Each
year,
the
HLTH
conference
gives
healthcare
leaders
a
chance
to
gather
and
share
ideas.
The
event
also
gives
companies
the
chance
to
announce
news
—
oftentimes
about
new
products,
partnerships
and
business
plans.
Below
are
seven
noteworthy
announcements
made
during
this
year’s
HLTH
conference
in
Las
Vegas.
Mark
Cuban’s
Cost
Plus
Drugs
company
will
partner
with
TrumpRx
During
an
onstage
session
at
HLTH,
Mark
Cuban
revealed
a
forthcoming
partnership
between
his
Cost
Plus
Drugs
company
and
TrumpRx,
a
federal
program
designed
to
bring
discounted
prescription
drugs
directly
to
consumers.
TrumpRx,
which
is
set
to
launch
early
next
year,
will
function
as
a
referral
platform,
directing
people
to
websites
like
Cost
Plus
Drugs.
Through
this
partnership,
Cost
Plus
Drugs
will
provide
its
pricing
data
to
TrumpRx.
Cuban
said
he
hopes
this
collaboration
will
disrupt
the
traditional
PBM
model,
which
he
has
long
criticized
for
contributing
to
the
nation’s
exorbitant
drug
prices.
Optum
launches
claims
management
platform
UnitedHealth
Group
subsidiary
Optum
unveiled
an
AI-powered
real-time
claims
management
platform
called
Optum
Real.
The
system
is
designed
to
reduce
friction
between
providers
and
payers
during
claims
submission
and
reimbursement
processes.
The
platform’s
goal
is
to
allow
providers
to
instantly
verify
details
about
patients’
benefits
and
coverage,
therefore
reducing
the
guesswork
and
delays
that
providers
typically
face
when
trying
to
get
paid.
Cedar
rolls
out
new
tools
to
help
people
afford
care
Healthcare
payments
startup
Cedar
introduced
Cedar
Cover,
a
digital
platform
aimed
at
helping
patients
access
Medicaid
coverage
and
financial
assistance.
The
platform
—
which
integrates
with
hospital
billing
workflows
—
helps
identify
patients’
potential
Medicaid
eligibility,
assists
with
their
enrollment,
manages
their
renewals
and
connects
them
to
co-pay
support
for
medications.
Given
the
recent
Medicaid
cuts
under
the
One
Big
Beautiful
Bill
Act,
Cedar’s
new
system
is
meant
to
mitigate
the
harm
on
patients
and
providers
by
decreasing
uncompensated
care
costs.
Early
adopters
of
Cedar
Cover
include
Novant
Health,
Baystate
Health
and
The
Iowa
Clinic.
Oscar
Health
creates
menopause-focused
ACA
plan
Oscar
Health
debuted
a
new
Affordable
Care
Act
plan
called
HelloMeno.
The
New
York-based
payer
developed
the
plan
in
collaboration
with
Elektra
Health,
a
virtual
provider
of
menopause
care.
Tailored
for
women
navigating
menopause,
HelloMeno
offers
zero-copay
primary
care,
gynecological
and
behavioral
health
visits,
as
well
as
no-cost
labs,
hormone
therapy,
insomnia
medications
and
bone
density
scans.
AMA
unveils
new
center
for
digital
health
and
AI
The
American
Medical
Association
launched
a
new
center
aimed
at
giving
physicians
a
stronger
voice
in
shaping
how
digital
health
tools
and
AI
technologies
are
deployed
in
clinical
care.
The
center
seeks
to
help
shape
policies
and
regulations
around
digital
health
technology,
as
well
as
find
better
ways
to
integrate
these
tools
into
clinical
workflows.
Other
goals
include
providing
education
and
training
to
clinicians
about
how
to
use
AI
tools
and
fostering
collaboration
across
industries
—
including
with
tech
companies,
payers,
government
and
researchers.
Knownwell
snags
$25
million
Knownwell
closed
a
$25
million
funding
round
led
by
CVS
Health
Ventures.
The
startup
offers
metabolic
health
services,
primary
care,
nutrition
counseling
and
behavioral
health
care
—
and
also
prescribes
GLP-1s
when
considered
appropriate.
It
provides
virtual
care
nationwide,
as
well
as
in
person
care
at
its
clinics
in
the
Atlanta,
Boston,
Chicago
and
Dallas
areas.
With
its
new
capital,
the
startup
will
focus
on
expanding
care,
both
by
adding
additional
clinics
and
growing
its
virtual
care
team.
Highmark
Health
teams
up
with
Noom
Highmark
Health,
the
Pittsburgh-based
parent
company
of
payer
Highmark
and
health
system
Allegheny
Health
Network,
partnered
with
digital
weight
loss
company
Noom.
They
will
offer
Noom’s
weight
management
and
behavioral
health
programs
to
nearly
2
million
eligible
Highmark
members
starting
next
year.
The
program
is
designed
to
leverage
AI
tools
and
behavior‑science
techniques,
such
as
food
logging,
body
scan
technologies
and
peer
support
communities,
to
help
members
develop
healthy
habits
rather
than
just
treat
disease.
The
benefit
will
be
available
at
no
additional
cost
for
Highmark’s
eligible
members.
Photo:
HLTH