Morning Headlines 10/15/20

Clearwave Elevates the Patient Experience with the Acquisition of Odoro

Patient intake and eligibility verification vendor Clearwave acquires Odoro, a patient scheduling and engagement company, for an undisclosed amount.

Federal Electronic Health Record Connects With More Community Partners

The DoD, VA, and US Coast Guard add 15,000 facilities to their joint HIE after connecting to the CommonWell network, bringing the total number of connected facilities to 61,000.

Navina completes Seed investment round of $7 Million to solve the healthcare crisis using Artificial Intelligence, starting with primary care

Navina, an Israeli startup focused on using AI to help physicians better organize and assess patient data, raises a $7 million seed funding round led by Grove Ventures.

JLL Partners Announces Acquisition of MedeAnalytics

Confirming earlier reports, private equity firm JLL Partners acquires MedeAnalytics for an undisclosed amount.

Morning Headlines 10/14/20

WellSky® to Acquire CarePort Health from Allscripts® to Enhance Care Coordination Across Acute, Post-Acute Continuum

Allscripts will sell its CarePort Health care coordination business to WellSky for $1.35 billion.

HealthStream Acquires ShiftWizard, Expanding Its Nurse & Staff Scheduling Solutions for Healthcare Providers

Training and talent management platform vendor HealthStream acquires ShiftWizard, which offers systems for nurse and staff scheduling, productivity, and forecasting, for $32 million in cash.

Medical Undistancing Through Telemedicine: A Model Enabling Rapid Telemedicine Deployment in an Academic Health Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic

UC San Diego Health provides a “how to” model for rapidly deploying telemedicine, which includes roles and responsibilities, user technology support, a provider checklist for video visits, patient support, and billing and credentialing.

Morning Headlines 10/13/20

Providence combines 9 existing investments to form new healthcare services company Tegria

Providence forms Tegria, a healthcare services business comprised of nine companies the health system has invested in or acquired.

Nym Health raises $16.5 million for its auditable machine learning tools for automating hospital billing

Israel-based Nym Health raises $16.5 million to expand its automated hospital billing technology to providers in the US.

Health care SaaS startup plans McKinney expansion with new grant funding

McKinney, TX-based MyTelemedicine will use a regional economic grant to relocate and expand its headquarters within the city, as well as triple its staff over the next three years.

Mayo Clinic and Safe Health Systems launch new health and connected diagnostics platform to lower costs and streamline access to care

Through its Mayo Clinic Platform initiative, Mayo Clinic and Safe Health Group establish Safe Health Systems to improve access to efficient, affordable virtual treatment for common conditions using proprietary technology.

Morning Headlines 10/12/20

Internal Talkspace memo illustrates challenge of delivering virtual mental health services in 50 states

Online texting-only mental therapy provider Talkspace, frustrated by state-by-state therapist licensing that has limited therapist availability during pandemic-driven high demand, tells its independent contractor providers that the company will pay any fines that result from their serving patients who are located in states where they aren’t licensed.

Lux Capital’s SPAC Lux Health Tech Acquisition files for a $300 million IPO

Formed by Lux Capital, blank-check company Lux Health Tech Acquisition prepares for an IPO that it estimates will raise $300 million.

NSW Health goes to market for statewide single digital health record

In Australia, NSW Health begins accepting bids for a statewide health IT system that it will use to replace multiple systems from multiple vendors by 2026.

Morning Headlines 10/9/20

Health Records on iPhone available today in the UK and Canada

Apple makes Health Records available to IPhone users in the UK and Canada in its first expansion outside the US.

Datavant Raises $40 Million in Series B Financing to Expand Open Health Data Ecosystem

Healthcare data de-identification vendor Datavant – whose clients include 70 academic medical centers and 100 health technology and data companies — raises $40 million in a Series B funding round, increasing its total to $83 million.

Lark Health Raises $55 Million Series C to Bring A.I.-Driven Chronic Conditions Care to More People

Health coaching app vendor Lark Health raises $55 million in a Series C funding round and $15 million in a venture debt credit facility, increasing its total to $100 million.

Morning Headlines 10/8/20

Audacious Inquiry Expands Leadership Team and Board of Directors

Transitions of care software vendor Audacious Inquiry secures growth equity financing from lead investor TTCP and bolsters its C-suite with three new executives.

UCSF, Fortanix, Intel, and Microsoft Azure Utilize Privacy-Preserving Analytics to Accelerate AI in Healthcare

UC San Francisco’s Center for Digital Health Innovation partners with Intel, Microsoft Azure, and confidential computing vendor Fortanix to develop technology dedicated to the development and validation of clinical algorithms.

Cerebral Raises $35 Million to Expand Online Mental Health Care to All 50 States

Membership-based mental health telemedicine and prescription delivery startup Cerebral raises $35 million in a Series A funding round, which it will use to expand its services to all 50 states by the end of the year.

Avail Medsystems Raises $100 Million in Series B Funding Led by D1 Capital to Meet Demand for Procedural Telemedicine™ Technology for the Operating Room

Avail Medsystems, which specializes in telemedicine software for the operating room, raises $100 million in a Series B round led by D1 Capital Partners.

Morning Headlines 10/7/20

Harris moves into Australia with the acquisition of Meridian Health Informatics

Harris acquires Australia-based Meridian Health Informatics, which offers maternity and clinical solutions.

Columbus health IT startup PriorAuthNow raises $10M

Prior authorization software startup PriorAuthNow raises $10 million, bringing its total raised to $32 million since launching in 2014.

Clover Health, a Next-Generation Medicare Advantage Insurer, Announces Plans to Become Publicly-traded via Merger with Social Capital Hedosophia

Medicare insurance plan operator Clover Health will go public through a merger with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings, giving it a valuation of $3.7 billion.

Abridge, now and in the future: Announcing new product changes and our latest round of funding.

Consumer-facing healthcare encounter software startup Abridge formally launches with a $15 million Series A funding round led by Union Square Ventures and UPMC.

Statement from Universal Health Services

Universal Health Services confirms it has completed the recovery process for servers at its corporate data center, and that all of its US-based inpatient facilities have been reconnected.

Morning Headlines 10/6/20

It’s a brand new day for Krames

StayWell, which includes Krames patient education solutions and the StayWell employee health platform, renames itself to Krames.

Hims, a direct-to-consumer health company, is going public via SPAC

Health and wellness telemedicine company Hims will go public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company overseen by Oaktree Capital Management, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.6 billion.

Q3 2020: A new annual record for digital health (already)

Rock Health’s latest analysis shows that 2020 is already the largest funding year ever for digital health, with $4 billion invested in startups through Q3.

New Jersey Urology is the First-Ever Urology Group to Launch Epic’s Electronic Health Record

New Jersey Urology becomes the first large, independent urology group to implement Epic.

Morning Headlines 10/5/20

CorroHealth emerges as a leader in healthcare reimbursement solutions, following merger of four industry players

Four health IT companies are acquired by private equity firm The Carlyle Group and will operate under the single brand of CorroHealth – TrustHCS (coding services), Visionary RCM (coding services), T-System (emergency documentation technology), and RevCycle+ (coding solutions).

VA on the fence about homegrown patient portal

The VA tells a House subcommittee that it is considering retiring the My HealtheVet portal in favor of Cerner’s MyVAHealth, but that move would cost $60 to $300 million since it isn’t included in its Cerner contract.

HHS Renews $10.2 Million Contract For Controversial COVID-19 Data Tracking Company

HHS issues a second $10 million contract to TeleTracking Technologies for its HHS Protect COVID-19 hospital data collection system, even as Congressional committees are investigating the circumstances under which the company was awarded the no-bid first contract.

Clinical Trials Hit by Ransomware Attack on Health Tech Firm

Clinical trials software vendor EResearch Technology is hit by a ransomware attack, forcing contract research organizations – some of which are managing COVID-19 vaccine trials – to revert to paper.

Morning Headlines 10/2/20

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Views on Usefulness and Challenges of Programs

A GAO report finds that lack of integration of state prescription drug monitoring program tools with EHRs is the key challenge in PDMP use for patient care, with lookups requiring 3-5 minutes without integration versus 2-15 seconds with.

Nordic Acquires Tasman Global

Nordic acquires Netherlands-based EHR consulting firm Tasman Global, which expands the company’s reach into Europe and Asia.

Third time’s the charm? VA sets new date for initial electronic health record rollout

The VA plans to go live with a first round of Cerner EHR capabilities on October 24 at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, WA, with a second round scheduled for next spring.

Phreesia Acquires Co-Developed Patient Care Applications by Merck and Geisinger

Patient intake platform vendor Phreesia acquires two workflow applications that were developed by Geisinger and drug company Merck.

FastMed Becomes the First Independent Urgent Care Operator to Launch Epic

FastMed Urgent Care goes live on Epic at its 29 Arizona locations, the first independent urgent care operator to do so.

Morning Headlines 10/1/20

CORHIO and Health Current Join Forces and Announce Intent to Form New Regional Organization

Colorado-based CORHIO and Arizona-based Health Current announce plans to merge, potentially creating the largest HIE in the Western United States.

Private equity firm’s healthcare SPAC SCP & CO Healthcare Acquisition files for a $200 million IPO

Blank-check company SCP & CO Healthcare Acquisition files for an IPO of up to $200 million.

Nebraska Medicine to resume appointments, procedures after battling cyberattack

Nebraska Medicine resumes all appointments, procedures, and surgeries after making “significant progress” in recovering from a cyberattack on September 20.

HHS Announces Funding for Health Information Exchanges to Support Public Health Agencies – STAR HIE Program Funds Five Organizations to Improve Interoperability of Health Data

GaHIN, Health Current, HealthShare Exchange, KHIN, and Texas Health Services Authority will receive a combined $2.5 million from the HHS STAR HIE Program to better support public health agencies in their response to emergencies like COVID-19.

Apple Accused of Delaying Masimo Legal Fight to Gain Watch Sales

Masimo contends in a court filing that Apple is trying to delay a legal fight over allegedly stolen blood-oxygen monitoring technology in its latest Apple Watch so that it can gain more market share.

Morning Headlines 9/30/20

HHS Launching Initiative to Track Physician Use and Burdens of Health IT

HHS and ONC launch a program with the American Board of Family Medicine to measure the use and potential burdens of health IT by office-based physicians.

As insurers move this week to stop waiving telehealth copays, patients may have to pay more for virtual care

UnitedHealthcare and Anthem will end their virtual visit benefit Thursday, after which patients will once again pay co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles for virtual visits that are not related to COVID-19.

JLL Partners strikes deal to buy Thoma Bravo’s MedeAnalytics

PE Hub reports that private equity firm JLL Partners will purchase MedeAnalytics from Thoma Bravo, which acquired it in 2015.

Morning Headlines 9/29/20

Healthcare giant UHS hit by ransomware attack, sources say

Universal Health Services experiences a ransomware attack that has locked computer and phone systems at several facilities across the country.

Startup Hims Nears a Deal to Go Public Via Oaktree SPAC

Online health and wellness company Hims prepares to go public through a merger with Oaktree Acquisition Corp., which is raising $75 million to help fund the deal.

CloudMD Acquires Majority Interest in Innovative U.S. Based Provider of Cloud Based Practice Management and Electronic Health Records with US$4.9M in Sales

Canadian health IT vendor CloudMD will acquire a majority stake in Lynchburg, VA-based EHR, practice management, and RCM vendor Benchmark Systems from AntWorks for $4.4 million.

Morning Headlines 9/28/20

Allegheny Health Network, Innovation Works Announce New Startup Accelerator Focused on Health Care Technologies and Life Sciences

Allegheny Health Network (PA) and a Pittsburgh investor create AlphaLab Health, an innovation hub that will provide seed funding to companies that are involved in diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, and health IT.

‘Big ripple effect’: Cybersecurity issue causes problems across Neb. Med network

Nebraska Medicine officials say normal operations should soon resume across its Epic network, shared by several other hospitals across the state, as it works to recover from last week’s cyberattack.

CloudMD Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Snapclarity Inc., an Enterprise Mental Health Platform, Expanding Telehealth Offering to Include Mental Wellness

Canadian health IT vendor CloudMD will acquire mental health assessment and care coordination vendor Snapclarity for $2.5 million.

Morning Headlines 9/25/20

Trump Administration Plans Crackdown On Hospitals Failing To Report COVID-19 Data

Internal government documents suggest that CMS will threaten to stop paying the 76% of US hospitals that aren’t sending COVID data daily and will also add new reporting requirements for influenza.

The Dark Overlord Member Receives 5 Years Prison Term in the U.S.

The extradited UK national is also ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution for stealing and selling information from businesses, including hospitals.

HHS Announces Health IT Awardees Focused on Data Sharing to Support Clinical Care, Research, and Improved Outcomes

HHS and ONC award $2.7 million to four health IT acceleration projects.

Morning Headlines 9/24/20

HIPAA Business Associate Pays $2.3 Million to Settle Breach Affecting Protected Health Information of Over 6 million Individuals

CHSPSC, a management services provider and business associate of Community Health Systems, will pay $2.3 million for failing to secure its systems following an FBI warning that a cyberhacking group had gained access to the information of 6 million patients.

GoodRx closes up 53% in market debut

The prescription discount vendor’s first-day market close values the company at $20 billion. 

NHS Covid-19 app: How England and Wales’ contact-tracing service works

The delayed release of the app on Thursday will support exposure notification, a check-in barcode scanner for business and public venues to help with contact tracing, a postcode-based risk-level checker, a symptom reporting tool, instructions for obtaining a coronavirus test, and isolation countdown timer.

Mary Lanning working around medical record system outage

Mary Lanning Healthcare (NE) and several other hospitals work around downtime of Epic due to an unspecified security incident at Nebraska Medicine, which provides access to Epic and whose own systems have been down since Sunday morning.

Morning Headlines 9/23/20

FDA Launches the Digital Health Center of Excellence

The Center will provide expertise and advise FDA on modernizing digital health policies and regulatory approaches.

Microsoft launches Cloud for Healthcare in general availability

The managed service will includes Dynamics 365, Azure, 365, Teams and its new EHR connector, and Healthcare Bot Service for developing self-assessment tools.

A call for social informatics

A JAMIA article calls for creating an informatics subfield that focuses on social determinants of health.

NCDHHS Launches SlowCOVIDNC Exposure Notification App; Available for Download Today

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launches SlowCOVID19, a contact tracing app that uses the Exposure Notification System from Google and Apple.