Sara Holoubek

Exciting news from Monica Chopra, Jeffrey De Flavio, MD, Samantha Adelberg, and the rest of the Auxa Health team as they officially announce their $5.2M Seed round. The team's deep industry expertise and drive for change have led them to solve critical infrastructural friction to providing quality healthcare and adoption of value-based care. Auxa's AI benefit navigation platform is simplifying the complexities of healthcare by streamlining all of the fragmented and siloed data and information to make it actionable in real-time for healthcare organizations. For the 70% of Americans who aren't getting access to the health and social care benefits they deserve, Auxa's solution will be pivotal in enabling equitable care. We're thrilled to partner with co-investors Zeal Capital Partners, AlleyCorp, Laconia, and Chaac Ventures on this journey and look to share many more milestones ahead. Cc K50 Ventures, Ryan Bloomer, Daniel Vásquez, Nick Talwar, Stefanie Ng https://lnkd.in/dPDY7-Db

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There appears to be a "Superstar Effect" in healthcare and biomedical AI research right now. A small percentage of publications are truly novel methods contributions that introduce new capabilities or behaviors; whereas a majority of contemporary research publications are focused on implementation science to assess the real-world utility and performance of new methods. This dynamic seems different from prior eras, when the translational infrastructure for implementing novel AI methods was largely unavailable. While methods research often captures more attention and accolades, both types of research are critical – novel methods without implementation science lacks translatability; implementation science without novel methods lacks novelty. If our goal is to invent and deploy transformative AI methods in real-world healthcare and life sciences contexts, we ought to continue encouraging and rewarding stellar implementation science work alongside breakthrough methods development.

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Latest #PitchBook data for #HealthIT investment shows a preference for later stage investment across healthIT that pre-dates the VC downturn and current interest rate environment. Even though healthIT has been more resilient to current headwinds compared to health care services and PPM plays, perhaps it speaks to a need to scale solutions and points of saturation for new entrants. "...In the lower middle market, we are beginning to see more examples of a phenomenon we have anticipated for a while: PE firms and PE-backed companies acquiring VC-backed startups. Lower-middle-market PE firms perennially complain that VC- backed companies expect too-high multiples, and these firms would generally prefer to invest on a multiple of EBITDA rather than a multiple of revenue..." Speaks to a convergence that would allow PE-VC M&A on both ends of the startup spectrum. #HealthcareVC #healthcarePE

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Newest episode of #HealthAndVeritas with guest, Mitesh Rao, MD, CEO of OMNY Health talking about democratizing access to healthcare data and improving health through more reliable information. Harlan Krumholz talks about "The business case for quality: estimating lives saved and harms avoided in a value-based purchasing model" an article in Health Affairs Scholar that returns us to the uncomfortable domain of asking why our "system" doesn't do more to save lives and improve health outcomes. I talk about Marijuana. I am concerned that we are watching a slow moving catastrophe due to the desire to decriminalize and reduce controls over Cannabis and THC-containing products (which is good) while paying too little attention to quality and regulations. Listen to the pod and tell me what YOU think. And please post your comments, tell a friend, and rate and review us on your favorite podcast app. Yale School of Management Yale School of Public Health Yale School of Medicine https://lnkd.in/ezj8qVqy

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In this week’s The Yuan, I share my thoughts on advances in #QSM (Quantified Self Movement) and how newer technologies (like #wearables and #LLMs) can unlock the power held in #biomarkers to help us live healthier for longer. Medicine 3.0 is here! #mitoplus #mito #humanedge #docm #longevity #healthspan #healthcare #everdayhealth

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The (Healthcare) Ground Beneath Our Feet… This year it is likely that over $10 billion will be invested in the digital health sector – a robust amount, no doubt, but inconsequential when compared to the amount of capital tied up in healthcare real estate assets, which is estimated to be $1.2 trillion by Jones Lang Lasalle. Of that amount, approximately $790 billion is in the hospital sector while the remaining $490 billion is in medical office assets. It is estimated that there are 48.6k facilities with 3.4 billion square feet of healthcare real estate, 42% of which are owned by REITs and another 33% held by other private investment vehicles. Much of the digital health investment is meant to make the physical healthcare infrastructure more productive: greater operating efficiencies, greater patient throughput, more relevant personalized care models with better outcomes. As the healthcare system is being pushed to be more distributed to lower cost sites of care, accelerated now by the rapid proliferation of automation and AI capabilities, the potential impact on healthcare infrastructure assets will be profound. Thoughts on what that might look like... https://lnkd.in/eTfAdUbS #digitalhealth Flare Capital Partners

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Interesting to see that digital health funding is relatively stable. Only a couple of exits. I think we'll see more deals like DarioHealth's acquisition of Twill, since from a sales perspective, the narrower the solution, the more difficult it is to acquire customers. This difficulty has nothing to do with the quality of offerings, but with the data management and administrative complexity on the customer side.

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In case you missed it, last week the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) released a draft consensus framework for responsible health AI. Developed with input from over 100 contributors representing a diverse network of healthcare stakeholders, this guide proposes actionable evaluation criteria throughout the AI lifecycle—from identifying use cases to deployment and monitoring. Key examples outlined in the guide include: • Predictive EHR Risk Use Case (Pediatric Asthma Exacerbation) • Imaging Diagnostic Use Case (Mammography) • Generative AI Use Case (EHR Query and Extraction) • Claims-Based Outpatient Use Case (Care Management) • Clinical Ops & Administration Use Case (Prior Authorization with Medical Coding) • Genomics Use Case (Precision Oncology with Genomic Markers) The draft framework is open for public review and comment for the next sixty days. Please use this form to submit feedback: https://lnkd.in/eYughFYC Kudos to the CHAI team led by CEO & President, Dr. Brian Anderson, MD, on this milestone. Eric Horvitz Jennifer Goldsack John Halamka, M.D., M.S. Michael Pencina Micky Tripathi Nigam Shah Suchi Saria Troy Tazbaz #healthcare #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai https://lnkd.in/e7VRv6fD

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I saw this pattern of rapid growth and then consolidation happening in banking and FinTech in the mid 2000s. We jumped into Digital Healthcare in 2016 with the thesis that there were similar drivers. One big surprise, COVID, acted as rocket fuel to the industry but the same fundamentals apply. Consolidation of the biggest players , innovation by faster moving startups raising capital and then being acquired and patients expecting current ( i.e... wait, we are still using faxes? ) but rather now , de facto to them, omni channel consumer experiences. What can we continue to learn from past "explosions" of growth?

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If you're seeking a comprehensive overview of the life sciences and healthtech sectors, and investment/co-investment opportunities, our mid-year report is packed with valuable insights from our team. 📊 #LifeSciences #InvestmentOpportunities #MidYearReport

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Join me on The Doctor’s Farmacy as I sit down with two incredible experts, Vijay Pande, PhD and Daisy Wolf from a16z Bio + Health, to explore how AI is set to revolutionize healthcare. We dive deep into the world of cutting-edge tech, like wearable devices and AI diagnostics, making personalized medicine more accessible and effective than ever before. I truly believe in the transformative power of AI in healthcare. The synergy between doctors, patients, and AI holds immense potential to improve the health and lives of countless individuals. That's why I co-founded Function Health —to harness this powerful relationship and bring advanced diagnostics and treatments to those who need them most. Catch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gbgDSDKp

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Really enjoyed speaking with Alex Knapp at Forbes about emteq labs’ smart glasses for health monitoring. 👓 Why do we need this? Imagine a doctor prescribing blood pressure medication based on a single encounter. 🤯 Worse still, imagine them asking the patient to estimate their own blood pressure without any measurements. Now, imagine being told to take medication for years based on that assessment. That’s the reality of most mental health and well-being assessments—clinic-based, subjective, and episodic. Our emotions, behaviours, and physiology are deeply contextual, personal, and continuously fluctuating. So shouldn’t our assessment methods reflect that? What if there was a technology that could provide real-world assessments of facial movements, mood, activity, dietary behaviours, posture, gait, and more? Our partners are exploring a range of conditions. Follow Emteq Labs to learn more! #mentalhealth #obesity #autism #healthtechnology #parkinsons https://lnkd.in/e4yq7QzR

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On the latest episode of Planetary Health First Mars Next, Michael Mann, MHA sits down with Wayne Pan and Miriam Paramore to dive deep into the transformative potential of AI, tech, and partnerships in healthcare. 💡 Key highlights include: - Leveraging automation to scale health tech companies—without disrupting existing workflows. - Why collaboration is essential to making these solutions stick. - Unlocking billions in unused copay savings that could ease financial burdens for patients. If you’re ready to explore the future of healthcare savings, don’t miss this episode. Tune in for actionable insights that could change the game for patients and providers alike. #HealthcarePartnerships #AffordableCare #CopaySolutions https://lnkd.in/gS5SV5cf

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Investing in companies that fill needs for health systems is a growth opportunity for both delivery organizations and start ups. Some systems are jumping in on their own, while others are partnering with like minded systems or with established VC firms. While this is a relatively new trend for systems, health plans have been making similar bets for many years. The benefits of becoming a health system portfolio company can be significant. Data, access to beta populations and real world coaching can be extremely beneficial. Start ups get mentoring and systems have to ability to leverage outside resources to solve relevant business problems. I predict a booming business!

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Platforms are in, point solutions are out as the healthcare AI category leaders come into focus this year. In conversation with Shelby Livingston at Endpoints News, I shared: 1. Why AI-first companies have the greatest platform potential and heuristics for identifying these opportunities at the earliest stages, 2. How companies are differentiating through co-development and distribution partnerships with leading healthcare institutions, and 3. Strategies for navigating anemic budgets and constrained market sizes through business model innovation such as AI-enabled services and pay for performance models Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dJWqv_zC Bessemer Venture Partners Abridge #healthcare #lifesciences #AI #generativeAI

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Day Zero dispatchs from HLTH Europe For an event that hadn't officially opened yet, there was a huge amount going on yesterday. Adequately fueled and hydrated, your intrepid avatar launched into the festivities. What were some of the highlights? HealthXL hosted an event looking at AI in Lifesciences and Pharma. They always draw a huge crowd on leaders from industry, and today was no different. Chandana Fitzgerald started with the news that they have merged with HLTH, becoming HLTH Community! Robert Garber led with a VC summary of the state of AI, and how to avoid the infamous Trough of Disillusionment. With 82% of companies looking to implement AI governance, it's a good time for those looking to make AI safe and effective. Unsurprisingly, hes also seeing greatest focus on the less complex, administrative side of healthcare. Cristina Ortega Duran gave a lively presentation on their successes with Evinova, which integrates trail data into a single platform. Stephen R. called on the audience to follow 3 rules: focus on the customer problem first, learn quickly, and follow the evidence. Yes, he's turning everyone into Product Managers. During the panel we had great questions about bias and representation from Aahuti Rai, which underlined the role that synthetic data and telehealth have to play in filling gaps and reducing the burden of trial participation. The final workshop focussed on priority use cases for AI in Drug R&D and Clinical Development. Some suggestions included Ambient Documentation for researchers, summarisation of content translation to ease recruitment, and the identification of novel outcome metrics. Shout out to whoever arranged the "AI in the NHS" session, because it was packed to overflowing. If anyone was lucky enough to find a seat, let me know how it went because I couldn't get in! After hours we had the customary networking events, including a brilliant get together from AlbionVC (thank you Molly Gilmartin!) where I finally got my chance to meet with Hello Self's Charles Wells, reconnect with AI legend and founder of Newton's Tree Haris Shuaib, Kelly Klifa & Alexandra (Sasha) T. from Ally Health, Samantha Fay from SiSU Health UK, and welcome back Dr. James Somauroo & Jessica Somauroo after their 5 week honeymoon. Given how hard they work, the absolutely deserved it. For all the clenched teeth and hair pulling that our industry can cause, today showed that the determination and drive to fix the problems we face are still there. HLTH really does know how to bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard! ALSO: Shout out to my former Babylon colleagues Nirvana Luckraj Darshak Sanghavi and Tom Breeze. The network remains *strong* #hltheurope #healthcare #innovation #digitalhealth #healthtech

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"Digital health is no longer the future; it is the present, reshaping our healthcare landscape in real-time." Excited to be part of the UCSF Digital Health Hub Foundation's Quarterfinalist Party! As a past board member, I'm honored to celebrate the outstanding quarterfinalists. As we reflect on the state of digital health in 2024, it's evident that the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally transformed healthcare delivery. The rapid adoption of telemedicine during the crisis has become a permanent fixture, with over 60% of physicians continuing to utilize this technology. The sprint towards smarter healthcare, catalyzed by necessity, has shattered preconceptions about digital-first health experiences. Virtual care is no longer a stopgap but an integral part of a seamless, anytime, anywhere health ecosystem. 🌍 We're witnessing the rise of B2B2C models in remote consultations, with companies like Teladoc Health and Amwell partnering with insurance providers to integrate their services into health plans. Public sector collaborations, like eConsult Health 's partnership with the NHS in the #UK, underscore the potential for remote consultations to enhance efficiency and accessibility at a national level. The digital health landscape is evolving rapidly, with advancements in remote consultations, mental health support, at-home diagnostics, and patient monitoring. AI and generative AI transform care delivery, making it more efficient, personalized, and patient-centric. 🤖 Yet, challenges remain. While venture capital funding for digital health has stabilized after the pandemic boom, it remains below its 2021 peak. Sectors like digital therapeutics face reimbursement hurdles, and we've seen major players like Walmart and Optum close telehealth businesses. Looking ahead, we anticipate further consolidation in digital health, driven by acquisitions to create broader ecosystems encompass telemedicine, mental health, and other specialized services. As healthcare leaders, we must leverage these digital advancements to improve access, enhance patient outcomes, and drive efficiency in our healthcare systems. The future of healthcare is digital, and the time to embrace this transformation is now. Congratulations to all the finalists! 🎉 Looking forward to the grand finale at #HLTH2024 in #LasVegas! 🙌 By the way, the pink drink that we were holding was delicious—and nonalcoholic! The Digital Health Hub Foundation - Digital Health Awards #HealthcareInnovation #DigitalHealth #UCSFHealthHub #Networking #HealthTech #Entrepreneurship #LasVegasFinale Walter Greenleaf, PhD Daniel Kraft, MD Unity Stoakes StartUp Health University of California, San Francisco UCSF Innovation Ventures American Association for Precision Medicine (AAPM) WISE World Investors & Entrepreneurs Society #AAPMhealth #aapm_health

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Digital health investors pulled back, but there are rays of hope... It's a similar story with startups across the gamut - things got a bit crazy there for a while, and discipline is ramping up - profitable growth is in. At MedCity News INVEST, Shawn Ellis put it well - much-needed practicality has been injected into the funding environment "Founders are paying more attention to unit economics, contribution margin, thinking critically about the milestones in their business and the KPIs they need to show all the way." Good news is that many investors want to be more than cash machines - Fatima Husain cites the Better Health example, where her healthcare connections helped the company achieve traction with major health systems. All this to say, rocky times are still ahead for #digitalhealth as things reset. But reasons to be optimistic and keep at the mission. #healthcare #innovation

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