Digital health news, funding round up in the prior week; May 22, 2023

BetterUp partnered with Carahsoft; HippocraticAI raised $50M; CVS shuts down clinical trial business

Top Health News

• Steer Health, an AI-driven Automation & Growth Platform, announced the launch of its self-service patient platform for hospitals. Steer Concierge captures, reports, and tracks patient requests during hospitalization. The tool empowers patients during their hospital stay 24/7, while significantly reducing the workload for nurses and administrative staff. Steer Health's Steer Concierge is launching in select hospitals and will roll out nationwide over the next six months.
• Medivolve announced that it has established Medivolve Management Services in Puerto Rico to serve as a management services organization. The Company, through the MSO utilizing the telehealth platform currently in development, intends to coordinate physician/patient interactions, provide medical billing and practice management services, and facilitate access to diagnostic testing and pharmacy services in partnership with qualified health practitioners and in reliance on services provided by Medivolve’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Collection Sites and Medivolve Pharmacy. 
• HealthCare Royalty, a royalty acquisition company, and Sagard Healthcare, Sagard’s biopharmaceutical royalties investment strategy, acquired a portion of the royalty rights due to uniQure N.V. a gene therapy company advancing transformative therapies for patients with severe medical needs, from CSL Behring
• Thorne HealthTech, a company delivering innovative solutions for a personalized approach to health and wellness, announced that it is entering into a research and development partnership agreement with Arome Science, a leader in metabolomics, to develop a next-generation metabolomics test. Arome Science and Thorne will collaborate to develop a commercial metabolomics wellness test. The test will be used to support research studies using at-home blood collection via Thorne's OneDraw medical device. The metabolomics test will be further developed and validated for an eventual offering in the consumer space.
• DeviceLab and Nouslogic Telehealth signed a strategic partnership for the development and marketing of next generation, wireless medical devices and remote patient monitoring systems. The partnership brings together two leaders in their respective fields of engineering excellence.
• MedTech startup mymedicalimages.com announced a partnership with The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation to support BMCF's mission to provide comprehensive support to cancer and transplant patients. An important part of BMCF's outreach efforts is their award-winning CancerBuddy app, which is the first app-based social support network for people fighting cancer, their families, and survivors. As part of the partnership, mymedicalimages.com will become a marquee-promoted service on CancerBuddy.
• BriaCell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in targeted immunotherapies for cancer, announced that the Company has signed a Master Service and Technology Agreement agreement with Prevail InfoWorks, a Contract Research Organization, to provide clinical services and technologies for BriaCell’s upcoming pivotal study in advanced metastatic breast cancer. Services include clinical site coordination, project management, clinical monitoring and pharmacovigilance (safety management) services, and the use of InfoWork’s integrated real-time data analytics platform, The Single Interface, for clinical support and real-time data analysis.
• Alife Health, a technology company building AI tools to advance fertility care, announced the launch of its mobile application to help patients navigate their IVF journey from beginning to end. The Alife app is free for all iPhone users, offering easy-to-use test result tracking, medication and appointment reminders, educational information, and a timeline to prepare for next steps.
• Swift Health Medical Group, a primary care and urgent care group, has adopted remote patient monitoring program. New RPM care and reimbursement guidelines set by CMS allows the Physicians to utilize technology to monitor patients remotely and enhanced analytics are enabling clinicians to effectively monitor, interact, and treat patients remotely. Using a software platform, and FDA approved clinical devices with cellular technology and a virtual monitoring care team of licensed clinical staff that provides the continuity of care for patients enrolled in the RPM program, the clinical staff records the patient clinical interactions and vital signs are collected and transmitted to the treating clinicians. Therefore, if the patient’s vital signs, e.g., blood pressure, weight, continuous glucose monitoring etc. are not within the designated acceptable range, the patients would be contacted, and physicians notified.
• Datavant, a data ecosystem that enables healthcare stakeholders, such as patients, providers, payers, health analytics companies, and life sciences companies, to securely and compliantly exchange patient-level data, announced that it is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help those stakeholders get insights into those patients based on that shared data. Through this partnership, healthtech organizations, such as pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, research institutions, and healthtech companies, can access Datavant’s data de-identification technology in AWS: they can connect to hundreds of real world data partners in the Datavant ecosystem through AWS Clean Rooms, where they can analyze and collaborate on their collective datasets to gain new insights, without sharing or copying one another’s underlying data or having to move it outside of AWS.
• Hello Heart, a digital therapeutic that focuses exclusively on heart health, announced the launch of the platform’s latest feature, a heart health service that provides menopausal women with the tools and information they need to take control of their heart health. Women in menopause have up to almost 3 times a higher risk of cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks, than premenopausal women of the same age. The new feature will empower women going through menopause to have meaningful discussions with their medical providers and take control of their heart health.
• Gennev, a virtual menopause clinic provider, announced that it is now in-network for most of Aetna's commercial health plans in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Care provided as part of a Gennev integrated menopause treatment plan is available without prior authorization for most Aetna commercial members and may require a referral within HMO plans.
• Spatially Health, a cloud-based, health equity platform focused on identifying and addressing social determinants of health and health equity barriers, partnered with Shore Quality Partners, an Accountable Care Organization comprised of more than 200 physicians and 42,000 Medicaid patients in New Jersey. Spatially Health will support Shore Quality Partners in identifying and tackling health equity obstacles that affect its patients. This will be achieved by using Spatially Health's Equity Equalizer platform, which will identify patient-specific health equity barriers and recommend customized interventions. This approach will encourage patient engagement and help optimize medical management initiatives, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes.
• iMDsoft, a provider of clinical information systems and the developer of the MetaVision Suite for critical care, anaesthesia and acute care, announced its partnership with Respiratory Care Africa for the South African market. Under this partnership, RCA will be authorized to market and sell licenses for the MetaVision Suite and provide implementation and support services to MetaVision customers in South Africa.
• BetterUp, a human transformation company, and inventor of virtual coaching, and Carahsoft Technology Corp, a Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as BetterUp’s Master Government Aggregator, making the company’s  solution available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft’s reseller partners, NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V, Information Technology Enterprise Solutions – Software 2 (ITES-SW2), National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA), and OMNIA Partners contracts.
• Mesmerize, a media company specializing in patient education at the point of care, announced a new partnership with Higi, a Modivcare service and consumer health engagement company. The Higi network includes nearly 6,000 FDA cleared, free to use, Smart Health Stations in key pharmacy and grocery retailers nationwide as well as web, mobile, email and text tools that reach consumers along their healthcare journey.
• REGENXBIO announced that preclinical research in Mucopolysaccharidosis type IVA, also known as Morquio syndrome, was selected for inclusion in the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Accelerating Medicines Partnership Bespoke Gene Therapy Consortium, clinical trial portfolio. The Consortium brings together partners such as NIH and FDA, as well as partners from private and non-profit sectors.
• Liberty Bankers Insurance Group, a provider of life, health, and financial products, and EasyHealth Medical Solutions, a technology-enabled care delivery organization, announced a new partnership to deliver clinical services to Medicare Supplement members. This partnership will ensure these members fully leverage their Medicare Supplement benefits to achieve superior health outcomes.
• The University of Mississippi Medical Center is partnering with AMC Health, a provider of remote patient monitoring services, to broaden and enhance care for patients with chronic health conditions. Through this collaboration, UMMC will extend care beyond hospital walls for patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, among others. The partnership is the latest example of UMMC's commitment to providing state-of-the-art care for patients throughout the state.
• CareView Communications, a technology provider to the healthcare industry, announced the execution of a hospital agreement with a large network of hospitals throughout California and Nevada. The network is part of the largest for-profit health system in the country and represents nine hospitals and six surgical centers throughout the two states. This agreement represents an expansion of the Company’s CareView Patient Safety System in another division within the national health system.
• Vibe Health by eVideon, a provider of hospital smart room technology and digital workflow solutions, announced its new partnership with LanguageLine Solutions, a global leader in on-demand translation and interpreter services. Vibe Health is the first interactive patient system to offer this fully integrated inpatient solution. Through this partnership, Vibe Health and LanguageLine are expanding access to interpreter services at the patient's bedside. The integration will provide patients with one-touch access to LanguageLine's on-demand interpreters via the Vibe Health Companion bedside tablet solution.
• The Garage announced that New York-based Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan has selected its population health management platform, Bridge, to empower data aggregation at scale and to deliver value-driven provider engagement across the CDPHP network. Bridge will allow providers to build stronger relationships with their patients, seamlessly track their progress across the care continuum, provide value-driven provider engagement, and will implement the AI-enabled, point-of-care intelligence needed for providers to succeed.
• Havas VX, a fully integrated healthcare advertising agency, announced it is piloting the Make Your Mark Academy program in partnership with the High School of Art & Design, a career and technical public art school in NYC. The program is building a bridge between HSAD's talented students and Havas VX, with the goal to attract diverse junior talent to the healthcare advertising industry, where new and varied perspectives will help solve health problems and better reflect the patients and people the industry serves.
• Healthcare Management Administrators, a pioneer in self-funded health benefit programs and one of the nation's largest third-party administrators, announced that it is partnering with Omada Health to offer virtual-first physical therapy and musculoskeletal  care. HMA's new MSK Program through Omada Health will go live in January 2024.
• Digital content provider Wexer announced a partnership with digital health and insurance provider HUSK. The deal will enable HUSK to utilise the Wexer content API to take the content library and host it onto their own digital platforms. HUSK has a range of existing services across various mental and physical health services. Wexer will support and enhance their on-demand video content.
• Atlantic Health System’s Morristown Medical Center is now offering Persona IQ, the world’s first and only smart knee implant for total knee replacement surgery. Persona IQ combines the proven1 and trusted knee implant, Persona The Personalized Knee, with implantable sensor technology that measures range of motion, step count, walking speed and other gait metrics.
• Included Health, a healthcare company delivering integrated care and navigation for millions of people nationwide, announced it will introduce a unique, virtual-to-in-home, care model through a partnership with DispatchHealth, one of the largest providers of high acuity in-home care for complex patients. Included Health and DispatchHealth will supplement care that begins online with on-demand, in-home support. This augmented offering will activate the home as a setting to treat everything from common to complex injuries, illnesses and disease, and offers great promise when it comes to reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and better managing interventions for patients with chronic conditions.
• KSQ Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer therapies using its proprietary CRISPRomics discovery platform, announced that it has expanded its strategic collaboration with Takeda to research and validate novel tumor-intrinsic targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Takeda will provide KSQ with an upfront payment and an investment in the double-digit millions of dollars. KSQ is also eligible to receive up to $510 million in future payments if all milestones are achieved during the term of the agreement, plus royalties on potential net sales of any commercial product resulting from the collaboration.
• The TeleDentists and TRIOLOGY are working together to keep individuals informed and their mouths healthy and pain-free in between dentist visits. This partnership will allow quick and easy access to a TeleDentist as well as TRIOLOGY oral care products to aide everyone faced with dental challenges and improve their oral and overall health.
• Chinook Therapeutics announced it has entered a collaboration agreement with Ionis Pharmaceuticals for the discovery, development and commercialization of an antisense oligonucleotide therapy for a rare, severe chronic kidney disease with significant unmet medical need. The companies will leverage Chinook’s precision medicine approach and deep expertise in nephrology and Ionis’ extensive expertise in RNA-targeted therapeutics.
• The Radiology Department of Emirates Health Services in partnership with its radiological services supplier has launched a community initiative to provide free mammography screenings to low-income women. This is in line with the strategy and objective of EHS to promote the principles of compassion and equality, and strengthen access for high quality healthcare to all segments of the society. This initiative, which will run until the end of June, reflects the commitment of EHS to promote its social responsibility, as well as its belief in the importance of launching humanitarian initiatives that contribute to the provision of best practices and health services.
• Paymerang, a company in Accounts Payable Automation, and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, the united voice for the commonwealth’s hospitals and health systems, announced a strategic partnership to connect MHA members with finance automation. MHA joins Paymerang’s growing network of strategic partnerships in healthcare, including the Nebraska Hospital Association, Wyoming Hospital Association, Mississippi Hospital Association, North Dakota Hospital Association and Texas Hospital Association.
• OhmniLabs, a robotics manufacturer, announced a strategic partnership with JTM Enterprises, a trusted distributor dedicated to serving the American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This collaboration aims to enhance health and safety measures by introducing OhmniClean, an advanced autonomous UV-C disinfection robot, in hospitals and medical facilities.
• Unite Us, a software company enabling cross-sector collaboration to improve people's health and well-being, and Goodwill Industries of Upstate/Midlands SC, are collaborating to solidify access to employment resources for residents in South Carolina. Through this partnership, GIUMSC and Unite Us aim to address the unmet needs of people and families throughout the state. Goodwill serves more than 10,000 job seekers throughout the Upstate and Midlands each year. This partnership will enable GIUMSC to reach more people in need and connect them to the services they need when they need them.
• Rightway Healthcare, a provider of an enterprise healthcare platform that enables employees to better navigate their healthcare plans and pharmacy benefits, announced a partnership with One Medical. As per this partnership, One Medical has joined Rightway's ecosystem partnership program, RightwayHub, as an Integrated partner in order to streamline access to healthcare solutions. That means that Rightway's clinical guides will help members take advantage of One Medical and follow up with them to support adherence as a way to increase engagement.
• AIVF, a developer of AI-based solutions for IVF clinics, and Genea Biomedx, a provider of medical devices for IVF laboratories, announced the launch of their integrated system. By powering Genea Biomedx's leading Geri time-lapse incubator with AIVF's advanced EMA AI platform, the new integrated solution will provide widespread access to personalized, optimized IVF care. The result will reduce costs for the patient while generating greater revenues for clinics as efficiency rises and patient access improves.
• Suki, a provider of voice artificial intelligence technology for healthcare, announced the integration of its AI-powered voice assistant with Epic EHR software using Epic’s ambient APIs. Suki Assistant helps clinicians complete time-consuming administrative tasks by voice and recently announced the ability to generate clinical notes from ambiently listening to a patient-clinician conversation; the integration enables notes to automatically be sent back to Epic, updating the relevant sections.
• LRVHealth, a healthcare venture capital platform, announced that it raised $200 million in its fifth fund to accelerate its track record of driving transformational change in healthcare. The fund’s initial investments include Greater Good Health, a company redefining value-based care through the first primary care model centered around nurse practitioners, and KeyCare, the nation's only virtual-first care platform built with Epic. In addition, the firm has expanded its team of healthcare operators and insiders to focus on a core investment strategy for this new fund that’s anchored around a central theme: Care Anywhere.
• Zocdoc, a healthcare marketplace that makes it easy for people to find and book in-person or virtual care across +200 specialties and +12k insurance plans, announced that it is adding Urgent Care to its marketplace. Today, patients can find and book appointments with urgent care facilities across 22 states and more than 200 locations, with more joining Zocdoc each month. In fact, Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing care categories on Zocdoc among patients and providers alike; in 2023, the volume of new urgent care facilities on Zocdoc has grown by an average of nearly 40% month over month and urgent care bookings has grown by an average of 80% month over month.
• Menarini Silicon Biosystems, a developer of liquid biopsy and single cell technologies, announced its partnership with Alivio Health. This new agreement opens the door to preferred access for Alivio Health clients and providers to the valuable information offered by the CELLSEARCH CTC tests, which allow longitudinal monitoring of cancer patients at any time during the course of the disease. Starting from a simple blood draw, CELLSEARCH CTC tests provide valuable information on a patient's cancer at diagnosis and during therapy, which enables doctors to make more informed and timely decisions to optimize their therapeutic strategy.
• Mednow, an on-demand virtual pharmacy, has been named the preferred virtual pharmacy partner for Medcan Health Management and its valued clients. Mednow is focused on improving the delivery of pharmacy services in Canada through digitization to provide better patient access to pharmacists, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
• AccYouRate, a digital health company that develops wearable technology, partnered with the University Hospital of Siena in Italy to assist children with Rett syndrome. The two organizations are using AccYouRate’s e-shirt, a 100% textile smart T-shirt that records and monitors bio-vital body signals in real-time during everyday activities and normal living conditions. Rett syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects the way the brain develops, causing a progressive inability to use muscles for eye and body movements and even leading to seizures and breathing difficulties.
• CureMD Oncology, a provider of all-inclusive technology solutions for community oncology, announced its partnership with Palouse Specialty Physicians, a comprehensive cancer care provider in the Pacific Northwest region. This collaboration, which entails Palouse selecting CureMD Oncology as their Electronic Medical Records and Practice Management provider, is poised to streamline workflows, drive clinical and operational efficiencies, and, most importantly, enhance patient outcomes for their organization.
• Xtract One Technologies announced its partnership with Sentara Health to provide weapons detection services at hospitals in Virginia, following a successful deployment of Xtract One’s SmartGateway entry screening technology. The deployment at two hospitals was part of the evaluation for expansion to all 12 Sentara hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina. Xtract One’s SmartGateway unobtrusively detects hidden firearms, knives, and other weapons as they enter buildings. The solution’s artificial intelligence sensors scan for prohibited items without requiring the offloading of personal items.
• SmarTek21, an AI solutions company, announced its partnership with Medtech Global, the largest provider of General Practice Management Software in New Zealand, by joining the Medtech ALEX Partnership Programme. The partnership will make SmarTek21's healthcare solution, IntelliTek Health's Clinical Virtual Assistant (CVA), simple for general practice to adopt by providing a secure and seamless connection to the Practice Management System. IntelliTek Health's CVA allows care providers to utilize voice commands for dictation during consultations, prescribing and changing medications, and scheduling follow-up appointments. It also offers clickless and voice navigation through the electronic medical record, reducing the administrative burden on clinicians. As a result, clinical staff will have more capacity and capabilities, extending outside the physical walls of a clinic and into patients' homes with the help of this Gartner-validated AI-based technology.
• WellSpan Health entered into an agreement with Emerus, an operator of neighborhood hospitals, to build three new hospitals that will provide expanded access to inpatient care in Cumberland and York Counties. Neighborhood hospitals provide an innovative approach to caring for our communities by putting the care patients need closer to where they live. These facilities will operate 24/7, just as their larger more traditional counterparts, with an emergency department and up to 10 inpatient beds in a smaller, more accessible footprint.
• Bronson Healthcare has implemented a new program at its four hospital emergency rooms to expedite the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) through medication. The program is made possible by a nearly $350,000 grant awarded to the Bronson Health Foundation from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Michigan Opioid Partnership. The Emergency Department Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Initiative helps Emergency Department staff identify patients with OUD, begin medication treatment during the emergency visit, and support continuity of care by establishing partnerships with community providers for close follow up. The program is in use at Bronson Methodist Hospital, Bronson Battle Creek Hospital, Bronson LakeView Hospital in Paw Paw, and Bronson South Haven Hospital. Prior to this initiative, patients could only receive referrals for outpatient services.
• CVS Health is shuttering its clinical trial business two years after announcing the initiative. The retail pharmacy chain will instead focus on assets that are “aligned with long-term priorities.” The company will phase out clinical trial services, with a complete exit expected by the end of 2024. CVS Health launched its clinical trial services business in May 2021. The initiative pitched that it could provide clinical trial sponsors and CROs with a large patient pool to increase clinical trial participation, retention and diversify trial participation.
• Digital healthcare platform MediBuddy launched health cover and other products in partnership with Indel Money, gold loan Non-Banking Financial Company in India. This partnership will provide Indel Money Gold customers with access to a range of healthcare services, including unlimited General Physician consultation, health check-ups, and lab benefits up to Rs 1000, and free delivery of medicines. This health cover and other products are designed to provide financial support to users during medical emergencies, as the rising cost of healthcare in India makes it increasingly important for individuals to have comprehensive financial support. It also aims to fill the gap by covering out-of-pocket expenses and primary healthcare expenses for customers.
• MOGL, an athlete marketplace and NIL operations software provider powering the Name, Image, and Likeness era of collegiate athletics, teamed up with health and wellness community Alkeme Health. The partnership aims to address the critical issue of mental health in college sports, an area often overlooked despite the physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges that student-athletes face daily.
• Pfizer Canada ULC announced the launch of its Healthcare Hub, an initiative with Canadian tech and innovation startups to scale up health solutions, with the goal of enhancing outcomes and the patient experience in important areas of need in Canadian healthcare. The partnership combines Pfizer's clinical development expertise with the proven entrepreneurial know-how of Communitech, which has helped tech talent launch and scale businesses for over 25 years. Together they have issued an open call for tech startups and talent in tech to help meet challenges in the areas of vaccination tracking, drug shortage planning, patient drug coverage and access, women's health and oncology diagnostics.
• Synchrony, a financial services company, and Thrive Global, an enterprise behavior change technology company founded by Arianna Huffington, announced a new partnership that brings well-being tools and technology to Synchrony employees and leaders directly in their flow of work, furthering the company's commitment to prioritize the mental health and wellness of its people.
• Self Regional Healthcare began the use of UV-C disinfection technology in partnership with R-Zero, a global leader in healthy, green buildings. One R-Zero Vive device is now active at Self Regional Medical Center to disinfect patient rooms and areas using UV-C technology to neutralize 99.99% of harmful airborne microorganisms, protecting team members, patients and visitors.
• UserWay, a provider of digital accessibility, announced a partnership with YAI, a non-profit for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To raise awareness on GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day), YAI will receive all May 18th, 2023 proceeds from UserWay's AI-Powered Accessibility solution. UserWay and YAI share a commitment to increasing independence for neurodiverse people through technology. With over 300 programs, YAI supports people with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and more.
• The Max Foundation, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity by delivering medication, technology, and supportive services to patients worldwide, BeiGene, a global biotechnology company, and the BeiGene Foundation, a nonprofit charitable foundation, announced a collaboration to provide access to BRUKINSA (zanubrutinib) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 29 low- and middle-income countries over the next three years. This collaboration advances each organization’s focus on patient access by combining Max’s expertise and infrastructure with a donated product from BeiGene, and a grant from the BeiGene Foundation.
• Walgreens agreed to pay $230 million to San Francisco for its role in the city’s opioid epidemic following last year’s landmark trial that found the pharmacy chain liable for not performing proper screenings. If approved, the settlement would end claims from the last defendant of a 2018 lawsuit enacted by the city against the opioid industry. The case was the first of its kind in the region and the first to include defendants along the pharmaceutical supply chain, including drug manufacturing, distributors and pharmacies. A federal judge found Walgreens liable for “substantially contributing to the opioid epidemic in San Francisco.” From 2006 to 2014, San Francisco County saw 163,645,704 opioids distributed, enough for 22 pills per person per year, according to the city attorney’s office.
• Mubadala Health partners, Amana Healthcare, one of the Middle East’s leading providers of long-term care, inpatient rehabilitation, and home care services, and Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children, opened a pediatric long-term care unit at Danat Al Emarat Hospital in Abu Dhabi. With intensive care-level capabilities within a home-like setting, the long-term care unit offers round-the-clock care in a child-friendly atmosphere for patients in need of long-term acute services for complex medical conditions. The two Mubadala Health partners have joined forces to expand long-term pediatric care within the emirate. This aligns with Mubadala Health’s vision of developing a thriving healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, enabling the UAE community to receive world-class specialized healthcare, locally.
• Avenue Group Limited, an Evercare Group company, and Curalie Health Limited, a Kenyan subsidiary of Helios Global Health, announced a new 12month exclusive partnership to provide extended care to patients with chronic disease. The partnership is in line with Avenue Group’s strategy to expand its telemedicine capabilities and deliver digital care to chronic disease patients, including those with conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. The aim of the partnership is to extend accessibility, improve outcomes and manage the cost of treatment for these patients.
• Stemtech Corporation and Union Blue USA announced an alliance which will partner labor union members and trade associations with a direct selling company with broad-based health, wellness products and services, and personal business opportunity executed through mutually beneficial programs.
• Intermedia Cloud Communications, a provider of intelligent cloud communications and collaboration solutions to businesses and the partners that serve them, announced the launch of new healthcare integrations between its omni-channel Intermedia Intelligent Contact Center™ solution and leading electronic healthcare record systems such as Epic, Cerner, and MEDITECH. These new integrations help enable healthcare providers to reduce costs, access patient data more quickly, and deliver more informed and prompt patient care, while also providing patients with improved and expedited service through a series of automated and self-service features.
• Global payments provider Elavon partnered with The Digital Line on a voice-activated solution for the hospitality industry. The solution – Audico – utilises the Amazon Alexa device to deliver a variety of voice-driven services. Elavon is the exclusive payments provider for the Audico solution in hospitality, globally. Audico is also being explored as a room service solution in hotels, and in premium hospitality areas at other venues and stadiums, as well as providing a landmark series of services in the health care industry.
• Tabula Rasa HealthCare, a healthcare company advancing personalized care for value-based care organizations, announced that Mountain Empire PACE, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, in rural Virginia, has signed agreements with TRHC for personalized pharmacy services and pharmacy benefit management, expanding their existing partnership. TRHC's comprehensive pharmacy services provide Mountain Empire PACE with individualized medication risk management, round-the-clock support, medication delivery and adherence packaging. These services are part of a larger suite of solutions that includes full-service pharmacy benefit management, which supports Mountain Empire PACE in optimizing reporting, compliance and business management.
• DIAGNOS, a provider of early detection of critical health issues through the use of its FLAIRE platform based on Artificial Intelligence, announced the launch of “IRIS-ai powered by DIAGNOS” by IRIS, The Visual Group, in partnership with DIAGNOS. For over two years, IRIS and DIAGNOS have joined forces to advance and combine technological innovations and provide front-line clinical experience to improve patient care through early detection and follow-up of various ocular diseases, with the training of DIAGNOS algorithms and with the help of annotations from 30 IRIS optometrists. A total of 14,000 patients across Quebec were screened, generating a comprehensive databank with images of patients across the province, reflecting the diversity of patients in Quebec.
• Lobe Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines to treat orphan diseases, announced it has entered into a commercial distribution agreement for the supply and distribution of Altemia™ with Pentec Health, Inc. (“Pentec Health”), a nationwide provider of clinical nutrition and specialty care services addressing complex needs for patients. Altemia™ is Lobe’s proprietary formulation of emulsified docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (“DHA”) concentration designed for patients with sickle cell disease (“SCD”).
• Cellsway, a deep-tech liquid biopsy company, and Omega Genetik, a genetics lab, entered into a partnership and commercialization agreement to provide cutting-edge cancer management solutions to patients and healthcare professionals throughout Turkey. Under this agreement, Cellsway will provide their state-of-the-art liquid biopsy system for isolating and interrogating Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) to Omega Genetik. CTCs will be isolated from the blood of cancer patients and analyzed by Omega Genetik to detect tumor-specific biomarkers. This powerful combination of liquid biopsy technology and advanced gene expression analysis will enable early and non-invasive cancer monitoring and help clinicians guide personalized treatment. The system has been shown to be effective in the detection of CTCs from a wide range of solid tumors and is expected to significantly improve cancer management and patient outcome.
• Abridge, developer of a generative AI solution that records and highlights the most important part of doctor appointments for patients, while also automatically creating a draft note of the conversation in the standardized format for doctors to review, announced a partnership with provider enablement platform IKS Health, along with an undisclosed amount of funding, that will help advance its technology even further. For IKS, the benefit of working Abridge is that it can use its technology to highlight efficiencies in its clinical documentation services; for Abridge, IKS will help accelerate the development of Abridge’s core AI technologies by contributing feedback from its workforce of over 6,500 medical professionals, which includes over 1,300 physicians and over 300 technology experts. The mission of both companies is to eliminate administrative work and to help mitigate the rising rates of burnout among clinicians that is leading many to exit the healthcare workforce.
• Hapbee Technologies, a wearable, wellness technology company and creator of the Hapbee Smart Sleep Pad, announced an agreement with Gray Matters Alliance to distribute Hapbee's innovative digital wellness products and services to their expansive network of Seniors, Healthcare Practices, Assisted Living Communities, and Hospice & Palliative Care Facilities.
• Parsley Health, a provider of advanced primary care and specialized medical programs for women and families with complex health needs, announced the launch of a women’s full continuum of care program for employers. It is now available to self-insured employers and plan sponsors nationwide. The program is a cutting-edge benefit that consolidates the full spectrum of services women need into one package – specifically targeting the high risk and rising risk populations whose care accounts for 80% of healthcare spend. Patients in the program receive coordinated medical care and health coaching designed to support their whole health needs from a single virtual homebase. The program comprehensively addresses common chronic conditions and comorbidities, including autoimmune, GI, cardiometabolic, behavioral health, and hormonal conditions – and supports women end-to-end, from the moment they start thinking about their reproductive health to menopause. All of this is achieved through a unique model that combines high-touch, tech-enabled, virtual care with Root Cause Resolution medicine and conventional approaches. As a result, Parsley’s care has been shown to drive a 2x ROI and a 32% reduction in medical spend.
• AMPS, a provider of healthcare cost containment and pharmacy benefit management, announced their partnership with the industry-leading insurtech company, Health in Tech "HIT". This strategic partnership delivers innovative and customized saving solution strategies to small level-funded employer groups looking to make their healthcare dollars go further. The partnership between AMPS and HIT provides a fully integrated health plan solution that offers an employer all of the bundled solutions of a fully insured plan, yet all the rewards of being self-funded.
• Revvity announced a new license agreement with AstraZeneca for the technology underlying its Pin-point base editing system, a next-generation modular gene editing platform with a strong safety profile. The Pin-point system and the underlying base editing technology is designed to enable highly efficient and precise single and multiplex (multi-gene) editing without unintended impact on cell viability or functionality. Compared to traditional CRISPR technologies, which create double-stranded breaks in the DNA, this newer editing system uses a modified Cas enzyme that only nicks one strand of the DNA. This allows for a more controlled approach to gene disruption and base correction.
• Asieris Pharmaceuticals, a biopharma company specializing in discovering, developing and commercializing innovative drugs for the treatment of genitourinary tumors and other related diseases, announced a strategic collaboration with UroViu Corporation. Asieris Pharmaceuticals will obtain exclusive global rights to UroViu's patented technology of portable single-use cystoscope in the field of fluorescent imaging. Under the agreement, Asieris Pharmaceuticals will use this patented technology in combination with specific optical imaging agents to conduct research on the application of non-white light imaging technology in the diagnosis and postoperative monitoring of None-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer. At the same time, Asieris Pharmaceuticals will be responsible for the global commercialization of the sterile single-use fluorescent Cystoscope.
• Consensus Cloud Solutions announced a strategic partnership with Hyland Software Inc. to support the seamless integration of patient data between healthcare applications. The integration of these powerful technologies streamlines the exchange of patient information using a safe, secure, and regulatory-compliant digital cloud faxing solution with end-to-end encryption. This solution supports high volumes of both inbound and outbound faxes directly through Hyland's OnBase application as an integral part of the EHR workflows.
• Renown Health, a not-for-profit integrated healthcare network, announced a partnership with Sodexo, an international leader in hospitality, food services and facilities management, to bring best-in-class dining and custodial services to all four of its hospitals this summer. Current Food & Nutrition Services and Environmental Services staff have been offered first priority employment with Sodexo.
• Oregon Institute of Technology will welcome its first cohort of doctoral students this coming summer. The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education approved Oregon Tech to admit students for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which is offered jointly with Oregon Health & Science University. The Oregon Tech-OHSU doctoral program successfully secured candidacy status, which is the first phase of accreditation, effective April 25. During the candidacy phase, all credits and degrees earned and issued by the program are considered to be from an accredited program.
• Catalyst by Wellstar, an innovation company and venture firm created by one of the largest health systems in Georgia, announced the launch of a $100 million venture fund to shape the future of healthcare by creating better care and market value. An expression of Wellstar's mission to enhance the health and well-being of every patient it serves, the fund will directly influence the problems addressed and solutions created by the nation's most promising startups and entrepreneurs.     
• Navina, an AI-powered platform that transforms large amounts of patient data into actionable primary care, and Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center and one of the largest hospitals in the United States, announced a new partnership to bring Navina's AI to the health system's primary care clinicians. Navina's AI takes large amounts of patient data, including information from labs, consult notes, imaging and more to help create a concise picture of a patient's health status that is instantly understandable and actionable. Clinicians using Navina's platform can quickly assess diagnoses and opportunities to improve care and compliance with quality measures.
• Menarini Silicon Biosystems, a provider of liquid biopsy and single cell technologies, announced its partnership with Alivio Health. This new agreement opens the door to preferred access for Alivio Health clients and providers to the valuable information offered by the CELLSEARCH CTC tests, which allow longitudinal monitoring of cancer patients at any time during the course of the disease. Starting from a simple blood draw, CELLSEARCH CTC tests provide valuable information on a patient's cancer at diagnosis and during therapy, which enables doctors to make more informed and timely decisions to optimize their therapeutic strategy.
• CodaMetrix, an AI technology platform transforming healthcare revenue cycles, announced the expansion of its multi-specialty autonomous medical coding platform to include bedside professional coding. Henry Ford Health, one of the nation's leading nonprofit academic medical institutions, is a customer and collaborator. The partnership will empower the revenue cycle team at Henry Ford Health to utilize AI-powered autonomous coding for their more than 700,000 bedside services provided each year, reducing physician, medical coding, and billing administrative burden, and driving more financial and operational efficiency.
• OmicsEdge launched a drug discovery service that leverages Almaden's g.nome platform to streamline the iteration process. The service makes it easy for labs to conduct a quick analysis of a patient or trial participant's medical condition and genomics, gaining valuable insight in genomic criteria and how it affects elevated risk. The service can be used to significantly accelerate the drug discovery process and eliminate trial-and-error with abilities such as identifying causal variants that make ideal drug targets.
• MyHealthChecked partnered with health and beauty retailer Boots UK to launch its self-testing products tests via boots.com and across U.K. The health-testing provider said a range of 14 different test panels will launch online during this month, and selected test kits will then be rolled out in 120 Boot stores in the U.K. The tests and sample collection kits are available for applications such thyroid function, food intolerance and vitamin profiles.
• Spanish biopharmaceutical company Biofabri, a subsidiary of Zendal, and IAVI, an international nonprofit research organization focused on developing vaccines and antibodies against infectious and neglected diseases, announced the signing of an agreement for end-to-end development of the tuberculosis vaccine candidate MTBVAC. This agreement provides a framework for the future of the collaboration that the partners first announced in 2021.
• SKYGEN, a provider of vision and dental benefit management services and software as a service solutions, announced its partnership with TeamSmile, whose mission is to provide children in need with a life-changing dental experience through the power of sports. In partnership with teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, major colleges and more, TeamSmile will conduct large-scale dental clinics in stadiums and arenas throughout the country. Through the TeamSmile model, SKYGEN and TeamSmile expect to serve more than 5,000 children across the country in 2023, partnering together on programs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
• Cassling announced it is a new strategic sales agent in various geographic territories across the United States for Radiaction Medical, the makers of a novel, FDA-cleared advanced radiation blocking technology. The Radiaction system is the first and only advanced technology to proactively block radiation at the source, providing comprehensive, head-to-toe radiation protection to the entire interventional team. Radiaction provides an unparalleled level of protection to physicians and staff while allowing unencumbered patient care, access and service.
• Health In Tech, an insurtech company that reimagines self-funded health plans, announced its strategic partnership with Health Direct Partners, a carrier of alternative networks. This collaboration aims to assist self-funded employer groups with a comprehensive set of tools and solutions to redefine self-funded health plans, empower patients, and drive positive change throughout the healthcare ecosystem. The partnership with Health Direct Partners and Health In Tech brings many carrier services, including Health Direct Partners' unique proprietary Patient PAL platform, powered by advanced data analysis, designed to establish trusted relationships with patients and provide unparalleled support in achieving their health goals.
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, awarded more than $65 million to 35 HRSA-funded health centers to address the maternal mortality crisis. Our country’s maternal mortality rate is the highest of any developed nation in the world and more than double the rate of peer countries. HRSA’s funds will be used to implement innovative approaches to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities for patients at highest risk. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women.
• Penn Medicine is launching a new community mental health hub at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Cedar Avenue, co-locating inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care with a new crisis response center (CRC) at the facility. The multi-year plan will put crucial psychiatric and substance use care in easy reach for West and Southwest Philadelphia residents, at a time when both mental illness and drug and alcohol dependence are surging in the city.

M&A

• Singapore regional healthcare firm HMI Group signed a deal to acquire local healthcare technology platform MHC Asia Group
• Bavarian Nordic A/S, a fully integrated vaccines company, completed its acquisition of the travel vaccine portfolio from Emergent BioSolutions
• Validic, a digital health and personalized care company, acquired the assets of Trapollo, a connected health, technical support, and device logistics provider
• Reveleer, a healthcare technology company using natural language processing and AI to empower data-driven healthcare for health plans and risk-bearing providers, acquired MDPortals, a prospective risk adjustment platform
• ArisGlobal, a provider of life sciences software designed to automate core drug development functions, acquired the SPOR (Substances, Products, Organisations and Referentials) data governance and integration solution, SPORIFY
• Juno Pharmaceuticals Canada, a company commercializing specialty pharmaceuticals, acquired Omega Laboratories, a domestic specialty injectable pharmaceutical manufacturer
• Nomi Health, a healthcare programs and payments company, acquired Phoenix-based clinic I Am Wellness
• Forum Health, a nationwide network of integrative and functional medicine providers, acquired Hormones by Design, a hormone replacement clinic network in Texas
• HCA Healthcare, a healthcare providers,x signed an agreement to acquire 41 urgent care centers in Texas from FastMed
• WELL Health Technologies, a digital health company focused on positively impacting health outcomes by leveraging technology to empower healthcare practitioners and their patients globally, entered into a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of MCI Medical Clinics, which owns and operates five primary care clinics in Calgary, Alberta
• Aspirion, a technology-enabled healthcare revenue cycle management provider for complex claims and revenue integrity, acquired FIRM Revenue Cycle Management Services, a partner to hospital systems in the recovery of denied, unpaid, and underpaid medical insurance claims
• MedVenture Health, a specialized private investment firm devoted to the advancement of medical devices, technologies, and services, acquired Canyon Labs, a scientific and regulatory service provider
• Latus Health, a provider of innovative employee health and wellbeing solutions, acquired ELAS Occupational Health and The Industrial Diagnostics Company (IDC) from Citation Group
• 360training, an online regulated training provider, acquired ACLS Medical Training and Safety Provisions, two providers of medical training and workplace safety, respectively

Funding Roundup 

• Cascade Health, an intelligent platform for healthcare transparency, raised $1.7 million
• ChomiX Biotech, a biotechnology company focusing on the preclinical development of innovative small molecule drugs, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• Nido Biosciences, a clinical stage company developing precision medicines for debilitating neurological diseases, raised $109 million
• FemTherapeutics, a company that designs personalized gynecological prosthetics for women suffering from pelvic floor disorders, raised $1.85 million
• MediView XR, a clinical augmented reality med-tech company, raised $15 million
• Hippocratic AI, a safety-focused Large Language Model designed specifically for healthcare, launched with $50 million
• Ray Therapeutics, an optogenetics company, raised $100 million
• Pear Suite, a digital health company working to empower community health workers and better address the social determinants of health, raised $2.5 million
• Varco, a company focused on leg care, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• Laguna Health, an AI-powered contextual care management platform, raised $15 million round
• Upkara, a developer of biopreservation technology, raised $9 million
• Metaphore Biotechnologies, a company harnessing biomimicry and machine learning to unlock the therapeutic potential of functional molecular mimics, launched $50 million
• Skin Pharm, a modern beauty brand and aesthetic skin care clinic, raised $15 million 
• Neura Health, a virtual neurology clinic, raised $8 million
• Cyted, an early cancer diagnostics company, raised $16.8 million
• Moon Surgical, a collaborative robotics company, raised $55.4 million
• ClearCam, a company dedicated to maximizing surgical visualization and proficiency in the operating room, raised $4 million
• HealthSnap, a virtual care management platform for chronic disease management, raised $9 million
• Adonis, a revenue intelligence and automation platform built for healthcare, raised $17.3 million
• Buzzkill Labs, developer of the world's first rapid saliva test for psychoactive THC, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• BiomeSense, a biotech company unlocking the health benefits of the microbiome through “smart bathroom” hardware technology and advanced bioinformatics, raised $3 million
• Paradromics, a developer of high data-rate brain-computer interfaces, raised $33 million
• ORA, a vertically-integrated telehealth platform, raised $10 million

(Image source: medcitynews.com)