MedCity News

Artificial Intelligence and the Data Quality Problem No One Can Ignore

Why Staff Safety is the Foundation of Clinical Excellence

When healthcare staff feel unsafe, they are more likely to feel overwhelmed and distracted, increasing their risk of error. This directly links provider safety to patient safety.

By Andrea Greco

A receptionist in a doctor's office hands paperwork to a patient over the counter. The office is bright and modern, providing a welcoming atmosphere.

Nitra Rakes In $187M to Simplify the Business of Running a Healthcare Practice

Nitra announced that it raised $187 million in the past six months. The AI-powered platform — which is now used by more than 700 clinics — manages payments, procurement, inventory, scheduling and insurance verification in a single platform.

By Katie Adams

Health Tech

Why UHS Is Acquiring Talkspace for $835M

Universal Health Services plans to acquire Talkspace for $835 million to create a national behavioral health platform that integrates virtual therapy with in-person care.

By Marissa Plescia

Latest Video

Latest News

BioPharma, Pharma

Vertex Pharma to Seek Speedy FDA Approval for Kidney Disease Drug From $4.9B Acquisition

Povetacicept, a Vertex Pharmaceuticals immunology drug designed to block two targets, met the main goal of a Phase 3 clinical trial in the rare kidney disease immunoglobulin A nephropathy. The fusion protein came from Vertex’s acquisition of Alpine Immune Sciences, and analysts say the drug has best-in-class potential.

By Frank Vinluan

MedCity Influencers

An older African American man with glasses carefully arranges his daily medications in a blue pill organizer. He sits at a wooden table near a window with blinds, methodically sorting prescription bottles and preparing his medication schedule.

Chronic Overmedication: The Polypharmacy Waste and Safety Problem

Polypharmacy is a cost and safety problem that is solvable. The right technology platform can reduce it by identifying risky regimens, route specific “stop/switch/consolidate” opportunities to clinicians, and track whether changes stick through refill and adherence patterns.

By Tom Dorsett

The Hidden Administrative Tasks Draining Small Practices

Small practices play a critical role in healthcare delivery, but they cannot continue to absorb ever-increasing administrative demands without consequences.

By Michael Blackman, MD, MBA Chief Medical Officer, Greenway Health®

Opinion

In the Absence of Objective Measures for ALS, Caregivers are the Only Witnesses. We Shouldn’t Have To Be.

The way we measure ALS progression is failing patients. We are entering a new era of ALS therapeutics but still relying on the same blunt instruments of measurement.

By Nadia Sethi

MedCity Influencers

Valuing Early-Stage Life Sciences Companies: The Why, the How, and the Impact

Valuing early-stage life sciences companies can be complex. Because product development can take several years and be capital intensive, obtaining an accurate valuation is essential to align management’s, the shareholders’, and current and potential investors’ understanding of estimated value.

By Ron Melling, Tom Shoemaker, and Michael Taglieri

BioPharma, Devices & Diagnostics, Health Tech, Consumer / Employer

Businesswoman using smartwatch in a city.

Verily & Samsung Team Up to Bring Smartwatch Data into Clinical Trials

Verily and Samsung are partnering to integrate data from Galaxy smartwatches into Verily’s Pre platform. The goal is to create an end-to-end system that pharma researchers can use to deploy wearable devices in studies, analyze patient data remotely and then interpret the results.

By Katie Adams

The New Blueprint: How Clever Care Health Plan is Scaling Its Member Experience [Video]

MedCity News was at the Vive conference and spoke with executives who shared their insights for the healthcare industry.

By Clever Care Health Plan and MedCity News

Health Tech, Consumer / Employer

Eight Sleep Raises $50M to Build Predictive AI for Sleep

Eight Sleep's $50 million raise was led by Tether Investments. In total, Eight Sleep has raised over $250 million, and this round brings the company’s valuation to $1.5 billion.

By Marissa Plescia

BioPharma, Pharma

Alfasigma Pays $300M for Rights to GSK Rare Liver Disease Drug On Track for FDA Decision

GSK licensed to Alfasigma global rights to linerixibat, a drug developed to treat the rare liver disease primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). The move follows Alfasigma’s 2025 voluntary market withdrawal of Ocaliva, a PBC drug that had sparked safety concerns from U.S. and European regulators.

By Frank Vinluan

MedCity Influencers

HIPAA Was Built for an Analog Era, Healthcare AI Has Outgrown It

Healthcare AI in the U.S. has progressed to a point where traditional, HIPAA-style compliance alone is no longer adequate. The next phase of regulation and market expectation will require continuous, medical-grade AI governance, and companies that don’t adapt now will be left behind.

By Simon Kos

MedCity Influencers

Full length of senior woman holding remote control while helping man with disability in motorized wheelchair to disembar

Dialysis Isn’t Optional. Transportation Can’t Be Either

Every day NEMT makes dialysis possible for thousands of patients. Isn’t it time we view medical transportation not as an afterthought, but as a crucial component of our society’s healthcare?

By Darren Harline

MedCity Influencers

Eyes on the Future: How Retinal Imaging Is Reframing Preventive Medicine

From cardiovascular disease to Alzheimer’s, the retina is proving to be the body’s most revealing health monitor, positioning optometrists at the forefront of early detection and integrated care.

By Dr. Steve Berry

Modernizing Care: From Automated Workflows to Smarter Medication Management [Video]

Executives from Artera and DrFirst join MedCity News from Vive in LA.

By Stephanie Baum

Policy

It Took Years for Congress to Enact PBM Transparency, Delinking. What About Vertical Integration?

Experts say the bipartisan Break Up Big Medicine Act — aimed at breaking up vertically integrated healthcare companies — faces slim chances of passing despite recent PBM reforms.

By Marissa Plescia

Artificial Intelligence, Hospitals, Health Tech

Female medical expert consoling senior patient. Senior man getting test results from doctor. They are sitting in examination room.

Why This Rural Health System Is Scaling AI for Point-of-Care Decision Making

Presbyterian Healthcare Services has rolled out an AI-powered precision care platform to 200 primary care providers, helping them review charts, identify care gaps and make faster treatment decisions. The tool is also designed to maximize each visit, especially for rural patients who travel long distances to receive care.

By Katie Adams

BioPharma, Pharma

Roche, Zealand Pharma Obesity Drug Meets Clinical Trial’s Weight Loss Goals, But Can It Compete?

Petrelintide posted Phase 2 results showing tolerability comparable to a placebo, but average weight loss that was less than what analysts expected. The Zealand Pharma drug, in development under a partnership with Roche, is a peptide engineered to activate the amylin receptor.

By Frank Vinluan

MedCity Influencers

Virtual-First Care Shouldn’t Spark an “A-Ha” Moment Anymore

Virtual-first done well - fully integrated with the EHR, aligned with health system clinical and quality governance, capable of warm handoffs, and simple enough that patients don’t need instructions - creates genuine surprise. That surprise is the opportunity and the problem.

By Michael Dalton