MedCity News

MedCity News

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Innovation-focused reporting across digital health, providers, payers, and life sciences.

GoodRx Launches Employer Program to Help Subsidize High-Cost Brand Drugs
NewsMar 1, 2026

GoodRx Launches Employer Program to Help Subsidize High-Cost Brand Drugs

GoodRx introduced GoodRx Employer Direct, a new service allowing employers to directly subsidize the manufacturer‑sponsored price of high‑cost brand medications such as GLP‑1 drugs without adding them to health‑plan formularies. The model, first piloted with retailer Hy‑Vee, lets employers contribute...

By MedCity News
Where the Patient Experience Is Heading – And 3 Ways Healthcare Providers Can Meet That Moment
NewsFeb 27, 2026

Where the Patient Experience Is Heading – And 3 Ways Healthcare Providers Can Meet That Moment

Telehealth surged from 15% to 86% of physicians between 2019 and 2021, and a 2024 survey shows 94% of patients would repeat virtual visits. This shift has turned remote care into a baseline expectation. AI is now poised to deepen...

By MedCity News
How Elevance Health Is — and Isn’t — Using AI
NewsFeb 27, 2026

How Elevance Health Is — and Isn’t — Using AI

Elevance Health, formerly Anthem, is deploying artificial intelligence across its operations while drawing a firm line against using AI for claim denials. The insurer leverages AI to flag incomplete claims, accelerate prior‑authorization approvals, and power virtual assistants that guide members...

By MedCity News
Collective Health Collaborates with Google Cloud to Launch New AI-Powered System
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Collective Health Collaborates with Google Cloud to Launch New AI-Powered System

Collective Health has unveiled Collective AI, an AI‑powered benefits assistant built with Google Cloud. The system answers member queries, supplies real‑time data to customer‑service reps, and offers employers plan‑design insights to streamline enrollment. Leveraging Google Cloud’s privacy‑by‑design infrastructure, the tool...

By MedCity News
Compliance: Why Your Vendor’s Vendor Is a Growth Risk
NewsFeb 26, 2026

Compliance: Why Your Vendor’s Vendor Is a Growth Risk

Healthcare providers are increasingly dependent on multi‑layered vendor ecosystems to deliver AI, blockchain and IoT solutions, extending HIPAA liability to every downstream partner. The rise of “nth‑party” suppliers creates a hidden growth tax, delaying projects, inflating M&A costs, and exposing...

By MedCity News
Valo Health CEO: We Don’t Want Investors To Drive the Science
NewsFeb 25, 2026

Valo Health CEO: We Don’t Want Investors To Drive the Science

Valo Health is reshaping drug development by applying AI to human causal biology, aiming to raise clinical success rates from roughly 10% to 20%. The company leverages over 17 million de‑identified patient records and Mendelian randomization to pinpoint genetically validated targets....

By MedCity News
4 Health Tech Trends Startups Can’t Ignore, Per an Oak HC/FT Partner
NewsFeb 25, 2026

4 Health Tech Trends Startups Can’t Ignore, Per an Oak HC/FT Partner

Oak HC/FT partner Vig Chandramouli highlighted four health‑tech trends that startups must address to win investor confidence. First, labor management for nurses and allied professionals—who comprise 70% of the workforce—is a largely untapped market. Second, investors are scrutinizing margins, finding...

By MedCity News
Headache Startup Slate Medicines Lands $130M to Bring Novel Migraine Drug Into the Clinic
NewsFeb 24, 2026

Headache Startup Slate Medicines Lands $130M to Bring Novel Migraine Drug Into the Clinic

Slate Medicines, a Raleigh‑based biotech, secured $130 million in Series A funding to advance its anti‑PACAP monoclonal antibody, SLTE‑1009, into Phase 1 trials slated for mid‑2026. The drug targets pituitary adenylate cyclase‑activating polypeptide (PACAP), an alternative migraine pathway distinct from the widely used...

By MedCity News
Top-Rated Gel Packs for Physical Therapy: Best Brands and Where to Buy
NewsFeb 24, 2026

Top-Rated Gel Packs for Physical Therapy: Best Brands and Where to Buy

Healthcare leaders and clinicians are evaluating top‑rated gel packs for physical therapy, focusing on durability, temperature retention, and supply‑chain reliability. Leading providers include Pelton Shepherd, Chattanooga ColPac, Elasto‑Gel, Core Products, and Cardinal Health, each offering reusable hot and cold packs...

By MedCity News
2026 Star Ratings Shift: 4 Strategies for MA Plans
NewsFeb 24, 2026

2026 Star Ratings Shift: 4 Strategies for MA Plans

CMS has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of the Medicare Advantage Star Ratings, targeting the 2028 and 2029 rating cycles. The agency will drop 12 administrative and two clinical measures, eliminate the Health Equity Index incentive, and introduce a depression‑screening metric....

By MedCity News
How AI Is Transforming Detection of Congenital Heart Defects
NewsFeb 24, 2026

How AI Is Transforming Detection of Congenital Heart Defects

AI‑enabled ultrasound is emerging as a tool to improve prenatal detection of congenital heart defects (CHDs), which affect about 1 % of U.S. births and are frequently missed. FDA‑cleared AI platforms can analyze cardiac images in real time, flagging abnormal views...

By MedCity News
Care.com and Headspace Launch Mental Health Partnership for Caregivers
NewsFeb 23, 2026

Care.com and Headspace Launch Mental Health Partnership for Caregivers

Care.com and Headspace announced a partnership to bolster mental‑health support for family caregivers. The collaboration introduces ten exclusive micro‑mindfulness videos, each under three minutes, and provides free Headspace subscriptions to Care.com members. The initiative responds to data showing roughly one‑third...

By MedCity News
Designing Scalable Measurement-Based Care Systems for Expanding Health Care Organizations
NewsFeb 23, 2026

Designing Scalable Measurement-Based Care Systems for Expanding Health Care Organizations

Measurement‑Based Care (MBC) uses patient‑reported outcome measures like PHQ‑9 and GAD‑7 to turn subjective symptoms into quantitative data, driving up to 95 % improvement in outcomes. As patient volumes grow, manual MBC processes become inefficient, leading to incomplete assessments, clinician burnout,...

By MedCity News
Why HealthTech Products Fail Clinical Deployment & How To Prevent It
NewsFeb 23, 2026

Why HealthTech Products Fail Clinical Deployment & How To Prevent It

Health‑tech AI pilots are booming, yet MIT’s 2025 State of AI report finds 95% fail to generate value. High‑profile failures like Forward Health’s CarePods and Olive AI illustrate how operational complexity and unfocused expansion derail scaling. The article argues that...

By MedCity News
AI Is Changing Nursing Education and Raising New Graduate Expectations
NewsFeb 22, 2026

AI Is Changing Nursing Education and Raising New Graduate Expectations

AI is reshaping nursing education, prompting curricula to incorporate AI documentation, simulation, and analytics tools. Hospitals face acute staffing gaps, with 25% of new nurses leaving within a year and a projected shortage of 63,700 RNs by 2030. Universities are...

By MedCity News
How Arintra’s Coding AI Helped Mercyhealth Boost Revenue by 5%
NewsFeb 20, 2026

How Arintra’s Coding AI Helped Mercyhealth Boost Revenue by 5%

Mercyhealth, a 6‑hospital system serving northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, deployed Arintra’s AI‑driven coding platform across 37 sites in 2023. The technology automates chart coding, writes medical codes directly into the EHR, and flags missed reimbursement opportunities. Since implementation, the...

By MedCity News
Proven Methodologies For Ensuring Seamless CRM Migrations In Highly Regulated Environments
NewsFeb 20, 2026

Proven Methodologies For Ensuring Seamless CRM Migrations In Highly Regulated Environments

CRM migrations in healthcare and life sciences are accelerating amid tighter regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Avenga’s Roman Bevz outlines a compliance‑by‑design methodology that starts with mapping data to regulatory obligations and proceeds through risk analysis,...

By MedCity News
Sustaining Clinician Independence: Why Simplicity, Not Consolidation, Is Key to Solving the Mental Health Crisis
NewsFeb 19, 2026

Sustaining Clinician Independence: Why Simplicity, Not Consolidation, Is Key to Solving the Mental Health Crisis

The article argues that America’s mental‑health crisis cannot be solved by consolidating providers; instead, preserving clinician independence is essential. While demand outpaces supply, most mental‑health clinicians still operate solo or in small groups, delivering timely, high‑quality care. Consolidation introduces administrative...

By MedCity News
Imaging Data Liquidity: The Foundation of Multimodal Medical Intelligence
NewsFeb 19, 2026

Imaging Data Liquidity: The Foundation of Multimodal Medical Intelligence

Healthcare’s imaging assets—radiology and digital pathology—are evolving from isolated diagnostic tools into a strategic, enterprise‑wide intelligence layer. Current PACS and VNA infrastructures were built for episodic access, limiting data recombination, longitudinal analysis, and outcome linkage. The article argues that achieving...

By MedCity News
Anthropic: It’s “Critical” To Bring Company Products to EHR
NewsFeb 19, 2026

Anthropic: It’s “Critical” To Bring Company Products to EHR

Anthropic is pushing its Claude AI model into electronic health record (EHR) systems, arguing that integration is essential for real‑time clinical value. The company highlighted a roster of 25 healthcare partners, including Abridge, Novo Nordisk, Genmab and Banner Health, to showcase both...

By MedCity News
Solera Health Launches Behavioral Health Network with Calm and Lyra
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Solera Health Launches Behavioral Health Network with Calm and Lyra

Solera Health announced a new behavioral health network that links its HALO platform with Calm Health and Lyra Health. The service directs members to self‑guided apps or therapist‑led care based on their reported needs, expanding support beyond anxiety and depression...

By MedCity News
Addressing the 58% Launch Failure Rate: Accelerating Market Access Through Intelligent Decision-Making
NewsFeb 18, 2026

Addressing the 58% Launch Failure Rate: Accelerating Market Access Through Intelligent Decision-Making

Pharma launches are missing the mark 58% of the time, a failure rate driven by poor market insight and fragmented decision‑making. Accelerating market‑access planning from pre‑Phase 2 and integrating real‑world data can give companies a strategic north star. Purpose‑built AI tools...

By MedCity News
Regulatory Innovation as a Catalyst: How New Compliance Strategies Are Speeding Up Healthcare Technology Adoption
NewsFeb 17, 2026

Regulatory Innovation as a Catalyst: How New Compliance Strategies Are Speeding Up Healthcare Technology Adoption

Regulatory bodies are reshaping medical‑device oversight to prioritize usability, interoperability, and cybersecurity, accelerating adoption in both hospitals and homes. New human‑factors guidelines, AI/ML lifecycle controls, and post‑market surveillance tools ensure devices are safe, intuitive, and adaptable to real‑world conditions. Manufacturers...

By MedCity News
From Pilots to Protocols: Why VR Therapy Needs Dosage Standards to Become Real Clinical Care
NewsFeb 16, 2026

From Pilots to Protocols: Why VR Therapy Needs Dosage Standards to Become Real Clinical Care

Virtual reality (VR) therapy shows rapid clinical effects but remains confined to pilot studies due to a lack of standardized dosage protocols. Researchers highlight wide variation in session length, frequency, and content across studies, preventing reliable comparison and scaling. The...

By MedCity News
When Health Dollars Move to Individuals, Infrastructure Will Decide Who Wins
NewsFeb 16, 2026

When Health Dollars Move to Individuals, Infrastructure Will Decide Who Wins

The article examines a proposed federal framework that would shift health‑affordability dollars into individual‑controlled accounts, highlighting that ownership of the payment infrastructure will decide market winners. It points to the rapid growth of high‑deductible plans, Health Savings Accounts exceeding $100 billion,...

By MedCity News
Closing the CKD Care Gap with Value-Based Care Models
NewsFeb 13, 2026

Closing the CKD Care Gap with Value-Based Care Models

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacts more than one in seven U.S. adults and kills more people annually than breast or prostate cancer, yet it remains under‑diagnosed, especially among women and minority groups. Value‑based care (VBC) models shift focus to early...

By MedCity News
AI Can’t Improve Healthcare if Clinicians and Staff Aren’t Trained to Use, Orchestrate It
NewsFeb 13, 2026

AI Can’t Improve Healthcare if Clinicians and Staff Aren’t Trained to Use, Orchestrate It

Healthcare systems are rapidly deploying AI for diagnosis, documentation, scheduling and patient communication, but many clinicians and support staff lack the training to use these tools effectively. The article argues that one‑time, checkbox‑style training creates risks such as automation bias...

By MedCity News
Talkiatry Rakes In $210M to Scale Virtual Psychiatry Group
NewsFeb 12, 2026

Talkiatry Rakes In $210M to Scale Virtual Psychiatry Group

Telepsychiatry startup Talkiatry closed a $210 million Series D round, bringing total capital raised above $400 million. The funding, led by Perceptive Advisors with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and others, will support scaling its virtual psychiatry platform, which currently employs over 800 psychiatrists...

By MedCity News
A Guide to the Best Disaster Recovery Solutions for Health Care Organizations
NewsFeb 12, 2026

A Guide to the Best Disaster Recovery Solutions for Health Care Organizations

Healthcare providers face heightened risk from cyber attacks and natural disasters, making robust disaster recovery essential. Vendors such as Dataprise, Veeam, Acronis, Zerto, and Carbonite offer cloud, hybrid, and on‑premises solutions that promise rapid recovery, HIPAA compliance, and proactive monitoring....

By MedCity News
Blinded by Science: The Importance of RWD and Post-Market Surveillance
NewsFeb 12, 2026

Blinded by Science: The Importance of RWD and Post-Market Surveillance

The explosive uptake of GLP‑1 drugs—now used by roughly 12% of U.S. adults—has spotlighted both their therapeutic benefits and emerging safety concerns. Post‑market surveillance, leveraging real‑world data (RWD), is uncovering rare vision‑related adverse events that clinical trials missed. AI‑driven analytics...

By MedCity News