Digital health news, funding round up in the prior week; June 19, 2023

Simple HealthKit and Walmart partnered; Electronic Caregiver raised $95M; Aya bought Flexwise Health

Top Health News

• Luna, a provider of in-home physical services, partnered with MedStar Health, the largest healthcare system in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, to expand the availability of care in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Northern Virginia. While patients were able to receive care in these areas prior to MedStar, this is Luna's first hospital partnership in these areas. Luna's platform matches eligible patients to therapists based on factors such as specialty, geography, and schedules. Luna's network of local physical therapists then provides care from the comfort of a patient's home. The same therapist treats the patient for the entirety of the treatment plan; between visits, patients can use Luna to communicate with their physical therapists, set appointment times, and perform therapist prescribed and monitored exercises.
• Story Health, a company that uses virtual care and AI technology to bring high acuity cardiac care into the patient's home, partnered with Pearl Health, a company focused on physician enablement and risk bearing in value-based care. Through this partnership, Story Health will deliver cardiology care with a focus on chronic cardiovascular conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, and, arrhythmia. The partnership will give primary care providers access to Story Health’s specialty care model, through which patients receive treatment at home with continuous support. For patients, this means less burden from frequent clinic visits, more convenient medical testing, and seamless medication access with Story Health.
• Emory Healthcare and DispatchHealth, an in-home medical care provider, partnered to offer patients a new option to receive convenient and safe follow-up and/or high acuity medical care in the comfort of their own homes. The collaboration is designed to improve access to healthcare and reduce the total cost of care for patients throughout Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding communities. Working closely with Emory Healthcare, DispatchHealth brings the power of the hospital to the comfort of patients’ homes through three programs: Acute Care, Bridge Care and ED to Home.
• Pear Suite, a digital health company working to empower community health workers and better address the social determinants of health, and OutCare Health, a nonprofit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ health equity, announced their partnership during Pride Month. This collaboration builds on OutCare Health’s eight-year history of connecting the LGBTQ+ community with its network of 3,500 affirming healthcare providers across the country. Beginning this month, OutCare Health will leverage Pear Suite's cutting-edge social care navigation platform, utilizing SDOH data to enable employers, health plans, and healthcare organizations to address the unique healthcare needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. The platform will expand the company’s reach and impact, providing a streamlined and inclusive experience, connecting patients with LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare providers, community health resources, support groups, mentors, and more.
• Capreolos GmbH, developer of an interactive, app-based surgery prehabilitation program for patients, doctors, and clinics, announced the official launch of its first product, the Ready4OP app. The digital companion supports patients preparing for major operations. Capreolos provides evidence based, scientifically sound information and useful facts about surgery and hospital stays. The Ready4OP app also provides a guide to questions for doctor-patient discussions. It is intended to help patients and their care givers to optimally prepare for the first consultation with their surgeon. In everyday medical practice, general practitioners and other non-surgical specialists are often unable to fully cover all the relevant information and provide this support to their patients.
• Spatially Health, a cloud-based, health equity platform focused on identifying and addressing social determinants of healt and health equity barriers, was selected by ilumed, an Accountable Care Organization REACH comprised of more than 2,600 physicians and 56,000 Medicare patients. Spatially Health will work with ilumed to identify and address challenges in health equity that influence the organization’s patients. This will be accomplished by utilizing Spatially Health's Equity Equalizer platform, which will pinpoint specific obstacles to each patient's health equity and recommend tailored solutions to stimulate patient involvement and boost the effectiveness of healthcare management strategies, culminating in better health results.
• KeyCare, an Epic-based virtual care company, announced that it has partnered with Captive Health to deliver high-quality virtual care with licensed providers (aka Virtualists) to its covered members, including employees participating in Captive Health's health plan for employers. Patients can get care wherever and whenever needed by having a virtual visit through the MyChart patient portal or through Captive Health's mobile application.
• Simple HealthKit partnered with Walmart to bring at-home diagnostic tests, including diabetes, respiratory wellness and sexual wellness labs, to the largest retailer in the world. Through Walmart's website, customers can purchase tests bolstered by Simple HealthKit’s end-to-end healthcare infrastructure including testing, follow-up and treatment. The digital health company’s HbA1c test identifies key markers for Type 2 diabetes. Respiratory wellness tests include influenza A, influenza B and respiratory syncytial virus. In light of a decrease in sexual health testing during the pandemic, customers can test for three of the most common STDs at home, chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis.
• Clarify Health, a healthcare analytics and value-based payments platform company, announced its newest program to improve specialist referrals delivered through its Clarify Advance solution. The new and improved micro-targeted incentive program rewards primary care physicians for referring patients to the highest quality, most affordable specialists in their geography. Like all Clarify Advance programs, including its site-of-service selection programs, it leverages behavioral economics to positively influence decision-making to improve care outcomes and lower cost.
• ARC, Sheba Medical Center's innovation platform, selected Deloitte Consulting LLP to forge a unique collaboration fueled by a shared vision to help revolutionize and transform health care organizations. This agreement harnesses the power of ARC's model, which has already made significant strides in Israel and numerous centers across the globe. Paired with Deloitte Consulting LLP's vast experience in Life Science and Health care professional services, this collaboration sets the stage for the widespread implementation of the ARC model in innovation centers worldwide and brings forth a new era of transformative innovation.
• STAT Health emerged from stealth to introduce a 24/7 in-ear wearable that measures blood flow to the head to better understand symptoms such as dizziness, brain fog, headaches, fainting, and fatigue that occur upon standing. These are common symptoms for illnesses like long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and other orthostatic (caused by standing) syndromes that affect more than 13 million Americans. Clinically tested at Johns Hopkins and peer-reviewed in the March 2023 issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the device has been shown to predict fainting minutes before it happens.
• CirrusMD, creater of a virtual first primary care platform that connects patients with a doctor in less than 60 seconds, and RecoveryOne announced a partnership to help improve access to care, supported by virtual primary care physicians and on-demand physical therapy resources. Together, CirrusMD and RecoveryOne will provide a seamless model of care for MSK patients that enables treatment and referrals from physicians to ensure the best mode of care is determined, then delivered and supported by a personalized recovery Pathway.
• CareRev, a technology platform that connects healthcare facilities with qualified local professionals, announced the launch of the industry's first artificial intelligence-based shift pricing system, Smart Rates. CareRev's Smart Rates draws from health systems' economic, performance, and market data to automatically adjust wages on demand. This allows health systems to take the guesswork out of shift rates to improve staffing management and fill more shifts in less time. Fully integrated within the CareRev platform, Smart Rates provides facilities with automated, cost-effective and competitive rates to consistently engage qualified healthcare professionals in the local area. The technology is mobilized when uploading shifts, so that staffing managers can fill shifts faster and eliminate the need to boost shift rates at the last minute. Within minutes, Smart Rates provides optimized rate recommendations for upcoming available shifts.
• Uber Health, Uber’s healthcare arm, announced it will soon add grocery and over-the-counter item delivery to its centralized HIPAA-enabled platform. Payers and providers nationwide will soon be able to use the same platform they already use for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) and prescription delivery to have groceries and OTC items delivered directly to patient homes, facilitated by Uber Eats. The platform will simplify and enhance the entire patient journey—from getting to a primary care appointment to accessing critical prescriptions and groceries.
• Recharge Capital, a private investment firm, announced the successful closure of the first tranche of its Women’s Healthcare Investment Vehicle, backed with funding from investors including Peter Thiel of Thiel Capital, The Olayan Family of the Olayan Group, Blue Lion Group, The Al Rashid Family of the Salmira Investment Fund, Shamrock Holdings of the Disney Family, the Ozmen Family of the Sierra Nevada Corporation, Ian Osborne of Hedosophia, Frank Liu of Texas-based Lovett, and other renowned investment groups.
• Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Limited announced a Sponsored Research Agreement with Mass General Brigham. With more than 80,000 employees, 13 Nobel laureates and an annual research budget of $2 billion, Mass General Brigham is one of the largest and most prestigious academic medical centers in the United States. Under the agreement up to eight research groups at Mass General Brigham will be funded on select projects over the course of two years.
• Breast Cancer Canada, a national charity dedicated to saving lives through breast cancer research, announced a new research grant in collaboration with AstraZeneca Canada, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company and Illumina, a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies. Breast Cancer Canada also announced the recipients of its annual Precision Oncology Research Grants. Breast Cancer Canada and AstraZeneca Canada will together award $200,000 to Canadian research teams using precision diagnostics and AI technology to advance the screening and detection of breast cancer. Illumina will help fuel the collaboration by providing in-kind donations of sequencing consumables. Eligible research teams must be focused on the discovery and development of advancing quality testing and analysis techniques for the general population in screening for breast cancer, accelerating the new age of personalized medicine. Breast Cancer Canada and AstraZeneca Canada will be looking for researchers that utilize new precision or personalized technology, including blood tests or imaging that identify breast cancer during screening, and machine learning that assists clinicians with more accurate breast cancer detection. The submission period will open on July 3, 2023.
• Nordic VC firm Voima Ventures announced its third fund with an initial closing of €90 million and a final target of €120 million, focusing on early-stage "deep tech" startups from across the science sphere. Founded out of Helsinki, Finland, in 2019, Voima Ventures targets companies at the pre- and seed-stage, mostly involving startups emerging from university labs and related research institutions. Voima also occasionally delves into later stage investments where it involves existing portfolio companies, and its typical areas include companies working on sustainability, life science and health, and other "groundbreaking" technologies such as quantum computing.
• Quantum Health, a consumer healthcare navigation and care coordination company, announced the extension of its comprehensive benefits program to include AndHealth’s migraine disease reversal program available to Quantum Health’s employee base, also known as Healthcare Warriors®, and members of the Quantum Health health plan over the age of 18. Given Quantum Health’s employee interest in migraine care and support, AndHealth was selected to enhance the benefits offering based off of their successful achievement of life-changing patient outcomes, and strong, guaranteed ROI. As the leader in healthcare navigation, Quantum Health is committed to rigorously evaluating healthcare solutions for value and outcomes for its clients and, with this same rigor, brings vetted programs to their own employees.
• ICRI, Preparing You for Careers of Tomorrow, announced its partnership with Aakash  Super Speciality Hospital, a medical institution, to offer advanced training programs in BSc Radiology and BSc Medical Lab Technology. This alliance aims to provide students with comprehensive industry-oriented education and equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their careers.
• TheMathCompany, a data analytics and engineering firm, announced a partnership with healthcare technology company Komodo Health. Through this partnership, TheMathCompany will gain access to Komodo’s technology platform, powered by the Healthcare Map to support the unique analytic needs of its global healthcare clients. MathCo will leverage this partnership with Komodo along with its enhanced AI capabilities to power a range of patient and healthcare provider use cases for its clients, from Clinical Development and Commercial teams to Medical Affairs and HEOR business functions within the pharmaceutical industry. 
• Vantage Health Technologies, an international health technology provider, part of the BroadReach Group, partnered with Nigeria’s Network for Health Equity and Development, a public health and development non-profit organisation. NHED harnesses the power of AI and long-term in-country contextual expertise in health advocacy to build strong governance and health systems across Nigeria’s public health system. The Nigeria health system is overburdened, and resource constrained resulting in poor health outcomes. Nigeria has the 4th highest burden of HIV in the world, accounting for 35% of all cases in East and West Africa and has a high prevalence of both malaria and TB. The powerful partnership between NHED and Vantage provides the support needed by the health system and its healthcare managers and workforce to be more efficient and effective with the resources available.
• NextGen Healthcare, a provider of cloud-based healthcare technology solutions, announced that Associated Urologists of North Carolina has expanded its implementation to include NextGen Enterprise EHR. AUNC serves communities throughout North Carolina and comprises over 20 independent urology providers who came together in 2011 to form one large urology group. The organization was already using NextGen® Enterprise Practice Management and wanted to consolidate disparate solutions to stabilize its health IT environment and gain efficiencies. AUNC will also implement NextGen® Urology Suite, which seamlessly incorporates urology-specific workflows within the NextGen Enterprise EHR. The organization is leveraging NextGen Healthcare’s managed cloud services offered through Amazon Web Services and has also adopted NextGen Virtual Visits™ and NextGen Mobile with NextGen Remote Scribe Services.
• Innovar Healthcare and HI-BRIDGE HIE, a health information exchange organization, announced their strategic alliance. This new partnership aims to bolster project management, development, and reporting support for the robust technology platform HI-BRIDGE HIE engages to power its health information exchange, NextGen Health Data Hub. HDH is an innovative, cloud-based platform that ensures secure and comprehensive patient health data distribution, aggregated from multiple sources. HDH provides HIE administrators the capability to create a rules-driven data exchange environment, promoting the automated circulation of patient data across the healthcare community. With built-in patient matching, an API-first design, dedicated support for behavioral health data protection, and a provider portal, HDH handles all clinical data types utilized by in-patient and ambulatory health systems. 
• iN2L + LifeLoop, provider of a comprehensive engagement, wellness, and community operations platform for the senior living industry, announced an expanded partnership with Trilogy Health Services, an industry-leading operator of senior living communities throughout five states. The expanded partnership is a result of a successful pilot program that was implemented throughout several Trilogy Health Services campuses. During the pilot program, the iN2L + LifeLoop engagement technology received overwhelmingly positive feedback on its ease of use and innovative tools to help residents, families and staff improve the aging experience.
• Bionik Laboratories, a robotics company providing neurological functional recovery solutions to stroke survivors and others with mobility challenges, grew its partnership with Lifepoint Health, announcing today its four new installations of the InMotion ARM robotic device in Phoenix, Arizona, Sacramento, California, Brownsburg, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, to deliver quality stroke recovery care. Lifepoint Health has been an industry leader in delivering outstanding care to some of the nation’s most medically complex patients, managing about 37 rehabilitation hospitals in the United States. Bionik’s partnership with Lifepoint Health provides their Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities with their InMotion ARM robotic devices, to help Lifepoint Health’s already-existing roster of patients recover from stroke, brain, and spinal cord injuries.
• MedCerts, a provider of online career training in allied health and information technology, announced a new partnership with online learning platform Coursera (NYSE: COUR) that will offer healthcare courses to learners around the world. Launching on Coursera on June 15th, the new, beginner-level Specialization program will cover Medical Billing and Coding. It will be available to the more than 124 million registered learners on Coursera globally. The Specialization comprised of multiple courses, is designed to be completed in a matter of weeks, and will incorporate MedCerts’ 12 Elements of eLearning in a digestible, accessible format. This initial launch is the first of many MedCerts Specializations planned to be offered through this partnership.
• European Wellness Biomedical Group announced its partnership with HK VJM Ltd and NCL Solutions Sdn Bhd. EW Group will provide its expertise and experience in research, development, formulation, and production of nutraceuticals, skincare and cosmeceuticals, and therapeutics products, while Sinopharm will leverage its global reach and distribution network to help EW Group achieve greater heights on the world stage. Over 1,000 SKUs of EW Group's proprietary products will be sold and distributed under Sinopharm. The partnership will include the development of co-branded products and the creation of world-class health centres, which will be equipped with cutting-edge technology and staffed by highly trained healthcare professionals. Through this collaboration, both parties aim to bring world-class healthcare services and products to a wider audience and to provide accessible, affordable and innovative healthcare solutions to people around the world.
• VBA, a technology company for healthcare payers, announced a partnership with The Phia Group to integrate the Ignite claims repricing engine and PROS case tracking solution with the VBASoftware core administrative processing system and the VBAGateway portal solution. By integrating the Ignite claims repricing tool with VBASoftware, healthcare payers have access to real-time repricing of claims that is based on benchmark data for similar services performed by local providers and adjusted for severity. Payers can also utilize the cost and quality data to advise consumers about which providers offer the most value for a specific service or procedure.
• BetterHelp, an online therapy platform, announced a new partnership with Grammy-nominated rapper Logic. As part of the partnership, BetterHelp is excited to offer Logic's fans one month of free therapy sessions. Those who are new to BetterHelp can visit betterhelp.com/logic to claim their free month and get matched with a licensed therapist online. In addition, BetterHelp will sponsor Logic's new podcast, “Logically Speaking,” which explores the themes of artistry, mental health, therapy, addiction and music. The podcast, set to launch this spring, will feature discussions between Logic and various guests – including artists, athletes, actors, therapists, and other experts in the field of mental health. Listeners can tune in for candid conversations about the challenges of being an artist, how to manage mental health, and the benefits of therapy.
• Vodafone joined a host of inaugural partners committed to investment in life sciences R&D as part of a new Paddington Life Sciences Partners collaboration. It comes as Vodafone builds its interests in UK health-tech development via partnerships and in-house consulting. Imperial College Healthcare, an NHS Trust based in Paddington, London, described Vodafone and its twelve fellow Life Sciences Partners as an “influential group” of NHS, industry, and academic organisations, working to enable health-tech innovation. The Partners will be key drivers of the emerging Paddington Life Science cluster, hosted at and around St Mary’s Hospital.
• Walgreens and Freenome announced a multi-year relationship to advance clinical studies of Freenome’s blood-based tests for the early detection of cancer. Walgreens will combine its national footprint, patient insights, compliant recruitment technology and local infrastructure to engage diverse patient populations in Freenome’s multi-cancer research program. Working together with technology provider Curebase, Walgreens will initially recruit patients across diverse populations for Freenome’s Sanderson Study, which aims to evaluate blood-based early detection tests for multiple cancers. Using Curebase’s platform, Walgreens will deliver targeted outreach to potentially eligible patients and caregivers of all backgrounds via text, email or in-person consultation at the pharmacy. After completing a pre-screen, eligible patients are invited to enroll in the study. Walgreens healthcare providers will then perform a single blood draw at one of the company’s clinical trial locations and conduct a telehealth patient follow-up one year after their participation.
• Velvaere, a new residential wellness community conceptualized by Magleby Development located adjacent to Park City's iconic Deer Valley Resort, and Fountain Life, a preventative health and longevity company committed to transforming global healthcare from reactive to proactive, announced a partnership to provide Velvaere residents access to early health screenings and precision diagnostics to the community's 115 residences. This collaboration marks the first time that Fountain Life has partnered with a residential community to provide its AI-enabled technologies.
• Mednow, an  on-demand virtual pharmacy, announced that the company has executed a Preferred Pharmacy Agreement with ServicePlus, a leading provider of Member Benefit and rewards services. The agreement allows ServicePlus members to leverage enhanced services and preferred pricing from Mednow digital pharmacy and healthcare platform to its clients and plan members. As part of the partnership, ServicePlus members will also have access to discounts on Mednow services and products, as well as additional rewards and perks through the ServicePlus platform.
• Health Gorilla, a Health Information Network and interoperability provider, announced a new partnership with Humana Puerto Rico to enhance care coordination for its members. Through this collaboration, Health Gorilla will provide Admission, Discharge, and Transfer data to Humana Puerto Rico powered by established network connections on the island. Traditionally, payers have relied on claims data to gather critical patient information, however there can be significant delays between when the service occurs and when the claim is received. The exchange of real-time ADT data will enable Humana Puerto Rico to quickly and accurately identify when a patient is admitted to or discharged from a hospital or transferred between different care facilities. This information will enable case management teams to reach out to members and providers to approve tests and coordinate care in a timely manner to reduce the risk of errors or duplicative procedures.
• Nisum, a global digital consulting firm specializing in digital transformation and IT services, and CharmHealth, a provider of comprehensive healthcare technology solutions, announced their strategic partnership. This collaboration brings together the expertise of two industry leaders to deliver innovative healthcare solutions and drive digital transformation in the healthcare sector. Nisum's commitment to delivering tailored solutions and fostering business agility aligns perfectly with CharmHealth's mission to provide comprehensive healthcare technology solutions.
• Everside Health, a national direct primary care provider, announced an exclusive contract to provide advanced primary care to the California Field Ironworkers Trust Funds, one of the largest unions in the state. This partnership will bring affordable, accessible, and convenient primary and mental health care to 34,000 union members and their dependents via near-site health centers and virtual access. The partnership includes 18 new health centers spanning California, Nevada, and Arizona. The first phase of these centers is scheduled to open by the summer of 2023, with all remaining centers opening by the end of the year. This partnership will expand Everside’s footprint to over 400 physical locations across the United States.
• PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East, announced a strategic partnership with the Israel-based Sheba Medical Center, one of the world’s leading medical research institutions. The two will work closely together on joint clinical research projects, promote the use of advanced technology in healthcare, expand genetic research initiatives, collaborate on staff training, and boost health tourism in both countries. The collaboration will also focus on education and training. Both parties will jointly organize conferences, workshops, and events, and create clinical specialization projects and internships. Medical staff from each institution will also be able to broaden their experience by immersing themselves in the dynamic environment of the partner organization.
• Esaal, a technology platform for online health and wellness consultations in the MENA region, announced an exclusive and pioneering partnership with multinational insurance services company, Allianz Insurance company in Egypt. The exclusive collaboration will see Esaal provide its one-stop-shop automated healthcare solutions to fully cover the medical, health and mental well being services for Allianz Insurance company in Egypt clients and employees, starting in Egypt, once granted the necessary approval from the relevant authorities. With plans to repeat this type of partnerships with other success partners through the wider Middle East and North Africa region. Notably, the partnership will enable Allianz customers and staff in Egypt to easily access comprehensive mental and nutrition consultations on top of their existing insurance plans.
• BC Platforms, a global leader in healthcare data management and analytics, announced the addition of one of Brazil’s leading cardiology centres, Hospital do Coração, to its Global Data Partner network, BCRQUEST.COM, to drive insights into drug discovery and development through analytics and realize the potential of real-world data worldwide. HCor is a multidisciplinary healthcare institution, established as a reference centre of excellence in cardiology with expertise in over fifty specialties. HCor possesses valuable longitudinal patient data, including on cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke. Today BCRQUEST.COM holds rich real-world data from more than 65 million patient lives on 6 continents including North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
• Masimo and Community Health System announced that CHS is adopting a variety of advanced Masimo monitoring technologies and solutions across its campuses. CHS, a large four-hospital network, provides all levels of care across the Central Valley area of California, and is standardizing on Masimo SET® pulse oximetry and deploying 800 Root Vital Signs Monitoring and Connectivity Hubs and 200 Rad-97 Pulse CO-Oximeters with NomoLine capnography, system-wide.
• Cognetivity Neurosciences announced a strategic partnership with Clairvo Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni Corporation aimed at revolutionizing brain health and addressing dementia-related challenges in Japan. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, this partnership seeks to enhance preventative care and promote healthy aging within the Japanese population. As part of the collaboration, Clairvo, a leading company in medical AI diagnostic imaging products, will join forces with Cognetivity, renowned for its novel technology and testing platform CognICA. Together, they aim to integrate CognICA into Clairvo's existing AI portfolio of health and wellness products, providing innovative cognitive monitoring capabilities to the Japanese population.
• Artera, a SaaS digital health leader in patient communications, announced Artera Harmony, which orchestrates patient messaging throughout an entire organization by integrating digital vendors across the health system's ecosystem, managing communication workflows from multiple departments, and prioritizing messaging importance and timing. The result: patients receive the correct messages, at the correct time, in the correct order, from a single provider phone number, within a consistent communications thread defined by the patients' preferred communication channel and language.
• Lane Health and United Care Consortium announced they have entered into an agreement for Lane Health to provide their benefit spending account solutions to United Care Consortium clients. Through this strategic partnership, United Care Consortium clients can offer their employees Lane Health’s health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts and Commuter accounts, as well as the groundbreaking Advance line of credit, issued by WebBank.
• Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT, a provider of particle accelerator technology and proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, and Particle Therapy Interuniversity Center Leuven, announced they initiated a Research Partnership for the development of ConformalFLASH. As part of the collaboration, IBA will enable the FLASH configuration in the clinical proton therapy system of PARTICLE to facilitate preclinical research on FLASH therapy. Researchers from UZ Leuven, KU Leuven and UCLouvain will perform preclinical experiments to evaluate the FLASH effect on normal tissue toxicity using IBA’s Proteus ONE. In the future, this could lead to new clinical functionality for patients.
• The Mason Center for Healthcare Education partnered with MedCerts, an online certification training provider in allied healthcare and information technology, to offer MedCerts’ full catalog. The Mason Center provides state and nationally recognized certification programs, convenient access to training, real-world clinical experience, connection with potential employers, and financial assistance for those who qualify. As Tennessee hospital administrators report struggles to fill healthcare positions, the Mason Center’s collaboration with MedCerts aims to address those shortages and prepare the workforce of the future.
• The Leidos Partnership for Defense Health announced that it successfully delivered the MHS GENESIS electronic health record to an additional 6,800 Department of Defense clinicians and providers as part of its final continental United States wave deployment (Wave WRIGHT-PATTERSON). The wave spans seven Military Treatment Facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Additionally, LPDH deployed MHS GENESIS to users at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii, Maryland, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Virginia.
• Reliance Matrix, an employee benefits company and provider of technology enabled absence and productivity services, announced its partnership as part of the Carrier Partner Program with Alight, a cloud-based human capital technology and services provider. This new partnership empowers Reliance Matrix to begin connecting its proprietary data integration platform, Matrixlink, to Alight’s employee experience platform, Alight Worklife, for mutual absence and employee benefits clients.
• Alcanza Clinical Research, an investigator site network, announced a strategic partnership with Reveles, a provider of equity-driven decentralized clinical trials. Guided by the leadership of diverse chief executive officers R'Kes D. Starling of Reveles and Carlos Orantes of Alcanza, the collaboration is designed to foster health equity through a focus on next-generation hybrid decentralized models. A range of decentralized tools and services, including in-home clinical trial support services, direct-to-patient shipping and technology that enable home-based participation will help lower the burden of clinical trial participation in traditionally underrepresented and marginalized communities. This partnership concentrates its efforts on Black and Brown underrepresented communities in urban and mixed urban-rural areas spanning Detroit, Michigan, central Virginia, the greater Charleston region in South Carolina, and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area of Texas.
• Koneksa, a digital biomarkers company, announced a partnership with Beacon Biosignals, the leading computational neurodiagnostics company, to launch a clinical trial to investigate the integration of Beacon’s at-home electroencephalogram into the Koneksa Neuroscience Solution Toolkit. The Beacon Platform unlocks longitudinal, at-home EEG technology, applies machine-learning algorithms to maximize insights into brain activity, and empowers sponsors with comprehensive data analysis and data visualization capabilities. The LEARNS study will investigate the Koneksa neuroscience solution, as well as the Beacon Biosignals platform, applied to at-home EEG, compared with in-clinic polysomnography, in neurological and sleep disorders. Current cohorts in the LEARNS study include Parkinson’s disease, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and mild cognitive impairment.
• The Pistoia Alliance, a global, not-for-profit alliance that advocates for greater collaboration in life sciences R&D, announced a new partnership with Matador Japan KK, experts in the Japanese pharmaceutical sector, to enable pre-competitive collaboration in the Japanese market. The Alliance and Matador share the vision that bringing together experts from diverse backgrounds and experiences will enable companies to deploy new technologies and solve common R&D challenges faster and more effectively. By joining forces, the Alliance and Matador will help members accelerate research and grant them access to a truly global pharmaceutical ecosystem.
• Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, Hub71, partnered with Sanofi, to accelerate the development and commercialization of cutting-edge technologies in healthcare. Through the strategic partnership, the companies aim to improve patient care and strengthen healthcare systems for the benefit of communities in the UAE and beyond. The collaboration will pilot and validate innovative HealthTech applications that complement both Sanofi’s commercial priorities and Hub71’s growing startup community. As part of the agreement, Sanofi will present Hub71 startups with use cases and business development opportunities to drive breakthrough innovation in healthcare. With a mission to advance the UAE’s HealthTech industry, Hub71 and Sanofi will also foster greater collaboration among industry leaders to bolster local knowledge and expertise.
• Axxess, a technology innovator for healthcare at home, announced a new partnership with QAPIplus, a quality management software solution purpose-built for home health and hospice organizations. This will ease the burden on clinical and operational teams, enabling higher performance and better outcomes for patients and families. Home health and hospice organizations will soon have access to a customized QAPIplus-Axxess interface for outcome-based continuous quality improvement and data-driven clinical decision-making.
• Walgreens partnered with Greater Than HIV, a public information initiative of KFF, along with health departments and community organizations, to provide free HIV testing and counseling as part of the largest National HIV Testing Day event in the nation. Hundreds of local health departments and community organizations will be at more than 400 Walgreens stores offering free, confidential and fast HIV test results.
• NovAccess Global Inc, a biomedical company developing novel immunotherapies for brain tumor patients, announced a partnership with Thailand-based CKN Ventures Limited, a multifaceted clinical and commercial healthcare platform, to expand clinical data set access in Southeast Asia to enhance and accelerate personalized therapeutics and treatment protocols. This partnership supports NovAccess Global's new Precision Medicine Division, launched earlier this month, to develop the most comprehensive collection of personalized therapeutics and treatment protocols using artificial intelligence, Big Data and Predictive technologies.
• Applied StemCell and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine partnered as Industry Resource Partners. ASC is offering its IP-based gene insertion technology and TARGATT iPSC master cell line, along with resources to support cell therapy process development and GMP manufacturing, to CIRM Translational and Clinical awardees. Additionally, the award recipients will gain access to Applied StemCell’s newly expanded GMP clean room suites dedicated to iPSC, MSC, and cell manufacturing, animal facilities, and state-of-the-art equipment. The partnership focuses on increasing accessibility to ASC’s TARGATT master iPSCs and its wild type induced pluripotent stem cell master cell bank and working cell bank, as well as the necessary proprietary culture conditions to ensure genomic stability of iPSCs. Furthermore, awardees will have access to ASC's CDMO services and its upcoming new technologies SSelect (Single-step site-specific, efficient, large-cargo targeting) and ceBE-X (with no off-target gene editing). These comprehensive services will be provided at ASC's newly established GMP suites in the heart of the Bay Area, California. The collaboration makes ASC’s key resources accessible to CIRM-funded programs.
• Nourish Care announced a strategic partnership with BookJane, a provider of healthcare workforce management and flexible scheduling solutions. Through this collaboration, Nourish will now assist care providers seeking to adopt BookJane’s groundbreaking Software-as-a-Service Platform, J360 Workforce, across the United Kingdom. This collaboration brings together the expertise and experience of two industry-leading companies to revolutionise the way health and care providers manage their operations, enhance care, and streamline administrative processes.
• Weave, an all-in-one customer communication and engagement platform for small- and medium-sized businesses, announced their newest integration with DSN, a dental practice management software featuring tools and processes designed to streamline office efficiency and productivity. This integration combines DSN’s robust EHR solutions with Weave’s award-winning patient engagement software to help offices save time and money while also providing the best patient experience possible. Estimates show that offices leveraging Weave's automated appointment reminders have unlocked up to 3 additional hours per week, which can then be allocated to other essential tasks and priorities.
• Adhera Health, an adaptive self-management technology company, announced that it has signed an agreement to conduct a clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of the Adhera Fatigue Digital Program for patients with type 2 diabetes with Universidad Veracruzana Institute of Health Sciences in Mexico. The clinical study, expected to commence in the Summer of 2023, will be performed in an outpatient setting in patients undergoing treatment for Type 2 diabetes. The study objective is to further validate the Adhera Fatigue Digital Program’s capabilities to improve the self-management of people with Type 2 diabetes and thus their glycemic control, in a non-invasive manner.
• Health law firm Hill Dickinson and Healthcare Innovation Consortium, a digital health and social care agency, entered into a strategic partnership to support the digital transformation of the NHS. The UK government’s vision for digital health and social care emphasises the vital role of digital foundations in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the healthcare sector. Hill Dickinson and HIC are joining forces to offer a comprehensive and tailored solution to NHS clients, fostering a thriving ecosystem of innovation at the local, regional, and national levels. Drawing on their respective areas of expertise, Hill Dickinson and HIC will provide bespoke support packages throughout the entire digital journey, from strategy development to project completion. Their combined solution will empower NHS providers and systems to effectively implement digital technologies and drive positive change across the healthcare landscape.
• Music and entertainment streaming platform Anghami partnered with shopping mall group Majid Al Futtaim to raise awareness about mental health. Anghami initiated “Sukoon — Your Mindful Circle” in May, a scheme that aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for people to engage in conversations about mental health topics including grief, trauma, and abuse. As part of the initiative, users interacted with mental health experts on the app anonymously. The partnership with Majid Al Futtaim is another step in Anghami’s efforts to raise mental health awareness.
• Yolo Health Foundation and HealthATM India, in partnership with the respective state governments, government hospitals, and private hospitals, are poised to bring a healthcare revolution to Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, by launching 500 state-of-the-art Health ATMs in the next 2 months. These Health ATMs aim at providing primary and preventive healthcare services, making it easily accessible to the public. This pioneering initiative marks a significant milestone in bridging the gap in healthcare access, empowering individuals, and fostering healthier communities.
• PacBio, a developer of high-quality, highly accurate sequencing solutions announced a clinical research study with Radboud University Medical Center to explore genetic causes of rare and genetic diseases. Together with Radboud’s Department of Human Genetics, which is one of the largest academic centers for human genetics in Europe, PacBio aims to uncover genetic origins of rare and genetic diseases. The study will also explore the feasibility and cost effectiveness of using PacBio’s HiFi sequencing technology as part of routine clinical use.

M&A 

• Thirty Madison, a virtual-first health clinic, acquired assets, including 100,000 patient files and intellectual property, from The Pill Club
• Australian Pharmaceutical Industries Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wesfarmers Limited, entered into an agreement to acquire telehealth businesses InstantScripts
• INEX INNOVATE, a molecular diagnostics group specialising in fetal and women's health, entered an agreement with Yourgene PLC to acquire its Taiwan genomics business Yourgene Health
• Jackson Healthcare, a family of healthcare staffing, search and technology companies, completed its acquisition of LRS Healthcare, a provider of medical staffing
• Resource Label Group, a full-service provider of label and packaging solution, acquired Pharmaceutic Litho and Label Company, a manufacturer of printed inserts, labels, and packaging components for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device manufacturers
• EvokAI Creative Labs, a MedTech AI-powered company dedicated to the development of  technologies for the healthcare sector, completed its acquisition of NeuroCarrier Oy, a company that combines cognitive neuroscience, extended reality, and AI technologies for enhanced performance screening and spatial perception of a person as well as risk behavior
• Petauri Health, a pharmaceutical services platform, acquired The Kinetix Group, a strategic advisory, access marketing, and medical affairs agency
• Aya Healthcare, a healthcare talent software and staffing company, acquired Flexwise Health, which forecasts gaps in patient demand and staffing levels to assist hospitals in optimizing resource allocation and cost
• BurstIQ, a provider of data-driven healthcare solutions, acquired Olive AI's business intelligence solution
• Grovecourt Capital Partners, a private equity firm, acquired Premier Radiology Services, a provider of teleradiology services
• Verb Biotics, a microbiome innovation company, acquired YSOPIA Bioscience's strain and IP portfolio targeted for human health and wellness
• MiCare Path, a digital health company that optimizes patient care, acquired SmarTrac, a smart patient compliance sensor, from OnTracMD
• ValiRx, a biomedical innovation company, acquired scientific assets from pharmaceutical services company Imagen Therapeutics
• Novartis entered into an agreement to acquire Chinook Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with two high-value, late-stage medicines in development for rare, severe chronic kidney diseases

Funding Roundup 

• The Wound Company, an on-demand wound and ostomy care delivery company, launched with $4.25 million
• Range Biotechnologies, a proteomics-focused biotech company that has developed a translational platform to enable better diagnostics and faster drug development, raised $5.2 million
• Octave, a provider of outcomes-focused behavioral health care, raised $52 million
• Medivis, a medical technology company dedicated to advancing surgical care with augmented reality and artificial intelligence, raised $20 million
• Oova, a provider of women’s health and fertility solutions, raised $10.3 million
• Anise Health, a culturally-responsive digital mental health company, raised $1.2 million
• Klinrisk, an artificial intelligence-based medical device company, raised an undisclosed amount of funding 
• Electronic Caregiver, a provider of advanced TeleCare services, raised $95 million
• Oshi Health, a virtual gastrointestinal care company, raised an undisclosed amount of funding 
• evolvedMD, a provider of integrated Collaborative Care Management services in primary care, raised $14 million
• VIVOLTA, a developer and manufacturer of electrospun medical products, raised €7 million
• Medivis, a medical technology company with the mission to establish augmented reality as the new standard in surgical navigation, raised $20 million

(Image source: pmlive.com)