Morning Headlines 12/28/18

Livongo Focuses on Government and Labor Segment with Proven Executive

Former Livongo sales executive Randy Forman returns to head up the company’s government and labor division following an eight-month stint at Vida Health.

Can medical devices be hacked? Arizona doctors prepare for possibility of cyberattacks

University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix convenes CyberMed Summit, led by two ethical hackers who are graduates of the medical school.

After nearly five years lawsuit against Flowers Hospital is over

The Alabama hospital sets aside $150,000 to cover claims that a since-jailed lab employee sold 1,200 patient records for filing fraudulent tax returns.

Hospital prices: full cost lists must be published from January 1, new federal rule says

A rule announced in April requires hospitals to post “what they have online” in the form of annually updated, downloadable price lists.

Morning Headlines 12/27/18

One Giant Step for a Chess-Playing Machine

The New York Times describes Alphabet-owned DeepMind’s AlphaZero machine learning algorithm that not only became unbeatable in chess, it also appears to have used psychology to actually learn the game rather than choosing from pre-programmed moves, which may lead to development of novel solutions in science and medicine.

Misconceptions About Health Costs When You’re Older

End-of-life spending is often declared wasteful after the fact, but predicting who is likely to die to save the cost of heroic intervention isn’t accurate.

Massachusetts Stroke Patient Receives ‘Outrageous’ $474,725 Medical Flight Bill

A woman whose doctor and insurer agreed that her stroke symptoms required emergency transportation via private air ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital, an hour’s drive away, is shocked to learn that she’s on the hook to pay the nearly $500,000 portion of the bill that isn’t covered by insurance.

Humana Announces Inaugural Hospital Incentive Program Participants

Cleveland Clinic, Jackson Health System, TriHealth, and WellStar Health System will participate in Humana’s coordinated care program that emphasizes access to screening, avoiding health complications, using analytics to coordinate care, and paying doctors based on outcomes rather than volume.

Morning Headlines 12/24/18

Banks Asks VA to Adopt Modern Appointment Scheduling System

Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), chairman of the House’s VA technology subcommittee, questions the VA’s plan to implement Cerner patient scheduling, noting the VA hasn’t said what it will cost to move to Cerner scheduling, the timelines required, and the benefit to veterans.

BayCare Hospitals Go Mobile with Wayfinding

BayCare (FL) goes live on indoor patient way-finding powered by Connexient’s MediNav.

With incubators, hospital systems tread ethical boundaries

Politico points out the ethically shaky ground hospitals find themselves on when developing sometimes sub-par technology through on-site incubators, often as a means to firm up finances.

Morning Headlines 12/21/18

DrChrono Raises $10M from SQN Venture Partners

Tablet-based EHR vendor DrChrono raises $10 million in funding.

Cerner could snag another big VA contract

The VA is considering terminating its $624 million Epic-Leidos patient scheduling system pilot project and buying a similar system from Cerner.

Medicare Program: Accrediting Organizations Conflict of Interest and Consulting Services; Request for Information

CMS issues an RFI asking for feedback on whether or not the consulting practices of hospital accreditation agencies like The Joint Commission pose a conflict of interest.

This Health Startup Won Big Government Deals—But Inside, Doctors Flagged Problems

An exposé on Babylon Health finds that, despite raising $85 million and convincing the NHS to use its chatbot-powered diagnosis app, its software wasn’t tested anywhere else and didn’t work.

Morning Headlines 12/20/18

3M to Acquire M*Modal’s Technology Business

3M will acquire MModal’s AI-powered physician documentation technology for $1 billion.

GE Files Confidentially for Health IPO, Buoying Stock

GE firms up plans to spin off its healthcare business via a public filing that will likely take place in mid-2019.

Walgreens to tackle health-care costs with Alphabet’s Verily

Walgreens and Verily will work together to develop solutions for patients with chronic conditions, initially focusing on diabetes and medication management.

Morning Headlines 12/19/18

Premier Health Announces Binding LOI to Acquire Cloud Practice Inc., a National Medical Software Application Company

Canada-based health IT vendor Premier Health will acquire Cloud Practice, which offers an EHR based on an open source product developed by McMaster University, for up to $5 million.

Teladoc Health Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Resigns

Teladoc Health EVP/COO/CFO Mark Hirschhorn resigns following publicity and lawsuits over his romantic affair with a since-resigned Teladoc employee to whom he gave stock tips.

Brightree Acquires Mobile Delivery Provider Apacheta to Streamline HME Delivery

ResMed’s post-acute care technology subsidiary acquires Apacheta, which offers mobile software for medical equipment vendors.

Glen Tullman’s wearable tech startup hires a new CEO—and opens a new chapter

Chronic disease management technology vendor Livongo Health hires Zane Burke (Cerner) as CEO, replacing Glen Tullman, who moves to executive chairman.

Morning Headlines 12/18/18

FDA Names Flatiron Health Executive Amy Abernethy Deputy Commissioner

Flatiron Health CMO Amy Abernethy, MD joins the FDA as principal deputy commissioner.

McKesson’s Change Healthcare is close to buying blockchain health-tech start-up PokitDok

CNBC reports that Change Healthcare will acquire health data integration vendor PokitDok as early as this week.

The $23 billion health system in Amazon’s backyard just hired a new chief information officer from Microsoft

B.J. Moore, a Microsoft VP with experience in cloud and AI, joins multi-state Providence St. Joseph Health as CIO.

Morning Headlines 12/17/18

Federal court rules Obamacare unconstitutional — but the law stands for now

A federal judge in Texas rules that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional because Congress eliminated the penalty for people who don’t sign up for health insurance.

WellSky Expands Investment in Hospice Technology with Acquisition of Consolo Services Group

Health IT company WellSky acquires hospice and palliative care software vendor Consolo Services Group.

Centra sees operating margin drop as electronic records rollout leads to increased costs

Centra Health (VA) attributes a drop in operating margin – its first in more than a decade – to increased costs incurred by its Cerner implementation.

Morning Headlines 12/14/18

HHS seeks public input on improving care coordination and reducing the regulatory burdens of the HIPAA Rules

OCR seeks input on modifying HIPAA rules to improve coordinated care, with comments due February 11.

Medsphere Closes $32 Million Financing Led by Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital

EHR and RCM vendor Medsphere will use $32 million in new financing for expansion efforts, including acquisitions and hiring.

Apple to Invest $1 Billion for Texas Expansion Plan

Apple will spend $1 billion on a second campus in Austin, TX, which will house up to 15,000 employees on 133 acres.

Morning Headlines 12/13/18

Jonathan Bush on Sale of Athenahealth

Jonathan Bush appears on CNBC six months after stepping down as CEO of Athenahealth to share his side of its sale story.

Nashville Hospital Company Pledges To Share Its Sepsis-Fighting Technology With Others

HCA develops and promises to share its Sepsis Prediction and Optimization of Therapy (SPOT) software, which is capable of diagnosing a patient 20 hours before a physician.

Apple now has dozens of doctors on staff, showing it’s serious about health tech

Sources tell CNBC that Apple has at least 50 physicians on staff, many of whom are keeping their roles across the organization quiet.

Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action against Teladoc Health, Inc. and Certain Officers

A scathing article from the Southern Investigative Research Foundation prompts the filing of a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Teladoc shareholders, citing false statements made by the company and a failure to disclose inappropriate employee relationships and insider trading.

Morning Headlines 12/12/18

Dr. Denise W. Hines to Join HIMSS as Chief Americas Officer

Former GaHIN Executive Director and EHealth Services Group CEO Denise Hines, DHA, MS joins HIMSS as Chief Americas Officer.

Health Systems Advise Financially Struggling Peers to Measure EHR Vendor Value Propositions Against Heavy Brand Influences

Black Book finds that 88 percent of mid-sized regional systems regret their EHR implementation due to hidden costs, unexpected consulting fees, lost revenue, patient frustration, and clinician burnout.

‘Hey, Alexa! How’s my blood pressure?’

Amazon works with Omron Healthcare to develop a skill for Alexa that connects the virtual assistant to the vendor’s blood pressure monitor.

Colorado hospital failed to terminate former employee’s access to electronic protected health information

OCR fines Pagosa Springs Medical Center (CO) for failing to cut off a former staffer’s access to a Web-based scheduling calendar that included PHI.

Morning Headlines 12/11/18

Former Director Of Healthcare Services Company Charged In Alleged $300 Million Investment Fraud Scheme

Federal officials arrest Pavandeep Bakhshi, a former Constellation Healthcare Technologies board member, for his role in a scheme that attempted to trick investors out of $300 million meant to help take the company private.

University of Maryland Medical System investigating malware attack

The University of Maryland Medical System recovers from a ransomware attack that impacted 250 of the system’s desktop computers.

GI Partners and TA Associates to Acquire Allscripts’ stake in Netsmart Technologies

Shares of Allscripts rise on the news that GI Partners and TA Associates will acquire its stake in Netsmart Technologies for $525 million.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Partners with T-Mobile to Help Expand Access to Health Care for Veterans

T-Mobile will provide the VA with 70,000 lines of wireless service to help it expand telehealth services for veterans.

Seattle Children’s spin-out MDmetrix adds operating room capabilities, looks to expand

Health data analytics startup MDmetrix expands into operating room capabilities with OR Advisor, and looks to expand beyond its Seattle Children’s roots.

Morning Headlines 12/10/18

NHS banned from buying any more fax machines

In England, Health Secretary Matt Hancock bans NHS from buying new fax machines and insists that they be phased out by March 31, 2020.

Hospital Beds Get Digital Upgrade

Hill-Rom’s newest hospital bed will include FDA-approved sensors for monitoring heart and respiratory rates, checking vital signs 100 times per minute, and alerting nurses of abnormalities.

Apple scoops up CEO of Mango Health, a start-up that helps people keep track of their medications

Apple hires former Mango Health CEO and co-founder Jason Oberfest, spurring speculation that the company is looking to tackle medication adherence.

Top cancer center’s business deals created a web of conflicts, say ethics experts

STAT calls into question Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s deal with data analytics vendor Cota, whose founder helped to broker a partnership between MSK and his employer, Hackensack Meridian Health.

Morning Headlines 12/7/18

Partners goes down (and then back up)

Politico reports that Partners HealthCare (MA) briefly took its Epic EHR offline Wednesday to handle unspecified technical issues.

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Walmart Announce Telehealth Collaboration to Reach Underserved Veterans

The VA announces at its telehealth event in Washington, DC that it will offer telemedicine services to vets at select Walmart stores.

Apple now says its smartwatch tech to detect atrial fibrillation is not for those with atrial fibrillation

Apple emphasizes that the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm feature launched today on the Apple Watch 4 are not intended for people with atrial fibrillation, but should rather serve as conversation starters with physicians.

Telehealth Virtual Care Platforms 2018

Epic and InTouch lead in telemedicine value and impact, according to a new KLAS report, while only Epic, American Well, and MDLive have more than half their customers moving along an EHR integration path.

Morning Headlines 12/6/18

Enzyme Health Adds $1.7M for Clinician Telemedicine Job Marketplace

Austin, TX-based Enzyme Health raises $1.7 million in a seed funding round led by Silverton Partners.

Teladoc Health Refutes SIRF Report Claims

Teladoc refutes claims of inappropriate relations and insider trading made in an article from the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation.

Researchers find way to catch medical errors as they happen

Pascal Metrics develops software that uses machine learning and EHR data to detect and alert providers to medical errors in real time.

Morning Headlines 12/5/18

Curavi Acquires TripleCare, Prepares to Rapidly Expand Telemedicine Services

UPMC-backed Curavi Health acquires competitor TripleCare, a telemedicine vendor that caters to the post-acute, long-term care market.

MEDITECH UK Announces Acquisition of Centennial and the Formation of Medical Information Technology UK LTD

Meditech acquires its London-based partner Centennial Computer Corporation as part of its creation of Meditech UK.

Interoperability 2018: Real Progress with Patient-Record Sharing via CommonWell and Carequality

A KLAS report finds that most EHR vendors are progressing well toward supporting a national patient record network now that CommonWell is connected to Carequality.

Queensland digital hospitals program facing $250m cost blowout

In Australia, Queensland Health’s hospital EHR project will run $188 million over budget if implemented in the remaining hospitals, with an auditor-general’s report noting that Cerner can name its price for contract extensions knowing that alternative systems haven’t been considered.

Morning Headlines 12/3/18

U.S. judge raises prospect of not approving CVS-Aetna deal

A federal judge involved with the final legal step in the CVS/Aetna acquisition delays court proceedings, telling lawyers that he is very concerned and that “you all are proceeding on a rubber-stamp approach to this.”

AI health firm Myia raises $6.75m in seed funding

Remote patient monitoring startup Myia raises $6.75 million in a seed funding round led by BootstrapLabs and Zetta Venture Partners.

Improving Electronic Health Record Usability and Safety Requires Transparency

Physicians argue against EHR vendor gag clauses, saying that an inability to share screenshots and other types of visual media prevent end users from sharing and learning from usability issues that may endanger patients.

EMIS Group unveils the future of connected healthcare

Emis Group will shift 40 million patient records from its servers onto AWS as part of a continued  push in the UK for more flexible health data exchange.