Morning Headlines 2/19/24

Dina Raises $7 Million to Expand Digital Care-at-Home Platform and Network

Virtual and in-home care software vendor Dina raises $7 million in a Series A funding round led by Osage Venture Partners.

Independent pediatricians who can’t bill patients during Lurie Children’s outage can apply for loans

Lurie Children’s is offering community pediatric practices emergency loans to help see them through any billing gaps that might occur as a result of the cyberattack that has forced Lurie’s Epic system offline since January 31.

Twin Cities hospital data company hit with cyber attack

Consulting Radiologists says it thwarted a cyberattack last weekend that temporarily interrupted some imaging services at several hospitals.

Morning Headlines 2/16/24

250,000 VA Patients Are at Risk of Receiving Wrong Medication Due to Electronic Health Records Issue

The VA Office of the Inspector General reveals that patient medication histories are not transferring between the Oracle Health EHR used at five VA hospitals and the VistA system used at the VA’s other facilities, putting 250,000 veterans at risk of potential medication errors.

Revolutionizing the Emergency Department: MUSC Health’s new frontier in patient care

MUSC Health (SC) pilots a telehealth triage service at two of its emergency rooms in an effort to help patients get care more quickly, resulting in the rate of patients who leave without being seen dropping to almost zero.

Using AI to automate healthcare claims, RapidClaims launches with $3.1M

Automated medical coding and documentation software startup RapidClaims raises $3.1 million.

Morning Headlines 2/15/24

KKR paying $10.5B for Cotiviti stake

Veritas Capital sells a co-ownership stake in healthcare payments and analytics vendor Cotiviti to investment firm KKR for $10.5 billion.

Lurie Children’s Hospital restores parts of communications network knocked offline by ‘criminal threat’

Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago restores external email capabilities and most of its phone lines two weeks after a ransomware attack on its communication systems.

Anatomy Unveils AI-Powered Financial Automation for Healthcare Organizations

AI-powered financial automation software vendor Anatomy Financial launches with $7.6 million in funding.

Morning Headlines 2/14/24

OCH Evergreen Clinic transitions to telehealth hub; Employees say patients are in limbo

Ozarks Community Hospital (MO) abruptly transitions its Evergreen Clinic to a telehealth assistance hub.

Meridian Analytics Rebrands to Discern Health, Focused on Human-Centric Predictive Care

Predictive care analytics startup Meridian Analytics rebrands to Discern Health.

Revolutionary Nursing Practice TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care comes to MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center

MercyOne rolls out its TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care virtual nursing program at all five of its hospitals in Iowa.

Morning Headlines 2/13/24

HHS Expands TEFCA by Adding Two Additional QHINs

ONC and The Sequoia Project designate Kno2 and CommonWell Health Alliance as Qualified Health Information Networks.

Air Force Confirms Medical Disqualifications Doubled after New Med-Records System Implemented

Air Force officials confirm that the switch to MHS Genesis has lengthened the amount of time it takes to medically clear recruits due to an increase in initial, potentially disqualifying conditions that require further investigation.

Headlight Launches With $18 Million in Funding and the Addition of Amazon Pharmacy Executives to Support Their Mission of Simplifying Patients’ Mental Health Journey

Hybrid mental health practice SokyaHealth rebrands to Headlight, announces $18 million in funding, and names former PillPack executive Geoff Swindle CEO.

Morning Headlines 2/12/24

Staggering Rise in Medicare Bills Suggests Medicare Scam

The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations analyzes Medicare’s claims database to alert the federal government that 450,000 of its beneficiaries were billed for urinary catheters in 2023 versus the usual 50,000 in previous years, running up $2 billion in suspicious charges.

Virgin Pulse and HealthComp Introduce Combined Company as Personify Health

Virgin Pulse and HealthComp, which merged in November 2023, name the $3 billion business Personify Health.

AI cannot be used to deny health care coverage, feds clarify to insurers

CMS tells Medicare Advantage insurers that they can use AI and algorithms to assist them in making coverage determinations, but they must make sure that the tools use complete information and they can’t use technology alone to deny hospital admission or downgrade to observation stay.

Morning Headlines 2/9/24

Unlearn Raises $50 Million Series C to Optimize Clinical Research With AI-Powered Digital Twin Technology

Unlearn, which creates digital twins that allow smaller and faster clinical trials, raises $50 million in a Series C funding round.

Lurie Children’s Hospital says a ‘criminal threat’ forced the shutdown of its network

Initially deemed a network outage, Lurie Children’s Hospital confirms that the January 31 cybersecurity incident that forced it to take its communications network offline was caused by a criminal threat actor.

Official: Idaho should consider withdrawing from Health Data Exchange

An Idaho Department of Health official tells state legislators that the state should withdraw from the bankrupt Idaho Health Data Exchange, given that it has no legal recourse for oversight.

HHS Finalizes New Provisions to Enhance Integrated Care and Confidentiality for Patients with Substance Use Conditions

HHS announces new provisions to the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records that address one-time patient consent, redisclosure, accounting of disclosures, use of records in legal proceedings, and breach notification.

Morning Headlines 2/8/24

Amazon to cut a few hundred jobs at healthcare units

Amazon will reportedly lay off several hundred workers within its One Medical primary care and Amazon Pharmacy businesses.

AI-Contextual Care Laguna Health Nabs $16 Million Series A to Reduce Recovery Time and Readmissions

Laguna Health, which uses AI to create personalized care plans that incorporate social, emotional, and cultural factors, raises $15 million in a Series A funding round.

Lurie Children’s Hospital Systems Have Been Down a Week Over ‘Cybersecurity Matter’

Computer systems at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago remain offline as the hospital works to recover from a “cybersecurity matter” that occurred January 31.

Morning Headlines 2/7/24

Ambience Healthcare Raises $70M to Scale the Most Comprehensive AI Operating System for Healthcare Organizations

Ambience Healthcare, which has developed an AI operating system, raises $70 million in a Series B funding round.

Astarte Medical is shutting down. Here’s why the infant tech startup decided to close its doors.

Astarte Medical, which sells precision nutrition software for NICUs, will shut down and offer its intellectual property for sale.

HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles Malicious Insider Cybersecurity Investigation for $4.75 Million

Montefiore Medical Center (NY) will pay $4.75 million to settle HIPAA violation allegations stemming from a 2015 data breach perpetrated by a Montefiore employee who sold the PHI of 12,517 patients to an identity-theft ring.

Stellar Sleep Raises $6M to Help End Sleeplessness With the First Digital Sleep Therapy Platform for Chronic Insomnia

Digital sleep therapy app vendor Stellar Sleep raises $6 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 2/6/24

Inovalon Acquires VigiLanz; a Leading Clinical Surveillance and Patient Safety SaaS and Data Company

Health data and analytics company Inovalon acquires clinical surveillance and patient safety software and data vendor VigiLanz.

SAMHSA and ONC Launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative

SAMHSA and ONC launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative, which will invest $20 million over the next three years to promote the use of health IT within behavioral healthcare and practice settings.

Bonfire Analytics Raises Oversubscribed $2M Venture Round to Accelerate Digital Health, Medical Device, & Biotech Adoption Across Healthcare Providers

Bonfire Analytics, which offers health tech sales software and analytics, raises $2 million.

Morning Headlines 2/5/24

NIH looks for new EHR to replace its 20-year old legacy system

The National Institutes of Health seeks $200 million in funding to replace its Altera Digital Health Sunrise system that it calls CRIS.

VMG Health Acquires Compliance Risk Analyzer from DoctorsManagement

Consulting firm VMG Health acquires Compliance Risk Analyzer, auditing and predictive analytics software developed by DoctorsManagement.

Allina Health deal shifting 2,000 workers to Optum

Allina Health will outsource IT and revenue cycle management services to Optum, which will rebadge 2,000 health system employees effective May 5.

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

RCM vendor Rivia Health raises $3.25 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 2/2/24

Where do we go from here on digital therapeutics?

The digital therapeutics market is stagnating in the US, as evidenced by vendor bankruptcies and lack of Medicare coverage for the sector’s products.

Cohere Health Raises $50 Million in Equity to Meet Increased Demand for AI-Driven Transformation of Prior Authorization Process

Prior authorization technology vendor Cohere Health raises $50 million in equity funding, increasing its total to $106 million.

Carpl guides healthcare providers through the growing market of radiology AI apps

Carpl, a San Francisco-based startup that has developed a marketplace of vetted radiology AI apps, raises $6 million.

SAMHSA releases final rule on opioid use disorder treatment

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration makes some COVID-19 flexibilities permanent, including the ability for Opioid Treatment Programs to prescribe opioid use disorder medications via telehealth without an initial in-person evaluation.

Network outage affects phone, internet service at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital

Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago works to recover from a Wednesday network outage that has impacted its internet, email, phone lines, and MyChart access.

Morning Headlines 2/1/24

Cardinal Health to acquire Specialty Networks and its PPS Analytics platform, a technology enabled multi-specialty group purchasing and practice enhancement organization in urology, rheumatology and gastroenterology

Cardinal Health will acquire Specialty Networks and its PPS Analytics software for $1.2 billion.

Oracle Taps Former Trump Official Seema Verma to Lead Cerner Business

Confirming HIStalk reader rumors, Oracle taps former CMS Administrator and current Oracle Life Sciences lead Seema Verma to head up Oracle Health.

Austin-Based Vital Interaction Closes $15M Series A Funding Round to Revamp Patient Communication with Hyper-Personalization

Austin-based patient engagement and retention technology startup Vital Interaction raises $15 million in a Series A funding round.

Health care operations enabler Fabric pays cash for AI helper Gyant

Fabric, a healthcare enablement startup formerly known as Florence, acquires Gyant, which offers health systems an AI-powered virtual assistant.

Morning Headlines 1/31/24

DOJ’s Healthcare Probes of AI Tools Rooted in Purdue Pharma Case

The Justice Department is reportedly issuing subpoenas to drug companies and EHR vendors to determine if AI is being used to influence prescribing in ways that breach anti-kickback and false claims violations

Regional West leader outlines changes, hears feedback during forum

Regional West Medical Center (NE) will pay Oracle $6 million to settle a contractual lawsuit, after which it will move forward with implementing Epic.

Valendo Health wants to bring value to diabetes care

Valendo Health, a remote diabetes patient monitoring and value-based care startup that works directly with endocrinology practices, raises $4 million in seed funding.

Peloton Equity Leads Growth Investment in OnPoint Healthcare Partners

Health IT and services company OnPoint Healthcare Partners secures an undisclosed amount of funding from Peloton Equity and Fort Maitland Capital.

Morning Headlines 1/30/24

FL Man Who Allegedly Commandeered E-Prescribing Privileges of Doctors Charged with Criminal Sale

A district attorney in New York charges a Florida man with stealing the e-prescribing credentials of multiple doctors, which he then used to illegally issue and sell tens of thousands of prescriptions for narcotics across multiple states.

Russian National Sentenced for Involvement in Development and Deployment of Trickbot Malware

Vladimir Dunaev is sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a wave of Trickbot ransomware attacks that extorted millions of dollars from hospitals, schools, and businesses between 2016 and 2022.

ApolloMed and Bass Medical Group to Forge a Value-Based Healthcare Partnership

Bass Medical Group will use a $20 million investment from ApolloMed, as well as the physician network optimization company’s value-based care and operational technology and services, to expand its value-based care arrangements in California.

Morning Headlines 1/29/24

Concerns over new laws that could end use of WhatsApp in the NHS

UK doctors warn that patient care will suffer under new laws that would limit their use of messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal for clinical use.

Core systems restored at Bluewater Health: CEO

Ontario’s Bluewater Health restores systems that have been down since an October 23 cyberattack, which affected five hospitals that had formed an IT shared services group.

Isaac Health Raises $5.7M in Seed Funding

Virtual and at-home brain health and memory care company Isaac Health raises $5.7 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 1/26/24

PC3 Health relocating in Jeffersontown with multimillion-dollar investment, adding high-paying jobs

Physician Care Coordination Consultants will use a $2.5 million investment to relocate its Louisville, KY headquarters, doubling its office footprint and hiring 21 new FTEs.

HHS releases voluntary cybersecurity goals for health care

HHS publishes voluntary Cybersecurity Performance Goals for healthcare, which are broken down into 10 “Essential” and 10 “Enhanced” goals.

Swift Medical Announces New Financing Round to Further Enhance Its AI-Based Wound Care Technology

Toronto-based digital wound care company Swift Medical will use $8 million in new funding to enhance its technology’s data security, interoperability, and device capabilities.