Are virtual clinical trials just as good as in-person? HumanFirst and Duke’s Clinical Research Institute are studying how clinical trials can best use remote monitoring tech—which starts to answer the big question of whether digital health tracking data is reliable enough to inform big healthcare decisions.

Google gets health data deal with a top dog provider: The Big Tech co linked up with HCA Healthcare to boost its health records—though this cracks open another chance for Google to lock in its hold in healthcare, it’ll still contend with patient privacy concerns.

Google dismantles Google Health as Big Tech struggles to get their health endeavors off the ground: We unpack why Big Tech firms are having trouble operating as health tech firms.

Note: We also covered how Apple’s stalled primary care ambitions underscore the challenges for Big Tech in healthcare in our Connectivity & Tech Briefing.

This report explains the rise of tech-focused SDOH initiatives among US health insurers and hospitals, unpacks how these entities’ heavier focus on SDOH has ushered in opportunities for digital health vendors and tech companies operating at the periphery of healthcare to help address nonclinical health gaps, and lays out the factors driving the prioritization of SDOH and inhibiting these efforts’ growth.

Apple is reportedly adding its most advanced sensors ever to its Series 7 Watch (temperature, glucose sensors)—here’s how its leadership in the wearables space could help prop up its healthcare play.

Walmart is acquiring telehealth firm MeMD, giving it an opportunity to grow its healthcare business without expanding its clinics—retail giants offering in-person/virtual care could spell trouble for telehealth vendors like Teladoc.

Health tech companies like Amazon Care, DispatchHealth, and Signify Health joined forces with major health systems Intermountain Healthcare and Ascension to form Moving Health Home—a coalition that will lobby Congress to make long-term changes to home healthcare reimbursement policies.

Big Tech. Disadvantage to neobanks and incumbents: Big Tech encroaches on fintech. Tech giants are moving in on payments and banking. Google is planning its Plex bank accounts—which are Google digital user experiences built on top of accounts provided by incumbent partner banks, including Citi and BMO Harris—for a launch sometime in 2021.

It was supposed to be a “hot vax summer” in the US, but instead we got a hot antitrust reform summer. The Biden administration, along with the Democratic-led Congress, has put into play a mix of proposed legislation, lawsuits, executive orders, and appointments to address Big Tech's outsized, consolidated power.

Instead, they will likely redouble their lobbying efforts in the US and EU, which are far bigger markets—but with lawmakers across party lines in favor of Big Tech regulation, it’s unlikely that those efforts will pay off.

So, Amazon Pharmacy already has access to millions more consumers who will likely use virtual pharmacies the most—which means digital pharmacy startups have a lot of ground to cover to compete with the tech giant. What's next?

The CEOs of top tech firms met with Biden to discuss US cybersecurity. Though cooperation may help, meaningful change will require legislation or the enforcement of mandatory security standards.

Emory’s Healthcare Innovation Hub recently announced it’s teaming up with Anthem to create digital health solutions with 5G technology, for instance.

What it means for Big Tech: The new laws could help data-sharing relationships between private-sector international players run more smoothly, both for worldwide companies operating in China and for Chinese companies operating globally. For example, in March, several big Chinese tech companies like Tencent and TikTok owner ByteDance were found to be developing a mobile identifier called the CAID.