Proteus Files for Bankruptcy
Proteus Digital Health, makers of the ingestible digital pill-tracker, filed for bankruptcy in part due to the COVID-19 effects on fundraising. Despite a multi-million-dollar collaboration with Japanese drug company Otsuka, the company claims it would still fall short of funding to carry on operations. Founded in 2002, the company was considered a healthcare unicorn, earning itself a $1.5 billion valuation for its ingestible sensors that are embedded in pills to track exactly when they’re taken. With its deal with Otsuka cut short, the companies are discussing a potential Chapter 11 sale.
Walmart Purchases Medication Management Software
Walmart acquired CareZone’s medication management app in its latest move to compete with pharmacy services such as Amazon’s PillPack. The retailer reportedly paid $200 million for the technology platform that lets users create medication lists, provides refill reminders, and assists in setting up medication delivery. The startup’s product and technology team will join Walmart as part of its digital health services.
“The goal of any technology startup is to build a product or experience that touches the lives of as many people as possible,” CareZone Co-Founder and CTO Walter Smith said in a news release. “Adding our technology platform to Walmart’s existing digital capabilities and physical reach creates a unique opportunity to redefine what the future of digital health and wellness can look like. The CareZone team members joining Walmart are excited to bring our knowledge and apply it to such a broad canvas.”
Walmart is making a strong push into healthcare on multiple fronts. Its popular prescription program offers a number of medicines at $4 along with a new Walmart Health clinic offering primary care services in Georgia.
Doximity Acquires Healthcare Staffing Solution
The popular online physician network acquired THMED, a healthcare staffing solutions company. Under Doximity, the company is now called Curative. The companies will combine forces to create a first-ever business model for healthcare staffing that uses technology that leverages personalized search that can connect medical groups and healthcare facilities with an extensive network of highly qualified practitioners. Curative will serve as the staffing aspect of the largest network of healthcare professionals, consisting of 70% of all doctors and 45% of all nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the U.S.
Curative CEO Jeff Bowling, said in a statement: “We are going to go fast and grow fast. Curative now has all the advantages of a Silicon Valley tech company to fuel its customer experience and delivery. Most staffing firms have a database; we have access to a living, breathing network of physicians. Now, with the creation of Curative and the power of Doximity, hospitals and medical practices have access to the largest network of physicians. I’m here because this is different; 100% unique in staffing. Every CEO dreams of leading an organization with a true differentiator, and we have a clear one here.”
PatientPoint Launches Virtual Health Platform
The leader in the POC industry announces the launch of PatientPoint Point of Care Anywhere, a patient education and virtual health experience. The remote healthcare platform delivers targeted content and branded messages to the patient throughout the virtual experience, including appointment scheduling, telehealth appointments, and remote monitoring, all on one platform.
“As the trusted 30-year leader in point-of-care education and engagement, it’s our passion to make every doctor-patient engagement better across all points of care and to ensure doctors and patients have access to the same high-quality, condition-specific support for both in-person and virtual visits,” said PatientPoint Founder and CEO Mike Collette in a statement. “With PatientPoint Point of Care Anywhere we fulfill that missing link in today’s virtual health environment to enable a better experience and better outcomes anywhere a patient and provider connect.”
Targeted educational content reaches the patient before, during, and after appointment scheduling as well as in the virtual appointment waiting room. During appointments, PatientPoint technology assists HCPs by providing visual tools that help with discussion. Post-appointment, the virtual platform continues to promote a library of resources targeted for a patient’s specific chronic condition and patient monitoring capabilities.
DeepIntent Launches Privacy-Safe Way to Reach Patients
The marketing technology company announced the general availability of Patient Modeled Audiences, a HIPAA-certified, end-to-end advertising solution that effectively combines differential privacy and machine learning to reach specific patient populations in a privacy-safe way. An independent 30-day test showed that DeepIntent’s data-driven approach resulted in audience quality scores 25% higher than 12 other adtech solutions that were also examined.
“Our clients are seeing unprecedented campaign performance, indicating that the right patients are receiving the information they need to make more informed decisions about their health,” DeepIntent Co-Founder and CEO Chris Paquette said in a statement. “It also proves that with Patient Modeled Audiences, marketers no longer need to choose between accuracy and scale. By combining emerging privacy technologies with machine learning built specifically for healthcare, DeepIntent closed this divide while mathematically guaranteeing HIPAA compliance.”
DeepIntent partnered with Mirador Analytics, an independent healthcare data compliance and certification company, to conduct a comprehensive disclosure risk assessment of Patient Modeled Audiences in order to certify it as HIPAA compliant. Additionally, DeepIntent also partners with Datavant for data anonymization.
HITMC Names FINN Agency of the Year
Global marketing and communications firm, FINN Partners, was named the “Best Health Agency (Provider Sector)” in the 2020 Medigy HITMC Awards. Every year, the Healthcare and IT Marketing Community (HITMC) honors the individuals and organizations who delivered innovative and results-driven work within the digital/health, health IT, medical device, and medical technology sectors.
“This award honors FINN’s collaborative culture, across offices, practices, and continents, and our ‘work hard, play nice’ ethos, brought to life each day by our staff and carried forward in our client service and results,” Gil Bashe, Managing Partner, Global Health, FINN Partners, said in a statement. “It is a thrill to be recognized for outstanding client work by this wonderful health professional community. All 81 HITMC Medigy Honorees are outstanding colleagues on the frontlines in advancing digital health and medical tech innovation.”
