Brian Mayrsohn M.D. M.S.

Fresh off the press: Bright news on the Digital Health/mHealth space! The Catalan Public Health System is creating a framework to make apps and digital services accessible to its 8M+ lives. This includes their own relational apps (read: your chart, appointments, prescriptions, etc) but also therapeutic apps created by 3rd parties. Today they have published the Best Practices Guide to Develop Health Assets for the Public Health System (Guia de Bones Pràctiques per desenvolupar actius digitals per a la ciutadania). Link in comments The guide provides a framework with the requirements to have apps and other digital services integrated (and covered!) by this public payer. All of us in Digital Health understand the need for structure and transparency when dealing with payers. Carme Pratdepàdua Bufill and team at TIC Salut Social Foundation, and Joan Guanyabens Yolanda Portero Elisenda Serra Masip thanks for your leadership in delivering this exhaustive and necessary work. This spirit of ecosystem and partnership is rare in this industry. Can't wait to see the impact this will make in providing equitable access to health and better outcomes for the citizens of Catalunya. #healthequity #accesstohealth #DTX #digitalhealth #publichealth

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This is an interesting talk that challenges a basic assumption that more spending in healthcare leads to better outcomes. They defined health value by looking at mortality rates across 6 diaseases and healthcare spending per capital. Florida ranked 3rd and Vermont 46th. While healthcare spending was correlated with lower heart disease it was not correlated with opioid use disorder. This sheds light upon the fact that social determinants of health have a big impact on outcomes. #healthcare #healthspending

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Here’s your recap of last week’s health IT news 🗞️ 👇 🤖 AI Products • Emergency Services, Inc. + Augmedix Go ED: The emergency medicine group adopted the new ED-specific AI ambient scribe solution.    • Color + OpenAI: The cancer care tech company partnered with the GenAI giant to build a AI clinical decision support copilot.    • AKASA Medical Coding: The AI RCM vendor known for its AI prior auth tool AKASA Authorization Advisor released a new GenAI medical coding solution.    • Humata Health: The AI prior auth for providers vendor closed a $25M funding round led by healthcare org-backed funds The Blue Venture Fund and LRVHealth.    • Wellsheet + Concord Hospital Health System: The AI-enabled Smart EHR UI solution announced a client-reported 16.3% reduction in length of stay and 40% decrease in time spent in the EHR via its partnership with Concord Health, as well as the release of its new LLM-generated handoff summary feature. 🍎 VBC • BSIM Healthcare Services + Innovaccer: The healthcare provider—embarking on its first VBC contract—adopted the pop health data platform for analytics. 🩼 Durable Medical Equipment • Parachute Health: The DME e-prescribing and ordering solution released an update that integrates prior authorization. ⚕️Clinical Staffing • Matchwell + Indiana Hospital Association: The clinical staffing service partnered with the hospital member org to create the first state-wide resource pool for temp staffing. 🧑‍💻 Virtual and At-Home Care • Deaconess Health System + KeyCare: The Indiana-based health system adopted the Epic-based virtual care provider for around-the-clock virtual urgent care.    • UC Davis Health + Current Health: The health system launched a new RPM program for high blood pressure in partnership with Best Buy Health’s care-at-home platform. 🧠 Food for Thought: We came across a couple of good resources this past week on the current state of healthcare data information exchange: • This article in Health Affairs from Deven McGraw and Tina Grande provides a comprehensive overview of some of the patient health data abuses we've seen come to light in recent months, as well as a number of policy recommendations to improve the health information exchange landscape for all participants. https://lnkd.in/e_GEQ-JJ  (h/t Alya Sulaiman)    • This episode of Health Gorilla's InteropTalk gives a helpful update on the current state of affairs, with a particular focus on the state of trust across the health data exchange community and how the definition of "Treatment" may evolve. https://lnkd.in/e96AJG-5 (h/t Brendan Keeler) --- Reminder: you can sign up for the Elion Briefing to get the latest healthcare tech news delivered to your inbox each week 📬 👉 https://lnkd.in/e2UJ3ckP

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The defining factor isn't the size of the company or startup, but the vision behind it. Take OpenAI, for instance. Until last year, unless you were deeply embedded in the ML world as a computer scientist/researcher, or enthusiast, you might not have heard of OpenAI. Meanwhile, a giant like Google was dominating the scene. However, a few years back, OpenAI was just another small startup. Now, it's rapidly evolving into a major player in big tech. Why and how? It comes down to having a long-term vision, a clear roadmap, patience, and solid execution (i.e., talents). Even in the context of healthcare AI, where (small) startups face many challenges (including the ones mentioned), the principles of vision and strategy apply. While merging with big tech might seem like an option for some, if a startup truly believes in its vision and has a well-defined path to achieve it, it should forge ahead independently. The landscape is evolving, and like OpenAI, today’s small startups with clear, visionary goals could be tomorrow's industry leaders. #starup #founders #openai #google #healthcare

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Scaling Quality Obesity Care. Enara Health is presenting at #ADA24 on Sunday, 6/23, at 12:30 PM. Poster 1074. #ADA24 has been filled with GLP-1 studies, but the the study we are presenting allows us to imagine how we can scale great care across the United States. We chose to submit this specific subset of data on patients with Type II diabetes and Obesity to show that behavioral, lifestyle, and traditional AOMs have a crucial place in the broader strategy to tackle obesity alongside GLP-1s. Only 12% of the AOM group in the pilot used GLP-1s, yet both AOM and non-AOM groups achieved 11% weight loss. This highlights the importance of a multifaceted approach to obesity treatment. Join us to discuss and think about the future of obesity care. I will also be available to connect in the morning and early afternoon on Sunday, 6/23. If your attending, DM me. Don't miss this chance to learn more and discuss how we can advance obesity care together! Excited to also discuss posters from TeleDoc™ and Virta Health. #ADA24 #DiabetesCare #ObesityManagement #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #semaglutide Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) HCP Zepbound™ (tirzepatide) HCP #ozempic #wegovy American Heart Association American College of Cardiology

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Digital Health Acquisitions # 107 - # 108: Week of July 14th - 20th, 2024 Digital health M&A cooled off slightly last week with just two deals announced. 108: Commure acquired Augmedix in an all-cash deal valued at $139M. Augmedix, a company that previously went public through a SPAC transaction, was initially listed through a reverse merger with Malo Holdings Corp. in 2020 before listing through a traditional IPO on NASDAQ in 2021. This acquisition marks a significant move for Commure, as it aims to enhance its healthcare technology offerings by integrating Augmedix's capabilities in medical documentation and workflow automation. 107: The German/Dutch company Apothera GmbH / MYA Health acquires Disapo.de Apotheke B.V. from Europe's omnichannel premium beauty chain Douglas Group. Apothera has its main office in Berlin, Germany but operates its online pharmacy through Mya Health B.V. in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This acquisition is a strategic play to strengthen Mya Health's online pharmacy presence and reach a wider customer base. While deal activity slowed down, the digital health industry continues to evolve rapidly. What are your thoughts on the current M&A landscape? Did I miss a deal last week? Galen Growth | Insights You Can Trust #DigitalHealth #Mergers #acquisitions

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Walmart closing 51 Health Centers over “Lack of Profitability!” Walmart Health Virtual Care (telemedicine) offerings will also end. Article by Daniella Alessandra Genovese Fox Business Network April 30, 2024 MY TAKE: · What does ‘lack of Profitability” really MEAN? o Is it meant that this service line is losing money – financially upside down? o Or does it mean that the line is not producing the “EXCESS PROFITS” that were envisioned - and that corporate leaders and shareholders demand?   ·    Healthcare delivery is NOT a simple business model, though increasingly we see corporate entities entering this arena, often envisioning large profits or - in the case of private equity - valuable ASSETS whose value can be accelerated over short periods - or at least sold off as value-added components.   ·    It has been said that the LURE of ‘excess profit’ invariably leads to GREED, and that in healthcare - greed invariable leads to worsening conditions within healthcare workplaces and worsening outcomes for patients! American Medical Association American Hospital Association American College of Emergency Physicians U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Tennessee Medical Association Jesse Pines Chadd Kraus Lara Vanyo Rita Manfredi TENNESSEE COLLEGE OF EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS Timothy Wilson Ryan Stanton Gabe Kelen, Deidre McPhillips Mollie Pillman Alison Haddock, MD, FACEP Susan Morse mor Chelsea Torres Amy Feldman Jesse Ehrenfeld MD MPH Mel Cortez Larry Bucshon, M.D. Peter Stavros Fox article link - https://lnkd.in/gynsbScT

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Investing in companies that fill needs for health systems is a growth opportunity for both delivery organizations and start ups. Some systems are jumping in on their own, while others are partnering with like minded systems or with established VC firms. While this is a relatively new trend for systems, health plans have been making similar bets for many years. The benefits of becoming a health system portfolio company can be significant. Data, access to beta populations and real world coaching can be extremely beneficial. Start ups get mentoring and systems have to ability to leverage outside resources to solve relevant business problems. I predict a booming business!

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Here's another fundraising roundup spotted in the healthcare wilds 👀 🍃 ✅ Sword Health raised $130M (new valuation: $3B). ✅ Better Health raised $14M to deploy expanded payer partnerships. ✅ Alzheon, Inc. | Preserving Future Memories raised $100M Series E to advance development & commercialization of its Alzheimer’s treatment. ✅ CinRx Pharma raised $73M to continue its ‘Hub and Spoke’ model of startup formation. ✅ Eko Health raised $41M to scale AI-driven heart and lung disease detection. ✅ Anterior (formerly Co:Helm) secured a $20M Series A to unlock admin efficiencies for healthcare payers. ✅ SamaCare raised a $17M Series B to scale specialty drug prior authorization platform. ✅ Plenful secured a $17M Series A to streamline pharmacy operations with AI-powered workflow automation. ✅ Grayce raised a $10.4M Series A led by Maveron amid a caregiving crisis. ✅ Stitch Employment Services Inc PEO raised $8.75M in seed to support independent medical practices. ✅ Posterity Health secured $6M to fund expansion and technology acceleration. ✅ Sware raised $6M to accelerate life sciences innovation by automating FDA-mandated software validation. ✅ Keragon raised $3M, as announced in @Conno Christou’s LinkedIn post. As always, if I missed you, let me know! Each week I'm spotlighting an innovative healthcare startup. I just ask for a bit more transparency. All submissions are confidential; submit yours here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gF4DrAvJ Looking for more fundraising roundups, alongside healthcare industry news and analysis? Subscribe to Hospitalogy, my 2x/week newsletter. Join 33K+ other investors, executives, and healthcare professionals: https://lnkd.in/g-nfRqW6

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Interesting to see that digital health funding is relatively stable. Only a couple of exits. I think we'll see more deals like DarioHealth's acquisition of Twill, since from a sales perspective, the narrower the solution, the more difficult it is to acquire customers. This difficulty has nothing to do with the quality of offerings, but with the data management and administrative complexity on the customer side.

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Should you sell your practice to a VC-Backed MSO Startup? tldr: - new VC-backed startups are forming MSOs to roll up independent practices - The pitch is physicians receive early liquidity from the roll up and are granted ESOP shares that can be used for retirement - Problem is the use of ESOPs with independent practices is not a new concept and has been used with large group practices since the 70's - ESOPs do not grant full ownership and in order for the shares to be valuable for retirement, the practice needs to run the same if not better post roll up - With VC-backed startups being primarily operated by non-physicians with zero clinical or medical practice experience, the likelihood of this happening is extremely low making the entire concept high risk However, there is a viable path for continued ownership + liquidity for independent practices. Check out the article to learn more. ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gmGvTYwP

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Women's health isn't "niche" -- and it costs commercial health plans a LOT of money. "Women's health" has been an exploding category the last few years, with new startups targeting conditions that uniquely, differently, or disproportionately impact women coming to the forefront. We desperately need these solutions. Women's health has been historically understudied and underfunded, and many women are left to suffer as a result. It also makes business sense for employers & plans to invest in women's health. Underserved areas of women's health like gynecology, women-specific preventive care, & more surprisingly drive higher costs than maternity. It's just more difficult to spot in claims. As plans & employers start to learn about these costs (and, of course, how these conditions impact their employees/members), we'll see a continued upward trend in investment in women's health. #womenshealth #virtualcare #digitalhealth #healthtech

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🔍 Join us in spotlighting Autoimmune Advocacy: Health Innovation Leaders (Part II), recognizing those reshaping the autoimmune landscape alongside Rheumission through recognizing the evolving role of patients as active participants in their care, transcending traditional passive roles, and embracing influencer advocacy to drive positive change. From patient experience specialists to health branding experts and patient advocacy leaders, these individuals are driving meaningful change in the healthcare space. ❤️‍🔥Meet Amanda Osowski, MPH, Sarah Stern, Arianna Blaine, Jen Horonjeff - “Ask Patients”, Ronnie Sharpe, Lilly Stairs, Andrea Kaufman Wool, Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, Molly Fuller, and Katie McCurdy – each contributing their unique expertise and passion to the cause. 💡Their collective efforts reflect a growing movement toward patient-centric care and innovation. As we celebrate their contributions, let us recognize the importance of their work in revolutionizing autoimmune care. 🌟Join us as we continue to catalyze change, elevate voices, and shape a future where autoimmune diseases are met with understanding, support, and innovation! Together, we can make a difference. rheumission Autoimmune Connect #AutoimmuneAdvocacy #PatientEmpowerment #Rheumission #TransformingHealthcare #healthcareonlinkedin #startup #integrativemedicine #rheumatoid #arthritis #psoriatic 

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Blue Health Intelligence, a data analytics and software company, undertook an evaluation of almost 170,000 unique GLP-1 users for weight loss, notes less than half of those prescribed stay on the medication for 12 weeks or more. Younger adults were less likely to continue the drug, whereas those who were prescribed the medication by an endocrinologist or obesity medicine specialist were more likely to continue for longer. Indeed, this data states 30% of patients dropped out of treatment after the first four weeks, and 58% at 12 weeks. Those who dropped out are unlikely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss.  The likelihood of continuance was further exacerbated for those with health inequities or who lived in underserved health regions. The data comes from Blue Cross Blue Shield Association members participating in Plans that provided coverage of these products, from 2014 through to end of 2023. Razia Hashmi, vice president for clinical affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to ‘…paint a clearer picture of what makes somebody successful.’ The missing piece here is why the patients stopped – side effects, failure to achieve initial weight loss, stigma and discrimination, or coverage issues related to cost and access. My longtime friend, colleague and bariatric surgeon at Stanford University, Dr. Dan Azagury rightly states ‘…The goal is for patients to stay on this for a significant amount of time. Most likely… beyond 12 weeks.’ https://lnkd.in/ediQskQx

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Digital health investors pulled back, but there are rays of hope... It's a similar story with startups across the gamut - things got a bit crazy there for a while, and discipline is ramping up - profitable growth is in. At MedCity News INVEST, Shawn Ellis put it well - much-needed practicality has been injected into the funding environment "Founders are paying more attention to unit economics, contribution margin, thinking critically about the milestones in their business and the KPIs they need to show all the way." Good news is that many investors want to be more than cash machines - Fatima Husain cites the Better Health example, where her healthcare connections helped the company achieve traction with major health systems. All this to say, rocky times are still ahead for #digitalhealth as things reset. But reasons to be optimistic and keep at the mission. #healthcare #innovation

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One key reason why healthcare technologies like AI, telemedicine, and software haven't structurally lowered costs or broadened access for the entire system after decades of experimentation (excluding pure financial engineering of payer contracts) is the limited reimagining of care delivery itself, with asynchronous telemedicine as a notable exception. In the same way that digitizing physical paper failed to exploit the capabilities of a new computing medium for word processing, hosting physician-patient conversations over video does not transform the actual delivery of care. In telemedicine, many of the inputs (e.g., clinician time) and therefore cost structures of in-person care persist, which is why we often see fee-for-service telemedicine companies struggle to achieve economies of scale (i.e., growing revenues non-linearly while growing costs linearly). Until we deconstruct the components of a medical appointment – from intake and triage, to chart review, history gathering, physical examination, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up – we will continue to be underwhelmed by the disconnect between the transformative potential of these technologies and real-world patient/system impact. I’m optimistic that the emergence of reliable and performant medical AI agents will urge us to perform this deconstruction and redesign the fundamental building blocks of a “medical appointment.”

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Mandatory bundles in surgery are a bi-partisan objective, and (in)ability to optimize cost/quality will dramatically impact hospital P&L. Regular insights from granular data , and AI-based decision support are the only way to systemically reduce unwanted variability and be both profitable and high quality.

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