Today on Health in 2 Point 00, Jess pokes fun at me because my primary care provider has acquired a Medicare provider – One Medical buys Iora Health for $2.1 billion in stock. This deal is curious because these are two very different organizations. Next, HumanFirst (formerly Elektra Labs) raises $12 million in a Series A, bringing their total to $15 million, working on distributed clinical trials. Medallion raises $20 million in a Series A to address barriers for digital health providers around state licensing rules, and Aunt Bertha raises $27 million working on the social determinants of health and getting social care resources to patients. Finally, Grand Rounds and Doctor on Demand acquire Included Health, an LGBTQ+ focused care navigation platform. —Matthew Holt
#Healthin2Point00, Episode 191 | Doctor on Demand & Grand Rounds merge, plus more staggering deals
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, it’s St. Patrick’s Day and to top off your green beer we’ve got plenty of green money. First up on Episode 191, the news we’ve been waiting for: Doctor on Demand and Grand Rounds merge. No SPAC here, but this is a real harbinger for the future. Strive Health raises $140 million – this is Google money, looking to reinvent chronic kidney disease care. Social determinants of health startup Unite Us raises $150 million, integrating social services into medical records to address the social determinants. Finally Clarify Health raises $115 million working with population health data for drug companies, hospitals, and health plans. —Matthew Holt
#Healthin2Point00, Episode 161 | Partnerships galore & a new SPAC
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, we have some hot gossip re: Glen Tullman starting his own SPAC. On Episode 161, Jess and I discuss Bind Benefits raising $105 million, BridgeHealth merging with Transcarent and raising $40 million in a Series A, and Loyal raising $12.5 million in a Series A. Jess also asks for my take on a slew of new partnerships between Lyra and Calm, Cigna and MDLive, and Doctor on Demand and CareLinx. —Matthew Holt
Don’t Underestimate Doctor On Demand – CEO Hill Ferguson on the Era of ‘Tele-Everything’ Healthcare
By JESSICA DaMASSA, WTF HEALTH
JUST before the Teladoc-Livongo merger was announced, I had a chance to catch up with Doctor on Demand’s CEO, Hill Ferguson. The future for telehealth, he said, is “bright green” — and I’m pretty sure it’s looking even greener now! Doctor On Demand has stood out among telehealth companies for being particularly early on virtual primary care and it sounds like they’re going to continue developing that line of business — in which they have key partnerships with Humana and Walmart — with the $75M series D funding they just received.
Add to that a brand-new, first-of-its-kind telehealth program for the Medicare Part B population, and crazy consumer-focused type UX features like same-day scheduling for behavioral mental health care (yes, that’s right, dynamic scheduling for healthcare is here, folks!) and you can start to see how DOD is strategizing to pull away from the pack.
With the competitive landscape shifting, especially after Teladoc-Livongo, how does Hill view the onslaught of new entrants like digital health companies who added telehealth in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, or potential unicorns like Ro or HIMS, who are focused on tying the prescription drug business into virtual care delivery? It’s the insider insight you’ve been waiting for in this era of ‘tele-everything’ healthcare.
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 134 | Health Tech’s “PPP Blacklist”, Walgreens and VillageMD, & more
Today on Episode 134 of Health in 2 Point 00, Jess and I cover Livongo’s stock price swinging, Brian Dolan’s PPP “Black List” for Health Tech Startups, and Oak Street Health & GoHealth filing their S-1’s. We also get Matthew’s take on Walgreen’s deal with Village MD to become a primary care center, and Doctor on Demand closing a $75M round, bringing its total to $235M in funding —Matthew Holt
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 97 | Walmart and Fertility
Today on Health in 2 Point 00, Jess is in Berlin for the Bayer G4A Signing Day where they’re announcing which startups are going to get deals and Glen Tullman is doing a fireside chat with Eugene Borukhovich. In Episode 97, Jess and I talk about Walmart and fertility. Fertility benefits startup Progyny files for IPO and I’m blown away by this relatively new company. Another startup—Halle Tecco’s Natalist—raises $5M to send care boxes to help women get pregnant. Finally, Jess has a conspiracy theory, noticing that Walmart is sneaking into all aspects of health tech… Walmart is expanding Grand Rounds, partnering with Doctor On Demand and HealthSCOPE to offer telehealth to their employees, Sam’s Club is offering $1 telehealth visits to members, and they just announced a partnership with Embold Health for employees in the southeast. Finally, I’ll be at Society for Participatory Medicine next week in Boston—see you all there. —Matthew Holt
