When will Function Health publish evidence?

Function Health, which offers members nutrition, supplement, and other lifestyle guidance based on a huge battery of lab tests and body scans, announced it raised $298 million from investors. The company is also launching a chatbot that will offer recommendations and explanations of test results based on user questions.

Function claims hundreds of thousands of members so obviously they've managed to convince a large number consumers that there is value to tracking granular data about what's in their blood, and to the company's recommendations. But there is light evidence for some of what Function does. For example, the company offers testing for cancer and coronary artery calcium that are not usually recommended for people at low risk of disease. So does Function really help users live healthier and longer? In my new story cofounder Mark Hyman discusses the company's plans to publish peer-reviewed evidence, and why he's not worried about risks from offering people data. Hyman also told me the company is plotting its own supplements offering, "that is unlike anything that's ever been in the marketplace before."

virtual care

Large health systems turn to K Health's AI

Over the last two years, K Health has partnered with five large health systems — Cedars-Sinai, Mayo Clinic, Hackensack Meridian Health, Hartford HealthCare, and Mass General Brigham — to launch round-the-clock virtual primary care platforms enabled by its AI. Today, it announced another partnership with Northwell Health, New York's largest health system, which began rolling out its platform in October.

In a new story, Katie Palmer dives into the model that some of the country's most powerful health systems hope will help address critical shortages in primary care providers, and reach more patients.

startups

Berkeley spinout to analyze CT and MRI data

Voio today announced $8.6 million in funding to advance technology that can recognize hundreds of conditions in CT and MRI scans of the chest, brain, abdomen, and breast, and can write reports based on its findings. The University of California, Berkeley spinout enters a crowded market of players developing large vision and language AI models that face an uncertain regulatory path at the Food and Drug Administration.

Health tech news roundup

Rose Broderick writes: Paradromics announced Thursday that the FDA has approved a clinical study that will test whether the company's brain-computer interface for speech restoration is safe and can help someone with ALS or paralysis communicate via text or synthesized speech. The trial has two participants, who will be implanted with an updated version of a device that has successfully decoded a person's brain activity up to 60 words per minute. It's the latest step forward for Paradromics, which is racing to catch up to competitors Synchron and Neuralink (and recently published a jargon-y diss of Neuralink's device).
Instead of FDA approvals should we explore giving health AI devices a medical license? In this week's AI Prognosis, Brittany Trang speaks with researchers proposing this unusual idea. Read their paper here.
Aetna announced a new "generative AI-powered conversational experience in its digital channels," including an "ask me anything" search that will allow users to get answers about care options and coverage.
FamilyWell Health, a women-focused mental health startup, announced an $8 million Series A round led by New Markets Venture Partners.

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Founder of ADHD startup is found guilty of conspiracy in Adderall case, Wall Street Journal
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Former Eli Lilly exec raises $52 million to build a new healthcare AI startup, Business Insider