Morning Headlines 4/19/21

Medical Devices; Medical Device Classification Regulations to Conform to Medical Software Provisions in the 21st Century Cures Act

Mandated by the Cures Act, FDA excludes eight software functions that previously invoked its regulation as a medical device.

Medical Communications Company, Allm, Raises $50m in Series A Funding

Health data exchange and care collaboration company Allm raises $50 million in a Series A funding round.

Modernizing Medicine Acquires TRAKnet to Accelerate Innovation in Podiatry

Specialty practice-focused health IT vendor Modernizing Medicine acquires Nemo Health’s TrakNet EHR and billing software for podiatrists.

DignifiHealth raises a $7M seed round, scaling West Virginia healthcare startup nationally for improved community health outcomes

Population health management startup DignifiHealth raises $7 million in a seed financing round.

Morning Headlines 4/16/21

K Health, Blackstone Growth, Anthem to Partner on Technology Joint Venture to Advance More Affordable, High-Quality Healthcare

Digital health vendor K Health, insurer Anthem, and investment firm Blackstone form Hydrogen Health, which will use K Health’s AI technology to develop solutions for consumers, employers, and insurers.

Coding to Hide Health Prices from Web Searches Is Barred by Regulators

HHS tells hospitals to stop hiding their federally required pricing transparency information by adding website code to make it invisible to web searches.

CHIME And HLTH Announce Launch Of ViVE, The New Digital Health Industry Event

CHIME will integrate its Spring Forum into Vive, an annual health IT event it will co-host with the HLTH conference beginning next March in Miami Beach.

Morning Headlines 4/15/21

NantHealth Secures $137 Million Financing Package

Analytics and technology vendor NantHealth, part of Patrick Soon-Shiong’s NantWorks group of companies, raises $137 million from existing investors.

VA vows to pause EHR rollout at future sites until strategic review is complete

VA officials promise members of the House Veterans Affairs Technology Modernization Subcommittee that the agency will not move forward with further EHR go-lives until a strategic review of its Cerner-based project is completed.

This Startup Raised $25 Million To Liberate Your Healthcare Data In The Cloud

Health data interoperability startup 1UpHealth raises $25 million in a Series B funding round.

Mayo Clinic Launches New Technology Platform Ventures to Revolutionize Diagnostic Medicine

Mayo Clinic launches two new AI-focused companies to support its newly developed Remote Diagnostics and Management Platform.

Morning Headlines 4/14/21

Olive Enters the Operating Room with Empiric Health Acquisition

AI solutions vendor Olive acquires Empiric Health, which offers AI-powered surgical analytics software.

Cohere Health Lands Additional $36 Million in Series B Funding

Care coordination and preauthorization software vendor Cohere Health raises $36 million in a Series B round, bringing its total funding to $46 million.

Elliot Lake hospital joining patient record-keeping alliance

Twenty-three hospitals in Northeastern Ontario will implement Meditech Expanse as part of a new record-keeping alliance.

Morning Headlines 4/13/21

Microsoft Acquires Nuance for $16 Billion

Microsoft will acquire Nuance for $16 billion in a deal valued at closer to $20 billion, including debt.

Health2047 Spins Out Emergence Healthcare Group to Empower Independent Physician Practices

AMA commercialization subsidiary Health2047 spins out Emergence Healthcare Group, a turnkey practice management and health IT company focused on independent practices.

CloudMD to Acquire Oncidium, One of the Largest Healthcare Providers to the Employer Market in Canada

In Canada, ambulatory health IT company CloudMD acquires workplace healthcare provider Oncidium for $80 million.

Morning Headlines 4/12/21

Orange County Hospital Seeks Divorce From Large Catholic Health System

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian is attempting to leave the 51-hospital Providence system, saying the chain’s use of Epic to standardize treatments for cost effectiveness often conflicts with the judgment of its clinicians.

Microsoft in advanced talks to buy Nuance for about $16 billion, announcement could come Monday

Insiders say Microsoft will acquire Nuance for $16 billion, making it the company’s second-largest acquisition after its $27 billion purchase of LinkedIn five years ago.

Health and Human Services Awards TeleTracking with Six-Month Task Order for Continued COVID-19 Capacity Reporting

HHS extends TeleTracking’s COVID-19 hospital operating data collection and reporting for a third six-month term, presumably for another $10 million.

Google is exploring a health record tool for patients

Google is conducting a user feedback study as it prepares to develop a consumer-facing health record tool similar in functionality to Apple’s Health Record app.

Morning Headlines 4/9/21

Emids Acquires Quovantis Technologies in Latest Expansion of Human-Centered, Design-Led Product Development and Software Engineering Capabilities

Emids acquires software design and development vendor Quovantis Technologies.

Vesta Healthcare Announces $65M in Growth Capital to Transform Care for High Needs Members and their Caregivers

Vesta Healthcare, which offers clinical services and a digital health platform to support high-needs members and their home caregivers, raises $65 million in growth capital.

MediSolution acquires Quebec-based Intégration Santé

Harris subsidiary MediSolution acquires Quebec-based, MIRTH-focused healthcare integration services vendor Intégration Santé.

Canvas Medical Raises $17 Million to Accelerate Value-Based Care Platform Growth

San Francisco-based EHR vendor Canvas Medical raises $17 million and announces a partnership with Anthem and its providers.

Morning Headlines 4/8/21

This Startup Raised $40 Million To Build A ‘Mini-Kaiser Permanente’ And Lower Employee Healthcare Costs

Virtual-first primary care company Firefly Health raises $40 million in a Series B round of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz.

Privia Health Announces Filing of Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering

Practice management company Privia Health files paperwork with the SEC for an IPO.

KKR to Acquire Therapy Brands

Investment firm KKR has acquired a majority interest in Therapy Brands, parent company of 19 behavioral health IT businesses.

Agilon health Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering

Senior-focused primary care company Agilon Health hopes to raise nearly $1 billion in its forthcoming IPO.

Morning Headlines 4/7/21

AstraZeneca Announces Collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital to Accelerate Digital Health Solutions

Massachusetts General Hospital will collaborate with drug manufacturer AstraZeneca to develop and validate digital health solutions using AstraZeneca’s Amaze disease management platform.

Critical Event Management (CEM) Provider Everbridge to Acquire xMatters

Public warning and vaccine distribution management vendor Everbridge acquires XMatters, a digital services management company, for $240 million.

Verizon Business Launches BlueJeans Telehealth for Better Connected Health

Verizon Business launches telehealth software for providers as part of its BlueJeans secure video conferencing service.

Morning Headlines 4/6/21

Inbox Health Raises $15 Million in Series A Financing Round

Medical billing and patient communications startup Inbox Health raises $15 million in a Series A round of funding led by Commerce Ventures.

Indian Health Service Wants IT Strategic Planning Help from Industry

The Indian Health Service seeks help from industry stakeholders with drafting a strategic plan to guide its IT efforts over the next three to five years.

Zipnosis Has Been Acquired by Bright Health

Minnesota insurance and managed care startup Bright Health acquires Zipnosis, which offers telemedicine services to health systems.

A New Day for Interoperability – The Information Blocking Regulations Start Now

ONC officials remind healthcare stakeholders that the Cures Act’s information blocking provision has taken effect.

Morning Headlines 4/5/21

Bank of America Acquires Axia Technologies, Inc.

Bank of America acquires patient payments technology vendor AxiaMed for undisclosed terms.

Notice of Data Privacy Incident

Aspirus joins other health systems in notifying patients that its vendor MedData exposed their protected health information on a public-facing website.

SOC Telemed Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2020 Results

SOC Telemed, which went public via an SPAC merger last fall, announces Q4 results: revenue down 13%, adjusted earnings –$3.9 million versus $0.2 million.

Morning Headlines 4/2/21

SCAN Health Transitions to HIMSS

HIMSS acquires SCAN Health, which offers healthcare supply chain traceability events, a supply chain maturity scale, business case competitions, and design competitions.

Revelstoke’s Carrus Acquires Archetype Innovations

Healthcare training software vendor Carrus acquires EHR training program company Archetype Innovations.

Cerner Finalizes Acquisition of Kantar Health

Cerner wraps up its $375 million acquisition of Kantar Health, a data, analytics, and real-world evidence and research consulting subsidiary of New York-based Kantar Group.

Morning Headlines 4/1/21

CirrusMD Announces $20 Million in Series C Funding

Text-based telemedicine company CirrusMD raises $20 million in a Series C funding round led by Blue Venture Fund.

Q-Centrix Introduces the First Enterprise Clinical Data Management Platform

Clinical data management company Q-Centrix acquires Champs Oncology, a Cleveland-based software and services vendor focused on cancer registry programs.

Governor Lamont Announces Funding To Integrate Remaining Electronic Health Records With Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont allocates $1.3 million in CMS funding to help providers connect their EHRs to the state PDMP via Appriss Health’s PMP Gateway interface.

Morning Headlines 3/31/21

SteadyMD Raises $25 Million to Power Telehealth Infrastructure for Digital Health Companies and Employers in All 50 States

Telehealth provider SteadyMD raises $25 million in a Series B funding round, increasing its total to $35 million.

Optimum Healthcare IT Acquires TrustPoint Solutions

Optimum Healthcare IT acquires TrustPoint Solutions, which offers technology planning and implementation solutions.

VA secretary worried by productivity issues, rising costs of $16 billion EHR rollout

VA Secretary Denis McDonough is concerned about user productivity at its first live Cerner site, raising the issue that the project’s cost could exceed its $16 billion budget.

SOC Telemed Completes Acquisition of Access Physicians To Form Largest Acute Care Telemedicine Company in the US

Acute care telemedicine company SOC Telemed acquires competitor Access Physicians for $194 million.

Morning Headlines 3/30/21

Crossover Health Secures $168 Million in Series D Financing to Fuel Expansion of National Primary Health Service

Crossover Health, a primary care company serving payers and employers like Amazon, raises $162 million in a Series D funding round, bringing its total raised to $281.5 million.

MTBC is Now CareCloud

Ambulatory health IT company MTBC rebrands to CareCloud, which it acquired in early 2020.

Net Health Acquires Casamba

Specialty-focused software and analytics vendor Net Health acquires Casamba, which has developed EHR software for therapy providers, and home health and hospice organizations.

PaceMate Closes Series A Financing to Accelerate Growth

Cardiac remote patient monitoring and data management company PaceMate secures $8 million in Series A financing from Ballast Point Ventures.

Morning Headlines 3/29/21

DOJ Extends Review of UnitedHealth, Change Healthcare Deal

The Department of Justice requests additional information from Change Healthcare about its proposed $13 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth Group’s Optum.

Preveta Raises $2M To Coordinate Care For Early Disease Detection

Los Angeles-based Preveta, which has developed care coordination software for cancer patients, raises $2 million.

ESO Receives Strategic Investment from Vista Equity Partners to Accelerate Delivery on Mission to Improve Community Health and Safety Through Data

Vista Equity Partners invests in ESO, which helps EMS agencies, fire departments, and hospitals share health data more effectively.

Morning Headlines 3/26/21

Amwell Announces Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020

Telehealth vendor Amwell reports Q4 results: revenue up 34% with a net loss of $50.6 million versus $22.7 million.

Everlywell Acquires PWNHealth and Home Access Health Corporation, Forming Everly Health

At-home lab test vendor Everlywell acquires testing company PWNHealth and self-collected lab test processor Home Access Health Corporation, valuing the company at a reported $3 billion.

Astria Health files complaint against former billing collection vendor

Astria Health (WA) blames Cerner for its bankruptcy and the closure of Astria Regional Medical center in bankruptcy court, contending that Cerner fraudulently misrepresented that Millennium would integrate seamlessly with its revenue cycle offerings.