Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

News and Studies

• ONC released the draft United States Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) v5, along with a Standards Bulletin to explain the proposed two new data classes (Observations and Orders) and 13 new data elements (among them preferred name and pronoun).
• The 2024 Industry Outlook from eClinical Solutions found 53% of clinical data experts believe AI and ML will have the greatest impact on improving efficiency and outcomes.
• Though the volume of cyberattacks remained consistent in 2023 compared to the previous year, the number of compromised patients records increased 108% year over year, according to Fortified Health Security.

Partnerships

• Pharmacy benefits manager RxBenefits has integrated with the Springbuk Activate partner marketplace of tools for employers and benefits advisors.
• Sexual heath provider TBD Health is offering access to at-home test kits, diagnostics lab, pharmacy, and clinics to LGBTQ+ health provider FOLX Health and online prescriber Wisp.
• GigXR and CAE Healthcare formed a strategic alliance to provide multimodal clinical training for medical schools, health systems, first responders, and government agencies.
• The American Alliance of Orthopaedic Executives added Rivet’s Healthcare Revenue Acceleration Platform to its peer review program.

Product Releases and Sales

• Biofourmis launched its in-home services solution.
• Mastercard unveiled a solution to embed virtual cards into medical claim payments, allowing for payments to be made almost immediately. The company is partnering with Remedinet to roll out the product in India, where lengthy waits for payments are common.
• Immersive surgical training vendor Osso VR added five modules to Osso Academy, its graduate medical education training offering.
• Payment technology vendor Salucro’s patient payment workflow integration is now available for Cerner Millennium.
• Interoperability provider Velatura Public Benefit Corporation announced a pilot with Spesana, a precision medicine platform, to streamline prior authorization.
• bitewell launched its digital food farmacy, which provides personalized food shopping based on health needs and preferences. It’s available through participating health plans, wellbeing programs, or healthcare providers.
• Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company selected CLARA Analytics to help automate claims management.

Recognitions

• Two Avel eCare employees received the South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s Award for Heroism after helping to save the life of a rancher who was critically injured by a 1,600-pound bison and required virtual care treatment during an ambulance ride.
• Amendola Communications CEO Jodi Amendola was an honoree in the 2023 Ragan’s Top Women in Communications Awards.

People

• Data infrastructure and analytics company Kalderos made two executive appointments: Tim Brown as Chief Operating Officer and Kate Flathers as Head of Product.
• Specialty care company Thirty Madison welcomed Nirveek De as Chief Product Officer.
• Value-based care support vendor Equality Health appointed Christian León as Arizona Market President.
• Feel Therapeutics, maker of precision medicine tools for mental, and behavioral health, named Michel Vounatsos as Chairman of its Advisory Board and Amy Kruse as a member of its Board of Directors.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo. Note that submissions received after the close of business on Thursday may not be included in Bonus Features until the following week.