< + > CalmWave Raises $5.25 Million from Third Prime and Investor Syndicate to Fuel Expansion in Health Systems

CalmWave will Use the Capital to Accelerate Growth with its New and Existing Channel Partnerships

CalmWave, the creator of the Quiet ICU, today announced that it has closed a $5.25 million financing round led by Third Prime with participation from Catalyst by Wellstar, Silver Circle, Rebellion, Impulsum, and existing investors Bonfire Ventures, Tau Ventures, and Hike Ventures. CalmWave will use the new capital to accelerate market penetration and strengthen and expand its GPO channel partnerships, including Premier, Inc. and Partners Coop.

CalmWave is the first effective solution to address the endemic problem of alarm fatigue in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Non-actionable alarms are alerts triggered by monitoring systems that do not require immediate intervention or clinical response. Such alarms make up 80-99% of alarms in ICUs, which is a primary cause of alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue occurs when the constant flood of alarms overwhelms both clinicians and patients. This constant barrage of alarms not only heightens the risk of negative outcomes like ICU delirium, but it also strains healthcare staff, impacting overall patient care.

“We are dedicated to objectively improving healthcare, starting with eliminating non-actionable alarms in ICUs. We have demonstrated a 58% reduction in non-actionable alarms and increased safety in our retrospective analysis of one of our charter customer’s Cardiac Care units,” said Ophir Ronen, Founder and CEO at CalmWave. “We have strong momentum, and now, with this new investment, we are moving quickly to rapidly expand to additional hospital systems.”

The CalmWave Operations Platform uses “Transparent AI,” which makes the reasoning and data behind its conclusions fully visible. This approach empowers healthcare organizations to optimize operations and confirm they are making well-informed, data-driven decisions. To feed its models, CalmWave uses a hospital’s retrospective and real-time patient data, such as vital signs, interventions, and medication administration, to provide objective recommendations for reducing alarm fatigue. Implementing these recommendations by nursing staff improves the clinical work environment and patient care.

“CalmWave is driving rapid innovation in an industry that has long been seeking a solution but has been slow to evolve. Ophir is an accomplished leader and has assembled an outstanding team with unique expertise in deep technology and big data,” said Keith Hamlin, Co-Founder and General Partner at Third Prime. “CalmWave has built a world-class SaaS platform very quickly. The company’s vision to create the quiet ICU is a springboard towards highly optimized, data-driven hospital operations.”

About CalmWave

CalmWave’s mission is to objectively improve healthcare, starting with safely eliminating non-actionable alarms. Alarms triggered by bedside monitoring systems that do not require immediate intervention or clinical response comprise 80-99% of all audible alarms in ICUs. These non-actionable alarms contribute to a well-recognized and widespread issue known as alarm fatigue. Alarm fatigue exists in every hospital and is rampant in the modern healthcare system. It is a great stressor for clinicians and patients, ultimately impacting patient outcomes and staff retention. Using Transparent AI, CalmWave outlines the rationale behind each optimized setting, empowering a hospital’s nursing staff to evaluate and implement optimized alarm limit recommendations in the monitor at the patient’s bedside. Implementing CalmWave remediates alarm fatigue and can improve staff retention and patient outcomes. Visit CalmWave.ai for more information, and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Originally announced November 20th, 2024

< + > VA to restart deployments in EHR modernization effort

The agency plans to roll out federal electronic health record systems at four Michigan facilities in mid-2026. Pre-deployment activities will kick off in the coming weeks.

< + > 2024 Healthcare IT Year in Review – Healthcare IT Today Podcast Episode 156

The 156th episode of the Healthcare IT Today Podcast is sponsored by Pure Storage, the data storage platform that grows with you forever. This is the last Healthcare IT Today Podcast episode we will post this year, so for this episode, we are looking back and reviewing the 2024 healthcare IT year! We kick this episode off by sharing what health IT stories and news stood out to us this year. Then we talk about what technologies got on our radars in 2024. Next, we list the people, places, and companies that made our notable lists for 2024. Lastly, we talk about what our most memorable conferences were this year.

Thank you to our sponsor, Pure Storage! We all need a data platform that is reliable, efficient, and manageable. Data is growing and requirements are changing. What feels sufficient and efficient today may not be tomorrow. Just like our own personal health, it’s important to routinely monitor your IT infrastructure. That’s why Pure Storage has created a quick quiz to help you start a conversation about whether your data platform is future-ready—or maybe it’s time for a checkup. Go to healthcareittoday.com/purestorage to take a quick self-guided quiz—and start a path to more reliable and flexible data services.

Here’s a preview of the topics and questions we discuss in this episode:

• What Health IT stories or news stood out for you in 2024?
• What technologies got on your radar in 2024?
• Who are the people, places, or companies that make your notable list for 2024?
• What conferences were most memorable for you in 2024?

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

We publish a new Healthcare IT Today podcast every ~2 weeks. Thanks to our friends at Healthcare Now Radio, you’ll be able to listen to the latest episodes of Healthcare IT Today on their radio station for the first two weeks. Then, we’ll be publishing each episode as a podcast and YouTube video here after it finishes on the radio.

You can also subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today podcast on any of the following platforms:

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If you work in Healthcare IT, we’d love to hear where you agree and/or disagree with the perspectives we shared. Feel free to share your thoughts and perspectives in the comments of this post, in the YouTube comments, with @Colin_Hung or @techguy on Twitter, or privately on our Contact Us page. Let us know what you think of the podcast and if you have any ideas for future episodes.

Thanks so much for listening!

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< + > FertilAI Raises $4.5 Million to Support Growth

Clinically Validated, Scientifically Proven Fertility Decision-Support Platform to Serve More Families

FertilAI has raised $4.5 million co-led by Longevity Venture Partners and Redseed with additional investment from angel investors.

The company provides doctors with critical AI-driven patient insights to aid their clinical decision-making and optimize clinic workflow and efficiency, increasing daily treatments while maintaining the same level of high-quality care.

“The fertility market is growing at an unprecedented rate and becoming a pressing issue on a global scale,” said Raissa Hacohen, Managing Partner at Longevity Venture Partners. “We invested in FertilAI because the team’s expertise is uniquely suited to solve this market need and its platform has already demonstrated significant traction in the market.”

FertilAI focuses on making fertility treatments easier and more effective for everyone. In 2024 alone, the product is being used globally by more than 50 physicians across 20,000+ patients.

The innovative AI-based Fertilane platform seamlessly integrates with clinic electronic medical records (EMRs) to improve predictability, clinical outcomes, and the patient experience throughout the fertility journey, from identifying optimal embryo transfer timing and optimizing decision-making throughout the stimulation cycle to ovulation tracking, supporting timed intercourse, and facilitating intrauterine insemination (IUI). Furthermore, the mobile patient app improves two-way communication between clinics and patients.

“We are absolutely delighted to support Rohi and his Tier 1 team on their mission to tangibly improve clinical outcomes with FertilAI’s next-generation algorithm,” said Helena Cavell, Principal at Redseed.

Offered as a unified platform, Fertilane provides physicians with a single address for individual patients, their treatment plans and recommendations, and all clinic-doctor-patient communications

“The investment is a significant validation of our mission and vision,” said Rohi Hourvitz, CEO at FertilAI. “Everything we do is focused on providing the opportunity to create families more quickly and affordably. We want patients to achieve pregnancy much earlier in the process, instead of struggling through multiple rounds of treatment at thousands of dollars each.”

The $4.5 million seed round will be invested in market expansion, personnel, and reinforcing R&D efforts, allowing the company to deliver solutions for better patient care throughout the entire fertility journey.

About FertilAI

FertilAI optimizes the fertility journey for healthcare providers and patients alike. Its mission is to bring advanced, clinically proven AI technology to enhance care. The FertilAI scientifically validated clinical decision-support platform enhances fertility treatment and contributes to improved outcomes. FertilAI provides a patient-focused mobile app that connects with clinics’ electronic medical record (EMR) platform focusing on improving patient communication. For more information, visit fertilai.com.

Originally announced November 20th, 2024

< + > $2M e-ICU project to be launched in regional Korea

It will feature a 24/7 command centre, integrating the ICUs of small and medium hospitals.  

< + > Bonus Features – December 22, 2024 – 83% of providers want virtual care to be a permanent part of their practice, Medicare home visits have dropped 17% since 2017, plus 24 more stories

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

• Days after releasing the HTI-2 Final Rule (which Fierce Healthcare described as slimmed-down) ASTP/ONC unveiled the expected HTI-3 Final Rule. The new rule revises two existing information blocking exceptions and offers a new exception meant to protect access to reproductive care “that is lawful in the circumstances in which it is furnished.”
• The FCC updated the Mapping Broadband Health in America platform to include additional data on maternal health.
• The state of Nebraska is suing Change Healthcare in light of this year’s data breach, with Attorney General Michael T. Hilgers estimating 575,000 Nebraskans were affected. The suit alleges violations of multiple state and federal laws.

Studies

• Roughly 5 in 6 providers want virtual care to remain a permanent part of their clinical practice (83%) and believe telemedicine supports continuity of care (84%), according to a Doximity survey.
• Overall rejection rates for pharmacy claims are roughly the same as they were 8 years ago, at about 16% of all claims, according to Komodo Health data. That said, rejection rates hit a trough in 2018 and have increased 16% since then.
• Access to home health for Medicare beneficiaries is decreasing, according to a recent report from Trella Health, with the number of home health visits per day down more than 17% between 2017 and 2023.

Partnerships

• Identity security vendor SailPoint acquired Imprivata’s identity governance and administration business, and the two companies will become go-to-market partners.
• Suki’s Suki Assistant is leveraging Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to provide patient summaries and Q&A functionality.
• Analytics vendor eClinical Solutions established bidirectional integration with Snowflake‘s AI Data Cloud.
• Value-based care platform Navina has integrated with agilon health‘s physician workflow technology.
• The Council of Autism Service Providers will use CentralReach‘s anonymized data set to inform payers of provider network adequacy across the U.S. In addition, CentralReach launched CR ClaimCheckAI to automatically audit claims for autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities care providers.
• Precision oncology company Guardant Health is partnering with COTA to make real-world data available for biopharmaceutical researchers.

Products

• Greenway Health announced general availability of its UDS+ reporting capability through Greenway Insights to help FQHCs and other federally funded health centers meet upcoming HRSA reporting requirements.
• DUOS updated its digital health platform for seniors to enable end-to-end applications for federal and state assistance programs such as SNAP and Medicaid.
• Autoimmune disease support platform WellTheory launched a women’s health program to help address symptoms often associated with hormonal imbalances.
• Dexcom launched a proprietary generative AI platform build on Google Cloud. It’s initially being used in Stelo, Dexcom’s FDA-cleared over-the-counter glucose biosensor.
• RevSpring updated OmniBrain, its patient engagement and payment platform, to include includes self-service access for providers.

Sales

• Tennessee safety net hospital Nashville General Hospital implemented Oracle Health CommunityWorks.
• Duke Health chose Luna to broaden access to in-home physical therapy services.

Company News

• Cellular blood pressure monitor BPM Pro 2 from Withings Health Solutions received FDA clearance.
• Alzheimer’s early detection platform Linus Health earned EU Medical Device Regulation certification for its Core Cognitive Evaluation tool.
• Cloud security vendor ClearDATA earned HITRUST r2 Certification for its CyberHealth Platform and cloud managed service.
• Peer-reviewed research from Closed Loop Medicine demonstrated effectiveness in remote blood pressure and medication monitoring; participants showed stable BP control over a 12-week period with no adverse events.

People

• NCQA Founder and President Margaret E. O’Kane will retire at the end of 2025; she has led the organization for 35 years.
• Mental health platform Rula Health appointed Mark Khavkin as Chief Financial Officer and Prashanthi Raman as Chief External Affairs Officer.
• Healthcare supply chain vendor Advantus Health Partners appointed Rick Roycroft as Chief Commercial Officer.

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. Note that submissions received after the close of business on Thursday may not be included in Bonus Features until the following week.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Bonus Features will be taking a break next week as I chase around a three-and-a-half year old who’s as energetic as he is curious. We’ll publish again on January 5, 2025.

< + > Congress releases AI policy blueprint

Lawmakers recommend establishing and investing in federal AI resources that foster collaboration among agencies and sectoral regulation, which includes two key findings and five recommendations for healthcare.