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Main Street Health announced the close of a $315 funding round at HLTH — some of the investors included UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Elevance, Centene and CVS. The startup, which scales value-based care in rural areas for both Medicare Advantage and original Medicare patients, also announced that it is expanding to 26 states.

HLTH 2023 introduced a new program focused on technology trends for and perspectives from payers in a series of conversations around AI, health equity and healthcare innovation.

To address the growing physician shortage, some people argue that the scope of practice should be expanded for skilled healthcare professionals like nurse practitioners and pharmacists. American Medical Association President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld said this is a “terrible idea.” He argued that throwing other professionals into physicians' roles will have poor ramifications of patient safety. In his view, the industry should focus on uplifting strong interprofessional care teams.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage is increasing, but the program has been drawing scrutiny from the government. Can the program be saved? One expert believes Medicare Advantage is a failed experiment. Another thinks that while the program has its flaws, it shows tremendous potential.

A study testing Novo Nordisk's semaglutide in chronic kidney disease is ending early after an interim analysis met efficacy goals. Detailed results are not yet available, but they could support expanding use of the GLP-1 agonist, which is far and away Novo Nordisk’s top-selling product.

Despite an affirmative FDA advisory committee vote, the agency declined to approve Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ Onpattro for treating the heart complications caused by a rare, inherited protein disorder. But Alnylam has other drugs candidates for the disease, including one expected to post Phase 3 data in the first half of 2024.

Endless digital health solutions have emerged over the last few years. But eventually, they'll have to consolidate — and that's part of the cycle, investors said during a panel discussion on Sunday.

The ultimate challenge for the broader adoption of AI in medical imaging remains the same: demonstrating to healthcare institutions that it provides a clear ROI.

Merith Basey, executive director of Patients For Affordable Drugs, believes the Medicare price negotiation program is here to stay, no matter who is president and no matter how many Big Pharma players file lawsuits. Her reasoning? Every other high income nation has been negotiating prices with drugmakers for years, and the program is widely popular in the U.S. among pretty much everyone who isn’t a pharma company, she said during a session at Engage at HLTH.

By combining AI with human expertise and oversight, we have the potential to revolutionize the clinical trial process—and most importantly, extend and save lives.