Health tech chases perimenopause

Hoping to expand the $18 billion menopause market, businesses are marketing perimenopause communities, supplements, meal plans, wearables, prescription medications, and more to women starting in their late 30s, STAT's Sarah Todd reports. While all the attention may boost awareness about the period of fluctuating hormones that may last for years before the official start of menopause, some are skeptical that offerings can alleviate the long list of perimenopause-related symptoms that can be caused by other factors.

A great example: Last week, Amazon's primary care service One Medical announced dedicated perimenopause and menopause visits with "providers with expertise in identifying, addressing, and treating the wide range of symptoms" associated with the life phases.

policy

Shut down threatens telehealth, hospital at home

Congressional leaders are pushing the latest battle over funding the government to the brink, threatening Covid-era policies that expanded telehealth services covered by Medicare and allowing enrollees to receive hospital care in their homes. The flexibilities expire at midnight if Congress doesn't act to extend them — which won't happen if lawmakers can't agree on a bill to fund the government. It's the third time in less than a year that these policies have been caught up in a funding battle, I report with my colleague John Wilkerson. The policies enjoy bipartisan support and are likely to receive another temporary extension when a deal gets done. So the big question is how long an increasingly likely shutdown will last.

What happens now? CMS issued guidance that patients in hospital at home programs must be discharged or returned to hospital by the end of the day today. Chad Ellimoottil, medical director of virtual care at the University of Michigan Health told me the health system will begin notifying virtual care patients that their appointments are not covered. There's hope that any deal that happens after would include retroactive reimbursement for telehealth services rendered during any lapse.

"It's hardest for patients," said Ellimoottil. "Because you've been waiting two months for your discussion about cancer management, and then you're getting a message about a potential cancel or that your visit might not be covered."

investment

Behind AHA's venture capital push

My colleague Elizabeth Cooney has a very interesting interview with Lisa Suennen, a well known health care investor who is currently in charge of a $200 million fund at the American Heart Association's venture capital arm. It's always struck me as a bit unusual that non-profit medical organizations put their energy and resources into investing in for-profit startups. But as the story points out, the effort has taken on new significance in light of a depressed fundraising environment and a tricky climate around government grants.

health it

A unique way to pitch your EHR

Screenshot 2025-09-30 at 6.48.21 AM

While dominant EHR vendors Epic and Oracle have made waves with their push to layer artificial intelligence into their offerings, eClinicalWorks used its annual conference to tease the ability to use its EHR on a pair of smart glasses. I kid you not, the idea was revealed with the image above of teddy bear doctors. The glasses are part of an "ambient computing" initiative that's a partnership with an AI scribing vendor Sunoh.ai. In marketing materials, eClinicalWorks boasts about 125 AI features, including a coding assistant and revenue cycle management automation.

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Unsealed court documents reveal a whistleblower suit over UnitedHealth use of an artery disease test, STAT
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