Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Usefulness Of COVID-Symptom Apps Questioned
CIDRAP: Predicting Risk Of COVID-19 Infection Through App Inexact, Study Finds
Tracking COVID-19 symptoms through an app may not be a good predictor of the spread of the disease, according to a research letter published yesterday in Family Practice. Researchers in Switzerland and France analyzed data from a Nature Medicine study published on May 11 that suggested that a prediction score combining loss of smell and taste, fatigue, cough, and loss of appetite collected in real time through an app could identify people at risk for COVID-19. (7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Medical Devices Provide Another Window For Hospital Hackers
As COVID-19 swept the U.S., providers rapidly added web-connected equipment to increase patient data collection while minimizing touch points. But the technology may open hospitals up new vulnerabilities. Data breaches often stem from hacks on email accounts, electronic medical records and other digital repositories. But medical devices create additional access points that hackers could target to enter a hospital's network and steal data, cybersecurity experts warn. (Cohen, 7/29)
In other tech news —
Stat: VCs Are Still Showering Biotechs With Cash, Even Amid Coronavirus
Venture capitalists are still spending big on biotech companies, even four months after the coronavirus pandemic cratered global markets. Venture capitalists have already signed 240 biotech deals this year, collectively worth more than $10 billion, according to a recent SVB analysis. The average valuation for those companies has also increased since January, despite concerns about the potential impact of clinical trial delays. (Sheridan, 7/30)
The Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Startup Ro Raises $200 Million In New Funding
Ro, an online health-care startup, said Monday that it raised $200 million in a new funding round, bringing its total raised to $376 million. The new round values Ro at $1.5 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The New York-based company said it will use the new funding to invest in technology, such as remote patient monitoring, and double its 70-person engineering team. Ro runs a digital-health site for men and another one for women. A network of health-care professionals diagnoses patient conditions and prescribes medicines, which Ro distributes. The company says its ability to care for patients from an initial evaluation to treatment delivery sets it apart. (McCormick, 7/28)
