4 SDOH Barriers Payers Can Address to Drive Access to Care

While access to care progress has stalled nationwide, payers can continue to move it forward within their own businesses by addressing four key barriers. Uninsurance is dropping, yet access to care continues to suffer due to rising health costs, a recent JAMA Internal Medicine study found. Nearly six percent more among the uninsured population did not access care due to affordability struggles and 11.5 percent of the insured avoided a doctor’s visit for the same reason. The trend was noted even in early 2019, when a Commonwealth Fund study argued that the lack of improvement in overall access to care could be attributed to stagnant coverage gains and climbing uninsurance.  Fewer patients are uninsured but more are underinsured, which can prolong the access to care plight for patients even though they have coverage, the study pointed out.

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Weave Introduces AI-Driven Voicemail Transcriptions for Healthcare Providers

Business Wire | October 31, 2023

Weave a leading all-in-one experience platform for small and medium-sized healthcare practices, today announces the addition of AI-driven voicemail transcriptions to its platform. Now available to Weave’s 27,000+ customers, Voicemail Transcription automatically transcribes voicemails from patients allowing for efficient, visible, and private reading experiences. With this update, users will now see the voicemail transcription when they click on the Voicemail tab within their Desktop Application or within the mobile app, improving overall user experience by making it faster to consume messages without having to listen to the audio, which can often be difficult in busy settings. said Branden Neish, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Weave. AI has exploded in popularity over the past year, and we’re taking steps to ensure Weave is delivering state of the art offerings that empower our customers to enhance patient experiences and deliver top of the line care. AI will only continue to grow in popularity and daily use, which will have a transformative impact on the future of the healthcare industry. Weave customers that have already implemented AI into their practices claim they save an average of an hour a day with the technology. [Source:Business Wire] In a new customer and consumer report conducted by Weave, the company found that patients are accepting of AI in healthcare settings and they see it leading to enhanced care and patient experiences. In fact, the majority of consumers (65%) are open to providers using AI tools in their practices. The report also found that consumers and providers are aligned with how they think AI will impact the healthcare industry, with two in three consumers (67%) and 3 in 4 (75%) healthcare providers believing that AI is likely to become a prevalent tool in healthcare. "Artificial Intelligence is the catalyst for a new era in healthcare,” says Dr. Matt Nejad, DDS of Beverly Hills, CA. “Weave's AI-enabled voicemail transcripts are a leap in this direction, providing automation and actionable insights that empower providers to focus on what truly matters: patient care." This announcement follows months of AI-driven activity from Weave to enhance features that allow healthcare providers to deliver quality care and improve patient experiences, including Email Assistant and Response Assistant. About Weave Weave is a leading all-in-one customer experience platform for small- and medium-sized healthcare businesses. From the first phone call to the final invoice and every touchpoint in between, Weave connects the entire customer journey. Weave’s software solutions transform how local businesses attract, communicate with and engage customers to grow their business. In the past year, Weave has been named a G2 leader in Patient Engagement, Optometry, Dental Practice Management and Patient Relationship Management software.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

MongoDB Launches New Initiatives to Accelerate Modern Application Development for Healthcare and Insurance Organizations

PR Newswire | October 06, 2023

MongoDB, Inc. at MongoDB.local Boston, announced the launch of MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance, two new initiatives that help companies in these industries accelerate their pace of innovation and better serve end-users with modern, data-driven applications. MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance include expert-led innovation workshops, tailored technology partnerships, and industry-specific knowledge accelerators to provide customized training paths designed for a range of use cases that developers in these industries work with. To learn more about MongoDB Atlas. "Organizations in the healthcare and insurance industries depend on large volumes of highly sensitive data to make critical decisions about patient care and coverage policies for customers. However, these industries face challenges not only from legacy applications that rely on siloed data, but also complex networks of providers and organizations. These constraints prevent them from realizing the full potential of their data," said Boris Bialek, Field CTO of Industry Solutions at MongoDB. "With the launch of MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance, we're alleviating these challenges by providing organizations with the tools required to build modern applications that increase operational efficiency and productivity. Deploying modern applications with MongoDB can help increase interoperability across entire enterprises that enable healthcare organizations to harness real-time patient insights and build personalized care pathways, and for insurers to capitalize on AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics to modernize their underwriting and claims processes." MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance include solutions and capabilities that can help organizations reimagine how they interact with end users by deploying data-driven applications with the flexibility, security, and resilience the healthcare and insurance industries require: Migrate and modernize legacy applications with minimal risk and zero downtime: For organizations in the healthcare and insurance industries that want to move from legacy relational databases to modern applications on MongoDB Atlas, MongoDB Relational Migrator reduces the time, cost, and risk typically associated with these projects–making it significantly faster and easier to optimize operations and accelerate innovation. MongoDB Relational Migrator analyzes legacy databases, automatically generates new data schema and code to operate migrated applications, and then executes a seamless migration to MongoDB Atlas with no downtime required. Organizations can run the migrated, modernized application in a testing environment before deploying to production to ensure it is optimized and performing as intended. MongoDB Relational Migrator provides companies in the healthcare and insurance industries with the flexibility to move to MongoDB Atlas quickly and efficiently, so they can focus on building and shipping world-class applications. Protect sensitive data throughout applications: With MongoDB Queryable Encryption, healthcare and insurance organizations can ensure full-lifecycle encryption of sensitive data—including patient records, medical histories, and insurance claims—not only in-transit over networks and at-rest during storage, but also while data is in use during querying. MongoDB Queryable Encryption provides state-of-the-art encryption that helps reduce data exfiltration and operational risk with an easy-to-use capability organizations can use to secure highly sensitive workloads with no cryptography expertise required. With MongoDB Queryable Encryption, developers in these industries working with highly sensitive information can protect their data throughout its entire lifecycle when being stored, queried, and processed on MongoDB. Run data-driven applications anywhere: MongoDB Atlas for the Edge enables organizations to deploy applications closer to where real-time data is generated, processed and stored, across mobile and IoT devices, on-premises servers, and multiple major cloud providers. For example, healthcare providers can seamlessly deploy applications across mobile devices and on-premises servers for interacting with patients and accessing medical records when internet connectivity is unavailable—while also ensuring data is synchronized with the cloud once connectivity is available. Insurance companies can also deploy applications across mobile devices for use cases that simplify underwriting, claims processing, and build new cross-industry products and services. MongoDB Atlas for the Edge enables organizations to build, deploy, and manage applications that are accessible virtually anywhere without the complexity typically associated with operating distributed applications at the edge. Reimagine possibilities with innovation workshops: Both MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance include dedicated executive engagement with industry experts from MongoDB and the MongoDB Partner Ecosystem to ideate client-specific solutions using best practices developed through proven industry experience. Healthcare and insurance innovation workshops are tailored to address the unique challenges and opportunities that these organizations face so they can modernize their operations with security and compliance in mind. Jumpstart application development: With MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance, organizations can engage with the MongoDB Professional Services team to take advantage of healthcare and insurance expertise and accelerate projects from concept to prototype to production in less time. Experts from the MongoDB Professional Services team can work backward from an organization's specific challenges to conduct architectural reviews, and help quickly prototype proofs of concept for ideation before moving new applications to production. Upskill teams to quickly build modern applications: MongoDB Atlas for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance provide tailored MongoDB University courses and learning materials, including unlimited access to curated webinars and solutions sessions, to help developers learn how to quickly build modern applications for the healthcare and insurance fields. Organizations can benefit from training new and experienced developers from the ground up on how to build modern, data-driven applications to modernize operations and reimagine end user experiences. GE HealthCare is a leader in precision care, infusing innovation with patient-focused technologies to enable better care. "GE Healthcare turned to MongoDB to manage the lifecycle of our IoT devices, from deployment to retirement," said Emir Biser, Senior Data Architect at GE HealthCare. MongoDB Atlas is a gamechanger. This technology stack is helping us streamline commercialization and bring market-ready solutions to deliver advanced healthcare. Some of the recent tests resulted in an 83% decrease in retrieval time for critical data elements. [Source: PR Newswire] Inovaare Corporation is a leading provider of AI-powered compliance automation solutions for healthcare payers. "Recognizing the significance of compliance in today's healthcare environment, Inovaare sought a solution that could not only help navigate the intricacies of this domain but also bring forth profound industry expertise into the mix," said Mohar Mishra, CTO and Co-Founder at Inovaare Corporation. "MongoDB Atlas fortifies our data infrastructure and enables streamlined data processing for robust analytics and reporting capabilities. Additionally, we rely on MongoDB Atlas Vector Search to deliver context-aware compliance guidance and real-time data-driven insights. MongoDB has been instrumental in helping us consistently deliver state-of-the-art compliance solutions that empower healthcare payers." Redcliffe Labs is India's fastest-growing omnichannel diagnostics service provider focussing on providing quality-led conclusive diagnostics to Indian citizens. "We have been working constantly to improve customer experiences and convenience by embracing innovative technologies," said Prabhat Pankaj, Chief Technology Officer at Redcliffe Labs. "To achieve that goal, we have leveraged the adaptable document database model of MongoDB Atlas to power our Smart Health Report, a resource that summarizes a range of indicators and trackers along with health tips, and dietary recommendations to evaluate holistic health. We are confident that this partnership will enable us to provide our customers with effective services." Helvetia is one of the largest Swiss insurance companies, serving over 7 million personal and corporate customers across Europe. "Insurance policies are composed of many diverse attributes, while customer data is hierarchically structured. Trying to fit these flexible structures into rigid rows and columns of a relational database would add a lot of friction to our developers," said Daniel Maier, Lead Solution Architect at Helvetia. "MongoDB Atlas Search is blazing fast! We can surface relevant results from data sets with tens of millions of documents in around 15ms. Atlas Search has also given us a cleaner and simpler architecture. We can create new indexes in a single API call, and data is automatically synced between the database and search index, giving consistent, high quality query results. Developer and operational overhead is reduced, creating cost and time savings which we can reinvest back into building products for our customers." About MongoDB Atlas for Industries MongoDB for Healthcare and MongoDB Atlas for Insurance are both part of MongoDB Atlas for Industries, a program that helps organizations accelerate cloud adoption and modernization by leveraging industry-specific expertise, programs, partnerships, and integrated solutions. About MongoDB Atlas MongoDB Atlas is the leading multi-cloud developer data platform that accelerates and simplifies building applications with data. MongoDB Atlas provides an integrated set of data and application services in a unified environment that enables development teams to quickly build with the performance and scale modern applications require. Tens of thousands of customers and millions of developers worldwide rely on MongoDB Atlas every day to power their business-critical applications. About MongoDB Headquartered in New York, MongoDB's mission is to empower innovators to create, transform, and disrupt industries by unleashing the power of software and data. Built by developers, for developers, our developer data platform is a database with an integrated set of related services that allow development teams to address the growing requirements for today's wide variety of modern applications, all in a unified and consistent user experience. MongoDB has tens of thousands of customers in over 100 countries. The MongoDB database platform has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times since 2007, and there have been millions of builders trained through MongoDB University courses.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

Virgin Pulse and HealthComp Announce Intent to Merge to Create Comprehensive Employer Health Platform

PR Newswire | September 29, 2023

Virgin Pulse, a leading global digital-first health, wellbeing, and navigation company, today announced its intent to merge with HealthComp, a next-generation benefits and analytics platform. The merger will create a technology and data powered health platform-as-a-service organization poised to tackle some of the industry's biggest challenges. The combined entity will aim to improve health outcomes and lower costs for members and employers by empowering better information and decision making. By using an advanced technology and data platform that leverages AI, the combined organization will deploy innovative and flexible health plan designs that drive improved member health outcomes, engagement, and awareness across the most important aspects of a person's healthcare journey. As the healthcare industry evolves, the desire for an integrated experience in the employer-sponsored benefits ecosystem has grown exponentially. This combination will create a set of assets that will integrate plan design, plan management, payment integrity, health navigation, preventative care, and digital therapeutics through the Homebase for Health® user-centric platform. Together, the combined entity expects these assets will create a better experience and lower costs for members and employers, while providing expanded opportunities for insurers and brokers to continue to partner with the combined entity. "This combination with HealthComp creates a new category in the health space that will change the way employers address the two-fold challenge of reducing costs and improving member outcomes. Our two companies have a shared mission to improve individual outcomes by engaging users early and often, and making health and wellbeing more accessible, affordable, and personal for all," said Chris Michalak, Virgin Pulse CEO. "Together, we are addressing a problem that has plagued the industry for years – a misaligned, complex benefit structure that results in unmet needs and escalating costs. We are eliminating waste, friction, and preventable risks by putting members and their needs at the center of the ecosystem." "Self-insured employers pay for almost half of the nation's healthcare expenditures and now require more innovative and affordable solutions," said Chad Harris, HealthComp CEO. "With concierge-level service, rich analytics, and expert medical cost management, HealthComp ensures that employers can make informed benefits decisions that align with the needs of their employees and businesses. Powered by Virgin Pulse's daily wellbeing engagement and data-driven personalization, this transaction creates an end-to-end platform that will radically lower costs and improve member outcomes." [Source – PRNews Wire] "The combination of Virgin Pulse and HealthComp creates the first national value-based care platform company focused on employee health and outcomes. We are excited to work with Morgan Health, Blackstone, and Marlin to bring innovation at scale to this market," said Matt Holt, President, Private Equity and Managing Director at New Mountain Capital. "We have been working to build an innovation platform company in the employer space for more than five years. This transaction represents a significant milestone by forming a leading platform-as-a-service company focused on delivering better outcomes and greater affordability," added Kyle Peterson, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital. "The employer-employee health landscape is ripe for change and the mission of the combined HealthComp and Virgin Pulse is aligned with Morgan Health's mission to improve the quality, equity, and affordability of employer-sponsored health care," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health. Upon closing of the transaction, Chris Michalak will serve as CEO of the combined entity, where he will continue building upon the Homebase for Health vision and expanding the value proposition for clients and the market at large. The combined entity will serve more than 20 million members and address costs for more than 1,000 self-insured employers. HealthComp's powerful analytics will also benefit Virgin Pulse's health plan and health system clients by providing closed-loop data on health outcomes and the true ROI of investing in member experience and wellbeing programs. The merger is expected to close in Q4 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of all closing conditions under the definitive agreement. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. HealthComp is backed by New Mountain Capital and Virgin Pulse is backed by Marlin Equity Partners. New Mountain Capital will be the majority owner of the combined entity. Blackstone Credit has committed to support the deal with strategic financing. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as financial advisor to HealthComp. HealthComp's legal counsel was Ropes & Gray LLP. Evercore acted as financial advisor to Virgin Pulse, with Kirkland & Ellis LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP serving as legal advisors. About Virgin Pulse Virgin Pulse is a leading digital-first health, wellbeing, and navigation company that empowers organizations across the globe to activate populations, improve health outcomes, and reduce spend in an era of accelerating cost and complexity. Virgin Pulse's Homebase for Health® connects data, people, and technology to deliver high tech, human touch experiences that engage and reward individual journeys. Virgin Pulse impacts over 100 million people across 190 countries by helping Fortune 500, national health plans, and many other organizations change lives – and businesses – for good. About HealthComp HealthComp, a New Mountain Capital company, has a customized and responsive approach to health benefits administration. We advocate for our members to get the best possible care suited for their unique needs. Our next generation benefits and analytics platform brings together concierge-level service, best-in-class operations, powerful analytics, and expert medical cost management. HealthComp integrates seamlessly with any benefits ecosystem to drive a personalized experience that delivers higher clinical outcomes at lower costs. HealthComp has offices in California, Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. About New Mountain Capital New Mountain Capital is a New York-based investment firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private equity, credit and net lease investment strategies with over $45 billion in assets under management. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. About Marlin Equity Partners Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with approximately $9 billion of capital commitments. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company's outlook and enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 200 acquisitions. About Morgan Health Morgan Health is a JPMorgan Chase business unit focused on improving employer-sponsored health care. Through its investments and the advancement of accountable care, Morgan Health is working to improve the quality, equity and affordability of employer-sponsored health care for JPMorgan Chase employees, their families and the U.S. health system. The business is led by Dan Mendelson, CEO of Morgan Health, reporting to Peter Scher, Vice Chairman of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a member of the firm's Operating Committee. Morgan Health is headquartered in Washington, D.C. About Blackstone Blackstone is the world's largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $1 trillion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis.

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Health Technology

ShiftKey Extends Its Tech Solutions to Embrace Acute Care Facilities

ShiftKey | September 15, 2023

ShiftKey, a leading technological enterprise at the forefront of reshaping the future of workforce engagement, has officially announced its expansion into acute healthcare facilities. ShiftKey's technology, data resources, and talent marketplace are set to be accessible to acute care facilities in Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas. This expansion addresses workforce-related challenges and enhances patients' access to top-tier healthcare services. Furthermore, the technology has already undergone beta testing at acute care facilities in Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina, and West Virginia. CEO of ShiftKey, Mike Vitek, characterized the company's foray into the acute care sector as a pivotal step in its platform and business development. He emphasized the organization's vantage point on healthcare staffing challenges and expressed optimism regarding the potential alleviation of strain on acute care facilities and healthcare professionals. Meanwhile, Brandon Tappan, Chief Revenue Officer at ShiftKey, added that the escalating workforce challenges confronting healthcare facilities have become an annual trend. The departure of nurses from acute care facilities in large numbers underscores the imperative for a novel approach to address staffing needs within institutions serving vulnerable populations. Integrating ShiftKey's technology into acute care facilities represents establishing an independent healthcare staffing solution. This initiative aims to reinvigorate and safeguard this vital industry by enabling individuals to rejoin the workforce on their terms. About ShiftKey ShiftKey is a technological enterprise dedicated to transforming workforce access and integrity. Employing data and a marketplace model, the company facilitates connections between independent licensed professionals and facilities with workforce requirements. It is pivotal in advancing empowered labor, stability, and solutions for professionals, institutions, and beneficiaries. With a platform encompassing 10,000 healthcare facilities and myriad independently licensed professionals, ShiftKey is one of the foremost leaders in strategic workforce solutions, catalyzing a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous workforce economy for the years ahead.

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