IBM Watson Health is investing $50 million over 10 years in a joint research collaboration with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital aimed at using AI to solve major public health issues.

Health insurers are taking steps to address social determinants of health that go beyond clinical care. Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) and the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Institute have launched a food delivery service in Chicago and Dallas.

Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC) with higher levels of employee organizational satisfaction also tend to have higher safety scores and patient satisfaction ratings, according to new research published in the American Journal of Medicine.

AI applications in healthcare are only just ramping up, allowing for an influx of entrepreneurs, according to a new report from Entrepreneur.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a federal rule aimed at putting patients in the center of the U.S. healthcare system. CMS Administrator Seema Verma discussed the development in a keynote session delivered Feb. 12 at HIMSS19 in Orlando.

The Trump administration’s recent proposal to eliminate rebates between drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is not a big surprise to those who have been paying attention to the rhetoric of CMS and HHS officials, but the impact of swapping rebates for direct discounts is still a big question.

Johnson & Johnson announced its intent to acquire California-based Auris Health, a developer of robotic technologies, for $3.4 billion. The purchase will allow Johnson & Johnson to have access to Auris Health’s surgical robotic scope, which is used in respiratory procedures and lung cancer detection. 

Health technology company Cerner is now offering an AI workflow tool that aims to temper physician burnout, the company announced during the HIMSS conference in Orlando.

Researchers in China have developed an AI-based natural language processing algorithm which processes free text from physician notes in electronic health records (EHRs) to predict common ailments in a pediatric population. The algorithm outperformed junior physicians in diagnosing some illnesses.

Surprise medical bills, where patients get a sky-high bill in the mail weeks after they received care, are a major issue for consumers. But one state that has tried to help alleviate the pain of the bills has been overwhelmed.