Oscar, the first direct-to-consumer health insurance company, announces today that it has closed a $225 million funding round. The round positions Oscar to continue growth off of a $2 billion revenue base and puts the company on a path to further advance its mission of making health care simple. This was a big week for Oscar. Earlier in the week, Cigna and Oscar released more details on their Cigna+Oscar partnership to provide affordable, customized health plans to small businesses.
The patient check-in process needs to be streamlined. DrChrono Inc., a platform operator for medical practices, has announced a new partnership with Ricoh to automatically scan patient IDs and medical documentation right into the electronic health record (EHR), as well as Explanation of Benefits (EOB) into the practice management system (PMS).
MedRhythms Inc., a digital therapeutics startup based in Portland, Maine, has received FDA breakthrough device designation for its Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) treatment platform for people with chronic walking impairments due to stroke. This product is the first in the Company's pipeline of digital therapeutics for neurologic disease and injury.
Carrot Health, a leading provider of healthcare solutions powered by consumer data, and HealthMine, the health action engagement company, announced a strategic product integration partnership for the health plan market. The alliance integrates a complimentary end-to-end quality solution combining industry-leading consumer and healthcare datasets with a best-in-class engagement and rewards solution. By combining Carrot Health's MarketView™ Platform and consumer data analytics with HealthMine's engagement and rewards solution that empowers individuals to take the right actions to improve their health, this partnership creates a solution enabling health plans to improve performance and member satisfaction.
OptimizeRx Corp. has established a new partnership that expands its digital communication platform by more than 300 health systems and 75,000 healthcare providers that utilize Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Epic and Cerner. Prescribers within these health systems will now have instant access to real-time patient savings information through OptimizeRx’s cloud-based platform as they are evaluating and prescribing treatments. In addition to Epic and Cerner, the OptimizeRx platform also integrates with Allscripts, NextGen, New Crop, and Amazing Charts, reaching more than 675,000 prescribers directly within their existing digital workflows.
AireHealth will consolidate BreathResearch’s employees and intellectual property, expanding its footprint into the digital therapeutics space. The combined organization will develop the industry’s first complete virtual care platform for respiratory illness to reduce costs and improve outcomes.
This acquisition allows AireHealth to complement its existing portable nebulizer through digital respiratory health care services to complement its existing portable nebulizer. The VitalBreath virtual care platform will empower patients, caregivers, and clinicians to be more informed and collaborative in respiratory care, enabling faster response to exacerbations and translating to fewer emergencies and fewer hospitalizations.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and effective today, Cigna is making it simpler and more convenient for its customers to access an expanded suite of virtual support services for mental and emotional health. Cigna is adding Talkspace to its behavioral provider network, allowing its 14 million customers enrolled in employer-sponsored plans the ability to talk and text with licensed therapists, who are available on-demand.
The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Everlywell, Inc. for the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit. Everlywell’s kit, a self-collected nasal swab, is authorized to be used by individuals at home who have been screened using an online questionnaire that is reviewed by a health care provider. This marks the first standalone sample collection kit to be granted a proper EUA by the FDA. The FDA has also authorized two COVID-19 diagnostic tests, performed at specific laboratories, for use with samples collected using the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit. These tests have been authorized under separate, individual EUAs.
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee is the first major insurer covering the full treatment cost for COVID-19, including testing, treatment, and hospitalizations and free Telehealth. The now-permanent benefit includes member-to-provider and provider-to-provider consultations.
