'Really difficult nut to crack': MedPAC torn over telehealth regs post-COVID-19

Members were wary of making any concrete near-term policy changes, suggesting instead industry be allowed to test drive new telehealth regulations after the pandemic without baking them in permanently. 

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 15, 2021

Doctor on Demand partners with Texas health plan for virtual primary care HMO

The telehealth vendor has a number of virtual primary care plans in development now, including some rolling out later this year, said David Deane, head of growth and strategy.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 14, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Artificial intelligence

Amid mounting interest and investment in the space, it's clear AI’s applications in healthcare will only continue to grow.

By Healthcare Dive staff

Google calls Fitbit acquisition complete despite ongoing DOJ review

The search giant closed the deal because the department's 14-month investigation period expired without any objection. However, DOJ could still sue to unwind the buy.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 14, 2021

FDA issues action plan for regulating AI in medical devices

The proposal brings the agency a step closer to draft guidance for regulating the fast-evolving field of artificial intelligence and machine learning-based software in medical devices.

By Susan Kelly • Jan. 14, 2021

Talkspace to go public via SPAC in $1.4B deal

The transaction, once completed, will leave the behavioral health startup with about $250 million in cash, which it plans to use to build its user base, add partnerships and expand internationally.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 14, 2021

Healthcare industry sitting on ticking time bomb of web application attacks

Healthcare organizations were hit by an average of nearly 500 web application attacks every month in 2020, according to an Imperva report.

By Samantha Schwartz • Jan. 13, 2021

CMS breakthrough rule cheered as tailwind for Abbott, J&J and Medtronic

The final rule enables developers of FDA-designated breakthrough products to get Medicare coverage for some 60 million beneficiaries on the day they win approval.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Jan. 13, 2021

Teladoc projects 2020 revenue doubling to $1.1B

CEO Jason Gorevic expects sustainable long-term growth for the company, with 30% to 40% average annual revenue growth expected through 2023, he said Monday at the J.P. Morgan health conference.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 12, 2021

After trial and error, providers weigh virtual care offerings to fit post-COVID-19 needs

The survey of 277 provider, payer and employer organizations from Klas Research found almost a quarter of respondents are actively looking to replace their platform or feel unsatisfied but stuck with it.

By Hailey Mensik • Jan. 7, 2021

Not enough time, not enough clarity: Payers push back on CMS prior authorization rule

Following publication on the Federal Register, industry groups had only 17 days to review the rule and draft comments — a major source of concern, insurers said.

By Rebecca Pifer • Jan. 6, 2021

UnitedHealth's Optum to buy Change Healthcare in $13B deal

Change Healthcare CEO Neil de Crescenzo will become chief of OptumInsight after the deal closes in the second half of the year.

By Samantha Liss • Jan. 6, 2021

Healthcare cyberattacks spiked 45% since November, report finds

While most ransomware has a broad sector target, Check Point found Ryuk is tailored toward targets in the healthcare industry.

By Samantha Schwartz • Jan. 5, 2021

Fanfare then fizzle: Amazon, JPM, Berkshire shutter Haven after 3 years

The entity is closing without delivering on its promise of disruption, hinting at the difficulty of reforming the complex insurance market and rising costs in the massive, entrenched healthcare industry.

By Rebecca Pifer • Updated Jan. 5, 2021

How one hospital is defending against ransomware

By the time the Ryuk ransomware alert was issued, Rush Memorial Hospital had at least two risk mitigation measures: improved backup as a service and a systems engineer with an evasion plan.

By Samantha Schwartz • Dec. 23, 2020

Medtronic, GE, Philips embrace AI amid regulatory limbo around algorithms

The tech has the potential for better diagnosing and treating a wide variety of diseases, but FDA has yet to finalize a framework for machine learning-based software as a medical device.

By Greg Slabodkin • Dec. 22, 2020

Abbott antigen test gets FDA nod as first at-home, virtually guided COVID-19 diagnostic

BinaxNOW requires a prescription and a telehealth service to take users through collection. However, public health experts question why prescriptions are being required at all for such tests.

By Greg Slabodkin • Dec. 17, 2020

COVID-19 vaccine supply chain has cyberthreats hidden in plain sight

Outdated systems throughout vaccine distribution logistics carry unprecedented cyberthreats.

By Samantha Schwartz • Dec. 17, 2020

How to balance security and performance across your IT systems

In order to properly guard sensitive data information, healthcare organizations must optimize their IT security operations, balanced with system performance.

Dec. 14, 2020

Trump admin proposes easing HIPAA to foster value-based care, COVID-19 contact tracing

If finalized, the changes would loosen a number of long-held standards for the privacy of medical records and other protected health information.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 11, 2020

CMS looks to crack down on prior authorization

The American Hospital Association cheered the news but was disappointed the proposal excluded Medicare Advantage plans.

By Samantha Liss • Dec. 11, 2020

Amazon dips its toes into health data manipulation with HealthLake

The company has rolled out a new data aggregation and standardization service for healthcare and life sciences organizations.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 10, 2020

Digital inhalers reveal objective data

Improving patient-HCP communication could be a key to better identify the health burden of asthma and minimize poor inhaler technique.

Dec. 10, 2020

Centene closes buy of analytics firm Apixio

It's the latest step in the payer's strategy to build out its back-end technology infrastructure. Financial terms of the purchase, first announced on Nov. 9, were not disclosed.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 9, 2020

Company of the Year: Teladoc

"We were built for this kind of a situation, and the scalability of our platform and our operations really came through loud and clear when we were tested," CEO Jason Gorevic said.

By Rebecca Pifer • Dec. 9, 2020

Finance Trend of the Year: Going public

"The wacky aspect of 2020 is we've had tons of uncertainty and we've had a really active IPO market. And I've never seen that in my 30-year career on Wall Street," Davide Ethridge, U.S. IPO services leader at PwC, said.

By Shannon Muchmore • Dec. 9, 2020