Morning Headlines 7/22/20

An Open Letter from the American Medical Informatics Association and the American College of Medical Informatics Regarding Public Health Reporting Deficiencies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AMIA publishes an open letter that expresses dismay that HHS moved hospital COVID-19 reporting from CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network to HHS Protect, saying that a pandemic isn’t the best time to go live on a new, untested system.

Allscripts cut to Sell at Goldman

Goldman Sachs issues an almost unheard-of “sell” rating to shares of Allscripts, which it says has an unfavorable health IT market position and questionable growth prospects.

Rush University Medical Center Set to Share New “Agile Adapt” Model Powered By CipherHealth for Pandemic Response in Underserved Communities

Rush University Medical Center develops Agile Adapt for its COVID-19 response, using CipherHealth’s patient engagement and communication platform to flex ICU capacity, coordinate with community services, support critical staff, monitor patients across all settings, and anticipate care needs.

Morning Headlines 7/21/20

R1 Announces Sale of its Emergency Medical Services Business to Sarnova Holdings, Inc.

R1 will sell its EMS RCM and electronic patient reporting services to Sarnova Holdings for $140 million.

DXC Technology Announces the Sale of DXC’s Healthcare Provider Software Business to the Dedalus Group for $525 Million in Cash

DXC Technology will sell its healthcare software business to the Italian Dedalus Group for $525 million.

HHS unveils new coronavirus hospitalization database, says it’s more complete than CDC’s

HHS launches a new website featuring hospital capacity data submitted by 4,500 of the country’s 6,200 hospitals.

WellSky Gains New Investment From TPG and Leonard Green & Partners to Advance Technology Innovation in Post-Acute and Community Care

Rather than sell post-acute software vendor WellSky, TPG Capital decides to make an equity investment in the company and bring on Leonard Green & Partners as another owner.

Morning Headlines 7/20/20

With CDC Sidelined, Some States Lose Access To Timely COVID-19 Hospital Data

Hospital associations in Missouri and Kansas warn that HHS’s abrupt change in hospital reporting leaves them unable to update their state COVID-19 dashboards and planning data.

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

In Canada, virtual medical care company CloudMD acquires digital mental health startup Snapclarity for $2.5 million.

Hattiesburg Clinic selects new CEO

Hattiesburg Clinic (MS) promotes CMIO Bryan Batson, MD to CEO.

Morning Headlines 7/17/20

‘Sole Source’ Contract for COVID-19 Database Draws Scrutiny from Democrats

Congressional Democrats criticize HHS for issuing a no-bid, $10.2 million contract to TeleTracking Technologies for the development of a hospital bed and supply tracking database, which has become the backbone of the newly mandated HHS Protect COVID-19 reporting system.

Cohere Health raises $10MM in Series A funding to drive adoption of highly collaborative approach with the patient as the focal point

Boston-based care coordination software startup Cohere Health launches with a $10 million Series A funding round.

Cerner won’t reopen its offices for at least several months

Cerner says it will keep employees working from home for at least several more months, pushing back its phased plan to bring up to 50% of employees back to office-based work.

Morning Headlines 7/16/20

Noteworth Secures $5 Million in Funding to Fuel Expansion of Digital Medicine Technology

Care coordination, management, and remote monitoring vendor Noteworth raises $5 million in seed funding.

GYANT Closes $13.6 Million Series A Funding Round Led by Wing Venture Capital

Digital access and care navigation company Gyant raises $13.6 million in a Series A investment round.

Liberty Fox Technologies Joins GPMF Holdings Family Of Companies

GPMF Holdings acquires health IT-focused software developer and consulting firm Liberty Fox Technologies for an undisclosed sum.

Morning Headlines 7/15/20

Amazon Makes Health Care Access Even Easier for Employees with Launch of New Third-Party Health Centers

Amazon will conduct a health center pilot with primary care service provider Crossover Health, which will operate 20 Neighborhood Health Centers in five cities that will serve Amazon employees and their families.

Bottleneck for U.S. Coronavirus Response: The Fax Machine

The New York Times reports that a broken data system — which often includes fax machines as a primary means of communication — is hampering US COVID-19 response.

EConsult Solution Company AristaMD Adds Ascension Ventures and .406 Ventures to Investment Syndicate, Completing Its $24 Million Series B Financing

AristaMD adds $6 million to its Series B investment round with additional funding from Ascension Ventures and .406 Ventures.

Athenahealth Rebrands Centricity Business to athenaIDX, Reflecting Continued Strategic Focus on Helping Health Systems, Hospitals, Billing Services, and Large Practices Optimize Financial Performance

Athenahealth rebrands its Centricity products, acquired from GE Healthcare through a series of acquisitions and mergers, to AthenaIDX in homage to original developer IDX Systems.

Morning Headlines 7/14/20

Allscripts and Microsoft Extend Strategic Alliance to Transform Cloud-Based Health IT Solutions

Allscripts will offer an Azure cloud-based version of its Sunrise EHR as part of a five-year extended agreement with Microsoft.

VA’s Post-Pandemic Plan: Expand Health Care Services at Walmarts

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie says the agency will add more Walmart-based telehealth sites once the pandemic winds down.

Kidney diagnostics developer Renalytix AI sets terms for $78 million US IPO

UK-based Renalytix AI, which has developed a predictive algorithm using data culled from EHRs, hopes to raise $78 million in an IPO this week.

Morning Headlines 7/13/20

Top supplier of electronic medical records to pay $2.55M for cybersecurity firm

In Canada, clinic operator and EHR vendor Well Health Technologies will acquire the cybersecurity division of Cycura.

Former Gwinnett healthcare executive pleads guilty to sabotaging medical shipments

A former VP of finance for a medical device packaging company in Atlanta pleads guilty to trashing the company’s computer systems after being fired.

Ahead, a platform that connects psychiatrists with patients, raises $9 million

Mental healthcare startup Ahead raises $9 million in a funding round led by online B2B pharmacy company Truepill.

Morning Headlines 7/10/20

Health Catalyst Announces Agreement to Acquire healthfinch, a Healthcare IT Company that has Helped Define the Clinical Workflow Optimization Space with its Award-Winning Software

Health Catalyst will acquire Healthfinch, a clinical workflow optimization technology vendor headquartered in Madison, WI, for $40 million in cash and shares.

VA Wants to Automate Digitization of its 5-Mile-High Electronic Health Record Backlog

The VA seeks solutions for automating the digitization of old and new patient health records and ensuring they are linked to the correct patients.

Measure The Impact Of The ONC’s New Interoperability Rules Now

Health policy experts call for ONC to start measuring the impact of the interoperability requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act using six initial metrics.

Kindbody Raises $32 Million in Series B Funding to Grow Employer Benefits Solution and Fuel U.S. Expansion

Technology-enabled women’s care company Kindbody raises $32 million in a Series B round led by Perceptive Advisors.

Morning Headlines 7/9/20

Doctor On Demand Announces $75M in Series D Financing Led by General Atlantic to Expand Comprehensive Virtual Care

Doctor on Demand raises $75 million in a Series D investment round that brings its total funding to $235.7 million.

Walgreens and VillageMD to Open 500 to 700 Full-Service Doctor Offices within Next Five Years in a Major Industry First

Walgreens will invest $1 billion to open primary care clinics run by VillageMD in 500 to 700 of its stores over the next five years, with the bulk of the investment going towards opening the clinics and combining technologies.

B2B online pharmacy Truepill uses a $25 million funding round to launch an integrated telemedicine service.

VA Selects Philips to Create World’s Largest Tele-Critical Care System, Further Integrating TeleHealth and Delivering Quality Care for Veterans

The VA signs a 10-year, $100 million contract with Philips to expand development of its Tele-Critical Care Program.

Morning Headlines 7/8/20

House appropriators propose $12B increase for VA’s budget, including big IT boost

The White House’s 2021 budget request includes $105 billion for the VA, including $4.9 billion for IT and $2.6 billion (versus $1.5 billion this year) for its Cerner project.

Fastest growing EMR provider Medfar acquires Plexia, expanding reach to Western Canada

In Canada, EHR vendor Medfar Clinical Solutions acquires competitor Plexia for an undisclosed amount.

Google Maps releases new features to help people navigate coronavirus hot spots

Google Maps users in select areas can now receive alerts as they approach COVID-19 border checkpoints and areas that mandate virus protections such as masks and social distancing, as well as virus-related public transit alerts and guidelines from facilities that offer testing.

Morning Headlines 7/7/20

NHS England launches coronavirus recovery service

The NHS will launch an after-care service for patients recovering from COVID-19 that will combine an initial in-person assessment with virtual care for up to three months.

COVID-19 leads Greenville healthcare company to new headquarters, new normal

Chronic care management company ChartSpan decides to relocate its headquarters in Greenville, SC, to a smaller space after an overwhelming majority of its employees vote to continue working from home.

2020 Midyear Digital Health Market Update: Unprecedented funding in an unprecedented time

A new report from Rock Health puts digital health funding for the first half of 2020 at $5.4 billion, putting the market well on its way to achieving record-breaking funding for the year.

Morning Headlines 7/6/20

Health Appointment Booking Platform Chronometriq Acquires Health Myself

Montreal-based patient scheduling and waiting room management software vendor Chronometriq acquires Toronto-based patient portal startup Health Myself.

Missouri announces $50 million program for broadband expansion, including telehealth

Missouri Governor Mike Parson announces a $50 million program for broadband expansion across the state, including $5.25 million for telemedicine services for FQHCs and mental health centers.

Premier Inc. Calls for National Stockpiling Standards to Prevent Redundant Efforts, Next Wave of Product Shortages

Premier calls for national stockpiling standards after its survey finds that 90% of healthcare providers as well as states are amassing masks, gowns, and test kits, creating product shortages and directing supplies away from frontline caregivers.

Morning Headlines 7/3/20

Sale process underway for TPG’s WellSky

Private equity firm TPG is considering the sale of post-acute care software vendor WellSky at a potential valuation of $3 billion.

Epic Systems slows reopening plan, calls in-person work its key to success

Epic will delay the phased return of employees to its campus in Verona, WI by one month, citing its culture of on-site collaboration as vital to the success of its customers.

Startup aims AI at clinician scheduling

AI-focused SwitchPoint Ventures and PhyMed Healthcare Group launch Polaris Health, a Nashville-based vendor of analytics for provider scheduling optimization.

Morning Headlines 7/2/20

FCC Announces Funding Increase in Rural Health Care Program for Funding Year 2020

The FCC adds nearly $200 million to its Rural Health Care Program, which has helped providers in rural areas leverage broadband networks for telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Samsung invests in genetics-focused telehealth company as coronavirus rages

Genomics telemedicine company Genome Medical raises $14 million in a funding round led by Samsung’s Catalyst Fund.

Evidation Raises $45 Million Series D, Hires CCO To Accelerate Commercial Momentum and Expand Into Virtual Health

Health data aggregation and research company Evidation Health raises $45 million and hires Sam Marwaha (Boston Consulting Group) as chief commercial officer.

Morning Headlines 7/1/20

How hackers extorted $1.14m from University of California, San Francisco

UCSF pays a negotiated $1.14 million to ransomware hackers to regain access to servers in its medical school.

NexHealth Raises $15 Million in Series A Funding

NexHealth will use a new $15 million investment to further scale its APIs for EHR and dental practice management systems.

Optimize.health Raises Seed Extension Round to Scale Digital Health Offering

Ambulatory-focused remote patient monitoring startup Optimize.health raises $3.5 million in a seed round led by Bonfire Ventures.

Morning Headlines 6/30/20

Flexwise Health Completes Merger with Prescience Health

On-demand nurse staffing company Flexwise Health merges with predictive staffing analytics vendor Prescience Health under the Flexwise brand.

System shutdown puts hold on Tennessee COVID-19 report; far SWVA adds another case

The National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System suffers a system failure over the weekend caused by high volumes of data input, compromising the the State of Tennessee’s ability to accurately report COVID-19 data.

Healthy.io, Israeli maker of smartphone urinalysis tech, buys its largest U.S. rival

Smartphone urinalysis company Healthy.io acquires competitor Inui Health, formerly known as Scanadu, for $9 million.