From product launches to new partnerships to initial public offering filings, here's the latest roundup of stories about health IT companies, including Microsoft, Apple and Epic.
- Microsoft announced its Cloud for Healthcare, which aims to improve data interoperability, boost workflow efficiency and streamline interactions, will be generally available on Oct. 30.
- Google Maps unveiled a new feature that displays COVID-19 cases in a user's area.
- Cerner hired Ron Lattomus as its new director of federal programs, including the Department of Veterans Affairs' EHR modernization project.
- The Health Equity and Access Leadership Coalition, an initiative aimed at tackling health disparities via technology, was established and garnered partnerships from tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Best Buy Health and AT&T.
- BestBuy Health launched a new flip phone equipped with Amazon Alexa voice assistance and telehealth capabilities that help connect older adults to healthcare services.
- Apple and Singapore began developing a personalized health program in which the Singapore government offers residents financial rewards to track health activity via an Apple Watch.
- Microsoft and Nuance partnered to integrate Nuance's ambient clinical intelligence solutions into Microsoft Teams for improved telehealth workflow and patient experience.
- Amazon Care expanded its virtual medical clinic for employees from the Seattle area to the entire state of Washington.
- Apple held a virtual product launch for the new Watch Series 6, which tracks blood oxygen.
- CVS Health announced it now offers a one-year subscription to Apple Fitness+ to Aetna commercial and CVS Caremark members.
- Epic announced it will be the first medical record system to integrate the Microsoft Teams connector, which allows clinicians and patients to launch telehealth visits through the platform.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs partnered with Apple to provide more than 50,000 veterans with cellular-enabled iPads to increase their access to virtual care services.
- Google released plans to implement a new work-from-home hybrid model as a long-term work option for employees, most of whom have expressed not wanting to return full time to the office.
- The cloud-based data warehousing platform provider Snowflake set the record for the year's largest IPO, and it's three times more than the previous record for a software IPO set by VMware in 2007.
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