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 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.

News

• The EHR Association released comments on two CMS proposed rules. The organization advocated for a one-year delay on reporting median payer-specific negotiated charges, until 2027, and also cautioned against moving quickly on advancing performance-based requirements.
• The Joint Commission and the Coalition for Health AI released Guidance on Responsible Use of AI in Healthcare, which aims to help provider organizations implement AI at scale.
• DirectTrust posted new versions of program criteria for its 28 accreditation programs for public review, and the comment period is open until November 17. New this year: An AI program based on the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.

Studies

• Only 49% of health system leaders surveyed see AI and advanced analytics as a solution for cost efficiency and ROI, according to a Becker’s Healthcare and Net Health survey.
• Research from the Peterson Health Technology Institute found patients using virtual solutions for opioid use disorder remain in treatment an average of 13 more days over six months, which is only slightly longer than usual care.
• Non-essential procedures make up more than 32% of all data collected in Phase III clinical trials, according to a study from TransCelerate BioPharma and the Tufts University School of Medicine.
• Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of cyberattacks in healthcare result in losses of more than $200,000, according to a report from Netwrix. That’s nearly four times as many as the 5% total reported in 2024.

Partnerships

• Decision support vendor EvidenceCare has integrated InterQual clinical data review technology into its AdmissionCare product.
• Translation technology vendor Pocketalk launched the Pocketalk Enterprise App on Zebra Technologies‘ mobile computers, tablets, and kiosks.
• Swisslog Healthcare is partnering with Diligent Robotics to bring autonomous delivery robots to U.S. hospitals.

Products

• Cenevo launched Labguru Assistant, an AI-enabled extension to its lab management system.
• CentralReach launched CR ClaimAcceleratorAI, a revenue recovery product for autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities care providers.
• CharmHealth launched CharmHealthSquare, a Slack community built exclusively for physicians.
• Data intelligence vendor Evidently launched Ask Evidently, an AI chat interface.
• datma announced the Federated Biomarker Explorer for Health Systems, which lets provider organizations validate pharmaceutical demand for their data before committing to partnership.
• Behavioral health care provider Lucet launched Lucet at Home and announced branding changes for 2026.
• NaphCare announced TechCare GO, a browser-based feature of TechCare, its corrections-specific EHR.

Implementations

• Tennessee-based Ardent Health deployed Ambience Healthcare‘s AI documentation tool across its ambulatory network.
• The Washington State Department of Corrections selected Unite Us to connect people leaving incarceration to community resources to help promote self-sufficiency and reduce recidivism.

Company News

• Acentra Health launched the Safe AI in Medicaid Alliance (SAMA), which will develop Medicaid-focused frameworks for AI adoption.
• eHealth Exchange announced its annual meeting, which will be in Nashville on November 18.
• A report from Omada Health found 63% of its members maintained or continued to lose weight 12 months after discontinuing GLP-1s.

People

• CareQuest Institute for Oral Health named Wade Rakes as CEO; he previously served as Chief Growth Officer at Centene.
• Workflow automation vendor Penguin Ai named Mark Caron as Chief Strategy Officer.
• EHR downtime management company Spare Tire appointed Jeanine “Nini” Martin as Chief Commercial Officer and added Randy McCleese as a Healthcare IT Strategy Consultant
• PointClickCare appointed David Pessis as Chief Product and Technology Officer.
• Chronic eye care vendor Lumata Health named Annu Singh as Chief Technology Officer.
• Health information network Availity promoted Bala Sekaran to Chief Customer Officer to support the company’s new Customer Success organization.

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.