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Gulf Today
19-07-2025
- Health
- Gulf Today
To satisfy Trump, GOP delivers blow to health industry
Doctors, hospitals, and health insurers for weeks issued dire warnings to Republican lawmakers that millions of people would lose health coverage and hospitals would close if they cut Medicaid funding to help pay for President Donald Trump's big tax and spending bill. But Republicans ignored those pleas, made even deeper cuts, and sent the legislation on July 3 to the White House, where Trump signed it the next day. The law's passage marked a rare political loss for some of the health industry's biggest players. When unified, doctors, hospitals, and insurers have stood among the most powerful lobbying forces in Washington and have a long track record of blocking or forcing changes to legislation that could hurt them financially. But health industry lobbyists are catching their breath and assessing the damage after Trump's massive bill raced through Congress in less than two months with only Republican votes. Several lobbyists offered various reasons for being unable to stave off big cuts to Medicaid, a $900 billion state-federal health insurance program that covers an estimated 72 million low-income and disabled people nationally and accounts for 19% of all spending on hospital care, about $283 billion a year, according to the latest data. But nearly all agreed that GOP lawmakers were more worried about angering Trump than facing backlash from local hospitals and constituents back home. 'Members were more scared of Trump issuing a primary challenge than disappointing local voters who may find their hospital has to close or their insurance premium may go up,' said Bob Kocher, a partner with venture capital firm Venrock who served in the Obama administration, referring to election primaries leading into the midterms. Consider what happened to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). After he took to the Senate floor to announce his opposition to the bill because of its cuts to Medicaid, Trump threatened to support a challenger to run against Tillis next year. Shortly thereafter, Tillis announced his retirement from politics. But other factors were at work. The health industry's warnings to lawmakers may have been dismissed because hospitals, health centers, and other health care provider groups are seen by Republicans as strong backers of the Affordable Care Act, the law known as Obamacare that's considered Democrats' biggest domestic achievement in decades. The ACA expanded government health insurance coverage to millions of people previously not eligible. And no Republicans voted for it. 'Hospitals' support of the ACA has frustrated Republicans, and as a result there is less a reservoir of goodwill to hospitals than in the past,' Kocher said. Ceci Connolly, chief executive of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, said her lobbying team spent extra time on Capitol Hill with lawmakers and their staffers, raising concerns about how the legislation would imperil health care coverage. 'There was almost an overriding sense on the part of Republicans in Congress to deliver a major victory for President Trump,' she said. Her group represents health plans that provide coverage in about 40 states. 'That superseded some of their concerns, reluctance, and hesitation.' Connolly said she repeatedly heard from GOP lawmakers that the focus was on delivering on Trump's campaign promise to extend his 2017 tax cuts. She said the concerns of some moderate members helped lead to one concession: a $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals and other health providers. The money, she said, may have made it easier for some lawmakers to support a bill that, in total, cuts more than $1 trillion from Medicaid over a decade. Another twist: Many new lawmakers were clearly still learning about Medicaid, she said. Republicans also seemed eager to reduce the scope of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage after enrollment in both programmes soared to record levels during the pandemic and the Biden administration, she said. Trump's law requires states to verify eligibility for Medicaid at least every six months and ends auto-enrollment into marketplace plans — steps health policy experts says will reverse some of those gains. Tribune News Service
New York Post
18-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Astronomer raised nearly $100M from big investors — just months before CEO Andy Byron's Coldplay ‘kiss cam' scandal
New York-based software firm Astronomer raised nearly $100 million from major investors in May – just a few months before its CEO Andy Byron was caught on the 'kiss cam' at a Coldplay concert snuggling the firm's head of human resources. Astronomer – a privately-held software firm that helps clients streamline and organize their data – announced in May that it had 'secured $93 million in Series D funding' from backers that included Bain Capital, Salesforce, Venrock and Meritech. 'While this is just one step in Astronomer's journey to build a durable, lasting software company, we're thrilled to have one of our earliest investors, Bain, leading the round,' Byron said in a statement at the time. Advertisement 4 Astronomer CEO Andy Byron joined the firm in 2023. LinkedIn/Andy Byron 'All of our investors are committed to Astronomer's long-term vision because of our recent momentum, the massive market demand for the platform we're building, and the macro tailwinds that support our vision.' So far, none of those investors have commented on the uproar over the viral video showing Byron and Astronomer's HR chief Kristin Cabot scrambling to get off camera – which prompted Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to joke, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Other firms listed as investors on Astronomer's website include JP Morgan Chase, Insight Partners, Sierra Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures and KS Global. Advertisement To date, the company has raised more than $350 million from outside investors since it was founded in 2015, according to data from Crunchbase and other funding trackers. Astronomer's board of directors includes Byron as well as Venrock's Ethan Batraski, investor John McMahon, Sutter Hill Ventures' Scott Yara, Sierra Ventures' Tim Guleri and Bain Capital Venture's Enrique Salem. The Post has reached out to the board members for comment on the video but has yet to hear back. Astronomer has also not returned requests for comment. Advertisement 4 Astronomer moved into an office in Chelsea last year. Astronomer 4 Astronomer boasted that its new office had a view of the Empire State Building. Astronomer Some tech insiders joked that the incident, which has spawned countless memes and jokes on social media, provided Astronomer with a visibility boost. 'Board should give him a raise,' quipped Flexport CEO Ryan Peterson. 'Without this viral moment, I'd never know that Astronomer is used by enterprise clients to manage apache airflow and achieve 70% higher uptime than self-managed airflow.' Advertisement Astronomer is a mid-sized firm with 369 employees, according to its profile on Pitchbook. The company relocated to an office on West 23rd Street in Chelsea in February 2024 after previously being headquartered in Cincinnati, according to blog post. 4 Andy Byron was caught on camera embracing Astronomer's head of HR Kristin Cabot. Grace Springer via Storyful Astronomer bragged that the new office space's 'spacious layout helps facilitate collaboration and features a great view of the Empire State Building,' as well as a roof deck for hosting events. 'Cincinnati was an incredible place for us to start our company and we will continue to have a presence in Cincinnati,' Byron said in a statement at the time. 'Now, we're excited to build a bigger presence in the NYC area.' As The Post reported, one former colleague of Byron's alleged that he was a 'toxic' boss. 'The text groups and chains of former employees are like … everybody's laughing their ass off and enjoying the hell out of what happened and him getting exposed,' said the source, who reported directly to Byron. Advertisement Byron joined Astronomer as its CEO in July 2023, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile. Prior to that, he had stints as president of California-based firm Lacework, chief revenue officer at Cybereason and president and COO of Fuze.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Suki AI Is Healthcare's New Infrastructure
Doctor in a comfortable office using AI on laptop with infographics displayed Venture capital is making an aggressive bet on ambient AI. It's not just validation, it's fuel. Backers like Venrock and Breyer Capital have bet on Suki's ability to deliver not just innovation, but real operational leverage in clinical settings. Their investment underscores a belief that ambient AI isn't just a tech layer — it's a venture-scale opportunity to reshape healthcare delivery at its core. AI in healthcare has long overpromised and underdelivered, until now. While most tools have added more clicks and dashboards, ambient AI is subtracting: it subtracts friction, burnout, and time spent charting instead of caring. The national rollout of Athenahealth Ambient Notes powered by Suki isn't just a win for one startup, it's a signal that invisible, assistive AI is finally hitting its stride. And here's the thing: it's not just a workflow fix. It's a redefinition of what tech in healthcare should be: unseen, unfelt, but utterly indispensable. We've seen the same cycle play out again and again: a shiny new tech tool enters healthcare, dazzles in demos, and falls flat in practice. But ambient AI breaks the pattern. Instead of interrupting clinical workflows, it blends into them. That's what makes Athenahealth's decision to integrate Suki into Ambient Notes so consequential. What began as a beta that logged over 60,000 clinical encounters is now live across the company's vast network. Suki AI Platform 1 'This milestone with Athenahealth marks more than just scale. It signals real transformation for clinicians,' said Punit Soni, CEO and founder of Suki. 'By embedding Suki deeply into the EHR, we're delivering on the promise of ambient AI: less time on documentation, more time for care. This is what innovation should look like — seamless, intuitive, and focused entirely on the user experience.' Suki reports an adoption rate up to 2X that of competitors. The company says clinicians complete notes 72% faster, and physicians on the ground confirm the impact. 'I was used to spending 4 to 6 hours of my weekend catching up on documentation,' said Dr. Janelle Smith, a primary care physician in Springfield. 'Now, using Ambient Notes, I haven't been to the clinic on a single weekend in months, and I am close to 90-100 percent same-day note completion. It's really been transformative to my practice, as well as for my patient relationships, a true win-win.' Ambient AI isn't just saving time. It's saving careers. Athenahealth's own survey data found that nearly half of physicians pointed to documentation as the top area where AI could help. The product-market fit is undeniable. 'Across our network of ambulatory care providers, we are seeing rapid adoption of ambient listening technologies,' said Paul Brient, chief product officer at Athenahealth. 'It's clear this technology is well matched to solve one of the industry's biggest pain points—clinical documentation—and will only improve further through innovation and partnerships like this one with Suki.' Zoom is also betting on ambient AI. In late 2024, the company integrated Suki's note-taking into its telehealth platform, part of its broader productivity push via Zoom AI Companion. For healthcare customers operating under Business Associate Agreements (BAAs), the integration provides compliant documentation with minimal effort. Suki isn't just integrating, it's becoming the backend. According to a report by Definitive Healthcare, Zoom holds a 36.16% market share in telehealth — making it the most widely used vendor in the sector. The platform serves over 140,000 healthcare customers worldwide, including eight of the ten largest U.S. health systems and nine of the top ten hospitals, according to U.S. News rankings. Its dominant footprint makes it a powerful partner for scaling ambient AI into virtual care delivery. 'Suki continues to execute beautifully with a magical product for an ecosystem in desperate need of one,' said Bryan Roberts, partner at Venrock. 'Its ambient digital assistant for doctors makes use of the greatest technology wave in decades — AI — in a population that has all too often been left behind with regards to technology innovation — healthcare.' Suki has also secured partnerships with major electronic health records systems, including Epic, Cerner, and Meditec. VCs are pouring capital into ambient AI scribes with over $5.6 billion invested in the sector in 2024 alone. Abridge, Ambience Healthcare, Nabla, and Suki have all landed serious backing. Abridge leads with $462 million; Suki has raised $168 million; Ambience and Nabla follow at $100 million and $43 million, respectively. To VCs, this isn't a product race — it's an infrastructure bet. The winner in ambient AI will own the pipes through which modern medicine flows. Features come and go. Platforms endure. The company that captures the ambient layer captures the future of healthcare delivery. When it comes to building ambient AI platforms for healthcare, funding isn't just about speed — it's about survival, scale, and long-term defensibility. Here's why: In this category, funding isn't just fuel — it's a moat. Suki stands out in this crowded field because it's fully AI-powered. No human scribes. No offshoring. No lag. That gives it a scalability and margin advantage that other models can't easily match. Moreover, the company plans to deepen its current product offerings while developing new ones, including AI tools for healthcare staffing. Founded in 2017 by former Google and Flipkart exec Punit Soni, Suki has secured capital from Venrock, Breyer Capital, Zoom Ventures, and March Capital. But it's not just capital, it's conviction. Suki AI Founder Punit Singh Soni speaking at health tech conference HIMSS. 'With a large language model, you can get to a demo. But it takes years of work to make a great product that works at scale, in all languages, across large healthcare settings,' Soni said. Suki stands apart by combining a fully automated clinical AI assistant with a white-labeled platform that powers other telehealth and EHR companies, not just its own product. While competitors like Nuance and Abridge focus on large health systems and Ambience emphasizes platform breadth, Suki targets agile healthcare players with a lightweight, extensible product that combines ambient documentation with interactive voice commands thereby positioning itself as both a clinical assistant and an infrastructure layer for the future of healthcare interfaces. Additionally, Suki stands out with its relationships. Relationships are critical in healthcare AI since success relies on strong networks, not just for influence, but for performance. Partnerships give companies access to richer data, enabling them to train smarter models. More collaborators mean more feedback to improve accuracy, and deeper integration with EHR systems makes it easier to scale across clinical environments. Suki has established a robust network of partnerships across the healthcare and technology sectors, enhancing its AI-powered clinical assistant offerings. Key collaborations include: These partnerships underscore Suki's commitment to reducing administrative burdens for clinicians and improving patient care through advanced AI solutions. According to Precedence Research, the global AI in healthcare market is projected to hit $613.81 billion by 2034. Ambient AI is one of its fastest-growing segments. The prize is massive, and Suki is positioning itself as the infrastructure layer for this next generation. As the market expands, the question won't be 'does this tech work?' It will be 'Who do we trust to build it right?' Ambient AI isn't a niche feature. It's becoming the connective tissue of modern healthcare. For VCs, it's a rare convergence of scale, clinical demand, and stickiness. For doctors, it's relief. This moment isn't just a product launch. It's a shift in the power dynamic between AI and healthcare. And if Suki continues to execute, it could be the company that defines how AI is integrated into the exam room – not as a screen, but as a silent, trusted partner. The real question isn't if ambient AI will win. It's who will own it.
