COVID put pediatrics on hold | Algorithm races ahead of future viruses | M&A activity update

A significant proportion of parents delayed or put off healthcare visits and care for their children during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Researchers are using AI to predict which mammals are hosts of new coronavirus diseases, potentially identifying and predicting new outbreaks before they become deadly in the future.

Healthcare mergers and acquisition activity fell 13% in 2020, reflecting a significantly subdued economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health insurance giant Humana is joining forces with IBM Watson to equip Humana’s Employer Group members with a conversational AI solution. 

Transitioning to fully electronic transactions could save the healthcare industry $16.3 billion, or about 42% of existing annual spend on administrative transactions.

A month and a half after hospitals were mandated to show their prices for shoppable services, anecdotal evidence shows some may be deeming the penalty of up to $300 per day insufficiently incentivizing.

Experts said all residency training needs to incorporate imaging courses and noted that primary care centers must have access to radiologists to ensure accuracy in emergency situations.

The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, included data from more than 28,000 patients. 

The investigation was retrospective, but Duke scientists believe their algorithm could potentially aid radiologists in spotting near-misses in their work.