The element of (no) surprise
While it may come as a surprise that 2022 is just around the corner, the healthcare industry is preparing for the January 1 compliance deadline of the No Surprises Act. This federal law protects patients from unexpected billing situations and pushes for increased transparency from payers and providers around costs. One of the law’s stipulations is that insurers maintain up-to-date in-network provider directories, a surprisingly prevalent challenge—and one of the many reasons we were excited last week to announce our investment in Ribbon Health’s $43.5M Series B alongside General Catalyst, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sachin Jain. Ribbon’s API-first platform simplifies complex healthcare workflows by unlocking real-time information on providers, facilities, insurance plans, costs, and quality of care. Improved provider directories are just one outcome of policy and digital innovation working together to reduce healthcare fragmentation—not a bad way to kick off the new year.
Rock Health is going on the road and we’d love to see you! We’ll be in Nashville on December 8, hosting a series of digital health gatherings with national and local leaders. Email us to learn more. Not in Nashville? Catch us in Miami, where we'll be hosting a happy hour to connect with digital health startups, also on Wednesday, 12/8. Please complete this form for an official invite and more information.
Headlines
New Cures 2.0 Bill Extends Key Telehealth Flexibilities
Also calls for recommendations on health technology reimbursement Fierce Healthcare
CVS Is Closing 900 Stores, And Dollar General Stands To Gain
The plot thickens for the middle children CNN
VR Treatment For Chronic Pain Gets FDA Authorization
+ Medtronic’s PillCam for remote endoscopy procedures also receives FDA clearance The Verge
Mobile Devices And Wearable Technology For Measuring Outcomes After Surgery
Review evaluates efficacy of digital health solutions post-op NPJ Digital Medicine
Peloton Wants To Grow Its Wellness-Benefits Business
Another consumer-focused biz turns to employers Insider
How Much Behavioral Health Treatment Can Lower Total Cost Of Care
Study shows that outpatient treatment leads to fewer ED visits and savings Fierce Healthcare
Study Finds Health Apps And Wearables Help Rich People The Most
More data highlighting why designing for equity is so important The Verge
Recent Funding
- Federated learning software for clinical research Owkin gets $180M
- Nurse job marketplace Trusted notches $149M across their B+C rounds
- Easyhealth, a plan navigator for Medicare, nabs $135M
- Cloud-based R&D platform and Rock Health port co Benchling snags $100M
- H1, an online professional network for clinicians and researchers, nets $100M
- Aptihealth adds $50M to help health systems integrate virtual behavioral health services
- MedArrive raises $25M to bring affordable at-home care to vulnerable populations
- PathologyWatch lands $25M for skin care AI research
- Payzen secures $15M for its ‘care-now, pay later’ solution for healthcare bills
- Cognixion grabs $12M to build out a neural interface for people with disabilities
- Prenatal and postpartum care software Marani Health scores $7.6M
- Nirvana Health brings in $7.5M to help mental health providers file insurance claims
- Lab automation software LabMinds bags $6.4M
- AI medical imaging software LifeVoxel.AI nets $5M