Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Utah Releases First Outcomes Data from AI Prescription Renewal Pilot
Utah has released the first four-month results from its Doctronic AI prescription renewal pilot, the nation’s first program allowing AI to autonomously renew prescriptions. In 72% of cases, the AI recommended renewal and referred the matter to a human physician; physicians agreed 91% of the time. In 28% of cases, patients were escalated directly to a physician due to complications, new lab needs, or extended care gaps — physicians agreed the escalation was appropriate 69% of the time and overly cautious 31% of the time. The May report from Utah’s Department of Commerce Office of AI Policy provides the first formal outcomes data on the program, launched in December 2025.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
UNC Health Cuts Chart Review Time by 50% Using AI Framework Built on Microsoft Fabric
UNC Health has cut time spent per patient chart review in half using an AI framework called EASI — Extract, Analyze, Synthesize, and Integrate — built on Microsoft’s Fabric data platform. The 20-hospital Chapel Hill, N.C. system deployed EASI to scan unstructured clinical documents such as colonoscopy reports, mammograms and eye exams, determining whether patients received appropriate screenings and surfacing results in Epic. The tool reduces review time by three minutes per chart and improved abstraction detection accuracy from 83% to 93% during a diabetic eye exam pilot. Human reviewers remain the final checkpoint before entering patient records. UNC Health is expanding EASI to colorectal, cervical and breast cancer screenings.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
Wheel and b.well Partner to Build Turnkey Infrastructure for AI-First Virtual Care
Health tech companies Wheel and b.well Connected Health have announced a partnership to deliver turnkey infrastructure for AI-first virtual care. The combined platform connects consumer-authorized health record access, wearable and lab data, AI-guided care routing, prescribing and pharmacy workflows into a single system — giving healthcare organizations what the companies call an “easy button” for consumer-driven, AI-powered care. The offering will initially power Walmart’s Better Care Services platform through Wheel Clinic. Wheel CEO Michelle Davey said the partnership closes the gap between AI-generated health insights and actual clinical action, allowing platforms to route patients from data to care entirely online. B.well’s network covers more than 2.2 million providers.
Sources: Fierce Healthcare
Avera Health’s 40-Hospital Network Goes Live on Epic May 30 Across Five States
Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health is preparing to go live with Epic on May 30, completing an EHR transition first announced in July 2024. Avera operates more than 40 hospitals across South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. Patients will also gain access to Epic’s MyChart patient portal beginning May 30, according to a notice on the health system’s website. Avera President and CEO Jim Dover said when the decision was announced that the move “marks a pivotal moment in our commitment to providing the highest standard of care and operational excellence.” The go-live gives clinicians across the five-state network access to a unified electronic health record platform.
Sources: Becker’s Hospital Review
Smart Ring Maker Ōura Files Confidentially for IPO Amid Expanding Health Features
Smart ring maker Ōura has confidentially filed for an IPO, the company announced last week. The planned offering follows a $900 million funding round in October 2025, which Ōura said it would use to develop additional health features. The company’s rings currently track temperature, heart rate and sleep. Ōura received FDA authorization last fall to study a feature detecting signs of high blood pressure, and recently announced a partnership with ResMed giving users access to sleep assessment resources. The company has also integrated with Dexcom’s over-the-counter glucose monitors. Ōura said it has sold more than 5.5 million devices and expected to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2025.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
IHH Healthcare Scales AI Across 190 Facilities, Saving 800,000 Hours Annually
IHH Healthcare, one of Asia-Pacific’s largest private healthcare groups with 190 facilities across 10 countries, is embedding AI into operational and clinical workflows as adoption accelerates. Group Chief Business Technology Officer Kwok Quek Sin said operational AI tools — including nurse rostering optimization and revenue cycle automation — have delivered efficiency gains equivalent to 800,000 hours saved annually. IHH also deploys generative AI for ambient clinical documentation, AI-generated discharge summaries and coding review. Kwok said governance is a prerequisite for scaling AI safely, and that IHH embeds oversight across the full AI lifecycle from design through continuous monitoring. An upcoming HIMSS APAC report will detail broader regional AI adoption trends.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Swoop Acquires Prescription Platform Nimble to Connect AI Marketing with Pharmacy Fulfillment
AI-powered healthcare marketing company Swoop has acquired Nimble, a prescription management platform serving 16 million patients through a network of independent pharmacies. The acquisition gives Swoop direct connectivity with patients through the prescription fulfillment process, enabling the company to track adherence and intervene at key points in the patient journey. Swoop CEO Ron Elwell said the deal closes the loop on the full patient lifecycle, extending the company’s capabilities from engagement and data analytics into prescription delivery. Nimble CEO Talha Sattar said the combined companies aim to make Nimble’s platform — currently the third-largest pharmacy network in the U.S. after CVS and Walgreens — the nation’s largest.
Sources: Fierce Healthcare
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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