Morning Headlines 7/18/22

Senior Staff Gave Inaccurate Information to OIG Reviewers of Electronic Health Record Training

A VA OIG report says that VA project executives provided it with misleading information about employee training on Cerner.

Scoop: Veritas buys RCM firm Coronis Health

Axios reports that private equity firm Veritas Capital has acquired physician billing and RCM company Coronis Health, reportedly with the intention of buying another privately held RCM company and combining the two.

R1 RCM Announces 10-Year End-to-End Revenue Cycle Management Partnership with Sutter Health to Drive Improved Financial Performance

Sutter Health signs a 10-year RCM outsourcing contract with R1 RCM, which will hire 1,150 Sutter employees.

Do Cancer Centers Push Too Many Tests?

A New York Times review of 600 cancer center websites finds that they often tout the benefit of tests, often highly profitable radiology exams, in ways that conflict with medical evidence and recommendations.

Morning Headlines 7/15/22

Making Electronic Health Records Both SAFER and SMARTER

Informatics leaders call for expanding use of the SAFER guides to align health systems and EHR vendors in improving safety and usability, and for developing a similar set of SMARTER guides to protect the cognitive attention of clinicians.

Healthcare Triangle Announces Closing of $6.5 Million Private Placement

Healthcare cloud and data transformation vendor Healthcare Triangle closes a $6.5 million private placement.

The New Electronic Health Record’s Unknown Queue Caused Multiple Events of Patient Harm

A new report from the VA’s Office of Inspector General confirms that an “unknown queue” within the VA’s Oracle Cerner system led to 150 adverse patient events.

HPG, a Leader in EHR Technology Integration, Acquires HIT Consulting Services Provider HDS

EHR consulting firm Healthcare Performance Group acquires competitor Health Data Specialists.

Canvas Medical Achieves ONC Certification, Raises $24MM to Power Clinicians and Developers Building and Scaling Digital Health Companies

EHR and developer tools vendor Canvas Medical raises $24 million in a Series B funding round.

Morning Headlines 7/13/22

UHG’s Optum and Red Ventures launch consumer health JV

UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Health and Red Ventures form RVO Health, which will include consumer-facing health and wellness websites — such as Healthline, Psych Central, and Healthgrades – along with Optum Store and virtual coaching platforms.

Particle Health Raises $25 Million to Accelerate Platform Growth

Clinical data exchange API company Particle Health raises $25 million in a Series B funding round.

Fold Health Raises $6M in Funding

Fold Health, a San Francisco-based startup developing technology for primary care practices, raises $6 million.

Morning Headlines 7/12/22

Memorial Hermann Health System Invests in EnableComp, an Industry-Leading Specialty Revenue Cycle Management Solution

Houston-based Memorial Hermann Health System makes an unspecified investment in RCM vendor EnableComp.

Syntellis Performance Solutions to Acquire Stratasan, Expanding Healthcare Data Analytics Capabilities

Enterprise performance management software vendor Syntellis Performance Solutions acquires Stratasan, which specializes in healthcare market intelligence and analytics.

This cardiac care startup just landed $20M for virtual rehab services

Moving Analytics, a developer of virtual cardiac rehab programs, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round that brings its total investments to $30 million.

Morning Headlines 7/11/22

Cardinal Health’s Outcomes acquires smart prescription platform ScalaMed

Cardinal Health acquires ScalaMed, whose app is used by patients to receive their electronic prescriptions on their phone, giving them the ability to price-shop and choose their pharmacy after the fact.

Astria Health and Cerner reach settlement in billing system case

Astria Health and Cerner settle their legal dispute in which the health system blamed its 2019 bankruptcy on problems with Cerner’s billing system, a claim Cerner disputed with the rebuttal that Astria poorly managed its merger with two other hospitals.

OhioHealth to eliminate 637 jobs in its biggest layoff ever

OhioHealth lays off 637 employees, 567 of whom are in IT, as part of the outsourcing of its IT work to Accenture and RCM to AGS Health.

Oracle Discussed Laying Off Thousands of Workers

Oracle has reportedly considered cost-cutting measures of up to $1 billion that could include thousands of layoffs within the next several weeks.

Morning Headlines 7/8/22

North Korean State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Use Maui Ransomware to Target the Healthcare and Public Health Sector

The federal government warns healthcare organizations to defend themselves against potential North Korea-sponsored cyberattacks that are using Maui ransomware.

Tebra Secures More Than $72 Million at Over $1 Billion Valuation to Expand Digital Healthcare Technology Platform

Tebra, the new name for the combined ambulatory health IT businesses of Kareo and PatientPop, secures a $72 million investment from Golub Capital.

Former Theranos COO is guilty of federal fraud

Former Theranos President and COO Sunny Balwani joins his former fellow executive / former romantic partner Elizabeth Holmes in being convicted of federal charges.

Premier said to reevaluate strategic options

Premier Inc. is reportedly considering strategic alternatives that include being taken private.

$3.2 billion digital-health startup Cedar just cut 24% of its workers amid a market downturn

Patient payments startup Cedar, valued at $3 billion, lays off 24% of its workforce “in order to adapt to current market realities.”

Morning Headlines 7/7/22

CareConnectMD Announces $25 Million Investment from TT Capital Partners to Fuel Expansion and Hiring

CareConnectMD will use $25 million in new funding to expand its primary care services for medically fragile Medicare patients into new markets and further develop its technology, including telemedicine.

PFC USA Provides Notice of Data Security Incident

Professional Finance Corp. notifies the patients of nearly 600 healthcare providers of a February ransomware attack on its systems that may have compromised their data.

Medical Solutions Acquires North Carolina-Based Matchwell

Healthcare workforce company Medical Solutions acquires online healthcare staffing marketplace Matchwell for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 7/6/22

One Medical Considers Options After Getting Takeover Interest

Concierge primary care operator One Medical is reportedly considering its options after attracting and then rejecting preliminary acquisition interest from CVS Health.

US court trims fine on TCS to $140 million in Epic Systems suit

A federal court reduces damages in Epic’s 2016 trade secrets lawsuit against Tata Consultancy to $140 million, down from an original $940 million.

Assembly Health Committee advances CMA-sponsored prior auth bill

A California Medical Association bill would require health plans to exempt doctors from obtaining prior authorization for prescriptions if they have historically practiced within that plan’s rules 80% of the time.

Morning Headlines 7/5/22

IT outages across Norton Healthcare

Norton Healthcare (KY) attributes ongoing computer connectivity issues to an unspecified hardware problem that began on July 1.

Ria Health Secures $18 Million Series A to Scale Online Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

Virtual alcohol addiction treatment provider Ria Health raises $18 million in a Series A funding round led by SV Health Investors.

Government to approve €86m electronic records system at new national children’s hospital

In Ireland, the government approves the purchase of an EHR for a new national children’s hospital from an unspecified vendor with a strong track record of global implementations.

Morning Headlines 7/1/22

HealthMark Group Announces a Series of Strategic Acquisitions to Elevate Their Release of Information Portfolio

Patient engagement and release-of-information technology vendor HealthMark Group acquires Acton Corporation, its third ROI acquisition in 15 months.

Francisco Partners Completes Acquisition of IBM’s Healthcare Data and Analytics Assets; Launches Healthcare Data Company Merative

Francisco Partners launches Merative, a new healthcare data company that leverages the IBM Watson Health data and analytics assets acquired by the investment firm earlier this year.

Sensible Care Raises $13M Series A to Advance Quality-of-Care for Teletherapy Services

Online mental healthcare company Sensible Care raises $13 million in a Series A funding round led by Volition Capital.

Morning Headlines 6/30/22

Socially Determined Closes $26M Series B Financing to Set the Standard for Propelling Successful Health Equity and SDOH Initiatives

Socially Determined, a healthcare analytics company focused on social determinants of health, has raised $26 million in a Series B investment round.

WebMD Health Corp. Acquires Mercury Healthcare, Building on Leadership in Patient Engagement Solutions

WebMD will acquire patient engagement and analytics vendor Mercury Healthcare for an undisclosed sum.

Regard serves as a ‘medical co-pilot’ for busy physicians

Regard will use $15.3 million in new Series A funding to build out its AI-powered diagnosis software capable of mining patient data found within EHRs.

Evolent Health to Acquire IPG

Population health management and analytics vendor Evolent Health will acquire musculoskeletal-focused surgical management company IPG for $375 million.

Morning Headlines 6/29/22

The Promise of Digital Health: Then, Now, and the Future

The National Academy of Medicine publishes a paper titled “The Promise of Digital Health: Then, Now, and the Future” whose authors are digital health household names that include Amy Abernethy, Patti Brennan, Atul Butte, Judy Faulkner, John Halamka, Kevin Johnson, Don Rucker, and Eric Topol.

ITC Administrative Law Judge Finds Apple Infringed AliveCor’s Patented Technology

A trade court judge rules that Apple infringed on AliveCor’s atrial fibrillation detection technology, a decision that if affirmed by the International Trade Commission, could force Apple to stop selling Watch in the US or to remove the disputed technology.

New Data Analytics Can Predict Patient Outcomes and Improve Care – Here’s How

Hartford HealthCare (CT) spins out H2O, a cloud-based predictive analytics company focused on offering providers insight into patient length of stay, and patient flow through the emergency department and during surgery.

Morning Headlines 6/28/22

PicnicHealth raises a $60m Series C to expand patient-centered real-world data

PicnicHealth, which uses patient-reported data to build datasets for research, raises $60 million in a Series C investment round that brings its total funding to over $100 million.

Nomad Health Raises $105 Million to Expand to New Specialties and Address Healthcare Staffing Crisis

Nomad Health will use $105 million in new funding to expand its online healthcare jobs marketplace beyond travel nursing to include physical therapists, and laboratory and ultrasound technicians.

Siemens to buy U.S. software company Brightly in $1.58 bln deal

Siemens will acquire maintenance asset management software Brightly, whose solutions are used in hospitals, offices, schools, and factories, for $1.6 billion.

Cue Health to Lay Off 170 People

App-enabled at-home and point-of-care testing company Cue Health, which went public last year at a nearly $2.5 billion valuation, will reportedly lay off 170 employees.

Morning Headlines 6/27/22

Biden signs VA health record modernization transparency act into law

The White House signs the VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021, which requires the VA to report the costs of its EHR modernization project to congressional committees each quarter.

Myriad Genetics Teams Up with Epic to Make Genetic Testing Accessible to More Patients with Electronic Health Record (EHR) Integration

Myriad Genetics will integrate its provider genetic test ordering and resulting program with Epic.

Hybrid-care Physical Therapy Platform Kins Announces $7.2M in Total Seed Funding to Accelerate Innovation in Care Delivery

Virtual and in-home physical therapy provider Kins raises $4 million in seed funding from W Health Ventures.

Morning Headlines 6/24/22

Asimily Announces Strategic Investment from MemorialCare Innovation Fund to Further its Innovation in IoT Device Security and Risk Management

MemorialCare’s innovation fund makes an unspecified investment in IoT security vendor Asimily.

Digital health startup Ro just slashed 18% of its staff months after hitting a $7 billion valuation. We got the CEO’s full note explaining the layoffs.

Ro, which offers telehealth visits for ED, hair loss, skin care, and fertility, reportedly lays off 18% of its headcount on Thursday, four months after reaching a paper valuation of $7 billion.

Medallion Raises $35 Million in Series C Funding Fueled by Significant Revenue Growth Over Past Six Months

Provider licensing and credentialing software company Medallion raises $35 million in a Series C investment round, bringing its total funding to $85 million.

Morning Headlines 6/23/22

Health Tech Start-up Spry Secures New Investment to Further Strengthen Its Omnichannel Patient Management Platform for Physical Therapists

Physical therapy-focused practice management software startup Spry raises $7 million in a funding round led by Eight Roads Ventures.

VA secretary responds to revelations Cerner system harmed Spokane veterans as Risch calls for July launch in Boise to be halted

VA Secretary Denis McDonough says his confidence in the agency’s new Cerner system is shaken after an OIG report identifies 148 cases of patient harm that resulted from a flaw in the EHR.

Linden Announces Agreement to Acquire Majority Stake in Aspirion from Aquiline Capital Partners

Linden Capital Partners will acquire RCM technology vendor Aspirion for an undisclosed sum.

DOD confident electronic health record platform deployment remains on schedule

After the VA’s decision to postpone further Cerner roll-outs until 2023, the DoD confirms its MHS Genesis timeline remains unchanged, with remaining sites expected to go live by the end of next year.

Morning Headlines 6/22/22

SteadyMD Acquires BlocHealth to Bolster Its Clinician Licensing and Credentialing Capabilities

Telehealth infrastructure provider SteadyMD acquires BlocHealth, which offers a clinician licensing, credentialing, and payer enrollment platform.

Queensland gov sinks another $300m into e-health record system rollout

In Australia, the Queensland government will allocate an additional $200 million USD for the continued implementation of its enterprise Cerner EHR project over the next five years.

InductiveHealth Informatics Announces Growth Investment Partnership With Diversis

InductiveHealth, an Atlanta-based company specializing in public health reporting and analytics, secures an undisclosed amount of funding from Diversis.