Stay up-to-date on the latest in health tech, digital health and health AI news with this weekly brief. This is news from the weeks of April 6-24.
H1 launches first AI-powered platform to connect sponsors, sites in clinical trials
Artificial intelligence platform H1 launched the H1 Site Network Suite, in what it says is the “first-of-its-kind” platform connecting sponsors and sites for seamless clinical trial workflow.
Through the platform, sites can claim and manage profiles, validate capabilities and respond to feasibility questionnaires. The company said the platform deploys AI “across the full feasibility workflow, connecting protocol design, site identification, and feasibility execution.”
“For decades, feasibility has been a fragmented, one-off process built on incomplete data and manual workflows,” said Ariel Katz, H1 CEO and co-founder, in a statement. “With H1’s Site Network, we’re bringing sponsors and sites into one single, connected system where feasibility becomes faster and continuously improves over time. At the end of the day, this means sponsors can move quickly when it comes to feasibility and institute smarter clinical trial processes.”
Health systems focusing on ROI, AI integration: McKinsey survey
Half of U.S. healthcare organizations have implemented generative AI solutions into their workflows, and the focus has shifted to integration, agentic AI tools and return on investment (ROI), an April 16 report from McKinsey & Company found.
The report surveyed healthcare leaders online from mid-September to mid-October and included leaders from 50 payers, 50 clinical care organizations and 50 health services and technology (HST) firms.
“At the same time, the challenges that healthcare leaders face are evolving,” the report authors wrote. “Longstanding concerns around trust, safety, and governance now sit alongside the operational realities of integration.”
Most healthcare leaders in the report expect a positive ROI (82%) from AI investments, with 45% quantifying a positive return.
The biggest barrier for healthcare leaders attempting to scale generative AI solutions is the difficulty of integrating or adapting tools into existing workflows, with 59% of respondents reporting this issue. Forty-three percent of healthcare leaders also cite the concerns of the risk of scaling generative AI solutions as a barrier to implementation.
The survey also found that, despite increasing interest in agentic AI platforms, implementation is lagging behind generative AI tools. Only 19% of respondents report their organizations have implemented agentic AI, but, simultaneously, 51% of respondents report their organizations are pursuing agentic AI proofs of concept. Only 1% of respondents said their organizations have no plans to pursue agentic AI solutions.
Google and Johnson & Johnson Foundation invest in AI training
Google.org and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation announced a $10 million philanthropic collaboration to fund AI literacy training for rural healthcare workers across the U.S., aiming to bridge the adoption gap.
Each organization is committing $5 million to the project, according to a press release. There are three main pillars of the partnership:
- AI literacy
- Burnout reduction
- Community-driven solutions
The collaboration expands on different initiatives from each organization. Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund, launched in 2024, aims to help Americans develop AI skills. And, Johnson & Johnson’s CareCommunity aims to advance programs that improve quality care access for communities across the globe.
Qualifacts acquires MethodOne to fully integrate medication-assisted treatment
Behavioral health technology platform Qualifacts acquired MethodOne by Computalogic, a controlled-medication dispensing software, to create a fully integrated solution.
The acquisition expands Qualifacts electronic health record (EHR) capabilities, “closing a critical gap” for substance use disorder and complex mental health providers that required integrated medication-assisted treatment and medications for opioid use disorder dispensing.
“Joining Qualifacts gives MethodOne the scale and resources to accelerate our roadmap and reach more providers who need a better solution,” said Keith Jones, CEO of MethodOne by Computalogic, in a statement. “Together, we can offer SUD treatment organizations something they haven’t had before: a truly integrated solution that handles the full scope of their clinical and dispensing needs, backed by a partner with deep and exclusive behavioral healthcare expertise.