New year, same Hoagie. Today’s newsletter is 650 words-long, or a 3-minute read.
Think about it 💡
⚖️ Healthcare faces a legal void for AI errors. In 2024, the AI spotlight shifts from chatter to robust action, notably in healthcare. However, when AI falters in medical diagnoses or treatment, the legal frameworks are MIA. While AI streamlines tasks like note-taking and back-office duties, its clinical application faces hurdles over concerns of risk, coverage, and liability. The U.S. stands apart from other countries, leaning towards individual consequences rather than collective benefits for AI slip-ups in healthcare. Criticism abounds regarding the shortcomings of current regulations, including President Biden's AI-focused Executive Order, which lacks teeth in terms of specifics and penalties. Insurers acknowledge AI's potential in early health issue detection, yet its integration into clinical settings trails its rapid advancement, demanding improved data fusion and workflow integration. While the future promises AI democratization to offer precise diagnoses and treatments to more, initial access to AI-driven medical aid might remain limited to those with the means—like quick, pricey second opinions, a substantial niche in the industry.
🌡️ Mental health app Cerebral finds itself in hot water yet again. New York Attorney General Letitia James cracked the whip, revealing a cancellation process reminiscent of a maze—leading to a staggering $740,000 fine for the company. Charging consumers despite their valiant attempts to part ways, Cerebral stumbled into this mess after previously oversharing sensitive patient info with advertisers. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also decided to RSVP to the party, investigating Cerebral's prescription practices for controlled substances. Looks like Cerebral's got some homework in data security, subscription handling, and playing by the healthcare rulebook to do.
Ghosted Data 👻
📊 Healthcare's pursuit of interoperability is pivotal, yet the lack of seamless data flow among health entities and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) yields significant issues: missed meds, déjà vu diagnoses, and health patterns slipping under the radar. Shockingly, UCLA Health's study revealed that 20% of deceased patients were marked alive in their EHRs but registered as dead in state public health files. This mismatch isn't just a blip; it's a gaping hole in U.S. data tracking. Simple slip-ups like names and addresses birth doppelgänger records, leaving a cryptic trail in patient histories. Urging legislative changes and technological advancements, this highlights the pressing need for improved data validation and accessibility to death data. Ultimately, it calls for AI-driven solutions to revolutionize accurate patient record matching in healthcare.
Neat News 🗞️
💸 Nabla raised another $24 million for its AI assistant for doctors that automatically writes clinical notes. We believe, with no bias, that it is pretty neat indeed.
🌸 Orchid, a reproductive health startup, secured $12 million in seed funding and released the first whole genome sequencing test for embryos, aiming to support IVF parents with accessible diagnostics. Super neat.
🧠 Nalu raised $65 million to expand its neurostimulation system. Ultra neat.
Clean Content 🧼
💡 The internet’s favorite thinkboi (aka Nikhil Krishnan)’s 2024 healthcare predictions are out.
👛 Andreessen Horowitz hands out little gold nuggets on digital health funding in 2024 and AI regulation.
💬 Jared Dashevsky chats about wearable technology in mental health care, and we listen.
This is what you came for 🍑
🐆 In a daring exploration of love's less-charted territories, a recent study plunged into the world of age-gap romances, shining a spotlight on the overlooked domain of older women smitten with younger gents (or, in lay and stereotypical terms, cougars). Armed with statistical prowess and a savvy social media recruitment strategy, researchers uncovered some spicy truths. Turns out, these "age-hypogamy" relationships, where the guys sport a dashing 7–10 years younger tag, boasted higher emotional intelligence, more happiness, and an extra dose of bedroom confidence.
👏 Major applause to the writers and journalists who sparked this week's Hoagie - Susan Morse, Ashley Capoot, Nikhil Krishnan, The MedTech Pulse Team, Jessica Hagen, Romain Dillet.
Byeeee,