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Our monthly tracker report aims to provide a concise update for busy health tech professionals on the many factors influencing your work.
Here you will find a breakdown of deals, developments and opportunities from the last 30 days; and insight and opinion from leading thinkers in the field.
We hope you find something useful and/or inspiring below – and welcome any feedback about what else you’d like to see included. And don’t forget you can find daily updates on the health tech sector on our website.
Many thanks for your interest in Health Tech World.
Andrew Mernin
Editorial director, Health Tech World
andrew@aspecthealthmedia.com
Value: $12.5 million
Stage: Series A extension (announced 14 October 2026), bringing its Series A to $22.5 million
Solution: CareOS, software that carries out administrative work across healthcare practices’ existing systems, expanding beyond voice agents into multi-site clinic operations.
Investors: Z47 (lead).
Significance: Investors are backing AI that works inside clinics’ existing systems rather than replacing them. Confido plans to reach practices through private equity relationships, and its automation metrics are company-reported.
Value: $125 million
Solution: Jacksonville-based surgical robotics company. The funds will accelerate commercial growth of its Symani Surgical System in the U.S. and other key markets, and will support clinical trials such as the REMIND study on potential Alzheimer’s applications.
Investors: BioStar Capital (lead), with S3 Ventures, Angelini Ventures, an undisclosed strategic corporate investor and existing investors.
Significance: The round is the largest in this list. Symani has about 3,500 procedures and a de novo FDA classification, so the money is for scaling a commercial device rather than proving the technology.
Value: $20 million
Stage: Series A (announced 7 October 2026)
Solution: Allentown-based patient-payment platform. It helps patients manage out-of-pocket costs while improving providers’ payment performance. It offers providers guaranteed non-recourse payment on an accelerated, predictable timeline.
Investors: F-Prime (lead), A1 Health Ventures and .406 Ventures.
Significance: Out-of-pocket spending is rising (about $591 billion in 2025, up 6%), and AblePay is a decade-old company taking its first major institutional round. It competes in a crowded patient-payments field against better-funded rivals.
Investors: Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital co-led the seed. Hummingbird Ventures led the Series A.
Significance: Sequoia and First Round backing an early clinical-AI company suggests top-tier funds still see opportunity in diagnostic-gap detection inside hospital workflows. The valuation was not disclosed.
Value: $340 million ($100 million Series C equity plus $240 million growth financing)
Stage: Series C (announced 29 September 2026)
Solution: Melbourne-based AI care partner. It began as a clinical scribe and is moving into AI agents supporting broader healthcare workflows, with deeper electronic health record integration and a push into Europe.
Investors: Blackbird led the Series C at a $900 million valuation, with Phoenix Court, Point72 Private Investments and Headline. The $240 million is nondilutive financing from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund.
Significance: The valuation is almost double the $465 million it carried at its Series B last October. Only $100 million is conventional venture equity, and the rest is non-dilutive.
Value: $33 million
Stage: Series B (announced 29 September 2026)
Solution: Austin-based microbiome intelligence platform. It offers gut and vaginal microbiome testing across the lifespan and is expanding into longevity and healthy ageing. The funds support research, provider education, its B2B platform and a patient-facing AI agent, plus a $5 million Microbiome Research Program.
Investors: B Capital (lead), with Spero Ventures, The Venture City, Overwater Ventures, Black Opal Ventures, Denver Ventures, Pave Health Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Gaingels and Pari Passu Ventures.
Significance: The round was oversubscribed. It points to investors treating microbiome data as a clinical and research asset, not just a consumer test.
Value: $20 million
Stage: Series A (announced around 24 September 2026)
Solution: Tennessee-based AI platform for post-acute care admissions. It reads referrals arriving by fax, portal or EMR integration and checks patients against a facility’s clinical criteria. The funds will extend it into discharge and payer workflows.
Investors: NEA (lead), with existing investors Frist Cressey Ventures and 25m Health.
Significance: NEA returned as lead rather than a new firm pricing the round. At Lifepoint Health the product cut median chart processing time by 86%, from 8.5 to 1.2 minutes, a concrete efficiency result of the kind investors want from workflow AI.
Value: $100 million (reported as a commitment)
Stage: Stage not disclosed (announced around 21 September 2026)
Solution: London and New York payer-policy intelligence company. It sells API access to real-time medical policies, including medical necessity criteria, across major payers and plans. The money goes toward new products and team growth to bring administrative efficiency to navigating payer requirements.
Investors: Thoreau, BHI – Bertelsmann Healthcare Investments, Twine Ventures and Seedcamp.
Significance: Infrastructure for insurance rules, delivered by API. The lead is Thoreau, a healthcare infrastructure platform rather than a traditional VC fund, and the $100 million is described as a commitment, so it may not all be a single priced equity round.
Value: $38 million
Stage: Seed ($8 million) plus Series A ($30 million), announced 7 October 2026
Solution: An AI platform that reads patient records to identify patients at risk of undiagnosed illnesses. The funds go to engineering, product, sales and customer success, with a goal of covering more than 40 major conditions and expanding into outpatient and home care.
Investors: Sequoia Capital and First Round Capital co-led the seed. Hummingbird Ventures led the Series A.
Significance: Sequoia and First Round backing an early clinical-AI company suggests top-tier funds still see opportunity in diagnostic-gap detection inside hospital workflows. The valuation was not disclosed.
Value: Up to US$872m (US$722m upfront in cash, plus up to US$150m contingent on revenue performance; announced 15 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / diagnostic laboratory assets.
Solution: BioReference Health, part of OPKO Health, provides clinical laboratory testing. The acquired assets include specialist women’s health diagnostics and a blood test designed to assess the likelihood of aggressive prostate cancer.
Acquirer: Labcorp.
Significance: The acquisition will strengthen Labcorp’s specialist diagnostics portfolio, particularly in women’s health and prostate cancer testing. The deal combines established laboratory services with tests designed to inform clinical decisions and improve access to diagnostic information.
Value: Approximately US$240m, according to MedTech Dive (announced 14 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / digital pathology software.
Solution: Proscia develops digital pathology software that enables laboratories to manage, analyse and share digitised tissue slides. Its technology supports pathology workflows and the development of AI-assisted diagnostic tools.
Acquirer: Agilent Technologies.
Significance: The acquisition will expand Agilent’s presence in digital pathology, complementing its existing laboratory and cancer diagnostics technologies. It positions Agilent to compete more directly in a market where digitisation and AI are increasingly being used to support pathology services.
Value: US$2.1bn, plus potential earnout payments of up to US$150m linked to performance targets in 2028 (announced 12 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / surgical medical devices.
Solution: Xodus Medical develops surgical products and consumables, including its Pink Pad patient-positioning system, designed to prevent patients from sliding during procedures performed in the Trendelenburg position.
Acquirer: Steris.
Significance: The transaction will broaden Steris’s surgical consumables business with specialist products used in operating theatres. Xodus is expected to generate approximately US$245m in revenue in 2026. Completion is anticipated by 31 December 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.
Value: US$945m in cash (announced 5 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / molecular imaging and radiopharmaceuticals.
Solution: Sofie Biosciences manufactures and distributes radiopharmaceuticals used in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Its capabilities include production infrastructure and access to FAPI-74, an investigational radiotracer being developed for cancer imaging.
Acquirer: GE HealthCare.
Significance: The acquisition will expand GE HealthCare’s US radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution network, improving its ability to supply time-sensitive PET imaging agents. It also provides access to a late-stage cancer imaging candidate, supporting the company’s ambitions in precision diagnostics.
Value: Approximately US$400m (£300m) in preferred equity investment, with an exclusive option to acquire the remaining shares (announced 12 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic equity investment / future acquisition option.
Solution: UK-based CMR Surgical develops the Versius Surgical Robotic System, a modular robotic platform designed to assist surgeons with minimally invasive soft-tissue procedures.
Acquirer: Stryker (strategic investor and prospective acquirer).
Significance: The agreement gives Stryker an entry into soft-tissue surgical robotics and exclusive US sales rights for the Versius portfolio. The investment will support CMR’s international expansion, while providing Stryker with the option to pursue a full takeover. This is not yet a completed acquisition.
Value: Approximately US$287.5m (originally announced 6 August 2026; acquisition completed 5 October 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / wearable cardiac monitoring.
Solution: VitalConnect develops wearable biosensors and remote cardiac monitoring technology capable of tracking multiple physiological parameters. Its platform supports ambulatory, hospital and hospital-to-home monitoring.
Acquirer: iRhythm Technologies.
Significance: The acquisition expands iRhythm’s capabilities beyond its established Zio cardiac monitoring technology, adding mobile cardiac telemetry and continuous multi-parameter monitoring. The combination is expected to support expansion into hospital and remote care settings and accelerate revenue growth from 2027.
Value: Up to US$320m (US$250m comprising US$190m cash and US$60m stock, plus up to US$70m in performance-related payments; announced 30 September 2026).
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / digital health and telemedicine.
Solution: PurposeMed, the parent company of Freddie, provides digital HIV prevention services, including access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), clinical consultations, testing, prescriptions and ongoing treatment support.
Acquirer: Grindr.
Significance: The acquisition will integrate HIV prevention services into Grindr’s platform, allowing users to access clinical assessments, prescriptions and medication support through an established digital community. The transaction represents Grindr’s expansion into healthcare delivery and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Value: Undisclosed acquisition price (announced 7 October 2026). The deal forms part of a wider NZ$150m investment commitment in New Zealand healthcare technology over two years.
Deal type: Strategic acquisition / electronic health records and primary care software.
Solution: indici provides a cloud-based electronic health record and practice management platform supporting primary care providers. Its technology helps clinicians manage patient information and clinical workflows.
Acquirer: Lanas.
Significance: The acquisition will expand Lanas’s healthcare software presence in New Zealand and support investment in interoperability, AI-enabled capabilities and primary care infrastructure. The wider investment programme is intended to strengthen the country’s digital health ecosystem
Technology has the potential to transform healthcare, but successful innovation depends on understanding the people who will ultimately use it.
So we asked our members:
How can health tech better understand the needs of professionals and patients?
Here’s what they told us
Effie Arditi, CEO and co-founder at Longevitix
A widening gap exists between what patients expect and what physicians are equipped to deliver.
Patients are more informed, with growing access to advanced lab testing, sophisticated wearables, and novel therapeutics.
Their expectations are rising. They want deeper insights, personalised guidance, and continuous care.
Closing that gap requires technology companies to include physicians on their leadership teams and design architecture – clinicians who can translate what actually happens at the bedside, what patients present with, and where healthcare professionals are stretched thin.
Agentic AI is an exciting next step, but it must be physician-supervised.
James Hounsell, co-founder, Evolene
If you’re building health-tech from meeting rooms and video calls, there is a decent chance you don’t understand your customer nearly as well as you think you do.
We worked with a brilliant imaging company doing sophisticated science, yet they had missed the awkwardly basic fact that many US radiology reports were still being faxed around in black and white, while their product relied on colour maps.
That is what happens when clever people design for healthcare they have not truly experienced.
Get out of the office, shadow users, watch the workflow. Reality is very good at exposing expensive assumptions.
Louise Wall, managing director – Healthcare UK&I, Digital Workforce
Understanding clinicians and patients should always start with the pathway, not the product.
It’s essential for clinicians to be part of mapping the entire pathway from referral to diagnosis, creating a shared view so information reaches the right people at the right time.
Clinical decision-making should stay with them, while automation should take on the routine coordination and administrative burdens that waste their time.
Patients don’t see the different systems behind their care; they experience one journey.
Designing around that whole journey, not individual tasks, means care moves smoothly between teams and departments, ultimately improving their experience.
Benedict Heaver, CEO, Streets Heaver
Healthcare professionals are remarkably adaptable. Over time, that adaptability can obscure the very problems technology should be addressing.
Repeated data entry, disconnected systems, and patients having to provide the same information multiple times are often tolerated because they have become part of everyday practice.
The challenge for healthcare suppliers is to look beyond what users ask for and understand what they have simply learnt to live with.
By observing workflows, questioning accepted inefficiencies, and involving frontline staff and patients throughout the design process, organisations can identify opportunities for meaningful improvement.
This philosophy underpins the vision of the ‘invisible hospital’: a connected healthcare environment where technology fades into the background and supports care seamlessly.
The ultimate measure of success is not how visible technology becomes, but how effectively it removes friction from the patient and clinician experience.”
Aaron Jackson, VP UK & Ireland, Orion Health
Understanding what healthcare professionals and patients need means looking beyond individual systems and thinking about how care works across the whole system.
Too often, information is fragmented across organisations, creating extra work for professionals and a disjointed experience for patients.
Neighbourhood Health brings that into sharp focus. If teams across primary, community, acute and social care are expected to work together around the same person, information and care plans need to work across those boundaries too.
Technology companies need to listen to the people delivering and receiving care, understand where those gaps are and make it easier for information to flow between them.
Darren Kilroy, chief medical officer, RLDatix
Healthcare organisations generate a significant amount of data around the clock, and technology companies can help them make sense of it.
But what really needs to be prioritised is democratising that data so clinicians can be inquisitive about it, rather than keeping the data within a small group.
The more you democratise the data, the more interest it sparks, and that is the key to engagement that drives action.
Crucially, the data should bring together both operational metrics and patient feedback, so it can directly improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Fiona Dawson, chief technology officer, Mayden
Developing good software is no longer enough in modern health tech.
As care delivery becomes more complex, providers must deeply understand how their customers operate; that insight only comes through continuous collaboration.
Our approach, shaped by more than twenty years of working with diverse users, is built on pilots, surveys, open days and long‑standing relationships.
We create consistent touchpoints between our customers, teams and leadership to ensure decisions reflect real operational needs.
We bring the technical expertise, but our users hold the daily insight that makes solutions effective. It’s this partnership that drives our ongoing success
Bishoy Dimitri, chief clinical information officer UKI, Dedalus
Technology companies will only understand the needs of healthcare professionals and patients by designing with them.
Effective engagement is more than surveys; it means observing real workflows, testing solutions in practice, and assessing usability alongside functionality.
Strong clinical leadership — supported by clinicians active in frontline care — ensures technology reflects real‑world challenges.
Combining cognitive psychology, structured usability testing and continuous feedback uncovers hidden frustrations and efficiency opportunities.
The strongest digital tools are refined iteratively with users and grounded in everyday experience, as seen with platforms like ORBIS PAS.
Ongoing collaboration with clinicians, administrators and patients keeps technology aligned with evolving needs.
Afshin Attari, senior director of public sector, Exponential-e
Technology delivers the greatest impact in healthcare when it starts with listening.
Rather than arriving with pre-packaged solutions, technology providers must first understand the day-to-day challenges facing clinicians and healthcare teams.
Those on the frontline are best placed to identify where innovation can remove friction, improve workflows, and ultimately enhance patient care.
The same principle applies to patients. Trust is built when individuals know their data is secure, accessible when needed, and handled with transparency.
This becomes even more critical as AI transforms healthcare. Its ability to accelerate diagnoses, streamline administration, and unlock new insights depends on access to accurate, high-quality data.
Within healthcare, this means investing in secure and resilient digital foundations. Data must remain controlled, auditable, and recoverable at all times. Sovereignty should not be seen as a barrier to innovation.
When implemented effectively, it becomes an enabler, providing the confidence clinicians and patients need to embrace new technologies and realise their full potential at scale.
Tracy McClelland, CCIO, Alcidion
Technology companies understand healthcare best when they design with clinicians, not for them. A clinical-first approach begins at the bedside, not with a feature list.
At Alcidion, clinicians across our global teams work on product development and clinical safety. Customer user groups share knowledge and shape local configuration, while clinical workshops give nurses, doctors and allied health professionals a real voice in their priorities.
Engagement sessions on wards reveal workflow realities no requirements document captures.
Patient advocates co-develop alongside customers, as with our Martha’s Rule documentation. Treating customers and patients as co-designers builds trust, strengthens safety and improves care.
David Simpson, founder and product owner at Medilogik:
Medilogik manages and develops the endoscopy management system EMS.
We operate in a very regulated market; our software has to meet strict guidelines and reporting requirements. So, we meet regularly with the bodies that shape our sector.
We also talk constantly to our clinical advisors and to endoscopists, so they are aware of any changes we make, and we understand their requirements.
And we’ve just done some work with an NHS trust to turn its paper information into videos, so patients have a better idea of what to expect.
That level of engagement has made us one of only two suppliers to have 100% of customers reporting to the latest version of the National Endoscopy Database, NEDi2.1.
But endoscopy is unusual: clinical practice shapes our system, and our system shapes clinical practice; so there’s a constant three-way conversation between ourselves, our regulators and users.
James Hitchen, patent attorney, HGF
The best healthcare innovation starts at the bedside, not in the lab.
Yet the clinicians and patients who understand unmet needs best are often kept at arm’s length, partly out of fear over who owns the resulting ideas.
Handled well, intellectual property removes that fear.
Clear, fair agreements on confidentiality, inventorship and shared rewards turn clinicians and patients from passive end users into genuine co-inventors.
Patents filed by clinicians also show which problems doctors and nurses are already trying to solve themselves.
Companies that treat IP as a foundation for trust, not a barrier to collaboration, will build technology people truly need.
Mark Venables, Highland CEO
Health tech companies are embracing a fundamental shift in how they engage NHS trusts and understand healthcare professionals’ needs.
In the past year, NHS trusts have literally opened their doors to innovators, creating opportunities for their entire workforce, from executives to frontline clinicians, to explore emerging technologies and help tech firms understand what is needed.
Showcases hosted inside hospitals reveal the art of the possible, and spark conversations that democratise who contributes to tech priorities. By listening directly to staff and leaders, health tech firms are emerging with deeper insight into local challenges, enabling more relevant, practical, and capable solutions.
The most successful health tech companies are no longer selling to the NHS from afar.
They are bringing teams inside hospitals to engage with the people shaping strategy in the boardroom and people on the frontline.”
Chris Scarisbrick, deputy UK managing director for Sectra
Adoption is the real test of whether you’ve met clinicians’ needs. When a system is used fully, without workarounds, that’s a strong indicator you’ve done it right.
Getting there requires a culture that health tech companies must embody. It takes presence, relationships and a willingness to re-imagine, with customers, how to get the most from technology.
That means people close by who actively listen across an imaging department, trust, board or region.
It means acting as a partner, not just a supplier, and mobilising swiftly, especially when challenges are urgent. It means rethinking requirements with customers when a different approach could deliver better outcomes.
Most importantly, it means not waiting to be told what to do, but working proactively with customers to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Kathryn Giudes, founder and managing director at ORCA Opti
Spend time where the work happens. The fastest way to understand clinicians is to sit with them through a real shift and time the tasks that pull them away from patients: searching protocols, re-keying data, chasing sign-offs for an audit.
Then build for the obligations as well as the workflow. In healthcare, every shortcut has to stand up to a regulator, so the best tools save time and leave the evidence behind them.
We’ve seen this at ORCA Opti. AOVO, a clinical research facility, cut core clinical-trial workflows from up to 45 minutes to under five with Opti Assist, because the answers clinicians needed were buried in trial documentation.
STAT, a health technology start-up, stood up its governance, risk and compliance foundation in under a month.
The technology clinicians trust gives them time back without adding another system to manage.
Chris Davies, founder and CEO at Simpsi Health
The best way to understand need is to stand in the shoes of both groups and recognise the tsunami of information they receive, then help them find what matters in the moment. Patients should be treated as citizens with agency, equipped to manage their own health.
Changing this no longer needs to be big bang, but rather 1,000 small improvements focused on reducing personal and system friction.
Technology companies need to focus on this approach and start by applying new automation and AI techniques to accelerate and support fixing these basics.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is to establish a Digital Health Living Lab following a £2.4 million UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship awarded to researcher Lukas Hughes-Noehrer. The four-year project will investigate how wearable technology can improve patient outcomes and support personalised care. An 800-patient clinical trial involving people undergoing lung and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery will assess the technology’s clinical impact. Researchers will also examine how data collected by wearables can be integrated into electronic health records, while addressing accessibility, trust and digital inclusion. The findings could inform wider adoption of remote monitoring across NHS services.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced two awards totalling $1.5 million through its 2026 Leading Edge Acceleration Projects in Health Information Technology programme. The funding will support projects focused on advancing agentic AI in clinical care and improving interoperability between laboratory systems and wider healthcare infrastructure. The initiative aims to address longstanding barriers to exchanging and using health information, helping clinicians access more comprehensive patient data. By supporting innovative applications of AI and healthcare data standards, the programme seeks to improve clinical workflows, strengthen decision-making and accelerate the adoption of interoperable digital health technologies.
A research partnership involving Queen Mary University of London, King’s College London and two NHS trusts has secured Innovate UK funding to explore the use of artificial intelligence to create digital twins of human tissue. The project, called DESTINY, will investigate whether AI can predict complex molecular information from routinely collected tissue data, potentially reducing reliance on expensive laboratory testing. The technology could support cancer research, drug discovery and personalised treatment. The initial funding will support a feasibility study, with successful projects eligible to apply for up to £10 million in further support through Innovate UK’s Frontier AI Discovery competition
Middlesbrough-based surgical technology company Surghive has been awarded a £40,000 Tees Valley Innovation Voucher to accelerate development of its virtual reality surgical training platform. The company is creating a digital education ecosystem designed to make robotic surgery training more accessible to healthcare professionals across the NHS and internationally. Founded by surgical professionals Dr Rachael Coates and Professor Deena Harji, alongside director Christina Anderson, Surghive aims to address growing demand for specialist training as robotic procedures become increasingly common. The funding will support further development of its digital platform, potentially helping healthcare organisations expand access to practical, technology-enabled surgical education.
Nine innovative technologies will undergo NHS testing through a new dementia diagnosis programme backed by up to £80 million in government funding. The Dementia Challenge, supported through UK Research and Innovation’s Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme, aims to improve the speed and accuracy of dementia diagnosis. Technologies being evaluated include faster MRI brain scans and remote cognitive assessment tools. The initiative aims to increase the proportion of patients diagnosed within 18 weeks of referral to 92 per cent, compared with approximately 60 per cent currently. Projects will need to demonstrate effectiveness through real-world testing before receiving additional funding.
Seven early-stage health technology companies have joined the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s DeepTech Catalyst Health programme at Daresbury Laboratory. The initiative provides tailored support packages worth up to £70,000 to help startups accelerate product development and commercialisation. The participating businesses are developing technologies addressing challenges including stroke rehabilitation and eye condition assessment. Innovations include a wearable robotic arm designed to support stroke recovery. Companies will gain access to specialist artificial intelligence facilities, prototyping resources, intellectual property guidance and commercial expertise. The programme aims to help emerging businesses translate promising research into practical healthcare solutions and improve patient outcomes.
The US Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has announced funding recipients for its Delphi programme, which aims to develop a new generation of personalised biosensors. The initiative will support the creation of miniature, modular microelectronic components capable of monitoring multiple biological signals simultaneously. Unlike conventional devices that typically track individual measurements such as glucose or heart rate, the proposed technology could measure hormones, inflammatory markers and medication levels. The programme aims to make sophisticated health monitoring more affordable and accessible, potentially transforming how chronic conditions are managed and enabling patients and clinicians to make decisions using continuous biological information.
The US National Institutes of Health has awarded 58 research grants worth approximately $237.5 million through its 2026 High-Risk, High-Reward Research programme. The funding will support ambitious scientific projects with the potential to transform healthcare and biomedical research. Among the initiatives are projects using artificial intelligence to accelerate cancer treatment discoveries and developing approaches to help stroke survivors regain natural speech and communication. Other funded research will explore treatments for preeclampsia and new uses for existing medicines to address rare diseases. The programme prioritises unconventional research that could deliver significant advances in diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Nottingham and GE HealthCare have announced a strategic partnership to accelerate healthcare innovation and improve patient care. The collaboration will explore opportunities involving medical technology, digital data, analytics and new care pathways, combining the university’s research expertise with NHS clinical experience and GE HealthCare’s technology capabilities. The organisations will also investigate opportunities to support education, research and emerging healthcare businesses. A memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for future projects, building on previous collaborations involving medical imaging, clinical research and wireless foetal monitoring technology.
UMass Memorial Health has announced a multi-year partnership with Microsoft and Accenture to modernise its digital infrastructure and expand the use of artificial intelligence across healthcare delivery. The initiative will replace fragmented reporting systems with a unified data platform built using Microsoft Azure technology. Accenture will introduce agentic AI tools designed to automate complex administrative processes and extract insights from healthcare information. The collaboration aims to improve clinical decision-making, operational efficiency and access to reliable data. By connecting previously isolated systems, the organisations hope to establish a stronger foundation for future AI-powered healthcare applications.
GE HealthCare has expanded its research collaboration with Mass General Brigham to investigate how generative artificial intelligence could support more personalised radiation therapy. The project will explore technology capable of combining structured clinical records with unstructured patient information, allowing oncology teams to access relevant treatment data more efficiently. The collaboration builds on previous work that contributed to GE HealthCare’s Intelligent Radiation Therapy solution, which helped reduce the time between patient intake and treatment initiation. Researchers hope the new AI capabilities will streamline clinical workflows, reduce information fragmentation and support more informed decisions throughout cancer treatment planning and delivery.
Siemens Healthineers and Truvian Health have announced a strategic alliance to accelerate development of the TruVerus automated blood testing platform. The collaboration combines Truvian’s compact laboratory technology with Siemens Healthineers’ expertise in diagnostic testing, manufacturing, quality systems and commercialisation. The companies will explore opportunities to make high-quality blood testing more accessible across a wider range of healthcare environments. Truvian’s technology is designed to simplify routine laboratory analysis through an automated benchtop system. The partnership could help healthcare providers expand diagnostic capabilities while reducing dependence on traditional laboratory infrastructure and improving access to timely test results.
Dawn Health and Merck have expanded their existing collaboration to develop digital healthcare solutions for people living with rare tumours. The partnership will build on their previous work supporting patients with growth disorders, extending their connected care approach to conditions requiring complex, long-term management. The companies aim to create a digital ecosystem that helps patients and caregivers navigate specialist appointments, ongoing monitoring and treatment information. Rare tumour patients can face significant challenges accessing specialist expertise and coordinating care across multiple providers. The initiative seeks to improve support throughout the patient journey and make personalised digital services more accessible.
Assort Health and Nextech have announced a partnership to jointly develop AI-powered patient communication tools for ophthalmology practices. The collaboration will integrate Assort Health’s AI agents more deeply into Nextech’s practice management technology, making the tools available to its customers. The companies aim to automate routine patient interactions and improve access to services while reducing administrative pressure on clinical teams. Assort Health already provides AI technology across a range of healthcare organisations, including specialist eye care providers. The partnership reflects growing interest in using conversational AI to manage patient enquiries, streamline workflows and improve the experience of accessing healthcare.
Medtronic has joined Paddington Life Sciences, a collaborative innovation community bringing together NHS organisations, universities, technology companies and public sector partners. The initiative includes Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London and aims to accelerate the development and adoption of technologies that improve patient outcomes. Medtronic will contribute expertise spanning medical devices, neuroscience, cardiovascular care, surgical technology and data-driven healthcare. The partnership seeks to strengthen collaboration between industry and healthcare providers while supporting innovation and economic growth in west London. It also aims to ensure that new technologies deliver meaningful benefits for patients and local communities.
Lightbeam Health Solutions and ChartSpan have announced a strategic partnership to integrate device-based and deviceless remote patient monitoring into a unified healthcare platform. The collaboration combines Lightbeam’s population health analytics technology with ChartSpan’s infrastructure for collecting and managing patient-generated health information. The companies aim to help healthcare organisations monitor patients more effectively, particularly those managing large populations under value-based care arrangements. By bringing together information from connected devices and other monitoring approaches, the partnership seeks to reduce fragmented data, improve clinical workflows and enable earlier intervention. The initiative could support more coordinated management of chronic conditions outside traditional healthcare settings.
Oracle Health data breach affects nearly 20 million people
A major data breach involving Oracle Health’s legacy Cerner electronic health record systems has reportedly affected nearly 20 million people, highlighting the cybersecurity risks associated with healthcare technology suppliers.
The incident, which dates back to January 2025, has affected numerous hospitals and health systems across the United States. By early October, at least 29 healthcare organisations had been publicly identified as affected.
Healthcare providers have continued notifying patients whose information may have been compromised, while Oracle Health faces legal action connected to the incident.
The scale of the breach has renewed concerns about protecting sensitive patient information held by third-party technology providers.
UK minister warns of AI-driven healthcare cyberattacks
The UK government has warned that increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence could make major cybersecurity breaches difficult to prevent.
AI minister Kanishka Narayan raised concerns following an incident involving an OpenAI agent that accessed unauthorised information within Australia’s Medicare system during a security-related exercise.
Although Australian authorities reported no known compromise of personal medical records, the incident demonstrated how autonomous AI systems could bypass established security protections.
The government is considering stronger cybersecurity requirements and mandatory incident reporting, while expanding efforts to evaluate the risks posed by advanced AI models.
The warning has particular relevance for NHS organisations adopting AI-enabled technologies.
US Senate passes bill to strengthen healthcare cybersecurity
The US Senate has passed bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening cybersecurity protections across the healthcare sector.
The move follows mounting concerns over the frequency and financial consequences of cyberattacks targeting hospitals, health insurers and other medical organisations.
According to figures cited in coverage of the legislation, more than 730 healthcare data breaches affected over 270 million Americans last year, with the average cost of a healthcare breach estimated at approximately US$10 million.
The legislation reflects growing recognition that cybersecurity is essential to maintaining patient safety, protecting sensitive medical information and ensuring continuity of healthcare services.
NHS-linked ransomware gang dominates UK attacks
A ransomware group associated with the cyberattack on NHS pathology provider Synnovis has been identified as one of the UK’s most prolific cybercriminal organisations.
Research from Cohesity found that ransomware incidents across the UK increased by 60 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 42 per cent year-on-year.
The Qilin group, linked to the Synnovis attack, accounted for 19 per cent of UK incidents, while another group, The Gentlemen, was responsible for 13 per cent.
Researchers also warned that artificial intelligence is helping cybercriminals automate attacks and operate at greater scale, creating additional challenges for healthcare organisations seeking to defend critical systems.
iRhythm cyberattack exposes data of 360,000 people
Medical technology company iRhythm has reported a data breach affecting at least 360,000 people, raising further concerns about the security of information held by digital healthcare providers.
The company, which develops cardiac monitoring technologies, disclosed that hackers had stolen personal information belonging to patients.
Compromised details included names, residential addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and telephone numbers.
The incident highlights the potential consequences of cyberattacks on companies operating outside traditional hospital environments, particularly as healthcare providers increasingly rely on connected diagnostic technologies and remote patient monitoring.
Protecting patient information across these services remains a significant cybersecurity challenge.
Healthcare data breaches expose 250,000 patient records
Cybersecurity incidents involving two US healthcare companies have exposed information relating to approximately 250,000 individuals.
The breaches affected Clover Health Investments in New Jersey and AngMar Management Services in Texas, with attackers accessing patient information during incidents in July.
The disclosures demonstrate the continuing vulnerability of healthcare organisations to attacks targeting confidential patient data.
Healthcare companies increasingly manage information across interconnected systems, creating multiple potential points of exposure.
The incidents also underline the importance of timely breach detection, secure information management and effective incident response procedures, particularly where organisations handle sensitive personal and medical records.
Health AI is already using lakes of data for which no consent has been obtained and that is hugely problematicHealthcare AI legal expert Marcus Vass warns of risks and regulatory gaps at Health Tech World Live
Elsevier launches ClinicalKey Nursing AI
Elsevier has announced the global launch of ClinicalKey Nursing AI, an artificial intelligence tool developed specifically to support nursing professionals.
The solution is designed to provide evidence-based clinical information to nurses at the point of care, while also supporting professional learning and development.
By focusing on nursing-specific requirements, the platform aims to make relevant clinical knowledge easier to access during everyday healthcare delivery.
The launch reflects growing demand for specialised AI assistants that support different healthcare professions rather than offering generic clinical information.
Elsevier is positioning the technology as a tool to support clinical decision-making and professional development throughout nurses’ careers.
Bristol NHS launches shared cardiology patient record
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a shared digital patient record system designed to improve coordination between cardiology services across three hospitals.
The Centricity Cardio Workflow system has gone live at Southmead Hospital, the Bristol Heart Institute and Weston General Hospital.
For the first time, cardiology teams can access key patient information in real time, regardless of where treatment was previously delivered.
The system provides clinicians with a more complete view of cardiac histories, procedures and treatment information, supporting faster clinical decisions and reducing fragmentation between services.
The deployment represents a significant step towards more integrated cardiovascular care across the trust.
Oracle launches AI-powered oncology EHR
Oracle Health has launched a new oncology-focused electronic health record system incorporating artificial intelligence to support cancer care delivery.
The Oracle Health Oncology EHR is designed around the specific needs of oncology teams, combining clinical documentation, patient information and AI assistance within a specialist workflow.
The launch reflects a growing trend towards more specialised electronic health records that support individual clinical disciplines rather than relying entirely on general-purpose systems.
By integrating AI directly into oncology workflows, Oracle aims to reduce administrative burdens and make relevant patient information more accessible to clinicians managing complex cancer treatment pathways.
AI-powered COPD programme launches in London
A new digital programme offering daily AI-powered support to people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has launched across North West London.
The initiative aims to help patients manage their condition more effectively outside traditional clinical settings, providing ongoing support between healthcare appointments.
The launch highlights the expanding role of digital technologies in managing long-term respiratory conditions, where timely interventions and consistent monitoring can be important in preventing deterioration.
The programme also reflects the NHS’s wider ambitions to shift more care from hospitals into community and home environments, using technology to support patients with chronic conditions.
ChristianaCare goes live with Epic and MyChart
US health system ChristianaCare has completed a major electronic health record transition, launching Epic and its patient-facing MyChart platform across its three-hospital network.
The deployment replaces the organisation’s previous Oracle Health system following a decision to change providers in 2024.
The transition is intended to support more integrated clinical information management while giving patients digital access to their healthcare information and services through MyChart.
The implementation forms part of a wider wave of major EHR migrations across US healthcare systems in 2026, as hospitals seek to consolidate fragmented technology environments and improve the flow of information between care settings.
Rotherham NHS trust introduces AI scribe for mental health
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust has introduced AI-powered clinical documentation technology for mental health services.
The deployment is part of the growing adoption of ambient AI and digital scribing tools across the NHS, as providers look to reduce the time clinicians spend on administrative tasks.
AI scribes can help generate draft clinical notes from consultations, allowing healthcare professionals to concentrate more fully on patient interactions.
The introduction is particularly relevant to mental health services, where maintaining engagement and communication during appointments is important.
The rollout also highlights the need for appropriate clinical oversight when AI-generated documentation is incorporated into patient records.
Heracles launches digital prostate health service
Men’s healthcare provider Heracles has launched a new UK service combining at-home prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing with ongoing monitoring of urinary symptoms.
The service aims to make prostate health assessment more accessible, offering patients access to specialist consultations and further clinical assessment where appropriate.
Heracles has also established treatment pathways for testosterone-related conditions, erectile dysfunction and weight management.
The company is seeking to connect digital health services with specialist medical care, moving beyond single-condition apps towards more comprehensive men’s health provision.
Further services are planned over the next six months, covering additional aspects of preventative health and wellbeing.
Sarasota Memorial launches $160m Epic EHR
Sarasota
The health system opted for a simultaneous, or ‘big bang’, deployment, transitioning multiple healthcare settings to the new platform rather than introducing it in stages.
The project represents a substantial investment in modernising clinical information systems and improving digital integration across the organisation.
It also illustrates the scale of resources required for major healthcare technology transformations, particularly when replacing established electronic health record platforms across complex provider networks.
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