Morning Headlines 6/1/22

Lightbeam Acquires Jvion AI and SDOH Solutions

Population health management vendor Lightbeam Health Solutions will acquire Jvion, which specializes in AI-powered predictive analytics and social determinants of health software.

Cerner ticks higher on report Oracle deal targeted for mid-June close

Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner is reported to be on track to close within the next couple of weeks.

By Light Awarded $82M VA Contract

The VA awards By Light Professional IT Services a five-year, $82 million contract for the continued development, security, and operation of its My HealtheVet patient portal.

Morning Headlines 5/31/22

VA Ordered to Report Performance of Troubled Health Records System to Congress

Pending President Biden’s signature, new legislation will require the VA to submit quarterly reports to Congress on the performance of its new Cerner EHR software.

Doctor-Founded Cherry Health Closes $1.23 Million to Expand Job-Matching Platform for Physicians

Cherry Health, a Canadian health tech startup that has developed a job-matching app for physicians, has raised $1.23 million CAD in pre-seed financing.

Report rejects Rebekah Jones’ claim that Florida doctored COVID data

A report from the State of Florida’s Inspector General determines that a former department of health data scientist’s claim that the department intentionally falsified COVID-19 data to support opening the state back up cannot be substantiated.

Morning Headlines 5/27/22

Chipmaker Broadcom to buy cloud services firm VMware in $61 billion deal

Broadcom will acquire cloud services vendor VMware for $61 billion.

Change Healthcare Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Fiscal 2022 Financial Results

Change Healthcare reports Q4 results: revenue up 8%, adjusted EPS $0.39 versus $0.42, beating revenue expectations but falling short on earnings.

IT Specialist Charged in Cyber Intrusion of Suburban Chicago Health Care Company

A federal court indicts IT contractor Aaron Lockner for allegedly hacking into the server of a clinic operations company, which had denied him full-time employment two months earlier.

Morning Headlines 5/26/22

Drummond Group Launches New Program, Pilot Initiative for Pediatric Health IT Certification

Drummond Group launches a pediatric health IT certification and pilot initiative that will help vendors comply with the ONC’s voluntary EHR certification requirements.

Walmart, CVS to halt filling prescriptions for controlled substances by Cerebral, Done

CVS and Walmart will stop filling prescriptions for ADHD medications from Cerebral and Done Health due to internal concerns and increased federal scrutiny faced by the telehealth companies.

CynergisTek Inc. Enters Into A Definitive Agreement To Be Acquired By Clearwater In A $17.7 Million Transaction.

Cybersecurity, compliance, and risk management company Clearwater Compliance will acquire competitor CynergisTek for nearly $18 million.

Morning Headlines 5/25/22

Oracle to win unconditional EU nod for $28.3 billion Cerner deal

The EU reportedly gives Oracle unconditional antitrust clearance for its proposed $28 billion acquisition of Cerner.

Plano Telehealth Startup Raises $14.1M

Virtual care company VitalTech raises $14.1 million in equity.

KAID Health Announces Series A to Fuel Growth of its AI-Powered Provider/Payer Whole Chart Analysis Platform

Kaid Health, developer of AI-powered Whole Chart Analysis software, raises $4.25 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 5/24/22

Hospital ward where tragic Meltham dad walked out was ‘understaffed with slow computers’

IT problems prevented staff at a hospital in England from seeing that a behavioral health patient was restricted from leaving unsupervised, after which he was killed when he was hit by a train, an inquest hears.

Disclosure of Lab Results

A former health executive in Georgia writes an op-ed piece urging the state to follow Kentucky’s lead in overriding Cures Act requirements that patients be given their lab results immediately, saying that his late wife was stressed by seeing lab results related to her lung cancer that she didn’t understand.

The dangers of digital health monitoring in a post-Roe world

Popular Science advises its readers to use a browser that doesn’t retain a search history, use a VPN, turn off location sharing, use encrypted messaging, avoid asking about potentially illegal topics publicly, and be aware that the US does not protect period tracker users from having their data sold.

NHS doctors urge bosses to let them WFH! Hospital consultants say they can safely assess ward patients by a ‘computer on wheels’

The British Medical Association urges ministers to study the benefits of a hybrid working model for some physicians and at certain times, citing experience gained during the pandemic.

Morning Headlines 5/23/22

Governor Gianforte, DPHHS Announce Major Investment in Montana’s Health Information Exchange

Montana will invest $20 million in the Big Sky Care Connect HIE, which will fund improvements that include a clinical data repository, ADT alerts, a quality measurement program, and image exchange capabilities.

Why So Slow? Legislators Take on Insurers’ Delays in Approving Prescribed Treatments

Lawmakers attempt to speed up prior authorization approvals by imposing insurer time limits, although an electronic PA process may hold the most promise to get patients their meds faster.

How far has the digitization of medical teaching progressed in times of COVID-19? A multinational survey among medical students and lecturers in German-speaking central Europe

Most medical students have experienced digital education, some to the near exclusion of in-person coursework during the pandemic, but they complain about lack of contact with patients, lecturers, and fellow students.

Morning Headlines 5/20/22

Doximity Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results

Physician social network and pharma marketing vendor Doximity reports Q4 results: revenue up 40%, adjusted EPS $0.21 versus $0.09, providing lowered guidance that sent shares to all-time lows in after-hours trading Tuesday.

Harris Expands in California with the Acquisitions of Innovative Medical Management and MedBill IQ

Harris acquires workers’ compensation EHR/PM/RCM vendor Innovative Medical Management and MedBill IQ, which will become part of the company’s Resolve Healthcare revenue cycle business unit.

IU health doctor says he was fired for objecting to visit time limit

An internal medicine physician sues Indiana University Health, which he claims fired him for complaining about a policy that limits doctor visits to 10 minutes as monitored via the EHR.

Morning Headlines 5/19/22

Cerebral just replaced CEO Kyle Robertson as the mental-health startup faces increased scrutiny

The board of mental health telemedicine startup Cerebral votes to oust CEO Kyle Robertson amidst federal scrutiny of its controlled substances prescribing practices.

HealthStream Acquires CloudCME

Healthcare continuing education company HealthStream fully acquires CE application vendor CloudCME for an additional $4 million.

Futura Healthcare Announces Acquisition of Leading Healthcare IT Solutions Provider

IT consulting and staffing firm Futura Healthcare acquires competitor Winola Lake Health IT for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 5/18/22

ThoroughCare Announces $3 Million Capital Raise to Advance Care Coordination for Value-Based Care

Care coordination software company ThoroughCare secures a $3 million investment from Cypress Growth Capital.

Chillicothe VA reviewed after allegations of failing to follow a consultation process

A VA Office of Inspector General report determines that lack of prompt EHR documentation and care coordination between a VA provider and private chiropractic clinic contributed to the spinal and rib fractures of an 87 year-old patient.

National Medical Billing Services Announces Acquisition of Medi-Corp, Inc.

National Medical Billing Services, an RCM vendor focused on the surgical market, acquires Medi-Corp, which offers RCM services for anesthesia, ASCs, and pain management providers.

Morning Headlines 5/17/22

Skylight Health Group Reports First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Skylight Health Group, a multi-state practice management company, attributes its 18% dip in revenue from the previous quarter to implementation of Athenahealth’s EHR across its practices, and a reduction in COVID-19-related urgent care visits.

Hacker and Ransomware Designer Charged for Use and Sale of Ransomware, and Profit Sharing Arrangements with Cybercriminals

A practicing Venezuelan cardiologist has been charged with the use and sale of ransomware, and profit-sharing arrangements with his customers.

Change Healthcare brings lawsuit against former employee

Change Healthcare sues a former employee, now working at Olive, for violating his contract’s non-compete clause by going to work for a direct competitor.

Morning Headlines 5/16/22

PatientIQ Raises $20M to Transform Patient Outcomes Data into Actionable Intelligence that Advances Clinical Care

PatientIQ, a patient outcomes data and insights vendor, raises $20 million in a Series B funding round.

Amwell Announces Results for First Quarter 2022

Amwell announces Q1 results: revenue up 11%, EPS –$0.26 versus –$0.16, missing analyst expectations for both.

Remote Monitoring and Behavioral Economics in Managing Heart Failure in Patients Discharged From the Hospital: A Randomized Clinical Trial

A randomized clinical trial finds that remote monitoring and financial incentives had no impact on readmissions or deaths among discharged heart failure patients.

Morning Headlines 5/13/22

Cerner falls short of contract target for ‘uptime,’ prompting McMorris Rodgers to accuse VA of ‘blatant negligence’ over computer outages

Cerner will issue the VA an unspecified credit for failing to meet the minimum system uptime requirements specified in the $10 billion contract.

Managers of Arizona Telemedicine Company Admit Roles in $64 Million Nationwide Kickback, Health Care Fraud Schemes

Two owners of a “purported” telemedicine company plead guilty to participating in an elaborate scheme of bribes, kickbacks, and fraudulent prescriptions for drugs and medical equipment that netted them $32 million and cost insurers $64 million.

OncoHealth Secures Strategic Investments from Arsenal Capital Partners & McKesson Corporation

Oncology-focused digital health company OncoHealth secures unspecified investments from Arsenal Capital Partners and McKesson.

Morning Headlines 5/12/22

Health Catalyst Acquires ARMUS; Bolsters Clinical Quality Offering and Outsourced Services

Data and analytics software vendor Health Catalyst acquires Armus, which offers clinical registry development and data management services.

HHS Announces $16.3 Million to Expand Telehealth Care in the Title X Family Planning Program

HHS allocates $16.3 million to Title IX family planning clinics for expansion of telehealth infrastructure.

Bon Secours Mercy Health Introduces Accrete Health Partners

Bon Secours Mercy Health (OH) launches Accrete Health Partners, a holding company that will focus on streamlining the health system’s digital health services, partnerships, and investments.

Handspring Launches with $6.2 Million in Seed Financing To Make Quality Mental Healthcare More Accessible to all Children and Families

Hybrid pediatric mental healthcare startup Handspring Health raises $6.2 million in funding.

Morning Headlines 5/11/22

Harris Completes Purchase of Allscripts Hospitals and Large Physician Practices Business Segment

Harris rebrands the hospital and large physician practice software business it acquired from Allscripts to Altera Digital Health.

Med-Metrix Announces the Acquisition of PatientPal, Bolstering the Company’s Front-End RCM Software and Service Solutions

RCM solutions vendor Med-Metrix acquires PatientPal, which offers patient engagement and front-end RCM software.

Omnicell Discloses Some Systems Affected by Ransomware

Omnicell reports that a ransomware attack last week impacted some of its systems, adding that customer operation of its medication management devices was unaffected.

Osmind Raises $40M Series B Round Led by DFJ Growth to Expand Platform for Breakthrough Mental Health Research and Treatment

Mental health EHR and research startup Osmind raises $40 million in a Series B round that brings its total funding to $57 million.

Morning Headlines 5/10/22

CareCloud Reports First Quarter 2022 Results

CareCloud reports Q1 results: revenue up 19%; adjusted EPS of $0.23 vs. $0.19, beating Wall Street expectations for both revenue and earnings.

AMIA and HL7 Announce Partnership to Advance Interoperability in the Healthcare Community

The American Medical Informatics Association and Health Level Seven International will work together over the next two years to further interoperability standards.

Upswing Health, Whose Condition-Based Musculoskeletal Healthcare Eliminates Systemic Waste, Closes $5 Million Seed Round

Founded by orthopedic surgeons in 2017, virtual MSK care startup Upswing Health secures $5 million in seed funding.

Morning Headlines 5/9/22

Vital computer system has gone down more than 50 times since launching in Spokane, VA confirms

The VA confirms that Cerner was unavailable 50 times for at least some users singe going live in its Pacific Northwest sites, though the outages were not widespread.

Cerebral Receives Subpoena From Federal Prosecutors

Federal prosecutors subpoena online mental healthcare startup Cerebral as part of an investigation into potential violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

Joint Audit of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs Efforts to Achieve Electronic Health Record System Interoperability

An OIG joint audit of efforts by the DoD and the VA to make their Cerner systems interoperable notes that migration of legacy data into Cerner could have been more consistent, medical device integration could be improved, and user access should be limited to information needed to perform job duties.