• California: Google recently announced several new initiatives to implement AI models into healthcare. Currently, teams at Google Research and Fitbit are working to develop a new AI tool that will use physiological data from Fitbit devices and Pixel smartphones to provide personalized health guidance. According to Florence Thng, Fitbit's product management director, the goal of the AI model is to provide consumers with insights about their health data, not to replace their doctors. "It's not going to diagnose or treat your medical condition," Thng said. "It's not going to tell you if you have a heart disease. It's intended to help you better understand your Fitbit data." Google is also working with Apollo Radiology International to provide AI-powered screenings for tuberculosis, lung cancer, and breast cancer in India. Once Apollo receives regulatory approval, it will be able to deliver 3 million free screenings over the next decade, Google said. (Perna, Modern Healthcare, 3/19; Love/Alba, Bloomberg, 3/19)
• Delaware: AstraZeneca on Monday announced that it will cap out-of-pocket costs for inhalers and other related medication at $35 a month. According to the Washington Post, AstraZeneca's price reduction now matches a similar program from Boehringer Ingelheim, a rival pharmaceutical company in the inhaler market. The price cap, which will go into effect June 1, is intended to help vulnerable patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially those who are uninsured. "AstraZeneca's expanded savings programs build on our long-standing commitment to addressing barriers to access and affordability for patients living with respiratory diseases to ultimately help patients lead healthier lives," said Pascal Soriot, the company's CEO. (Gregg, Washington Post, 3/18)
• District of Columbia: CMS recently announced plans to launch a new five-year voluntary accountable care organization (ACO) model as part of its Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The model, which is called the ACO Primary Care Flex Model or ACO PC Flex, will launch Jan. 1, 2025, and primarily target low-revenue MSSP participants. According to CMS, the new model will support primary care providers as they implement "innovative, team-based, person-center proactive care." Applications for the model will open in May and run through August. A total of 130 ACOs will be selected to participate in the ACO PC Flex Model, and each organization will receive a one-time advanced shared savings payment of $250,000, as well as monthly prospective, population-based payments. "People whose primary care provider participates in the ACO PC Flex Model may get care in more convenient ways, like care based at home or through virtual means, extra help managing chronic diseases, and more preventive health services to keep them healthy," said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. "Not only will people with Medicare receive more coordinated, seamless care that addresses their unique needs, but CMS is supporting primary care clinicians and giving them more flexibility to provide person-centered care." (LaPointe, RevCycleIntelligence, 3/19; CMS press release, 3/19)

Conversations about disruption in healthcare often focus on digital health startups. But the influence of individual startups is relatively small compared to big industry players. These players decide what ideas are worth scaling, who is valuable enough to get acquired, and what level of funding goes where. See how industry stakeholders use digital health and where they fit in the digital health market.