Digital health news, funding roundup in the prior week; January 31, 2022

Vida hired its first CMO, pharmacies began giving out free N95s, and a govt watchdog called out HHS

Top Health News

• Virtual care platform Vida Health hired Dr. Patrick Carroll as its first Chief Medical Officer. Carroll was formerly CMO at Walgreens and Hims & Hers, and in his role at Vida he will be leading the company's clinical strategy and protocols, research, clinical partner collaboration, and medical cost saving strategy. In addition, he will also be overseeing the company's team of providers, which now numbers over 1,000. 
• Lyft partnered with primary care services provider ChenMed to expand its "Lyft Assisted" program to 20 more markets. In Lyft’s partnership with ChenMed, drivers meet riders with disabilities at the front doors of their homes or the healthcare facility.
• Pharmacies and grocery stores, including Hy-Vee and Meijer, began offering free N95 masks. So far they are available in stores in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
• California is considering a bill to create a government-funded universal health care system. The bill, which it is estimated would cost taxpayers at least $356.5 billion per year, needs to be advanced in the state Assembly. 
• The Government Accountability Office called out Department of Health and Human Services' leadership, and added the agency to its "High Risk List," which it defines as "vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or in need of transformation." 

M&A

• Human Life Management, a Japanese provider of home health care services, acquired Indian home healthcare startup Care24 
• Population health management company Apollo Medical Holdings acquired Orma Health, a company that helps physicians transition to value-based care
• Global healthcare consulting and technology firm Alira Health acquired Self Care Catalysts, a patient-centric digital health platform

Funding Roundup

• Talkiatry, a compant dedicated to expanding insurance coverage for mental health, raised $17 million
• AI-based symptom checker Infermedica raised $30 million
• Medical financial aid provider Atlas Health raised $40 million
• Patient21, a company that is looking to overhaul the European healthcare system with technology, came out of stealth with $142 million
• Reimagine Care, a provider of technology-enabled services for oncologists, raised $25 million

(Image source: wikimedia.org)