Morning Headlines 8/18/23

Orbita Acquires Wellbe Assets

Smart virtual assistant and workflow automation vendor Orbita acquires the assets of Wellbe, which offers patient journey automation software.

Figur8, the market leader for measuring musculoskeletal (MSK) health and injury recovery, secures $25M Series A-1 financing

Musculoskeletal health measurement technology vendor Figur8 raises $25 million in a Series A funding round.

The Plan to Better Protect US Hospitals From Ransomware

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health within HHS launches the Digital Health Security project as a means to discover new cybersecurity tools for healthcare.

Visana Health Raises $10.1 Million Seed Round to Bring Comprehensive Virtual Healthcare to Women Nationwide

Minneapolis-based virtual women’s health clinic Visana Health raises $10.1 million in a seed funding round.

Morning Headlines 8/17/23

Abridge Becomes Epic’s First Pal, Bringing Generative AI to More Providers and Patients

Abridge, whose app turns doctor-patient conversations into transcripts and visit summaries, becomes the first member of Epic’s Partners and Pals integration program.

Tausight Announces Additional $6 Million in Financing

Healthcare data security company Tausight raises $6 million, bringing its total funding to $26 million.

Digital Health Company Babylon Files for Bankruptcy In US, Will Liquidate

Babylon Health will liquidate the assets of two of its US subsidiaries as part of Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings.

Morning Headlines 8/16/23

HGP Advises Access eForms in Sale to Phreesia

Patient intake software vendor Phreesia acquires Access EForms, which specializes in electronic forms management and automation.

Luna Announces Luna Labs, a New Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division Working on Enhancing Care Delivery

Home-based physical therapy provider Luna creates an AI division to develop new AI-based solutions, including enhancements to its Auto Charting technology and a chatbot designed to help patients with inquiries related to scheduling and billing.

Hospitals are dialing back on venture capital investing

Hospitals are cutting back on their venture capital investing, shutting down or downsizing their splashily announced investment arms.

Morning Headlines 8/15/23

Experity Acquires OnePACS, the Leader in Teleradiology PACS

Urgent care technology vendor Experity acquires cloud-based, teleradiology-focused OnePACS for an undisclosed sum.

Agnelli family’s Exor buys $2.8 bln stake in Philips

Italian investment firm Exor becomes the biggest investor in Philips, acquiring a 15% stake in the company for $2.8 billion.

Definitive Healthcare acquires Populi

Healthcare market research firm Definitive Healthcare acquires provider data and analytics business Populi.

Morning Headlines 8/14/23

CMA provisionally clears UnitedHealth’s proposed £1.2bn purchase of EMIS

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority provisionally clears UnitedHealth’s $1.5 billion acquisition of healthcare software vendor EMIS after identifying no anti-competitive concerns.

Cegeka to Acquire CTG for $10.50 Per Share, Enhancing Value to Customers Across North America and Europe

European IT company Cegeka will acquire Computer Task Group, a global, multi-vertical digital transformation consultancy, in a take-private deal valued at $170 million.

Feds now investigating release of trans medical records by Vanderbilt

HHS’s Office for Civil Rights launches a federal civil rights investigation of Vanderbilt University Medical Center for providing Tennessee’s attorney general with the fully identified medical records of transgender patients.

Morning Headlines 8/11/23

Doximity Announces Fiscal 2024 First Quarter Financial Results

Doximity’s Q1 results beat expectations, but its lowered guidance and layoffs send shares down.

Babylon closes US business as rescue merger deal fails

Babylon Health shuts down its US business, laying off 94 employees, as it seeks a buyer for its business in the UK.

Cano Health sinks on raising going concern doubts; announces job cuts

Shares of membership-based primary care company Cano Health plummet after it announces plans to sell its assets and lay off employees.

Prospect Medical hospitals still recovering from ransomware attack

Prospect Medical Holdings facilities struggle to recover from a ransomware attack earlier this month that sources attribute to the Rhysida ransomware group.

Morning Headlines 8/10/23

Endear Health Announces $8M in New Funding From Optum Ventures, Blue Cross of Idaho, 8VC and Additional Strategic Partners

Endear Health, developer of digital health engagement software for seniors, raises $8 million in a Series A funding round.

Sanford Fargo to offer remote patient monitoring service

Sanford Health Fargo (ND) launches a remote patient monitoring service using technology from CareSignal for recently discharged patients and those being treated for COPD, depression, Type 2 diabetes, and heart failure.

Majority of health system executives believe generative AI will reshape the industry, yet only 6% have a strategy in place

A survey of health system executives finds that while 75% of them think generative AI has reached the turning point that is necessary to change healthcare, only 6% of their organizations have established a strategy to use it.

Morning Headlines 8/9/23

Thoma Bravo and Madison Dearborn Partners Sell Syntellis Performance Solutions to Roper Technologies

Roper Technologies acquires enterprise performance management software vendor Syntellis for $1.4 billion in cash and will combine it with its Strata Decision Technology business.

Framingham Definitive Healthcare Lays Off Staff Ahead Of Earnings Call

Healthcare market intelligence company Definitive Healthcare lays off 40 employees, its second round of layoffs this year.

Senator warns Google over AI use in hospitals

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) asks Google for specific information about the inner workings of the Med-PaLM 2 medical large language model, expressing concern that Google’s testing of the product in hospitals constitutes “premature deployment of unproven technology.”

Morning Headlines 8/8/23

Bright Health Group Secures Financing to Support Operations Pending the Expected Close of California Medicare Advantage Business Sale

Bright Health Group secures additional financing while it completes the sale of its insurance business to Molina Healthcare and shores up its remaining provider network operations. 

Babylon In Discussions of New Strategic Alternatives for its Businesses

London-based digital health company Babylon announces that its take-private merger with MindMaze will no longer take place, that it hopes to secure additional financing, and that it plans to sell numerous assets in order to avoid bankruptcy.

Better Life Partners Lands $26.5M for Virtual SUD, Mental Health Platform

Virtual behavioral healthcare company Better Life Partners raises $26.5 million.

Morning Headlines 8/7/23

New Google alert will tell you when you appear in search, help remove personal information

Google rolls out a new dashboard to alert users when their personal information – including medical records – appears in search results links.

Practice of Telemedicine: Listening Sessions

The Drug Enforcement Administration will conduct listening sessions on September 12-13 to gain input about prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine without requiring an in-person evaluation.

August 4, 2023 Notice of Privacy Incident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)

Brigham and Women’s Hospital alerts 1,000 research study participants that someone used the free, online Tableau Public visualization tool to create and share graphs, which were later found to have included a publicly accessible link that displayed patient information.

Morning Headlines 8/4/23

TytoCare raises $49 million to build out AI-enhanced chronic care

Home Smart Clinic company TytoCare raises $49 million in a Series D extension round, bringing its total raised to $206 million.

SimplePractice Announces Strategic Purchase of Assets of Luminello

SimplePractice, a health and wellness technology company owned by EngageSmart, acquires psychiatry-focused EHR and practice management vendor Luminello.

FBI investigating ransomware attack affecting Eastern Connecticut Health Network, Waterbury Health

A ransomware attack on Prospect Medical Holdings, which operates 17 hospitals in five states, causes facilities to experience network outages, diversions, and closures.

Waystar Acquires HealthPay24, Accelerating Mission to Simplify Healthcare Payments

Waystar acquires patient payments company HealthPay24 from EngageSmart.

Morning Headlines 8/3/23

Duke Health Forges 5-year Partnership with Microsoft to Reshape Health Care

Duke Health will create an AI Innovation Lab and Center for Excellence in partnership with Microsoft, with one of its research topics being the reliability and safety of generative AI in healthcare.

Firmament-Backed e4health Acquires eCatalyst, Expanding Coding & HIM Capabilities

Health information management, coding, and health IT consulting business E4Health acquires competitor ECatalyst Healthcare Solutions for an undisclosed sum.

CVS beats on earnings and revenue as the company slashes costs

CVS Health reports a Q2 revenue boost of 10.3% a day after confirming that it will cut 5,000 corporate jobs as it reprioritizes spending to focus more on care delivery and technology.

Morning Headlines 8/2/23

Amazon Clinic expands nationwide to provide messaging and video visits for common health conditions

Amazon Clinic expands its telemedicine service to all 50 states and Washington, DC.

House appropriators propose $1.9B for VA electronic health record in 2024

A proposed 2024 VA appropriations bill allocates $1.2 billion for Oracle Cerner’s EHR, $424 million for infrastructure readiness, and $253 million for program management.

Informa Markets and HIMSS Join Forces to Expand the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, the Leading Healthcare Technology Show in the US

Informa Markets formally announces its acquisition of the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, noting that it will provide an enhanced customer experience that will include improved digital features, registration processes, and marketing tools; as well as innovative product discover applications.

Healthmap Raises $100 Million to Support Ongoing Expansion of Kidney Health Management

Tech-enabled kidney care company Healthmap Solutions raises $100 million in a funding round led by WindRose Health Investors.

Morning Headlines 8/1/23

Hackers threaten to auction off DNA patient records from Oklahoma hospital

The Karakurt Data Extortion Group threatens to publish samples and then auction off patient data, including genetic records, stolen from McAlester Regional Health Center.

FeelBetter Raises $5.9M to Optimize and Personalize Medication Management for Polypharmacy Patients

Precision medication management software startup FeelBetter raises nearly $6 million in a funding round led by Firstime Ventures and Shoni Health Ventures.

Ransomware attackers steal personal info of over 600K Medicare beneficiaries

CMS begins notifying Medicare beneficiaries that contractor Maximus Federal Services was impacted by the MoveIt file transfer software data breach in late May.

CharmHealth and Bioverge Invest in My Diabetes Tutor to Bring Diabetes Education to the 37 Million Americans Battling the Disease

Ambulatory-focused health IT vendor CharmHealth invests in patient education and engagement software startup My Diabetes Tutor.

Morning Headlines 7/31/23

Surescripts Completes Settlement with Federal Trade Commission

Surescripts settles Federal Trade Commission charges from 2019 that accused the company of anti-competitive practices in the electronic prescribing and eligibility markets.

IT giants to bid for HSE patient records contract

Salesforce, Oracle Health, and Epic will likely bid to provide Ireland’s proposed patient record system, the cost of which could exceed $2 billion over 10 years.

CAMC initiates telemedicine site at Montgomery General

In West Virginia, Charleston Area Medical Center establishes a telemedicine hub at Montgomery General Hospital to help patients gain easier access to CAMC providers.

Morning Headlines 7/28/23

Informa Reports Half-Year Revenue Surge and Accelerated Growth Through More Acquisitions and Investments

Informa Markets, a London-based B2B events and publishing company, announces via its six-month financial report that it will acquire the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition.

RapidAI Announces $75 Million Growth Investment Led by Vista Credit Partners

AI-powered clinical decision support and workflow startup RapidAI raises $75 million, bringing its total raised to $100 million.

Biofourmis Cuts 120 Jobs Worldwide, Including 48 in US

Remote monitoring and digital therapeutics technology vendor Biofourmis lays off 120 employees, 48 of them based in the US.

Morning Headlines 7/27/23

AWS Announces AWS HealthScribe, a New Generative AI-Powered Service that Automatically Creates Clinical Documentation

Amazon Web Services launches AWS HealthScribe, which allows developers to create clinical documentation tools that use speech recognition and generative AI.

PaceMate Announces Strategic Investment from Lead Edge Capital

Cardiac data management software company PaceMate secures funding from Lead Edge Capital.

Oxford Finance Closes $105 Million Debt Facility with Headspace

After announcing a round of layoffs earlier this month, app developer Headspace Health announces $105 million in senior debt facility financing.