News 2/26/25

Top News

A survey of 1,200 family and primary care physicians conducted by Rock Health and AAFP finds that most are cautiously optimistic about the benefits of AI. A few highlights:

• Half of survey-takers have used AI in at least one case at work.
• Thirty-two percent have used it for clerical support, with half of those using it on a daily basis. (Click the image to enlarge.)
• Nearly a quarter of respondents have used AI-powered clinical decision support and/or information management.
• An overwhelming majority noted their willingness to try new AI tools.
• Physicians feel that, over the longer term, AI may improve their productivity but not necessarily patient satisfaction, relationship-building, or personalization of care.
• The majority of respondents feel that training and medico-legal protections will be key to their willingness to incorporate AI into their clinical workflows.
• Tellingly, nearly 20% worry that AI may negatively impact their job security.

Sponsored Events and Resources

Live Webinar: March 4 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Securing a competitive edge in value-based care with AI: Data-driven strategies for enhancing returns across MA, ACO and Commercial programs.” Sponsors: Navina, AMGA. Presenters: Dana McCalley, MBA, VP of value-based care, Navina; Ron Rockwood, executive director of value-based care, Jefferson City Medical Group; Jonathan Meyers, CEO, Seldon Health Advisors. As value-based care models evolve, healthcare organizations must leverage AI to stay competitive and drive better financial and clinical outcomes. This webinar offers data-driven strategies for improving risk adjustment accuracy, optimizing risk stratification, and streamlining clinical and administrative workflows. You’ll walk away with proven techniques for measuring and quantifying the impact of your value-based care initiatives across your organization

Live Webinar: March 20 (Thursday) noon ET. “Enhancing Patient Experience: Digital Accessibility Legal Requirements in Healthcare.” Sponsor: TPGi. Presenters: Mark Miller, director of sales, TPGi; David Sloan, PhD, MSc, chief accessibility officer, TPGi; Kristina Launey, JD, labor and employment litigation and counseling partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP. For patients with disabilities, inaccessible technology can mean the difference between timely, effective care and unmet healthcare needs. This could include accessible patient portals, telehealth services, and payment platforms. Despite a new presidential administration, requirements for Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have not changed. While enforcement may unclear moving forward, healthcare organizations still have an obligation to their patients for digital accessibility. In our webinar session, TPGi’s accessibility experts and Seyfarth Shaw’s legal professionals will help you understand ACA Section 1557 requirements, its future under the Trump administration, and offer strategies to help you create inclusive experiences.

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Announcements and Implementations

United Physicians (MI) implements HealthFocus population health management software from HF Software Solutions.

Athenahealth incorporates Abridge’s ambient listening and AI-based clinical documentation capabilities into its new Ambient Notes software.

Experity enhances its Record Retrieval Service for urgent care clinics with ChartSwap’s health information exchange capabilities.

Eyefinity unifies its EHR and practice management applications into the new Encompass platform.

Other

The Western North Carolina VA Health System installs a VA Health Care Telehealth Outpost at the Veterans Healing Farm in North Carolina. The farm also offers equine, canine, music, and art therapies, as well as farm-related classes such as canning and jamming.

Sponsor Updates

Blog Post

• HIPAA is More Than Keeping Medical Records Secure (AdvancedMD)

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News 2/24/25

Top News

Hybrid maternity clinic Millie will use $12 million in new Series A funding to open new clinics in California and expand its IT capabilities and services. Its technology includes a proprietary patient app, remote patient monitoring capabilities, and a care platform.

Sponsored Events and Resources

Live Webinar: March 20 (Thursday) noon ET. “Enhancing Patient Experience: Digital Accessibility Legal Requirements in Healthcare.” Sponsor: TPGi. Presenters: Mark Miller, director of sales, TPGi; David Sloan, PhD, MSc, chief accessibility officer, TPGi; Kristina Launey, JD, labor and employment litigation and counseling partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP. For patients with disabilities, inaccessible technology can mean the difference between timely, effective care and unmet healthcare needs. This could include accessible patient portals, telehealth services, and payment platforms. Despite a new presidential administration, requirements for Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have not changed. While enforcement may unclear moving forward, healthcare organizations still have an obligation to their patients for digital accessibility. In our webinar session, TPGi’s accessibility experts and Seyfarth Shaw’s legal professionals will help you understand ACA Section 1557 requirements, its future under the Trump administration, and offer strategies to help you create inclusive experiences.

Survey Opportunity: Healthcare AI Purchasing. Responses from health system and imaging center readers to this short survey will trigger a Donors Choose donation from Volpara Health plus matching funds. 

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Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Husband and wife team Charvee and Vishaal Buch, MD launch Wellnus, a membership-based, virtual primary care provider serving patients in California. A former medical officer in the US Air Force, Vishaal also works at the San Fernando Community Health Center and UC San Diego.

People

Julia Rosen (Pera Holdings) joins MGMA as SVP of IT.

Announcements and Implementations

HealthWorks for Northern Virginia implements Sunoh.ai’s AI medical scribe capabilities.

Elite DNA Behavioral Health (FL) selects NextGen EHR and practice management technology.

Research and Innovation

End users give Azalea Health and Juno Health top marks for rural ambulatory physician network EHRs, according to a new report from Black Book Research. The report also highlights the fact that:

• Nearly 60% of independent, rural physician practices offer telehealth, yet just over a third cite limited broadband as a barrier to full adoption of telehealth technologies.
• Just under a third of rural health clinics and practices plan on upgrading their EHRs within the next year.

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News 2/19/25

Top News

Azara Healthcare, a Massachusetts-based company specializing in population health and value-based care software and services, acquires I2I Population Health and announces an undisclosed amount of funding from Insight Partners.

Sponsored Events and Resources

Instant Access Webinar: “How AI Addresses Resource Constraints Within Identity Data Management.” Sponsor: Rhapsody. Presenters: Lynn Stoltz, MS, director of product management, Rhapsody; Drew Ivan, MS, chief architect, Rhapsody; Michelle Blackmer, chief marketing officer, Rhapsody. Discover how to overcome the toughest challenge in identity data management: resource constraints.  The presenters will cover how Rhapsody EMPI with Autopilot solves resource challenges like limitations in time, talent, and budget; Reduces costs and risks associated with inaccurate data; and boosts identity data accuracy through 98% decision-making precision.

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Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Frontera Health launches with $32 million in seed funding. The company offers AI-powered diagnosis and assessment software for autism therapy, and will soon open its first clinic in Denver.

Walgreens shares jump on the news that private equity firm Sycamore Partners has revitalized its interest in acquiring the retail pharmacy chain. Analysts had declared the potential take-private deal “dead” several weeks ago after the firm’s initial interest first surfaced in early December.

Canadian software business acquisition company Valsoft acquires North Carolina-based Chordline Health, which specializes in managed care software.

People

Morganne Rudd (Tebra) joins Lightning Step Technologies as VP of customer success technology enablement and strategic programs.

Research and Innovation

Patients are still warming up to the idea of AI, according to a recent survey of 1,113 people conducted last September. Nearly a third of those surveyed say they are open to the idea of using AI tools for common tasks related to scheduling appointments and determining balances due if it resulted in faster service. 

Other

The local news profiles Eyebot, a consumer-focused, vision-testing startup that offers 90-second screenings, AI-powered assessments, and eyeglass prescriptions via kiosk. The Boston-based company, which has raised $6 million, has installed its kiosks at shopping centers, pharmacies, and grocery stores in California and New England. Co-founder and CEO Matthias Hofmann spent several years as an engineer at smartphone-based vision exam company EyeNetra.

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News 2/17/25

Top News

After a successful pilot with a Philadelphia-based cardiology group, Atria Health makes its services available nationwide. The company, which launched in 2022 with backing from Cypress Ridge Partners, offers investment and practice management and optimization services to independent cardiology practices.

Sponsored Events and Resources

Instant Access Webinar: “How AI Addresses Resource Constraints Within Identity Data Management.” Sponsor: Rhapsody. Presenters: Lynn Stoltz, MS, director of product management, Rhapsody; Drew Ivan, MS, chief architect, Rhapsody; Michelle Blackmer, chief marketing officer, Rhapsody. Discover how to overcome the toughest challenge in identity data management: resource constraints.  The presenters will cover how Rhapsody EMPI with Autopilot solves resource challenges like limitations in time, talent, and budget; Reduces costs and risks associated with inaccurate data; and boosts identity data accuracy through 98% decision-making precision.

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Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Carecierge launches to offer physician practices workflow optimization software.

People

HarmonyCares names Jonathan D’Souza (MedArrives) chief product and technology officer.

Chevon Rariy, MD (Oncology Care Partners) joins Visana Health as chief clinical innovation officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Affineon Health develops Affineon Embed to help health IT vendors integrate its AI-powered physician inbox management software with their products.

Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic (LA) will go live on Epic’s MyChart March 1.

Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers will implement Sara Health’s remote therapeutic monitoring software and services at its locations across the country.

Research and Innovation

An analysis in JAMA of the ways in which FQHCs perceive Medicaid telehealth reimbursement policies turns up some interesting commentary:

• “When a lot of the rules are made, or when a lot of the emergency fundings for [telehealth] programs come out, they’re all geared through the hospital, and then they expect the hospitals to work with everybody else, where we all know nine times out of 10, that doesn’t happen. … The decision makers at the top who pull the purse strings … are leaning towards hospitals.”
• “We lost 40% of our staff of therapists and psychiatrists the second we forced them to come in … to do telehealth in a building rather than their own home.”
• “Every therapist…and psychiatrist [is] making financial sacrifices to work for folks like us, [and now] they have to come to the health center to get on the phone basically, and talk to their patients. And there is zero clinical value to that.”
• A “significant number of patients like having [telehealth] because it means they don’t have to commute every week to get to the appointment, they can have it at home. So it’s been a real big game changer for a lot of our patients.”
• “[Telehealth] is great for like follow up on labs…. But if I must diagnose and treat off of a computer screen that terrifies me. I’m just not that confident in my skillset to do it without touching and listening and feeling.”

Sponsor Updates

Blog Posts

• Top Physician Communication Frustrations (PerfectServe)

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News 2/12/25

Top News

Healthcare automation startup Keragon raises $7.5 million in a seed funding round, bringing its total raised to $10.5 million since launching in 2024. The company’s software enables providers to integrate applications and build their own automation tools.

Sponsored Events and Resources

Instant Access Webinar: “Successfully Navigating Post-Acute Rev Cycle Challenges.” Sponsors: Inovalon and KanTime. Presenters: David Swenson, senior manager of sales engineering, Inovalon; Lucy Lopez, VP of product management, KanTime. Learn how to speed up your revenue cycle processes and avoid the common RCM and eligibility errors that cause delays and denials. Discover strategies to boost your bottom line: streamline eligibility verification, simplify complex processes, and optimize denial management for improved cash flow.

Instant Access Webinar: “How AI Addresses Resource Constraints Within Identity Data Management.” Sponsor: Rhapsody. Presenters: Lynn Stoltz, MS, director of product management, Rhapsody; Drew Ivan, MS, chief architect, Rhapsody; Michelle Blackmer, chief marketing officer, Rhapsody. Discover how to overcome the toughest challenge in identity data management: resource constraints.  The presenters will cover how Rhapsody EMPI with Autopilot solves resource challenges like limitations in time, talent, and budget; Reduces costs and risks associated with inaccurate data; and boosts identity data accuracy through 98% decision-making precision.

Survey: “Data Quality Survey 2025.” Sponsor: Clinical Architecture. This annual survey measures the perceived quality of the data in healthcare, the impact of data quality on individual and collective objectives, and the factors contributing to poor quality. We do this across different healthcare market segments since each segment creates, collects, uses, and disseminates the data differently. Responses are welcome and appreciated from those who are associated with providers, payers, life sciences, public health, academia, value-based care, analytics vendors, EHR vendors, and consultants.

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Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

HelloHero announces $7.7 million in seed funding. The company, formerly known as Enable My Child, offers virtual mental healthcare with a strong focus on kids through schools and directly to families. HelloHero, which has developed its own EHR, is compiling an outcomes-based data set that it plans to use in the development of automated tools for its therapists.

SportGait and Heads Together Health merge to form NeuroTech Insights. The new company offers a digital neurological care platform that includes assessments, remote patient monitoring, personalized treatment plans, and clinical workflow tools.

People

Simple Practice founder Howard Spector joins Jane Software as executive partner.

First Stop Health names Vijay Anand )Apree Health) CTO.

Drive Health names Alexander Sicular (Google) CTO.

Announcements and Implementations

Resurgens Orthopaedics implements HealthMe’s Direct-Pay Healthcare Marketplace to offer transparent pricing to self-pay patients.

Other

The 1,750 residents of Havana, FL are no doubt celebrating the city’s plans to hire Havanan Camron Browning, MD to fill the role of the town’s only family physician. Browning, who is wrapping up a residency at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, will take over from the now-retired Mark Newberry, MD who served local patients for 30 years after being enticed by the town’s offer of rent-free office space and medical equipment – a deal similar to one that will be extended to Browning. “My goal,” says Browning, “was to be able to come home and serve my hometown. I’m here to stay. This was always my dream.”

Sponsor Updates

• AdvancedMD releases its first major enhancements to its EHR, PM, and patient engagement platform since the company was acquired by Francisco Partners last fall.

Contacts

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