A dark Black Friday

Black Friday brought with it some dark clouds last week. Omicron, the new Covid-19 variant with a “Frankenstein mix" of mutations, has scientists scrambling to test its vulnerability (or resistance) to existing vaccines. Meanwhile, the markets plunged into a tailspin, yielding the worst Black Friday trading day on record. Lockdown-friendly companies did see a boost—including telehealth platform Teladoc and remote fitness company Peloton—though both are still down on the year.

Amidst the uncertainty, a steady drumbeat of virtual care innovation continues. Last week Pear’s prescription digital therapeutic for alcohol use disorder, reSET-A, received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA, accelerating its review. The company, which plans to go public via SPAC in the near future, already has FDA-cleared digital programs for substance use disorder, opioid use disorder, and chronic insomnia. With alcohol abuse and opioid deaths climbing in the US, we hope all types of solutions can continue clearing barriers to treatment and recovery.

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Headlines

Biden Administration Announces $1.5B Investment In Healthcare Workforce
Funds will address healthcare worker shortage in underserved communities AP News

athenahealth To Be Acquired For $17B
Bain Capital and Hellman & Friedman buy leader in EMR and physician practice solutions businesswire

Telehealth Rollbacks Leave Patients Stranded, Some Doctors Say
Advocates push to extend regulatory flexibilities amidst worries of telemedicine fraud WSJ

Psychedelic Therapy Is Poised To Disrupt Mental Health; Can VR Accelerate It?
VR could support patients before and after psychedelic-assisted therapy Forbes

Oscar Health Partners With Stride Health On Enrollment Experience
+ Stride unveils Stride for Health Plans, an ACA enrollment platform for health insurers Yahoo Finance

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