboration.

Morning Headlines 8/30/23

In project ‘Secret Tiger,’ Nomi Health copied a Texas COVID-19 app, lawsuit claims

A federal judge orders COVID-19 testing firm Nomi Health to pay $7 million to Texas software developer OSGHD, who sued Nomi for licensing its product only long enough to copy its design to create its own system.

HSHS, Prevea get some phones back, but outages continue

Hospital Sisters Health System (IL) and affiliate Prevea Health (WI) revert to downtime procedures after an unidentified outage forces their systems offline.

TPG and Crowe LLP to Establish Crowe Healthcare Consulting as Independent Company

TPG will acquire a majority stake in revenue cycle software and services company Crowe Healthcare Consulting and rebrand it as Kodiak Solutions.

Morning Headlines 8/29/23

AI-Powered Bonfire Analytics Raises $1 Million in Pre-Seed Round

Healthcare market intelligence startup Bonfire Analytics raises $1 million in a pre-seed funding round.

ONC Awards The Sequoia Project 5-Year TEFCA RCE Contract

The Sequoia Project will continue to manage the implementation of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement and associated establishment of Qualified Health Information Networks.

Healthcare Governance Body Warns Hospitals Face Debilitating Cyberattacks

The Joint Commission issues new cybersecurity guidelines that advise hospitals to be prepared for at least a month of downtime in the event of a cyberattack.

Morning Headlines 8/28/23

Quebec chooses American firm Epic to create new digital health system

In Canada, Quebec chooses Epic for its $2.2 billion USD digital health record project.

Truepill to slash share price by 90 percent

Truepill, a pharmacy fulfillment business that has expanded into diagnostic testing and telehealth, will seek additional funding at up to a 90% reduction in valuation as it struggles with executive departures and a federal investigation.

Ransomware gang claims it stole Social Security numbers, passport data in recent hospital attack

The Rhysida ransomware group claims it is behind the cyberattack on Prospect Medical Holdings earlier this month, having stolen legal and financial documents of 500,000 Prospect employees.

Veterans Affairs CIO ‘cautiously optimistic’ Oracle Cerner can turn around EHR modernization under new contract

VA CIO Kurt DelBene is “cautiously optimistic” about its Oracle Cerner implementation, as the VA has learned from its first five go-lives and has tightened service level agreements in a recent contract renegotiation with Oracle.

Morning Headlines 8/25/23

Healthcare payments tech firm Waystar confidentially files for US IPO

Reuters reports that Waystar has confidentially filed for an IPO that could value the company at $8 billion.

Ovation Healthcare Expands Technology Services with 3D Technology Merger

Hospital shared services vendor Ovation Healthcare acquires 3D Technology, which offers professional and managed services.

Keona Health hauls in $7 million

Patient engagement and relationship management software startup Keona Health raises $7 million.

Morning Headlines 8/24/23

Healthcare software vendor NextGen explores sale

NextGen Healthcare shares rise on the news that the company is considering putting itself up for sale.

Fisher Auction Company will handle the Sale of the Assets of AireHealth, Inc., a Remote Patient Respiratory Care Platform

AireHealth will liquidate its respiratory remote patient monitoring assets including patents, software, hardware, and intellectual property in an online auction September 13.

WellSky Acquires Experience Care to Enhance Long-term Care Providers’ Ability to Operate Efficiently, Advance Resident Care

WellSky acquires Experience Care, which offers health IT for post-acute and long-term care.

U of U server outage brings down hospital, campus, UTA systems

A University of Utah heat-related server outage forces its affiliated health system to revert to downtime procedures and divert emergency patients.

Morning Headlines 8/23/23

Five9 to Acquire Aceyus extending the Five9 platform to streamline the migration of large enterprise customers from on-prem to cloud and leverage contextual data to deliver personalized experiences

Five9 will acquire Aceyus, which offers customer experience analytics.

Thyme Care Secures $60M Series B to Scale Cancer Care Beyond the Clinic

Tech-enabled cancer care support company Thyme Care raises $60 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total raised to $82 million.

Singing River Health System cyberattack currently under investigation

Singing River Health System’s computer systems remain offline after a cyberattack was detected over the weekend.

Zivian Health lands $3M to expand digital health platform

Healthcare staffing and collaborative care software startup Zivian Health raises $3 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 8/22/23

Healthcare software firm Waystar eyes $8 bln valuation in U.S. IPO

Waystar reportedly considers an IPO that would value the healthcare payments software vendor at $8 billion.

Looks like KOP-based AI healthtech company Lyric raised $90.9M

Lyric, a claims payment and editing software company formerly known as ClaimsXten, raises nearly $91 million.

UnisLink Extends its Revenue Cycle Management Leadership with the Acquisition of AQREVA and Doctors’ Resource Specialists

RCM and population health management company UnisLink acquires competitors Aqreva Medical Billing and Consulting and Doctors’ Resource Specialists.