Senate considers making permanent certain Covid-19 telehealth policies. bit.ly/2YsEauk

Test of 8 chatbots to triage COVID-19 patients. Not ready for prime time? Seems that way... bit.ly/2vQ1gjk

.@spoktweets Spok adds Christine Cournoyer to Board of Directors. Touting her record of pivoting, building value and being acquired at her last company she seems a choice agreeable to a new PE owner. Just sayin. bit.ly/2vDBBu7

PE firm looks to acquire @spoktweets Spok at a 39% premium for a total of $226.2M. Spok has yet to comment on the offer. bit.ly/3d8jdu9

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) from AHRQ to test HIT solutions to improve communication and care coordination during care transitions. bit.ly/2IWqhMD

.@CTATech to build industry standardization on definitions and characteristics of AI in healthcare. Lots of digital health markets would benefit from this. bit.ly/3cCoHwT Also see the AI Startups in Health Coalition (AISHC) bit.ly/2vHelva

“Free” practice EMR vendor @PracticeFusion fined $145M for kickback scheme with opioid mfg that resulted in increased prescriptions. Likely not the first EMR fraud related case we’ll see. wapo.st/39uPHfO

Critical Alert (@nursecall) announces ability to overlay any nurse call system to greatly reduce the cost of upgrades or switching vendors. This industry first will likely further disrupt the nurse call industry. bit.ly/2TG3cCP

Element Science raises $146M Series C to launch Jewel patient-worn defibrillator for total $192.6M raised. Competes with Zoll’s bulkier LifeVest cardioverter defibrillator. bit.ly/2TJo5Nx

Bluetooth LE vulnerability reported by FDA may impact medical devices. bit.ly/2TGB9Dr

.@Providence opens India-based innovation center. The pendulum between buying vendor solutions and “roll-your-own” is swinging strongly to systems developing their own software. bit.ly/38r5F9K

Cool new respiration sensor gets FDA “breakthrough product” designation. Sadly, the sensor only connects to iPhone or iPad, so they’re missing half the solution for hospitals. bit.ly/39kkUCr

New rpt on adoption of hospital digital health and engagement. Findings 1) half said adopting digital health is a priority, 2) consumer experience lacking, 3) initial deployments are basic, 4) cost is biggest barrier to adoption. bit.ly/2T5ItJG

Another non-invasive cuff-less blood pressure sensor. Uses small continuous wave radar (CWR) sensor adhered to the sternum, and photoplethysmogram sensor (PPG) clipped to the left earlobe for real-time BP. bit.ly/3aeetRB

Good insight into why fixing vulnerabilities in connected medical devices is so hard. bit.ly/381VKqY

New market report shows health care industry just getting started shifting to being consumer-focused. 70% of providers and payors are working on consumer-centric strategies, only 20 and 24% respectively have a full strategy in place. bit.ly/2SjStyq

.@CaptionHealth snags FDA clearance for AI to guide non-sonographers thru ultrasound exams. Small low cost U/S scanners have been around for years — *this* is what’s been missing to “disrupt” the market. bit.ly/2HfgjVH

CMS releases 2020 list of *786* hospitals to rcv lower payments due to higher rates of infection, injuries — many well known “premier” hospitals. All prospects for patient safety solutions! bit.ly/37M0XDJ Here’s the list: bit.ly/36HwLbz

Most patients don’t care about accessing their data or interoperability: "Majority of Diagnosed Cancer Patients are not Viewing Their EHR” Will they ever care? bit.ly/3aFjKmb