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Oracle Introduces “AI” Electronic Medical Records Software
oracle health This week, the company began previewing its “AI-powered” “next generation” electronic health record software, which the company claims is “built from the ground up” and has “military-grade security.” Given the rate of adoption of new things in healthcare, we were a bit skeptical that we would see what that meant in the near future, but the company has said that an early adoption program for EHRs will begin sometime in 2025. Masu.
Oracle Health is the result of the tech giant’s acquisition of the second-largest health records vendor Cerner years ago. Like everyone in this space, the company is fighting a battle for market. epic systems Juggernauts are companies that have become powerful enough to face antitrust claims.
It’s hard to discern substance from the PR noise at this point, but I think many in the healthcare community agree with the spirit of Oracle’s efforts to modernize medical records technology. At this point, it’s a boring joke for clinicians to complain about the clunky, outdated software they have to use for hours every day. If an Oracle alternative resembles the sophisticated software we use everywhere in our lives, it may find a buyer.
Related: Earlier this spring, my colleague Mohana Rabindranath spoke with Oracle Health Chairman David Feinberg.
Talkspace’s Medicare advances, Teladoc’s Better Help slump, Amwell’s big hires
Quarterly financial results season has finally arrived in the world of telemedicine. Some high-level takeaways:
A few months after replacing the CEO, Teladoc I’m still thinking about it. The company’s third-quarter revenue declined compared to the same period last year, but the decline was less than investors had expected. better helpTeladoc’s direct-to-consumer mental health business continued to shrink, despite advertising on all of your favorite podcasts. In fact, BetterHelp’s advertising costs continue to eat into the company’s profits. The company has made some gains in its comprehensive care business in other regions, but buyers are suggesting they are hesitant to adopt new services at this time.
virtual mental health company talk space continues to perform well as one of the bright spots in the virtual care business, recording revenue growth and looking increasingly likely to become a sustainable business in the long term. The company’s strategy over the years has been to increase the number of people using its services through health insurance and other coverage rather than paying out-of-pocket. Given BetterHelp’s direct-to-consumer struggles (see above), this push seems prescient. Earlier this year, the company announced its expansion into the following businesses: medicarecurrently distributed in 30 states, the company added Medicare Advantage Plan too. Talkspace said it aims to insure 200 million people next year.
Elsewhere, virtual care providers and infrastructure companies Amwell lowered its guidance range from $259 million to $269 million to $247 million to $252 million, reaffirming investors’ concerns about the company’s long-term path to breakeven. . The company has made progress in developing important large-scale contracts with the United States. Defense Health AgencyHowever, use of medical group services has declined in other regions. Amwell has lowered its visitor forecast for this year. To be fair, the company also lowered its adjusted loss forecast.
Notable: Amwell announces hiring of veteran health tech executive mark hirshhorn As Chief Financial Officer. Hirschhorn most recently served as CEO of the following companies: tapestry healthbut is best known for his previous role as Chief Operating Officer. Teladoc and talk space. but Close observers may remember that As I reported at the time, both of those relationships ended on acrimonious terms.
What you need to know about Apple’s hearing health initiative
apple This week, we officially launched a series of new health features for AirPods Pro. This allows users to test their hearing and use the popular wireless headphones as a hearing aid for mild hearing loss.
Even before its launch, Apple’s hearing health features were praised by audiologists and other experts for their potential to help more people cope with hearing loss. But as I write in a new article, the company’s technology, which blurs the lines between consumer features and medical devices, doesn’t fit neatly into the traditional world of hearing aid care. For example, the company claims that its hearing aid software is “clinical grade,” but the term is not defined. This could be interpreted as a nod to FDA marketing approval for this feature (which is true!) or to suggest that this product is as good as audiologist-recommended prescription hearing aids (which is not true!). There is a possibility that
I spoke to hearing experts and Apple executives to explain in detail how the features work and what you need to know about them. Click here for details
5 investors driving health tech’s biggest deals
A recent spate of large-scale funding in the health tech sector has sparked optimism among investors. So who’s writing the big checks? STAT’s Mohana Rabindranath shares the names of five people behind the important deal. brian roberts from Venrock, Recently supported an AI clinical notebook company like, and nancy brown from Oak HC/FT He recently led a $60 million investment in a digestive care company Oshi health. Read more about the people behind some of the biggest recent medical technology deals.
A notable call to review the use of race in research
My colleagues Katie Palmer and Usha Lee McFarling have looked at using race as a factor in clinical algorithms that physicians routinely use in medical practice to make decisions about patient care. Remember that story? As their report revealed, these algorithms can perpetuate health disparities due to the way race is used as a social construct. The challenge is that removing them can also lead to harm. However, there are signs of change.
On Wednesday, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a new report calling on scientists, research funders and publishers to change the way they use, and don’t use, race and ethnicity in biomedical research. The report addresses clinical algorithms, saying that simply removing race from clinical algorithms will not solve the problem, but that it will develop new tools that are more transparent and assess their performance across different racial and ethnic groups. recommended to report. He noted that such calculators are based on biomedical research and often have deep-rooted biases. Developers of such tools often “start blaming the people downstream who are collecting the data, and then blame the researchers who are releasing the data,” he said. Shazia Siddiquehealth systems researcher and gastroenterologist. university of pennsylvania He led a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality into the impact of healthcare algorithms on racial and ethnic disparities. “I think ultimately it takes all of us to make a difference.”
Read about the new National Academies report here and take a closer look at STAT’s previous reports on this issue in our Embedded Bias series.
what we are reading
UnitedHealth Group appoints new CISO 8 months after massive ransomware attack, Cybersecurity Dive Global Summit combines AI and biotech, Axios Should race be used in clinical algorithms? How one doctor’s research is helping shape policy, STAT
