Digital health news, funding round up in the prior week; March 20, 2023

Pear Therapeutics looks to be sold; Zus Health raised $40M; PointClickCare bought Patient Pattern

Top Health News

• ResMed released its 2023 Global Sleep Survey, and found that what's keeping people awake at night are mental health issues: 33% said that they couldn't sleep because of anxiety/depression, while the same percentage cited work-related concerns. Both of those were higher than they were in 2022, when 29% and 22%, respectively, said these were the reasons they couldn't sleep. Among those who say their sleep has gotten worse over the past year, 32% said it's because of financial pressures; that includes 41% of those in the U.S., 39% of those in Mexico, and 37% of those in India.  While having mental health problems can cause a lack of sleep, the same is true in reverse: more than 80% report experiencing symptoms of disruption related to their sleep quality, with the most common symptoms being depression or irritability, with 33% of respondents, while another 30% reported either waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, or having difficulty concentrating during the day, and 29% said they had excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Luna, which offers a network of local physical therapists who provide the type of care administered in a traditional outpatient clinic, announced a partnership with not-for-profit health system Providence, which serves the Western U.S. Going forward, Providence patients will have access to outpatient physical therapy service through the Luna platform, which will match eligible Providence patients to therapists based on factors such as specialty, geography, and schedules. Luna's network of local physical therapists will provide care from the comfort of a patient's home. The same therapist will treat 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.
• Mount Sinai Health System's Digital and Technology Partners department announced a collaboration with The New York Public Library. The goal is to expand equitable health care throughout New York City by providing access to health services through telehealth and digital literacy skills. As part of the collaboration, the Library’s TechConnect department will hold two-hour classes called “Take Charge with MyChart.” These session, which are free, will be available online, as well as in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in midtown Manhattan, the Bronx Library Center in the Bronx, and Richmondtown Library, and St. George Library Center on Staten Island. The class will include information on how to find a new doctor, how to access existing medical records or test results, and how to schedule or attend a virtual doctor’s appointment. Participants will also be taught how to refill prescriptions online using MyMountSinai, which is Mount Sinai’s version of MyChart; participants will not have to already have a MyChart account to attend. In addition, because attendees may not have access to their own devices, the Library is offering a Chromebook borrowing program, so patients check out devices and use telehealth resources.
• Health Catalyst, a provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, announced a partnership with GI Quality Improvement Consortium, a joint collaboration of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. By leveraging ARMUS to reduce the registry data entry burden and simplify registry data management, GIQuIC will be best positioned to transition existing registry operations for colonoscopy and esophagogastroduodenoscopy procedures by the beginning of 2024 with the goal of adding additional data collection and reporting relative to endoscopic procedures and disease states, to include inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic bariatric therapy (EBT), endoscopic ultrasound, wireless capsule endoscopy and deep enteroscopy in the near future.
• Zus Health, a shared health data platform bringing distributed patient data directly to the point of care, announced that Elation Health, a technology platform for high-value primary care currently supporting millions of patients, is enhancing its own data collaboration systems by integrating the Zus Aggregated Profile. Clinicians will be able to access expanded patient records from hospitals, clinics, labs, and pharmacies in real-time that help ensure the highest-quality care.
• Maribel Health, a turnkey partner for health systems looking to design, build, and operate a full continuum of advanced home and community services, announced  founding anchor partnerships with Mercy Health System and BAYADA Home Health Care. Both partnerships involve the end-to-end design, build, and operation of hospital-at-home programs that can serve as a chassis for other advanced home care models including community-based palliative care, SNF-at-home, and mobile integrated health.
• Hopper Health, a digital-first personalized primary care platform for neurodivergent adults, announced its launch in California and New York. Hopper supports neurodivergent adults by connecting them with neurodivergent care navigators and primary care teams trained in the communication and sensory needs of neurodivergent healthcare. At launch, Hopper Health will offer a direct-to-consumer $99 monthly membership to patients living in California and New York, with the goal of expanding in-network insurance coverage and Medicaid coverage in the future.
• BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and wholly-owned, independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced a collaboration with Rune Labs and Emerald Innovations focused on using wearable and invisible contactless digital health technology to improve monitoring and data collection for Parkinson's disease clinical trials. In the non-interventional study, the Rune Labs and Emerald technologies will be used to monitor the daily activities and measure key markers of disease progression in 50 patients and monitor their daily activities.
• Google announced new partners for AI-assisted ultrasound, including Jacaranda Health, a Kenya-based nonprofit focused on improving health outcomes for mothers and babies in government hospitals, to research digital solutions that can help them reach their goal; Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan to explore using ultrasound for breast cancer detection; and Right to Care, a not-for-profit entity with extensive experience in TB care within Africa, to make AI-powered screenings widely available across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Folx Health, a virtual provider of LGTBQ+ care, entered into a new employer partnership with Chronosphere. Chronosphere is an observability platform, helping engineers understand the health of their internal data. Its more than 250 employees and their dependents now have access to Folx Health’s E2E virtual primary care, care navigation and other offerings. 
• Zipline unveiled its new platform that provides quiet, fast and precise autonomous delivery directly to homes in cities and suburbs and partnerships with multiple healthcare companies. Michigan Medicine will use Zipline’s new service to more than double the number of prescriptions it fills each year through its in-house pharmacy, while Intermountain Health will use it to deliver prescriptions to patients’ homes in the Salt Lake City metro area, and MultiCare Health System plans to use the new platform to expedite diagnostics and deliver prescriptions and medical devices throughout MultiCare’s network of facilities, including hospitals, laboratories and doctors’ offices.
• Pear Therapeutics, a company developing and commercializing software-based medicines called prescription digital therapeutics, announced that it is engaged in a process to explore strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value. As part of its process, Pear is exploring the potential for an acquisition, company sale, merger, divestiture of assets, licensing, or other strategic transactions and/or seeking additional financing. There is no set timetable for this process and there can be no assurance that this process will result in the Company pursuing a transaction or that any transaction, if pursued, will be completed on attractive terms. If the Company is unable to complete a transaction, it may be required to seek a reorganization, liquidation or other restructuring.
• Royal Philips and Portuguese translational biomedical research and clinical care provider Champalimaud Foundation, announced they have signed a strategic partnership aimed at halving the carbon footprint resulting from Champalimaud’s use of diagnostic and interventional imaging equipment by 2028. The transformation of Champalimaud Foundation’s imaging technology infrastructure will be enabled by a set of practical, scalable measures and innovations, including equipment upgrades, lifetime extensions, process digitalization, circular financing solutions with takeback, and renewable electricity sourcing. It will help drive the quality and efficiency of care delivery, while also realizing more sustainable healthcare. As a result, many more patients are expected to be able to benefit from the hospital’s diagnostic healthcare services.
• Royal Philips and the Gibraltar Health Authority announced they signed a long-term strategic partnership continuing their long-standing relationship and marking ambitions to advance radiology and cardiology patient care. As part of the agreement, the building of a brand-new interventional cardiac suite (cath lab) will commence later this year. The construction and installation of this specialist equipment will take approximately 9-12 months and will be accompanied by a service agreement to ensure ongoing maintenance of the equipment. Gibraltar’s newly improved services will bring sustainable benefits for patients at St Bernard’s Hospital, with developments expected to lead to more cardiac patients receiving local treatment, instead of traveling across the border to neighboring Spain. Expected clinical outcomes include reduced length of stays for such patients, relieving pressure on demand for hospital beds and ambulance transport services, and improvement in 30-day mortality rates.
• Premier Health Associates, a medical group representing 10 care specialties, announced  its partnership with ObjectiveHealth, an integrated research and digital health technology company. Together, the two companies have created an on-site clinical research center that offers patients unparalleled access to advanced diagnostics and new, innovative treatment options. The companies’ joint clinical research center, Premier Health Research, will conduct clinical research trials, initially in the areas of digestive diseases and detection of lung and colorectal cancer risks, in addition to precision diagnostics and early-detection cancer screening. Premier Health Research plans to expand into additional therapeutic areas based on the needs of its patient population.
• Ferrum Health, a private AI platform for imaging, announced a strategic partnership with Riverain Technologies, a provider of advanced medical imaging AI solutions. This partnership brings together two companies with a shared goal of accelerating provider adoption and reducing the implementation costs of life-saving clinical AI tools. The integration of Riverain Technologies' Clear Visual Intelligence solutions into Ferrum Health's platform will provide healthcare providers with real-time access to the latest medical imaging technology, enabling them to provide better care for their patients.
• CareQuest Innovation Partners, a company focused on validating and scaling solutions that improve the oral health of all, in partnership with MATTER, a health care incubator and innovation hub, launched the second edition of SMILE Health — a program designed to identify and accelerate early-stage startups working in systemic health. SMILE is an acronym that underscores the innovations the program seeks: Simple, Minimally Invasive, Integrated, Low-barrier, and Equitable. Applications are open from March 13 through May 5. Up to five early-stage startups will be selected to participate in the 12-week program that features access to dedicated mentors; a curated curriculum incorporating subject matter experts in oral health, innovation, and venture capital; and customized validation studies with access to potential customers that will help participants refine key offerings. Participants will receive a $10,000 stipend to support their participation.
• Zephyr AI, a company building novel transparent AI to address unmet needs across the full spectrum of precision medicine, and KangarooHealth, a healthcare technology company providing an AI-assisted turn-key remote patient monitoring platform and care management services, announced a multi-year strategic partnership to work toward providing clinicians with insights to inform treatment decisions for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions. The partnership will combine Zephyr AI’s industry-leading machine learning technology with KangarooHealth’s proprietary remote monitoring platform to work towards creating a best-in-class predictive solution for clinicians. KangarooHealth is not only HIPAA and SOC2 certified but also is the only turn-key remote patient monitoring platform that comes at no cost to providers. The company’s platform and connected device network will be integrated into Zephyr’s machine learning models, which leverage groundbreaking algorithms that forecast the development and progression of disease and adverse outcome events. Data from KangarooHealth’s comprehensive monitoring platform, which integrates with over 100 connected devices, including blood pressure monitors, blood glucose monitors, and other wearable technologies will accelerate Zephyr AI's existing machine learning capabilities and enable clinicians to better predict and prevent adverse outcomes.
• Mural Health, a clinical trials technology company that improves the patient and caregiver experience in order to improve enrollment rates, participant retention, and increase protocol compliance and ProofPilot, a digital protocol automation platform for clinical trial, announced a strategic partnership to further advance clinical trial operations for life science customers. Through this partnership, Mural Health's Mural Link™ platform and ProofPilot's platform work together to progress clinical operations and materially improve the efficiency, and outcomes, of global clinical trials.
• Augnito, an AI-powered clinical speech recognition provider, announced an alliance with ATTIEH Medico Ltd. Together, the companies will work towards the Kingdom's Vision 2030—by streamlining, automating & digitizing clinical workflows for better patient outcomes. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's objectives include augmenting technological solutions and investing heavily in Healthcare AI. Augnito has maintained that creating a state-of-the-art infrastructure for clinical documentation via electronic medical records and electronic health systems will form the backbone for any holistic, centralized healthcare network.
• Compass One Healthcare, a healthcare support services company, announced its partnership with Relay, a cloud-based technology platform that helps frontline teams improve communications, employee safety, and real-time operational intelligence so they can better understand performance and increase efficiency. Deploying Relay is a reinforcement of Compass One’s commitment to delivering high quality outcomes and enhancing patient satisfaction in hospitals and health systems nationwide. The partnership will empower both team members and hospital leaders with actionable data linked to workforce efficiency and patient satisfaction. With real-time location tracking, cloud connectivity, and military grade durability, Relay allows for real-time communication between food and support service teams and provides data to better coordinate hospital logistics and service. The use of Relay also eliminates the need for two-way radios or unreliable mobile devices that experience connectivity issues due to lack of coverage and firewalls within healthcare environments.
• OMRON Healthcare Europe and Servier announced a long-term strategic partnership that aims to bring about innovations that will improve the identification, management, and long-term control of hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions, with the ultimate objective of improving the lives of patients worldwide. The partnership between OMRON Healthcare and Servier is based on a shared vision of improving lives and contributing to a better society through the translation of science and technology into improved cardiovascular disease treatment and prevention. Through this agreement, the two companies will combine their respective strengths in medicine and technology to transform the way hypertensive patient outcomes are improved by establishing a holistic ecosystem around the patient journey.
• Algonquin College and Queensway Carleton Hospital partnered to provide students with valuable hands-on experience to prepare them for working with a real electronic health record. As part of the College’s digital health programs, they are using MEDITECH Expanse to teach EHR configuration, workflows, collaboration, and security in lab sessions this semester. The labs are part of two Algonquin College programs in collaboration with the School of Advanced Technology and the School of Health and Community Studies: Bachelor of Technology (Digital Health) and the Digital Health Ontario Graduate Certificate. In developing the course, Algonquin College sought industry assistance to help develop the lab components of the course. QCH, which uses MEDITECH Expanse, agreed to make its training platform available to students.
• Innovation Fertility, a group of in-vitro fertilization clinics and laboratories, and Alife Health, a fertility technology company, announced their partnership to introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics technology to the Innovation Fertility network. This collaboration will provide Innovation Fertility clinics with the latest in AI-powered analytics tools so they can make the most informed decisions about patient care. Innovation Fertility is led by an expert team of fertility professionals that boast decades of experience in laboratory design, advanced technology implementation, and strategic planning to build successful fertility practices.
• SOPHiA GENETICS, a cloud-native software company in the healthcare space and data-driven medicine, partnered with Agilent to offer a comprehensive solution for cancer analysis. Through the partnership, the SOPHiA DDMTM Platform will be integrated with Agilent’s new Research Use Only SureSelect Cancer Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Assay Kit. This will enable clinical researchers to accurately identify multiple biomarkers, lowering the risk of missing important information in cancer samples. The partnership brings together these two companies’ strengths in analytics and next generation sequencing assay development to facilitate novel approaches to cancer research.
• Gestalt Diagnostics, a provider of artificial intelligence powered digital pathology solutions, and Pramana, an AI-enabled health tech company modernizing the pathology sector, announced a strategic collaboration to provide an AI-powered, end-to-end digital pathology platform for laboratories, health systems and academic medical centers. The integration between Pramana's SpectralHT scanning solution and Gestalt's PathFlow solution enables fast, accurate and automated slide scanning with AI algorithms and image analysis applied directly to the whole slide images. The advanced technology can be applied during the processing phase or with Gestalt's Image Management System post scan. Pramana's DICOM images are managed directly within Gestalt's platform. This relationship enhances each company's technological solution by providing streamlined integration between the Pramana scanners and Gestalt's award-winning digital pathology solution, PathFlow.
• inSpring, a technology and health care talent mobility company specializing in connecting diverse, highly-skilled international job candidates in the United States with employment opportunities, announced a strategic partnership with OutSystems, a global leading enterprise grade low-code application development platform. Through this partnership, inSpring candidates pursuing technology careers will gain access to a premier, highly-ranked catalog of OutSystems low-code training programs and receive an OutSystems certification, a credential recognized and sought after by IT specialists and companies seeking to fill developer positions. inSpring will then work with its candidates and help guide and place them in high-quality jobs.
• El Camino Health became the first health system in the world to adopt FloPatch, a new technology that monitors blood flow in real time. Developed by Flosonics Medical, FloPatch is the world's first wireless, wearable Doppler ultra-sound system that helps clinicians better manage intravenous fluid therapy earlier in the sepsis care pathway. The FDA-approved device provides a simple, fast, and consistent method for measuring changes in heart function. Once placed on a patient's neck, the FloPatch continuously assesses blood flow in the carotid arteries, which are the major blood vessels that supply blood to the brain, neck, and face. FloPatch then wirelessly transmits that data to a secure iOS mobile application, providing clinicians with actionable, real time data at the bedside. It is an easy-to-use, hands-free device that can be deployed in under one minute.
• IngenioSpec and Solos announced that they entered into a licensing agreement. Solos has licensed patents from IngenioSpec, adding to its leading technology portfolio for its new smart glasses products. Solos smart glasses feature crystal clear audio for taking calls and streaming music, and motion sensors to provide tracking and guidance for health and fitness.
• Surgalign Holdings, a global medical technology company focused on elevating the standard of care by driving the evolution of digital health, announced the release of HOLO AI Insights, which enables customers, partners, and clinical researchers to take advantage of the Company’s HOLO artificial intelligence portfolio through a secure, highly scalable cloud platform for automated analysis of medical images. HOLO AI, Surgalign’s portfolio of AI technology, utilizes convolutional neural network technology to automate various tasks such as segmenting medical images, measuring anatomic structures, and planning pedicle screw placement.
• EndoQuest Robotics, developer of a flexible endoluminal surgical robotic system and Proximie, a global health technology platform driving the digital transformation of surgery, announced a partnership to accelerate the deployment of EndoQuest's Endoluminal Surgical System. The agreement will see EndoQuest seamlessly supported by Proximie, in its development and launch of the world's first flexible endoluminal robotic surgery system. EndoQuest's endoluminal technology will integrate easily with Proximie's best-in-class technology platform, to share live, visually detailed procedures or post-procedure recordings with physicians.
• DnaNudge, a provider of of lab-free consumer genetics testing and medical diagnostics solutions, announced a strategic partnership with Indian biotech company Mylab Discovery Solutions to develop next-generation molecular diagnostics for diabetic foot infections and other key health conditions. The first delivery from this landmark partnership is an innovative diabetic foot ulcer detection kit to help clinicians rapidly identify bacteria involved in infections and optimally treat patients at the point of decision – reducing the risks of acute complications, limb amputation and antimicrobial resistance.
• Shields Health Solutions, a specialty pharmacy accelerator in the country, announced that it partnered with Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware, to collaborate in developing a specialty pharmacy program that will provide patients with complex, chronic conditions access to specialized pharmacy services designed to lower costs, expand treatment options, enhance medication management, and improve overall health. Shields will provide Nemours Children’s Health new support services through its partnership to meet the unique needs of patients with complex chronic conditions. Now, specialty pharmacy liaisons will work with patients on-site in clinics, offices, and pharmacies, among other locations, guiding patients who fill their prescriptions with Nemours Children’s. These liaisons work with teams of experts to assist patients and families with a multitude of tasks, including health insurance prior authorizations or securing financial assistance to help overcome one of the significant barriers to care.
• ART MEDICAL announced its collaboration with Teva Israel. Under the terms of the agreement, Teva Israel will market and distribute ART MEDICAL's smART+ Platform in Israel's intensive care units. The smART+ Platform, a robotic-assisted technology that aims to reduce complications related to feeding tube malposition, malnutrition, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, and Acute Kidney Injury. By delivering transformative new-to-the-world data, the smART+ Platform enables medical staff to take a comprehensive approach to critical care, make informed decisions and improve patient outcomes.
• The Garage announced it is expanding access to its population health management platform, Bridge, to independent hospitals and health systems to help shift from fee-for-service to value-based care and deliver impact in the landscape of healthcare challenges. Focusing on small to midsize hospitals, health systems and their affiliated practices and clinicians, The Garage will execute its digital-first, data-first approach, allowing organizations to improve care quality, efficiency, and the patient’s experience to achieve shared savings.
• Qualtrics, creator of the experience management category, announced a new partnership with the DAISY Foundation to make it easier for healthcare organizations around the world to recognize and honor nurses providing standout care. Qualtrics already helps healthcare entities improve how they listen, understand and act on experience data – and now they can more effectively and scalably recognize nurses when they receive positive feedback, building a culture of empathy, service excellence and gratitude. Qualtrics will add a new automated workflow that prompts patients after receiving care from a nurse to provide feedback on their care and submit their nurse for a DAISY Award®. By enabling healthcare organizations to power sustainable nursing recognition programs as part of their broader patient and employee experience management strategy – and making it easy for patients to submit a nomination right after receiving care – Qualtrics will drive new DAISY Award submissions and embed moments of gratitude into operations.
• Binoy Bhansali, Manmeet Kaur and Anne Robinson announced the formation of Diverge Health - a new value-based care company that comprehensively supports primary care providers to better serve patients on Medicaid. The company is building off the success of New York-based City Health Works, founded by Kaur in 2012 to partner with primary care practices and deploy local community health worker-led, technology-enabled health coaching services to high-needs patients. Patients enrolled in the program saw a greater than 45 percent reduction in year-over-year cost of care, a 50 percent reduction in emergency room visits, and significant clinical improvements overall while boasting a net promoter score of 90.
• Elekta announced that it signed a joint venture with China National Pharmaceutical Group to increase the adoption of radiation therapy in so-called lower-tier cities, where around 70 percent of the population resides. Sinopharm covers all aspects of healthcare, not only pharmaceuticals, including R&D, manufacturing, logistics and distribution, and healthcare delivery. Through the joint venture agreement, Elekta will improve access to over 1,000 medical institutions in small cities within Sinopharm Group’s service network.
• CodeBaby, a provider of interactive 3D-animated avatars powered by conversational AI,  announced a partnership with Mobility eXchange, a healthcare technology solutions company based in Henderson, NV. The partnership will enable Mobility eXchange to add interactive 3D characters to its suite of products, including its Electronic Health Record platform and other innovative digital healthcare products. Through this partnership, CodeBaby aims to enhance patient engagement and improve health outcomes by providing patients with digital healthcare assistants that can answer questions, offer support, and provide guidance throughout their healthcare journey. The conversational AI-powered characters will be able to understand and respond to natural language, making it easy for patients to communicate with them.
• Simulations Plus, a provider of modeling and simulation software and services for pharmaceutical safety and efficacy, announced that it entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Institute of Medical Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences to jointly design new compounds for the RORγ/RORγT nuclear receptors using its cutting-edge artificial intelligence/machine learning technology in the ADMET Predictor software platform. Per the terms of the collaboration, Simulations Plus will deploy the AIDD Module in ADMET Predictor to create predictive models of inhibition and activation for the human RORγ/RORγT nuclear receptors. The computational and medicinal chemists at Simulations Plus will then interact with researchers at the IMB PAS to define the multi-objective parameters against which the lead molecule(s) will be optimized. The generative chemistry approaches within the AIDD Module will produce novel libraries of virtual compounds with desired combinations of the properties chosen, and the IMB PAS will synthesize and test promising analogs. Emerging intellectual property, in the form of encouraging lead compounds, will be jointly owned by Simulations Plus and IMB PAS for further development opportunities.
• Lindenwood University announced a partnership with Uwill, a mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students, to offer students a direct connection to a licensed therapist trained in trauma. Lindenwood students will now have access to counselors trained to assess risk and deescalate situations. Utilizing its proprietary technology and counselor team, Uwill pioneered the first student and therapist matching platform. The solution offers an immediate appointment with a licensed counselor based on student preferences, all modalities of teletherapy, a direct crisis connection, wellness events, realtime data, and support. Uwill partners with students from all 50 states, including institutions such as Bucknell University, Gettysburg College, Morgan State University, and Santa Fe Community College.
• Babylon, a global digital healthcare company, announced personalized, digital-first programs for high-risk members living with chronic conditions. The care pathways were developed hand-in-hand by Babylon's expert technologists and primary care teams for a true end-to-end value-based care system. The programs are offered as part of Babylon’s integrated primary care model that collects and analyzes data to monitor members in real time as they manage many conditions. Conditions in the program include: diabetes, hypertension, low back pain, prenatal care, anxiety, and depression programs. Babylon’s technology will collect and analyze members’ data allowing providers to monitor and intervene sooner. Multidisciplinary care teams will support members in managing chronic conditions and deliver high-quality, evidence-based care to members.
• The International Atomic Energy Agency signed an agreement with an 11-member consortium of universities and scientific institutions in Japan under its Rays of Hope initiative, to strengthen the nuclear medicine workforce in Asia and the Pacific. The arrangement, which builds on the achievements of a previous three-year partnership between the IAEA and the consortium, aims at harnessing a range of technical expertise to provide more training opportunities and share research outcomes, to help hospitals improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, particularly in developing countries.
• Lakes Region Mental Health Center and Netsmart announced they are expanding their 33-year partnership through the adoption of the CareFabric platform to enhance clinical, financial and operational processes across the organization’s behavioral health services and treatment programs. By adopting the CareFabric platform, LRMHC will benefit from a solution focused on clinical usability, user efficiency, interoperability and scalability. The Netsmart uplift program is a client-focused opportunity that enables provider organizations to seamlessly upgrade their existing solution to an advanced Netsmart EHR solution. By participating in the uplift program, LRMHC will soon implement additional innovative tools of the CareFabric platform including artificial intelligence, enhanced billing features and transition to myAvatar. The ONC-certified myAvatar EHR solution is built for enhanced user experience, leveraging near real-time analytics and clinical decision support to drive efficient and seamless workflows. Providing intuitive workflows focused on clinician and user satisfaction can allow providers to recruit and retain the top clinicians in the field.
• Accumen, a provider of lab operation and clinical services, announced that they have entered a multi-year collaboration and partnership with Clinisys, one of the largest information systems providers for laboratories, to provide enhanced data analysis, expanded outreach services, and improved operational efficiencies to both Accumen and Clinisys’ laboratory customers and clinicians; thus, creating better outcomes for patients. Initially, the partnership will focus on customers who can leverage Clinisys’ cloud-based Atlas Outreach solution. This solution provides Advanced EMR, Patient Service Center workflows, and Mutli-Lab Networking capability that helps laboratories to reduce write-offs, leakage, and test turnaround time, along with a variety of other functionality that reduces patient wait times and increases outreach programs test reimbursement rates.
• Candid announced several enhancements to their CandidPro orthodontic platform that will give providers more control over their clear aligner cases. One of these upgrades stems from a multi-year strategic partnership Candid has forged with SoftSmile Inc. that will bring their state-of-the-art VISION treatment planning software to every CandidPro provider. In parallel with the launch of VISION, CandidPro will enhance the clinical capabilities of its products to include most of VISIONS's current clinical features including bite ramps shift, automated attachments placement, AI-powered staging optimization, multiple attachments types, 3D controls, robust treatment planning, CBCT integration, matching, and more.Candid and SoftSmile also have ambitious long-term partnership goals, including planned strategic research and development initiatives that will bring Candid's precise manufacturing technology into play for SoftSmile users seeking the latest aligner technology.
• YOTEL announced a global partnership with light therapy expert Lumie, giving guests the opportunity to loan a wake-up light for free during stays around the world. With a shared passion for innovation and functional technology, the collaboration is empowering YOTEL’s on-the-go guests to reconnect with their natural rhythms and achieve best-ever sleep, mood and energy performance.
• Mainz Biomed NV, a molecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of cancer, announced a partnership with Dr Staber & Kollegen GmbH (Labor Staber) as part of its growing network of laboratories offering ColoAlert, its flagship product that is a highly efficacious and easy-to-use at-home screening test for colorectal cancer. For more than 35 years, Labor Staber has been providing physicians and hospitals with medical laboratory services at nine locations across Germany.
• Forcura, a healthcare technology company that enables connected care for better performance, and AlayaCare, a developer of end-to-end home-based care technology, announced a partnership that will offer AlayaCare customers the ability to utilize Forcura's healthcare workflow management platform as an integrated solution. This strategic partnership marks Forcura's second integration with an electronic health record platform in the home care market, which was valued at $94.17 billion in 2022 as all aspects of home-based care continues to grow nationwide. It represents the company's seventh integration with an EHR in post-acute healthcare.

M&A

• PointClickCare Technologies, a healthcare technology platform enabling collaboration and access to real‐time insights at every stage of the patient healthcare journey, acquired Patient Pattern, a value-based care EHR and integrated care management platform
• Kyyba, a global workforce management and technology solutions firm, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Viki Technologies, a specialist healthcare technology provider
• BioVaxys Technology, a clinical stage biotechnology company that is developing viral and oncology vaccine platforms, acquired TAETSoftware Corp, a clinical studies management company engaged in the development and commercialization of the Trial Adverse Events Tracker technology platform
• Pfizer acquired Seagen, a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops and commercializes transformative cancer medicines
• MakeO, an oral and skin care solution, acquired Smileneo, a company in the Middle East enabling othordontists to provide digitalized teeth straightening solution
• HeartBeam, a cardiac technology company that has developed a 3D-vector electrocardiogram platform for heart attack detection, acquired substantially all assets from LIVMOR, a digital health solutions company providing a patient-engaging remote monitoring system of critical physiological biomarkers
• ACKO, a digital-first direct-to-consumer company that builds and operates technology and services platforms, acquired Parentlane, a digital health platform in the maternity and child health space

Funding Roundup 

• Zus Health, a shared health data platform bringing distributed patient data directly to the point of care, raised $40 million
• OpenLoop, a provider of white-label telehealth support services powering virtual and hybrid care, raised $15 million
• SpectrumAi, a company developing solutions to improve autism care, raised $20 million
• Medigo, an online pharmacy helps users order medicine from trusted pharmacies close to them, raised $2 million
• Intellect, a digital mental health company, raised an undisclosed amount of funding
• DocPlix, which offers an EMR system for clinics and hospitals, raised $600,000
• Maribel Health, a turnkey partner for health systems looking to design, build, and operate a full continuum of advanced home and community services, raised $25 million
• Protai, a proteomics and AI-powered drug discovery startup, raised $12 million
• HealthPlix, a startup that runs one of India's biggest EMR platforms, raised $22 million
• Opkit, a health insurance verification platform for telehealth providers and virtual medical clinics, launched with $1 million
• Allermi, a direct-to-consumer telehealth service providing a customized approach to allergy relief, raised $3.5 million
• Fount, a provider of experiment-driven health and performance optimization, raised $12 million
• Clever Care Health Plan, a culturally-inclusive Medicare Advantage health plan company, raised $42 million
• Shennon Biotechnologies, a biotech company using a proprietary single cell platform to create more effective immunotherapies, raised $13 million
• Perspectum, a precision health company which develops medical imaging tools to improve the diagnoses of metabolic diseases and cancer, raised $19 million
• Healium, a virtual and augmented reality biofeedback company, raised $3.6 million
• Gynoveda, which aims to democratise curative self-care solutions for gynecological and lifestyle-related disorders women face from puberty to menopause., raised $10 million
• Vivasure Medical, a company developing novel fully absorbable technology for percutaneous vessel closure, raised €22 million
• Rhythmlink International, a medical device manufacturing company specializing in devices that help connect patients to machines to record or elicit physiologic information, raised an undisclosed amount of funding

(Image source: nordiclifescience.org)