< + > Approaching health system-level IT redesign

Dr Kun-Ju Lin, deputy information security chief at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou in Taiwan, will share real-world execution of their digital transformation strategies at HIMSS25 APAC. 

< + > Episource ransomware attack leaked patient health data

Sharp Community Medical Group and Sharp Healthcare confirmed that patient data was compromised in an attack on the business association earlier this year and the company is sending breach notification letters to its patients.

< + > Acute care telemedicine pays dividends for Prime Healthcare

The 51-hospital health system improved patient throughput in the ED for behavioral health patients, reduced door-to-needle times for stroke patients, and enabled rural hospitals to retain more patients through increased specialist access.

< + > Canadian Health IT Gets Real: Progress Over Posturing at eHealth 2025

Interoperability has long been the punchline of Canadian health IT conversations—always necessary, rarely actionable. But this year’s eHealth 2025 conference (eHealth25) in Toronto marked a shift from theory to execution. Instead of hand-wringing over standards, attendees shared real examples of data-sharing collaborations that are already underway. Just as exciting is the forward momentum on AI Scribes in Canada.

Watch this video summary for more details.

Featuring (in order of appearance):

• Duane Jackson, Patient Advocate
• Robyn Fulkerson, Tectonic Advisory Services
• Alifa Khan, Holland Bloorview
• Russ Patten, Consensus Cloud Solutions
• Maria Zaccaria Cho, CIHI
• Mark Casselman, Akinox
• Dana Greenberg, Diabetes Action Canada
• Jallel Harrati, Suki
• Allie Anderson, MEDITECH

Interoperability Isn’t Just Talk Anymore
After years of “we need to do better,” attendees finally heard what better looks like. Sessions spotlighted how Canadian organizations are sharing patient data—without waiting for a perfect national framework. MEDITECH, for example, spoke about their expanding Traverse network which can now share electronic health data with Oracle Health, Epic, PointClickCare, and provincial databases in Ontario (e.g. OLIS).

Serious Momentum Behind AI Scribes
There was a lot of talk in the eHealth25 exhibit hall about AI scribes and a standing-room-only session on the topic led by OntarioMD and Women’s College Hospital. On the second day of the conference OntarioMD dropped big news on their new Vendor-of-Record Program for AI Scribes. This program is designed to make it easier for physicians to adopt the technology safely and affordably. Look for Healthcare IT Today’s forthcoming interview with OntarioMD CEO Robert Fox for more details.

Unattached Patients Are Driving Innovation
With emergency departments overloaded, the conference took a hard look at one of the system’s biggest stressors: unattached patients. The long-term fix—more primary care providers—isn’t coming fast enough. In the meantime, attendees explored how virtual care, better patient communication, and even AI agents are helping keep patients out of the ED.

Welcome Lack of Glitzy Booths
eHealth25 wasn’t about glitzy booths or big unveilings—it was about sharing what’s working. The sessions and conversations were grounded in practicality: public-private partnerships that work, scale what is proven, and focus innovation where it can reduce real-world strain on staff and patients.

< + > Cohere Health Secures $90M Series C to Expand AI-Powered Platform Transforming Health Plan Clinical Decision-Making

New Investment Accelerates Cohere’s Reach Into Broader Clinical Workflows and Reinforces Its Market Leadership in Prior Authorization Transformation

Cohere Health, the leader in clinical intelligence solutions for health plans and risk-bearing providers, today announced it has raised $90 million in Series C funding. The round was led by Temasek, with continued support from Deerfield Management, Define Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Longitude Capital, and Polaris Partners. This new investment brings Cohere’s total funding to $200 million.

The new investment will accelerate Cohere’s next phase of growth, scaling the Cohere Unify platform, expanding into new clinical use cases, and deepening investment in its AI-powered product portfolio. Cohere Unify enables critical collaboration points between health plans and providers, and modernizes utilization management (UM) by personalizing provider workflows and optimizing engagement through real-time performance data. Together, these capabilities lay the foundation for Cohere’s broader vision of transforming clinical decision-making.

“Our mission has always been simple: to help people receive the right care at the right time, in the right place, and with the right value,” said Siva Namasivayam, Co-Founder and CEO at Cohere Health. “This funding is a catalyst to drive Cohere’s growth, expanding our industry-leading UM expertise into new use cases, scaling our operations, and allowing us to continue to transform how plans and providers collaborate to deliver care in ways that truly differentiate us.”

As AI’s role in healthcare continues to draw scrutiny, Cohere’s clinician-led model and responsible AI-first approach ensure that clinical expertise remains at the core of every solution the company develops. This strategy underpins the company’s commitment to innovation, accuracy, and accountability, offering a responsible and transparent model for healthcare automation. Cohere’s platform delivers measurable administrative and clinical efficiencies to streamline the authorization of pending services, reducing provider friction, accelerating time to care, and ultimately helping improve outcomes for health plan members. The platform’s precision clinical insights mean up to 90% of requests can be auto-approved, helping providers spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, and allowing for deeper collaboration between physicians and health plans on critical cases.

“Since the founding of the company, we have believed Cohere’s approach to AI is distinctive because it brings real clinical intelligence to the table,” said Michael Greeley, Co-Founder & General Partner at Flare Capital Partners. “As the pioneer of the clinical intelligence category, they are not just digitizing an outdated system — they have reimagined prior authorization from the ground up to fundamentally change how clinical decisions are made by facilitating how plans and providers collaborate and incorporate best clinical evidence and guidelines. They have achieved an impressive 93% provider satisfaction rating and have dominated this category. The platform is well-positioned to serve other areas of the healthcare ecosystem. It has been gratifying to watch the company scale, and we are excited to continue our support for Cohere’s next chapter.”

Over the past year, Cohere Health expanded its client base, strengthened its executive leadership team, and deepened platform adoption across the healthcare sector. The company currently processes more than 12 million prior authorization requests annually for more than 600,000 providers nationwide. Additionally, Gartner, LinkedIn, and KLAS have recognized Cohere’s contributions to advancing clinical intelligence, healthcare automation, and collaboration, reflecting its growing influence and sustained innovation in the field.

Looking ahead, Cohere is committed to leading healthcare in places where clinical insight drives decision-making with transparency, responsibility, and a steadfast focus on improving member care.

About Cohere Health

Cohere Health is a clinical intelligence company delivering AI-powered prior authorization solutions that streamline access to quality care by improving collaboration between physicians and health plans. Cohere works with nearly 600,000 providers and processes over 12 million prior authorization requests annually. Its AI auto-approves up to 90% of requests for millions of health plan members. Cohere has been recognized in the Gartner Hype Cycle for U.S. Healthcare Payers, named a Top 5 LinkedIn Startup in 2023 and 2024, and is a three-time KLAS Points of Light award recipient.

Originally announced May 14th, 2025

< + > Amazon to rejigger its healthcare business

The restructuring will divide Amazon Health Services into six divisions to better focus on improving patient experiences and solidifying its pharmacy business, led by appointees from within the company.

< + > Lawmakers draft VA oversight plan for Oracle Health EHR implementation

Proposals would require Veterans Affairs to contractually prohibit the sale of patient information and report on electronic health record workflow benchmarks, quality metrics and resources provided to VA facilities ahead of new installations.