International Business Machine (NYSE:IBM) said today that it agreed to acquire Truven Health Analytics for $2.6 billion, marking IBM’s 4th major health-related acquisition since launching Watson Health in April 2015. Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Truven provides could-based healthcare data and analytics solutions to federal and state government agencies, employers, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. IBM, whose healthcare unit is powered by the […]
Big Data
Philips inks integrated health data deal with Validic
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) said it inked a deal with digital health tech company Validic that will allow Philips to integrate personal health data from 3rd-party devices and apps into its platform of cloud-based HealthSuite programs. The collaborative deal will help “expand the breadth and depth” of Philips health tech, including Personal Health Programs, Lifeline medical alert […]
Canadian researchers expose security risk in wearable fitness trackers
Several of the most popular wearable fitness trackers have security flaws that could allow their wearers to be tracked and give hackers access to login credentials, data and even the ability to enter fake data, Canadian researchers said yesterday. Of the 8 devices examined by researchers at Open Effect, a Toronto-based non-profit think tank, only […]
CMS proposes enhanced data, claim sharing
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today proposed rules to allow approved qualified entities to share or sell data and analysis of Medicare and private sector claims in hopes of supporting improved care in the healthcare sector. The new rules are part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act and will allow the organizations to […]
Commonwealth Informatics inks data deal with FDA
Commonwealth Informatics said today it inked a 2-year research collaboration agreement with the FDA to improve Commonwealth’s Clinical Data Analytics platform. The CCDA is clinical data analytics platform designed to be used by healthcare and medical product researchers looking to analyze multiple data sources. The collaborative deal will allow Commonwealth to improve the software, the […]
Medical journals propose mandatory data sharing
Editors of some of the most prominent medical journals – including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Assn., the Annals of Interal Medicine and the British Medical Journal – are proposing to require researchers to share the data behind their published studies. “[T]here is an ethical obligation to responsibly share data […]
Medtronic, IBM Watson unveil predictive diabetes app
The CEOs of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and International Business Machine (NYSE:IBM) yesterday unveiled a the fruits of the project they’ve been working on since last April, combining the IBM Watson artificial intelligence platform with Medtronic’s insulin management devices. Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak joined IBM chief Ginni Rometty last night at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to unveil the […]
Diabetes: Insulet launches Glooko-linked data management system
Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) said yesterday that it’s launching a new data system for its OmniPod device that uses Glooko‘s diabetes management platform. Medtronic (NYSE:MDT)-backed Glooko’s platform is designed to integrate data from blood glucose monitors and other devices with either an Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) iPhone or Google (NSDQ:GOOG) Android application. Food intake, medication and insulin dosage can also be recorded to provide context for changes in […]
Report: Ransomware on the horizon for medical devices
Life-saving medical devices could be held hostage by ‘ransomware’ as early as next year, according to a report from Forrester Research, Inc. Ransomware is effectively digital extortion – malicious programs that control user devices and files until the user ponies up, usually in the digital currency Bitcoin. This year has seen significant growth in ransomware cases, and […]
Enlitic raises $10m from Aussie radiology provider Capitol Health
Enlitic said it raised a $10 million Series B round from Australian radiology service provider Capitol Health (ASX:CAJ) for its “deep learning” medical diagnostics platform. San Francisco-based Enlitic’s secret sauce is an algorithm designed to synthesize enormous amounts of data, learning about it as it goes. The deal with Capitol Health gives Enlitic access to radiology data […]
Study tracks fake stolen data around the world
A new study from data protection company Bitglass tracked planted ‘stolen’ data over 12 days as it was distributed through the Dark Web through peer-networks and other methods. Looking to explore and understand how quickly sensitive data can travel once its been stolen, Bitglass generated 1,568 fake names, social security numbers, credit card numbers, addresses […]