Morning Headlines 4/12/24

SAMHSA and ONC Launch the Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative

ONC and SAMHSA will invest $20 million over the next three years to improve health IT in behavioral health and practice settings through the new Behavioral Health Information Technology Initiative.

VA plans to restart EHR deployments before the end of FY25, secretary says

VA Secretary Denis McDonough says that the department will resume rolling out its Oracle Health-based EHR before the end of fiscal year 2025, despite the fact that the 2025 budget doesn’t include any funding for additional deployments.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment Firm will be Banned from Disclosing Health Data for Advertising to Settle FTC Charges that It Shared Data Without Consent

The FTC bans virtual alcohol addiction treatment company Monument from sharing patient health data with third-party advertising sites.

Morning Headlines 4/11/24

Tower Health and Ensemble Health Partners Announce Strategic Revenue Cycle Partnership

Tower Health (PA) will outsource its revenue cycle operations to Ensemble Health Partners this summer, transitioning 675 employees to the RCM company.

Physicians struggle to keep practices afloat after Change cyberattack

New survey findings from the American Medical Association reveal that 51% of physician practices have lost revenue due to an inability to process patient co-pays after the cyberattack on Change Healthcare, while 80% have lost revenue from unpaid claims.

Bayer and Google Cloud to Accelerate Development of AI-powered Healthcare Applications for Radiologists

Bayer and Google Cloud will collaborate on developing AI solutions for radiologists.

Morning Headlines 4/10/24

Avant Technologies Acquires Wired-4-Health, Advancing AI Interoperability in Healthcare Data

AI software development company Avant Technologies acquires Wired-4-Health, which offers healthcare technology and data integration services.

Model N to be Acquired by Vista Equity Partners for $1.25 Billion

Vista Equity Partners will acquire life sciences revenue optimization vendor Model N in a $1.25 billion take-private deal.

Rivia Health Raises $3.25 Million in Series Seed Funding with PHX Ventures

RCM vendor Rivia Health raises $3.25 million in a seed funding round led by PHX Ventures.

Morning Headlines 4/9/24

Second Ransomware Group Demands UnitedHealth Pay for Stolen Data

RansomHub threatens to sell data stolen during the February ransomware attack on Change Healthcare if the company doesn’t pay a second ransom.

FocalPoint Holdings and CodexIT Join Forces to Acquire Conclusn, Building a Best-in-Class Healthcare Analytics Dashboard System

Healthcare software developer FocalPoint Holdings forms a joint venture with health IT and consulting firm CodexIT to acquire healthcare analytics company Conclusn.

Grow Therapy Raises $88M Sequoia Capital-Led Series C to Advance Effective Mental Healthcare

Mental health technology company Grow Therapy raises $88 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $180 million.

Rater8 Accelerates Expansion With Strategic Investment

Provider reputation management and patient feedback company Rater8 raises an undisclosed amount of Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 4/8/24

Teladoc Health Board of Directors Announces Leadership Transition

Teladoc shares rise slightly on the news that the company’s board fired CEO Jason Gorevic after 15 years in that role.

Amwell Receives Continued Listing Standard Notice From NYSE

Telehealth company Amwell risks having its shares delisted by NYSE due to low share price.

Change Healthcare wants data-breach lawsuits heard in Nashville federal court

Change Healthcare asks the court to consolidate lawsuits related to its February data breach in the federal court in Nashville, its hometown.

Morning Headlines 4/5/24

Massachusetts Justices Mull Applying Wiretap Law to Web Tracking

A court reviews a class action lawsuit that argues that hospital use of web tracking technologies violates the state’s Wiretap Act.

Cerberus says its investment in Steward hospitals yielded an $800 million profit

The investment firm tells a Senate subcommittee that its only cost in creating the now-struggling, for-profit Steward Health Care that it sold at an $800 million profit was buying Caritas Christi for $246 million.

Former University of Iowa Hospital employee used fake identity for 35 years

A hospital network architect pleads guilty for living under another man’s identity since 1988, which caused that man to be wrongly confined to jail and then a mental hospital for 20 months.

Morning Headlines 4/4/24

Aegis Ventures Announces Partnership with Nine Health Systems to Build and Deploy Healthtech Solutions

Nine health systems will co-develop and invest in solutions with venture studio Aegis Ventures.

FDA authorizes Prenosis software as first AI tool that can diagnose sepsis

FDA grants marketing clearance to the sepsis detection tool of Prenosis, which applies AI to biomarker and EHR clinical data to assess sepsis risk.

Epic plans to launch AI validation software for healthcare organizations to test, monitor models

The product will help health systems evaluate and monitor the performance of AI models, both third party and self developed.

Morning Headlines 4/3/24

Risant Health completes acquisition of Geisinger

Kaiser-backed hospital operator Risant Health completes its acquisition of Geisinger, which will become its inaugural health system.

HealthArc Secures $5 Million in Growth Funding to Revolutionize Healthcare

Virtual care management company HealthArc announces $5 million in funding.

Electronic prescribing giant Surescripts is exploring a sale

Surescripts is reportedly exploring a sale of its business, the ownership of which is evenly split between pharmacy benefit managers CVS Health and Express Scripts and pharmacy trade groups.

Providence Spins Out Praia Health with $20M in Oversubscribed Series A Funding led by Frist Cressey Ventures to Scale New Consumer Platform for Health Care

Praia Health, which offers automated personalization of a patient’s care journey, secures $20 million in Series A funding.

Morning Headlines 4/2/24

Solventum Begins Trading on the New York Stock Exchange

Solventum, a 3M spinoff that includes health information systems among its four business segments, begins trading on the NYSE.

Walmart Health Clinic Expansion On Track For 70 By Year’s End

Walmart will open 22 new health clinics within Walmart Supercenters this year, bringing its total to 70 across the country.

New Valley Hospital ready to welcome patients with state-of-the-art tech

New Jersey-based Valley Health System will open a new hospital in Paramus equipped with smart beds, bedside infotainment systems, and AI-powered fall-prevention technology.

Morning Headlines 4/1/24

U.S. Attorney Announces $3.1 Million False Claims Act Settlement With Radiology Company And Its CEO For Fraudulent Billing Practices

Teleradiology vendor The Radiology Group pays $3.1 million to settle False Claims Act charges that its US-based radiologists rubber stamped draft image interpretations that were performed by India-based contractors who are not licensed in the US.

QuickMD Expands Healthcare System with Acquisition of Project Recovery

Telemedicine provider QuickMD acquires South Dakota-based addiction treatment clinic Project Recovery.

Hume AI Announces $50 Million Fundraise and Empathic Voice Interface

Hume AI, which has developed an emotionally intelligent voice interface for AI chatbots and other digital applications, raises $50 million from a spate of investors that includes Northwell Health’s venture capital arm.

Morning Headlines 3/29/24

US offers $10 million bounty for info on ‘Blackcat’ hackers who hit UnitedHealth

The US State Department offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the Blackcat ransomware group that hijacked Change Healthcare’s systems last month.

YC-backed Pelago, a virtual clinic for addiction treatment, raises $58M Series C

Virtual addiction clinic Pelago raises $58 million in Series C funding, bringing its total raised to $151 million.

Walgreens Boots Alliance Reports Fiscal 2024 Second Quarter Results

Walgreens beats Q2 revenue and earnings expectations, but reports a $5.8 billion impairment charge related to its VillageMD primary care business, which will close another 160 locations versus the previously planned 60.

Morning Headlines 3/28/24

Goodbill raises $2M and expands customer base to unearth and challenge medical billing errors

Goodbill, a Seattle-based startup that has developed software that detects medical billing errors, raises $2 million.

InStride Health Raises Oversubscribed $30 Million Series B to Expand Access to Best-In-Class Specialty Treatment for Pediatric Anxiety and OCD

Tech-enabled pediatric mental healthcare provider InStride Health announces a $30 million Series B funding round.

New Federal Health IT Strategy Sets Sights on a Heathier, More Innovative, and More Equitable Health Care Experience

ONC seeks public comment on the draft “2024-2030 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan” so that federal agencies can better align their health IT policies, programs, and investments.

Morning Headlines 3/27/24

Brightside Health Raises Strategic Series C, Welcomes Trip Hofer to Board of Directors

Virtual mental healthcare company Brightside Health announces a $33 million Series C investment, bringing its total raised to over $107 million.

Sagility Acquires BirchAI, a GenAI Company in the Healthcare Space

RCM and business process engineering company Sagility acquires BirchAI, a startup that offers AI-powered call center automation technology.

Tennr Raises $18M in Series A Funding

Tennr will use $18 million in Series A funding to further develop and market its AI-based document automation software geared towards providers who rely on digital faxing.

Morning Headlines 3/26/24

Arches Medical Partners Acquires 11 Primary Care Practices in Rhode Island

Walgreens-owned VillageMD sells its 11 primary care clinics in Rhode Island to Arches Medical Partners, which owns IPA-focused software company New Era Medical Operations.

Responding to Change Healthcare, Warner Introduces Legislation to Protect Providers in the Event of Future Hacks, Requiring Minimum Cybersecurity Standards

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduces the “Health Care Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2024,” which, if passed, will enable eligible providers to receive advanced and accelerated payments in the wake of a cyberattack.

Masimo plans to spinoff consumer business

Masimo considers spinning off its consumer business, which includes consumer health and audio products, and retaining its healthcare and telehealth solutions.

Morning Headlines 3/25/24

Information on the Change Healthcare Cyber Response

UnitedHealth Group posts target dates for restoring Change Healthcare’s systems from its February 21 cyberattack.

Global Payments wants $3 billion for AdvancedMD—but may have to settle for half of that

Global Payments is reportedly seeking a buyer for its AdvancedMD business at an asking price of $3 billion.

Issues with VA’s new EHR have contributed to patient harms and one death, watchdog says

VA OIG issues three reports related to the VA’s implementation of Oracle Health, each of which highlight system shortcomings.

Trinity Hunt Partners Establishes Healthcare Advisory Platform with Investment in Coker

Private equity firm Trinity Hunt acquires a majority stake in Atlanta-based healthcare consulting firm Coker Group.

Morning Headlines 3/22/24

New Report Finds That Digital Diabetes Management Tools Fail to Deliver Meaningful Health Benefits to Patients While Increasing Spending

Digital diabetes management solutions increase healthcare spending without delivering meaningful clinical benefits, according to a review of evidence by the Peterson Health Technology Institute.

Sharp, UCSD affected by computer outage that briefly diverted ambulance deliveries

A power outage at an Epic data center in California knocks several hospitals offline for two hours, prompting them to temporarily divert ambulances.

Syllable Corporation Announces Purchase of Actium Health

Process automation vendor Syllable acquires Actium Health, whose system reviews EHR data to identify patients who may need specific medical services.

Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA Covered Entities and Business Associates

New HHS guidance reiterates that covered entities can’t use web tracking technologies that might result in PHI disclosure, but clarifies that webpages that don’t require users to log in and that don’t have access to PHI don’t fall under HIPAA’s purview even if the user can be tied to an IP address.

Morning Headlines 3/21/24

Conduce Health Secures $3 Million in Seed Funding to Power Multi-Specialty Value-Based Care Marketplace

Conduce Health will use $3 million in seed funding to further develop its marketplace for primary care physicians looking to transition to value-based care through partnerships with specialty care providers.

PocketHealth Raises $33M USD in Series B Funding to Transform Medical Image Exchange and Patient Experience

Patient-centric image exchange platform Pocket Health raises $33 million in Series B funding.

Healthcare platform Anima brings Salesforce-like capabilities to clinics, raises $12M

Automated care enablement technology startup Anima, which works with NHS clinics in England, raises $12 million in Series A funding.