TTA’s April Showers 2: Teladoc, Amwell’s future, VillageMD’s new COO, Change data on sale, digital health funding limps along, pending delistings, innovations sprout, more!

 

 

This packed week is about righting listing ships. Teladoc’s CEO suddenly departs, Amwell at risk of a NYSE delisting–we look at What Happened and what needs to be done. VillageMD gets new COO to manage the shrinkage. And Change Healthcare data on sale from disgruntled ALPHV affiliate. Digital health funding continues to limp along. Clover looks at another delisting, Walmart Health applies the brakes. And we highlight innovations from Novosound, Biolinq, Eko, Universal Brain. 

Digital health’s Q1 according to Rock Health: the New Reality is a flat spin back to 2019 (Limping, but alive)
VillageMD names new president and COO as it shrinks to 620 locations (Ex Centene, Humana exec comes out of short retirement to clean up)
News roundup: Now Clover Health faces delisting; BlackCat/ALPHV affiliate with 4TB of data puts it up for sale; $58M for Biolinq’s ‘smallest blood glucose biosensor’ (Will UHG pay more ransom?)
Opinion: Further thoughts on Teladoc, Amwell, and the future of telehealth–what happens next? (A hard look at the follies, mistakes, and saving ships)
News roundup: Amwell faces NYSE delisting; Walmart Health slows Health Centers, except Texas; Novosound’s ultrasound patent; Eko’s Low EF AI; Universal Brain; Elizabeth Holmes in ‘Dropout’ + update
Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic steps down immediately in shock announcement (Now what?)

A damp start to April leads with puzzling news. NeueHealth loses plans and big money in ’23–but gives a big bonus to its CEO. Cano Health reorganizing or selling by June. ATA kicks DOJ about expediting controlled substance telehealth regs. Apple keeps kicking around the ‘Davids’, but Davids won’t stop slinging either. And if you work with a PR or marketing agency, our Perspectives has some advice for you.

More New Reality: NeueHealth (Bright Health) CEO’s $1.9M bonus, 2023 financials–and does Cano Health have a future? (Two stories gone way sideways)
ATA requests expediting of revised proposed rule on controlled substance telehealth prescribing; announces Nexus 2024 meeting 5-7 May (DEA needs to get moving now, not later)
Davids (AliveCor, Masimo) v. Goliath (Apple): the patent infringement game *not* over; Masimo’s messy proxy fight with Politan (updated) (Seeing value in Masimo?)
Perspectives: Working with a PR Agency–How to Make the Most of the Partnership (Expert advice if you manage communications)

It was a pre-Easter week that started as quiet and got VERY LOUD at the end. Walgreens took the hard road, writing down VillageMD even before the closures were final and lowering forecasts. An important metastudy+ casts doubt on the efficacy of present digital health diabetes solutions but provides solid direction forward. And it’s definitely an early sunny spring for funding, but there’s continued bad weather forecast for UnitedHealth Group and Oracle Cerner’s VA implementation.

Facing Future 2: Walgreens writes down $5.8B for VillageMD in Q2, lowers 2024 earnings on ‘challenging’ retail outlook (Biting bullet early and hard)
Short takes: PocketHealth, Brightside fundings; VA OIG reports hit Oracle Cerner; Change cyberattack/legal updates; UHG-Amedisys reviewed in Oregon; Optum to buy Steward Health practices (UHG carries on as does company funding)
Can digital health RPM achieve meaningful change with type 2 diabetics? New metastudy expresses doubt. (Major digital health findings from PHTI)

This week’s Big Quake was DOJ’s antitrust suit against Apple for smartphone monopoly and control over apps. Another quake: 2023 data breaches were up 187%–when a medical record is worth $60, it’s logical. Early-stage funding and partnerships are back with a roar when AI’s in your portfolio. And Walgreens shrinks both VillageMD and distribution.

2023 US data breaches topped 171M records, up 187% versus 2022: Protenus Breach Barometer (And that was LAST year!)
Why is the US DOJ filing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple–on monopolizing the smartphone market? (One wonders)
Mid-week roundup: UK startup Anima gains $12M, Hippocratic AI $53M, Assort Health $3.5M; Abridge partners with NVIDIA; VillageMD sells 11 Rhode Island clinics; $60 for that medical record on the dark web (Funding’s back and AI’s got it)
Walgreens’ latest cuts affect 646 at Florida, Connecticut distribution centers (More in next week’s financial call)

A lighter week with the Change hacking starting to recede (pharmacy back up on Wed 13 March) and most industry types at HIMSS, we caught up with the first VA go-live in a year, Dexcom’s cleared OTC CGM, WebMD doubles down on health ed with Healthwise buy, Centene may sell abandoned HQ building. And Friday’s news is on a big cyberattack of an NHS Scotland region.

Weekend roundup: NHS Dumfries (Scotland) cyberattacked; delisted Veradigm’s strong financials; One Medical NY patients’ coverage clash; Suki voice AI integrates with Amwell; Legrand and Possum extended; Zephyr AI’s $111M Series A

News roundup: Cerner goes live at VA, DOD Lovell Center; WebMD expands education with Healthwise buy; Dexcom has FDA OK for OTC glucose sensor; Centene may have buyer for abandoned Charlotte HQ (Back to normal news!)
Updates on Change cyberattack: UHG’s timeline for system restorations, key updates around claims and payments in next weeks (updated) (Saving the analysis for later)

The Change Healthcare/Optum cyberattack entered a second week with no restoration of services in sight; how providers and pharmacies are coping without their primary means of processing patient claims and furnishing care–and the psychological toll; and the uncertain future of Walgreens, WBA, and the rapid downsizing of their provider arm, VillageMD. To add further insult to UHG, now DOJ is putting them under antitrust scrutiny.

Is BlackCat/ALPHV faking its own ‘death’? (updated) HHS and CMS come to Change affected providers’ assistance with ‘flexibilities’
Update: VillageMD lays off 49 in first two of six Village Medical closures in Illinois
Reality Bites Again: UHG being probed by DOJ on antitrust, One Medical layoffs “not related” to Amazon, the psychological effects of cyberattacks
Facing Future: Walgreens CEO moves company into strategic review–will he get WBA board alignment? (‘Go big’ now in reverse)
Week 2: Change Healthcare’s BlackCat hack may last “for the next couple of weeks”, UHG provides temp funding to providers, AHA slams it as a ‘band aid”–but did Optum already pay BlackCat a $22M ransom? (updated) (When will it end? Providers. staff, and patients are hurting)

Three major stories lead this packed week. Change Healthcare’s and Optum’s week-long struggle to get 100 or so BlackCat hacked systems up and running again for pharmacies and hospitals–no end in sight. Walgreens keeps closing Village MD locations–up to 85. But the funding freeze seems to be thawing, with M&A and lettered funding rounds suddenly poking through like daffodils–though the structure of one (Dario-Twill) is puzzling and another may be contested (R1 RCM). And Veradigm finally delists–while buying ScienceIO.

BlackCat is back, claims theft of 6TB of Change Healthcare data (Latest breaking news)

Breaking: VillageMD exiting Illinois clinics–in its home state–as closures top 80 locations (Something not good in the Village)
Short takes on a springlike ‘defrosting’: Redi Health’s $14M Series B, Dario Health buys Twill for ~$30M (About time for a Spring thaw)
Roundup: Walgreens’ new chief legal officer; Digital Health Collaborative launched; fundings/M&A defrosting for b.well, R1 RCM, Abridge, Reveleer; Veradigm likely delists, buys ScienceIO–mystery? (updated)
Change Healthcare cyberattack persists–is the BlackCat gang back and using LockBit malware? BlackCat taking credit. (update 28 Feb #2) (100 systems down, BlackCat’s back)


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VillageMD names new president and COO as it shrinks to 620 locations

Jim Murray retires from Centene to take the role of VillageMD’s president and chief operating officer. The appointment was effective on 1 April. He will be responsible for leading operations of Village Medical, Summit Medical, and CityMD.  Last October, VillageMD named new divisional heads: Rishi Sikka, MD as president of Village Medical, Dan Frogel, MD as president and chief clinical officer of CityMD, and Becky Levy, JD as president of Summit Health and Starling PhysiciansVillageMD release, Crain’s Chicago Business

As noted previously, VillageMD has been retreating quickly from its aggressive plans circa 2022 for expansion into Walgreens locations to closure of the co-locations and already established free-standing offices. The planned 140 closures are well above the originally estimated 50, then 85 locations, including all in Florida and six in its home state of Illinois. Majority owner Walgreens has already taken a $5.8 billion writedown of its estimated $9-10 billion investment. Industry analyst Brian Tanquilut, a health care services equity research analyst at Jefferies, estimated to Crain’s that VillageMD lost $800 million in 2023.

Jim Murray retired as Centene’s chief transformation officer on 29 March, just in time to move to VillageMD.  His planned retirement was announced by Centene last May. Previously, he had been president and chief operating officer at Magellan Health from January 2020 to its acquisition by Centene in January 2022. Subsequently, Centene sold parts of Magellan such as Specialty Health and Rx. His experience crosses both provider and payer, at Dallas-based PrimeWest Health, the Dallas-based hospital system LifeCare Health Partners, and prior to that, 28 years at Humana, departing as chief operating officer. It does show one how close the circles are at the C-level. St. Louis Today

Short takes: Orion digital pain therapeutic to be commercialized by Newel Health; Verma to head Oracle Health; CVS to shut 25 LA-area MinuteClinics

Orion Health licenses its chronic pain therapeutic to Newel Health. Orion’s ODD-533 (Rohkea), classified by FDA and the EU MDR as software as a medical device (MDSW or SaMD) will be developed, manufactured, and commercialized by Newel. Newel, located in Salerno, Italy, designs and commercializes digital medicine and digital therapeutics (DTx) for the US and EU such as Soturi, a digital therapeutic app for Parkinson’s Disease [TTA 23 Feb 23], Orion, located in Espoo, Finland, develops primarily human and animal pharmaceutical products. Orion release

Oracle wastes no time in finding a new Oracle Health head, Seema Verma. Conveniently in-house, the former head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from April 2017 to January 2021 joined Oracle in April last year as senior VP in charge of life sciences.  As executive VP, she will oversee both Oracle Health and life sciences as general manager. Verma’s appointment was announced internally in December, according to Bloomberg. In January, Oracle Health’s general manager, Travis Dalton, announced his departure effective 1 March to join MultiPlan as CEO and president. Verma’s government experience will come in handy, as she has the difficult situation of the stalled Millenium EHR at the VA as well as finalizing the Military Health System rollout, ensuring interoperability–as well as growing the faltering hospital EHR business. By combining the positions, Oracle also eliminates one large C-suite salary. Becker’s

And confirming signs of softness in the clinic business [TTA 24 Jan, JPM’s new reality], CVS announced the closure of 25 MinuteClinics in the Los Angeles area. Closing date is 25 February. They will retain 11 MinuteClinic locations in the Los Angeles area, including an on-demand virtual care practice. Clinics are losing out to virtual care and for more immediate needs, urgent care. This follows Walgreens’ closure of a planned 60 VillageMD adjacent practice locations and softness in their CityMD clinic group. List of 25 closures (LA Times), Becker’s

Turmoil smacks retail healthcare (updated): Walgreens to shut 60 VillageMDs, as Village names 3 new presidents; CVS shakeup continues; Rite Aid bankrupt; Amazon’s One Medical rebrands Iora

Walgreens shuttering 60 VillageMD locations adjacent to stores in five markets. This follows a second disappointing quarter for Walgreens Boots Alliance [Q3 TTA 28 June] and a fiscal Q4 net loss of $180 million, or 21 cents per share. Their CFO attributed the loss to charges for certain legal and regulatory approvals and settlements (in September, $44 million for their Theranos fling), and one-time charges related to Walgreens’ cost-cutting program. Cuts announced by acting CEO Ginger Graham are $1 billion in 2024. Shares perked up slightly; since the start of 2023, share value has been down 39% for the year before the earnings call on 12 October. 

Cutting 27% of co-located VillageMD clinics in ‘non-strategic locations’ is a start. Currently, about 220 are co-located with Walgreens which followed an original plan of about 200 in 2023. However, since WBA bought a 63% share in VillageMD for $5.3 billion in 2021, VillageMD has aggressively expanded. They bought Summit Health last November for $8.9 billion ($3.5 billion from WBA) which included CityMD, acquired Starling Physicians in Connecticut, Family and Internal Medicine Associates in central Kentucky, and Dallas (Texas) Internal Medicine and Geriatric Specialists for a whopping 700 locations [TTA 9 Mar]. Last quarter’s revenue grew by 17%. But expansion can be problematic. Together with the underperformance of CityMD, which came with the acquisition of Summit, and weak retail sales, for WBA this led to an adjusted operating loss of $172 million for the US Healthcare segment. But…there may be more. HISTalk cites an analysis by AI company founder Sergei Polevikov that attributes half of WBA’s projected 2023 $3 billion net loss, its first ever, to…VillageMD. Yet it appears, at least in the press, that Walgreens is staking a great deal on VillageMD, even though it may be a ‘gamble’. FierceHealthcare

As noted last week, WBA has experienced problems from the streets to the suites. Pharmacy workers have walked out, the CEO was given the heave-ho before Labor Day and replaced in record time, the CFO exited in July, and the CIO mysteriously departed at the top of this month. Bad earnings and a depressed retail/pharmacy outlook, without Covid’s ‘black swan’ stimulus, will do that. Even the US Healthcare head on the earnings call resorted to the anodyne “We will continue to grow in 2024 but with a renewed focus on more profitable growth.”  TTA 11 Oct, Chain Store Age, CNBC

Updated & Breaking  VillageMD’s three new divisional presidents. Village Medical’s new president is Rishi Sikka, MD, who is joining from president of system enterprises at Sutter Health. CityMD is promoting Dan Frogel, MD to the dual role of president and chief clinical officer. He joined in 2013 as a founder of Premier Care which was merged into CityMD and has had other positions within CityMD and Summit Health. At Summit Health, Becky Levy, JD moves to the new position of president of Summit Health and Starling Physicians. She has been with Summit Health since 2011, previously as chief legal officer, chief administrative officer, and chief strategy officer. Business Wire 18 October

CVS Health continues to Shake & Bake. Chief financial officer and recently announced president of Health Services Shawn Guertin is taking a leave of absence due to “unforeseen family health reasons”. The CFO role will be covered by Tom Cowhey, SVP of corporate finance with Mike Pykosz, CEO of Oak Street Health, stepping in as the interim president of health services. Interestingly, the CVS release included Kyle Armbrester, the CEO of Signify Health, as being “highly involved in the Health Services strategy”. Both Oak Street and Signify were part of a CVS buying binge this year and last that topped $18.6 billion. Neither is reportedly profitable. As usually happens when the numbers don’t look good, CVS will be laying off 5,000 in the next few months, with the first tranche of 1,200 this month [TTA 23 Aug].  FierceHealthcare, Healthcare Dive

Retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid declared Chapter 11 last Sunday. One of the US’ largest chains with 2,000 locations in 17 states, it will close 150 locations and sell its pharmacy benefit manager Elixir. Rite Aid has been beleaguered with over 1,600 lawsuits over opioid prescriptions from Federal to state and local governments, hospitals, and individuals, as well as high debt and heavy competition from other retailers like Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, as well as Amazon. The greatest numbers are in Michigan, California, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  Reuters, The Hill

And for Amazon, Iora Health is now One Medical Senior. Iora was acquired by One Medical in 2021 but never rebranded. It was quite different than One Medical’s membership concierge-style practices in serving primarily Medicare patients in full-risk value-based care models such as Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare shared savings programs at 46 locations in seven states. One Medical intends to be able to serve patients of any age at all sites, according to One Medical VP Natasha Bhuyan’s comments to Healthcare Dive at HLTH last week.

VillageMD opens the Walgreens purse, set to buy Summit Health for $8.9B

Moving from rumor to deal in a New York Minute. Primary care provider VillageMD has moved to a definitive agreement to acquire specialty/urgent care provider Summit Medical in an $8.9 billion deal including debt. This was heavily rumored last week [TTA 1 Nov]

This will create a provider behemoth of 680 provider locations, 750 primary care providers, and 1,200 specialty care providers in 26 markets. The fun facts:

  • VillageMD has 342 total primary care clinics in 22 southern and northeastern markets covering 15 states, with 152 co-located with Walgreens; these will eventually increase to 200.
  • Summit Health has 370 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and central Oregon. VillageMD and Summit do not overlap (except in NJ) on markets.  
  • VillageMD consists of primarily owned and affiliated primary care practices; Summit Health specialty practices (neurology, chiropractic, cardiology, orthopedics, dermatology) plus 150 CityMD urgent care locations.
  • VillageMD has successfully mastered value-based care models in Medicare and entered advanced Medicare ACO models early and vigorously (Editor’s information). Summit Health presently is primarily is fee-for-service with some participation in value-based programs.

The participation in this one is interesting: 

  • Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) will invest $3.5 billion through an even mix of debt and equity 
  • Cigna’s health services organization Evernorth will become a minority owner; the exact percentage is not disclosed at this point
  • It’s not disclosed at this time whether Summit Health’s current majority owner, Walburg Pincus, will retain an interest in the combined companies. 

WBA remains the largest and consolidating shareholder of VillageMD, but with this acquisition, reduces its ownership share from approximately 62-63% to 53%. WBA’s other US non-retail healthcare interests include specialty pharmacy company Shields Health Solutions and at-home care provider CareCentrix.

Based on their release, the acquisition is expected to close in January 2023, subject to the usual Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) premerger notification and report with the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that initiates a 30-day waiting period.

Bet on VillageMD and Summit closing deeper into Q1–but closing. This Editor’s over/under is that this is overly optimistic given the current DOJ and FTC’s scrutiny and apparent dislike of healthcare acquisitions, even though the provider groups don’t overlap except in a minor way in NJ. But perhaps Amazon, with a healthcare footprint primarily in pharmacy and shuttering Amazon Care, thought OneMedical would move smartly. CVS thought the same with Signify Health, yet both are on information Second Requests that extend the waiting period. DOJ is after all smarting hard with a Federal District Court nixing their challenge of UHG’s Optum with Change Healthcare, but it’s hard to throw typical antitrust at this one.

Go big or go home, indeed.     Healthcare Dive, Becker’s

VillageMD considering $5-$10B merger with Summit Health provider group: reports

Two large provider groups, VillageMD and Summit Health, reportedly are considering a merger. VillageMD, which now is majority owned (62%) by Walgreens Boots Alliance, has 342 total primary care clinics in 22 southern and northeastern markets covering 15 states, with 152 co-located with Walgreens eventually increasing to 200. Summit Health has 370 locations in five states, including specialty practices and CityMD urgent care locations. Summit Health is majority owned by Walburg Pincus.

This reinforces a trend of cross-healthcare sector buys, consolidations, and control. VillageMD’s move from a co-location deal with Walgreens to majority ownership (but controlled by an independent board) was one step starting during the pandemic in July 2020 [TTA article series here].

  • Amazon agreed to acquire OneMedical (1Life) for $3.9 billion at the end of July, and abandon Amazon Care, though now running into FTC/DOJ review headwinds with a second request for information [TTA 15 Sep].
  • CVS Health has made no secret of its desire to acquire primary care, provider enablement, and home health companies (Signify Health, also under DOJ scrutiny), but apparently has abandoned or put on hold a deal with Cano Health [TTA 21 Oct].
  • Walmart continues to go direct by opening full-service clinics, announcing the expansion of 16 based in the Tampa, Jacksonville, and Orlando areas in 2023 (Healthcare Dive, Healthcare Finance News).

Valued at $12.9 billion and with Walgreens’ backing, VillageMD has the ‘go big or go home’ resources to execute Walgreens’ version of this strategy.

Why this very well may happen. The two do not overlap (except in NJ) on markets. VillageMD is primarily owned and affiliated primary care practices; Summit Health specialty practices (neurology, chiropractic, cardiology, orthopedics, dermatology) and CityMD urgent care. VillageMD has successfully mastered value-based care models in Medicare and entered advanced Medicare ACO models early and vigorously (Editor’s information); Summit Health primarily is fee-for-service with some participation in value-based programs. More to come. Bloomberg, Becker’s, and a very big hat tip to research from Jailendra Singh of Truist Securities  (paper here)

CVS-Aetna: It’s not integrated healthcare, it’s experiential retail!

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/canary-in-the-coal-mine.jpgw595.jpeg” thumb_width=”150″ /]This very interesting take on financial analysis site Seeking Alpha draws another insight from the CVS-Aetna merger–it’s actually part of the rising commercial real estate trend of experiential retail. Here’s the logic. CVS MinuteClinics increase traffic to CVS stores. If they are part of a shopping center, that means those patients might grab a meal, coffee, or shop. Reportedly CVS and Aetna will add nurses and nutritionists, which will further increase attraction, stickiness, and traffic. 

CVS and Walgreens‘ clinics have started, in the new model, to become significant, even anchor, tenants of shopping centers, filling up the empty storefronts left by traditional retail. Doctors’ offices, urgent cares like CityMD, and hospital-run outpatient clinics are filling retail spaces and anchoring new developments. Another part of the experience–fitness clubs, which are also converting vacant office spaces–a line extension increasingly popular with health systems. CVS also bought out department store Target’s drugstores and in-store clinics, which is another model (fill a prescription, buy socks or a TV). Another line extension is partnerships with urgent cares or outpatient clinics, not much of a stretch since CVS already has affiliations with health systems in many areas.

Add telemedicine (Aetna’s partnership with Teladoc) to the above: both MinuteClinics and in-home become 24/7 operations. Not mentioned here is that Aetna can add in-person or kiosk services in CVS stores to file claims, answer questions, or sell coverage.

As this model becomes clearer, big supermarket operators like Ahold (Stop & Shop, Giant), Wegmans, Publix, Shop Rite and others, which have pharmacies in most locations, may ally with or merge with insurers or health systems–or partner with CVS-Aetna. There is also the 9,000 lb. elephant called Walmart, which is 2/3 of the way to an experiential model including nutrition, diet, and fitness (ask any WalMartian). Further insights on how this merger is forcing retailers to adapt are in Drug Store News.

CVS-Aetna could very well be a major mover in experiential retail, which may save all those strip malls. But this article points out, as this Editor has already, that the full shape of what could be experiential healthcare will take years to work and shake out, assuming the merger is approved. Our prior coverage is here.

MedStartr’s ¡Viva La Evolución! evolves on Wed 5 April (NYC)

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/MedStartr_red_grey_sm.jpg” thumb_width=”150″ /]After an intense and overflow attendance Hospital Innovation Programs Roundtable last Wednesday hosted by NYC’s largest urgent care, CityMD, and with eight speaker/panelists from Mount Sinai, NY-Presbyterian, Northwell, and Startup61/Melbourne Australia Health Accelerator, what could be better than doing it again in two weeks?

Wednesday 5 April’s MedStartr/Health 2.0 NYC presentation on healthcare’s evolution will be a little more relaxed with three panelists so far, but they are rare ‘gets’: Greg Downing, DO is the Executive Director of Innovation at the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), an institution much in the news with Federal changes in healthcare. Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH developed the first commercial cloud-based EHR, Hello Health, back in 2008 and founded his current telemedicine company, Sherpaa Health, five years ago. Rich Park, MD is both host and the founder-CEO of CityMD. All have different views of how healthcare is evolving, so it should be both an interesting and full evening. It begins at 6 and wraps up at 9pm, with plenty of networking time.

Tickets are $35. Advance reservations are required due to building security. Ticketing is being done through the Meetup Group Health 2.0 NYC here. If you are not a member, please email MedStartr directly at members@Medstartr.com.

Videos are now online for the 22 March Hospital Innovations program and 1 March’s Rise of the Healthy Machines (#RISE2017). The latter includes keynotes, panels, and the six pitches for the Challenge. December’s #MedMo16 is also online.

TTA is a MedStartr and Health 2.0 NYC supporter/media sponsor since 2010; Editor Donna is a host for this event and a MedStartr Mentor. Check the MedStartr page to find and fund some of the most interesting startup ideas in healthcare.

Updated–MedStartr’s Rise of the Healthy Machines 1 March (NYC)

Wednesday 1 March, 1-6:30 pm (followed by cocktail reception to 8 pm), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 300 Madison Avenue NYC

What’s new at #RISE2017? A new event page which has all the highlights, including the speaker roster and agenda.  The revised agenda focuses on population health and how machine learning/AI will change medicine and our notions of healthy living, with speakers and panelists from Teladoc, PwC, J&J, Prognos.ai, CityMD, mymee, DataArt, Enspektos and more. There’s also a new Healthy Machines Challenge application page, so if you have a young company with a technology which can help people live longer, healthier lives, apply for the $300,000 Challenge which finds and funds some of the best new ideas in digital health. Sponsors include PwC, DataArt, and McCarter & English LLP. Tickets are free to $75 for the full half-day with reception. TTA is a MedStartr supporter/media sponsor; Editor Donna is a host for this event and a MedStartr Mentor. Also check the MedStartr page to find and fund some of the most interesting startup ideas in healthcare