Financial News
Microsoft accelerates industry cloud strategy for healthcare with the acquisition of Nuance
Microsoft Corp (@Microsoft) and Nuance Communications, Inc. (@NuanceInc) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Nuance for $56.00 per share, implying a 23% premium to the closing price of Nuance on Friday, April 9, in an all-cash transaction valued at $19.7 billion, inclusive of Nuance’s net debt. Nuance is a trusted cloud and AI software leader representing decades of accumulated healthcare and enterprise AI experience. Mark Benjamin will remain CEO of Nuance, reporting to Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud & AI at Microsoft. The transaction is intended to close this calendar year.
Cohere Health Lands Additional $36 Million in Series B Funding
Cohere Health (@CohereHealth), an emerging high growth digital health company, announced that it has closed a $36 million Series B round led by Polaris Partners, with additional participation from new investors Longitude Capital and Deerfield Management, as well as existing investors Flare Capital Partners and Define Ventures. The round comes less than a year after the company’s launch and only three months since Cohere Health’s Series A extension.
Kyruus Completes Acquisition of HealthSparq, Paving Way for Seamless Cross-Channel Care Navigation
Kyruus (@kyruus), a company in provider search and scheduling solutions for health systems, announced the completion of its acquisition of HealthSparq, a trailblazing healthcare guidance and transparency technology company serving health plans. With the transaction finalized, the combined entity now serves 70 health systems and 100 health plan brands across the United States.
Xenter, Inc., Announces Company Launch and Strategy as the First Start-Up Device/Data/Drug” Medical Technology Company
Xenter, Inc. announced its formal launch in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 2020 by seasoned life sciences entrepreneur Richard J. Linder, Xenter is innovating new wireless technologies and techniques for interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, and neurointerventional radiology.
Tesis Labs Launching New Arizona Genetic Testing Facility
Tesis Labs (@TesisLabs), a company in targeted genetic sequencing, announced its plans to expand to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, offering targeted genetic sequencing services to healthcare providers in the western U.S. The new lab will be located in Scottsdale.
Collaboration News
SYNCRONYS Leverages Orion Health to Launch Next-Generation Health Information Exchange in New Mexico
SYNCRONYS is joining forces with Orion Health (@OrionHealth), a provider of population health management solutions, to launch a next-generation health information exchange model. Together, SYNCRONYS and Orion Health will break down data-sharing barriers, increase interoperability, and enhance the functionality, data sets, reach, and overall value of the HIE.
EHNAC and UDAP.org Offer Roadmap for Interoperability Requirements with the Launch of TDRAAP Star Level Glide Path
The Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (@EHNAC), a non-profit standards development organization and accrediting body for organizations that electronically exchange healthcare data, in collaboration with UDAP.org, announced the launch of the Trusted Dynamic Registration & Authentication Accreditation Program (TDRAAP) Star Level Glide Path.
THREAD and Lokavant Partner to Provide Sponsors with First DCT Benchmarking Solution
THREAD (@THREADresearch), a technology and service provider that enables decentralized clinical research, and Lokavant, a clinical trial intelligence company, announced a partnership to bring businesses operating decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) advanced analytics and actionable insights.
Tabula Rasa HealthCare Partners with athenahealth’s Marketplace Program to Provide Medication Decision Support Tools
Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc. (@TabulaRasaHC), a healthcare technology company advancing safe use of medications, announced a partnership with athenahealth, Inc. to provide TRHC’s MedWise® technology through the athenahealth Marketplace program.
Kyruus Joins athenahealth’s Marketplace Program to Enable Joint Customers to Offer Seamless Online Appointment Scheduling
Kyruus (@kyruus), a company in provider search and scheduling solutions for healthcare organizations, announced a partnership with athenahealth, Inc. through the company’s Marketplace program. As part of the athenahealth® Marketplace, Kyruus’ award-winning patient scheduling solution, ProviderMatch DirectBook, is now available to athenahealth’s growing network of healthcare providers to enable seamless online consumer scheduling from ProviderMatch into athenahealth’s EHR platform.
Product News
RxInform from DrFirst Now Available in the Epic App Orchard
RxInform, a patient engagement platform from health technology pioneer DrFirst (@DrFirst), is now available in the App Orchard marketplace.
Vocera Smartbadge Receives FIPS 140-2 Certification
Vocera Communications, Inc. (@voceracomm), a company in clinical communication and workflow solutions, announced that it received FIPS 140-2 certification for the Vocera Smartbadge. Certificate #3865 validates that the Vocera Smartbadge Cryptographic Module meets government protocols required to support secure wireless communication in Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense healthcare facilities.
Pivot Point Consulting Expands Its Virtual Care Practice
Pivot Point Consulting (@pivotpc), a national health IT consulting leader and the 2020 Best in KLAS Overall IT Services Firm, is expanding its virtual care services to meet the exponential growth in virtual care services fueled by the pandemic and rapidly changing consumer demands.
Beam Mobile Announces Upgraded Healthcare Cases for iPhone SE/XR
Beam Mobile (@BeamMobile4U) announces new iPhone SE and XR cases with data-passthrough ports. Beam cases are designed for hospitals using mobile applications and provide battery backup and advanced drop protection.
AccentCare Deploys the Jvion CORE™ to Prevent Avoidable Readmissions
Jvion (@JvionHealth), a clinical artificial intelligence (AI) company, announced that AccentCare, a national post-acute healthcare services comapany with over 240 locations in 29 states, will leverage Jvion’s prescriptive clinical AI CORE to focus resources on patients with an avoidable risk of readmission post-discharge.
Appriss Health and NABP Celebrate 10th Anniversary of PMP InterConnect
Appriss Health (@apprisshealth), a company in cloud-based care coordination software and analytics solutions focused on behavioral health and substance use disorders, and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), a non-profit membership organization representing state boards of pharmacy, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of PMP InterConnect.
Connect America, Watchful Shepherd Fight Child Abuse with PERS Technology
Connect America, a nationally recognized provider of connected health solutions, and Watchful Shepherd USA (@WatchfulShepUSA), a national non-profit family abuse prevention program, are reminding Americans during National Child Abuse Prevention Month that tools and resources are available to help protect children living in at-risk environments. Connect America is helping Watchful Shepherd fulfill its mission by providing the organization with special alert systems comprised of electronic monitors and wrist bands that can be distributed to at-risk families and child victims.
Contract News:
Galva Pharmacy is First U.S. Pharmacy to Use AI to Improve Drug Matching and Usability of Rx Instructions in E-Prescriptions
Galva Pharmacy in Galva, Ill., recently became the first pharmacy in the country to deploy an in-workflow, artificial intelligence (AI) solution that accurately structures, codifies, and backfills information gaps in electronic prescriptions. The independent pharmacy in Northwest Illinois is using DrFirst’s (@DrFirst) patented AI solution, SmartSuite, within its Speed Script pharmacy management system (PMS) to improve accuracy and efficiency, allowing pharmacy staff to spend more time with patients.
Greenway Health Announces New Revenue Cycle Partnerships with Tucson Gastroenterology and Midland Cardiac Clinic
Greenway Health (@greenway), a health information technology services provider, announced two new partnerships with Tucson Gastroenterology and Midland Cardiac Clinic for improved revenue cycle management (RCM) and financial performance. The partnerships will ensure each practice is set up to further grow and optimize the revenue cycle in the current healthcare environment.
Making the Cut:
Carrot Health CFO Named “Notable Leader in Finance” by Twin Cities Business
Carrot Health (@Carrot_Health), a provider of healthcare solutions powered by consumer and claims data, announced that CFO Steve Sigmond was named one of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Notable Leaders in Finance by Twin Cities Business magazine. Sigmond was recognized for the instrumental role he has played in building the company he co-founded in 2014 into the data analytics market leader it is today.
Health Catalyst Named One of the Best Workplaces in Technology™
Great Place to Work® has recognized Health Catalyst, Inc. (@HealthCatalyst) as a 2021 Fortune Best Workplaces in Technology™. Placing 29th, this is the Company’s third time being named to the Technology list. The Best Workplaces in Technology award is based on analysis of survey responses from more than 122,000 current employees across the U.S.
eVisit Named Solo Leader by Independent Research Firm in Virtual Care Platforms for Digital Health Evaluation
eVisit (@evisit), a SaaS telehealth solutions company, announced that its eVisit Enterprise Virtual Care Platform has been named the solo Leader by Forrester Research in The Forrester Wave™: Virtual Care Platforms for Digital Health, Q1 2021.
Vocera Chief Marketing Officer Named a 2021 MM+M Hall of Femme Honoree
Vocera Communications, Inc. (@voceracomm), a clinical communication and workflow solutions comapnay, announced that its Chief Marketing Officer Kathy D. English is one of 24 women to be named a 2021 MM+M Hall of Femme honoree. MM+M’s Hall of Femme honors healthcare marketing professionals who set the bar extremely high within their organizations and industry.
Milestone Announcements:
DSS, Inc. Celebrates 30 Years of Health Innovation and Service to Clients
Document Storage Systems, Inc. (@DSSHealthIT), a provider of health information technology (HIT) solutions for federal, private and public healthcare organizations, recently celebrated its 30 year anniversary. Since its founding in a Colorado basement by three brothers in 1991, DSS, Inc. has anticipated and facilitated enormous change in the healthcare industry.