Morning Headlines 1/26/26

Wolters Kluwer survey finds broad presence of unsanctioned AI tools in hospitals and health systems

A Wolters Kluwer Health survey finds that use of “shadow” AI is widespread in health systems, mostly by users who want to speed up workflows.

VA watchdog lists EHR modernization as a major management challenge

The VA Office of Inspector General’s annual report lists EHR modernization among the top five management and performance challenges facing the department.

Announcing our $4.4m Seed Round

Claim Health, which offers AI-powered revenue cycle solutions for home-based care, raises $4.4 million in seed funding.

Healthcare Triangle, Inc. Signs Definitive Agreement with Teyame AI LLC which is forecasted to generate $38M in incremental NTM Revenue and incremental NTM EBITDA of $5M in addition to expanding its SaaS Footprint in Europe and Latin America

Healthcare technology services vendor Healthcare Triangle will acquire Spain-based Teyame AI, which offers AI-powered contact center solutions, for a reported $50 million.

Morning Headlines 1/23/26

Rapid Care Acquires DeepDoc to Expand AI-Powered Medical Record Intelligence

Clinical documentation, records review, and revenue cycle management company Rapid Care acquires DeepDoc, which offers AI-powered medical record insights and summaries.

UNC Health-Campus Health merger holds potential for efficient care, leaves employees with questions

UNC Campus Health Services will likely transition from EClinicalWorks to Epic when it merges with UNC Health this fall.

Slingshot pulls therapy chatbot Ash out of UK over regulatory concerns

In England, Slingshot AI takes its therapy chatbot down over uncertainty about its compliance with medical device regulations.

Morning Headlines 1/22/26

Harmony Healthcare IT Expands Meditech EHR Data Solutions Through Acquisition of Blue Elm

Health data services company Harmony Healthcare IT acquires Meditech-focused competitor Blue Elm.

Misuse of AI chatbots tops annual list of health technology hazards

Misuse of AI chatbots tops ECRI’s list of “Top 10 Technology Hazards for 2026.”

Epic fights lawsuit brought by Texas AG, says state can’t prove its claims

Epic refutes allegations brought forth in a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and requests that the suit be dismissed.

Health tech panel to reboot after a long break

The Health Information Technology Advisory Committee, which advises HHS on health data sharing, will reconvene on February 19 after a year-long hiatus.

Morning Headlines 1/21/26

4DMedical Secures US$100+ Million Funding to Accelerate US Expansion and increase Technology Dominance in Software-Based Lung Imaging

Australia-based 4DMedical raises $100 million in funding, which it will use to accelerate US adoption of its FDA-cleared, software-based lung imaging system that is used by several major US health systems.

BioticsAI, gains FDA clearance for its AI-powered fetal ultrasound product

BioticsAI gains FDA clearance for its AI-driven fetal ultrasound product.

NHS delays launch of major £88m IT project

In England, three Norfolk hospitals will delay go-live of their $118 million Meditech Expanse project, citing factors that include the work that is required to adapt the system for the NHS.

Morning Headlines 1/20/26

Ambulatory EHR Excellence 2026: Top Vendors Recognized for Breakthrough Innovation and Specialty User Satisfaction in Black Book 2026 Surveys

Black Book Research releases its 2026 list of top-ranked EHRs for ambulatory care, with ModMed, Epic, and NextGen Healthcare noted as leaders in multiple categories.

VHA lacks ‘formal mechanism’ for mitigating clinical AI chatbot risks, watchdog says

A VA Office of Inspector General report finds that the Veterans Health Administration doesn’t properly oversee its use of generative AI chatbots, potentially compromising patient safety.

Community Care of North Carolina Partners with Innovaccer to Advance Value-Based Care Delivery for Independent Primary Care Providers in North Carolina

Community Care of North Carolina selects Innovaccer’s Healthcare Intelligence Cloud for population health analytics.

Morning Headlines 1/19/26

What to expect in US healthcare in 2026 and beyond

Healthcare services and technology will continue as the fastest-growing segment in healthcare, according to a new McKinsey report that predicts that providers and payers will increase outsourcing to tech and platform companies.

Multistate ‘hospital care at home’ command center opens in Vero

Cleveland Clinic opens the Rubinstein Family Hospital Care at Home Suite, which serves as a technology command center for its hospital-at-home programs in Florida and Ohio.

SmartSense by Digi Launches SmartSense ONE at NRF 2026

SmartSense by Digi launches SmartSense One, a modular, scalable IoT operations platform that merges the capabilities of SmartSense and its acquired Jolt for unified monitoring, compliance, safety, and workflow management.

Morning Headlines 1/16/26

Kaiser Permanente Affiliates Pay $556M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Kaiser Permanente affiliates will pay $556 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that they inflated Medicare Advantage risk scores.

US healthcare spending soars to over $5 trillion in 2024

US healthcare spending rose 7.2% to $5.3 trillion in 2024, with $1.6 trillion spent on hospital services.

President Trump Unveils The Great Healthcare Plan to Lower Costs and Deliver Money Directly to the People

The White House unveils “The Great Healthcare Plan,” which would send federal funds directly to citizens to purchase their own health insurance, while asking insurers to lower premiums.

Morning Headlines 1/15/26

Vista AI Secures $29.5M in Series B Funding as Health Systems Back Automated MRI Scanning

Automated MRI scanning software developer Vista AI raises nearly $30 million in Series B funding.

Zelis Acquires Rivet

Healthcare payments company Zelis acquires revenue cycle analytics vendor Rivet.

Kaiser Permanente reaches $46M settlement over data sharing; 13 million people could get a payout

Kaiser Permanente will pay $46 million to settle a class action lawsuit pertaining to third-party tracking tools on its website and apps that class members say allegedly shared user data without their consent.

CVS Health Foundation grants the American Diabetes Association $2.6 Million to Expand Maternal Diabetes Program Across Two Additional NYC Communities

A CVS Health Foundation grant to the American Diabetes Association will enable two hospitals in New York to expand their maternal diabetes programs, including the enhancement of EHR dashboards for more streamlined referrals between obstetricians, primary care physicians, and endocrinologists.

Morning Headlines 1/14/26

Healthcare Providers and Epic Act to Safeguard Patients’ Health Information

Epic, OCHIN, and three health systems sue Health Gorilla, alleging that the data-exchange vendor has improperly allowed access to Epic-stored patient records by organizations that aren’t delivering care.

Sheridan Capital Partners Completes Investment in ICANotes, a Purpose-Built Behavioral Health Electronic Health Records Platform

PE firm Sheridan Capital Partners acquires ICANotes, which offers a behavioral healthcare EHR.

Net Health Advances Rehab Therapy Care with Acquisition of Keet Health from WebPT

Rehab therapy and post-acute care technology vendor Net Health acquires musculoskeletal management and treatment software developer Keet Health from WebPT.

Morning Headlines 1/13/26

OpenAI acquires health-care technology startup Torch for $60 million, source says

ChatGPT developer OpenAI acquires AI-powered medical records insights startup Torch for a reported $60 million.

VieCure Raises $43 Million to Help Democratize Access to the Highest Caliber Cancer Care in Community Practices

Oncology-focused health IT vendor VieCure raises $43 million, bringing its total funding to $113 million.

Xella Health Closes $3.7 Million Pre-Seed to Build the Next Generation of Women’s Precision Health

Virtual women’s precision medicine startup Xella Health raises $3.7 million in pre-seed funding.

Cardamom announces investment by Valspring Capital to support rapid growth

Cardamom will use new funding from Valspring Capital to expand its professional services for healthcare IT.

Morning Headlines 1/12/26

‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

Google removes some of its health-related AI Overviews from search results after reports that they were providing inaccurate information.

Canopy Secures $22M Series B to Define the Standard for Connected Safety and Location Intelligence

Healthcare staff protection system vendor Canopy raises $22 million in Series B funding.

New Year, New You: Walmart Launches Better Care Services and Rolls Back Prices on 1,000+ Wellness Essentials

Walmart launches a digital healthcare hub that offers users access to telehealth providers, LilyDirect for weight loss medication, and Walmart Pharmacy for prescription delivery and pick-up.

Anthropic joins OpenAI’s push into health care with new Claude tools

Anthropic debuts Claude for Healthcare, giving users the ability to connect their medical and insurance records, and wearables and app data to the AI app for personalized insights.

Morning Headlines 1/9/26

IntelyCare Acquires CareRev to Create Comprehensive Workforce Staffing Platform for Health Systems

Healthcare staffing platform vendor IntelyCare acquires CareRev, which offers a hospital shift-bidding platform.

C3 HealthcareRx and Wellbox Health Merge to Form a Comprehensive Value-Based Care Organization

C3 HealthcareRx, a virtual behavioral health and medication management company, acquires chronic care management vendor Wellbox Health.

Pomelo Care Raises $92 Million Series C, Reaches $1.7 Billion Valuation, to Expand Its Proven Model Beyond Maternity & Set a New National Standard for Women’s and Children’s Healthcare

Virtual maternity care provider Pomelo Care announces $92 million in Series C funding, bringing its total raised to $171 million.

Morning Headlines 1/8/26

Oasys Raises $4.6M to Transform Mental Health Care into a Data-Driven Discipline, Catalyzing Better Health Outcomes

Digital mental healthcare company Oasys Health raises $4.6 million.

Introducing ChatGPT Health

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, giving users the ability to integrate data from their medical records and wearables for deeper insights, though the software is not intended as a diagnostic or treatment tool.

Skylight Health Acquires Stellation Care, Adding AI-Powered Provider Analytics to Its Multispecialty Orchestration Platform

Multispecialty care coordination and analytics startup Skylight Health acquires provider analytics vendor Stellation Care.

OpenAI Selects B.well to Power Secure Health Data Connectivity for AI-Driven Health Experiences in ChatGPT

OpenAI uses B.well’s interoperability software to enable users to connect their medical records to ChatGPT Health.

Morning Headlines 1/7/26

Altaris Acquires Tegria

Healthcare-focused private equity firm Altaris acquires Tegria from Providence St. Joseph Health.

Artificial intelligence begins prescribing medications in Utah

Utah launches a pilot to allow AI technology from Doctronic to autonomously manage prescription refills for 190 common medications.

TPG in talks to buy UnitedHealth’s Optum UK unit, Sky News reports

US-based private equity firm TPG is reportedly looking to acquire UnitedHealth’s Optum UK business, which supplies EHR software to a large percentage of British physicians.

FDA announces sweeping changes to oversight of wearables, AI-enabled devices

The FDA will ease regulation of wearables and AI-enabled devices that provide non-medical-grade information.

Morning Headlines 1/6/26

40 million people turn to ChatGPT for health care

OpenAI reports that 40 million people around the world ask ChatGPT health-related questions on a daily basis.

CMS no longer requiring childhood vaccination data from states

CMS will no longer require states to report childhood and adolescent immunization statuses as it works on developing new vaccine measures.

CareCloud Appoints Chief Strategy Officer to Lead Enterprise AI Platform as Company Enters 2026 as Its Defining AI Year

CareCloud promotes Stephen Snyder to CEO and A. Hadi Chaudhry to chief strategy officer.

Morning Headlines 1/5/26

DEA Extends Telemedicine Flexibilities to Ensure Continued Access to Care

The Drug Enforcement Administration extends telehealth flexibility in the prescribing of controlled substances through December 31, 2026.

California-Based Health Tech Company Files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Population health technology vendor Clint shuts down and files Chapter 7 bankruptcy, citing insufficient cash to make payroll and pay creditors.

Federal judge allows HHS to share Medicaid data with ICE

A federal judge in California rules that HHS can share Medicaid data with ICE, with limits remaining in place on what can be shared and used.

Morning Headlines 12/31/25

Mayor Adams, NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Katz Announce Merger Between NYC Health + Hospitals and Maimonides Health Moves Forward

NYC Health + Hospitals will take over the struggling Maimonides Health and implement Epic there.

Health Ministries Worldwide Are Quietly Tightening the Rules on Health IT Vendors

Black Book Research reports that non-US markets are increasingly making data residency, in-country processing, and legal control a pass-fail requirement for choosing systems.

Healthcare AI Update 2025: What Use Cases Are Adopted the Most?

KLAS finds that 79% of health systems are using AI, ambient documentation is the leading use case, and just one of 3,000 respondents say their organization is using agentic AI.

HTI 5 Proposed Rule Info Session

HHS ASTP/ONC posts an information session on its proposed plan to streamline EHR certification requirements and update information blocking regulations.