Morning Headlines 8/28/20

Cerner ties in with new Amazon Halo to add depth to data in health records

Cerner integrates its systems with Amazon’s new Halo, a health and wellness wearable, app, and membership program.

New Jersey Electronic Health Records Company to Pay $500,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas will pay $500,000 to settle allegations that its Viztek subsidiary obtained Meaningful Use certification for its EXA EHR under false pretenses, causing end users to falsely attest for MU incentives.

HHS Awards $117 Million to Support Health Center Quality Improvement

HHS will award over $117 million to 1,318 health centers across the country to help with quality improvement efforts including advancing the use of health IT.

Morning Headlines 8/27/20

SeamlessMD Raises $4 Million CAD Series A to Meet Increased Demand for Digital Patient Engagement Due to COVID-19

Toronto-based SeamlessMD will use a new round of funding to further scale its patient engagement app, designed to help patients before, during, and after hospital stays.

Prescryptive Health Closes $26 Million Series A Financing

Employer-focused, prescription-savings app startup Prescryptive Health raises $26 million in a Series A round led by Morningside Ventures.

Altarum’s Innovative Value-based Payment Solution—PROMETHEUS Analytics®—is Acquired by Change Healthcare

Research and advisory nonprofit Altarum sells its Prometheus Analytics software to Change Healthcare.

Morning Headlines 8/26/20

Warburg Pincus and Martis Capital Announce the Merger of Qualifacts and Credible Behavioral Health

The private equity owners of behavioral software vendors Qualifacts and Credible Behavioral Health will merge their respective companies, giving the merged organization a client base of 800 behavioral health agencies.

Lyra Health Closes $110M in Series D Funding

Lyra Health, which offers technology-powered mental health benefits for employers, raises $110 million in a Series D funding round, increasing its total to $290 million and valuing the company at $1.1 billion.

PatientPop Announces $50M in Series C Funding

Practice management software vendor PatientPop raises $50 million in a Series C funding round, increasing its total to $125 million.

Trump Administration Strengthens COVID-19 Surveillance with New Reporting and Testing Requirements for Nursing Homes, Other Providers

CMS issues new emergency regulations that include requiring hospitals to report COVID-19 data daily to HHS or face possible termination of Medicare and Medicaid payments.

Morning Headlines 8/25/20

Google is investing $100 million in telehealth provider Amwell, which will use Google Cloud

Amwell files to go public as Google Cloud announces that it will invest $100 million in the telemedicine company and become its preferred cloud partner.

VA rolls out new patient-appointment tool, as part of electronic health record modernization transformation

The VA Central Ohio Healthcare System goes live on a centralized scheduling solution as part of its agency-wide transition to Cerner technology.

Hartford HealthCare pushes ahead in pandemic to bring workers to office building on prominent corner in downtown Hartford

Hartford HealthCare (CT) will move forward with plans to open a patient care access center in downtown Hartford that will include a telemedicine-equipped urgent care center.

Morning Headlines 8/24/20

Outset Medical on deck for IPO

Outset Medical, which offers a portable, cloud-connected home dialysis machine that can integrate with EHRs, files for a $100 million IPO.

Appeals court further erodes huge 2016 jury award for Epic Systems

A US appeals court reduces the $280 million in punitive damages that Tata Consultancy Services had been ordered to pay Epic in a 2014 trade secrets lawsuit, saying that $140 million is a reasonable figure.

Exo Raises $40M Series B Extension To Bring Ultrasound Device To Market

Handheld ultrasound device manufacturer Exo raises $20 million in a Series B round, increasing its total to $100 million.

Morning Headlines 8/21/20

Troubled Covid-19 Data System Returning to CDC

HHS denies a Wall Street Journal report that says COVID-19 hospitalization data reporting, which was moved to an HHS system with little warning and with criticism from some members of Congress, will return to CDC’s control under a new system.

Trump plots broad health data overhaul after troubled rollout of Covid-19 database

The federal government has launched Modernizing Public Health Reporting and Surveillance, a multi-year initiative to improve data quality at state and local health departments.

Experity Announces Acquisition of Calibrater Health

Urgent and primary care software vendor Experity acquires patient relationship management company Calibrater Health.

Patient engagement startup raises $15 million from Google’s Gradient Ventures

Physician practice-focused patient engagement vendor Klara raises $15 million in a Series A round, bringing its total raised to $32 million.

Morning Headlines 8/20/20

Brightline Raises $20 Million to Bring Behavioral Health Care to Kids and Families Across California and Beyond

Pediatric behavioral health startup Brightline will use a $20 million funding round to further develop and expand access to its virtual visit services.

Baptist Health begins $100 million total digital transformation

Baptist Health South Florida looks to hire a chief digital officer as it prepares for health IT projects, including additional Cerner implementations, that will help it offer patients improved care through a more Amazon-like experience.

Vocera Acquires EASE to Improve the Healthcare Experience for Patients and Families

Clinical communications vendor Vocera acquires EASE Applications, which has developed messaging tools to help family members communicate with a patient’s care team.

Otsuka approved to buy bankrupt smart-pill maker Proteus’ assets, overcoming opposition from Novartis

Japanese pharmaceutical company Otsuka will acquire the assets of Proteus Digital Health, which filed for bankruptcy in June, for $15 million.

Morning Headlines 8/19/20

Bridge Connector Raises $25.5 Million in Series B Funding to Advance Interoperability Layer for Health Care

Nashville-based interoperability platform vendor Bridge Connector raises $25.5 million in a Series B funding round, increasing its total to $45 million.

Change Healthcare Acquires Nucleus.io

Change Healthcare enhances its Enterprise Imaging Network with the acquisition of Nucleus.io, a cloud-based imaging and workflow software company.

WebMD and Krames Launch Back to Care Program, Connecting Patients with Prescription Assistance

WebMD and Krames launch WebMD Back to Care, which connects patients with available prescription payment assistance programs.

Morning Headlines 8/18/20

Thirty Madison raises $47 million for its direct to consumer treatments of hair loss, migraines and indigestion

Consumer-facing telemedicine and prescription delivery startup Thirty Madison raises $47 million, bringing its total funding to $70 million.

Omnicell to Acquire Pharmaceutical Strategy Group’s Leading 340B Software-Enabled Service Business

Medication management vendor Omnicell will acquire Pharmaceutical Strategy Group’s 340B Link business for $225 million.

Patient Square Capital Formed To Become The Premier, Dedicated Health Care Investment Firm

Healthcare investment veteran Jim Momtazee announces the launch of Patient Square Capital, an investment firm that will focus on technology-enabled services, medical devices, digital health, providers, and consumer health.

Morning Headlines 8/17/20

Firm Helping Run U.S. Coronavirus Database Refuses Senators’ Questions

Citing an NDA, health IT vendor TeleTracking refuses to answer the Senate Health Committee’s questions about its $10.2 million contract to develop a HHS COVID-19 hospitalization reporting database to replace one used by CDC.

HHS CIO Arrieta unexpectedly resigns

HHS CIO Jose Arrieta resigned unexpectedly Friday night after 16 months on the job, saying he wants to spend time with his kids.

Epic Systems consolidating four departments into one division

Epic notifies employees that it will immediately consolidate its training, implementation, QA, and technical communications under an application services division.

Medical Debt Collection Firm R1 RCM Hit in Ransomware Attack

Revenue cycle company R1 RCM works to recover from a ransomware attack that occurred just as the company was preparing to release its quarterly financial results.

Morning Headlines 8/14/20

Teladoc rival MDLive is preparing to go public next year

MDLive plans to launch an IPO early next year, encouraged by Teladoc’s announced $18.5 billion acquisition of Livongo.

CancerIQ Raises $5M in VC Funding, Adds Strategic Hires to Epic Integration Team

Precision medicine software startup CancerIQ will use a new $5 million investment to further scale its oncology-focused technology, add staff members to its EHR integration team, and seek out new genomics partners.

Craneware Plans Bumper Placing As It Eyes Acquisition Opportunities

Scotland-based Craneware will raise $100 million, about 20% of its market value, to fund potential acquisitions from a small number of opportunities it has identified.

Epic Systems Reverses Course On Mandatory In-Person Work Policy

Epic makes its planned return to campus optional, reversing its previous decision and allowing employees to work from home through at least the end of the year.

Morning Headlines 8/13/20

HHS Announces Investments for Health Information Exchanges to Strengthen their Ability to Support State and Local Public Health Agencies

HHS announces a $2.5 million funding opportunity to help state and local public health agencies strengthen their connections to HIEs.

Health Catalyst Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results

Health Catalyst announces a Q2 revenue increase of 18%, as well as adjusted earnings per share that beat analyst expectations by $0.07.

Waystar to Acquire eSolutions, an Industry Leader in Revenue Cycle & Medicare Analytics

Waystar will acquire Medicare-focused RCM vendor ESolutions in a deal valued at over $1.3 billion.

Morning Headlines 8/12/20

Navin, Haffty & Associates and Engage Join Forces to Provide Clients Complete MEDITECH Solutions

Providence-owned Providence Services Group acquires Meditech-focused consulting firm Navin Haffty.

Lumeon Raises $30M in Funding to Support U.S. Growth

Care pathway automation company Lumeon raises $30 million in a Series D investment round that brings its total funding to $78.6 million.

Health Catalyst Announces Agreement to Acquire Vitalware, a Revenue Workflow Optimization and Analytics SaaS Technology Solution

Health Catalyst will acquire RCM software and services company Vitalware for an undisclosed sum.

mPulse Mobile Announces Closing of Series C Funding of more than $16 Million, Led by Optum Ventures

AI-powered healthcare messaging vendor MPulse Mobile raises $16 million.

Morning Headlines 8/11/20

Shares In Senior-Focused Oak Street Health Jump 90% In Market Debut

Primary care company Oak Street Health’s IPO raises $328 million, earning it a $5 billion valuation.

Medix Launches Medix Technology, Combining Medix IT and Alidade Group to Offer Clients Expanded Tech Solutions

Medix merges two of its divisions to create Medix Technology, which will offer health IT recruiting, consulting, and integration services.

Navicent Health’s Virtual Hospital to let some COVID-19 patients receive care from home

In an effort to free up beds for the acutely ill, Atrium Health (NC) expands its “Virtual Hospital” to partner organization Navicent Health (GA), enabling some COVID-19 patients to recover at home with around-the-clock remote patient monitoring.

Sift Healthcare secures $2.8 Million in funding

Milwaukee-based healthcare payments software startup Sift Healthcare raises $2.8 million.

Morning Headlines 8/10/20

Improving VA and Select Community Care Health Information Exchanges

A VA OIG report on how VA facilities and their community providers use HIEs finds utilization lacking for a number of reasons, and that the Cerner switch-over will improve the ease of exchange among VHA, DoD, and community providers.

Samaritan still dealing with effects of malware two weeks later, slowly restoring applications

Samaritan Medical Center (ME) brings its EHR, PACS, medication management, and care communication systems back online after a July 25 ransomware attack.

Epic adjusts staff’s return to work time frame

Epic changes its Monday mandatory return to campus, allowing employees who feel that their personal situation makes it unwise for them to return safely to campus to continue to work from home while Epic awaits further guidance from the county health department.

Morning Headlines 8/7/20

Blackstone to buy Ancestry for $4.7bn

Blackstone will acquire a 75% stake in Ancestry for $4.7 billion, giving the private equity firm access to the company’s DNA information on 18 million people.

On-demand mental health service provider Ginger raises $50 million

Virtual therapy and psychiatry startup Ginger raises $50 million, which it will use to further market its services to public and private payers.

Cerner and Xealth Collaboration Helps Patients be More Active Participants in Health Care, Well-being

Cerner and VC firm LRVHealth invest $6 million in Xealth, a Providence Health & Services spin-off that has developed software to help providers find and prescribe digital health apps and programs.

VA pushes on with troubled health data transformation

Politico reports that the VA will re-commence its EHR overhaul with a rollout at an unnamed facility in October.

Infermedica raises $10.25M in Series A funding

AI-powered diagnostics startup Infermedica raises $10.25 million in a Series A funding round led by EBRD and Heal Capital.

Morning Headlines 8/6/20

Teladoc Health reaches agreement to buy Livongo in a $18.5 billion deal

Virtual care provider Teladoc Health will acquire chronic condition management app vendor Livongo in a deal that values the company at $18.5 billion.

CVS Health raises forecast for year as it adapts to changing health-care habits

CVS Health beats analyst expectations for Q2, reporting $65.3 billion in revenue and adjusted EPS of $2.64 vs. $1.93.

Virginia First State To Try Pandemic App From Apple, Google

Virginia launches the Covidwise app, becoming the first state to launch an exposure notification app using technology from Apple and Google.

OptimizeRx Reports Second Quarter 2020 Revenue Up 25% to a Record $8.8 Million; First Half Revenue up 34% to Record $16.4 Million, with Accelerated Growth Expected in Second Half

Digital point-of-care prescription savings vendor OptimizeRx reports Q2 results: revenue up 25%, and adjusted EPS of $0.02, beating analyst expectations for both.