Portfolio News

Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs Launches New Startup Focused on Urban Health

Google’s Sidewalk, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is launching Cityblock, a startup focused on creating a sustainable model of urban health. The startup plans to address health disparity in lower-income urban areas by providing preventive medicine and access to mental health and social service resources. The program is launching with a membership model for Medicaid patients. The model contracts with health plans and outpatient clinics to provide its members with access to online and in-person health benefits. Cityblock intends to build a technology platform that integrates primary...

Survey: 90% of patients seek to validate provider referrals on their own

A new report from Kyruus shows that patients are taking on a more active role in finding providers. Kyruus surveyed 1,000 consumers for its 2017 Patient Access Journey Report, and found that 90 percent of patients who received a provider referral conduct additional research afterwards. These findings suggest that patients don’t make decisions based on recommendations alone. But the survey also showed that there’s a generational difference in the way that older vs. younger patients prefer to find providers. Millennials (ages 18 – 36) and Gen Xers...

Five Visionary CEOs Share How AI and Digital Will Shape Our Future

Forbes contributing writer Robert Reiss recently interviewed five forward-thinking CEOs whose companies are transforming their fields: Graham Gardner, M.D., Co-founder and CEO of Kyruus; Jim Barnett, Co-founder, CEO, and Chairman of Glint; Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices; Andy Ory, Co-founder and CEO of 128 Technology; and Rich Riley, CEO of Shazam. Gardner took the opportunity to discuss the healthcare industry and Kyruus’ role in transforming and disrupting it. “While healthcare is a field known for scientific breakthroughs that can transform patients’ lives, it often...

Oswego Health to Kick Off New Telemedicine Program, Care OnDemand

Care OnDemand, Oswego Health’s new program enabling virtual doctor’s visits, is set to launch before year’s end in Oswego County, New York, thanks to a $35,000 gift from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation. With Care OnDemand, Oswego residents will soon be able to receive health care and medical advice from the comfort of their own homes simply by using their smartphone, tablet, or computer. Telemedicine programs like Care OnDemand aim to expand access to healthcare, especially for patients on Medicaid. Since the passage of a 2015-16 New...

Do Employee Health Plans Need a Shot In the Arm?

Research from Accenture shows that 82 percent of employed people believe their employers or health plans should provide health and wellness programs. However, these programs are falling short of employees’ needs and expectations. One key finding of Accenture’s research is that awareness and utilization of health and wellness services was extremely low, even for basic services such as a tool to help users find in-network healthcare providers. Employers are increasingly looking outside of health plans to help their employees access health and wellness services. In fact, 44...