Return on investment and clinical validation will be the most significant indicators for success for digital health companies in 2023, according to a survey by investment firm GSR Ventures.

The survey, which included responses from more than 50 investors, found that more than 94% deemed ROI to be “important” or “very important” to a digital health company’s success, and 79% said clinical evidence and trials were top indicators. 

Investors anticipate digital health funding in 2023 will be between $15 billion and $25 billion. They also expect valuations will decrease by around 20% for seed stage funding. Series A and Series B+ valuations could dip between 20% and 40%. 

The prevalence of provider shortages and burnout will provide the most opportunity for startups, according to 48.1% of those surveyed. Nearly 27% said changing reimbursement models was the biggest challenge, followed by 11.5% who cited interoperability.

More than half of investors said

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Finland-based Oura, maker of the health-tracking Ring, announced the launch of “Oura For Business,” which will supply individuals with personalized insights while providing customized tools and recommendations for leaders based on group data. 

Oura said it will offer specialized offerings geared toward employee wellness, athletics, the military, healthcare, corporations and higher education.

The Finland-based company says employers can access anonymous Oura Ring metrics on sleep, readiness, activity scores, and member-focused content and guidance to take action on employee wellbeing metrics. 

Still, individual participation in organization-level programs and reports is on an opt-in basis. 

“Oura For Business fundamentally improves how organizations of all kinds can support their people,” Tom Hale, Oura’s CEO said in a statement. “Helping individuals thrive is how we create success and positive outcomes for society as a whole. We’ve already seen significant traction with enterprise customers and are excited to continue growing these offerings as part of

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GE Heathcare and MediView XR, a med-tech company that leverages augmented reality, announced their collaboration to co-develop the OmnifyXR Interventional Suite System. It will combine medical imaging and mixed-reality solutions to assist physicians and their care teams.

The collaboration will pair GE’s imaging technologies with MediView’s augmented reality and surgical navigation expertise to allow physicians to evaluate multiple holographic displays of live imaging in 3D using Microsoft’s HoloLens technology. 

The aim is to help physicians better assess a patient’s anatomy, make more informed clinical decisions and allow for remote collaboration by care teams in different locations.

OmnifyXR will be designed and manufactured by MediView XR, and will initially launch in the U.S. 

“We are thrilled to advance our strategic collaboration with GE Healthcare by co-developing and creating the interventional suite of the future –- one that is designed to improve ergonomics, with natural interactions for optimized workflow and facilitates care

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Med-tech company iCAD announced it would incorporate Google Health’s mammography AI technology into its breast-imaging solutions thanks to a strategic development and commercialization agreement. 

Cancer detection and therapy solutions platform iCAD will utilize Google’s AI breast-imaging technology in its portfolio, including its clinical decision support tool for breast cancer risk-estimation ProFound AI Risk.

The deal will bring Google’s AI technology into clinical practice. This marks the first time the Alphabet subsidiary’s AI research model has been licensed with a mammography vendor.  

The New Hampshire-based company will also utilize Google Cloud’s infrastructure to accelerate the commercialization of its cloud-based offerings. 

THE LARGER TREND

In 2020, a study was published in Nature showing how the tech giant’s deep learning-based AI system fared compared to radiologists in detecting breast cancer during the early stages of the disease.

Results showed the AI tool decreased the rate of false positives by 5.7% in the U.S.

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It’s no secret the U.S. healthcare system is frequently hard to navigate, even for industry experts

Finding doctors, figuring out insurance and accessing care can be a particular challenge for young people who are doing it for the first time, said Lori Evans Bernstein, CEO and cofounder of Caraway. Young women and others assigned female at birth also face a complex landscape of abortion restrictions as well as a growing need for mental healthcare in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caraway, which offers virtual mental and physical healthcare geared toward women ages 18 to 27, has been expanding into new states, most recently adding services in Ohio and North Carolina. The startup emerged from stealth over the summer with $10.5 million in seed funding.

Bernstein sat down with MobiHealthNews to discuss Caraway’s rollout in new states and what the startup has learned since its launch in September. 

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