Healthcare Roundup—Senate committee invites PBMs to testify; Kansas eyes new transplant law

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee, led by Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, invited executives from five pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to testify before a committee on drug pricing. The hearing, set for April 3, will be the third in a series of hearings looking at the costs of prescription drugs. Cigna, now the parent company of Express Scripts, CVS, Humana, OptumRx and Prime Therapeutics have been invited to the hearing. As pharmaceutical companies testified on the issue, the committee feels it is only fair to let PBMs talk about their role in lowering prescription drug prices. Grassley and Wyden ask that these companies come prepared to discuss real solutions. “We welcome the opportunity to share with the committee the role of PBMs in advocating on behalf of consumers and plan sponsors to make prescription drugs accessible and affordable,” a spokesperson from the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) told FierceHealthcare.

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Health Technology, Healthcare Analytics

Weave Partners with Affirm to Expand Payment Options for Patients

businesswire | September 27, 2023

Weave a leading all-in-one experience platform for small and medium-sized healthcare businesses, announced a new partnership with Affirm the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth. Now available to thousands of Weave’s customers, this collaboration provides flexible payment options for eligible patients, making it easier for them to access and afford the care they need. By partnering with Affirm, Weave customers can offer their patients pay-over-time financing with as low as 0% APR. Affirm is directly integrated with Weave payments, so patients can apply to pay with Affirm in a matter of seconds, and spread out their payments over time, easing the burden of upfront costs and providing an additional payment option for dental, optometry, veterinary, or medical practices. This partnership will not only benefit patients but also allow healthcare practices to receive payments quicker than before. “Collecting payments is one of the most important parts of the patient's journey. A smooth and efficient payment process can help to create a positive patient experience, build trust, and encourage repeat business, which is why we are excited to partner with Affirm,” said Branden Neish, Chief Product & Technology Officer of Weave. “By providing more flexible and affordable payment options, we are empowering patients to take control of their healthcare and ensuring that cost doesn’t prevent them from receiving the care they need.” By expanding the payment options available to patients, Weave and Affirm aim to remove barriers to care and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare services they need. The partnership reflects the shared commitment of both companies to make patients’ payment experience more seamless and revolutionize the way healthcare practices handle payments. “By partnering with Weave, thousands of healthcare practices can now seamlessly add Affirm’s transparent and flexible payment options at checkout,” said Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer of Affirm. Patients are eager to pay over time without junk fees, late fees, or compounding interest, and now these businesses can address that demand. [Source – Business Wire] About Weave Weave is the all-in-one 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. Weave has set the bar for Utah startup achievement & work culture. In the past year, Weave has been named a G2 leader in Patient Engagement, Optometry, Dental Practice Management and Patient Relationship Management software. About Affirm Affirm’s mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network — one based on trust, transparency and putting people first — we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike most credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we show consumers exactly what they will pay up front, never increase that amount, and never charge any late or hidden fees.

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Healthcare Analytics

AirLife Completes Acquisition of Avanos Medical’s Respiratory Health Business

Business Wire | October 04, 2023

AirLife, a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of consumable medical devices for anesthesia and respiratory care formerly known as SunMed, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Avanos Medical, Inc.’s (NYSE: AVNS) (“Avanos”) respiratory health business, including the BALLARD*, MICROCUFF* and endOclear® product lines. The acquisition adds three complementary brands, the R&D expertise behind them and two manufacturing facilities into AirLife’s growing platform. The transaction advances AirLife’s strategy to enhance its leading portfolio of the most trusted products in anesthesia and respiratory care and serve even more customers as a one-stop source for the highest-quality consumable breathing solutions that support the best patient outcomes. “We’re thrilled to complete this exciting milestone in AirLife’s evolution as we strengthen our leadership as a premier, completely dedicated consumable breathing products company,” said Hank Struik, AirLife CEO. We are especially pleased to welcome the exceptional team that has driven the success of these market leading brands to our company. As some of the most trusted closed suction and endotracheal consumables used to treat patients in critical care, this addition to AirLife unlocks new opportunities to accelerate our growth, serve more healthcare practitioners and drive innovation across our comprehensive portfolio of leading brands. [Source – Business Wire] Goodwin Procter LLP is acting as legal counsel to AirLife. About AirLife AirLife, formerly known as SunMed and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan with manufacturing and distribution sites in the United States, Mexico, China and Europe, is a leading medical device manufacturer, offering one of the most comprehensive portfolios of consumable anesthesia and respiratory care products. AirLife’s product portfolio spans the continuum of care from first responders to hospitals and home care, with safety, patient comfort and clinical performance in mind. AirLife’s comprehensive portfolio of trusted anesthesia products and respiratory care include premier brands such as Salter Labs®, Ethox Medical™, Ventlab™, Westmed™, AirLife™ and Vital Signs™. Currently, AirLife has over 1 million square feet of manufacturing space, providing comprehensive expertise in all plastics materials and conversion—supported by a world-class Quality Management System. Frazier Healthcare Partners, a leading healthcare investment firm, acquired a majority ownership stake in AirLife in 2021.

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Health Technology

Crothall and Beyond Clean Revolutionize Sterile Processing Education

Beyond Clean | September 07, 2023

Two prominent entities in the sterile processing industry, Crothall Healthcare and Beyond Clean, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop an innovative educational curriculum specially designed for sterile processing professionals serving in hospitals throughout the United States. This partnership leverages both organizations' collective wealth of knowledge and extensive experience to empower sterile processing professionals with state-of-the-art expertise, enhance patient safety, and elevate the overall benchmarks for sterile processing industry-wide. Afif Escheik, BA, CHL, CER, CIS, CRCST, CST, Regional Director of Operations at Crothall Healthcare, expressed that this partnership will enhance the company's capacity to provide sterile processing professionals with the educational tools necessary to meet and exceed industry standards, reduce errors, and optimize productivity. Crothall's track record of achievement in the field of sterile processing has been founded upon its stringent, data-centric methodologies, which have led to a remarkable enhancement in audit compliance of nearly 90%, a substantial reduction in process errors of up to 50%, and significant productivity gains of up to 62%. Through this collaboration, Crothall intends to incorporate these invaluable insights into developing the forthcoming curriculum. Hank Balch, Founder and President of Beyond Clean, remarked that this partnership will help elevate the standard of sterile processing in the United States, significantly impacting patient safety and quality of service. The collaborative curriculum is adaptable for various care settings, promoting sustainable, high-value care, enhancing patient safety, and reducing errors across the healthcare organization. This partnership signifies a significant step towards a safer and more efficient future in surgical services. About Crothall Healthcare With more than three decades of experience in the healthcare sector, Crothall Healthcare is the foremost provider of patient-centered support services, offering comprehensive solutions tailored to diverse care settings. Its sterile processing services integrate extensive healthcare expertise, clinical rigor, and industry best practices to deliver efficient and highly effective services. About Beyond Clean Beyond Clean is a global expert in sterilizing educational content. The company's unwavering commitment to sterile processing motivates it to empower frontline professionals with essential knowledge, education, and steadfast assistance. It also enables them to uphold impeccable standards and ensure the continuous cleanliness of all instruments.

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Healthcare Analytics

WELL Health Launches 'WELL AI Decision Support' powered by HEALWELL AI; Empowering Healthcare Providers with Next Generation Decision Support Systems

PR Newswire | October 19, 2023

WELL Health Technologies Corp. a digital health company focused on tech-enabling healthcare providers, and its investee company, HEALWELL AI are pleased to announce the launch of "WELL AI Decision Support", a groundbreaking new service for healthcare providers. This partnership is the first major collaborative initiative between the two companies since the announcement of the Strategic Alliance Agreement on October 3, 2023. Both companies view this as the beginning of a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership, with a shared vision and commitment to ongoing innovation. Hamed Shahbazi, Founder and CEO of WELL commented, "We firmly believe the physician experience of the not-too-distant future will involve a number of safe, secure and helpful digital diagnostic tools that will better support healthcare providers in detecting acute and chronic diseases earlier. The launch of 'WELL AI Decision Support' perfectly aligns with our core strategy to empower healthcare providers with transformative technology, enhancing their capacity to improve patient outcomes and promote preventative health." Dr. Michael Frankel, Chief Medical Officer of WELL, added, "The arrival of 'WELL AI Decision Support' marks more than just technological advancement; it's a watershed moment in our pursuit of superior patient care. By harnessing AI's potential, we are equipping healthcare professionals with tools that refine and elevate their practice. Each patient deserves individualized attention and precision in care, and this module is a step forward in realizing that vision." Dr. Alexander Dobranowski, CEO of HEALWELL AI, said. Our partnership with WELL is a strategic imperative in healthcare. The alignment between HEALWELL's pioneering data science and WELL's expansive clinical network underscores the strength of our collaboration. Together, with WELL's robust healthcare software solutions, we are creating a synergy poised to redefine healthcare standards. This partnership amplifies our combined commitment to leveraging data science for healthcare applications, ultimately benefiting patients and healthcare providers alike. [Source: PR Newswire] The 'WELL AI Decision Support' module is a groundbreaking solution that bridges a critical gap in healthcare diagnostics and patient care, heralding a new era of precision in healthcare delivery. WELL AI Decision Support leverages artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enable the earlier diagnosis, treatment and improved quality of life for the patient. The technology behind WELL AI Decision Support has been meticulously developed by HEALWELL, in close collaboration with dedicated physicians, leading researchers, data privacy professionals, pharmaceutical companies, and other domain experts. This rigorous process of development and refinement has led to its validation in both Canadian and U.S. healthcare systems. WELL AI Decision Support is also a highly modular service that will be expanded with time. Initially, the service enables healthcare providers to accurately identify over 110 complex or rare diseases often overlooked by traditional methods, providing hope to thousands of patients across Canada. 'WELL AI Decision Support' is the second significant product release under the WELLHealth.ai program, following the successful "WELL AI Voice" module, and further exemplifies WELL's unwavering commitment and leadership in delivering effective AI solutions in healthcare. WELL AI Decision Support is featured on apps.health, WELL's premium digital marketplace for EMR tools and applications. Rare and complex diseases affect over 300 million patients worldwide, and in Canada, 1 in 12 individuals lives with a rare disorder. What's even more alarming is the substantial number of people who remain undiagnosed and unaware of their underlying conditions. For those who do exhibit symptoms, the journey to a correct diagnosis is an arduous one. On average, they consult 8 physicians, endure 2-3 misdiagnoses over a span of 4.8yrs before receiving an accurate diagnosis. This partnership represents a significant win for HEALWELL, granting expansive channel access to healthcare providers. The launch of 'WELL AI Decision Support' module underscores the trust and validation of HEALWELL's expertise within the industry. Both WELL and HEALWELL plan to continue to collaborate to combine their expertise and capabilities for more groundbreaking developments in the future. About WELL Health Technologies Corp. WELL's mission is to tech-enable healthcare providers. We do this by developing the best technologies, services, and support available, which ensures healthcare providers are empowered to positively impact patient outcomes. WELL's comprehensive healthcare and digital platform includes extensive front and back-office management software applications that help physicians run and secure their practices. WELL's solutions enable more than 31,000 healthcare providers between the US and Canada and power the largest owned and operated healthcare ecosystem in Canada with more than 148 clinics supporting primary care, specialized care, and diagnostic services. In the United States WELL's solutions are focused on specialized markets such as the gastrointestinal market, women's health, primary care, and mental health. WELL is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "WELL" and on the OTC Exchange under the symbol "WHTCF". About HEALWELL AI Inc. HEALWELL AI is a health care technology company focused on AI and data science for preventive care. Its mission is to improve health care and save lives through early identification and detection of disease. As a physician-led organization with a proven management team of experienced executives, HEALWELL AI is executing a strategy centered around developing and acquiring technology and clinical sciences capabilities that complement the company's road map.

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