Tech Companies Team Up With Health Groups For Pandemic Response Hackathons

Modern Healthcare: Hackathons Challenge Developers To Tackle COVID-19 With Tech
Health groups and technology companies are teaming up to challenge developers to apply their skills to problems linked with the novel coronavirus. Datavant last weekend hosted more than 2,000 engineers, software developers, data scientists and other technology folks to develop tools that help those in the health sector better understand or mitigate the spread of COVID-19. It was part of the healthcare data company’s hackathon event, which it called the Pandemic Response Hackathon. (Cohen, 4/3)

Stat: The Covid-19 Pandemic Forces Comcast’s Health Tech Startup To Adapt
When telecom giant Comcast and health insurer Independence Blue Cross teamed up to found Quil in 2018, the health tech company’s goal was clear: give people simple, step-by-step guidance to help them navigate big health events, from pregnancies to hip replacements. But today, the joint venture finds itself in a very different place, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced physicians to put off routine appointments and postpone elective surgeries. Everyday health care is, in some ways, being put on hold — and startups like Quil are racing to adapt. (Brodwin, 4/6)

Modern Healthcare: Telemedicine Regulatory Barriers Continue To Drop For COVID-19
For years, telemedicine advocates have pushed to make it easier for patients to access care remotely. Many, but not all, of the barriers they had been fighting fell last month as lawmakers and government officials rushed to make telemedicine more available in the wake of the novel coronavirus. Telemedicine has been cited as a promising avenue to reduce the spread of COVID-19, letting patients receive care at home without visiting a crowded emergency department, and minimizing the need for providers to use personal protective equipment that is in short supply. (Cohen, 4/3)

Stat: Digital Health Startups Scored A Critical Cash Infusion At The Start Of This Year
As much of the world prepares for the possibility of a coronavirus-driven recession, a new report suggests that some digital health startups scored a critical infusion of cash just in the nick of time. Rock Health — a digital-health-focused venture fund — released a report Monday showing that startups in its portfolio raised a record-breaking $3.1 billion from investors between January 1 and March 31, 2020. The funding, which took place over roughly 100 deals, is more than double the total first quarter funding seen in any previous year. (Brodwin, 4/6)