Morning Headlines 8/5/24

Criminal Division Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program

The Department of Justice launches a program that pays corporate whistleblowers up to 30% of the first $100 million of assets forfeited.

EnableComp Acquires ANI Healthcare Solutions, Expanding Its Denial Management Solutions Within Its Award-Winning Specialty RCM Platform

RCM vendor EnableComp acquires San Francisco-based ANI Healthcare Solutions, a competitor that specializes in denials management.

Many online pharmacies selling weight loss products illegally: Study

Researchers determine that consumers are increasingly turning to illegal online pharmacies for semaglutide products, obtaining weight-loss medications without prescriptions and/or receiving products that pose risks to patient safety.

Morning Headlines 8/2/24

R1 RCM to be Acquired by TowerBrook and CD&R for $8.9 Billion

Private equity firms CD&R and TowerBrook will take R1 RCM private at a valuation of $8.9 billion.

WeightWatchers Cuts Jobs, Weighs Selling Copycat Obesity Drugs

In the wake of disappointing Q2 results, WeightWatchers announces plans to lay off staff and potentially sell knockoff prescription weight-loss drugs via the weight management telehealth company it acquired last year for $132 million.

Federal suits stemming from Geisinger data breach likely to be consolidated

Ten federal lawsuits related to a November 2023 Geisinger data breach allegedly perpetrated by a former Nuance employee will be consolidated into one class-action lawsuit.

Morning Headlines 8/1/24

Spring Health Announces $100 Million Series E Funding to Accelerate Growth and Expand Global Access to Mental Healthcare

Spring Health, which offers digital mental healthcare programs to employers and payers, achieves a $3.3 billion valuation with a $100 million Series E funding round led by Generation Investment Management.

OneBlood Target of Ransomware Event

Blood donation and distribution non-profit OneBlood advises the hundreds of hospitals it serves to implement critical blood shortage protocols as it deals with a ransomware attack.

Following Sale to New Owners, Eye Care Leaders Becomes Sightview Software and Commits Additional Investment to All Products

Eye practice software vendor Eye Care Leaders sells itself to new owners and renames the company Sightview Software.

Teladoc (NYSE:TDOC) Misses Q2 Revenue Estimates, Stock Drops 15.6%

Teladoc Health shares drop on news of the company’s Q2 revenue and earnings, the former of which fell short of analyst expectations.

Morning Headlines 7/30/24

AvaSure to Acquire Ouva’s AI-Powered Smart Room Solutions

Acute virtual care company AvaSure will acquire Ouva’s AI-enhanced care automation technology.

Concentra Shares Slump After $529 Million US IPO

Occupational healthcare company Concentra raises $529 million in its IPO, $56 million shy of its intended goal.

Optum laying off 364 California healthcare workers, shuttering urgent cares

UnitedHealth Group’s Optum care delivery business will lay off 525 employees and close several urgent care clinics and physician practices in California beginning in mid-September.

Morning Headlines 7/29/24

US indicts North Korean hacker accused of helping extort US hospitals

The US State Department indicts an alleged North Korean government-backed hacker who it says was behind ransomware attacks on hospitals in Florida and Kansas, healthcare firms in Arkansas and Connecticut, and a medical clinic in Colorado.

Google drops Amazon’s One Medical

Google, the largest customer of Amazon-acquired primary care provider One Medical, will terminate its agreement with the company.

OneMedNet Announces $4.6 Million Private Placement

Health data management and research insights company OneMedNet secures $4.6 million in new funding.

Alphabet’s Health Tech Co. Verily Moves Headquarters from California to North Texas

Verily will re-locate its headquarters from San Francisco to its existing office in Dallas-Forth Worth, where it plans to double its employee headcount.

Morning Headlines 7/26/24

HHS Reorganizes Technology, Cybersecurity, Data, and Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Policy Functions

HHS reorganizes to give ONC broader responsibility over technology, cybersecurity, data, and AI.

QuVa Pharma Completes Acquisition of LogicStream Health Combination Creates Integrated Platform of Compounded Medications, Distribution Services, and AI-Powered Data Solutions

QuVa Pharma acquires hospital pharmacy-focused predictive analytics company LogicStream Health.

Financial Management Systems: VA Should Improve Its Risk Response Plans

A GAO report finds that the VA is struggling with its implementation of a replacement benefits administration system, with estimates of total cost ballooning to $7.7 billion versus the VA’s estimate of $2.5 billion in 2019.

Astrana Health Enters Definitive Agreement to Acquire Collaborative Health Systems

Astrana Health (formerly known as Apollo Medical Holdings) will acquire Centene business Collaborative Health Systems, a management services organization for independent primary care practices.

CoachCare Announces $48 Million Investment Led By Integrity Growth Partners

Remote patient monitoring and virtual care company CoachCare secures $48 million in an investment round led by Integrity Growth Partners.

Morning Headlines 7/25/24

Linus Health Acquires Together Senior Health to Expand its Platform to Better Serve Patients and Providers with End-to-End Workflow Capabilities

Linus Health, a digital health company specializing in the detection of cognitive impairment, acquires brain health company Together Senior Health.

CenterWell Announces Plans to Open 23 Senior Primary Care Centers at Walmart Locations in Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Texas

Humana’s chain of CenterWell primary care clinics for seniors will open new locations in 23 former Walmart Health clinics in Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Texas.

Ochsner launches the Louisiana Innovation Fund to help health care entrepreneurs

Ochsner Health’s venture funding arm partners with Louisiana’s economic development agency to launch the $10 million Ochsner Louisiana Innovation Fund.

Morning Headlines 7/24/24

Tech Mod Chairman Rosendale Delivers Opening Remarks at Latest Oversight Hearing on VA’s Electronic Health Record Project

Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, testifies on the rollout of the combined DoD/VA Oracle Health system at the Lovell Federal Health Care Center (IL) earlier this year, noting that pharmacy staff are only able to process about 40% of prescriptions due to poor software functionality.

Loyal Closes $33.5M Series B Funding and Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors

Patient engagement software vendor Loyal raises $33.5 million in a Series B funding round and announces that founder, CEO, and chairman Chad Mallory will transition to a senior advisory role.

Abridge, Mayo Clinic, and Epic Collaborate to Develop an Integrated Artificial Intelligence Documentation Solution for Nurses

Abridge, Mayo Clinic, and Epic will develop an AI-powered ambient documentation solution for nurses.

Morning Headlines 7/23/24

Palomar Health restores some systems two months after cybersecurity breach

Palomar Health Medical Group (CA) restores its phone, EHR, appointment scheduling, e-prescribing, and patient portal systems after a cyberattack in early May forced its computer systems offline.

Norfolk and Waveney Collaborative approves £88m Meditech EPR

NHS Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative in England will implement Meditech across three trusts in 2026.

Michigan Medicine latest health care system to be hit by cyberattack

Michigan Medicine begins notifying patients of a data breach in late May caused by hackers infiltrating employee email accounts.

Morning Headlines 7/22/24

Augmedix to Join Forces with Commure

Commure will acquire ambient medical documentation system vendor Augmedix in an all-cash, take-private transaction that values the company at $139 million.

Faulty CrowdStrike update took down 8.5 million Windows computers around the globe

Hospitals around the globe work to recover from IT outages that started Friday when a CrowdStrike cybersecurity update flaw triggered the Windows “blue screen of death.”

Oracle settles privacy lawsuit for $115M

Oracle will pay $115 million to settle a lawsuit that charged the company with violating website user privacy by tracking user browsing activity and compiling it into a profile that it sold via its Oracle Data Marketplace.

Morning Headlines 7/19/24

UnitedHealth was too ‘optimistic, in hindsight’ about the impact of Change Healthcare cyberattack: CEO

UnitedHeatlh reports a quarterly increase in Q2 earnings, but falls short in its estimation of the Change Healthcare cyberattack’s impact on its full-year financials.

GE HealthCare announces agreement to acquire clinical artificial intelligence business from Intelligent Ultrasound

GE HealthCare acquires Intelligent Ultrasound, whose AI-driven ultrasound analysis tools are used by GE HealthCare and other device manufacturers, for $51 million.

Thoughtful AI Launches Human-Capable AI Agents, Raises $20m in New Funding

Revenue cycle automation company Thoughtful AI raises $20 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 7/18/24

What Our $30M Series B Means For Healthcare: A Message from Our CEO

Patient privacy and digital healthcare marketing startup Freshpaint raises $30 million in a Series B investment round, bringing its total raised to $42 million.

Findhelp Announces Acquisition of Kiip, Adding New Technology that will Accelerate Its Mission to Simplify Access to Social Services and Benefits

Findhelp acquires Kiip, a New York City-based company that specializes in helping community-based organizations deliver services.

Hospitals will use AI to speed up patient care

BBC reports that hospitals in England will use AI to improve patient flow, prepare radiology reports, and support rapid ED assessment.

Huma completes Series D with total financing of over $80m as it launches Huma Cloud Platform with GenAI integrations to bring digital first care and research to everyone

Huma Therapeutics announces Huma Cloud Platform, a no-code system for configuring regulated disease management tools that includes pre-built modules, device connectivity, cloud hosting, APIs, and a marketplace.

Morning Headlines 7/17/24

RLDatix Acquires Carebeans Limited

Healthcare governance, risk, and compliance solutions company RLDatix acquires London-based digital social care planning and management software vendor Carebeans.

Lumerity Capital backs healthcare IT consulting firm Ellit Groups

Health IT consulting firm Ellit Groups receives an undisclosed amount of funding from Lumerity Capital.

Virtual healthcare provider Seven Starling raises $10.9M round for maternal health services

Virtual maternal mental healthcare company Seven Starling announces $10.9 million in Series A funding.

Thyme Care Closes $95M Series C To Fuel Cancer Care Affordability

Thyme Care, a value-based oncology care company based in Nashville, brings its total funding to $178 million with a new Series C investment.

Morning Headlines 7/16/24

Healthcare firm Concentra eyes $3.3 bln valuation in US IPO

Occupational healthcare provider Concentra hopes to raise up to $585 million through an IPO, potentially achieving a valuation of $3.3 billion.

Med-Metrix Announces the Acquisition of HRSI, Augmenting the Company’s Eligibility Management Capabilities

RCM company Med-Metrix acquires Philadelphia-based Healthcare Receivable Specialists Inc., which offers eligibility and reimbursement services.

VA awards AI tech sprint winners pilot contracts for ambient medical transcription services

The VA will pilot AI-based medical scribe technologies from Nuance and Abridge AI, winners of the first phase of the VA’s AI Tech Sprint.

Morning Headlines 7/15/24

Florida Health Department Hit by Ransomware Attack, Sensitive Data Released on Dark Web

Ransomware hackers who breached the Vital Statistics system of Florida’s health department publish 100 gigabytes of HIV results, immunization records, and clinical notes to the dark web after the state declines to pay a ransom.

Mental Health Startup Headway Nabs $2.3 Billion Valuation

Headway, which helps patients find, book, and pay for mental healthcare appointments online, reportedly raises $100 million in a funding round led by Spark Capital.

Children’s National, armed with $1M AWS donation, adding dozens of AI positions

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC is looking to fill 30 AI positions after receiving a $1 million donation from Amazon Web Services.

Morning Headlines 7/12/24

HHS Proposes HTI-2 Rule to Improve Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability

ONC publishes its Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed rule for public comment.

Regard Raises $61M to close the Clinical Insights Gap in Healthcare with leading AI solution

Clinical insights platform vendor Regard closes a $61 million Series B funding round.

Lockbit Group Claims the Hack of the Fairfield Memorial Hospital in the US

The Lockbit ransomware group threatens to leak data stolen from Fairfield Memorial Hospital (IL) unless the hospital pays a ransom by July 17.

ExactCare and Tabula Rasa HealthCare Rebrand Combined Organization as AnewHealth

ExactCare, which acquired Tabula Rasa HealthCare in November 2023, renames the combined business to AnewHealth, which offers pharmacy services and technology for managing chronic conditions in home and community settings.

Morning Headlines 7/11/24

Leading Healthcare Solutions Provider, Medicus IT, Announces Investment from FFL Partners to Accelerate Growth and Enhance mCare Services Platform

Private equity firm FFL Partners acquires health IT, cybersecurity, and compliance company Medicus IT from 424 Capital.

780 Carilion Clinic employees to be affected by new revenue cycle partnership

Carilion Clinic (VA) will outsource its RCM operations to Ensemble Health Partners in September.

Sanford Health, Marshfield Clinic Health System: Announce intent to combine, advance world-class care in rural Midwest

Sanford Health (SD) announces that it will acquire Marshfield Clinic (WI), noting that their patients will benefit from their combined digital health, virtual care, data analytics, and AI capabilities.