Stay up to date on the latest in health tech, digital health and health AI news with this weekly brief. Read below for news from the week of Sept. 7 to 11.
Suki launches research initiative for healthcare AI
Ambient clinical intelligence platform Suki announced Thursday the launch of an industry-wide scientific research initiative geared towards generating research and clinical evidence to advance healthcare AI.
The new initiative—dubbed Science at Sukii—coincides with the new Suki Research Collaborative (SRC), a research network comprised of health systems and academic institutions. The collaborative plans to study AI’s implementation, workflow optimization, specialty care and more.
SRC Chair Sudha Jayaraman, M.D., said in a statement that the future of ambient clinical intelligence “won't be defined solely” by technological breakthroughs, but by “the quality of the evidence behind them.”
"By bringing together leading clinicians, researchers, engineers, and health systems to generate objective evidence, we're helping healthcare organizations adopt Ambient Clinical Intelligence with the confidence needed to improve patient care, support clinicians, and advance the practice of medicine,” Jayaraman said.
Apple Health teams up with Quest Diagnostics for lab tests
Apple announced an expansion of its health and fitness capabilities Wednesday, including new offerings from its Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.
New Apple Watch products have a Health Sensing System, which the company says enables the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable. The watches also have a readiness capability, which analyzes users’ biometrics—like recent activity and sleep score—to provide a score ranked zero through 10 for each day.
“At Apple, we believe technology can empower everyone with actionable, science-based insights built with privacy at the core. By combining breakthrough sensing on Apple Watch with Apple Intelligence in the Health app, we’re able to translate complex biometric data into clear guidance for users,” said Sumbul Desai, M.D., Apple’s vice president of Health and Fitness, in a statement. “This both helps people navigate their day-to-day routines with confidence and connects those moments with deeper context around their longevity, building a strong foundation for a healthier future.”
Another new capability the tech giant announced is lab services. Through the Health app, users can schedule and purchase new labs featuring more than 50 key biomarkers for $119 at approximately 2,000 Quest Diagnostics locations across the nation.
Cleveland Clinic taps Luminai for AI automation
Cleveland Clinic and Luminai are partnering to co-develop and deploy AI automation across administrative workflows, the organizations announced Wednesday.
Luminai’s engineering team will work alongside Cleveland Clinic’s clinical and operational staff to deploy the workflows rather than a standardized configuration.
The first priority area for the partnership is external referral processing. Luminai's platform identifies referrals, understands clinical context, matches the type and transcribes documents into electronic medical records (EMRs) for follow-up, the company says.
“Automation only delivers value when it reflects the realities of clinical and operational work,” said Rohit Chandra, Ph.D., Cleveland Clinic chief digital officer, in a statement. “Our collaboration with Luminai allows us to apply AI in ways that meaningfully support our teams by reducing administrative burden and improving patient satisfaction.”
FDA names inaugural AI deputy commissioner
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Tuesday a slew of new leadership appointments at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including the first Deputy Commissioner for Technology and Artificial Intelligence.
Jared Seehafer was selected for the role and will serve as the agency’s leader on technology, software and AI. He will also establish agency-wide strategies and priorities in these areas.
Seehafer has two decades of technical and leadership experience.
The appointment “underscores” the current administration’s commitment to “accelerating reliable AI innovation, modernizing federal technology, and ensuring an effective regulatory framework for emerging technologies,” according to a Sept. 8 press release.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Mayo Clinic to implement Rainfall Health platform
AI-powered compliance and reimbursement platform Rainfall Health announced Wednesday it will be implemented across a Mayo Clinic facility to support care coordination and compliance associated with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM).
CMS selected 721 hospitals to participate in the first cohort of TEAM, which is a mandatory payment model dedicated to improving quality and coordination of care. TEAM launched Jan. 1.
Rainfall’s AI platform allows organizations to coordinate care, monitor patient progress and automate workflows associated with value-based care (VBC) models. The platform will be used to support post-acute care coordination and quality reporting efforts for participating patients, the organizations say.
“This news reflects the growing demand for AI-enabled solutions that help hospitals succeed under value-based care models,” said Eddie Qureshi, Rainfall Health CEO and founder, in a statement. “Healthcare organizations participating in CMS's evolving value-based care models are looking for scalable ways to coordinate care, improve operational efficiency, and meet reporting requirements. Rainfall stands ready to help systems navigate these changes while supporting quality patient care.”