Welcome to this week's edition of Digital MD. From telehealth advancements supporting first responders to breakthrough AI tools in cancer diagnosis, we explore the cutting-edge developments transforming patient care, precision medicine, and digital health solutions. Dive in to discover the key trends shaping the future of healthcare.

Top Insights of the Week

Inspirational Pill

Telehealth service helps Nebraska EMTs in ambulances

Vendor Avel eCare allowed EMTs and paramedics to dial in on-demand for virtual assistance from an emergency-trained physician, nurse, or paramedic whenever and wherever needed.

The peer-to-peer consultations provide immediate access to expert advice, while pre-hospital documentation support streamlines the administrative side of emergency care.

Startups, Therapies and Devices

Dexcom puts on the market Stelo, its first over-the-counter glucose monitor wearable

The biosensor is designed for adults who are not taking any insulin therapies, for those with prediabetes to reach their A1c goals and potentially slow the progression of diabetes, and for people without diabetes who can use the device to understand the effects of diet and exercise better.

FDA approved RYBREVANT® plus LAZCLUZE™ as a first-line chemotherapy-free treatment for patients with EGFR-mutated advanced lung cancer

With this milestone, RYBREVANT® plus LAZCLUZE™ becomes the first and only multitargeted, chemotherapy-free combination regimen with demonstrated superiority versus osimertinib approved for the first-line treatment of patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

FDA approves Illumina's tumor biomarker test as a pan-cancer companion diagnostic

Illumina has secured FDA approval to bring its pan-cancer tissue profiling test to U.S. shores. The test screens solid tumor samples for 517 different genes to uncover useful biomarker patterns that can identify patients who may benefit from specific immunotherapies.

AI, Digital Tools and Partnerships

Salcit teams up with Google on AI technology to detect disease based on coughs

Salcit’s bioacoustic AI technology Swaasa uses HeAR to help research and enhance early detection of tuberculosis based on cough sounds. Google's team trained HeAR on 300 million pieces of audio data curated from a diverse and de-identified dataset and trained the cough model, in particular using roughly 100 million cough sounds.

Northwestern Medicine integrates DAX Copilot with Epic, seeking workflow efficiencies

Users of the copilot at Northwestern are already seeing a higher level of service coding, with more accurate clinical documentation and additional revenue from increased throughput and incremental services.

Virtual chronic care management company Omada is partnering with the state of Alaska to prevent and manage diabetes and hypertension

The diabetes and hypertension management programs can be done for however long the patient needs them, depending on their familiarity with their condition and the education they need.

Woebot Health, Akron Children's partner to support adolescent mental health

Woebot Health, maker of an AI-powered mental health chatbot, announced it signed a three-year agreement with Ohio-based nonprofit pediatric healthcare system Akron Children's to provide pediatric mental health support to adolescents 13 to 17 years. 

Woebot's nonprescription digital mental health tool includes content specific to teens, including media literacy, bullying in school settings, and body image and psychoeducation.

Precision Medicine

Hackensack Meridian Health, CancerIQ partner on cancer risk, early detection program

The program integrates advanced technology, genomics, and AI into real-time electronic health record (EHR) workflows to streamline comprehensive cancer risk assessments and personalized care plans.The program also leverages molecular cancer screening techniques, such as liquid biopsies, to detect cancer at its earliest stages by identifying genetic materials released into the bloodstream.

Paige Launches AI Tool that Screens 505 Genes for Improved Cancer Diagnosis

AI startup Paige launched an AI-powered biomarker module that the company says can evaluate more than 505 genes and identify 1,228 molecular biomarkers from standard pathology slides. The AI learns to recognize patterns and in turn, detects genetic mutations or biomarkers that are often used to guide cancer treatment decisions.

Report

Hospitals boost operating margins in July

U.S. hospitals reported strong operating margins on growing patient volumes in July, according to new data from analytic solutions firm Strata.

Strata analyzed financial data from more than 1,600 hospitals and 135,000 providers and found revenues outpaced expenses for most hospitals in July.

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