Morning Headlines 11/5/24

Telehealth Company Cerebral Agrees to Pay Over $3.6 Million in Connection with Business Practices that Encouraged the Unauthorized Distribution of Controlled Substances

Online mental healthcare company Cerebral will pay $3.6 million as part of a 30-month non-prosecution agreement for encouraging unauthorized distribution of controlled substances between 2019 and 2022.

Medicare finalized coverage for some mental health apps. Now what?

A new CMS rule will enable providers to bill Medicare for certain FDA-approved mental health apps and related services.

Memorial Hospital and Manor investigating cyber attack

Memorial Hospital & Manor (GA) deals with a ransomware attack discovered early Saturday morning.

Morning Headlines 11/1/24

Small-Hospital EHR (1–200 Beds) 2024

KLAS finds that 42% of under-200 bed hospitals use legacy systems, while most new considerations involve Epic Community Connect, Meditech Expanse, and Oracle Health.

What’s Going On With All The Empty Cerner Buildings?

Oracle has closed two of the former Cerner’s three campuses and is using the former Innovations Campus to house the limited number of employees who don’t work remotely.

Jennie Stuart Board hosts meeting concerning possible merger

The Kentucky health system confirms that its desire to be acquired involves a conversion from Altera Digital Health to Epic.

Morning Headlines 10/31/24

Global Payments sharpens core focus with $1.1 billion medical software unit sale

Global Payments will sell AdvancedMD to Francisco Partners for $1.1 billion, which Global Payments acquired in 2018 for $700 million.

Cedars-Sinai Launches Health Sciences University

The health system’s new health university will offer a PhD in health artificial intelligence.

Elon Musk wants you to submit medical data to his AI chatbot

The billionaire asks his followers on X to submit their medical images to his AI platform Grok to be used for its training, raising significant privacy concerns.

Morning Headlines 10/30/24

Oracle announces new AI-powered electronic health record

Oracle Health will release a new EHR in 2025 that is not built on the architecture of Cerner Millennium.

Digital Hypertension Management Solutions

A new report by the Peterson Health Technology Institute finds that hypertension tools for blood pressure monitoring, medication management, and behavior change don’t reduce healthcare spending, especially those that try to encourage patient behavior change.

Oracle Health’s Clinical AI Agent Helps Doctors Spend More Time with Patients

Oracle Health announces a new version of its Clinical Digital Assistant and its name change to Clinical AI Agent.

Philips to further roll-out RATE: AI for early infection detection at U.S. Department of Defense through four-year, $25 million contract

The Department of Defense will invest $25 million to roll out a wearable version of a pre-symptomatic infection detection algorithm for active duty personnel.

Morning Headlines 10/29/24

Oracle applies to join Epic and others in new federal medical record network

Oracle will apply to become a QHIN under TEFCA, well after Epic and others have gone live.

New unified IT structure will serve Emory University and Emory Healthcare

Emory will combine its healthcare and university IT organizations under Alistair Erskine, who joined Emory Healthcare in March 2023 as chief information and digital officer.

BREAKING NEWS: Hyve Group acquires US-based HLTH Inc portfolio

London-based, private equity-owned global event organizer Hyve acquires HLTH USA (Las Vegas), ViVE (Nashville), and HLTH Europe (Amsterdam), which will make HLTH USA its largest event by revenue.

Morning Headlines 10/28/24

WellSky Acquires Leading Durable/Home Medical Equipment Software Provider Bonafide, Enhancing Home Care Solutions

WellSky acquires Bonafide, which offers software for durable medical equipment and home medical equipment.

Researchers say an AI-powered transcription tool used in hospitals invents things no one ever said

Experts find that OpenAI’s Whisper technology, which is used by ambient documentation vendors, hallucinates to the extent that its transcriptions should be reviewed carefully.

Healthify Closes $45 Million Financing Round Led by Khosla Ventures and LeapFrog Investments

The nutrition and health coaching app vendor will use the funds to enter the US market.

Morning Headlines 10/25/24

Hack at UnitedHealth’s tech unit impacted 100 mln people, US health dept says

The February ransomware attack on UnitedHealth-owned Change Healthcare has compromised the personal information of 100 million people, making the attack the largest healthcare data breach in US history.

CorroHealth Announces Strategic Partnership with Patient Square Capital

Patient Square Capital invests in RCM company CorroHealth and becomes a joint owner of the business with investment firm Carlyle.

Dyania Health raises $10M for clinical trial recruitment LLM

Automated chart review and clinical trial pre-screening software startup Dyania Health raises $10 million.

UMC operations largely restored after hospital faced month-long ransomware attack

University Medical Center (TX) has restored the majority of its patient-facing computer systems after a September 26 ransomware attack took them offline and forced the hospital to divert patients.

Morning Headlines 10/24/24

PEO-DHMS to Award Leidos Follow-On MHS GENESIS System Support Contract

The Program Executive Office for Defense Healthcare Management Systems will likely award Leidos another potentially multi-billion dollar contract to continue providing system integration support for the DoD’s MHS Genesis EHR.

Infinitus Systems raises $51.5 million Series C funding on the strength of AI guardrails

Infinitus Systems announces $51.5 million in Series C funding and the launch of its FastTrack healthcare phone call automation software.

Commure To Partner with HCA Healthcare on Ambient AI Platform

HCA Healthcare selects Commure, which acquired ambient documentation technology vendor Augmedix in July, to develop and deploy ambient AI.

Morning Headlines 10/23/24

Counsel Health Launches with $11M in Seed Funding to Deliver Physician-Led, AI-Powered Medical Advice

Counsel Health, which offers asynchronous messaging with physicians, raises $11 million in a seed funding round.

Tennr lands $37m while tearing through the paper mountain in healthcare with leading document reading model

Tennr, which has developed automation software for the reading and processing of medical documents, announces $37 million in new funding.

MPath Secures $3 Million in Funding to Expand Cancer Screening and Preventive Health Initiatives

Automated cancer screening technology startup MPath secures a $1 million investment from Oncology Ventures, bringing its total raised within the last four months to $3 million.

Senators demand answers on telehealth platforms from Pfizer and Eli Lilly

Senators want drugmakers Pfizer and Eli Lilly to explain why their direct-to-consumer programs don’t violate anti-kickback statutes by offering telehealth prescribing for the drugs they manufacture.

Morning Headlines 10/22/24

Medbridge Acquires Rehab Boost, Launches Medbridge Motion Capture as Part of Medbridge AI

Medbridge acquires AI-enhanced rehab app development company Rehab Boost.

HealthEx Raises $14M led by General Catalyst to Empower Patients and Health Systems to do more with Health Data

Patient health data access and consent startup HealthEx launches with $14 million in funding.

CopilotIQ and Biofourmis Merge to Create the First End-to-End Platform for AI-Driven In-Home Care

Remote patient monitoring company CopilotIQ acquires competitor Biofourmis to offer tech-enabled, home-based care to seniors with chronic conditions.

Morning Headlines 10/21/24

Refusal of Recovery: How Medicare Advantage Insurers Have Denied Patients Access to Post-Acute Care

A US Senate subcommittee report finds that UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS disproportionately denied prior authorization requests for post-acute care in their Medicare Advantage patients, often by using AI-driven tools.

Prolucent Secures Strategic Investment from Northwell Holdings to Accelerate Workforce Management Innovation in Healthcare

Healthcare workforce management software vendor Prolucent announces an undisclosed amount of funding from customer Northwell Health’s investment subsidiary.

Virginia Contractor Settles False Claims Act Liability for Failing to Secure Medicare Beneficiary Data

Federal contractor ASRC Federal Data Solutions will pay $306,722 to settle False Claims Act allegations that it stored unencrypted screenshots of Medicare beneficiary data from CMS systems on a subcontractor’s server.

Morning Headlines 10/18/24

Particle Health Inc. v. Epic Systems Corporation

Epic asks a federal court to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit that Particle Health brought against it, citing several arguments.

CodexIT Acquires Professional Services Company

Healthcare technology and consulting firm CodexIT acquires health data migration and archiving business Kyval from Marsden Advisors.

Bluesight Expands Capabilities Through Acquisition of Sectyr

Hospital medication tracking technology vendor Bluesight acquires Sectyr, which offers 340B audit and compliance tools.

BianLian ransomware claims attack on Boston Children’s Health Physicians

The BianLian group threatens to publish data online that was stolen during an early September ransomware attack on Boston Children’s Hospital.

Surgical Optimization Company Pip Care Raises $5M in New Funding, Led by A1 Health Ventures

Pip Care, developer of surgical optimization software for clinicians and patients, raises $5 million.

Morning Headlines 10/17/24

Oshi Health Raises $60M Series C to Strengthen Its Position as the Category Leader for Virtual Digestive Care

Virtual gastrointestinal clinic Oshi Health raises $60 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raised to $113 million.

Healthie Secures $23M Series B to Continue Building Infrastructure for Longitudinal, Virtual-First Healthcare

EHR and practice management software developer Healthie announces $23 million in Series B funding.

Legion Health Pivots to Digital AI-Enabled Psychiatry, Raises Over $6M

Texas-base Legion Health raises $6.3 million in seed funding as it pivots from connecting providers with digital mental healthcare services to offering telepsychiatry.

Morning Headlines 10/16/24

Walgreens Boots Alliance Reports Fiscal Year 2024 Earnings

Walgreens announces that it will close 1,200 drugstores and reports Q4 results: revenue up 6%, EPS -$3.48 versus -$0.21, beating analyst expectations for both and sending shares sharply up.

Parakeet Health Launches With Generative AI Voice Platform to Transform Patient Engagement for Healthcare Providers

Patient engagement startup Parakeet Health launches its generative AI voice platform for patient communication and raises $3 million in seed funding.

CVS to exit core infusions services business, job cuts possible

CVS Health will exit its infusion business and close or sell 29 related regional pharmacies.

MDisrupt Secures American Heart Association Ventures Investment, Enters Strategic Collaboration for Association Members

MDisrupt, which offers a health technology expert marketplace, receives a $1 million milestone-based investment from the American Heart Association’s newly created venture arm.

UnitedHealth’s stock rocked as a big jump in medication costs hurt profitability

UnitedHealth Group beats analyst expectations for Q3 revenue and earnings per share, but sees shares drop alongside the news that the Change Healthcare cyberattack will cost it $705 million.

Morning Headlines 10/15/24

Resilience Lab Expands Care Delivery for Treatment-Resistant Depression and Other Moderate and Severe Mental Illnesses with the Acquisition of Options MD

Resilience Lab, a digital healthcare company that matches patients with virtual and in-office therapists, acquires virtual mental healthcare provider Options MD, including its proprietary clinical intake and AI-powered clinical decision support software.

Gryphon Healthcare, LLC Notifies Individuals of Data Security Incident

Medical billing company Gryphon Healthcare notifies 400,000 individuals of a third-party data breach that may have exposed patient information.

UMC’s electronic health record systems restored over two weeks after ransomware attack

UMC Health (TX) restores its computer systems after a ransomware attack in late September forced it to divert ambulances and enact downtime procedures.

Morning Headlines 10/14/24

Elad Gil’s Latest AI Bet Is in Health

Ambient documentation vendor Abridge is reportedly raising a $250 million investment that values the company at $2.5 billion.

DEA poised to extend telehealth prescribing rules again

The Drug Enforcement Administration suggests that it will again extend rules that allow prescribing controlled substances from telehealth encounters.

Rhysida Leaks Nursing Home Data, Demands $1.5M From Axis

A ransomware group threatens to publish patient data from Colorado-based behavioral and long-term care provider Axis Health System unless it pays $1.5 million.

Morning Headlines 10/11/24

Glooko Secures $100 Million Series F Financing and Appoints Mike Alvarez as Chief Executive Officer

Diabetes digital health vendor Glooko raises $100 million in a Series F funding round.

Healthcare startup Suki raises $70 million to build AI assistants for hospitals

Ambient documentation software vendor Suki raises $70 million in a Series D funding round that values the company at $500 million.

Fullscript Acquires Rupa Health

Nutritional supplement ordering technology vendor Fullscript acquires Rupa, which offers a specialty lab ordering system.