- Papa raises $10M in Series A funding to expand “grandkids on-demand” platform to help reduce social isolation in seniors. - Adds partnerships with multiple large health insurance plans, including Humana, Aetna, Priority Health and Alignment Healthcare. - Papa will use the funding to expand its services to a broader population of older adults, via partnerships with additional insurance plans and employee benefits provider.Papa, a digital health company that provides “grandkids on demand” to
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Walmart Brings One Drop’s Smart Glucose Meter to Retail Stores Nationwide
- One Drop’s wireless glucose meter kit and supplies for diabetes management are now available at hundreds of Walmart stores in the United States.- Retail expansion increases accessibility of healthcare technology and support for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.One Drop, a New York City-based provider of digital therapeutic solutions for diabetes and other chronic conditions, today announced that its wireless glucose meter kit and supplies are now available at
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CB Insights Unveils ‘Digital Health 150’ List of Startups Transforming Healthcare
- CB Insights unveils first-ever annual ‘Digital Health 150’ list of digital health startups working to transform the healthcare industry.
- The Digital Health 150 companies span a wide spectrum of categories that involve all three key stakeholder groups for the healthcare industry — providers, payers, and patients.
- A total of 17 companies on the list are unicorns (private companies valued at $1B+). Of these, 12 companies are US-based, 3 are based in China, 1 is based in France, and 1
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Behavioral Health Startup NOCD Raises $4M to Expand OCD Therapy Tools
- Digital behavioral health startup NOCD raises $4M to expand the NOCD’s Provider Network for people suffering from OCD nationwide.
- OCD is a psychiatric disorder that affects 2-3% of the population. It involves repetitive, unwanted thoughts and compulsive behaviors intended to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts.
- Members of NOCD’s treatment program will be able to complete evidence-based therapy with OCD-trained therapists and get 24/7 adjunctive support, no matter
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Amazon Launches Pilot Virtual Primary Care Clinic in Seattle for its Employees
- Amazon launches Amazon Care, a pilot virtual primary care clinic in Seattle for its Amazon employees and in-person healthcare services from Oasis Medical. Oasis Medical.
- Amazon Care offers employees access to video care, care chat, mobile care, and a care courier available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 9 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 8 am to 6 pm.
- Eligible Amazon employees and their families can request to enroll at any time during the year.
Today, Amazon announced
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Walmart Health Taps Zotec Partners to Power Patient Financial Experience
Walmart Health's first "super center in Dallas, GA
- Walmart Health has formed an end-to-end RCM technology and services relationship with Zotec Partners to simplify the healthcare financial experience processes for its customers, including primary care, dental, vision, and mental health services.
- Zotec’s technology will enable Walmart Health patients to schedule and register for appointments ahead of time, confirm or change insurance and demographic information, see estimated cost for
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Drugmaker Bayer to License One Drop’s Digital Diabetes Management Platform, Leads $40M Series B Funding
- Drugmaker Bayer leads One Drop’s $40M Series B funding round and enters commercial agreement to license One Drop's digital diabetes management platform in its global bio-digital efforts in therapeutic areas. - Bayer will leverage One Drop's data science and predictive capabilities, and harness its mobile platform to deliver innovative bio-digital solutions across a broad array of therapeutic areas.- One Drop provides personalized health programs to drive sustainable behavior change as part of
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Why Medicare Advantage Will Lead the Way on Healthcare Consumerism
Jeff Carroll, Senior Vice President, Health Plans, Lumeris
For years, the healthcare industry has been abuzz with the concept of “consumerism” and the potential implications to insurance companies, providers and patients. Stakeholders from across the industry have opined on what it means create a healthcare system more focused on consumers, often with little impact to actual consumer experience or outcomes.
One spot of genuinely consumer-centric innovation and execution is in the
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Prudential Financial Acquires Insurtech Startup Assurance IQ, for $2.35B
- Prudential Financial acquires insurtech startup Assurance IQ for a total upfront consideration of $2.35 billion, plus an additional earnout of up to $1.15 billion in cash and equity.
- Assurance will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential under the U.S. Businesses division.
- Assurance will add a large and rapidly growing direct-to-consumer channel to Prudential’s financial wellness businesses, significantly expanding the total addressable market of both
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Dysfunctional Patient Billing Major Distraction for Patients & Clinicians
Dysfunctional patient billing is a major distraction for both patients and clinicians, according to recent research conducted by HIMSS in partnership with OODA Health. The research report reveals patients are distracted by bills and payment concerns resulting in a lower level of compliance and adherence to medical plans. Clinicians are distracted by clerical/financial tasks that limit time with or take time away from patients. This research complicates the simple construct of patient billing as
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