While ambulance chasing is typically associated with the legal profession, now, between a cohort of medically minded copilots and new tools for doctors and nurses, Big Tech companies seem to be racing toward hospitals.

A top player in this sprint is Microsoft, which has edged into health systems already with its enterprise and cloud chops coupled with key partnerships and acquisitions. Meanwhile, the company sees patient-facing health use cases as a chance to differentiate its comparatively fledgling consumer AI business in a crowded space.

As part of a new series on Big Tech’s encroachment into healthcare, we’re taking a look at Microsoft’s strategy and what it means for both the tech and the healthcare industries.

A longtime priority. Since the early days of AI invading the public consciousness, Microsoft has been clear that healthcare was a critical focus for its AI ambitions. “AI is technology’s most important priority, and healthcare is its most urgent application,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement announcing the 2021 purchase of Nuance, a medical transcription company that remains Microsoft’s third biggest acquisition ever at around $16 billion.

Check out the first in a series on Big Tech’s healthcare ambitions.—PK

CMS and Elevance are playing a game of Risk.

In a Feb. 27 letter, the federal regulator threatened sanctions that would be effective March 31—including freezing new Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plan enrollment—in response to the payer’s alleged “substantial and persistent noncompliance” with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rules.

The letter claims Elevance hasn’t been properly uploading necessary data to calculate patient risk scores, a metric that determines the size of government payments to MA plans. Elevance allegedly didn’t report or return associated overpayments, either.

“Elevance’s conduct demonstrates a pattern of knowing noncompliance that has persisted for over seven years despite repeated clear directives from CMS,” the letter reads.

These CMS sanctions come a month after the agency released lower-than-expected MA payment rates for 2027 alongside a proposed adjustment to how risk-based payments will be calculated. Both moves upset plan carriers but excited reform advocates.

But Elevance is also trying to cut its MA enrollment.—CC

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William Morris has had a lot of jobs: hospitalist, chief innovation officer at Cleveland Clinic, chief medical officer (CMO) at both Google Cloud and AI scribe company Ambience.

But Morris has a new gig as of January: CMO at health tech Tennr, which is using AI to streamline documentation and prior authorization, automate referrals, and prevent denials. The company was valued at $605 million after its most recent $101 million Series C fundraise in June.

Morris spoke with Healthcare Brew about why he joined a startup after years in legacy healthcare and why he’s excited about Tennr’s technology.

See the full conversation here.—CM