Samwise Healthcare IT Newsletter
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Epic President Sumit Rana to Step Down in August
Epic Systems President Sumit Rana told staff in a July 3 email that he will step away from the company, with his last day set for August 14. Rana, who has worked at Epic for nearly 30 years and most recently served as executive vice president of research and development, was widely viewed as a potential successor to 82-year-old founder and CEO Judy Faulkner. He cited his father’s death last November and a desire to support his mother in India while spending more time with his wife and children. Epic said a small group of leaders Rana mentored will take on additional responsibilities going forward.
Sources: Healthcare IT News Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Retrieval-Augmented Generation Emerges as Key to Trustworthy Healthcare AI
Healthcare IT News reported that retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG, is emerging as a critical technique for making artificial intelligence trustworthy in clinical settings. RAG pairs semantic search with large language models, retrieving information from approved, preselected sources rather than relying solely on a model’s trained knowledge. Because the technique can pull from unstructured sources such as patient records, it lets AI systems deliver citation-backed, source-grounded responses instead of unverifiable output. The sources used are often internal and proprietary to a health system. Proponents say this grounded approach is what will let clinicians and staff members trust AI-generated answers enough to rely on them when making care decisions.
Sources: Healthcare IT News Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Atrium Health to Pay $1.8 Million to Settle Patient Tracker Lawsuit
Atrium Health has agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its past use of pixel tracking codes on its patient portal, GovInfoSecurity reported. Patients alleged the North Carolina-based health system shared sensitive personal and health-related information with third parties, including Meta and Google, for targeted advertising without consent. The settlement received preliminary court approval on May 22, 2026. It covers patients who used their MyAtriumHealth or MyCarolinas portal accounts between January 2015 and July 2019, while the trackers were active. Atrium Health also agreed to pay up to an additional $300,000 to a second group of account holders whose portal access extended through April 2024.
Sources: GovInfoSecurity Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Abridge, Hippocratic AI and Ambience Build AI Tools Designed for Nurses
Modern Healthcare reported that ambient AI vendors are increasingly building tools designed specifically for nursing workflows rather than adapting physician-focused products. Abridge for Nurses, an ambient documentation tool that emerged through a 2024 collaboration with Mayo Clinic, has expanded from a handful of health systems to more than 250, including Corewell Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Emory Healthcare. By automating documentation during patient encounters, the platform aims to reduce administrative burden so nurses can focus on direct patient care. Hippocratic AI separately unveiled two new tools aimed at expanding clinical access and easing bedside nurse workflows, co-developed with nursing leaders at Cincinnati Children’s, OhioHealth and Cleveland Clinic.
Sources: Modern Healthcare Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Handspring Health Lands $19 Million Series B to Expand Youth Behavioral Health Model
Handspring Health picked up $19 million in Series B funding to grow its clinician workforce, expand value-based care partnerships with payers and broaden its geographic reach, Fierce Healthcare reported. RPS Ventures led the round, with participation from new investor Angelini Ventures and returning backers Cobalt Ventures, NextView Ventures, nvp capital, Hyde Park Angels and Cornucopian Capital, among others. The company, which launched four years ago and provides therapy for children and young adults, has now raised $37 million to date, including a $12 million Series A round a year earlier. Handspring Health CEO and co-founder Sahil Choudhry discussed the raise in an interview with the outlet.
Sources: Fierce Healthcare Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Secret-Shopper Study Finds Most Telehealth Sites Prescribe GLP-1s With Little Oversight
A Yale-led secret-shopper study published in JAMA found that telehealth clinics selling GLP-1 weight-loss drugs frequently prescribe them with minimal clinical oversight, STAT reported. Researchers posed as patients on 49 telehealth websites between August and December 2025, using a simulated profile with a self-reported questionnaire and an upper-body photograph. Of the sites tested, 91.8% issued a prescription without requiring anything beyond that questionnaire and photo, and two-thirds dispensed prescriptions with zero clinician interaction. About 8% of sites offered no way to ask a provider questions. Nearly 70% shipped the drugs within 24 hours, some in five minutes, and only four of the 49 sites denied an application.
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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