< + > Microsoft’s Latest AI Tool Can Predict Missed Doctor’s Appointments

This tool may potentially add significant value to all types of clinical settings.

< + > U.K. Ditches Major Health Inequalities White Paper: Report

The news is a blow to public health experts, who have long called for action on widening health inequalities.

< + > Covid Virus Accelerates With Each New Variant

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve, each new emerging variant is gaining growth advantages over its predecessor.

< + > Patient communications IT increases self-pay collections for Hackensack Meridian

This was all part of a broader effort to improve the patient experience: Staff want to ensure all communications are clear and understood.

< + > AI study finds 50% of patient notes duplicated

Investigators used natural language processing and deep learning to explore the prevalence of patient information duplicated from prior notes in medical records.

< + > Optellum, AI Lung Cancer Diagnosis Innovator, Secures $14M Series A Funding to Accelerate Expansion

Lead investor Mercia, alongside Intuitive Ventures and Black Opal, invests in Optellum’s pioneering AI-powered lung-health technology

Optellum, an Oxford-based medtech company that provides a breakthrough AI platform to diagnose and treat early-stage lung cancer, has raised $14 million in a Series A funding round. The investment will enable Optellum to scale its base, operations, and commercial launches in the UK and USA; accelerate research and development; and expand its platform into personalized therapy decisions by integrating imaging data with molecular data, robotics, and liquid biopsies.

This funding round was led by Mercia, with additional investors Intuitive Ventures (Sunnyvale, CA, USA) and Black Opal Ventures (New York, NY, USA). Existing investors, including St John’s College in the University of Oxford, IQ Capital, and the family office of Sir Martin & Lady Audrey Wood, also participated in this round.

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Approximately 150,000 people in the United States and 1.8 million people worldwide die from lung cancer each year. The current worldwide five-year survival rate is 20 percent, primarily because most patients are diagnosed after symptoms have appeared and the disease has progressed to an advanced stage (Stage III or IV). In contrast, the survival rate for small tumors treated at Stage 1A is up to 90 percent. This disparity highlights a critical need for diagnosis and treatment at the earliest stage possible.

Optellum is the leader in AI-enabled lung cancer diagnosis, and the first and only medtech company to attain FDA clearance, CE-MDR in the EU, and UKCA in the UK for its software platform Virtual Nodule Clinic. This first-of-a-kind platform can help physicians identify and track at-risk patients, and optimally diagnose the signs of lung cancer early, so treatment can be started sooner for patients with tumors, and invasive procedures such as biopsies on benign lesions can be minimized.

Jason Pesterfield, CEO at Optellum, said “With this strong support and commitment of highly specialized investors, we are positioned to accelerate commercial deployment in both the UK and the United States to expand our installed base. Following years of research and clinical trials that have shown the impact of our software on the diagnosis of at-risk lung nodules, we’re focused on expanding patient access to this crucial technology and identifying deadly lung cancer faster in more at-risk people. The funding will also boost our research and development with world-leading institutions and partners to progress further innovation.”

Lead investor Mercia brings expertise in software technologies having a significant impact on global health issues and an existing portfolio that includes AI and machine-learning technology.

Investment Director at Mercia, Stephen Johnson, said “Optellum is the latest in a series of companies to channel research from the UK’s world-leading universities into commercially viable products that can make a difference to the provision of medical care. Having observed Optellum achieve great milestones over the years, we are now excited to become part of their success and apply our experience with scaling up software and deep-tech companies to help accelerate Optellum’s impact on patient lives across the world.”

Intuitive Ventures, the independent venture-capital arm of Intuitive, a world leader in medical robotics, including lung cancer care, was founded in 2020 to accelerate the future of minimally invasive care. The investment team supports Optellum’s ambitions to think and move beyond earlier diagnosis into decision support across the treatment pathway, integrating liquid biopsies, molecular tests, and drug therapies.

“Lung cancer is an urgent public health crisis and Optellum’s groundbreaking approach utilizing AI to accelerate early detection and intervention may fundamentally alter the healthcare community’s approach to combating this disease,” said Oliver Keown, MD, managing director of Intuitive Ventures. “Optellum is uniquely positioned to align and provide considerable value to patients, providers, and payers alike. Intuitive Ventures is thrilled to provide our full arsenal of financial and strategic support to Optellum as we work towards a world of better outcomes for cancer patients.”

Physician-led, female-founded fund Black Opal Ventures has a mission to build better businesses and a better future at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Its expertise in reimbursement and health economics will assist Optellum, which recently announced a New Technology Ambulatory Payment Classification for Medicare patients in the USA.

Founder Tara Bishop, MD, commented “We value solutions that make medicine more accurate and accessible. The strong validation data that underpins the Optellum solution has demonstrated its ability to make a difference to patients. We share Optellum’s vision of making this available to every doctor in every hospital – and transform the diagnosis and treatment path for lung cancer.”

Optellum’s platform was developed and clinically validated in partnership with leading universities and healthcare systems around the world. Optellum also has strategic collaborations with GE Healthcare and the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson to accelerate clinical deployments and continue the advancement of the platform. In the UK, Optellum’s solution is being used to predict at-risk lung nodules in a multi-center study with NHS Trusts as part of a major investment in AI for healthcare.

About Optellum

Optellum is a commercial-stage lung health company providing artificial intelligence decision-support software that assists physicians in early diagnosis and optimal treatment for their patients. The company was founded so that every lung disease patient is diagnosed and treated at the earliest possible stage, when the probability of better health outcomes is highest. In 2021, the Oxford-based medtech company achieved FDA 510(k) clearance for the application of AI decision-support software in lung cancer diagnosis, and has since announced strategic partnerships in the USA with GE Healthcare and the Lung Cancer Initiative at Johnson & Johnson, while the Virtual Nodule Clinic has been implemented in leading healthcare systems across the USA. Optellum has headquarters at the Oxford Centre for Innovation in Oxford, United Kingdom and a U.S. office at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit optellum.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

< + > Worries Over Blue Light Exposure Lead To New Safety Ratings For Screens

In response to the growing concerns over blue light exposure, leading screen manufacturers are using a new rating system designed to establish standards for measuring blue light and color performance of screens.

< + > Monkeypox: What Can We Learn From HIV?

You have to be careful when comparing any infectious disease to another. But with HIV and Monkeypox, there are lessons to learn.

< + > CDC: Keep Family From Catching Your Covid By Isolating In A Separate Room

A new CDC study shows that isolating in separate rooms significantly reduced the odds of SARS-CoV-2 transmission between household members.

< + > Repositioning Healthcare Organizations for a Changing Consumer

This week I had a chance to stop by the Stericycle Communication Solutions user event they called “The Art of Patient Engagement.”  I live tweeted the kickoff keynote of the event with Jared Johnson, Founder of the Shift.health content network and author of the Marketing Forward book he just published. Here are some of the key insights and perspectives he shared with the audience.

At the kickoff of the event, the users were asked if this was one of the hardest times healthcare has ever seen. Not surprising, the audience hands went up in mass. There are a lot of challenging forces at play in healthcare today.

Asked if this was the hardest year in healthcare. Everyone’s hands raised. @StericycleComms pic.twitter.com/B7pN8owizJ

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

I was slow on the trigger to capture Johnson’s opening rap, but it brought a great energy to kick off his keynote. Hopefully, Stericycle will share the video on their Twitter account.

Always good to kick off an event with a rap from @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitsm pic.twitter.com/Z9YphY28ZY

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

Reposition your brand for a world where consumers think, act, and buy differently. @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

This is a main theme I’m hearing from people today. I’d suggest that healthcare has a branding problem. Thinking about whether your healthcare organization is ready to think, act, and buy differently is a good measure of where your organization is at in the digital transformation that patients want to see.

The implications of the marketing by new provider organizations implies that traditional healthcare orgs don’t care, are hard, and impersonal.

Whether it’s true about traditional healthcare orgs or not, this will be a challenge for marketers @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

This is why your organization is going to suffer. These new healthcare entrants are painting a picture about your organization that true or not you have to combat with your own efforts. Otherwise, you’ll reinforce what they’re saying.

You can’t slow down the natural wave of how the market evolves. Sara Vaezy from Providence. @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc #hitsm

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

Johnson shared this amazing perspective from Sara Vaezy. The winds of change in healthcare are happening. The question is whether you’re going to catch that wave or not. The beauty of waves is that they can destroy you or you can ride them so they accelerate you. However, you’re not going to change them. You have to dig in to understand them so you can benefit from them.

Turn digital experience into a competitive advantage once and for all. @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc #hitsm

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

Making this a competitive advantage for your healthcare organization is what you get when you catch the wave.

Instead of saying, I don’t think I can get approval for this budget item that improves the patient experience, we should be asking how can we do this? @jaredpiano @StericycleComms

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

I think this is the biggest challenge that those in attendance face. There are a lot of people in healthcare organizations that are happy continuing how it’s always been done. Plus, many can only see the obstacles and not the opportunity. Johnson implored attendees to look at this as an opportunity to do something amazing for patients and your healthcare organization.

Frankenstein, fatigue, and Ferraris in the garage.

Great 3 point framework for the digital transformation challenges healthcare faces. @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc #hitsm pic.twitter.com/sTndbG91dB

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

I love this framework. Frankenstein is some of the legacy technology that was just Frankensteined together to make work. That’s a challenge. Fatigue is easy to understand given all the fires that exist in healthcare. Ferraris in the garage referenced having a whole suite of great technology, but only using a small set of the features. I’ve seen all three of these in pretty much every healthcare organization.

Healthcare marketers wear a lot of hats. Plus, they’ve been all hands on deck for a while now. @jaredpiano showing empathy for the challenges healthcare marketers face. @StericycleComms #hitmc pic.twitter.com/MrQU3Po3rc

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

Needless to say, healthcare marketing and patient experience professionals jobs are hard. They’re wearing a lot of hats and have to learn to balance a bunch of competing priorities.

When you provide patients a better experience, I promise you that the business side will take care of itself. @jaredpiano @StericycleComms #hitmc #hitsm

— John Lynn (@techguy) September 29, 2022

This is a great promise that Johnson made to wrap up his keynote. What do you think of this approach? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Thanks to Stericycle Communication Solutions for hosting me at the event. It’s always great to interact with users who are on the front lines doing the hard work of engaging patients.

< + > Town Hall Ventures Raises $350 Million More As Underserved Care Strategy Takes Off

Town Hall Ventures closed on a $350 million fund - its largest so far - to invest in medically underserved communities.

< + > InnovationRx: Mark Cuban’s Focusing On His Drug Company; Plus: Covid Cases On The Rise

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. Sign up!

< + > New free software enables 3D image sharing in PACS

Created by a collaborative team at the Rady Hospital's Helen and Will Webster Foundation 3D Innovations Lab, or 3DI Lab, this freely available software is being touted as the first-ever tool of its kind. WHY IT MATTERS

< + > Billionaire Scientist Timothy Springer Awarded 2022 Lasker Prize For Basic Research

The award, which he shares with two others, is for a set of discoveries in the 1970s that form the basis for new drug treatments today.

< + > Sparrow Health System uses pandemic lessons to expand its virtual care strategic plan

Today, the Michigan health system is seeing more than 1,000 e-visits per month, making greater use of its patient portal and successfully addressing the behavioral health caregiver shortage.

< + > Learning About Next Generation UV Products in Healthcare

Thanks to COVID, we’ve all been forced to learn about a number of technologies we hadn’t known deeply about previously.  One of those technologies that’s been around for a long time that’s valuable to know about thanks to COVID is UV products.  This relatively old and proven technology has been modernized to address both COVID safety issues and many other health risks that benefit from a high quality disinfection system.

To learn more about the evolution of UV technology and how healthcare organizations are using it today, I sat down with Grant Morgan, CEO and Co-Founder at R-Zero Systems at R-Zero Systems.  He shared with us about UV technology and what healthcare organizations are doing when it comes to disinfection systems.  Morgan also shared some of the challenges healthcare organizations face when they take the wrong approach to disinfecting their healthcare buildings.

Morgan also shared how there’s a wide variety of UV products out there.  Some UV products may be safe to use with people in the room and others may be designed to clean a whole room while no one is present.  There are a number of options to consider now based on your need.  Plus, these UV devices are much more sophisticated now including being connected to a platform that tracks infection efforts and device use.

Morgan also shared how a healthcare organization can benefit from utilizing UV technology beyond COVID.  No doubt COVID has brought a lot of attention to the space, but UV is great at protecting patients and caregivers for many things besides COVID.  He also shared how the latest technology includes dashboards and other reporting to help a healthcare team better manage these new devices in their hospitals.

Check out the video below to learn more about UV technology and some ways it can be used in healthcare:

Learn more about R-Zero Systems: https://rzero.com/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

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Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

R-Zero Systems is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.

< + > Featured Health IT Job: Healthcare Data Analyst

We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we’re featuring the Healthcare Data Analyst position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by New York eHealth Collaborative and is in New York.

Here’s a description of the position:

New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) is a not-for-profit organization working in partnership with the New York State Department of Health to improve healthcare by collaboratively leading, connecting, and integrating health information exchange across the State.

Founded in 2006 by healthcare leaders, NYeC works to help New York State achieve the Triple Aim of improving the patient experience of care, delivering better health outcomes, and reducing costs. On behalf of the State, NYeC leads the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY), a network connecting healthcare providers statewide, develops policies and standards that support the utilization of health technologies, and assists healthcare providers in adopting and effectively using electronic health records. NYeC supports providers in navigating the complex landscape of healthcare information technology provider assistance programs, practice transformation, vendor selection, Promoting Interoperability (formerly Meaningful Use) attestation, and health information exchange utilization. To date, NYeC has supported over 10,000 providers in practices of all sizes in implementing technologies and processes to improve healthcare delivery across New York State.

NYeC is propelling healthcare forward by facilitating the use of new and innovative technologies that will improve patient care. Healthcare is currently undergoing an unprecedented transformation through a digital health revolution – do you want to be at the epicenter of it?

Position Summary:

This highly dynamic team is seeking a Healthcare Data Analyst for the Data & Analytics Services team within NYeC to create, maintain, analyze, and update reports and data tables for internal and external stakeholders. This role has a hybrid work schedule. At this time, 1 day (Tuesday) is required in the office per week with the remaining days eligible to be worked remotely. This schedule is subject to change. This position can be operated out of the Albany or Manhattan office.

Reporting to the Director, Analytics, and working closely with other NYeC teams, the Healthcare Data Analyst will, among other tasks:

Design reports and dashboards for use by program managers and external stakeholders;
Analyze program data and prepares data trend reports drawing from multiple sources;
Develop and analyze systems to obtain information or statistics vital to program success and operations;
Partner with project managers to identify business needs and provide solutions for solving specific problems leveraging internal and/or external data and analytical techniques;
Responsible for successful implementation of various standardized processes (e.g. Reporting), paying close attention to data quality;
Perform custom analysis of disparate healthcare and information systems data, interpret results, and make recommendations about data collection methods, metrics definitions and evaluation methods to pertinent decision makers, based on analytic findings;
Create and maintain high-quality documentation that describes in detail the specifications, design, and implementation of each analytics solution, particularly those created to support efficient data acquisition, aggregation, and analysis;
Perform ad-hoc analysis regularly based on specific on-going projects;
Other duties as assigned.

Experience and Skills:

Undergraduate degree in STEM or related field required;
3-4 years of related work experience analyzing data, healthcare experience preferred;
Experience in technology implementation, clinical workflow development, and related data analysis;
Experience with quantitative or statistical analysis of program data, and use of analysis and visualization software (Tableau and/or Power BI, R language, SAS);
Familiarity with relational database software (such as MS SQL Server or MYSQL). The duties of this position involve significant programming in Structured Query Language (SQL); prior experience is strongly preferred;
Experience or familiarity with Meaningful Use reporting, Clinical Quality reporting, Medicare and Medicaid claims data, ICD, CDA, and other healthcare related data and data structures, is a plus;
Strong proficiency with MS Excel, and other standard office applications;
Salesforce Enterprise administration and reporting experience a plus;
Ability to manage multiple complex projects with tight deadlines at one time;
Outstanding planning and organizational skills with attention to quality of detail;
Demonstrates strong verbal and written communication skills.

NYeC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with everything listed in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Looks like a great opportunity for those with experience with healthcare data analysis. If this looks like a position that would interest you, check out the full details for the job and how to apply.

As always, you can search our Health IT job board for a variety of jobs from leading companies in the industry. You can also register for free and post your resume where recruiters search for job candidates regularly.

< + > From Panic Attacks At School To Running An LGBTQ Start-Up

'Anxious bisexual' Charlotte Fountaine struggled with her identity and panic attacks in school - so she created Kalda to stop others feeling the same

< + > Bionic Clothing Startup CIONIC Secures $12.5 Million Funding To Augment Mobility

Leader in bionic apparel to boost the walking capacity of individuals with movement disorders CIONIC has announced a $12.5 million Series A Funding round to take its leading-edge gait enhancement solution to the next level.

< + > Healthcare Technology Is Enabling Millions Of People To “Age In Place”

Though there is still significant work to be done in this arena, these initiatives are promising.

< + > How Technology Can Help Overcome Barriers to Getting Effective Therapies into Patients with Ultra Rare Disorders

The following is a guest article by Dr. Zach Landman, Co-Founder of Moonshots for Unicorns.

As a physician who trained at UCSF, Harvard, and Stanford, I assumed that when my youngest daughter, Lucy – at 10-months old – was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic disorder of glycosylation called PGAP3, the answers would reside within a hospital or academic laboratory.

Unfortunately, my pediatrician wife and I were told that our smiling, seemingly healthy babbling 10-month-old baby would likely never walk normally, never talk, and was likely to develop severe and refractory seizures at some point in her childhood. And as we sat there, shell-shocked like any other parents would be, we were told there were no treatments or cures, or even any research into them at any academic institution in the world. As is true for many patients with rare disorders and their families, we were told there was nothing to be done but wait and hope for the best.

However, we refused to let that be Lucy’s story, or that of Ella or Matthew, or the many hundreds of thousands of other children with potentially curable ultra-rare genetic disorders. We soon learned that the science exists today to effectively treat and potentially “cure” (if done early enough in childhood) the vast majority of these disorders. Gene therapy, antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), and now even CRISPR based therapies are being used today, but the process to get them into patients with rare disorders is slow, costly, and disjointed.

After Lucy’s diagnosis, we explored how quickly we could get these potential curatives treatments into Lucy before the more severe symptoms began to develop. Unfortunately, we learned there were significant barriers to getting these therapies into patients on a timeline that is meaningful to them (and us).

First, by their very nature, rare disorders are rare, and patients are spread out across the globe making studying and following patients over time expensive and challenging. This prerequisite to any FDA drug approval, termed a natural history study, does exactly what it sounds like – it studies what happens to patients over time without treatment. It establishes the baseline from which to judge any potential therapeutics.

Historically, these natural history studies would be individually and quixotically sponsored and recruited at tertiary academic medical centers, following a researcher’s particular interests. Today, however, biotechnology companies like Invitae are meeting the patient at the time of genetic diagnosis (with their permission) and enrolling them in real-world natural history data collection. Patients don’t need to travel across the country or world to enroll; a parent or caregiver can submit the necessary data securely and electronically wherever they reside. Already, this real-world, distributed time of diagnosis approach, has been used to cut down more than four years of estimated drug development timeline in the instance of PRAX-222, a new therapy for SCN2A, a rare genetic disorder of pediatric epilepsy.

Second, the FDA was designed to serve as a safety check for the masses to help ensure safe and effective medical treatments. The long and expensive process of submitting a new drug to the FDA is intentionally so, and it works well to ensure the highest standards of safety for medicines use to treat common conditions such as high blood pressures or diabetes for millions of Americans. However, for patients suffering from ultra-rare disorders, it suffocates innovation.

The costs and current timeline to develop a novel therapeutic will never be covered by individual market sizes in the dozens or hundreds of patients, such as is with PGAP3 and many other ultra-rare disorders. AAV9 gene therapy, for instance, was shown to be safe and nearly curative for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA-1) in a hallmark clinical trial more than five years ago and the same vector and promoter has been repeatedly used by many research teams. However, each new AAV9 gene therapy is treated by the FDA as a completely novel technology, requiring the most basic of safety and efficacy testing. This process can take years and is often estimated to cost upward of $3 million to $7 million per disorder. That is not scalable or sustainable, and it stifles private innovation. One highly promising technology has seen countless ventures fail over the past 24 months due to the regulatory burden alone.

Fortunately, the current Biden administration has begun to place a priority on ensuring broader access to genomic testing and therapeutics by assigning a work stream specifically to “developing policy solutions to advance development for ultra-rare and n of 1 conditions.” Currently, however, these barriers remain, meaning most therapies are never made or the immense costs are swallowed by an extremely motivated family (such as ours); oftentimes, a resulting non-profit may fund the development of these life-altering genetic therapies.

Until a more effective framework for ultra-rare novel drug development exists, patients with rare genetic disorders (and usually their families and advocates) can use the tenants of distributed biotechnology to find an effective treatment at a cost which is within reach of many families. Currently, there are more than 20,000 FDA-approved prescription medicines available in the United States. As we saw with COVID, when treatments were needed more rapidly than the typical drug development timeline could offer, we identified existing medicines that could be repurposed (such as remdesevir and dexamethasone, among many others.) This same process is now being done at the individual and family basis through a distributed biotech model.

Perlara, a San Francisco based, biotechnology company doesn’t have a physical office. The team of scientists pool resources from multiple families to rent pop-up lab space to develop yeast and animal “avatars,” which are used to screen thousands of existing medicines to see which have a positive effect on the specific genetic defect. Already, this process has been used to identify epalrestat, a Japanese nerve pain medication, which was initially tested on yeast and worms designed to resemble the effects of PMM2, a similar rare disorder of glycosylation. After it showed remarkable efficacy on the patient’s own cells in the lab, it was given to the child and, over the coming months, a young girl who could not previously walk or utter words was taking unassisted steps, speaking dozens of words, and riding a tricyle. Her father recalls it being the first time he felt like he got to meet his daughter. It is now in a fast track phase III clinical trial at Mayo Clinic. As a physician, non-profit founder, and most importantly as a father, I hope that I can say the same thing about Lucy, and the many others we hope to help through our non-profit public charity, Moonshots for Unicorns.

Editor’s Note: You can support Lucy’s GoFundme.

About Zachary Landman, MD MPH

Zachary Landman MD MPH is an interventional pain management physician in the Bay Area. Dr. Landman and his wife Geri Landman MD MPH, a pediatrician, are parents to the ultra-rare disease PGAP3 unicorn, Lucy, and co-founders of the non-profit, Moonshots for Unicorns, whose mission is to streamline the development of cures for rare genetic disorders.

< + > House bill proposes a new strategy to protect patient data

The Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022 introduces a CISA-directed collaboration with HHS to tighten healthcare cybersecurity with industry analysis and workforce training.

< + > How one FQHC uses telehealth for primary care, behavioral health and addiction treatment

Harbor Care Health and Wellness Center put $800K in grant funds toward mobile and web-based platforms and network infrastructure to serve the homeless with virtual care.

< + > English Hospitals Bring Back Mask Mandates As Covid Rebounds

Some units have started asking visitors to wear masks as Covid-19 cases rise again.

< + > McKesson Signs Agreement to Acquire Rx Savings Solutions

 Acquisition aligns with McKesson’s strategic growth focus by connecting biopharma and payer services to patients

• Acquisition extends leadership in access, affordability, and adherence solutions, leveraging McKesson’s differentiated platform
• Acquisition of Rx Savings Solutions strengthens McKesson’s purpose to advance health outcomes for all
• McKesson and Rx Savings Solutions share a commitment to making medication therapy more affordable and increasing medication adherence to improve outcomes
• Rx Savings Solutions’ value proposition for employers, payers and patients is fortified by McKesson’s scaled ecosystem of provider, pharmacy, and biopharma services
• Combined capabilities set the foundation for expansion of adherence, outcomes management, and evidence-based biopharma and payer services

McKesson Corporation today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Rx Savings Solutions (RxSS), a prescription price transparency and benefit insight company that offers affordability and adherence solutions to health plans and employers, reaching more than 17 million current patients.

The transaction is valued up to $875 million, which includes a $600 million upfront payment and a maximum of $275 million of consideration contingent upon RxSS’ financial performance through calendar year 2025. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review, and is expected to close in the second half of Fiscal 2023.

“Rx Savings Solutions’ offerings for employers and patients will strengthen McKesson’s ability to help solve the most common medication challenges related to access, affordability and adherence,” said Brian Tyler, chief executive officer at McKesson. “We expect the acquisition of Rx Savings Solutions to accelerate McKesson’s growth priority in biopharma services by extending our ecosystem of differentiated medication access solutions to patients. Together with Rx Savings Solutions, McKesson will amplify our efforts to advance health outcomes for all.”

“This combination brings together two highly complementary organizations with closely aligned goals and values. By joining McKesson, we will be able to offer an exceptionally broad set of services to our clients and strengthen our leadership in prescription price transparency,” said Michael Rea, a clinical pharmacist who founded and currently leads Rx Savings Solutions. “This is a critical part of our growth journey, and we are excited about what the future holds for Rx Savings Solutions as part of McKesson.”

RxSS contracts directly with health plans and large self-funded employers to maximize the effectiveness of benefit design to drive prescription cost savings for members. The company uses an evidence-based, proprietary machine-learning algorithm to help members understand available options for therapy and identify cost-effective prescription alternatives under their insurance. If a prescription change would benefit the member, RxSS provides assistance to update the prescription. The company also provides ongoing medication reminders to help improve adherence.

Following the closing of the transaction, RxSS will become part of the company’s Prescription Technology Solutions business, which works across the healthcare delivery system to offer next-generation patient access, affordability and adherence solutions. The combined organization will endeavor to bring new capabilities for employers and patients to McKesson’s broad portfolio of pharmacy, provider, payer, and biopharma services. After initial integration, McKesson expects to use the combined medication access, affordability, and adherence services as a foundation to build new outcomes management programs for biopharma and payers, differentiated by their reach and efficacy at three touchpoints: provider office, pharmacy counter, and direct patient tools.

About McKesson Corporation

McKesson Corporation is a diversified healthcare services leader dedicated to advancing health outcomes for patients everywhere. Our teams partner with biopharma companies, care providers, pharmacies, manufacturers, governments, and others to deliver insights, products, and services to help make quality care more accessible and affordable. Learn more about how McKesson is impacting virtually every aspect of healthcare at McKesson.com and read Our Stories.

About Rx Savings Solutions

Founded by pharmacist Michael Rea, Rx Savings Solutions helps members and payers reduce prescription drug costs through a combination of clinical technology, transparency, member engagement and concierge support. Currently 17 million members have access to personalized recommendations for lowering prescription costs and dedicated pharmacy experts to help navigate benefits, providers and pharmacies.

< + > 10 Healthcare Organizations Ask HHS to Postpone Information Blocking Deadline

If you’re familiar with the 21st Century Cures Act, then you know that October 6th is a major deadline that requires healthcare providers, health IT developers, HIEs, HINs, and others to share all ePHI (electronic protected health information) in the DRS (Designated Record Set).  This is a big change from the requirement to share USCDI.  While we’ve known about this deadline for years, it’s not too surprising that many healthcare organizations aren’t ready for it.

Given this reality, 10 healthcare organizations have sent a combined letter to HHS asking for a 1 year delay for this deadline.  Here are the 10 organizations that signed the letter:

• America’s Essential Hospitals
• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Health Care Association (AHCA)
• American Hospital Association
• American Medical Association
• Association of American Medical Colleges
• Federation of American Hospitals
• Medical Group Management Association
• National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL)
• The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME)

The letter suggests a number of important things leading off with the fact that a large portion of healthcare organizations aren’t ready for the change.  They highlight specifically that many smaller organizations aren’t ready for the change and that many of them don’t even know about the requirement.  Plus, they suggest that this regulation would be an extra burden on top of staff that were already significantly impacted by COVID.

They also highlight that many of the health IT and EHR vendors haven’t updated their systems in order for their users to comply with the regulation.  39% of those surveyed by CHIME said that they were concerned about receiving an upgrade of their health IT system in time to comply.  Plus, they noted that the deadline for health IT vendors to comply is 3 months after providers are required to comply.

The other major problem they share is that many of the guidelines and requirements are vague and they haven’t gotten the clarifications from HHS that they need to feel comfortable that they’re complying with the new regulations.  For example, the definition of EHI and how it applies to various data isn’t clear and how the 8 exceptions apply is also confusing to many.

The letter also suggests that some are still afraid of the potential harm from releasing lab results to patients in some instances.  Not to mention guides to protect sensitive health records such as substance abuse disorder, adolescent, mental health, and reproductive information.

The organizations do suggest they support HHS’ efforts to “advance health data exchange and interoperability while advancing health equity for all.”  Plus, they said they’ve been diligently helping their members understand the regulations, but that there’s a need to push back this regulation by a year.

I’ve given up trying to predict that government organizations like HHS and ONC will do.  COVID already delayed some of the information blocking requirements which makes me wonder if there’s an appetite for delay like this or not.  Time will tell, but that’s a lot of organizations that are behind the delay, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a delay either.

What do you think?  Should there be a delay or will that just be kicking the can down the road and healthcare organizations should be ready to share this data?

UPDATE: It was pointed out to me that Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator for Health IT at ONC, sent this tweet out last night:

In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act called for sharing “all electronically accessible information” with other authorized users.

In ten days – on Oct 6 – full electronic health information (EHI) rqmt finally goes into effect.

And the next chapter begins!https://t.co/XYt4zrKOU2

— Micky Tripathi (@mickytripathi1) September 26, 2022

Not that it’s not possible that things could change, but this seems like a pretty solid indication that his intent is for this to move forward with no delay.  Pair that with this tweet he sent last week and I think the date for compliance is likely not going to be postponed.  However, like I said, trying to predict government is not my skill.

< + > Health system CISOs offer tips for building cybersecurity 'muscle memory'

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< + > Pay No Attention To Biden's Biotech Bluster

If the president wants to cure cancer, he and his Democratic allies have an odd way of showing it. In the last few weeks alone, progressives have advanced several policies that directly undermine the development of new cures and treatments for cancer and countless other deadly diseases.

< + > Is A Universal Influenza Vaccine— One Shot For All Strains— On The Horizon?

Flu vaccines need to be readministered every year to keep pace with viral mutations. "Universal vaccines" could change this. Here, we describe a recent success in the development of a universal influenza A vaccine.

< + > CIO Podcast – Episode 40: Legacy Applications with Mark Weisman, MD

For the 40th episode of the CIO podcast hosted by Healthcare IT Today, we sat down with Mark Weisman, MD, CIO at TidalHealth to talk about legacy applications and EHR data conversion. First, we dive into his move from CMIO to CIO and how that shift has gone for him.  Then, we ask him about TidalHealth’s move from Cerner to Epic and the process he went through and lessons learned. Next, we discuss Weisman’s approach to moving legacy data and his keys to converting and decommissioning legacy systems including his work with Harmony Healthcare IT in this process. Then, Weisman shares the other exciting projects that he is working on. Lastly, we ask Weisman for what advice he would give to doctors looking to get more into the IT side of things.

Here’s a look at the questions and topics we discuss on this episode:

• You went from CMIO to CIO, what was that change like and do you suggest it for other CMIOs?
• TidalHealth moved from Cerner to Epic, talk about that process and what lessons you learned in the move.
• How did you approach moving the legacy data from Cerner to Epic?
• What was your key to a successful conversion and decommissioning of the legacy system?
• What advice do you have for other CIOs who may be going through a similar process?
• What are some of the other exciting projects you’re working on?
• What advice would you give a doctor that wants to get into more of the IT side of things?

Now, without further ado, we’re excited to share with you the next episode of the CIO Podcast by Healthcare IT Today.

We release a new CIO Podcast every ~2 weeks. You can also subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today podcast on any of the following platforms:

NOTE: We’ll be updating the links below as the various podcasting platforms approve the new podcast.  Check back soon to be able to subscribe on your favorite podcast application.

• Apple Podcasts
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Thanks for listening to the CIO Podcast on Healthcare IT Today and if you enjoy the content we’re sharing, please rate the podcast on your favorite podcasting platform.

Along with the popular podcasting platforms above, you can Subscribe to Healthcare IT Today on YouTube.  Plus, all of the audio and video versions will be made available to stream on HealthcareITToday.com.

We’d love to hear what you think of the podcast and if there are other healthcare CIO you’d like to see us have on the program. Feel free to share your thoughts and perspectives in the comments of this post with @techguy on Twitter, or privately on our Contact Us page.

We appreciate you listening!

Listen to the Latest Episodes

< + > Mark Cuban Considering Leaving Shark Tank As He Bets His Legacy On Low-Cost Drugs

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< + > Why The New Covid-19 Booster Vaccines Are Safe

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new vaccine booster that protects against the latest variant of Covid-19, BA.5. It came out very quickly, which has some people asking if it's safe. It is, and here's why.

< + > Mercy Health adopts 3M's CDI workflow tool to enhance chart review

It supports the collaboration among CDI specialists in reviewing patient charts and keeping a record of actions.

< + > The Middleman Mentality Is Killing American Medicine

As patients have become more reliant on middlemen and their services, American healthcare has developed what Dr. Robert Pearl calls the 'middleman mindset.'

< + > Northern Europe: Covid-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Rising Again Raising Concerns Of New Wave

Will the U.S. soon see similar rises?

< + > AI In Healthcare Still Has A Long Journey Ahead

For many years, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has pledged the promise of vastly improving the healthcare industry.

< + > Bonus Features – September 25, 2022 – More than 90% of patients prefer providers who offer telemedicine, Sequoia Project releases info blocking resources, and more

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

News and Studies 

More than 90% of patients prefer providers who offer telemedicine, and 62% of patients prefer to consult with physicians remotely when possible, according to a poll of 1,002 patients from Software Advice. At the same time, though, 52% of patients said they have some concerns about the quality of care in telemedicine consultations, with the lack of a physical exam or other in-person interactions cited as the most common drawbacks to a virtual care appointment.

The Sequoia Project released several resources to help organizations comply with the information blocking requirements of the 21st Century CURES Act. The resources include a primer on the expanded definition of electronic health information, which goes into effect October 6, and its operational implications for vendors and healthcare providers.

Research from digital therapeutic Hello Health published in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal concluded that digital tools for self-management of hypertension improve clinical outcomes throughout the patient population across gender, age, race, and additional factors. Study results point to the potential for digital health apps to bridge health inequity gaps.

The American Diabetes Association launched the Amputation Prevention Alliance, a three-year effort to improve care for patients with diabetes and reduce the number of unnecessary amputations that occur each year. (Of the 154,000 amputation procedures performed annually, the majority are preventable.) The initiative’s five founding members are Abbott, Advanced Oxygen Therapy, Cardiovascular Systems, CLI Global Society, and Podimetrics.

Partnerships

• Madaket Health has collaborated with Licentiam to add state medical licensing and credentialing services to its data management platform.
• Handheld ultrasound device maker Butterfly Networks deployed 500 devices at Kenya’s Kenyatta University through a $5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
• PointClickCare is partnering with the Michigan Health Information Network to help post-acute providers and case managers exchange data with MiHIN.

Products

• Surgical training platform Osso VR announced that orthopedic residents trained using virtual reality completed exercises 25% faster and with fewer errors and higher scores than those using traditional guided instruction.
• Compliance and certification service provider Schellman released HIPAA Express, a risk assessment tool aimed at HIPAA compliance and OCR audit workflows.
• Connected device security company Ordr released Ordr 8.1, which enables broader insight into IT infrastructure through integrations with more than 80 third-party solutions.
• IoT hardware and software provider Kajeet launched its IoT Module Initiative to provide cellular connectivity for RPM device makers.

Sales

• The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy tapped Komodo Health to incorporate real-world evidence into its population health research initiatives.
• Provider-to-patient communication solution CardMedic launched a pilot with two health systems – New Mexico’s Nor-Lea Hospital District and Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

People

• Conversational AI company mPulse Mobile made two appointments to its executive leadership team: Lara Stell as Chief Financial Officer and Sanjeev Sawai as Chief Product and Technology Officer.
• Conversational AI company Lifelink Systems named Justin Mardjuki as COO. Mardjuki returns to the company he co-founded before leaving for leadership roles at Box and American Express.
• Global Healthcare Exchange appointed Tina Vatanka Murphy as CEO effective January 1, 2023. Vatanka Murphy, currently the supply chain solution provider’s division president for value based care, will replace Bruce Johnson, who will become Executive Chairman of the Board.
• Civitas Networks for Health announced its 2023 Board of Directors, with its 12 members representing Regional Health Improvement Collaboratives as well as regional and statewide HIE organizations.
• Identity-driven cybersecurity firm Semperis added Atrium Health CISO Todd Greene to its Strategic Advisory Board.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.

< + > Pharmacy Care, Life, And Women In Healthcare: A Chat With Snezana Mahon At Transcarent

Just because you have an insurance card does not mean you have access to care, and it does not mean you have access to high quality care.

< + > Weekly Roundup – September 24, 2022

Welcome to our Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundup. Each week, we’ll be providing a look back at the articles we posted and why they’re important to the healthcare IT community. We hope this gives you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed during the week.

Discussing Practical Applications of AI Research. NYU Langone Health is building an AI tool to rank the level of care that a patients in the hospital needs. Critically, professor Vincent J. Major told John Lynn, the toll also accounts for internal issues such as nurse staffing. Major and Lynn also talked about where the data comes from and how it integrates with clinicians’ everyday workflows. Read more…

Bringing Low-Code and No-Code Software to Healthcare. For organizations looking to accelerate digital transformation, embracing a low-code / no-code approach to application deployment can make it fast and easy to roll out online forms, Colin Hung learned in a conversation with FormAssembly’s Cedric Savarese. Read more…

Optimizing the Healthcare Workforce With Technology. With burnout at an all-time high in the healthcare workforce, how can technology automate simple tasks and alleviate workers’ burden? Members of the Healthcare IT Today community discussed the benefits of technology-enabled remote monitoring, care coordination, scheduling, communication, and more. Read more…

Keeping the Healthcare Workforce Engaged. The latest episode of the Healthcare IT Podcast covered a similar topic – how technology is improving healthcare workforce engagement. John and Colin also and provided some short-term predictions for the future of the workforce. Read more…

AI and the Human Mind Are Taking on Healthcare’s Challenges. AI works best in healthcare when it draws attention to vital information that helps clinicians make diagnoses and determine treatment paths, said Concord Technologies’ Christopher Larkin. It’s also important to remember that the clinician ultimately has the final say. Read more…

Why Securing Medical IoT Devices Is Different. Many industries have Internet of Things devices, but healthcare has to be careful when it comes to securing IoMT vulnerabilities. Asimily’s Constancio Fernandes identified four factors that make IOMT security unique and emphasized the importance of identifying and addressing the biggest risks first. Read more…

How AI Can Help Spot Telehealth Fraud. As telehealth use has increased, so have instances of telehealth fraud. Detecting and mitigating telehealth fraud can be difficult using traditional business rules around utilization and provider location – which is why Shift Technology’s Mandy Fogle recommended AI models that can learn to find bad actors hiding in the data. Read more…

The Role of Information Exchange in Health Equity. Summing up The Civitas Networks for Health 2022 Annual Conference, a Collaboration with the DirectTrust Summit, Audacious Inquiry’s Robert Horst provided three examples of how HIEs can show their commitment to improving health equity by breaking down barriers to to data collection and use. Read more…

Featured Health IT Job: Epic Ambulatory Principal Trainer for Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., on behalf of a client based in the Bay Area, posted on Healthcare IT Central.

Funding and M&A Activity:

• Latino-focused virtual primary care service Zócalo Health raised $5 million in seed funding.
• Surgical coordination software provider Surgimate received a significant strategic investment from Banneker Partners.
• Enterprise imaging provider Intelerad Medical Systems acquired Life Image, a network of clinical and imaging data.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our latest Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundups.

< + > Transformation Requires That You Stay True To And Evolve Who You Are

City of Hope National Medical Center carries a 109-year-old legacy as one of the world's leading cancer care institutions whose relentless strategic focus can teach us all invaluable lessons about leadership, belief in the mission, and scaling purpose.

< + > India begins initiative to build medical datasets representing the Indian population

It will help accelerate research and innovation in AI technology for healthcare.

< + > Is cloud technology essential for provider organizations?

Health systems that establish cloud-native infrastructure and support processes will not only be able to gain insights from their data to better serve patients and staff, but also usher in an entire new set of tools, one expert says.

< + > Abortion Access Influences Location Decisions For One In Five U.S. Manufacturing CEOs, According To Forbes-Zogby Poll

Two of Indiana’s biggest employers said last month that they’d think twice about expanding facilities in the state after the legislature passed a near-total ban on abortion. A new poll shows that, nationwide, the companies are hardly unique.

< + > Your Baby’s Newborn Screening Blood Sample Could Be Used To Convict You Of A Crime. It Just Happened In New Jersey.

Newborn screening uses a small amount of a baby's blood to screen for diseases that can often be prevented or treated early. But that blood is also being misused, without parental consent, for other purposes. This misuse could threaten our successful nationwide newborn screening programs.

< + > Novant Health launches VR training

More than one hundred team members across administrative and clinical roles will receive VR-based leadership training.  

< + > A Powerful Partnership: AI and Humans Take on Healthcare Challenges

The following is a guest article by Christopher Larkin, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Concord Technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is pervasive in our daily decisions. We are assisted by AI-powered solutions that map optimal travel routes, deliver targeted online search results, manage vital banking functions, and even guide our driving. 

Healthcare is another area that has become increasingly influenced using data and algorithms that make human-like conclusions. While much of medicine was once bogged down by legacy systems and paper files, the widespread digitization of records has streamlined processes and enabled the development of technology that can search documents for meaningful information.

While computers can access data and learn from it, it is vital that medicine does not solely rely on AI to do the actual making of decisions. To improve the provision of medical care, AI must be paired optimally with human intuition. Data empowers clinicians and other healthcare decision-makers to better manage a variety of dynamic conditions and solve complex challenges. It is a partnership that has begun to yield significant results.

Scaling Decisions

Today’s value-based care environment requires scalable solutions that enable repeatable, consistent, and effective decision-making. Data, tools and reporting solutions that leverage AI can have a significant impact on both clinical outcomes and operations at healthcare facilities. That’s because properly established AI can quickly scour thousands of patient medical records, flagging data about previous findings, comorbid conditions, drug interactions or COVID status, to name a few. When AI is used to draw attention to vital information and clinicians are notified as part of the workflow, diagnoses and treatment paths can be enhanced and hastened.

From a logistical standpoint, many healthcare providers are faced with admission decisions for dozens (or more) patients daily. The decision to admit a patient to provide the exact care he needs in the current circumstances — or instead refer them to another facility — has major implications for a provider’s bottom line. AI can serve as an aid by providing relevant information about the nature of the patient in question, the number of beds available and/or staffing resources. The right data at the right time facilitates an easier decision here as well, one that can scale to improve the management of patient volumes.

Identifying Patterns

AI is also very effective at looking for patterns among a lot of data. An efficient healthcare system will not solely rely on humans to do what machines can do much quicker. One example of productivity enhancement is the application of AI and vision technology in pathology, which can flag abnormal cells in a giant sea of healthy ones. Similarly, AI can spot biomarkers of cancerous tumors on lung scans. Once the AI is appropriately trained on both the characteristics of non-threatening tumors and cancerous ones, the machine can draw attention to areas of concern, with a physician making the final decision on a patient’s next steps.

The digitization of records also has led to an emergent field of study: in-depth analysis of patient records over longer timeframes. Machines can detect patterns and find connections in vast amounts of data and can do so even for data spanning many years. If connections are established across various patient populations, there’s the potential opportunity to predict disease before it occurs, a more advanced AI application. As researchers and clinicians gain access to more data from more patient records, predictive assessments can occur for conditions that would have taken years to emerge.

Valuing Intuition

It is essential to recognize that while healthcare data holds weight, the intuition that arises from human training and experience cannot be discounted. AI technology, for example, is used to guide prediction of heart disease based on body mass index, waist circumference and other risk factors relating to blood pressure and cholesterol levels; occasionally, the data falsely categorizes a patient as healthy, or not at risk for a cardiac event. However, the physician will observe if a patient is unfit, unwell, or exhibiting other signs of risk, overriding the calculation of a “heart healthy” patient. The algorithm is generally helpful in drawing attention to key data points, but the clinician’s assessment embodies the full context of patient health — a reminder of the true “high-touch” nature of medicine.

In another example, documented in Charles Graeber’s The Breakthrough, researchers were set to cancel an immunotherapy clinical trial for a checkpoint inhibitor that seemed to demonstrate an inability to fight cancer. The data showed the tumors were not getting smaller, but rather growing. One of the doctors simply asked trial patients how they were feeling, and responses were positive. He intuited that the drug was perhaps helping them, followed up with questions to gain additional insight and ultimately uncovered that the tumors were actually growing with cancer-fighting T-cells, not cancer cells. Intuition led him to ask patients that basic question, and their responses helped elucidate the real results. The trial went on, resulting in approval of a new drug now used regularly to fight solid tumor cancers.

As we move toward the next frontier of medical care, it is likely that neither AI nor human decision-making will function independently. Unlike other industries where AI can perform all the processes of a human counterpart, healthcare requires the knowledge, experience and intuition that experienced practitioners bring. Properly deployed, AI will further lessen the cost of healthcare while promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of decisions made by those medically trained clinicians.

< + > 2023 Breakthrough Prizes Announced: Deepmind’s Protein Folders Awarded $3 Million

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< + > By-Latinos, For-Latinos Healthcare Startup Zócalo Health Closes $5 Million in Funding to Launch Primary Care Services

Zócalo Health set to deliver the only Latino healthcare experience focused on the culture of patients’ primary and social health needs

Co-founders Erik Cardenas and Mariza Hardin defy the odds amidst lack of funding for Latino and female-led startups 

Zócalo Health, a Latino-founded healthcare service designed for Latino patients, announced today $5M in seed funding co-led by Animo, Virtue, and Vamos Ventures. The round includes other notable investors including Necessary Ventures, Able Partners, and angel investors Toyin Ajayi, Freada Kapor Klein, Nikhil Krishnan, and Erik Ibarra. The funds will support the company’s launch of virtual primary care services in California, Texas, and Washington in 2022, introducing an improved and long overdue healthcare experience for Latinos built on trust, community, and culture.

“We founded Zócalo Health to embrace the values and traditions from our culture and Latino identity and make them the heart of the primary care experience. We are transforming healthcare in this country, as we can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all system filled with inequalities”

Over 60 million Latinos live in the United States today – the nation’s largest minority group. By 2050, they’ll make up more than 30% of the population with 132.8 million people. Despite this growth, the U.S. healthcare system lacks products and resources to meet this population’s unique cultural needs. Latinos experience disproportionately limited access to primary care with a ratio of one primary care physician for every five to six thousand residents in predominantly Latino zip codes.

Zócalo Health is addressing that gap by delivering affordable and accessible primary care that blends tradition with innovation and prioritizes trusting relationships between providers and patients. Services will be offered through monthly and annual memberships that give patients access to a full care team – led by a promotor de salud (community health worker) and composed of physicians, nurses, mental health therapists and more – as well as same day appointments and care coordination services focused on addressing social determinants of health.

“We founded Zócalo Health to embrace the values and traditions from our culture and Latino identity and make them the heart of the primary care experience. We are transforming healthcare in this country, as we can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all system filled with inequalities,” says Erik Cardenas, co-founder and CEO at Zócalo Health. “We are relentlessly committed to meeting the Latino community’s needs with urgency and care. We are grateful for our team and our investors, who understand the importance of leveraging innovation while maintaining culture and tradition along the way.”

“Our current healthcare system fails to work with and respect the Latino person’s identities, care needs, and preference.” said Mariza Hardin, co-founder and Head of Strategy and Operations at Zócalo Health. “Working in healthcare my entire career, I didn’t see people who looked like me driving healthcare solutions for my community. With our experience and network, we have the opportunity to build something better for our own families and Latino communities across the country, exemplifying that if the system isn’t changing, then we have to be that change.”

Zócalo Health is led by diverse entrepreneurs who are shaking up the start-up scene. Fewer than 1% of funds from the 25 primary risk and venture capital firms end up in the hands of Latino founders. Latino startup funding makes up approximately 2% of the overall startup investment. And only 13% of venture capital dollars go to startups with a woman on the founding team.

“Our team at VamosVentures sees enormous promise in what Zócalo Health is building,” said Xavier del Rosario, partner at the venture capital firm. “We believe in a future where diverse leaders can access resources to support their communities, and we are confident that the team behind Zócalo Health is blazing the trail to that future.”

Zócalo Health is launching services in California and Texas this National Hispanic Heritage Month and plans to expand to other states in 2022 and beyond. To learn more about Zócalo Health’s mission and services, visit zocalo.health.

About Zócalo Health

Zócalo Health is a Latino-founded, virtual family medicine service designed for the Latino patient. We remove barriers to healthcare by offering convenient, transparent and culturally aligned care to our members. Our services include same-day virtual healthcare appointments and navigation assistance for a monthly fee. Zócalo Health is available to individuals living in California.

About Erik Cardenas

Erik is a healthcare tech strategist with more than 20 years of leadership experience. In August 2021, he founded Zócalo Health to deliver a first-class family medicine experience for the Latino community.

Before founding Zócalo Health, he served as a founding team member and senior leader at Amazon Care where he led several technical teams. Erik was a key contributor to Amazon’s COVID-19 response and global testing initiative. A seasoned entrepreneur and health system leader, he previously managed a health IT portfolio at Tenet Health and led founding operations and technology at EverlyWell.

He currently sits on the Rogers Behavioral Health Board of Directors. In October 2020, he was selected as one of Business Insider’s 30 under 40 who are working to transform U.S. healthcare. Erik is passionate about delivering customer-obsessed healthcare solutions to fulfill his vision of a more personal and equitable healthcare system. When not working to grow Zócalo Health, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring the outdoors, or playing sports.

About Mariza Hardin

A healthcare business leader with more than 15 years of policy experience, Mariza founded Zócalo Health in 2021 with a vision to enhance the primary care experience and overall health journey for Latino families.

Prior to leading Zócalo Health, Mariza was on the founding team for Amazon Care and AWS’s Health and Human Service Vertical where she led business development initiatives for Amazon customers. Prior to Amazon, she focused on developing innovative solutions for Medicare and Medicaid populations for companies such as Omada and Alere Health/Optum.

Her experience in Medicaid and Medicare started during her tenure at the US Health and Human Service Department where she led policy programs for health information exchange. She holds a master’s degree in Health Policy from The George Washington University and currently lives with her family in the Greater Seattle area.

< + > Pfizer Will Begin Distribution Of 6 Million Paxlovid Treatments To Low-And-Middle Income Countries

This initiative is geared towards wider distribution of the drug as the world continues to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

< + > InnovationRx: Fed Rate Hikes Are Bad For Biotech; Plus: A New Covid Variant Wave?

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< + > AHA releases healthcare workforce toolkit

The information offers guidance on actions hospitals can take to strengthen and sustain the healthcare workforce today and over the near future and long term.

< + > SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Suppresses Innate Immunity By Cleaving Proteins Required For Interferon Induction And Inflammation

In addition to cleaving virus proteins, SARS-CoV-2 main protease released into the host cell has the potential to cleave cellular proteins.

< + > FDA: Here Are Dangers Of NyQuil Chicken And Benadryl Challenges On Social Media

People have landed in emergency rooms and even died from such social media challenges.

< + > Using AI and behavioral science to improve hospital operations

Technology can nudge everyone from support staff to surgeons to make decisions that ultimately boost outcomes and enhance the bottom line, one AI health IT expert explains.

< + > Combating Security Risks is Especially Tough with Medical IoT Devices – Here’s Why

The following is a guest article by Constancio Fernandes, VP of Engineering at Asimily.

The security teams at healthcare systems tasked with safeguarding massive fleets of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices are used to getting a heavy dose of cybersecurity patch advisories—the challenge is what to do next.

There has been no shortage of these urgent alerts flagging complex IoMT device vulnerabilities over the past few years, from the aptly named Urgent/11 to SweynTooth, GRUB2, and countless others. However, those alerts don’t offer security teams any insights into the actual risk posed to their healthcare organizations. In fact, it’s usually not even clear which internet-connected devices the known vulnerabilities impact, or how critical it is to take action and mitigate those issues.

Security and IT teams grappling with the nuances of securing IoMT vulnerabilities must overcome four specific challenges, including:

1) A Clear Understanding that the IoMT is Unique.

IoMT security has its own unique set of factors unlike those in any other IoT-saturated industry.

These connected medical devices can affect patient health and the integrity of clinical operations. Even monitoring devices with no internal data storage or ability to impact patients can serve as entry points for dangerous attacks. And, tight regulations on IoMT manufacturers and their devices mean that directly applying patches isn’t even always an option. 

Organizations usually react to cybersecurity alerts by taking steps to recognize and patch endpoints and servers endangered by vulnerabilities. However, the pace and quantity of new vulnerabilities are overwhelming. In practice, security teams must address tens of thousands of vulnerabilities—which affect their thousands of devices—with the limited resources at their disposal. The challenge for the security team becomes accurately prioritizing its focus to zero in on vulnerabilities that actually present urgent risks.

2) Organizations Often Can Only Patch IoMT Device Vulnerabilities at Their Own Risk.

Security teams cannot deploy patches as readily as they’d like, for reasons ranging from the limitations of legacy devices, clinical priorities that take precedence over patching, and regulatory limits placed on IoMT device manufacturers. That last factor includes FDA requirements dictating that manufacturers must perform a careful risk assessment along with any change to a device or its installed software, to ensure that the device still operates as intended following a patch. 

At the same time, the FDA offers post-market guidance to healthcare organizations, advising that they actively evaluate their network security to protect their hospital systems. Organizations must therefore make a series of crucial decisions, repeatedly weighing the danger of leaving a vulnerable device unpatched versus the danger of applying an available patch at their own risk. If the team deems applying the patch to be the most secure approach, the organization takes sole responsibility for the results of that decision—both from an IT security perspective and any future impact that device has on patient care. Making that bold call can achieve decisive improvements to healthcare outcomes, but it requires a security team with the capabilities and maturity to see it through.

3) Prioritizing Vulnerabilities Requires a Risk-Based Approach Paired with an Understanding of how IoMT Threats Develop.

With thousands of devices to secure and ten times as many vulnerabilities looming, accurate across-the-board prioritization is essential if security teams are going to keep their heads above water. That means prioritizing threats, prioritizing resources, and being ready to mitigate risks without relying on IoMT device manufacturers. Scenarios arise where no manufacturer patch is available, and tactics such as network-based segmentation or quarantines are inapplicable or simply ineffective. 

The ability to measure the true risk an IoMT device vulnerability represents requires a sophisticated assessment of how attackers take advantage of potential exploits, accounting for the specific environment, endpoints, and connections in question. Differentiating the limited number of actual immediate dangers—versus the countless device flaws that are rendered benign by their given configuration and use case—is essential to giving IoMT security teams a chance from a resource efficiency perspective.

4) It’s Crucial to Implement IoMT Security Features that Enable Accurate Risk Assessment.

Security teams need effective tools to help flag the IoMT risks that truly need attention. That strategy needs to include deep packet parsing, automated exploit analysis fueled by AI/ML algorithms, and other tools attuned to the specific dangers and behaviors of IoMT devices and networks. Teams and their tools should also leverage data on manufacturer security capabilities (MDS2s) in their risk analysis. That data will often reveal the potential for attacks to exploit device vulnerabilities in a given environment, as well as information that leads teams to the right mitigation tactics. Even when applying a patch isn’t an option, instead applying the right technical or administrative controls can often fill those security gaps just as effectively. 

Bottom Line: Securing the IoMT Means Optimizing Mitigation Efforts

Security teams working with IoMT devices at healthcare organizations—from hospitals to pharmaceutical and life sciences companies—must account for wide-ranging concerns that reach far beyond the typical IT focus limited to hardware and software. These teams must solve security issues while also accounting for the safety of patients, maintaining the effectiveness of clinical treatment, maintaining compliant data and network security, and safeguarding the business and operational integrity of their organizations. Instead of spreading security resources thin trying to achieve the impossible task of addressing tens of thousands of IoMT vulnerabilities, putting the right capabilities and analysis in place can identify the actual risks that attackers will target, and reveal a more efficient path to eliminating those risks.