StartUp Health

05/06/2026

🤝 StartUp Health community member Chris Turner, CEO & Co-founder of HealthBook+, has announced a new partnership with Safety Net Connect (SNC) – and it's aimed at one of the most persistent friction points in care delivery: what happens to critical patient information as it moves between primary care providers and specialists.

Through this collaboration, HealthBook+'s AI-powered clinical summarization is being embedded directly into SNC's SeeMD platform, which has facilitated over 2 million eConsults since its launch. HealthBook+ transforms the clinical data submitted by primary care providers into structured, context-rich summaries – so specialists can quickly grasp the full picture, respond faster, and manage higher consult volumes without added workload.

For underserved populations who depend on safety net health systems, that kind of seamless coordination isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between timely, informed care and care that falls through the cracks.

🔗 https://www.prlog.org/13149431-healthbook-and-safety-net-connect-partner-to-enhance-econsult-efficiency-and-clinical-decision-making.html

HealthBook+ and Safety Net Connect Partner to Enhance eConsult Efficiency and Clinical Decision-Making. HealthBook+, the personalized care delivery solution that helps clinicians better understand and support their patients, today announced a strategic partnership with Safety Net Connect (SNC), a le...

05/06/2026

StartUp Health community member Goldfinch Health is proving surgery doesn't have to be a gateway to opioid addiction. Through its Billion Pill Pledge program, Goldfinch partners with hospitals to optimize surgical care pathways and reduce unnecessary opioid prescriptions – with expert nurse navigators supporting patients before and after every procedure.

The latest milestone: Kearney County Health Services in Minden, Nebraska, became the first hospital in its 22-county region to launch the program. Since relaunching in September 2025, the results have been striking – a 57% reduction in average post-surgical opioid prescriptions, a 4% refill rate, zero post-surgical ER visits or readmissions related to pain management, and seven patients who recovered from surgery without using any opioids at all.

Goldfinch and Kearney County Health Services also recently recognized Erica Wilkins as a Billion Pill Pledge Champion for her leadership in bringing the program to life on the ground.

The mission is clear: eliminate one billion unnecessary leftover opioid pills following surgery each year. One community hospital at a time.

🔗 https://www.themindencourier.com/news/kearney-county-health-services-and-goldfinch-health-launch-billion-pill-pledge-program-and-recognize-program/article_00a20d05-ffe5-4a2d-bd92-41c1beff1858.html

MINDEN, NE, May 29, 2026 — Kearney County Health Services is proud to be the first hospital in Region 3’s twenty-two county service area to participate in the Billion Pill

05/06/2026

EMRs digitized the record. Interoperability connected the data. AI scribes automated the note. Each wave built the frame.

Now healthcare needs the engine.

StartUp Health community member Mehmet Kazgan of cliexa explains why eight years of building a clinical reasoning platform has positioned cliexa at exactly the right moment in the AI stack.

Watch the full interview:
▶️ https://media.startuphealth.com/p/how-cliexa-provides-the-clinical-reasoning-engine-powering-the-next-wave-of-healthcare-ai

04/06/2026

🧠 Every single person who shows up with cognitive impairment will have blood-brain barrier leakage. Every one.

We know this from group-level research. What we haven't been able to do is measure it in individual patients, where it could actually guide clinical decisions. In this clip, Imaginostics Chief Science Officer & Co-founder Codi Gharagouzloo, PhD, explains the 96-patient study now underway at AdventHealth's Translational Research Institute with Dr. Kirk Erickson, funded by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, and what it means to finally be able to close that gap.

StartUp Health community member Codi Gharagouzloo of Imaginostics is advancing what's possible in Alzheimer's and brain health.

📺 Watch the full conversation on StartUp Health TV: https://media.startuphealth.com/p/making-the-invisible-visible-how-imaginostics-is-transforming-vascular-health

04/06/2026

🦷 Oral health and medical care have operated in separate systems for too long. StartUp Health community member Brant Herman, CEO & Founder of Dentistry.One, is building the infrastructure to change that.

Dentistry.One has become the first virtual-first dental care platform to support ICD-10 code documentation — the same standardized diagnosis codes used across medicine — bringing oral health data into the broader clinical record for the first time through a teledentistry workflow.

The implications are real: conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy complications are all connected to oral health, yet that data rarely follows the patient. ICD-10 support creates a direct path from identification to care coordination, and positions health plans and Medicaid programs ahead of a growing shift toward whole-person care models.

"ICD-10 coding fills a gap that has existed for too long. It gives providers a fuller picture of their patients and moves us closer to a world where medical and dental aren't separate systems treating the same person," said Herman.

A meaningful step forward for integration — and for the patients who benefit when their full health picture is finally visible.

🔗 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dentistryone-brings-icd-10-coding-to-virtual-first-dentistry-setting-a-new-standard-for-medical-dental-integration-302788498.html

/PRNewswire/ -- Dentistry.One, a virtual-first dental care solution introduced by MouthWatch, Inc., today announced that its platform now supports ICD-10 code...

03/06/2026

🌍 Africa has long held the genomic diversity that could reshape global medicine. Now, there's infrastructure to match.

StartUp Health community member Yusuf Henriques, CEO & Founder of IndyGeneUS Bio, has launched Africa's first AI×Bio Factory™ in South Africa, in collaboration with The Aurum Institute and its subsidiary Global Health Innovations, powered by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. The facility is designed to generate more than one million African clinico-genomic insights over time — building foundational capacity for AI-driven drug discovery, precision medicine, biomarker development, and advanced diagnostics.

The AI×Bio Factory is housed in a former Bayer pharmaceutical facility in Johannesburg, with existing lab, pathology, and operational infrastructure already in place to accelerate deployment. At its core is IndyGeneUS Bio's proprietary Clinico-Genomic Insight Engine (CGIE™), integrating genomic, clinical, pathology, imaging, and real-world evidence data to generate actionable insights for pharmaceutical companies, healthcare systems, researchers, and governments.

The launch follows a recently signed MoU with Nigeria's National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, signaling a continent-wide vision well beyond a single facility.

"This is bigger than infrastructure — it's about expanding who participates in shaping the future of medicine," said Henriques. "For too long, large segments of the global population have remained underrepresented in the datasets shaping healthcare innovation. Through advanced AI capabilities, scientific expertise, and African clinico-genomic insights, we are building infrastructure designed to accelerate discovery, expand precision medicine opportunities, and create pathways for more inclusive healthcare innovation globally."

This is what it looks like to build the future of health from the inside out. 🧬

🔗 https://www.einpresswire.com/article/916610484/indygeneus-bio-launches-africa-s-first-ai-bio-factory-accelerating-ai-driven-drug-discovery-and-gene-therapies

03/06/2026

🎯 "Why would I use a shot on goal on something small?"

That's CMS Deputy Administrator Abe Sutton's challenge to every health tech founder pitching CMS.

Every model, regardless of scope, goes through the same clearance chain: CMS innovation leadership, the CMS administrator, the Secretary of HHS, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Domestic Policy Council. The bar is high by design.

What gets through? Proposals that address core, system-level challenges. Ones that make a compelling case for real savings to the Office of the Actuary. And ones where the risk to the taxpayer is low.

Abe joined 50 StartUp Health community members for a live fireside chat on how CMS is thinking about technology, affordability, and the future of Medicare payment.

Read the full story: https://media.startuphealth.com/p/what-cms-wants-health-tech-founders-to-know-about-the-future-of-medicare

03/06/2026

📈 From AI-powered brain maps and outcomes-based fertility financing to oncology chart automation and rural EMS-led preventative care – this week's deals show health innovation is global, diverse, and increasingly tied to clinical proof.

The top funding deals included:

🇺🇸 Garner Health — $100M Series E
🇺🇸 Gaia Family — $100M debt facility
🇺🇸 ClearNote Health — $52M Series D
🇺🇸 H1 — $40M
🇦🇺 Omniscient — $27.2M Series D
🇺🇸 Triomics — $22M Series B
🇺🇸 Solstice — $21M Series A

Read the full round-up ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/ai-and-outcomes-intelligence-headline-a-global-funding-week-startup-health-insights-week-of-june-2-2

From fertility financing and brain mapping to oncology AI and glucose-informed weight management, this week's deals reflect a market doubling down on measurable outcomes and clinical-grade data.

02/06/2026

What does it look like when someone truly transforms their health – not with a quick fix, but with the right support and a real commitment to change?

For Michael Collins, a 56-year-old from Alabama, the answer was 311 pounds lost, type 2 diabetes reversed, and a life reclaimed – including walks to the fishpond with his grandson that once felt impossible.

After years of cycling through crash diets and diet pills with no lasting results, Michael found StartUp Health community member Virta Health. Working with his Virta coach and care team, he shifted to a structured low-carb, high-protein approach tailored to his own metabolic needs. Within six weeks, he had stopped taking all of his diabetes and blood pressure medications.

What stands out about Michael's story isn't just the number on the scale – it's the clarity he found about how his own body works, and the sustainable habits that followed. As he puts it: "The key to successful weight loss is committing to lifestyle change. The power to change is within everyone."

This is what it looks like when personalized, clinician-guided care meets real human determination.
Worth a read on Men's Journal. ⤵️
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/the-simple-changes-this-56-year-old-used-to-lose-311-pounds-and-break-free-from-years-of-emotional-eating

02/06/2026

New and expectant parents face some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives – and too often, the mental health support they need isn't easy to find. StartUp Health community member Mammha is changing that.

Mammha's maternal mental health screening program is now being used by the Taney County Health Department (Missouri) through its WIC program, extending care to pregnant and postpartum women and fathers with newborns up to one year old. Since implementing Mammha at WIC appointments, over 400 parents have been screened – with 15% showing signs of mental health struggles who can now be connected to real support.

The model goes well beyond screening: parents who flag concerns are contacted by a Mammha Care Coordinator within 24 hours and can access therapy, medication management, and a free mobile app. Follow-up continues for up to a year postpartum – for every participant, not just those who screen positive.

"Parenting is not easy and that stress can take a toll on one's mind. Ensuring our clients know that real support is out there matters deeply to all our staff," said Tammy Drake, WIC Manager at Taney County Health Department.

This is what it looks like to meet parents where they are. 💙

↳ https://www.legends1063.fm/news/local-news/support-for-parents-during-mental-health-awareness-month/

As Mental Health Month winds down, the Taney County Health Department reminds parent of reasources available through the WIC Program.