April - 2021

The HSB Blog

4 min

Scouting Report-CirrusMD: Effective Physician-Directed, Text-Based Virtual Care

The Driver: On March 31, 2021, CirrusMD raised $20 million in Series C funding and is set to grow and expand their mission of bringing physician-directed virtual care services via a telehealth messaging platform; connecting patients directly to a real doctor in less than 30 seconds. Securing a VA contract and including telemental health services (with a continuity based healthcare plan), CirrusMD is quickly answering the surge in demand for telehealth services at a competitiv

6 min

Wearable Technology Will Move Patients to More Continuous Care-The HSB Blog 4/26/21

Our take: Wearable technologies will transform patient care from episodic to longitudinal by bringing empowering innovative solutions that provide more continuous care insights as well as more convenient and frequent transfer of information between patients and providers. As a result, patients will receive higher quality, lower cost care. For example, given advances in technology, wearable sensors paired with advanced algorithms can now be used to predict a range of condition

4 min

Scouting Report-Crossover Health: Building Primary Care Relationships to Drive Differentiated Care

The Driver: In late March Crossover Health raised $168M in a Series D round to expand it’s employer-based primary care model, including a recently announced agreement to expand its partnership to build primary care clinics for Amazon workers. According to the company the funds will be used to expand their data intensive “Connected System of Health” across the U.S. and to build out centers for the Amazon partnership. The Entrepreneurial Insights: Founders must be willing to ta

4 min

Community Health Workers Will Reduce Disparities & Improve Outcomes-The HSB Blog 4/19/21

Our Take: According to the article, “America’s Health Literacy: Why We Need Accessible Health Information”, only 12% of adult Americans demonstrate limited (proficient) health literacy. This impacts overall health outcomes and healthcare expenditures due to a fragmented education system in the US where health education is not standardized. The cycle of poor health literacy contributes to the prevalence of preventable diseases. Integrating Community Health Workers (CHW) into t

3 min

Scouting Report-Canvas Medical: An AI Powered EMR for Physicians Moving to Value

Event: Canvas Medical, a San Francisco-based AI-powered electronic medical records startup, recently raised $17M in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Inspired Capital and IA Ventures with additional participation from existing investor Upfront Ventures. The company plans to use the funds to build new partnerships with insurers, to grow its business among virtual first clinics and, to meet regulatory goals to allow it to receive federal incentive payments. Description:

9 min

Augmented & Virtual Reality Can Finally Impact Healthcare Access and Outcomes-The HSB Blog 4/12/21

Event: The introduction of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into healthcare has tremendous potential to improve access, lower costs, and give patients a better understanding of their health. Over time it should help to improve overall long-term health outcomes. Previously, AR, VR, and spatial computing have been used in healthcare on a limited basis, but the broad rollout of 5G communications bandwidth and technologies will allow providers to integrate these te

3 min

Scouting Report-Ginger: Improving Access to Value-Based Mental Health Care

Event: Ginger, a San Francisco based mental health startup, recently raised $100M in a series E round. Ginger partners with companies to provide its users a personalized plan through a platform equipped with evidence-based therapy sessions and psychiatry services; a self-care library offering over 120 stress management activities; and behavioral coaches available 24/7. As reported by Fierce Healthcare, since 2020 many investors have backed digital mental health startups, with

12 min

How Telehealth is Addressing the Opioid Epidemic-The HSB Blog 4/5/21

Our Take: The rise in substance use disorder (SUD) fueled by the opioid epidemic has increased demand for behavioral health services and exacerbated the behavioral health workforce shortage. There is a marked discrepancy between the number of people who need addiction treatment in the United States compared to those who receive it. According to the American Addiction Centers, approximately 21 million people (12 and older) need substance abuse treatment, and only an estimated

4 min

Scouting Report-Thrive Global: Science Based Solutions to Improve Sleep & Behavior

Event: Thrive Global was founded by Arianna Huffington and launched in 2016 with a focus on reducing burnout with a strong focus on the proper role of sleep in self-care. While just one of many companies focusing on improving sleep habits, Thrive is at the forefront of this new technology. As noted by Thrive’s chief platform officer, “sleep is the underpinning of every aspect of our physical well-being, our mental well-being and our performance, including our creativity, deci