What You Should Know: Primary care provider, VillageMD has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Summit Health-CityMD, a provider of primary, specialty and urgent care in a blockbuster M&A deal valued at $8.9 billion with investments from Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA). The combined company will create a multi-payor platform to deliver quality, affordable care for all patients and will enhance WBA’s robust portfolio of leading, integrated healthcare offerings across the care
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Valera Health Secures $45M to Increase Mental Health Access for High Acuity Patients
What You Should Know: Valera Health, a virtual mental health provider serving high acuity patients raises $44.5M in growth equity raise led by Heritage Group. The round also included participation from Cigna Ventures, Horizon Healthcare Services and existing investors, which include Windham Ventures, AXA Venture Partners, Aquiline Technology Partners, Trinnovate Ventures (BCBS AZ), Figure Eight Investments, Watershed VC, and Alsora Capital. Care that is comprehensive, inclusive, and
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Health IT for Emerging “Payviders”
Though doubts about the benefits of the “payvider” model certainly exist, the success of recent payer-provider partnerships showcases the potential of these programs to improve the patient and provider experience. A study of Aetna’s integrated program, for example, found that plan members could realize significant savings for high-cost chronic conditions and experience fewer hospital admissions. A similar report from Cigna echoed these conclusions, finding that integrated benefit plans resulted
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The Fast Pace of Cancer Research is Leaving Community Clinicians Behind
We are witnessing an accelerated pace of amazing breakthroughs and advancements in cancer care today, with new treatments emerging almost weekly and unprecedented opportunities to help improve patient outcomes every day. However, if a doctor is not working in an academic setting, reading every new paper, and recruiting patients for new studies, how can they be expected to keep up with the latest treatments and approaches to specific cancers? When
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Bicycle Health & Evernorth Partner to Expand Access to Virtual Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
What You Should Know: - Bicycle Health, today announced that its high-quality, evidence-based virtual opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment is now part of Evernorth’s behavioral health network - Furthermore, it will be made available to all Evernorth clients, as well as Cigna health plan customers who receive health coverage through their employer or marketplace exchange plans in 24 states. Evernorth is the health services business of Cigna Corporation. Increasing Access to Care Using
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Ryse Health Raises $3.4M for Tech-Driven Approach to Type 2 Diabetes Care
What You Should Know: - Ryse Health, a new startup that provides tech-enabled office-based and virtual care to patients with type 2 diabetes raises $3.4M in seed funding led by W Health Ventures, and other investors include LifeBridge Health, CareFirst, and veterans of Cigna, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Blue Shield of California. - Founded by Erin Kane, MD (co-founder and chief medical officer) and Richard Gurley, MBA (co-founder and chief executive officer), Ryse Health’s technology
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Brightside Health Raises $50M for Personalized Anxiety & Depression Care
What You Should Know: - Today, Brightside Health announced it raised a $50M Series B, led by ACME Capital and Mousse Partners, bringing its total funding to $75M to date. - The funding will help Brightside expand access to high-quality mental healthcare to more people across the country, enhance the platform, forge new partnerships, and grow as a team, from about 57 now to an expected 175 later this year. Brightside Health, a telemedicine platform that offers fast access to
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Fresenius Health Partners, InterWell Health, and Cricket Health Announce $2.4B Merger
What You Should Know: - Cricket Health is announcing today that it will merge with Fresenius Health Partners (the value-based care arm of Fresenius), and InterWell Health, to form the nation’s premier, value-based kidney care provider with a totally new model of addressing kidney disease. The new company will operate under the InterWell Health brand and is valued at $2.4B. - Together, Fresenius Health Partners, InterWell Health, and Cricket Health will drive innovation and industry
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Flume Health Secures $30M for Health Plan Administration Platform
What You Should Know: - Flume Health, an NYC-based Health-Plan-as-a-Service platform announced today a $30M round of Series A funding led by Optum Ventures with participation from Cigna Ventures is participating, bringing its total raise to date at $40M. - Flume gives all U.S. health insurers the option to build personalized healthcare plans–what Stripe or Plaid did for digital banking is what Flume is doing for digital health. Launch Next Generation Health Plans in
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RecoveryOne, Cigna Offers Virtual Physical Therapy for Medicare Advantage Customers
What You Should Know: - RecoveryOne, a digital health innovator dedicated to improving health outcomes for recovery from musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries of all types and reducing costs, announced an expansion of its partnership with Cigna to offer its virtual physical therapy and broad MSK solution for Medicare Advantage (MA) customers as an in-network benefit. - This new benefit builds on the partnership between Cigna and RecoveryOne announced
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