Page 74 - Mployee Wellness Programs News Today

BioNTech gains rights to a MediLink Therapeutics antibody drug conjugate that targets tumors expressing the HER3 protein. The deal comes six months after the German company entered the ADC field by acquiring rights to two therapeutic candidates from DualityBio.

At HLTH, Bessemer investors Sofia Guerra and Steve Kraus detailed four predictions about where they think the digital health world is headed in 2024. One of these was that "services-as-software" will emerge as a new category of healthcare AI. Another was that some healthcare technology vendors will have to rethink their distribution models and rely on indirect monetization strategies.

Walmart's relationship with Included Health dates back to 2016 when its previous incarnation - Doctor on Demand - began providing virtual urgent care services to Walmart employees in three states. Nearly eight years later, the San Francisco company continues to be the only partner charged with delivering virtual primary care to almost 1 million people in 49 states.

European Union regulators ordered Illumina to divest Grail. Illumina is appealing antitrust findings in Europe and the U.S., but the DNA sequencing giant revealed that divesting all or part of Grail is an option even if it wins both legal challenges.

In this episode, we discuss SCAN Health Plan's recent launch of SCAN Inspired, a Medicare Advantage plan designed for women.

Noom is now offering Noom Med to employers. The program is intended for patients who need more clinical support in their weight loss journey. It offers access to a clinician and medications, including GLP-1s.

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.