Latest Health News

October 24, 2025 -- Starting next year, Highmark Health will cover Noom’s digital weight management programs as a medical benefit for eligible members—marking a major step in insurers’ use of digital health to reduce obesity-related costs. With obesity and related conditions costing the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $173 billion annually, the initiative aims to improve outcomes while curbing long-term spending for both patients and payers..

October 23, 2025 -- At this year’s HLTH 2025 conference in Las Vegas, leading digital health companies unveiled a wave of AI-powered and preventive health innovations. Hinge Health introduced computer vision–based musculoskeletal tracking and an AI care assistant; Oura announced research into hypertension prediction via wearable sensors; and Risant Health shared early success from its value-based care platform.

October 17, 2025 -- Amazon’s One Medical has launched a pediatric telehealth platform offering affordable, on-demand care for children aged 2 to 11. The new service lets parents connect with licensed clinicians via chat or video for common conditions like rashes, pink eye, and asthma—without requiring a membership. The platform aims to make children’s healthcare more accessible and convenient, with prescriptions available through Amazon Pharmacy or local providers.

March 4, 2025 -- As artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and data-driven innovation reshape healthcare, Big Tech and MedTech are racing to define the future of medicine. This Forbes analysis explores how technology giants and medical innovators are converging — and asks the pivotal question: who will lead the next medical revolution?

March 4, 2025 --  As AI-driven digital health technologies rapidly expand, experts are calling for stronger built-in feedback systems to ensure patient safety and accountability. A recent study published in Nature Medicine proposes integrating transparent, real-time feedback mechanisms directly into medical devices—allowing users and clinicians to flag issues early, improve oversight, and enhance trust in AI-powered healthcare.

February 1, 2025 --  Canada is taking steps toward a more connected and efficient healthcare system through digital health interoperability. Following the introduction of Bill C-72, the Connected Care for Canadians Act, a national task force has outlined key recommendations to improve health data sharing across provinces.

November 20, 2024 -- Health workers across Canada, including doctors and nurses, say patients can wait no longer to know whether paying out-of-pocket for medically necessary care is allowed when delivered virtually or by providers other than physicians, such as nurse practitioners.

November 20, 2024 -- New global resources have been released to help digital health innovators navigate complex international regulatory pathways. Covering key markets across Asia, Europe, and North America, the tools provide country-specific compliance guidance, step-by-step flowcharts, and AI/ML implementation strategies.

November 18, 2024 -- The Fraser Health population is expected to grow by 32 per cent over the next 15 years, according to population estimates from BC Stats. To keep up with this growth, we’re focusing on digital transformation to provide high-quality, patient-centered care more efficiently.

July 26, 2024 -- Waterloo co-op students are driving innovation in healthcare, one hospital at a time. With the new Waterloo Region hospital set to be built on campus, both students and employers will benefit from health-care experiential learning opportunities close to campus.

 July 12, 2024 -- Prince Edward Island has unveiled its Digital Health Strategy 2024–2029, a five-year roadmap to advance secure digital technologies and improve the use of health information across the province. Developed through consultations with healthcare professionals, residents, and equity-deserving groups, the strategy aims to strengthen access, quality, and efficiency in care delivery for all Islanders. 

 July 2, 2024 -- As digital health companies navigate rapid growth, they can take cues from big pharma’s long-established playbook for building trust, managing regulation, and scaling globally. Lessons in transparency, data integrity, and evidence-based validation could help digital innovators strengthen credibility and accelerate adoption across healthcare systems. 

August 1, 2023 -- While technology offers benefits such as instant communication, access to boundless information, and opportunities for self-expression, it's also crucial to recognize and address the real-world challenges accompanying its use. If consumption goes unchecked, digital media can have far-ranging effects on our physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

July 31, 2023 -- The University of Toronto has been named the world’s second-leading institution in health sciences, trailing only Harvard University, according to the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject. The recognition highlights Canada’s growing influence in global medical research, innovation, and education.

December 9, 2022 -- New data shows that the future of health innovation will need to be equitable. As a physician innovation representative to the AMA Physician Innovation Network, I recently attended the HLTH 2022 meeting. There, I learned that 19% of digital tools are inaccessible by Americans with disabilities. Moreover, health disparities amount to over $90 billion a year in excess of medical costs and 24% of the lowest income bracket in America does not have access to a smart phone. 

October 17, 2022 -- The pandemic fundamentally reshaped how healthcare is delivered. What was once a slow-moving transformation toward digital tools became an urgent global priority. Virtual doctor visits, remote monitoring, and patient-centered digital care—once viewed as futuristic—quickly became essential to maintaining access and continuity of care. In just months, digital health evolved from a niche innovation for clinicians and insurers into a shared, everyday experience for patients worldwide.

September 14, 2022 -- More insurance companies will cover virtual services and telemedicine. As telemedicine has become more accessible, it's also become more frequently covered by insurance companies. What once was an ad hoc activity is now a common inclusion in employee insurance programs. Today, several insurance products—such as this Kaiser Permanente plan—cover all virtual and telehealth services in a "virtual first" format. Other insurance plans (such as those offered by Humana and United Healthcare) give people the option of virtual or physical appointments.

August 18, 2022 -- Ontario has unveiled the next phase of its Plan to Stay Open, a strategy aimed at stabilizing the province’s health-care system ahead of an expected rise in respiratory illnesses. The plan focuses on expanding hospital capacity, adding thousands of health-care workers, and easing pressure on emergency departments through new policies and partnerships. While officials say the goal is to improve patient flow and system efficiency, the measures have drawn mixed reactions from health-care professionals and advocacy groups across the province.

August 11, 2022 -- In addition to being the mayor of Amherst, David Kogon also happens to be a retired physician who continues to practice and do surgeries across the border in New Brunswick. Kogon says, with private health-care clinics already making their way into Nova Scotia and other provinces like Quebec, a two-tiered system is likely the solution to the current health-care crisis. "I think a combination of a public and private system is inevitable," said Kogon. "Only Canada and North Korea seem to be left with a totally public system, because it isn't really sustainable anymore."

May 3, 2022 -- The provincial government has reached a deal with the association representing general practitioners to give Quebecers easier access to healthcare.  In a statement published Sunday, the government said the deal will allow patients signed up with a family doctor to have access to that doctor or another one from the doctor’s group within 36 to 72 hours, depending on their medical situation.

May 2, 2022 -- The Government of British Columbia has expanded BC PharmaCare coverage to include new and updated medications for chronic illnesses such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, migraines, heart failure, and diabetes-related hypoglycemia. The changes, introduced between December 2021 and April 2022, aim to improve treatment accessibility, reduce hospitalizations, and provide patients with more convenient options, including self-administered and long-acting therapies. 

April 23, 2022 -- Southern Vancouver Island has some of longest walk-in clinic waits in the province and country. According to the B.C. College of Family Physicians, only 80 per cent of residents in the Capital Regional District have one, compared to 84 per cent of people provincewide, while a report from the Canadian tech company Medimap found Victoria walk-in clinics have the longest wait time in the country, at more than 2½ hours.