Bonus Features – October 4, 2026 – 75% of orgs are optimistic about AI, 75% of orgs also say AI and automation have increased identity-related risks, plus 29 more stories

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT that we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

Stats

• A survey from Bain & Company and KLAS Research found 75% of providers are optimistic about AI, though a similar percentage fear that generative AI will make it just as costly or more costly to switch EHR systems.
• According to a Netwrix report, 75% of healthcare organizations said AI and automation have increased identity-related risk to sensitive data over the past two years.
• A Peterson Health Technology Institute survey found that 68% of employers and 55% of health plans are using performance-based contracts for digital health solutions.
• A Vivalink survey found 79% of adults with cardiac conditions would be very or somewhat likely to participate in home-based cardiac rehabilitation.

Partnerships

• Members of the Academy of Oncology Nurse & Patient Navigators can now access Manta Cares‘ AI safety training and oncology-specific AI companion, Hope AI.
• Weight Watchers and Google Health Enterprise are partnering to give eligible members access to Google Fitbit Air and premium features.
• Specialty care patient management platform Yosi Health integrated its scheduling and intake capabilities with Google Search and Maps.
• GoTo expanded its integration of GoTo Connect for Healthcare with athenaOne from athenahealth to support automated scheduling.
• Community care referral company Unite Us is partnering with Instacart to expand access to grocery delivery benefits.

Products

• AKASA launched its autonomous AI platform for the mid-revenue cycle for both inpatient medical coding and clinical documentation integrity.
• Clarest Health launched the next generation of Clarest Path, its medication intelligence platform.
• Elsevier launched ClinicalKey Nursing AI to support point of care decision-making and professional growth for nurses.
• Ergonomic healthcare workspace company Ergotron introduced four new models to its CareFit Combo portfolio.
• Gluware announced Gluware IoMT Exposure Management, which automates vulnerability remediation for medical devices.
• Wearable robotics company Humotech unveiled its Mobile Clinic to bring prosthetics to healthcare organizations and the community.
• Healthcare reputation management company rater8 expanded its rater8 Visibility Engine to include social media management tools.
• SimplePractice announced enhanced insurance solutions for independent mental health practitioners.

Implementations

• Digital mental health care Mentavi Health implemented EverCommerce’s EverHealth Scribe within the DrChrono EHR.
• Virtual PT provider LainaHealth selected Lantern to help patients complete preoperative and postoperative assessments via text links.
• University of Michigan Health-West expanded its deployment of Canopy Protect wearable devices for staff.

Company News

• Ceribell received FDA clearance for its technology that reads electroencephalography (EEG) readouts of brain activity at the bedside.
• Data and analytics company Definitive Healthcare joined the Network Advertising Initiative.
• Advance care planning documents now available through HEALTHeLINK, Western New York’s HIE.
• Pro Kpo AI launched; the company’s products automate schedule management for home care and long-term care providers.
• Workflow automation company UiPath is participating in NCQA’s AI Learning Collaborative for Prior Authorization.
• The University of Vermont received a $38 million R&D contract from ARPA-H, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, to develop digital twins to help clinicians personalize treatment for critically ill patients.

People

• National medical group Sound Physicians appointed Dr. Sergio Zanotti as CEO, Critical Care.
• Value-based kidney care company Evergreen Nephrology appointed Brian Palo as Chief Financial Officer.
• Value-based kidney care company Strive Health announced three executive appointments: Susan Ray as Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Sarah Berry as Chief Network & Engagement Officer, and Dan Heslin as Chief Growth Officer.
• Cardiovascular disease diagnostics company Elucid named Mark Miller as Chief Revenue Officer.
• CRISP Shared Services named David Hale as General Counsel at CSS and CRISP, the state designated HIE and health data utility for Maryland.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo. Note that submissions received after the close of business on Thursday may not be included in Bonus Features until the following week.