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Moderna Flu Vax Prompts Response to More Common Strains, But Misses in Influenza B

MedCity News - (Friday February 17, 2023)
Frequent Updates/ MedCity News

A Moderna messenger RNA vaccine for influenza now has preliminary data from a pivotal study showing the shot prompted a strong immune response to the more common strains of the virus but fell short against less common strains.
The results reported Thursday are from one of two pivotal studies for the Moderna vaccine, mRNA-1010, which is assessing the shot for safety and immune response. A separate Phase 3 study is evaluating the shot for efficacy. Results from that study could come as early as next month. Moderna’s vaccine encodes hemagglutinin, a protein on the surface of the influenza virus that is also…

Demo of the LG TV Integration with Amwell

Healthcare IT Today - (Friday February 17, 2023)
Healthcare IT Today/ Videos

At a recent conference, I had a chance to chat with Atul Singh, General Manager, Digital Health at LG Electronics about their relatively recent virtual care solution with Amwell. It makes a lot of sense why Amwell and LG would want to work together. Many hospitals and healthcare organizations have already installed LG TVs in their organizations or they will as they build new hospitals or update their existing exam rooms. Those TVs often act as a hub of information for a patient and increasingly are becoming a patients connection with their nurses and doctors.Given that final piece, LG and Amwell…

Talkspace Launches New Mental Health Portal for Employers

MedCity News - (Friday February 17, 2023)
Frequent Updates/ MedCity News

Virtual behavioral health provider Talkspace unveiled a new product Thursday that provides employers with access to a library of mental health resources that they can share with employees.
New York City-based Talkspace serves employers, payers and consumers, and provides self-guided mental health programs, therapy and psychiatry. Its new product, Talkspace Engage, aims to help employers promote their mental health benefits to their employees, a challenge that many companies struggle with, said Erin Boyd, chief growth officer of enterprise at Talkspace. “One resounding common theme that we heard among [employers] was that, ‘I don’t know how to get people to use these benefits…

‘A Mindset Shift’: How Senior Care Communities Adapt to Modern Tech Expectations

HealthTech Magazine - (Friday February 17, 2023)
Frequent Updates/ HealthTech Magazine

Glen Tibbitts, United Church Homes’ Corporate Director of IT and HIPAA Security Officer, says he’s noticed a “mindset shift” as residents’ expectations change. Photography by Leonardo Carrizo
“Otherwise, you’ll see people with a device that’s still in the box,” he says. “People will tend to engage with technology if they feel they have agency in the process. That’s really important.”
Looking ahead, UCH is piloting a number of clinical and lifestyle technologies, including a smart badge that transcribes the speech of employees and family members for deaf patients.
“It’s all about abundant life and abundant aging,” Tibbitts says. “We want to make the move…

RTLS & AI: Solving the Riddle of Healthcare Inefficiency

Healthcare IT Today - (Friday February 17, 2023)
AI/ Daily Reads/ Healthcare IT Today

The following is a guest article by Steven Manifold, CMO at Ubisense.
Many healthcare systems around the world are overburdened. Some face the lingering effects of COVID-19, while others lack funding and staff. Healthcare providers are increasingly turning to technology to help shoulder these burdens, but are fancy tech deployments really the cure or just another placebo?   
RTLS
RTLS (Real-time Location Systems) are not new technologies, but they remain uncommon in most healthcare settings. Popular in automotive, aerospace, and general manufacturing and logistics industries, they have paved the way towards smarter, more efficient industrial practices while contributing to the much vaulted “Industry 4.0” revolution….

News 2/17/23

HIStalk - (Friday February 17, 2023)
AI/ Daily Reads/ HIStalk

Top News

Unified communications and collaboration services vendor Avaya, whose healthcare offerings include solutions for virtual care, collaboration, and patient access technology, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in six years.
The Durham, NC-based company reported lower than expected revenue and earnings last year, blaming accounting problems with its cloud subscription revenue, after which it replaced its CEO.
AVYA share price has dropped 98% in the past 12 months, valuing the company at $24 million.

Reader Comments From Baby Payer: “Re: IVF coverage. In an example of our messed up healthcare system, women are taking Amazon jobs and quitting after…

Health Transformation Alliance Teams up With Cognoa for Autism Diagnostic Device

MedCity News - (Thursday February 16, 2023)
Frequent Updates/ MedCity News

The Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), a group of nearly 60 large employers, announced Thursday it is partnering with pediatric behavioral health company Cognoa for its diagnostic device for autism.
HTA is a cooperative of self-insured employers, including Walgreens, CocaCola, Verizon and American Express. Palo Alto, California-based Cognoa, meanwhile, is a developer of AI-based technologies for early diagnosis of children with developmental and behavioral health conditions. Its Canvas Dx product is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and assists healthcare providers in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder for children ages 18 months through 72 months. The product is the first of its sort…

Cell Therapy Biotech Talaris Ends Two Kidney Transplant Trials, Restructures

MedCity News - (Thursday February 16, 2023)
Frequent Updates/ MedCity News

Talaris Therapeutics aimed to transform solid organ transplants with a cell therapy that replaces anti-rejection drugs patients need for the rest of their lives. But after clinical trial setbacks, the biotech has decided to end two kidney transplant studies. Although a separate test of its experimental therapy is continuing in a rare autoimmune condition, Talaris has commenced a restructuring plan that it said could culminate in a merger or sale of the company.
The restructuring announced Thursday will lead to the layoff of about one-third of Talaris’s staff. As of the end of the third quarter of 2022, the Louisville, Kentucky-based biotech…

Q/A: Oatmeal Health Co-Founder Talks AI-Enabled Cancer Screening for the Underserved

HIT Consultant - (Thursday February 16, 2023)
AI/ Frequent Updates/ HIT Consultant

Dr. Ty Vachon, CEO & Co-Founder at Oatmeal HealthToday, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Sadly, cancer disparities exist, with racial/ethnic minority, low-income, and uninsured populations suffering the greatest burden. That’s why routine cancer screening is critical to addressing cancer disparities as they have the potential to greatly reduce both incidence and mortality rates. To address this, Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide preventive and primary healthcare services, including cancer screening, to the nation’s most vulnerable populations We recently sat down with Oatmeal Health’s Co-Founder and…

Retail disruptors face big strategy questions in 2023, says AHA

MobiHealthNews - (Thursday February 16, 2023)
AI/ Frequent Updates/ MobiHealthNews

A new report from the American Hospital Association Center for Health Innovation explores how retail companies and tech giants like Apple and Google will drive transformational change in healthcare delivery in 2023 and beyond.WHY IT MATTERS
With billions of dollars invested this past year, such as CVS Health’s purchase of Signify Health, the AHA report highlights retail healthcare companies having grabbed significant market share in primary care, concierge medicine, virtual care and in-home medical services. 
They’ve also broadened their reach into pharmacy benefits management, behavioral health and other areas, said AHA researchers in the report.
One example is Amazon. While the company is in the process of buying…