Morning Headlines 2/4/21

Alma Announces $28 Million Series B to Bring its Mental Health Network Nationwide

Mental health practice management vendor Alma raises $28 million in a Series B round led by Insight Partners.

Philadelphia operating room software startup raises $4.3M, hires MapQuest co-founder

Surgical process optimization software vendor ORtelligence raises $4.3 million.

Netsmart Acquires GPM to Enhance Provider Digitization and Mobile Workflows

Netsmart acquires long-term post-acute care health IT vendor GPM.

Nordic Acquires Bails & Associates

Nordic acquires multi-vertical ERP consulting firm Bails & Associates for an undisclosed sum.

NexHealth Acquires Enlive to Bring Integrated Paperless Forms to Healthcare Practices & Developers

Patient engagement and EHR integration software vendor NexHealth acquires digital forms company Enlive.

Morning Headlines 2/3/21

Zyter Acquires Care Management Technology Leader Casenet, LLC

Zyter acquires population health software vendor Casenet from Centene, which had acquired the company in 2012.

HIMSS Confirms that HIMSS21 Remains On Track

HIMSS announces in an exhibitor communication that HIMSS21 remains on track for August 9-13 in Las Vegas as a “completely reimagined hybrid event” that includes an online component.

HealthTensor Raises $5 Million to Augment Medical Diagnosis with AI

AI-powered medical decision-making software startup HealthTensor raises $5 million in a seed round led by Calibrate Ventures, TenOneTen Ventures, and Susa Ventures.

Morning Headlines 2/2/21

CloudWave Acquired by Abry Partners

Private equity firm Abry Partners makes a majority investment in healthcare cloud and managed services vendor CloudWave.

Hillrom Announces Acquisition Of Contact-Free Continuous Monitoring Technology From EarlySense

Hillrom purchases contact-free, continuous-monitoring technology from EarlySense for $30 million.

Beaumont shuts down scheduling vulnerability that allowed people to ‘cut in line’ for vaccinations

Beaumont Health System (MI) temporarily shuts down its COVID-19 vaccine scheduling system after discovering a user had found and shared a loophole in the Epic system that allowed 2,700 ineligible patients to schedule appointments.

Morning Headlines 2/1/21

Anthem Launches Health-Focused Incubator

Anthem launches Anthem Digital Incubator, which will help early-stage companies that are working on personalized healthcare apps.

Lyra Health Completes $187M Series E Financing to Advance Comprehensive Mental Health Care

Employer-focused mental healthcare app company Lyra Health wraps up its Series E round, raising slightly more than its anticipated $175 million.

Telehealth company Ro explores deal to go public

Ro considers going public via merger with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal that would value the online health, wellness, and prescription delivery company at $4 billion.

Morning Headlines 1/29/21

Athenahealth Agrees to Pay $18.25 Million to Resolve Allegations that It Paid Illegal Kickbacks

Athenahealth will pay $18.25 million to settle federal False Claims Act allegations that it paid kickbacks to increase sales of its products from January 2014 through September 2020.

GetWellNetwork Acquires Docent Health

GetWellNetwork acquires consumer engagement software vendor Docent Health.

SCP & CO Healthcare Acquisition Company Announces Closing of Upsized $230,000,000 Initial Public Offering, Including Full Exercise of the Over-Allotment Option

SCP & CO Healthcare Acquisition Company, a health IT-focused SPAC, closes its initial offering for $230 million and will begin looking for one or more companies to absorb.

Emids Acquires Canadian Design-Led Software Engineering Firm Macadamian

Emids acquires software development consulting firm Macadamian.

Sharecare acquires doc.ai to expand engineering expertise, accelerate digital transformation of healthcare through innovative AI platform

As sources predicted, consumer health information platform Sharecare acquires AI vendor Doc.ai for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 1/28/21

RxRevu Closes Series B Funding Round to Support Growth and Expansion of Point-of-Care Price Transparency Solutions

Prescription decision support vendor RxRevu raises $7 million in a Series B round that brings its total raised to $28 million.

Exclusive: Alan Mnuchin-backed SPAC in talks to take Sharecare public

Sources say Falcon Acquisition Corp. is in talks to merge with digital health and wellness company Sharecare and startup Doc.ai in a deal that would take the newly combined business public at a $4 billion valuation.

Equality Health and General Atlantic Announce Strategic Partnership to Help Drive Continued Expansion of Equality’s Value-Based Primary Care Network and Technology Solutions

Equality Health, which manages a network of value-based, tech-enabled primary care practices, secures funding from General Atlantic and acquires consulting firm Daraja Services.

Nextech Announces Acquisition of MyMedLeads

Specialty-focused health IT company Nextech acquires patient engagement and marketing software developer MyMedLeads.

Baylor Scott & White Health targets another 1,700 jobs to reduce costs in non-core areas

Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in Texas, announces another round of layoffs that will see two-thirds of affected workers transferred to third-parties that handle IT, RCM, and other support services.

Morning Headlines 1/27/21

Clearlake-Backed Symplr To Acquire Phynd

Provider management, credentialing, and payer enrollment technology vendor Symplr acquires Phynd Technologies, which offers provider data management software.

HHS seeks formal approval for emergency COVID-19 portal

HHS seeks approval to make its July switchover in hospital COVID-19 reporting systems permanent, which would make the TeleTracking-developed system the standard in replacing CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network.

Verily just bolstered its leadership team with a former hospital exec and a chief marketer as it comes off a turbulent year.

Former Aurora Health Care (WI) CIO Preston Simons joins Verily in a similar role.

Morning Headlines 1/26/21

Medsphere Systems Corporation Acquires Marketware Inc.

Health IT, supply chain, and consulting company Medsphere acquires Marketware, a developer of relationship management software and analytics for healthcare organizations.

How we’re helping get vaccines to more people

Google will donate $150 million to help promote COVID-19 vaccine education and equitable distribution, and will incorporate vaccination clinic locations and details in its Search and Maps tools.

Post Acute Analytics Announces Series B Funding Led by Concord Health Partners and Dorilton Capital

Lewisville, Texas-based Post Acute Analytics will use a Series B funding round to expand its management team and further develop its AI-powered analytics for care coordination in the post-acute space.

Morning Headlines 1/25/21

HHS Announces New Synthetic Health Data Challenge

ONC opens a challenge project to create realistic patient data for the open source Synthea synthetic health data engine.

GigCapital2 Announces $285M Capital Raise as Part of Business Combination With UpHealth Holdings, Inc. and Cloudbreak Health, LLC

Special purpose acquisition company GigCapital2 raises $285 million as part of its previously announced intent to merge with Cloudbreak Health and UpHealth Holdings to create a telemedicine company valued at $1.35 billion.

CloudMD Closes Acquisition of Canadian Medical Directory, the Largest Medical Directory in Canada

CloudMD will integrate Canadian Medical Directory’s online directory with its Juno EHR, billing, and telemedicine software.

Morning Headlines 1/22/21

Pieces Acquires Bowtie Business Intelligence to Fuel Continued Growth and Fulfill Data-Driven Mission of Creating Healthier Communities

Healthcare outcomes and community service connection vendor Pieces acquires Bowtie Business Intelligence, which offers a data management platform.

Healthcare tech-focused SPAC Compute Health Acquisition files for a $750 million IPO

Compute Health Acquisition, a SPAC that will focus on healthcare technology, files for a $750 million IPO that will value the company at around $1 billion.

Hillrom Announces Planned Acquisition Of Bardy Diagnostics, Inc.

Hillrom will acquire ambulatory ECG monitoring vendor Bardy Diagnostics for $375 million in cash.

MPulse Mobile Acquires The Big Know

Healthcare conversational AI vendor MPulse Mobile acquires health video course developer The Big Know.

Morning Headlines 1/21/21

K Health Launches ‘K for Parents’ Pediatric Care and Raises $132M Series E

Chat-based telemedicine company K Health raises $132 million in a Series E funding round.

Administration Unveils Senior Tech and Acquisition Leaders

Former Arcadia Chief Alliance Officer Micky Tripathi will serve as the national coordinator for health IT.

CareXM Announces Acquisition of TouchPointCare

Nurse triage and telemedicine company CareXM acquires remote patient monitoring vendor TouchPointCare.

Signify Health Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering

Clinical, behavioral, and social care coordination company Signify Health files paperwork with the SEC to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.

HealthStream buys policy management software firm

Training and talent management platform vendor HealthStream acquires ComplyAlign, a cloud-based policy management software vendor, for $2 million.

Morning Headlines 1/20/21

America’s Most Reliable Pandemic Data Are Now at Risk

The co-founder of The COVID Tracking Project urges the new administration to continue using the HHS Protect system instead of switching back to the CDC’s National Health Safety Network hospital reporting database.

Philips to expand its leadership in patient care management solutions for the hospital with the acquisition of Capsule Technologies, Inc.

Philips will acquire medical device integration vendor Capsule Technologies for $635 million in cash.

HHS Awards Funds to Expand Immunization Information Sharing Collaboration

ONC will invest $20 million in projects related to helping communities share COVID-19 vaccine-related data, and supporting immunization-related collaborations between HIEs.

Aledade Raises $100 Million Series D to Help More Primary Care Practices Thrive in Value-Based Care

ACO operator Aledade raises $100 million in a funding round that increases its total to $294 million and values the company at over $2 billion.

Morning Headlines 1/19/21

CloudMD Closes Acquisition of Medical Confidence Inc., a Revolutionary, Technology-based, Healthcare Navigation Platform for Enterprise Clients

Canadian health IT vendor CloudMD acquires Medical Confidence, a developer of healthcare navigation software aimed at helping employees more easily find and access specialists.

Femwell Group Health Announces Strategic Investment from LightBay Capital

Miami-based management services organization Femwell Group Health secures a minority investment from LightBay Capital.

Commure Joins the Postman API Network to Bridge the Gap Between Clinical Knowledge and Developer Efficiency in Healthcare

Healthcare development platform vendor Commure joins the Postman API Network, making its FHIR and authentication APIs available to healthcare developers.

Morning Headlines 1/18/21

More executive shakeup at Cerner: Two top leaders leaving Kansas City-based company

Cerner announces that Chief Client and Services Officer John Peterzalek and Chief Legal Officer Randy Sims will leave the company.

Ex-Obama official who helped fix botched healthcare.gov rollout to join Biden’s Covid-19 team

Former Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt, who was previously CEO of OptumInsight and more recently founder of non-profit United States of Care, will take a temporary role as advisor the President-elect’s COVID team.

Fast-Growing Oncology Startup OncoLens Secures $7.25 Million Series A Funding

OncoLens, a software developer focused on care treatment planning for cancer patients, raises $7.25 million in a Series A funding round.

Morning Headlines 1/15/21

Broad Coalition of Health and Technology Industry Leaders Announce Vaccination Credential Initiative to Accelerate Digital Access to COVID-19 Vaccination Records

Health and technology leaders announce the Vaccination Credential Initiative, which hopes to provide digital access to COVID-19 vaccination records using the open SMART Health Cards specification.

Healthcare Specific AI Platform Lumiata Raises Series B Funding

Lumiata – which applies AI to 120 million patient records to predict patient outcomes, clinical costs, and risks for providers and payers – raises $14 million in a Series B funding round.

Healthtech firm Accolade is buying telemedicine start-up 2nd.MD for $460 million, sources say

Health benefits navigation company Accolade acquires 2nd.MD for $460 million to offer its users easier access to second opinions.

QGenda Acquires Shift Admin

Provider and resource scheduling system vendor QGenda acquires Shift Admin, which offers shift-based specialty scheduling for emergency medicine, urgent care, and hospital medicine.

Morning Headlines 1/14/21

Modernizing Medicine Announces Acquisition of Orthopedic Healthcare Technology Company, Exscribe, Inc.

Modernizing Medicine acquires orthopedics-focused EHR vendor Exscribe.

Developer of Popular Women’s Fertility-Tracking App Settles FTC Allegations that It Misled Consumers About the Disclosure of their Health Data

Period and ovulation tracking app developer Flo Health settles allegations by the FTC that it shared user data with third party marketing and analytics firms without user consent.

Mental health tech firm NeuroFlow raises $20M Series B, led by one of its customers

Mental health monitoring software startup NeuroFlow raises $20 million in a Series B round led by customer Magellan Health.

Morning Headlines 1/13/21

ONC Releases Draft USCDI Version 2 and SVAP Approved Standards for 2020

ONC releases United States Core Data for Interoperability Draft Version 2 for public comment.

Amwell Announces Launch of Proposed Public Offering

Telemedicine vendor Amwell, which raised nearly $750 million in its IPO last September, files paperwork with the SEC for a public offering of 11.3 million shares.

Central Logic Acquires Acuity Link for Intelligent Transport & Announces New Bed Visibility Capability, Advancing Mission to Enable Health Systems to ‘Operate as One’ through Improved Access and Orchestration

Central Logic acquires Acuity Link, a developer of communications and logistics management software for healthcare transportation.

HHS Invests $8 Million to Address Gaps in Rural Telehealth through the Telehealth Broadband Pilot Program

HHS allocates $8 million to the three-year Telehealth Broadband Pilot program, which helps rural providers assess broadband capacity and implement virtual care.