Morning Headlines 10/19/21

Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand Rebrand as Included Health

Grand Rounds Health and Doctor on Demand rebrand as Included Health, the name of the healthcare navigation and care concierge vendor the newly merged companies acquired several months ago.

West Monroe eyes platform expansion after MSD deal

A strategic investment from MSD Partners will enable digital consulting firm West Monroe to expand in the US and abroad, beginning with the opening of a new London office next year.

CoverMyMeds, Beam vets found startup taking on chronic disease management

Redi.Health raises $1.3 million in seed funding to develop technologies and services for chronic disease management.

Morning Headlines 10/18/21

Walmart Selects Transcarent To Provide Go-to-Market Solution for Self-Insured Employers

Transcarent will offer Walmart’s pharmacy services to its self-insured employer customers.

West Monroe announces strategic investment by MSD Partners

MSD Partners will make a strategic investment in digital consulting firm West Monroe.

Right on Cue: NBA finds high-tech option for virus testing

The NBA will allow its players to self-test for COVID-19 via Cue Health, which provides a smartphone-connected nasal swab reader to provide results in 20 minutes.

Morning Headlines 10/15/21

Intelerad and Ambra Health Combine to Form the Global Industry Leader in Cloud PACS and Enterprise Imaging

Imaging management platform vendor Intelerad acquires competitor Ambra Health for a reported $250 million.

Medsphere Systems Corporation Acquires Systeem Medical

Medsphere acquires Plano, TX-based Systeem Medical, which offers managed IT services to medical practices.

Digital health veterans launch virtual primary care clinic for patients with chronic disease

Marley Medical announces the launch of its membership-based virtual primary care clinic for patients with chronic conditions alongside a $9 million seed funding round.

Morning Headlines 10/14/21

Healthcare Triangle, Inc. Announces Pricing of $13.0 Million Initial Public Offering

Healthcare Triangle debuts on the Nasdaq in an IPO of $4 per share, with a goal of raising $13 million.

Lark Health Raises $100 Million Series D Funding Round Led by Deerfield Management

Mental health coaching app company Lark Health raises $100 million in a Series D funding round, which it will use to advance virtual care integrations with payers.

ScienceIO leaves stealth with millions to structure health data

Health data aggregation and curation startup ScienceIO raises $8 million in a seed funding round.

Morning Headlines 10/13/21

Best Buy to acquire Current Health to help make home the center of health

Best Buy will acquire home monitoring platform vendor Current Health, which raised a $43 million Series B round earlier this year.

“We Must Eliminate the Noise,” Reflected Cerner’s New President and CEO

Cerner President and CEO David Feinberg, MD, MBA kicks off the virtual Cerner Health Conference with a call to “eliminate the noise in healthcare” by getting the right information to the right people at the right time.

HealthVerity awarded CDC contract for real-world healthcare data to advance COVID-19 response

CDC will use HealthVerity’s privacy-protected data exchange to develop a real-world dataset for projects related to COVID-19, viral hepatitis, and HIV.

Morning Headlines 10/12/21

Brave Care, The Leader in Technology-Powered Pediatric Clinics, Raises $25M in Series B Investment led by Mednax, Inc.

Brave Care raises $25 million in a Series B funding round led by Mednax, bringing its total raised to nearly $50 million.

SSM Health and Optum Launch Innovative Collaboration to Make Quality Care More Accessible and Affordable

SSM Health will work with Optum to develop inpatient care management, digital transformation, and RCM solutions to improve patient experiences and outcomes.

SoftBank Bet Values Autism-Care Provider Elemy at $1.15 Billion

Pediatric behavioral healthcare company Elemy raises $219 million in a Series B funding round, bringing the startup’s total funding to $323 million.

Morning Headlines 10/11/21

VA launching yearlong independent cost estimate of EHR modernization

The VA hires an independent body to conduct a review of its Cerner implementation and to provide an estimate of the project’s full cost.

Speculation of national Epic deal with NHS England

NHS England Director of Transformation Ian O’Neil’s comments about a recent meeting with Epic CEO Judy Faulkner start rumors circulating of a nationwide deal with the company.

Thinking Outside the Box: The USCDI+ Initiative

ONC expands its United States Core Data for Interoperability standards program to enable federal partners like CMS and CDC to establish and use interoperable, agency-specific datasets beyond those available through the initial USCDI program.

Morning Headlines 10/8/21

Virgin Pulse to Acquire Welltok to Advance Health Activation Capabilities; Accelerate Expansion Across Health Systems, Health Plan and PBM Markets

Member engagement and wellness app vendor Virgin Pulse will acquire Welltok, which offers analytics-powered multi-channel healthcare communications.

Aspirion Health Resources Announces Combination with Advicare

Revenue cycle management vendor Aspirion Health Resources acquires Advicare, which resolves clinical denials.

Healthcare IT platform Healthcare Triangle slashes deal size by 55% ahead of $21 million IPO

California-based health IT vendor Healthcare Triangle revises its $40 million IPO plans down to $21 million.

Morning Headlines 10/7/21

Carbon Health Acquires Remote Patient Monitoring Company Alertive Healthcare to Expand Omnichannel Care Delivery

Nearly three months after raising $350 million in a Series D funding round, Carbon Health acquires remote patient monitoring company Alertive Healthcare.

Appriss, Inc. Closes Sale of Appriss Insights, LLC to Equifax in $1.825 Billion Deal

Appriss has sold its Insights business to Equifax for nearly $2 billion, leaving its Bamboo Health and Retail subsidiaries intact.

WindRose Health Investors Completes the Sale of Vital Decisions to Evolent Health

WindRose Health Investors sells tech-enabled advance care planning company Vital Decisions to Evolent Health, which will integrate the newly acquired business with its Clinical Solutions segment.

JMH receives ransom request; cyber attack investigation continues

Johnson Memorial Health (IN) reveals that the cyberattack that forced it to downtime procedures over the weekend was indeed a ransomware attack.

Morning Headlines 10/6/21

Central Logic Integrates Offering and Rebrands to About, Signaling Move to Maximize a Connected Network of Care

Central Logic renames itself to About as it integrates recent acquisitions Ensocare (inpatient referral to post-acute care) and Acuity Link (transportation communications and logistics management).

Leading Health Systems Launch Graphite Health, a New Member-Led Non-Profit Company to Accelerate Digital Transformation of Health Care

Intermountain Healthcare, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and SSM Health form Graphite Health, a nonprofit that will help member organizations vet, access, and implement digital health solutions.

Augmedix Aims For $40 Million IPO

San Francisco-based Augmedix, which offers virtual medical documentation and live clinical support, files paperwork for a $40 million IPO.

Morning Headlines 10/5/21

Ettain group, a Leading Provider of Talent Solutions, is Now Experis, a ManpowerGroup Company

ManpowerGroup finalizes its acquisition of IT staffing and services provider Ettain Group, which will merge with the company’s Experis business.

DoctorsManagement, LLC Announces Strategic Integration With Hawaii-Based Healthcare Coding Consultants of Hawaii

DoctorsManagement, a consulting firm based in Knoxville, TN, merges with Healthcare Coding Consultants of Hawaii.

Carbon Health Unveils Carbon for Research, a Clinical Trial Research Program to Drive Healthcare Advancements

Primary and urgent care company Carbon Health launches a clinical trial research program that will focus on medical devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, including Merck’s new COVID-19 antiviral treatment pill.

Morning Headlines 10/4/21

On CEO’s first day, Kansas City’s Cerner rolls out vaccine mandate for all U.S. workers

Cerner announces that it will require all US employees to be vaccinated by December 8, and has extended its return-to-office date to January 10, 2022.

Ensemble Health Partners Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering

Cincinnati-based hospital RCM vendor Ensemble Health Partners files IPO paperwork with the SEC.

NextGen Healthcare President and CEO David Sides Issues Open Letter to Shareholders

New NextGen Healthcare President and CEO David Sides urges shareholders to disregard founder Sheldon Razin’s disruptive efforts to take over the board by voting for company-approved candidates ahead of its October 13 meeting.

Morning Headlines 10/1/21

Microsoft and Truveta announce strategic partnership to accelerate Truveta’s vision of saving lives with data

Microsoft makes an unspecified investment in Truveta, the data-selling company that is owned by 17 large health systems.

Evolent Health stock jumps after report of possible Walgreens takeover

Walgreens is considering the acquisition of care management technology vendor Evolent Health.

Vital Raises $15M Series A Funding Led by Transformation Capital to Advance Digital Transformation for Emergency Departments Across the Country

ED patient flow and status communications platform vendor Vital raises $15 million in a Series A funding round.

Morning Headlines 9/30/21

Kipu Acquires Avea, Combining the Best Clinical and Revenue Cycle Solutions for Behavioral Health

Addiction treatment-focused EHR vendor Kipu acquires Avea, which offers RCM software for treatment centers.

Biden-Harris Administration Provides Nearly $1 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Modernize Health Centers and Support Underserved Communities

HRSA awards $1 billion to 1,292 health centers across the country for capital improvements and equipment purchases including telemedicine technology.

Telacare Health Solutions, LLC Acquires ViewMyID Health Assets

TelaCare Health Solutions acquires the assets of ViewMyID Health, a membership-based health data management company.

Morning Headlines 9/29/21

Healthcare Triangle slated to go public this week

Cloud, security, advisory, and implementation services company Healthcare Triangle will likely go public later this week in an anticipated $40 million IPO.

Stellar Health Raises Over $60 Million in Series B Funding Round Led by General Atlantic

Value-based care company Stellar Health raises $60 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total raised to $75 million.

EqualizeRCM Strengthens Physician Billing Expertise With Acquisition of Practice Resource Network, Inc. – Expanding in Tennessee

EqualizeRCM in Texas acquires competitor Practice Resource Network for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 9/28/21

Walmart Selects Epic To Help Customers Simplify Their Health Care

Walmart will implement Epic across all of its health and wellness business lines, beginning early next year with four new Health centers in Florida.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddies Tried to Get the VA to Sell Access to Veterans’ Medical Records

Congressional investigators determine that President Trump’s trio of Mar-a-Lago business associates attempted to monetize VA patient data.

Former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Launches a New Healthcare Consulting Firm

Former HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan launches a firm offering healthcare stakeholders advisory services, policy and legislative consulting, and investor guidance.

Med-Metrix Secures Capital Investments From A&M Capital Partners, Hackensack Meridian Health and Existing Management in Support of Growth Initiatives Including a Merger with Miller & Milone

RCM and business intelligence company Med-Metrix secures an undisclosed amount of funding and merges with RCM-focused law firm Miller & Milone.

Morning Headlines 9/27/21

Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and Ally Bridge Group Lead $135 Million Investment in Elligo

Clinical research network vendor Elligo Health Research raises $135 million in a Series E funding round.

New health record data standard adoption remains stagnant, ONC finds

ONC has found that third-party apps have been slow to adopt the HL7 FHIR standard as mandated by the Cures Act, with adoption remaining close to 20% between 2019 and 2020.

Epic Systems develops tech to verify COVID-19 vaccine status, test results

Through its work with the Vaccination Credential Initiative, Epic has developed technology that enables organizations to verify COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.