Fort Myers, Fla.-based Lee Health has introduced a telemedicine service utilizing asynchronous messaging, enabling patients to engage in real-time conversations with Lee Health physicians for a fee of $29 per visit.

In October, Renton, Wash.-based Providence's Digital Innovation Group incubated its fourth technology, Praia Health, a platform-as-a-service technology for health systems to engage and re-engage consumers for a more personalized care journey.

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health currently offers patients complimentary communication via MyChart, stating that it won't implement charges for messages, but will instead look at other avenues to manage the volume for its clinicians, Detroit Free Press reported Nov. 21. 

Wearable devices have the opportunity to empower patients in their own healthcare, but health systems will have to improve security and connectivity for broader adoption, according to a report from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and KLAS Research.

University of Michigan Health, based in Ann Arbor, has joined a number of large hospitals and health systems by charging patients for certain messages received through online patient portals, Detroit Free Presss reported Nov. 21. 

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services' petition to file an appeal of a verdict handed down by the District Court of Wisconsin relating to a trade secrets dispute with Epic, Business Standard reported Nov. 21.

As software prices climb, a new EHR can be quite costly. In 2023, Becker's reported on health systems in West Virginia and Florida spending more than $50 million on a new EHR.

Microsoft is strengthening its artificial intelligence expertise with the goal of "setting a new pace for innovation," according to The New York Times.

Greenbrier Valley Medical Center, based in Fairlea, W.Va., went live with a Oracle Cerner EHR system on Nov. 1. 

New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is facing a lawsuit for a data breach that affected 3.9 million people, Law360 reported Nov. 17.