Who’s Winning in Healthcare Now: AI Megadeals, Staffing Giants & Telehealth Choices

Good morning, ! This week we’re diving into how AI is gaining share in Healthcare big deals, the Healthcare staffing key players, and major drivers for selecting video call providers in telehealth practices.

Sponsor Spotlight: Whereby is a healthcare-first video call API designed to help platforms deliver secure, reliable visits while reducing friction that drives no-shows, drop-offs, and support cost. Their article breaks down the hidden cost of “good enough” telehealth video and why visible trust signals matter as teams scale. Read the full breakdown →

— The Healthcare150 Team

TREND TO WATCH

AI Is Outgrowing the Mega-Deal

For years, healthcare AI funding meant fewer companies, bigger checks, and an obsession with mega-deals. In 2025, that pattern is bending. Yes, capital flowing into $300M+ rounds hit a new high — but the more telling signal is volume. Deal count surged, rebounding sharply from 2023 and accelerating again this year.

That combination — more dollars and more deals — suggests healthcare AI is no longer experimental. It’s operational. These platforms aren’t lightweight software plays; they’re infrastructure businesses built around drug discovery, ambient clinical documentation, and workflow ownership inside hospitals and life sciences companies.

Another quiet shift: $100M–$299M rounds are becoming normalized growth capital, not existential bets. That widens the funding ladder and supports multiple scaled winners in the same category.

Bottom line: Healthcare AI isn’t just getting bigger. It’s getting broader — a sign of maturation, not froth. (More)

PRESENTED BY WHEREBY

The hidden cost of “good enough” telehealth video

Switching video infrastructure can feel painful, but sticking with a “good enough” solution has a cost too.

When security and privacy aren’t communicated clearly, when calls fail or glitch, or when UX adds friction, the impact becomes measurable: lower patient engagement, higher no-shows and drop-offs, increased support and operating costs, and greater churn risk.

Whereby breaks down how these costs show up in practice and why early evaluation lowers risk by creating options before you’re forced into a rushed decision.

Read the full breakdown

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HEALTHTECH CORNER

Virtual Care’s Reliability Gap Is Now a Strategic Risk

Presented by Whereby

Virtual care has matured from an access solution to operating infrastructure. But these charts highlight a growing mismatch between what telehealth builders and facilitators value and what platforms consistently deliver.

Call quality and reliability dominate purchasing decisions, cited by 66% of respondents as the top factor when selecting a video platform. Ease of use and privacy follow at 58% each, while cost trails at 45%. The signal is clear. Healthcare buyers are prioritizing clinical continuity and patient trust over marginal savings or feature novelty. Video is no longer a commodity layer. It is embedded in care delivery, brand perception, and clinical outcomes.

Yet execution lags expectations. 91% of telehealth professionals report experiencing technical difficulties at least occasionally, with 77% saying issues occur occasionally and 14% frequently or on every call. This reliability gap creates downstream costs that rarely show up in vendor pricing. Failed visits increase staff workload, erode patient satisfaction, and weaken provider confidence in virtual-first workflows.

Why does this matter now? As virtual care matures, differentiation is shifting from access to performance. Platforms that cannot guarantee consistent call quality risk churn as systems consolidate vendors and tighten clinical standards. For investors and operators, reliability is no longer table stakes. It is a defensible moat and a prerequisite for scaling virtual care into higher-acuity use cases.

Read the State of Virtual Care Report

COMPLIANCE CORNER

Licensing, Credentialing, and Workforce Compliance: Enforcement Tightens in 2026

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is sharpening oversight on provider licensure and credentialing with a renewed focus on data accuracy in the Provider Enrollment, Chain, and Ownership System (PECOS). Starting in 2026, PECOS is the exclusive source for verifying provider credentials and licensure, with discrepancies triggering payment holds and eligibility denials. Timely reporting of licensure changes, adverse actions, and ownership updates now required within 30 days has become a strict condition for continued participation.

Why it matters: Cross-program and interstate enforcement has intensified. If a provider or supplier is excluded from Medicare or Medicaid in one jurisdiction, CMS mandates denial of enrollment in all programs and states. Failure to comply risks not only reimbursement but operational disruption.

Scope of practice violations, particularly in telemedicine, are also under heightened scrutiny. Fraud and abuse investigations increasingly leverage AI to detect improper billing, medically unnecessary services, and kickbacks linked to credentialing lapses.

Staffing ratios and labor compliance though less visible in federal enforcement remain a critical risk vector, especially under state health authority oversight in long-term care and hospital settings. Workforce shortages exacerbating noncompliance can trigger billing denials and quality penalties.

Bottom line: Healthcare executives must treat licensing, credentialing, and workforce compliance as a unified, proactive risk management mandate. Maintaining real-time, verified data in PECOS and ensuring adherence to scope and staffing standards are essential to safeguarding reimbursement and avoiding regulatory sanctions in 2026 and beyond. (More)

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE SNAPSHOT

Whereby helps telehealth platforms deliver reliable, compliant embedded video calls and reduce the operational drag that comes from fragile infrastructure.

Learn More →

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