Top News
Struggling UK-based digital health company Babylon will merge with brain technology vendor MindMaze in a take-private transaction.
The companies say that their combination will create a digital-first, AI-driven business that will transform healthcare in moving to predictive and preventative services.
Shares in Babylon, which went public via a SPAC merger in October 2021 at a valuation of $4 billion, have since shed 99.8% in valuing the company at $20 million.
MindMaze has raised $341 million, including a 2017 investment by Leonardo DiCaprio as the company sought to expand its technology from patients regaining movement to adding interactivity to movies.
HIStalk Announcements and Requests
Most poll respondents don’t let a fear of getting fired compromise their work.
New poll to your right or here: In the 12 months, have you disagreed with a doctor who wouldn’t prescribe the drug or treatment you wanted? I’m fascinated by people who trust a doctor to guide their most important health decisions until that doctor’s well-considered logic conflicts with poorly sourced online advice or advertisements, which I’m sure annoys them to no end. On the other hand, I wouldn’t hesitate to choose a restaurant or movie that looks interesting despite critical disdain, so so if I’m paying and the risk is minimal (although neither are guaranteed in healthcare), I guess the customer gets to choose.
We have the usual summer-related travel and time off upcoming at HIStalk now that the longest day of the year is behind us, which fortunately coincides with the slowdown in industry news until Labor Day. We’ll be here as usual, but with less to write about, and that’s a nice break for writers and readers alike. As always, I guarantee that you won’t miss anything important even with skinnier updates.
Webinars
July 12 (Wednesday) 2 ET. “101: National Network Data Exchanges.” Sponsor: Particle Health. Presenter: Troy Bannister, founder and CEO, Particle Health. It’s highly likely that your most recent medical records were indexed by a national Health Information Network (HIN). Network participants can submit basic demographic information into an API and receive full, longitudinal medical records sourced from HINs. Records come in a parsed, standardized format, on demand, with a success rate above 90%. There’s so much more to learn and discover, which is why Troy Bannister is going to provide a 101 on all things HIN. You will learn what HINs are, see how the major HINS compare, and learn how networks will evolve due to TEFCA.
July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faved by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.
Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present or promote your own.
Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock
Group messaging app IRL, which has raised $200 million from investors, shuts down when a board investigation following the dismissal of its founder-CEO finds that 95% of its claimed 20 million active users are bots.
AvoMD, whose no-code platform allows clinicians and hospitals to turn existing and new clinical evidence into their own point-of-care clinical pathway apps, closes $5 million in seed funding. Co-founder and CEO Yair Saperstein, MD, MPH is double-boarded in internal medicine and clinical informatics.
Medicare Advantage insurer Clover Health settles several investor lawsuits involving failing to disclose that the company was the subject of a federal investigation when it went public via a SPAC merger in January 2021. CLOV share have since lost 94%, valuing the company at $425 million.
Announcements and Implementations
UNC Health will launch an internal chatbot next month, powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, that allows employees to access reference materials, documents, and training libraries by asking questions.
Government and Politics
Oklahoma’s governor rejects the formation of statewide HIE.
New York passes a bill that would prohibit any agreement that would prohibit or restrict an employee’s post-employment work, with language that goes further than the FTC’s proposed non-compete rule or California’s limitations. The bill has been submitted to the governor for signing.
Privacy and Security
The International Information System Security Certification Consortium will retire the HCISPP healthcare security certification credential as of December 1, 2026.
Contacts
Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
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