Emily Olsen

The Oura Ring Gen 3
By  Emily Olsen 12:35 pm May 10, 2023
Oura, the company behind a health tracking ring wearable, announced Tuesday it had purchased digital identification startup Proxy in an all-equity deal. Proxy offers digital identity tech that aims to replace keys, cards, badges, apps and passwords. The startup said it had been working to include its offerings on wearable devices as well as phones.  According to reporting by Bloomberg, the deal...
Businesspeople shaking hands.
By  Emily Olsen 12:36 pm May 9, 2023
Aegis Ventures and Northwell Holdings, the investment arm of the New York-based health system, on Tuesday launched Optain, a company that aims to use AI-backed retinal imaging to catch early signs of disease. The partners also provided an initial seed investment of $12 million.  Though the startup is new to the U.S. market, Aegis and Northwell said the tech can be traced back to Australian...
A person unboxing a Cue test.
By  Emily Olsen 10:49 am May 9, 2023
Cue Health laid off another 326 workers, or about 30% of the home diagnostics company's workforce, as part of a new cost reduction plan. The cuts mark a second round of layoffs this year. In January, Cue laid off 388 employees, about 26% of its workforce. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cue said it had approved the new plan at the end of last month, aiming to "reduce the...
A person talking to a provider via a video call.
By  Emily Olsen 12:11 pm May 8, 2023
During the first year of the COVID-19 public health emergency, Medicare improperly paid for $580 million of psychotherapy care, including $348 million of telehealth services, according to an audit by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General. The report, which estimated that Medicare paid for $1 billion of psychotherapy that year, included more than 13.5 million...
A doctor helping set up a patient's smartwatch.
By  Emily Olsen 10:29 am May 5, 2023
When consultancy Simon-Kucher conducted its digital health trends survey in 2019, partner Jan Bordon was surprised by the digital immaturity of many healthcare and life science companies. That changed in 2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed companies to seriously consider digital tools and strategy. But now healthcare players need to take on another challenge: getting providers to use and...
A person talking to a provider via a video chat on a laptop
By  Emily Olsen 12:11 pm May 4, 2023
Amwell reported a significantly larger net loss in the first quarter due to a noncash goodwill impairment charge related to a lasting decline in the company's share price. The telehealth company posted a $398.5 million loss compared with $70.3 million in the prior-year period and a $61.6 million loss in the fourth quarter. The impairment charge was $330.3 million. "This charge resulted from the...
The Minuteful Kidney test
By  Emily Olsen 02:34 pm May 3, 2023
Smartphone urinalysis company Healthy.io announced Wednesday it had wrapped up a $50 million funding round. The Series D, which also includes a previously unannounced $45 million raise from early last year, was led by Schusterman Family Investments, with participation from Aleph and existing investors.  Healthy.io said the funds will be used to expand in the U.S. The company has offices in Boston...
Casana's Heart Seat
By  Emily Olsen 11:48 am May 3, 2023
Casana, maker of a health monitoring smart toilet seat, announced this week it had received its first FDA 510(k) clearance. The startup's Heart Seat received the agency green light for monitoring heart rate and oxygen saturation in adults at least 22 years and older who weigh 90 to 350 pounds. Casana said the battery-powered seat can run for several years without recharging, sending health data...
A close-up of a person wearing a smartwatch.
By  Emily Olsen 12:46 pm May 2, 2023
A smartwatch trade secrets battle between Apple and health tech company Masimo ended in a mistrial yesterday when jurors failed to reach an unanimous verdict. Masimo sued Apple in 2020 for allegedly poaching its employees and stealing trade secrets related to technology that uses light to measure blood oxygen levels in the Apple Watch. The company had been seeking more than $1.8 billion in...
A doctor looking at a mammogram.
By  Emily Olsen 12:01 pm May 1, 2023
Using low-tech interventions like a DVD and patient navigation services delivered by phone increases the odds of obtaining cancer screenings among rural women, a new study has found. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, recruited nearly a thousand women from rural Indiana and Ohio who weren't up-to-date on any or all recommended screenings for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. Some of...