Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Friday, September 18, 2026
Oracle Leaders Receive Subpoenas to Appear Before House VA Committee
The House Veterans Affairs Committee has issued subpoenas to Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and CEO Mike Sicilia, ordering both executives to testify about the company's VA electronic health record contract. Ellison must appear before the committee on December 10; Sicilia on November 19. Lawmakers are demanding answers on why the original contract ceiling required a $17 billion expansion, tripling costs from roughly $10 billion to $27 billion on a no-bid basis. The Oracle-VA EHR project has drawn sustained congressional scrutiny over its runaway costs, and the subpoenas represent a sharp escalation in oversight—going directly to Oracle's chairman and chief executive for accountability.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Healthcare's Agentic AI Boom Is Outpacing Security and Governance
Healthcare's rapid adoption of agentic artificial intelligence is significantly outpacing the security and governance frameworks designed to manage it, according to a new report from digital identity and access management firm Imprivata. The survey of healthcare leaders found 85 percent express confidence in their organization's AI governance posture—yet 72 percent simultaneously admit that AI tools have been deployed without IT approval, creating a widespread shadow AI problem. Researchers warn this governance gap carries direct patient safety risk that extends well beyond traditional cybersecurity threats. Healthcare organizations are urged to close the distance between perceived governance maturity and actual AI deployment reality before patient harm occurs.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
Effective Clinical AI Adoption Starts Before Go-Live
Successful clinical AI adoption is determined largely by what happens before a tool ever reaches a clinician, according to the second installment of a Healthcare IT News series on physician AI workflow integration. Dr. Ryan Sadeghian of MITConn Advisors and UToledo Health, and Dr. Stephen Morgan of Pediatric Associates of Greater Salem and the HIMSS Physician Community, argue that physician involvement, early education and clearly defined measurable goals separate tools clinicians actually embrace from pilots that generate frustration and added administrative burden. Their vision: “cool technology to enable warm hands”—AI that supports clinical presence rather than competing with it for the clinician's attention.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
Hello Patient Acquires Converse Health to Broaden Workflow Automation
Hello Patient, which deploys AI agents for medical practices via phone, text and web chat, has acquired Converse Health, extending its platform from patient engagement into full back-office workflow automation. Converse Health's technology reads incoming faxes, identifies document types, matches them to patient records and files documents in the appropriate EHR location—eliminating manual intake for referrals, prior authorizations and patient registration. The combined platform also reviews clinical notes and lab results to identify overdue patients, then dispatches agents to schedule visits. CEO Alex Cohen said the deal transforms Hello Patient “from a patient access and engagement company to a full suite that also automates the back-office work.”
Sources: MobiHealthNews
Vitality and Google Bring AI Health Engagement Platform to US Market
Vitality has brought its AI-powered health engagement platform to the U.S. market in partnership with Google, running on Google Cloud infrastructure and powered by Gemini AI models. The platform analyzes more than 2,800 behavioral, clinical and actuarial data dimensions to generate personalized “next best action” health recommendations for each user. Since launching in the U.S. in June 2025, the platform has attracted more than 210,000 users, with 54 percent completing at least one recommended health action. Vitality U.S. CEO Maia Surmova said the company is deepening its market footprint through recent acquisitions of Icario, Ramp Health and WellSpark, which extend its reach into population health and employee wellness programs.
Sources: MobiHealthNews
RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers and AWS Launch Health Tech Innovation Hub
RWJBarnabas Health, Rutgers University and Amazon Web Services have launched a new health technology innovation hub at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School's Health and Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The hub will support up to five interdisciplinary student teams with mentorship from RWJBarnabas clinicians and researchers, access to AWS cloud credits, and Amazon's technical guidance—providing the infrastructure needed to move student-led ideas from concept to prototype. The initiative was announced at the AWS Imagine Summit in Chicago on September 15. The project aims to accelerate development of real-world health tech solutions by connecting academia, a major health system and cloud computing resources.
Sources: Healthcare IT News
HHS OIG Audits Find Humana and UnitedHealthcare Overcharged Medicare Advantage by $180M
Two new audits from the HHS Office of the Inspector General found that Medicare Advantage plans operated by the two largest MA insurers—Humana and UnitedHealthcare—jointly overcharged the federal government nearly $180 million in 2020 and 2021 by submitting diagnosis codes unsupported by medical documentation. For HumanaChoice, unsupported high-risk diagnoses in a sample of 220 enrollee-years produced an extrapolated overpayment of $131 million; UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin generated an estimated $47 million. The OIG recommended both plans refund overpayments and strengthen coding compliance processes. Both insurers disputed the audit methodology and said they have no obligation to return the funds to CMS.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
Mental Health Gap Widens Between Employed and Independent Physicians
A Physicians Foundation survey of 1,000 physicians finds 55 percent experienced debilitating stress in the past year and nearly half made or considered major career changes due to well-being concerns—with employed physicians faring significantly worse than those in independent practice. Heavy workloads, administrative burden, inefficient workflows and limited patient time are the leading drivers of distress. Employed physicians are especially likely to cite rigid performance metrics set without meaningful physician input. More than 80 percent of U.S. doctors are now employed by hospitals or corporate entities, compared to 25 percent in 2012, and Physicians Foundation president Dr. Gary Price says frustrations over workflows and administrative tasks are not easing.
Sources: Healthcare Dive
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