Erin Brodwin🧑🍼
@erinbrodwin
Followers
17,036
Following
7,699
Media
30
Statuses
827
health tech ✍️ @axios | find me on Threads or LinkedIn
Planet Earth
Joined September 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Hamas
• 984300 Tweets
Milton
• 760824 Tweets
Florida
• 694473 Tweets
Category 5
• 169669 Tweets
DeSantis
• 169659 Tweets
Cat 5
• 104652 Tweets
Atlantic
• 68612 Tweets
Doocy
• 58136 Tweets
Floridians
• 54006 Tweets
Saints
• 41114 Tweets
#ファミマのスイーツパン誕生
• 35656 Tweets
#ラヴィット
• 26888 Tweets
Cissy Houston
• 23649 Tweets
Vtubers
• 15187 Tweets
Skubal
• 14624 Tweets
衆院選公約
• 13246 Tweets
Kerry Carpenter
• 11120 Tweets
FURIA X LAS CLEO
• 10419 Tweets
big deal that seems like it's not getting enough attention: CVS shares plunge after Blue Shield of CA says it'll drop its PBM and instead partner with Mark Cuban & Amazon. BSC has 5M members.
10
50
168
things I find myself reiterating to various PR folks:
- it's not an exclusive if someone else breaks it first
- I don't publish a newsletter on the weekends
- I don't publish press releases. I might glimpse your PR as I'm writing my own story, but interviews are my ground truth
10
17
146
if you're pitching me on a company's credentials, no need to tell me how great the founding team is, where they've worked, etc. — I'll find out. tell me how they solve a problem, how they're diff from rivals (and there are *always* rivals), how they track outcomes and get paid.
4
9
141
next time I go to a restaurant and the bill comes I'm going to shout "bill!" and walk out
12
17
145
new rule: when someone says they wish one of my stories wasn’t paywalled I’m going to reply that I wish they didn’t get paid either
7
12
138
PR folks in health care: a good way to annoy a reporter is to offer the chief marketing officer for a 1-1 at a conference. we don't want to hear from the person selling. we want to hear from the people building.
9
16
138
looking so forward to the day when learning your health insurer will cover something does not feel like winning the lottery
4
9
94
SVB is a prolific health tech, med tech and life sci investor. just a few of its recent bets: Carrot, Nomad, Komodo, DispatchHealth, Olive…
9
14
95
an FYI for anyone in PR who spends a lot of time formatting emails, press releases, statements: the
#1
thing I do is remove formatting (that means axing bolding, italics, special fonts, spacing). EVERYTHING becomes Arial size 11, then I add my own highlighting and notes.
7
5
88
and there it is: Amazon Health, complete with One Medical (hybrid primary care), pharmacy, telehealth service
5
17
86
breaking: General Catalyst is buying Ohio-based nonprofit Summa Health and converting it to a for-profit. 👀
6
19
83
tell me you've never been to JPM without telling me you've never been to JPM
10
2
77
doctor's transcription tool companies boast a wide range of per person per month costs. so far I have:
- Suki $399 (confirmed w/ CEO)
- Nuance $650 (per several sources, yet to confirm)
- Nabla $112 (yet to confirm)
- Abridge ???
- Ambience Healthcare ???
20
3
68
I spent a year investigating $4B health biz Olive, backed by Drive, General Catalyst, Oak HC/FT. sources detailed inflated claims, failures to deliver on bold promises to health systems & more. well. former Olive CEO has a newco he registered the same day Olive closed. to recap🧵
6
15
66
a key missing piece in a lot of fundraising press releases I receive: what are you doing with the funds?
8
14
64
and here it is: the official end of the road for Olive AI, the health care automation startup once valued at $4B and backed by venture giants including General Catalyst and Tiger Global.
7
20
59
please, for the love of all that is good, do not request a meeting at HLTH 6 days before it begins.
10
1
60
if JPM draws ~20k to SF and only ~8k register for the conference itself (40%), with hotels ranging from $1,500 to $15,000/night, JPM might be the biggest and most expensive ad hoc gathering of health execs anywhere.
14
8
56
another study of genAI in health care found no time savings from AI-generated draft reply tools. oddly enough though, it did appear to reduce feelings of burnout. you read that right: less burnout, no time savings. weird.
15
20
55
yet another tedious health journey is unfolding for me this year. instead of an accidental sports injury, it's something I actively chose. a short 🧵on a few things I'm learning in the process:
- self care is not always exercise (& vice versa)
6
1
53
lotta companies raising second seeds right now. should we start calling these roots? shoots? secseeds?
22
5
49
Hippocratic AI has raised $120m in less than a year. dumb Q: what are they doing that all similar health techs aren't? (training LLMs on synthetic data, pubbing white papers, testing LLMs on low risk uses: post-discharge followups, health surveys & assessments, preop outreach)
10
3
48
I'm officially conferenced out. virtual, IRL, all of it. can we just take a break for the rest of 2023?
7
3
43
inbox: Amazon rolls out 'health condition programs' portal that ingests your benefits info, tells you if you're eligible for virtual care. digital diabetes company Omada Health is its first partner
1
7
44
if you’re looking for a thoughtful, sharp, top-notch editor, hire
@ZTracer
. happy to provide more details; he’s one of the best editors I’ve ever had.
Today's my last day at Business Insider. I've had an incredible time leading BI's healthcare coverage over the past 5 years, and was excited to start with the investigations team this month. I'll be rooting for both groups of incredibly talented reporters from afar.
70
58
407
1
6
44
and here it is, the story I (and likely every health tech reporter) considers writing every year. with
@TreedinDC
.
3
14
42
as a health tech reporter, I often ask myself while pursuing a story: does this meet the bar for an investigation? often for me a key Q revolves around the potential for real patient harm. 1/3
2
2
42
scoop: Instacart CEO Fidji Simo waited 3 years to be diagnosed with POTS, the condition that led her to cofound the Metrodora Institute, a new outpatient clinical center she's unveiling with $35M in VC backing.
2
9
42
whoa: FDA clears the first over-the-counter CGM, (doesn't require a prescription). wonder how much it will cost.
4
11
42
new investigation: inside the rise and fall of telehealth darling Amwell $AMWL, where strategic missteps and a tendency to overcommit took a calamitous toll.
4
14
40
who wants to get into the weeds with me on Summa-General Catalyst and the elephant in the room, Epic?
8
0
39
I'll be moderating 2 digital health panels at Milken Global next week on whole person care & hype vs. health. what Qs do you have for Google's
@AashimaTweets
, Instacart's
@danidudeck
, Lux's
@deenashakir
, Jumpstart Nova's
@kathryneallegra
& others?
8
7
37
took a break from work this month and came back to an explosion of venture-backed health tech deals, including later-stage transactions. and here I thought the bubble had burst!
2
6
37
searing analysis just out by
@Peterson_HTI
that's going to create ripples across the industry finds that "digital diabetes management solutions ... do not deliver meaningful clinical benefits, and they increase healthcare spending relative to usual care."
5
5
36
one of my takeaways from dozens of interviews w/ people inside & outside this deal: the hospital making money may turn out to be less material than GC's 30-year plan to position itself as the premier developer and seller of health care technology.
breaking: General Catalyst is buying Ohio-based nonprofit Summa Health and converting it to a for-profit. 👀
6
19
83
0
6
35
as a health tech reporter, should I be going to SXSW? I've mostly only attended HLTH, HIMSS, JPM. thoughts?
24
4
36
hello! this is your regular reminder that, in addition to deals stories, I write digital health investigations and protect my sources, especially those wishing to remain anonymous. send me tips via email at erin.brodwin
@axios
.com or via text, phone or Signal at (818) 679-0610.
0
4
35
I consume 90% of my daily water intake in the 5 mins before I go to bed
2
1
33
"Insurers now routinely require doctors to kick back as much as 5% if they want to be paid electronically. Even when physicians ask to be paid by check, doctors say, insurers often resume the electronic payments—and the fees—against their wishes."
@Cezary
2
9
34
we are so back
2
1
33
exclusive: fertility payvider Kindbody raises $100m from Perceptive Advisors at a $1.8b valuation.
1
11
31
wow: General Catalyst says the newco, led by former Intermountain CEO
@MarcHarrisonMD
, plans to buy a health system.
Today at
@HLTH
, we announced a big leap forward in our Health Assurance journey.
Introducing HATco - Health Assurance Transformation Corporation - a new company owned by General Catalyst & focused on accelerating the transformation of healthcare delivery. Part of HATco's plan is
2
14
90
5
1
31
in which
@mcuban
argues that having tech companies cater to health care incumbents—optimizing their tech, etc.—is a win "for everyone but providers and patients." the real solution, he says, is to "work outside the companies that add the complications."
@B_Madden4
The exact opposite. Healthcare incumbents want you to do “the slow, intricate, trench work of understanding, reforming, and connecting a complex system”. It means you are trying to optimize their systems. The ones they control. If you make improvements they will buy you. Win
67
126
681
3
3
30
really looking forward to the day when we don't have articles like this. may not realize it, but you're just perpetuating the same stereotypes that suggest women are a different category of person.
1
5
29
taking breaks from Twitter and missing out on the medtwitter and health tech chatter 📉
my mental health 📈
1
2
30
totally normal radio interview setup when your mic decides to take the day to address technical difficulties (my phone was balanced on the paperweight)
4
0
30
telehealth price transparency just got real
Amazon is playing 5d chess with healthcare
Aggregation has turned white-label tele-health into good old fashioned brand stand-off; consumerism at its finest
14
15
75
5
3
29
exclusive: Summer Health grabs $12M Series A for pediatric health support led by new backer 7wire Ventures and insider Lux Capital.
2
6
28
every time the 'whole body scan' convo re-emerges, I'm reminded of this great
@nikillinit
post that does the actual math on the concept.
What the founder of an AI doctor in a box startup, CarePod, told
@katiedjennings
🙃
“Slowly but surely we're just migrating every single thing from doctor and nurse to hardware and software. In fact, we don't even believe a doctor's office should exist.”
10
9
31
1
5
27
working on a follow-up story to General Catalyst's bold news at HLTH that it's buying a health system. want to talk with me for the piece? lmk.
6
1
27
Akili, Better Therapeutics, Pear Therapeutics all went public via SPAC. every one has now ceased operations, gone back to being private and/or been sold for parts.
4
10
27
scoop: Eleos Health, which uses voice analysis to quantify therapy, raised $40m in Series B funds. Menlo Ventures led.
3
5
27
meanwhile, it apparently costs $4,000 a night to stay at a hotel in SF during JPM
9
2
26
exclusive: Memora Health collects $30m for care automation from General Catalyst, 4 health systems. fund round is undesignated, but the startup raised a $40m Series B last spring.
2
7
25
going to
#hlth2023
for 1.5 days this year (vs last year's 5). let's see how this goes!🤞🏻Monday AM-PM is fully booked already. any Sunday or Monday evening receptions I should be sure to attend?
4
1
24
iPhones were still 11 years away when Congress passed HIPAA. but it hasn't been substantially modified since, and tech's rapid evolution has left vast amounts of sensitive data outside the scope of the law, threatening basic consumer privacy.
and here it is, the story I (and likely every health tech reporter) considers writing every year. with
@TreedinDC
.
3
14
42
2
4
25
line outside for a Barbie-themed women’s health mixer at
#ViVE2024
. could have sworn I was at a health conference on a Monday night not bar hopping on a Friday night…
3
2
25
scoop: Caraway collects $17m Series A as it adds telehealth abortion and expands from women-focused to gender-neutral virtual care.
3
3
23
exclusive: Sequoia leads $88M Series C in Grow Therapy, a teletherapy provider and enablement startup.
1
3
23
new: Olive is selling some of its assets back to itself in the form of buyer Humata Health, a new startup led by Olive's former president and the prior CEO of Verata Health, which Olive acquired in 2020.
and here it is: the official end of the road for Olive AI, the health care automation startup once valued at $4B and backed by venture giants including General Catalyst and Tiger Global.
7
20
59
4
2
23
- a lot of the things I used to dismiss as "silly"—dog pets, slow walks, massages, doing nothing (preferably outside), cuddles—are medicine
- "down time" doesn't have to involve reading an intellectual novel. it can be stupid reality TV
- take the dang PTO
3
1
22
exclusive: digital digestive health company Oshi Health raises $30m in Series B funds led by new backer Koch Disruptive Tech.
0
4
19
"Some years ago a Big Tech sent some engineers to Boston to visit a Medicaid clinic. I said sure, I'll take you to one. So they walk in, they talk to a homeless gentleman, and say, 'What's your favorite wearable?' And he said, 'Socks.'" - John Halamka
2
5
22
data shared with advertisers = patient names, birthdates, email/postal addresses, insurance membership
#s
, phone
#s
, photo ... appt info and "assessment & survey responses including detailed responses about a person’s alcohol consumption used to determine treatment."
This is the kind of data on you that the worst people on the planet now have, thanks to social media marketers and techbro bootlickers thinking of us all as commodities
9
106
240
2
11
21
new deep dive and scoop: IVF financing is an opaque but growing corner of the fertility market, and the business landscape is beginning to show cracks as companies struggle to differentiate.
2
3
21
what I want to learn next: how does a hospital shift from a non-profit to a for-profit? what steps are required? what legal hurdles must be cleared? what are the biggest typical day-to-day changes that patients and providers see as a result?
breaking: General Catalyst is buying Ohio-based nonprofit Summa Health and converting it to a for-profit. 👀
6
19
83
7
1
20
following up on yday's breaking news story and scoops, I wrote about why General Catalyst may have chosen Summa. one reason: its integrated delivery structure gives the firm a chance to incentivize preventive, lower-cost care even as it makes money.
3
5
20
new: AI-powered medical scribes have captured investor attention with their promise of a high-tech solution to the low-tech doctor's appointment. but they differ significantly by price, accuracy, lag time & other features.
4
3
21
this is SO good to to hear. a good thing is happening in journalism!!
We are thrilled to announce that
@newmarkjschool
has received a $10 million gift to kick off a campaign to become tuition-free by 2026 — the school’s 20th anniversary. The donation comes from
@CraigNewmark
Philanthropies. (1/5)
6
153
421
3
5
21
any analysts/investors out there want to talk to me about why HIPAA is so outdated and what’s being done about it, from a startup & regulatory standpoint?
7
3
20
inbox: Pear Therapeutics, the startup that earned the first clearance for a prescription digital therapeutic, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
1
2
21
speaking of which...BetterHelp required to pay $7.8m for deceiving consumers after promising to keep sensitive personal data private
This visual shows the quarterly advertising spend from large D2C mental health players
BetterHelp spends 2x what the others are spending and this is exactly why smaller D2C mental health services businesses are struggling: they can't compete with the ad budget of this whale
6
2
19
1
8
20
wish people would say this more often, and wish it was made more clear to those who undergo the process.
Love to see the financial side of the fertility industry get airtime BUT it’s missing important context:
Egg freezing is NOT a guarantee of a future baby. The only information you have post-retrieval is a number.
1
22
72
1
2
19
exclusive: telemental health provider Brightside Health raises $33M Series C led by Section 32. the company works with high-acuity populations, including people at elevated risk for suicide.
2
0
20
honest question for health tech VCs and founders: do reports like these make you more or less hopeful about building in digital health, and why?
22
6
18
back from a week off. seems I didn’t miss much in the health tech and/or banking world… 🫠👀🫣
4
0
18
- 24 hours is not enough lead time for an exclusive story. during a conference week like ViVE or HLTH, 48 hours is not enough lead time.
- I write *this* newsletter
- I work on Pacific Time
- I am a human. wild, I know.
1
2
19
exclusive: Little Journey, which offers tools to help prepare kids for medical procedures, collects $3.1m in second seed funds to expand in the U.S. Octopus Ventures led, Calm/Storm Ventures & Mercia Assets joined.
1
4
19
this story is chockfull of details on the project, which I'd tried covering myself ~'15-16. just wow.
- 100s of engineers on it, part of moonshot Google X-type group
- tech tested on 100s: ppl w prediabetes & type II
- currently PoC
- current goal: iPhone-size prototype for arm
NEW: Apple has a secret moonshots team and it’s making significant progress on a major new initiative: no-prick glucose monitoring for the Apple Watch. All of the details, including how Apple has hid its work behind a fake startup, here:
90
474
3K
1
1
19
always a good feeling to get a scoop confirmed, though wow, this took longer than I expected. original story from Nov. 2022:
NEW: Epic is bringing its electronic health record software to
@Apple
's Mac App Store.
@emoryhealthcare
will launch the native application that no longer requires workarounds for Mac users like virtual desktops.
0
7
24
2
2
18
here we go (again): Cigna and Humana are reportedly in talks to merge
3
6
17
what I'm hearing echo in
#ViVE2024
's graffiti art-bedecked halls:
- GLP1s are helping usher in more longterm telehealth
- transcription tool developers like Nuance, Nabla, Abridge are blowing up. core difference right now is price point
- cybersecurity matters, sort of
3
4
17
General Catalyst's bold decision to buy a hospital ignites hopes of resuscitating the flatlining health system. "these places used to be large and soulful places," says
@sacjai
. "there's a struggle for the soul of the large health system."
1
9
18
- the "before this" that you feel like you have to "get back to" doesn't exist
- your body will do inexplicable, embarrassing things. laugh & move on
- work can wait, and will go on just fine without you
1
1
17
"after the layoff...therapists said they immediately lost access to their patient care systems.
..one former therapist, who specializes in working with the LGBTQ community, said one of his clients had just come out for the first time in a session the day before he lost his job."
Headspace, the meditation and therapy app, appears to have violated ethical principles of psychotherapy when it abruptly cut off patients from their therapists in a mass layoff. Scoop from
@j_dingdingding
4
81
139
1
6
15
seeing a lot of conflicting reports on hospital VC investment. is it up, down, or staying the same? would love to see some hard numbers if anyone has them...
3
2
17
reading this tweet from my living room was…interesting
Enjoyed a sneak peek of tomorrow’s
@axios
health tech deals being written while walking back to my seat on this plane. Is
@erinbrodwin
aboard?
1
0
3
5
0
15
- self care—even when that includes doing nothing—is actually "productive"
- saying no and/or missing out are ok, normal & healthy
- bodily healing is slow. it can't be rushed. learning to be gentle with yourself during that process is an *art*
1
1
16
today seems like a good day to unsubscribe from a bunch of emails I never opted into
1
2
16
others: Grow Therapy, AppliedVR, Concert Health, Whoop — per Pitchbook
0
2
16
I think about this a lot with regard to digital health. several virtual care tools have become the subject of intense scrutiny, while their traditional peers often have not. true across many fields, from behavioral to cardiometabolic health.
@RebeccaCoelius
@slotkinjr
@erinbrodwin
@Peterson_HTI
Why do we ask service interventions to deliver better outcomes at less cost while we are okay paying premium $$ for medications that often deliver mild to moderately better outcomes than the prior care. This conundrum has stifled service innovation in health care.
1
0
4
2
1
14
Congress is ramping up scrutiny of private equity's presence in health care (see Markey's draft Senate bill on new federal powers to slow down or even stop dealmaking). what do my PE folks think? do you see alarm bells or a nothingburger? what kinds of impacts might it have?
3
2
16
hypothesis suggested by the authors: "It may be that switching from writing to editing may be less cognitively taxing despite taking the same amount of time."
3
0
16