...breach of 2025 to date. The unusual breach was not from the usual bad actor, but from Blue Shield’s use, unbelievably, of Google Analytics. According to their submission to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights’ (HHS-OCR) breach portal, their Google Analytics on how customers used their websites was configured in such a way that sent selected member PHI data over to Google Ads. Google Ads could then send these users and members targeted advertising. This went on for three years, ending only in January 2024. The data included: Insurance plan name, type and group number... Continue Reading
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The weekend read: why SPACs came, went, and failed in digital health–the Halle Tecco analysis/memorial service; why OpenAI is going to be a bad, bad business
...that SoftBank invested in Theranos and WeWork. Another tell–the NY Times and The Information estimated that Open AI lost $5 billion in 2024, it loses money on every copy of ChatGPT, and its revenue projections are near-absurd at $11.6 billion in 2025 and $100 billion by 2029. It totally ignores that every major player has an AI program, from Microsoft to Google. If you’re a fan of ChatGPT or need your eyes cleared around this type of AI, grab your cuppa and a bottle of your favorite pain reliever for Ed Zitron’s article, OpenAI Is A Bad Business. (Ed is... Continue Reading
Short takes: a guide to HIMSS25, Google Watch clears loss of pulse detection, OpenEvidence’s AI-powered $75M raise, Retrieve Medical to buy Cúratus, HerMD women’s health closes
...pulse feature, launched last year, had clearance in 14 European countries but the FDA clearance opens the door for its use in the US. Loss of pulse (your heart stops beating) or sensing a pulse will show an “I’m OK” prompt. No answer or activity will trigger an emergency alert and call emergency services. It will be activated for US owners sometime in March. Users have to enable it from the Pixel Watch app on your phone > Safety & emergency. It is similar to Google’s existing Car Crash and Fall Detection features. 9to5 Google, Mobihealthnews OpenEvidence’s $75 million Series... Continue Reading
The table stacks–and clears: fundings for RadAI $60M, The Helper Bees $35M, Bicycle Health $16.5M. Walgreens suspends stock dividends after 91 years. And has Transcarent zeroed out 98point6? (updated)
...notified on 19 December that the service was going out of business. The college is searching for a replacement telehealth service. The Allegheny page is also showing up high in Google Search results. Transcarent has a live 98point6 page with FAQs about the service and buttons for downloads on Google’s and Apple’s respective App Stores. There is no notice on Transcarent’s 98point6 page, but their last blog posting mentioning 98point6 was October 2024. On Google’s App Store, the last update is listed as 5 June 2024, which is unusual for a telehealth app. The app ownership is credited to Transcarent... Continue Reading
Perspectives: Three Strategies to Bring Digital-First Care to Patients Through Telehealth
...quote from a patient that shows how telehealth saved time, money, or both. 2. Update Online Profiles and Manage Reviews; Include Your Telehealth Services Patients increasingly rely on online reviews and listings to find providers they can trust. Ensure that Google My Business, Healthgrades, WebMD, Yelp, and more reflect your telemedicine appointment options so that potential patients know you’re ready to meet their digital preferences. Emphasize Digital Convenience Fifty-five percent of patients prefer using a mobile application to manage appointments. On each profile, detail how you make remote care accessible, whether via a proprietary app or a web-based portal. Mention... Continue Reading
AI-powered senior companions hit the tabletops at CES: ElliQ’s Caregiver Solution, ONSCREEN Joy
...to older adults living at home or in senior communities, the Joy programming can run on iPads or Android-based tablets families already own. It has companionship features such as conversations, trivia, jokes, and creative activities, wellness reminders, video calling and Zoom connectivity, messaging, YouTube content shared by family members, and a photo gallery. It rebranded its existing app for family members and caregivers as ONSCREEN Family. Now available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, it is also affordable at a modest $9.99 per month. The company previously developed Moment, a TV-based senior care device. Release... Continue Reading
Surprise! HLTH conference group sold to UK’s Hyve Group Limited
...to include the annual conference of CHIME, which split from HIMSS before their acquisition by Informa). It is also Hyve’s second acquisition from HLTH founder/CEO Jonathan Weiner, who sold ShopTalk to Hyve in December 2019. Weiner will remain at the helm of HLTH for the foreseeable future along with 80 employees in their New York, Dublin, and London offices. The acquisition also gives UK-based Hyve a larger footprint in the highly competitive North American and US trade show market, and introduces them to a fresh group of new contacts at major players such as Google, Meta, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft,... Continue Reading
News roundup: Teladoc’s improved Q3, PursueCare resuscitates Pear’s apps, AMA removes 16-day RPM requirement in 2026, PatientPoint intros Innovation Network, PeopleOne’s $32B raise, Cigna-Humana again a no-go
...model received a nifty $32.3 million Series B funding. It was led by GV (Google Ventures), with participation from investors including healthcare entrepreneur and Transcarent CEO Glen Tullman. Their nine clinics are presently in Pennsylvania with their newest expansion in Palatka, Florida, south of Jacksonville. Their model is employer-focused; employees are fully covered by employers with no copays, deductibles, or coinsurance. It’s claimed that they save up to 30% on healthcare costs. Mobihealthnews, Release Cigna quashes Humana buy rumors–again. These revived in late summer like pumpkins, but on an investor call Thursday (today), Cigna CEO David Cordani said that instead,... Continue Reading
Some thoughts on the takeaways from HLTH
...However, as this Editor has previously noted, this is yet another area where the DOJ and FTC are also scrutinizing. Big Tech–Microsoft, Google, Amazon, GE Healthcare and Nvidia–also saw opportunities at HLTH to promote their AI offerings, emphasizing use cases and partnerships with health systems, to solve a range of problems in documentation and scheduling, creating platform solutions customized to a specific health system. The big questions out there are readiness of clinicians to use the tools and how to offer them to systems responsibly. The tech providers do step back from telling health systems what to do. As Google’s... Continue Reading
Industry news short takes: fundings for Qure.AI, Centivo, Rippl, Surescripts; M&A closings for GE Healthcare-Intelligent Ultrasound, LetsGetChecked-Truepill. And is Hinge Health going public soon?
...other payors and payviders. Rippl is also a participant in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) eight-year alternative payment model, the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model (GUIDE Model). It started in July with 390 healthcare providers. The Series A was led by Tina Hoang-To, Kin Ventures Founding General Partner, with participation from Rippl’s seed investors ARCH Venture Partners, General Catalyst, GV (Google Ventures), F-Prime, Mass General Brigham Ventures, and 1843 Capital. JSL Health also joined the round. Release E-prescriber Surescripts now has a majority investment from private equity TPG Capital. The investment amount was not disclosed and... Continue Reading
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