Big tech companies and major hospitals teamed up Jan. 14 to form the Vaccination Credential Initiative, a collective working to create a digital, interoperable vaccination record system.

CVS Health has launched a new medical alert system designed to protect seniors living at home, the company said Jan. 14.

Royal Philips has tapped biopharmaceutical company Merck to develop digital solutions for fertility treatment built on advanced informatics and artificial intelligence-enabled ultrasound diagnostics, Philips said Jan. 14.

Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System tapped Gozio Health to develop a mobile platform that helps users find their way to appointments and access health records, Gozio said.

A hacker accessed the email account of a Tyler, Texas-based Precision Spine Care employee and attempted to commit payment fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement Jan. 13 with Flo Health, a fertility and period health tracking app, for allegedly sharing users' personal data with companies, including Facebook, when it promised such information would be kept private. 

Google on Jan. 14 completed its acquisition of Fitbit, solidifying the tech giant's advances to improve its wearables division. 

Amazon users can now purchase an $110 at-home COVID-19 test that determines results based on a saliva sample.

Cerner said it has suspended political donations to lawmakers who "took part in or incited violence" after  supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, Kansas City, Mo.-based KMBC News reports. 

The European Medicines Agency confirmed Jan. 12 that some of its data related to companies including Moderna and Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccines and treatments have been leaked on the internet by hackers.

Scott MacLean, senior vice president and CIO of MedStar Health in Columbia, Md., said he anticipates executing several high-level IT projects in the coming year.

The FDA issued a five-pronged action plan to regulate medical products powered by artificial intelligence, the agency announced Jan. 12. 

Frederick County in Maryland surpassed its daily record for COVID-19 infections Jan. 12 following a 48-hour test processing data backlog the prior weekend at Frederick County Hospital, The Frederick News-Post reports.

Uber and Moderna inked a new partnership Jan. 12 focused on increasing access to vaccine safety information and potentially coordinating rides to COVID-19 vaccine appointments through the rideshare app.

Stormont Vail Health is investigating whether individuals not associated with the Topeka, Kan.-based health system and who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine were immunized due to a "mishap" with its online vaccination scheduling tool, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports.

Cleveland-based University Hospitals is using a digital platform it developed with IT company Logis Solutions to schedule and track COVID-19 immunizations, Logis said.

A consumer report from NRC Health that surveyed millions of healthcare consumers found that more than a third of consumers expressed no preference for a healthcare brand compared to independent practitioners in 2020, NRC said.

Meditech has expanded its EHR with Quick Vaccination, a digital tool that quickly documents and notifies state health systems of immunizations, which can speed up healthcare organizations' vaccination efforts, Meditech said.

YouTube unveiled a new healthcare initiative Jan. 13 focused on creating credible health content across its platform with collaborators including the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and American Public Health Association.

The Google News Initiative has launched a $3 million fund to bolster journalistic projects combating misinformation about COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Google said.