Bernie Monegain

Microsoft patent application
By  Bernie Monegain 09:46 am July 31, 2018
Microsoft filed a patent for an eyeglass monitor capable of tracking blood pressure called Glabella, that is designed to be easier to use and more accurate than a traditional inflatable cuff. Microsoft’s most recent eyeglass patent comes as rivals Apple, Amazon and Google and Samsung, have all filed numerous patents that offer clues about forthcoming potential groundbreaking technology. Google,...
23andMe lands $300 million investment from GlaxoSmithKline
By  Bernie Monegain 02:58 pm July 25, 2018
23andMe on Wednesday announced that GlaxoSmithKline has invested $300 million to gain exclusive access to the genetic testing startup’s DNA database.  The deal comes as GlaxoSmithKline amid reports that GSK is weighing the possibility of a company breakup and investors contending that synergies between consumer markets and big pharma are inherently limited and that GSK’s pharmaceuticals business...
Seema Verma CMS
By  Bernie Monegain 09:41 am July 10, 2018
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is promoting the idea of paying home health agencies for monitoring patients remotely. Remote monitoring enables the collection of patients’ health data, such as vital signs, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood oxygen levels, heart rate and electrocardiogram readings. In a statement Monday, CMS Administrator Seema Verma said more use of remote...
Athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush leaves company
By  Bernie Monegain 12:07 pm June 6, 2018
Athenahealth announced Wednesday morning that founder and CEO Jonathan Bush is leaving the company and that the board will consider “strategic alternatives.” Those include hiring a new chief executive officer as well as a “sale, merger or other transaction involving the company as well as continuing as an independent company,” athenahealth said in a statement. Bush’s departure follows negative...
By  Bernie Monegain 01:55 pm May 14, 2018
Many players in the healthcare industry are closely watching how Apple Health Records are performing in this rapidly changing market.  A major shift in what makes up a record of patient care is already underway. EHR vendors are working to transform EHRs into CHRs — Comprehensive Health Records. Couple that with their plans to integrate machine learning and artificial intelligence into their...
By  Bernie Monegain 04:06 pm March 1, 2018
Helix has closed a $200 million financing round and said it plans to expand its personal genomics marketplace to accelerate consumer adoption of genomics. The San Carlos, California-based startup launched the Helix marketplace in July 2017 to collects and sequence a DNA sample once, and then store and protects a customer’s data so they can access additional DNA-powered products and services from...
By  Bernie Monegain 10:44 am January 30, 2018
Amazon, the world’s ubiquitous online store, revealed today it is collaborating with Warren Buffet, who heads Berkshire Hathaway, and the bank JPMorgan Chase to build an independent, nonprofit healthcare company with the goal of increasing user satisfaction and reducing costs.  The first order of business, the partners announced, is focusing on technology solutions that will provide U.S....
By  Bernie Monegain 02:14 pm January 2, 2018
MedStar Health announced that it will begin offering expectant mothers a “Mommy Kit” containing an iPhone app, wireless weight scale, and wireless blood pressure cuff.  The not-for-profit health system in Maryland and the Washington, DC area, said it joined forces with startup Babyscripts . The kit can be used to generate patient data that, in turn, is captured and transmitted automatically to...
By  Bernie Monegain 12:54 pm December 21, 2017
Intermountain Healthcare researchers have created a new app to monitor heart failure patients and identify when their condition becomes advanced.  The app monitors medical tests and health status and quickly alerts clinicians that the heart patient’s care needs have changed. When computer monitoring indicates a patient likely has advanced heart failure, the app automatically sends a secure email...