Monday, May 03, 2021
Issue 112
Breathe. Breathe in the air. Don’t be afraid to care.
Pink Floyd
As a young engineering student in the eighties, my first summer internship was at a factory that produced liquified gases – oxygen, nitrogen, and others – for industrial use. Decades later, one of my engineering school friends who is now the CEO of that company, is leading a massive effort to ramp up production of oxygen so that it can be bottled and distributed for medical use. His story is one of several across the globe. The vast Indian diaspora across the U.S., Europe, and Asia is coming together in a collective effort to supplement local efforts by raising money, providing technology support, and delivering much-needed medical oxygen to hospitals across the country.
There isn’t a single one among us who is not touched by the unfolding catastrophe: family members, co-workers, technology partners with an India-centric workforce – you name it, someone you know has been impacted by the deadly outbreak sweeping across India.
We need to act and act quickly to save lives. There are many reputable NGOs that are raising money for COVID relief in India. Find one and make a donation. Here is one in case you need a name – https://www.wheelsglobal.org/covid_donate
In other news this week, we focus on the growing importance of home health. Two major health insurance companies, Humana and Anthem, moved aggressively into the space with acquisitions. They join a growing number of companies, including Amazon, that are focusing on home-based care as the future of health.
I invite you to listen to my thoughts on AI in healthcare in an extensive interview in the HCBiz podcast with Don Lee last week. I also strongly recommend watching this webinar on AI in healthcare hosted by Stanford University’s Human Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) featuring Fei-Fei Lee and Andrew Ng.
We have put together a collection of our most-read thought leadership pieces from the last quarter. Follow this link.
In my latest podcast episode, I interview Grace Kitzmiller, Principal Product Manager for AWS Disaster Response Program at Amazon Web Services, and Dr. Michael Snyder, Professor and Chair of Genetics at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Take a listen.
Have a great week.
Paddy
Podcast of the Week
In this episode, Grace Kitzmiller of AWS and Dr. Michael Snyder of Stanford University’s School of Medicine discuss AWS’ Diagnostic Development Initiative (DDI), a two-year, $20 million commitment that uses cloud computing to scale up diagnostic innovations.
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This Week in Digital Health Markets
We are selectively featuring guest posts in our newsletter from senior leaders in healthcare and technology. Reach out to us if you would like to contribute a blog to one of our upcoming newsletters.
5 startups seizing the moment to shake up the electronic health record industry
The road to shake up the health record industry is littered with failures. But a new group of startups are giving it another go — and there are reasons to believe companies may find success where others fell short. STAT News
In Boost To ‘Holistic’ Strategy, Humana To Buy Remaining Stake In Kindred’s Homecare Business
Insurer Humana said it would buy the remaining 60% of Kindred Healthcare’s home care business that the health insurer doesn’t already own in a deal valued at $8.1 billion. Forbes
CVS Health launches $100M venture fund to provide investment, expertise to digital health startups
The retail chain’s parent corporation, CVS Health, launches a venture fund with an initial allocation of $100 million. The venture will provide both financial support and guidance to the companies in its portfolio, which will focus primarily on startups developing digital solutions to make healthcare more accessible. Fierce Healthcare
The Future Of AI In Healthcare
Two AI luminaries, Fei-Fei Li and Andrew Ng got together on YouTube, to discuss the state of AI in healthcare. Forbes
Cigna to offer Ginger’s behavioral health platform as in-network benefit
Cigna is making Ginger’s on-demand virtual behavioral health care platform available to 14 million members as an in-network benefit. Fierce Healthcare
Anthem completes acquisition of home health company myNEXUS
Anthem completed its acquisition of home health benefits manager MyNEXUS, the insurer announced recently. Fierce Healthcare
CMS proposes modifications to the Promoting Interoperability Program
The agency is floating new requirements for hospitals to report on syndromic surveillance, immunization registries, electronic case reporting and electronic reportable laboratory results. It also has new plans for quality reporting. Healthcare IT News
On-demand virtual care may not lead to cost savings down the line
A study by University of Michigan researchers found that direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits for acute respiratory infections were linked to more downstream visits. Healthcare IT News
Note: Some of the articles linked in this newsletter may be behind paywalls that need a subscription.
Events
In this podcast, Paddy Padmanabhan shares his thoughts on the state of AI in healthcare, what’s working today (think administrative functions), and what may still be a ways off (think complex cancer diagnostics). Podcast Recording
Digital Transformation in Healthcare WHY and WHY NOW
A session on ‘Digital maturity and digital transformation priorities in U.S. healthcare’ by Paddy Padmanabhan. Session Recording
Damo Consulting Thought Leadership and Research
A Look Back At The Last Quarter
A compilation of our thought leadership over the last quarter that provides insights on digital transformation trends in healthcare and help tools to embark on a successful transformation journey. Blog
Damo Consulting’s ICEA™ framework guides health systems and technology firms on competitive assessment and partner selection strategies. This paper will help you find out how you can use the framework to categorize the technology vendors and evaluate each vendor within the categories. White Paper
How to optimize health IT systems for immunization drives
The right technology applications can turn the COVID-19 vaccination program into a game-changer for the healthcare industry. Blog
Corporate Announcements
Damo Consulting releases annual survey of the state of digital transformation, points to access as the primary focus area for digital health and digital transformation. Virtual visits, automated communications for scheduling and reminders, and patient self-service tools are all high-focus areas.
Read more.
Damo Consulting offers branding solutions for technology firms looking to gain visibility and access to healthcare executives and CXOs.
