Tyto Care telehealth diagnostics raises $50 million in venture round

April 8, 2020 | by

Tyto Care today (7 April) announced a venture round investment of $50 million by Insight Partners, Olive Tree Ventures, and Qualcomm Ventures LLC plus previous investors. The new investment will pay for commercialization throughout the US, Europe, and Asia as well as to introduce new advanced product capabilities including AI and machine learning-based home diagnostics solutions and other patented technologies. 

Tyto’s timing could not be better for the raise. In the US, led by CMS with private payers following in near lockstep, the past month has seen the rapid unrestricting of payment for telehealth services like virtual visits of the audio-visual type and short asynchronous and synchronous image and audio/telephonic short visits. Tyto’s remote medical exams of the lungs, heart, throat, ears, abdomen, and body temperature fits into the current and likely future need. Both live exams and asynchronous forwarding of data are part of a platform that integrates with EHRs and third party exam tools.

Tyto Care works with hundreds of hospitals and over 100 health organizations including health systems, payers and strategic partners, primarily in North America, Europe, and Israel. In 2019, they had over 200,000 examinations.

If, like your Editor, you believe that the tidal wave of telehealth has changed the office visit model for keeps, adding remote diagnostics can be a winner–if Tyto can navigate the tricky shoals of a largely consumer-based marketing strategy (Best Buy) and gain adoption by health systems and payers, as they have in Israel with Sheba Medical Center [TTA 28 Feb]. Release, FierceHealthcare

The Theranos Story, ch. 62: Holmes’ attorneys request breaking ‘shelter in place’ orders for trial prep, charges shrink–and a coronavirus testing patent twist

April 8, 2020 | by

Even the ‘Bad Blood’ trial has a Coronavirus Twist. The trial of Theranos former CEO Elizabeth Holmes surfaced last week in the midst of the Public Health Emergency in the US District Court in San Jose, where Holmes is scheduled to go on trial in August. Williams & Connolly lead attorney Lance A. Wade filed a motion with Federal Judge Edward Davila to permit Holmes’ attorneys to travel, serve subpoenas and meet with potential witnesses, which would include health care professionals and testing laboratories, all in preparation for the trial. Judge Davila basically swatted it aside, stating “I have to tell you sir, I read [the document] and I was a little concerned,” the judge said. “You’re basically filing a motion in essence asking the court to violate orders in the midst of a national crisis.” Wade stated that it would be nearly impossible to prepare Holmes’ defense without violating shelter-in-place orders and public health warnings. While both the judge and the lead counsel agreed that much could be done remotely to prepare for trial, Wade maintained that it would be ‘almost impossible’ to complete it. 

The trial date may change at the next hearing on 15 April, since the judge has requested both the prosecution and defense to propose alternative trial schedules. Jury selection is scheduled to start in late July. 

A prosecutorial deteriorata? In February, the nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy were reduced by the judge, who dismissed the two conspiracy charges related to defrauding patients and directing doctors to misrepresent Theranos to patients. He also severed Holmes’ trial from former president and live-in Sunny Balwani’s. One wonders that, between the reduction of charges and the delay which has made The Biggest Healthcare Fraud of the 21st Century old news, whether Holmes and Balwani will serve any significant Club Fed time at all. Law360. CNBC, Observer

Another Corona Twist is that a SoftBank/Fortress Investment shell company, Labrador Diagnostics LLC, which happens to own several Theranos patents, sued a small company, BioFire, developing COVID-19 tests. Labrador now states that the patent infringement doesn’t entail the COVID tests but others over the past six years. Our Readers will recall that SoftBank/Fortress was a ‘last ditch’ investor in Theranos in December 2017, collateralized by the patent portfolio. The Verge