opalHealthcare Interoperability Partners, announced that Ken Chandler, former Senior Vice President of National Accounts at Premera Blue Cross, will join the company as Chief Executive Officer on July 1, 2022. Chandler has worked in healthcare for over 30 years, bringing unique experience and expertise on the needs of operators and national employers, which will be critical as Opala grows and expands its healthcare data exchange solutions .
“I’ve seen firsthand the challenges payers and providers face in getting all the information they need to provide patients with the best possible care,” Chandler said. “Opala is developing the connections the healthcare industry needs to successfully evolve to value-based care. Their solutions enable payers and providers to access a wide range of health data within their normal workflow, removing the administrative burden for patients. I joined this team because Opala has to make a fundamental change in healthcare. I see a lot of innovation in healthcare and Opala stands out as a company that can deliver greater efficiency and better outcomes for patients .”
Chandler joined Opala after a year of significant company growth, after the company achieved revenue goals and increased its headcount from 8 to more than 40 employees. Going forward, Chandler will lead the company to simplify medical data exchange and expects to release new products by the end of the year to improve value-based contracts and meet CMS’ interoperability requirements for health plans.
Equivalentdigital health engagement solutions provider, Announcing a strategic partnership and Language Line. The goal is to support health care organizations (HCOs) in promoting health equity by reducing language as a barrier to care.
The partnership enables HCOs to more quickly and easily offer LanguageLine’s interpreting applications on the Equiva platform and ensures 24/7 availability in over 240 languages via tablets and phones used by inpatients, outpatients and those accessing services remotely Access to over 17,000 interpreters.
“Health inequalities are all too common. We have to think of language as a social determinant of health,” said Equiva CEO Nir Altman. “With one-click, always-on interpreter access from mobile devices, we enable patients and clinicians to collaborate in a very efficient manner.”
Research at the Center for Immigration Studies It shows that 67.3 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home, nearly tripling since 1980.in a recent article Digital Health Insights Published by the School of Healthcare Information Management, overviewed by Jennifer Bresnick Three steps to reduce health disparities based on language barriers.
The first step, she said, is to increase investment in on-site interpreters and technology-driven solutions. “All clinical care providers and administrative staff should be equipped with tablets and/or smartphones for video and audio calls at the point of care,” she wrote.
“Clients use our solutions to advance health equity while improving clinical outcomes and the patient experience,” Altman said. “They do so in a way that is not overly complex, cumbersome or expensive.”
Sling therapya biopharmaceutical company focused on late-stage development of oral small molecule drugs for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED), has launched the company $35 million The Series A financing was led by The Rise Fund, a subsidiary of TPG.Funding will support a phase 2b A clinical trial evaluating the company’s investigational drug linsitinib in TED.
TED is a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects approximately 20,000 people in the United States each year. The immune system mistakenly attacks the muscle and fatty tissue behind the eyes, leading to inflammation and scar tissue formation. As the disease progresses, it can cause pain, proptosis, diplopia, and a severe reduction in quality of life. TED primarily affects women and most often affects people with hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease.
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Quilta digital health joint venture between Comcast and Independent Health Group (Independent), and people powerOne high poleA provider of artificial intelligence and IoT technologies based on physical spaces, has formed a strategic partnership to bring innovative elderly and caregiver solutions to the market.
Earlier this year, Quil announced the limited commercial availability of Quil Assure, a connected home platform for seniors and their caregivers. Quil Assure products use People Power’s AI and IoT platform. The platform uses environmental sensors strategically placed around senior living spaces to discreetly monitor daily life and notify seniors’ “circle of care” of any unusual developments.
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Third Rock Ventures Announced closing of Third Rock Ventures Fund VI, raising $1.1 billion. Fund VI will continue to execute Third Rock’s core strategy to discover, launch and build new pioneering companies focused on improving the lives of patients. The firm takes a hands-on approach to building companies in partnership with founders and provides an early and rigorous integration of science, medicine, business and strategy to build successful companies.
Fund VI will provide initial Series A and follow-on funding to support the company’s entire life cycle. Third Rock intends to allocate funds from Fund VI to invest in pioneering new companies within the broader biotechnology ecosystem that align with Third Rock’s mission and strategy.
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picture: Arkindo, Getty Images
