Copyright TechTarget - All rights reserved https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Techtarget Feed Generator en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:42:26 GMT https://www.techtarget.com/whatis editor@techtarget.com <p>Experts are advising parents and pediatricians to start chatting with kids about how they should -- or shouldn't -- use AI chatbots for mental health, as new <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2849307">data</a> from the RAND Corporation shows increased use among adolescents aged 12-21.</p> <p>According to the report, published in <i>JAMA Pediatrics</i>, a fifth of young people use AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, when they feel sad, angry, nervous or stressed. This is a 40% increase from 13% who said they did so in a similar study RAND ran in 2025.</p> <p>The nation's youth mental health crisis is not a new phenomenon.</p> <p>The U.S. has detected rising rates of mental health conditions among kids and adolescents for nearly a decade. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/children-mental-health/data-research/index.html">about a fifth of kids aged 3-17 have ever been diagnosed with a mental, emotional or behavioral health condition</a>. That's not to mention the kids with undiagnosed mental health conditions.</p> <p>AI chatbots seem to be filling a mental health void. Per the CDC data, about a fifth of kids and adolescents with a mental health concern have an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthcarepayers/news/366641686/Mental-health-parity-remains-elusive-in-43-states">unmet mental healthcare need</a>.</p> <p>The RAND data adds to that, finding that just under half (43%) of users reported seeking AI mental health advice at least monthly. Moreover, youth who have talked with a physician about mental health needs in the prior six months were more likely to report using AI than adolescents who have not, indicating a pronounced mental health need among users.</p> <p>Perhaps most shocking of all is the proportion of kids <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366640588/Patients-hide-their-AI-use-but-docs-say-they-dont-have-to">keeping their AI chatbot use under wraps</a>, according to Ryan K. McBain, a senior policy researcher at RAND and the lead author of the study.</p> <p>"AI chatbots are already part of how many young people seek advice about their mental health," McBain said in a press release. "The speed of growth is attention-grabbing, but so is the fact that most young people who use these tools for mental health advice say they are not telling anyone."</p> <p>About two-thirds (63%) of the youth using AI chatbots for mental health haven't told anyone about it, not even a doctor or trusted adult. However, there are risks associated with using AI chatbots in any type of healthcare, including the risk of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Why-does-AI-hallucinate-and-can-we-prevent-it">AI hallucinations</a> and misinformation.</p> <p>"Many young people appear to be using AI chatbots for mental health advice privately, without the knowledge of parents, clinicians or other adults," Jonathan H. Cantor, a RAND senior policy researcher and study co-author, said in the press release. "That makes it especially important for adults to start conversations about how AI tools are being used and the role they should and should not play."</p> <p>Some healthcare organizations are addressing this by asking patients whether they use AI and, if so, how. This opens the door for a conversation about the best use cases for AI chatbots in healthcare and the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366637635/More-patients-use-AI-chatbots-Is-this-a-patient-safety-risk">risks associated with overly relying on the technology</a>.</p> <p>Experts warn providers <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366636461/How-docs-can-manage-patients-consulting-AI-medical-advice">not to judge of patients who leverage AI to support their healthcare</a>, whether physical or mental. Doing so might isolate the patient and shut down conversation.</p> <p>Despite the risks of using AI chatbots for mental health, the RAND report showed that users like the tools, with 92% saying the guidance AI provides is somewhat or very helpful. However, the researchers were careful to stress that this finding could indicate AI's tendency toward flattery rather than actual clinical quality.</p> <p>Still, with glaring gaps in mental healthcare access, it may be worth exploring how AI chatbots could help. However, doing so must entail a thorough, thoughtful conversation with users about the best use cases for AI chatbots and when they could do more harm than good.</p> <p><em>Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.</em></p> With a fifth of adolescents using AI chatbots for mental health, providers need to discuss the risks associated with the tech and the safest use cases for AI. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/ai_a238006601.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366643903/More-kids-use-AI-chatbots-for-mental-health-Whats-the-docs-role Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:04:00 GMT <p>LAS VEGAS -- With the first of a new class of frontier AI models designed to sniff out vulnerabilities due out in a matter of weeks, Cisco execs issued ominous warnings about a dawning era in cybersecurity -- one they say only agentic AI defenses can handle.</p> <p>Anthropic Claude Mythos, first revealed in April, is so efficient at rooting out security flaws that its initial preview release was limited to about 50 major organizations, including Cisco, Google, the Linux Foundation and Microsoft. During the first month of that preview phase, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/366643606/First-month-of-Mythos-Preview-testing-exposes-10K-flaws">Project Glasswing</a>, partners found more than 10,000 high- or critical-severity security flaws in commonly used applications, including more than 1,000 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.anthropic.com/news/expanding-project-glasswing" rel="noopener">open source projects</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>With Project Glasswing expanded to a further 150 Anthropic partners on June 2 and Mythos set to reach general availability in the next few months, the day is quickly approaching when attackers will be able to use it to hunt vulnerabilities as well. In fact, they are already likely scanning many customers' networks with other agentic AI tools, said Liz Centoni, executive vice president and chief customer experience officer at Cisco, during a Cisco Live conference keynote here on June 3.&nbsp;</p> <p>"Right now, as you're sitting here in this room, there are networks being mapped by AI at machine speed, finding … end-of-life vulnerable devices in minutes," Centoni told the keynote audience. "My job is to make sure that when that happens to your network, you already saw it coming."</p> <p>Centoni followed the warning with a demonstration of a SaaS tool for streamlining Technical Assistance Center (TAC) interactions, called Cisco IQ, which reached general availability in late April. Among the tool's features is an automated, real time asset inventory that customers can use to find network devices that are about to reach the end of support -- the most vulnerable in corporate networks -- before an attacker does.</p> <p>Cisco IQ also automatically populates TAC sessions and routes support requests to the right Cisco engineer before a customer engagement begins, speeding troubleshooting. In July, Cisco IQ will add on-premises support, quantum-readiness assessments, peer benchmarking and a resilience assessment service.</p> <p>"You've always had the map," Centoni said as she concluded her presentation. "Now you have the GPS."</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="'It was scary good'"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>'It was scary good'</h2> <p>Cisco customers have been quick to embrace Cisco IQ -- since it reached general availability five weeks ago, it has been used by more than 2,000 customers, Centoni said. Early adopters have also tested AI agents included in the new <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366643670/Cisco-Cloud-Control-unites-AgenticOps-for-IT-infrastructure">Cisco Cloud Control platform</a> for network troubleshooting, with positive results so far.</p> <p>"It was scary good," said Don Cheney, senior network engineer at Washington Trust Bank, who beta tested the Cloud Control AI assistant's Deep Reasoning mode with some of the bank's Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi devices over the past month. "I used it for anything from, I had a client that was complaining about a connection, all the way to, 'What do I need to do to start deploying Access Manager in Meraki?'"</p> <p>Deep Reasoning uses agents grounded in networking skills developed by Cisco to conduct diagnostic assessments of complex network issues, validate their reasoning against telemetry data, and recommend specific investigative responses to human operators.</p> <p>"It wasn't just, 'Here's some Cisco documentation, go read it.' It knew what network I was in inside Meraki, so I didn't have to point it anywhere," Cheney said. "It would paste everything on the screen with literally a step-by-step of 'Here's what I see, here's maybe four steps that you could use to go troubleshoot this and links where you can go inside the Meraki dashboard to look at these things.'"</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="IT pros: You can't hurry trust"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>IT pros: You can't hurry trust</h2> <p>However, AI-guided troubleshooting investigations are one thing -- agentic autonomy, particularly for security functions, is another, Cheney said.</p> <p>"This is our first big step through the door [with AI]," he said of his networking team. "Trusting AI is definitely something that is going to have to come slow for us."</p> <p>A separate information security team at the bank handles the company's cybersecurity, and Cheney said he wasn't sure whether that team is considering Cisco's agentic AI security tools. In general, the bank has kept tight restrictions on which AI tools employees can use, Cheney said, due to concerns about sensitive data exposure.</p> <p>The state of Indiana already uses some AI observability tools for incident resolution, such as Splunk AppDynamics, Secure Application and Cisco ThousandEyes, which has netted a 148% ROI over the last three years, according to Brad Welsh, program manager of the state’s observability program in the Office of the CTO. The state is also evaluating Cloud Control and Splunk's agentic AI security and observability tools, and weighing a move from Elastic to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366630300/Cisco-Splunk-strategy-shift-unveiled-with-Data-Fabric">Cisco Data Fabric</a>.</p> <p>But, like Washington Trust, the state has taken a conservative stance on AI, driven by concerns about protecting sensitive data. So far, it has confined the use of Microsoft Copilot and Anthropic Claude agents to a subset of users at its physical office locations and not allowed AI agents internet access, Welsh said.</p> <p>"I've always operated with the 'crawl, walk, run' methodology, and we're very much crawling right now," he said.</p> <p>The state is conducting an extensive request-for-proposals process to update observability and security tooling for the agentic era, but it will take time to evaluate the many market players, including Splunk rivals <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsoftwarequality/news/366618820/Dynatrace-drops-dev-observability-gauntlet-for-Datadog">Dynatrace and Datadog</a>, and shift to an entirely new stack for AI security and observability, Welsh said.</p> <p>Many of Cisco and Splunk's newest AI observability and security tools were still at an alpha or beta stage when the state's Department of Revenue saw demos and conducted proof-of-concept tests over the past seven months, Welsh said. Some, such as the advanced Splunk security operations center (SOC) agents, still haven't reached general availability.</p> <p>"One of the very good questions that our CTO asked was, 'When are these feature sets going to be made available?', and God bless them, it's hard to pin them down," he said. "They have all this great technology that they're coming up with, but when are we going to be able to use it?"</p> <p>Another Cisco customer, Room &amp; Board, a furniture retailer in Golden Valley, Minn., already has a Splunk <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/data-lake">data lake</a> in place. Its networking team also handles network security for the organization, and Cisco's warnings about agentic AI security threats are resonating, according to its senior network engineer, Mark Rodrigue.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> I think we will get there. But 'Move fast and break things' doesn't work in infrastructure. Because when we break things, everybody suffers. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>Mark Rodrigue, </strong>Senior network engineer, Room &amp; Board </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Rodrigue said Cloud Control's Deep Reasoning found a wireless connectivity issue at the company's headquarters, which he wasn't aware of, while his team was testing AI Canvas over the last month. He also plans to start testing the Cisco Agentic Workflows <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/networking/software/workflows/agentic-workflows-ds.html" rel="noopener">tool in the Meraki dashboard</a> soon for advanced tasks, such as building new Meraki sites.</p> <p>However, it will take more time to fully build trust in autonomous AI agents for network operations and security, mainly through close human oversight and seeing consistent results over time, Rodrigue said.</p> <p>"I think we will get there," he said. "But 'Move fast and break things' doesn't work in infrastructure. Because when we break things, everybody suffers."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="'A massive patch avalanche'"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>'A massive patch avalanche'</h2> <p>While finding vulnerabilities with Mythos is speedy, fixing them is a much slower and potentially more onerous process, Centoni said.</p> <p>"The reality is all of us are facing a massive patch avalanche," she said. "We're getting the huge onslaught of vulnerabilities that Mythos says it has exposed, and we're figuring out how to prioritize it, but the organizations that don't move decisively inside of this window, they're not going to get a second chance."</p> <p>There's ultimately no replacement for fully patching systems, but this week Cisco unveiled a new stopgap feature, Live Protect, which can add compensating controls for newly discovered vulnerabilities on Cisco Nexus 9000 data center switches without requiring a reboot.</p> <p>Other agentic AI security updates presented during Cisco Live this week included:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Integration between Cisco's Nexus switches and <b>Isovalent's</b> observability tools will support security and runtime protection for agents through <b>Cisco AI Defense</b>. That product was launched last year, and this week added support for red teaming.</li> <li>Cisco is on trend with its own <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366640420/Nvidia-NemoClaw-JFrog-shore-up-OpenClaw-security">OpenClaw sandbox</a>, called <b>DefenseClaw</b>, which is part of the Cisco Secure Client.</li> <li>Splunk shipped <b>agents for SOC</b>&nbsp;tasks such as malware revising, triage and an automation builder. It also previewed an alpha-stage detection builder and guided response agents.</li> <li>Cisco launched an <b>Agent Gateway</b>, tied in with its Secure Client, Secure Access and Duo products. The gateway performs discovery of AI agents on corporate networks, including how AI agents are associated with human managers and what delegated tasks they can perform. Authorization controls for MCP servers and LLMs will follow in July and August. DNS-based agent discovery and the ability to scope agents' role-based access permissions separately from humans will be available in August and September.</li> <li>Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel teased upcoming agentic identity management features that will follow the close of the <b>Astrix Security</b> acquisition that Cisco <a href="https://blogs.cisco.com/news/cisco-announces-intent-to-acquire-astrix-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made public in May</a>. "You should expect us to be very committed to making sure that every machine, every service, every agent within your organization will have an identity apparatus from Cisco," Patel said during a June 2 keynote.</li> </ul> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ikjJCG0eXpY?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0" loading="lazy"></iframe> </div> <p><em>Beth Pariseau, senior news writer for Informa TechTarget, is an award-winning veteran of IT journalism. Have a tip?&nbsp;</em><a target="_blank" href="mailto:bpariseau@techtarget.com?subject=News%20tip" rel="noopener"><em>Email her</em></a><em> or connect on </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethpariseau" rel="noopener"><em>LinkedIn</em></a><em>.</em></p> </section> Cisco officials urged customers to "meet the Mythos moment" with new agentic defenses, but businesses' mistrust of AI cuts both ways. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/security_a303249453.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366643790/Cisco-agentic-AI-security-push-faces-enterprise-trust-gap Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:15:00 GMT <p>Graph technology specialist Neo4j is taking aim at a new market with the acquisition of GraphAware, an intelligence analysis vendor whose platform caters to government agencies.</p> <p>Financial terms of the deal between the longtime partners, which was revealed on June 3 and is expected to close during the third quarter of 2026 following regulatory approval, were not disclosed.</p> <p>Intelligence analysis capabilities enable users to collect, connect and analyze large amounts of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Turning-data-into-a-strategic-advantage">fragmented or isolated data</a> to investigate relationships between data points and derive insights. Like <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/252507769/Gartner-predicts-exponential-growth-of-graph-technology">graph databases</a> that similarly discover relationships across broad swaths of data differently than traditional relational databases, intelligence analysis platforms are frequently used by law enforcement, defense and cyber intelligence organizations.</p> <p>Based in London, GraphAware's most direct competitors <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366560657/Palantir-awarded-NHS-FDP-data-contract">include Palantir</a> and i2. The vendor's Hume platform is an AI-powered set of capabilities based on open standards and built on Neo4j's graph technology.</p> <p>Following the acquisition, GraphAware Hume is now part of Neo4j's graph intelligence platform, enabling Neo4j to expand beyond its established customer base to directly target government agencies and compete with leading intelligence analysis providers. In addition, it expands Neo4j's user base beyond application developers and data scientists to include analysts who generate insights and help make organizational decisions.</p> <p>Given that the acquisition evolves Neo4j beyond its database roots by providing purpose-built software that helps organizations deploy graph technology for complex investigative work, adding GraphAware's technology will be significant for Neo4j users, according to Stephen Catanzano, an analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget.</p> <p>"The acquisition of GraphAware is very meaningful because it brings a production-ready, government-grade intelligence analysis platform that's already deployed in mission-critical environments, transforming Neo4j from primarily a database technology into a complete intelligence analysis solution," he said. "This adds immediate value."</p> <p>Matt Aslett, an analyst at ISG Software Research, similarly noted that the acquisition adds potentially valuable capabilities.</p> <p>"Neo4j already offers a platform for graph-based data processing and analytics, but with GraphAware Hume, it adds capabilities for collaborative investigation and decision intelligence," he said.</p> <p>Based in San Mateo, Calif., Neo4j recently launched capabilities aimed at <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366623639/Latest-Neo4j-release-aims-to-simplify-graph-technology">simplifying graph technology</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366630145/Neo4js-latest-targets-graph-database-performance-at-scale">improving the performance</a> of its graph database to handle AI workloads. Founded in 2007, Neo4j's only previous acquisition was its 2023 purchase of Distributed Technology Associates.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Joining forces"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Joining forces</h2> <p>Neo4j and GraphAware were closely linked long before the acquisition. The vendors were partners for more than 10 years, and GraphAware relied on <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366593101/Graph-technology-helps-battle-election-misinformation">Neo4j's graph technology</a> as a foundational layer for its AI-powered platform.</p> <p>In addition, organizations such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service and European Commission were among numerous joint Neo4j and GraphAware customers before the acquisition.</p> <p>The acquisition of GraphAware to officially join forces was motivated, in part, by Neo4j's desire to add analysis capabilities, according to Sudhir Hasbe, Neo4j's president and chief product officer.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> The acquisition of GraphAware is very meaningful because it brings a production-ready, government-grade intelligence analysis platform that's already deployed in mission-critical environments, transforming Neo4j from primarily a database technology into a complete intelligence analysis solution. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>Stephen Catanzano</strong>Analyst, Omdia </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>"We have been thinking about moving up the stack and providing more verticalized solutions," he said. "GraphAware Hume is 100% built on top of Neo4j, and we have partnered closely for over 10 years, which means we already had government agencies running both together in production. ... The demand was already proven rather than theoretical, and that gave us a lot of confidence in the move."</p> <p>Beyond officially joining forces, which simplifies using Hume in conjunction with Neo4j's platform, Neo4j's acquisition of GraphAware is aimed at adding government agency customers that have <a target="_blank" href="https://resources.data.gov/standards/" rel="noopener">unique data needs</a> served by intelligence analysis capabilities, Hasbe continued.</p> <p>Driven by geopolitical events such as the United States' war with Iran and rapid advances in AI technology, data sovereignty -- the concept that information is subject to the laws of the country in which it was created -- <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/How-to-navigate-data-sovereignty-for-AI-compliance">is a growing concern</a> for many organizations. Government agencies need to control their data in ways that adhere to sovereignty laws while enabling easy access so they can build and deploy AI agents and other insight-generating applications using information from complex data estates.</p> <p>Palantir Gotham, which was originally purpose-built for the U.S. intelligence community, is one platform that enables government agencies to connect and analyze data in real time. Neo4j's acquisition of GraphAware will enable Neo4j to provide a direct alternative.</p> <p>"Advances in AI and growing geopolitical tensions have turned data sovereignty from a nice-to-have into a hard requirement, and government agencies … want to own, manage and control their data, their deployment and their exit path," Hasbe said. "That pushed us to bring these capabilities in-house as a proven, open-standards alternative to Palantir Gotham."</p> <p>Regarding Neo4j's decision to make an acquisition to add new capabilities <a target="_blank" href="https://www.svpg.com/article-build-vs-buy-in-the-age-of-ai/" rel="noopener">rather than build internally</a>, speed and expertise were influential, Hasbe added.</p> <p>"Building intelligence analysis software that government agencies will actually trust takes years and a very specific kind of expertise, from accreditations through to mission-critical deployments, and GraphAware already has all of that in place," he said.</p> <p>Given that Neo4j and GraphAware worked together for more than decade before the acquisition and GraphAware Hume already incorporates Neo4j's technology, the two are a logical fit together, with technological integrations perhaps easier than when the companies that haven't previously partnered, according to Aslett.</p> <p>"The company is a natural fit that enhances Neo4j’s ability to support intelligence applications for use-cases including law enforcement, national security and financial authorities," he said.</p> <p>However, despite Neo4j and GraphAware seemingly being a good fit, all acquisitions have <a target="_blank" href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/mergers-and-acquisitions" rel="noopener">potential risks</a>.</p> <p>With Hume built on Neo4j's graph capabilities, the complex technological integrations that sometimes hinder mergers and acquisitions are unlikely. However, other risks remain, according to Catanzano.</p> <p>"The main concern is whether Neo4j can successfully manage the transition from being a technology platform company to operating a solutions business that requires deep domain expertise, ongoing customer support and navigation of complex government procurement and security requirements," he said.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Looking ahead"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Looking ahead</h2> <p>Following its acquisition of GraphAware, Neo4j's product development focus over the coming months will be on making its graph technology part of the AI workflow as a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Exploring-the-context-layer-for-AI-systems">knowledge layer for AI systems</a> such as agents, according to Hasbe. In addition, adding agents to its own platform and data sovereignty are focal points, he continued.</p> <p>"We are investing more AI agents as a significant part of the $100 million roadmap we announced last October," Hasbe said. "These autonomous, context-aware agents can turn raw, siloed data into intelligence people can actually act on. ... [Another initiative] is open standards and sovereignty, because that is increasingly what customers are asking for."</p> <p>As Neo4j builds an ecosystem of agents, integrating GraphAware Hume with its agentic AI capabilities would be wise, according to Catanzano. In addition, he noted that Neo4j's acquisition of GraphAware could serve as a starting point for adding purpose-built capabilities not only for government agencies, but for industries such as financial crime, supply chain intelligence and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366642704/DOJ-forms-West-Coast-Strike-Force-to-stop-healthcare-fraud">healthcare fraud detection</a> as well.&nbsp;</p> <p>"They could also expand into adjacent markets where similar investigative and relationship analysis capabilities are needed, while continuing to emphasize their open standards approach as a key differentiator that prevents vendor lock-in and enables true data sovereignty," Catanzano said.</p> <p>Aslett suggested that as Neo4j enters new markets and competitive situations following the acquisition of GraphAware, it should not only keep GraphAware's talent -- including founder and CEO <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/michal-bachman-ceo-of-graphaware/id1531899005?i=1000733889601&amp;l=zh-Hans-CN">Michal Bachman</a> -- but add to it to make Hume more visible.</p> <p>"It is clearly positioning itself to compete with Palantir’s Gotham, so [Neo4j] will need to ensure it retains and enhances GraphAware's technical and sales expertise to build on its existing success," he said.</p> <p><i>Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than three decades of experience. He covers analytics and data management.</i></p> </section> The purchase adds analysis capabilities for government agencies that work on top of the vendor's graph database, expanding its target audience to include analysts. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a275903017.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366643806/Neo4js-GraphAware-acquisition-targets-new-customer-segment Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:08:00 GMT <p>Responsible AI adoption in healthcare requires a strong governance structure, especially since algorithmic failures, bias and HIPAA compliance complexities associated with AI can threaten successful implementation, the Health Sector Coordinating Council posited in its new <a href="https://healthsectorcouncil.org/ai-cyber-governance/">guidance</a> document focused on AI risk and governance framework implementation.</p> <p>The 87-page publication is part of a series of complementary AI-specific cybersecurity guidance developed by the HSCC's AI cyber governance task group. The task group will continue to publish guidance in the coming months. Previously, the group released guidance on tackling <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366641823/New-HSCC-guidance-tackles-third-party-AI-risk">third-party AI risk</a>. The publication's authors represent leading health systems and health tech companies across the country.</p> <p>"Effective AI Cyber Governance integrates cybersecurity principles into the assessment, design, development, deployment, and decommissioning of AI systems," the guidance stated. "It establishes protocols for secure data handling, model protection, threat detection, and continuous monitoring of vulnerabilities such as model evasion, model inversion, data leakage, and data poisoning."</p> <p>HSCC noted that the guidance specifically pertains to the cybersecurity components of an AI governance framework and should not be used in isolation. Rather, organizations should use the framework alongside existing organizational governance activities.</p> <p>The publication's content spans clinical safety and ethics, specific cybersecurity and privacy controls, generative AI and large language model risks, AI supply chain and concentration risks and AI-specific incident response.</p> <p>"Without proper AI governance, AI systems can leak data, disrupt operations, perpetuate biases, adversely affect populations, or fail catastrophically -- ultimately compromising patient care, causing direct harm, and damaging organizational reputation," the document stated.</p> <p>As such, the HSCC AI cyber governance task group stressed the importance of managing AI governance throughout the AI lifecycle, from strategy and policy to procurement and contracting, patching, incident response and the decommissioning of tools.</p> <p>The HSCC recommended that organizations establish an AI cyber governance committee, consisting of program leads, physician leaders, IT and security teams, legal experts and patient advocates.</p> <p>Overall, the guidance provides insight into the reality of safe AI adoption in healthcare. It requires organizations to consider not just cyber risk, but also operational and patient care risks.</p> <p>"With the ever-changing healthcare ecosystem, effective management of AI is critical to patient safety," the HSCC stated.</p> <p><i>Jill Hughes has covered health tech news since 2021. Her coverage areas include cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, interoperability, AI and EHRs.</i></p> HSCC released its latest installment in a series of AI-specific publications aimed at helping healthcare organizations securely adopt AI. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/security_a254815015.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366643805/New-HSCC-guidance-confronts-AI-cyber-risk-champions-governance Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:46:00 GMT <p>Healthcare technology company athenahealth is going all in on revenue cycle AI, <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251009269902/en/athenahealth-Introduces-AI-Native-athenaOne-Practice-and-Revenue-Cycle-Management-Capabilities-Designed-to-Reduce-Practices-Administrative-Work-by-More-than-50">announcing</a> new features for users and laying out a roadmap for future applications of the popular technology.</p> <p>The company today unveiled its roadmap of over 80 AI features for its athenaOne platform, a cloud-based healthcare software and services platform that many healthcare organizations use to manage operations, billing and patient care.</p> <p>The platform is AI-native, according to athenahealth, which <a href="https://www.athenahealth.com/resources/blog/ai-native-ambulatory-care">unveiled</a> this new approach to the tool in August 2025. The company says this means AI is the foundation of the platform rather than an add-on feature. Since then, athenahealth rolled out several AI advancements, including an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhealthit/news/366633988/Athenahealth-unveils-new-AI-native-EHR-capabilities">ambient digital scribe</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/feature/Athenahealth-revamps-revenue-cycle-management-in-the-era-of-AI">agentic AI embedded in its claims and billing infrastructure</a>.</p> <p>The most recent update adds new AI capabilities to revenue cycle tasks such as insurance selection, copay estimates, prior authorizations and denial resolution, while revealing upcoming capabilities in coding and payer surveillance. These additions round out the 80-plus roadmap items, which also include upcoming and longer-term AI items and tests, according to Paul Brient, chief product and operations officer of athenahealth.</p> <p>That number will also continue to grow, he told <i>RevCycleManagement</i> in an emailed statement.</p> <p>"We are finding that AI is playing a role in the majority of our new features and I expect that we’ll at some point stop counting the exact number of features as AI becomes a standard tool for all our feature teams," Brient continued. "AI is something we all expect and take for granted in all the software we use, now and in the future."</p> <p>The features available now include automated insurance selection, which leverages AI to identify the correct insurance package from a photo of the patient's insurance card, and AI copay, which uses AI to assess the context of a scheduled appointment to estimate the patient's copay amount.</p> <p>Users with athenaOne's Authorization Management tool can also access AI voice agents for prior authorization calls. The company also plans to expand the scope of the agents to referrals and claim status, according to the announcement.</p> <p>Athenahealth also said it has expanded its AI capabilities for payer surveillance and anomaly detection, which it plans to scale throughout the year, and denial resolution automation, which is available now.</p> <p>Additionally, the company plans to expand its express coding capability to users this summer. It is currently in beta for more than 500 clinicians, using AI to automate medical coding and provide coding support that matches, and potentially exceeds, the performance of human coders.</p> <p>Express coding will be an add-on capability, according to the announcement.</p> <p>Athenahealth said its new AI capabilities target the "highest-friction points in the revenue cycle," leading to acute administrative burden and revenue loss.</p> <p>This aligns with what Brient calls the company's "north star for RCM," which is to reduce manual work for users while improving their financial outcomes. And that can be AI-driven or not, he said.</p> <p>"We've listened closely to customers about the work that is most frustrating and disruptive, and we're focused on meaningful automation that removes friction across the path from encounter, to claim, to payment," Brient wrote.</p> <p>&nbsp;Early results for features already live in athenaOne are promising, athenahealth reported.</p> <p>The company said recovered payments on coding-related denials are up 30% while insurance-related denials are down by 16%. AI voice agents are also completing prior authorization calls in under an hour.</p> <p>An early adopter of the new AI capabilities, Larami Oliver, vice president of revenue cycle management at Heart &amp; Vascular Care, said in the announcement that this use of AI has significantly reduced manual work, increased visibility and improved on-time payments.</p> <p>"[A]thenahealth's AI works quietly in the background within our existing workflows -- providers and staff don't have to change how they work," Oliver stated.</p> <p>Athenahealth plans to continue automation and AI efforts in these key areas, as well as rejections, appeals and clinical documentation improvement, according to Brient. Future items on the revenue cycle AI roadmap will also include AI agents to manage payer portal work, he said.</p> <p>"The goal is to help practices get paid what they’re owed with less effort and better results," he explained.</p> <p>Revenue cycle AI adoption is accelerating as more providers move from basic pilot programs to early-scale enterprise use. Leading medical billing and revenue cycle management vendors are rising to meet demand, adding AI capabilities to their products and services to reduce the administrative burden and manual work within the revenue cycle.</p> <p>However, budget concerns and high initial implementation costs remain the top barriers to full AI integration in the revenue cycle. Data security, accuracy and trust are also top-of-mind for revenue cycle leaders as they adopt and scale AI.</p> <p><i>Jacqueline LaPointe is an Executive Editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, covering revenue cycle management, healthcare payers, health policy, and health IT since 2016.</i></p> The company announced its revenue cycle management roadmap, including new AI capabilities in its flagship platform for prior authorizations, coding and denial resolution. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/virtual%20health_g1474770647.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366643899/Athenahealth-unveils-over-80-revenue-cycle-AI-features Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:35:00 GMT <p>Elsevier, a&nbsp;global academic publishing and information analytics company, <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elsevier-acquires-wellsheet-to-close-the-gap-between-patient-data-and-clinical-evidence-at-the-point-of-care-302789949.html">has acquired Wellsheet</a>, a health technology company that aggregates and synthesizes EHR data.</p> <p>The acquisition will combine Wellsheet's EHR data tool with Elsevier's ClinicalKey AI clinical decision support solution. According to the press release, ClinicalKey AI is being used in&nbsp;more than 300 hospitals worldwide, providing medical information, including research and clinical practice guidelines, from more than 1,000 medical journals and organizations.</p> <p>Wellsheet's EHR data tool normalizes and structures disparate clinical data across EHRs. The tool is EHR-agnostic, connecting directly to major EHRs via API-enabled data sources and standards such as FHIR, and is currently deployed across 139 U.S.-based hospital sites.</p> <p>Integrating the Wellsheet EHR data tool into Elsevier's ClinicalKey AI will provide clinicians with patient-specific guidance at the point of care, the organizations said. Clinicians will be able to access clinical content and guidelines from ClinicalKey AI with EHR workflows to make decisions on discharge planning and follow-up actions.</p> <p>"Clinicians today face a genuine tension: the patient data they need is in complex EHR systems, and the trusted evidence they need is somewhere else entirely," said Omry Bigger, president, clinical solutions at Elsevier, in the press release.</p> <p>"That gap costs time and introduces risk. By combining Wellsheet's proven EHR data aggregation platform with ClinicalKey AI's trusted evidence base, we're closing it to deliver verified, patient-specific guidance directly inside the clinical workflow. For health systems, this means governed AI at the point of care, built on verified content clinicians can trust and patient context they already have."</p> <p>Elsevier will integrate Wellsheet into its Clinical Solutions business, which aims to support clinical decision-making, clinical competencies and patient engagement.</p> <p>The appetite for using AI to improve clinical decision-making is high. For instance, OpenEvidence, which provides a large language model-based search engine for clinicians, raised nearly $700 million in 2025, sending its <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260121029132/en/OpenEvidence-Raises-%24250-Million-to-Build-Medical-Superintelligence-for-Doctors">valuation skyrocketing to $12 billion</a>. The search engine provides clinicians with evidence-based answers to clinical questions derived from various sources, including the <i>New England Journal of Medicine</i>, JAMA Network and Mayo Clinic Platform.</p> <p>AI scribe company Abridge also recently broadened its AI-based clinical decision support capability by <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchhealthit/news/366641833/Abridge-dives-deeper-into-clinical-decision-support-with-NEJM-AMA">entering into content partnerships with the NEJM Group and the American Medical Association</a>. The partnerships add to the clinical evidence already available to clinicians through the Abridge tool, helping them prepare for patient visits and create and adjust treatment plans.</p> <p><em>Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.</em></p> The acquisition will bring together Wellsheet's EHR data aggregation and synthesis tool with Elsevier's ClinicalKey AI clinical decision support solution. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/ehr_a512237837.jpeg https://www.techtarget.com/searchhealthit/news/366643819/Elsevier-buys-Wellsheet-adds-EHR-data-tool-to-enhance-clinical-decision-support Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:06:00 GMT <p>Mayo Clinic and Microsoft <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/source/2026/06/02/mayo-clinic-and-microsoft-collaborate-to-develop-a-frontier-ai-model-for-healthcare/">are collaborating to develop and deploy a healthcare-specific frontier AI model</a>. The model will be designed to enhance clinical decision-making, including supporting earlier diagnoses and providing personalized treatment options, the companies said.</p> <p>The collaboration will bring together Mayo Clinic's de-identified clinical data and longitudinal health data insights and Microsoft's advanced AI, cloud and engineering capabilities. According to the organizations, they are developing a frontier AI model for healthcare that can provide "the broadest scope of clinical reasoning and healthcare use cases."</p> <p>"Frontier medical intelligence is around the corner," said Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, in the press release. "This is the best collaboration imaginable to help us accelerate toward that future. Mayo has unparalleled clinical expertise, de-identified clinical health data and longitudinal medical insights, and we're thrilled to partner with their world-class physicians to build a state-of-the-art foundation model for healthcare."</p> <p>Frontier AI models are highly advanced. According to an <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/glossary/frontier-models/">Nvidia blog</a>, the models are trained on massive datasets and can perform many tasks. The new model that Microsoft and Mayo Clinic will develop will be trained on diverse clinical data&nbsp;and deployed within the health system's clinical environment for testing and improvement.</p> <p>Notably, Mayo Clinic will own the frontier AI model, while Microsoft will control the deployment. Microsoft will make the model available worldwide through Azure Foundry APIs.</p> <p>"Now, by combining our clinical expertise and data foundation with Microsoft's engineering and AI capabilities, we are once again building something new in healthcare and bringing more of Mayo Clinic to more patients," said Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic, in the press release.</p> <p>The announcement comes as questions around AI's clinical decision-making abilities swirl.</p> <p>While some research shows that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/feature/LLMs-struggle-with-clinical-reasoning-study-finds">AI models struggle with clinical reasoning</a>, particularly in identifying differential diagnoses, a recent study found that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366642662/AI-outperforms-docs-on-clinical-reasoning-but-not-ready-for-solo-work">an advanced large language model outperformed physicians</a> across various clinical reasoning tasks.</p> <p>In the latter study, researchers concluded that the OpenAI o1 series "eclipsed most benchmarks of clinical reasoning." However, they also emphasized that these results do not mean that AI can autonomously practice medicine.</p> <p>Despite these concerns, one example of autonomous medical AI is showing promise in early trial results. In Utah, a pilot is testing the use Doctronic's AI system to&nbsp;<a href="https://commerce.utah.gov/ai/regulatory-relief/authorized-ai-pilots/doctronic/">autonomously renew prescriptions</a>. Early <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366643525/Physicians-mostly-agreed-with-AI-in-Utahs-AI-prescribing-pilot">data shows that physicians agreed</a> with the AI's suggested prescription renewal in 91% of cases that were reviewed.</p> <p><em>Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.</em></p> The frontier health AI model, owned by Mayo Clinic and deployed by Microsoft, will support clinical decision-making, including early disease identification and personalized treatments. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a346805525.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366643898/Mayo-Clinic-Microsoft-join-forces-on-frontier-health-AI-model Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:13:00 GMT <p>AI provider search is becoming more than just a passing fad, with new survey <a href="https://rater8.com/2026-patient-choice-report">data</a> from rater8 showing that more patients rely on AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, to help them find a doctor.</p> <p>But those bots aren't always right, the data further reveals, sometimes giving patients the wrong address or office hours. To combat those problems, healthcare organizations need to invest more heavily in their <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366584933/72-of-Patients-View-Online-Reviews-When-Selecting-a-New-Provider">online reputations</a>.</p> <p>AI chatbots have quickly revolutionized the patient experience of care. The technology has streamlined how patients access care, from <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366633175/AI-drafted-patient-portal-messages-save-7-on-response-times">messaging their providers</a> to finding a provider in the first place.</p> <p>Indeed, the number of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366629612/How-patients-are-using-generative-AI-to-find-a-doctor">patients using AI chatbots for provider search</a> has surged over the nine months since rater8 last explored the topic. At the end of 2025, 31% of patients were using AI to find a new provider. Now, less than halfway into 2026, that number has surged 16 percentage points to 47%.</p> <p>AI adopters are mostly older folks, aged 45-60, with 64% saying they've used AI to find a doctor. For ounger adults, &nbsp;aged 18-29, that figure is 28%.</p> <p>And it's not just that patients are using AI to find a doctor -- <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366584047/Patient-Trust-in-Healthcare-AI-Relies-on-Use-Case-But-Familiarity-Is-Lacking">they're trusting it</a>.</p> <p>Among the numerous sources patients use to find a new doctor, 36% said AI swayed their decision about care. This outpaces Google search results (34%) for the first time ever.</p> <p>Sources such as family or friends (43%), insurance websites (43%) and online review websites (40%) continue to be the most influential for patients.</p> <p>Still, it's only a matter of time before patients become predominantly influenced by AI. At present, 27% of patients trust AI over Google search to serve them up a qualified provider. In fact, patients trust AI even when the tools are wrong.</p> <p>Of the 465 survey respondents who've used AI to research a provider, two-thirds said they've encountered incorrect provider information, and 60% trust AI summaries without verifying them. That information includes wrong office addresses, phone numbers, insurance details or office hours.</p> <p>This finding isn't just about <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Why-does-AI-hallucinate-and-can-we-prevent-it">AI hallucination</a>; it's about inaccurate online profiles. Without accurate provider directories, AI cannot generate accurate information to meet patient queries.</p> <p>To that end, healthcare organizations must ensure their online directories and profiles -- including those in Zocdoc, Healthgrades or even Google -- are accurate and complete.</p> <p>Moreover, healthcare organizations need to stay abreast of <i>how</i> patients are querying to find new doctors. After all, most experts agree that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/AI-provider-search-is-here-How-can-health-orgs-stay-visible">showing up in an AI provider search requires the same principles as ranking high for a Google search</a>.</p> <p>According to rater8, the most common search queries include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>"Specialty near me" (55%).</li> <li>"Best/top-rated specialty" (34%).</li> <li>"Specific doctor's name" (32%).</li> <li>"Reviews for a practice" (26%).</li> <li>"Specialty + insurance" (23%).</li> </ul> <p>To ensure their online profiles are accurate, administrators must clean up online provider directories, update information on accepted insurance and ensure office hours and specialties are accurate, among others.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Online provider review websites still relevant"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Online provider review websites still relevant</h2> <p>Although AI is slowly becoming a dominant source for provider search, the rater8 survey showed that patients are still checking <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366584342/Online-Reviews-Patient-Experience-Outweigh-Loyalty-in-Provider-Selection">online provider reviews before booking</a> -- and those reviews matter.</p> <p>Three-quarters of patients won't consider a provider rated below 4.0 stars, while another 44% refuse to book with one rated below 4.5 stars. Meanwhile, around half (55%) of respondents said they've avoided a provider or canceled an appointment because of online reviews. This is up from 40% of folks who did so in 2025.</p> <p>However, not all patient complaints are created equal.</p> <p>According to the survey, patients using online reviews to pick a doctor are deterred by some actions more than others, including the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Rude or unhelpful to staff (55%).</li> <li>The doctor didn't listen (52%).</li> <li>Substandard care (45%).</li> <li>Long wait times (41%).</li> <li>Billing issues (40%).</li> <li>Scheduling difficulty (20%).</li> <li>Outdated facilities (11%).</li> </ul> <p>Healthcare providers can counter these online complaints by responding to them. According to rater8, 66% of patients agree that a provider's response to a negative online review can influence their trust in the provider. Healthcare providers should consult their organization's policies on negative <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/How-doctors-can-respond-to-bad-online-provider-reviews">online reviews and how to respond</a>.</p> <p>With nearly three-quarters of patients in the market for a new provider, healthcare organizations need to position themselves so they are found online.</p> <p>This will require an accurate and up-to-date online presence, complete with insurance details, office information and specialty services provided.</p> <p><em>Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.</em></p> </section> To keep pace with patient reliance on AI for online provider search, healthcare organizations need to ensure their information is accurate and up-to-date. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/maze_g1308391169.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366643954/Almost-half-of-patients-use-AI-for-online-provider-search Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:15:00 GMT <p>The American Hospital Association, along with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, filed an amicus curiae <a href="https://www.aha.org/amicus-brief/2026-05-27-aha-files-amicus-brief-7th-us-circuit-court-appeals-online-tracking-case">brief</a> in support of Endeavor Health, an Evanston, Ill.-based health system that is facing a lawsuit over its use of website tracking technologies.</p> <p>The AHA and IHA urged the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the District Court's ruling, which validated the plaintiff's Electronic Communications Privacy Act claim. The ECPA regulates the interception of electronic communications, prohibits intentional interception without consent and protects the privacy of communications between parties.</p> <p>The ECPA also has a crime-tort exception, which states that the ECPA's protections no longer apply when someone intercepts a communication "for the purpose of committing any criminal or tortious act."</p> <p>At the crux of the appeal request is whether the ECPA's crime-tort exception applies in this case.</p> <p>Plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Endeavor Health, formerly known as Edward-Elmhurst Health, alleged that the hospital violated the ECPA by intercepting and disclosing their private health information to third parties, such as Meta and Google, through tracking technologies embedded on the hospital's website for marketing and analytics.</p> <p>However, the AHA and IHA argue that the plaintiff's allegations describe lawful purposes -- improving website functionality and disseminating public health information -- rather than the purpose of committing a crime or tort. Therefore, the criminal-tort exception should not apply, they claim.</p> <p>The case adds context to the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366593765/Third-party-tracking-tech-lawsuits-surge-in-healthcare">hundreds of other lawsuits</a> that concern hospitals' use of third-party tracking technologies -- nearly 300 of which have been filed nationwide since 2022, the brief stated.</p> <p>"Hospitals and healthcare systems face widespread litigation challenging their use of common online tools," the brief stated. "Across the country, plaintiffs are baselessly alleging violations of federal and state wiretap statutes and other privacy laws, apparently hoping that hospitals will simply pay up rather than defend their beneficial (and ordinary) uses of modern technology."</p> <p>Given the risk and mounting litigation and insurance costs, defendant health systems often face pressure to settle, the brief continued.</p> <p>That pressure makes the question of whether the crime-tort exception applies even more poignant, the AHA and IHA stated.</p> <p>"This Court should hold that the crime-tort exception does not apply when a complaint alleges a lawful purpose. To hold otherwise threatens to criminalize standard online tools used by nearly every industry," they said.</p> <p>"This includes healthcare providers across the country, federal government agencies, and even the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. As both the complaint and context make clear, the at-issue online technologies are widely used in the healthcare industry for critical, non-criminal and non-tortious objectives."</p> <p>A recent Rutgers study <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366643519/Third-party-pixel-use-greatly-increases-healthcare-data-breach-risk-study">exemplified the widespread use of this technology</a> in healthcare. Researchers analyzed 12 years of website data from 1,201 hospitals and found that 66% of those hospitals used third-party tracking pixels. What's more, the hospitals that used them were 46% more likely to experience a data breach.</p> <p>However, the AHA has long held that these technologies serve critical objectives and are widely used because they are key tools for improving website functionality for users, connecting patients to valuable resources and delivering accessible health services. The association claims that analytics tools provide healthcare organizations with insights into the effectiveness of outreach efforts and user demographics, enabling them to better serve their patients.</p> <p>In 2024, the AHA <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/hhs-plans-appeal-online-tracking-guidance-aha-hipaa/725512/">prevailed in a lawsuit against HHS</a>, with a judge ruling that HHS' guidance limiting the use of tracking technology on providers' websites exceeded its authority under HIPAA. HHS initially sought to overturn the judge's decision but later abandoned its plans to appeal.</p> <p>Should AHA succeed in reversing the Endeavor Health decision, it would be another win for the provider organizations the AHA represents.</p> <p><em>Jill Hughes has covered health tech news since 2021. Her coverage areas include cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, interoperability, AI and EHRs.</em></p> The AHA argued that hospitals' use of common online analytics tools serves a legitimate purpose rather than a criminal one, making the complaint against Endeavor Health invalid. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/health%20security_g687714968.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechsecurity/news/366643783/AHA-urges-court-to-dismiss-tracking-tech-lawsuit-against-Endeavor-Health Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:08:00 GMT <p>Microsoft is making Fabric a foundation for agentic AI.</p> <p>First <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366559533/Microsoft-launches-Fabric-adds-Copilot-for-the-new-platform">launched in 2023</a>, Fabric brought together seven previously disparate Microsoft data management and analytics capabilities, such as Data Factory and Power BI, and infused them with generative AI through early iterations of its Copilots.</p> <p>As enterprises have <a target="_blank" href="https://kpmg.com/us/en/media/news/q1-ai-pulse2026.html" rel="noopener">increased their investments</a> in developing agents and other AI applications, additions such as OneLake to unify data and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/feature/One-year-of-MCP-Support-a-must-for-data-management-vendors">Model Context Protocol servers</a> to connect agents with data sources marked Fabric's evolution toward becoming a base for developing agents that can understand the unique characteristics of an individual business.</p> <p>Microsoft's latest Fabric capabilities, unveiled on Tuesday during its Build user conference in San Francisco, are designed to further aid developers attempting to create AI tools that can be trusted to perform properly in production. Among them are a tool that unifies business logic to form a contextual foundation for agents and a database purpose-built for the scale of AI workloads.</p> <p>Collectively, the new Fabric features are valuable to Microsoft users because they directly address <a target="_blank" href="https://mlq.ai/media/quarterly_decks/v0.1_State_of_AI_in_Business_2025_Report.pdf" rel="noopener">problems enterprises face</a> when attempting to move agents beyond pilots and into production, according to William McKnight, president of McKnight Consulting.</p> <p>"Microsoft is introducing a suite of features designed to eliminate the context bottleneck by providing AI agents with a persistent, shared understanding of business data," he said. "Key updates … merge application backends, high-speed processing and semantic context into a platform capable of deploying autonomous, enterprise-scale AI agents -- the goal of many organizations today."</p> <p>Mike Leone, an analyst at Moor Insights &amp; Strategy, similarly noted the significance of Microsoft's new Fabric features, particularly those that the tech giant terms ontology capabilities that help agents understand what an enterprise's data means in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Exploring-the-context-layer-for-AI-systems">the context of its business</a>.</p> <p>"The real story is that Microsoft is closing the distance between where your data lives and where agents actually act on it," he said. "What stands out is that you can … give agents a clear map of what that data means in your business and then let them act on it directly. That round trip, from raw data to an app or agent that does the work, used to take stitching three or four separate systems together."</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Grounding for AI"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Grounding for AI</h2> <p>Many enterprises are making a push to move past experiments with AI to put agents into production. However, disorganized data that makes it difficult to discover and operationalize the contextually relevant data agents require to deliver accurate outputs remains an obstacle for many.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> Microsoft is introducing a suite of features designed to eliminate the context bottleneck by providing AI agents with a persistent, shared understanding of business data. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>William McKnight</strong>President, McKnight Consulting </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Like numerous other data management and analytics providers -- <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366637142/New-Databricks-tool-aims-to-up-agentic-AI-response-accuracy">Databricks</a>, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366641929/Google-unveils-data-cloud-purpose-built-for-agentic-AI">Google Cloud</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366643795/Snowflake-barrage-adds-more-AI-development-analysis-tools">Snowflake</a> among them -- Microsoft is now making context for AI a focal point of its product development plans for Fabric.</p> <p>"Context matters because as models become more capable and more available, the differentiator isn't just access to intelligence, it's the ownership," Kyle Daigle, Microsoft's developer chief marketing officer, said during a virtual press briefing before Build. "The real question every organization is asking is how to use your expertise, your data, and your way of working."</p> <p>New features unveiled during Build include the following:</p> <ul type="disc" class="default-list"> <li>Microsoft IQ, an enterprise intelligence layer for AI that unifies an organization's data estate and joins it with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Why-data-semantics-matters-for-context-aware-systems">semantic meaning</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/business-logic">business logic</a> to empower agents.</li> <li>Fabric IQ, a feature within Microsoft IQ that grounds AI with consistent definitions, metrics and relationships.</li> <li>Rayfin, a backend-as-a-service feature for application development that runs on top of Fabric.</li> <li>New shortcuts in OneLake that make it easier to connect data across platforms so users don't have to move or duplicate data.</li> <li>GPU-accelerated workflows in Fabric Data Warehouse to improve query performance.</li> <li>A database hub in Fabric where customers can centrally manage their Microsoft databases.</li> <li>Azure HorizonDB, a new <a href="https://www.theserverside.com/tip/MySQL-vs-PostgreSQL-Compare-popular-open-source-databases">PostgreSQL database</a> in public preview that improves on the performance and scalability of Azure Database for PostgreSQL to better handle AI workloads.</li> <li>New security capabilities in preview for existing workloads in Azure Database for PostgreSQL.</li> <li>The general availability of Azure Cosmos DB Linux Emulator, a tool that enables users of Microsoft's NoSQL vector database to locally build, test and validate applications across Linux, macOS and Windows without having to do their work in a cloud environment.</li> </ul> <p>Capabilities in Fabric IQ that allow customers to define their data once and have that definition used by every agent provided by Microsoft are among the most valuable, according to Leone.</p> <p>"Instead of re-teaching each new agent what a customer or an order is in your business, you set it once and they all inherit it, and that kind of reuse is hard to pull off unless you own both the data layer and the agent tooling, which few players do," he said.</p> <p>As Microsoft adds capabilities to Fabric, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366616023/With-new-Fabric-features-Microsoft-aims-at-AI-development">the platform is evolving</a> to become a well-designed bridge for moving AI experiments into production, Leone continued. However, he noted that better data governance guardrails, an orchestration framework for multi-agent networks and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Why-agentic-AI-demands-both-structured-and-unstructured-data">operationalization of unstructured data</a> could all improve Fabric.</p> <p>Meanwhile, from a competitive standpoint, Microsoft differentiates itself with the breadth of its data and AI capabilities, though individual tools are perhaps not as deep as those provided by more specialized vendors, according to Leone.</p> <p>"I'd put Microsoft right at the front of the pack on the unified data foundation idea, and the differentiation is breadth," he said. "Pulling analytics, transactional databases, a semantic layer, and now app development into one platform is a more integrated bet than most of the specialized data platforms are making, since those players tend to go deeper in their lane while Microsoft goes wider."</p> <p>Like Leone, McKnight called <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/post/AI-agents-are-only-as-smart-as-the-data-that-feeds-them">Fabric IQ one of the most significant new features</a>. In addition, he noted the value of Rayfin.</p> <p>"Fabric IQ and Rayfin serve as the core pillars for building enterprise-grade AI, respectively solving the critical challenges of data context and deployment speed," McKnight said. "Fabric IQ eliminates the context bottleneck [and] Rayfin then operationalizes this intelligence. … Together, they allow developers to transition their experiments to production-ready multi-agent systems."</p> <p>Comparatively, Microsoft's data and AI capabilities are in line with those of its <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/hyperscale-cloud">hyperscale cloud</a> competitors, he continued.</p> <p>"Microsoft's AI data strategy -- Fabric, OneLake, Purview and integrated vector stores -- positions it securely alongside the hyperscaler cohort, excelling in platform integration while playing catch-up in technical depth compared to specialized vendors. It excels in bundling, operational simplicity, and ecosystem coherence rather than inventing net-new data primitives."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Looking ahead"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Looking ahead</h2> <p>As Microsoft continues to build up Fabric as a foundational layer within its data and AI platform, there remains room for improvement, according to McKnight. While its overall capabilities are competitive, specific areas such as governance, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/interoperability">interoperability</a> with third-party platforms, workflow depth and cost transparency all need addressing.</p> <p>Specifically, McKnight suggested that Microsoft make Purview -- an integrated security, governance and compliance service -- more AI-ready, embrace open table formats and add built-in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/definition/large-language-model-operations-LLMOps">LLMOps</a> and agentic orchestration capabilities.</p> <p>"This would help position Fabric as the definitive, safe choice for production-grade AI," he said.</p> <p>Leone, meanwhile, advised Microsoft to make it easier for new customers to get started with Fabric so it evolves from a default platform for existing customers to a destination for new ones.</p> <p>"First, make it dead simple to start small, because most new customers aren't moving their whole data estate on day one," he said. "Let them adopt one workload, … and expand from there instead of feeling like they have to buy into the entire platform up front. Second, the faster and lower-risk it makes moving, the more Fabric turns from a Microsoft-shop default into a real destination for brand-new customers."</p> <p><i>Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than three decades of experience. He covers analytics and data management.</i></p> </section> New features that feed agents contextually relevant data add breadth to the platform and keep its data and AI capabilities current in a competitive market. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/telecommunications_g1189468316.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366643955/Microsoft-boosts-Fabric-to-make-it-a-foundation-for-AI Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:07:00 GMT <p>Health AI governance policies have exploded in recent years, but remain fragmented, across more than 100 issuing bodies, according to a new Health &amp; AI Policy Index developed by Mount Sinai researchers.</p> <p>The researchers analyzed 240 healthcare AI-related policies published between 2016 and 2025 to develop the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaipolicy.org/about" rel="noopener">Health &amp; AI Policy Index</a>. They published findings from a Jan. 1, 2026, snapshot of the index in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-026-02734-y#Sec7"><i>npj Digital Medicine</i></a>. The research comes as health AI governance in the U.S. remains fragmented across <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/feature/Health-AI-industry-left-to-self-regulate-as-feds-change-course">various coalitions and industry groups</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/feature/How-providers-can-navigate-the-patchwork-of-state-health-AI-laws">a patchwork of state laws</a>.</p> <p>The researchers found that while the health AI governance landscape appears to have grown rapidly, activity is diffused across more than 100 issuers, including regulators, governments and standards organizations.&nbsp;</p> <p>The policies are primarily focused on transparency and are advisory in nature rather than binding clinical rules, the research shows. Additionally, equity and safety concerns are typically addressed within broader governance and performance requirements. The most concrete obligations fall on providers, regulators and developers rather than patients or payers.</p> <p>"Taken together, these patterns suggest a governance environment where expectations about documentation, oversight, and risk management accumulate faster than clear, enforceable rules for specific AI uses, creating challenges for health systems, developers, and policymakers interpreting overlapping signals while planning deployments," the researchers wrote in the study.</p> <p>Further, the research found that state statutes account for most high-impact policies, setting conditions and restrictions on when certain tools can be used. Sector-specific regulators and international organizations appear more often in policies focused on documentation, governance and assurance practices for health systems and developers.</p> <p>The index is intended for&nbsp;clinicians, health system leaders, compliance and legal teams, developers, payers, lobbyists and policymakers. It includes policies released in the U.S., at the state and federal levels, as well as international frameworks with health relevance.</p> <p>The index and research performed using it aim to enhance&nbsp;healthcare stakeholders' and policymakers' understanding of AI governance policies, identify approaches likely to be effective and pinpoint policy gaps.</p> <p>"Questions around transparency, patient safety, and accountability are becoming central to the future of health care AI," said study senior author Girish N. Nadkarni, M.D., chief AI officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, <a href="https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2026/researchers-create-first-of-its-kind-index-of-evolving-policy-landscape-around-health-care-ai">in the press release</a>.&nbsp;"Our&nbsp;work helps identify where&nbsp;policy&nbsp;efforts are growing, where gaps remain, and where additional coordination may be needed."</p> <p><em>Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.</em></p> A new Health & AI Policy Index reveals a growing health AI governance landscape, but one that is fragmented, creating operational challenges for healthcare stakeholders. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/health%20analytics_a298611193.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366643856/Health-AI-governance-is-growing-but-lacks-unified-policy-frameworks Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:59:00 GMT <p>An <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-11094.pdf">interim final rule</a> from the CMS intends to shed light on how states should implement Medicaid work requirements, but industry stakeholders still worry that unclear definitions of medical frailty could unfairly impact some people.</p> <p>"The Working Families Tax Cut legislation made historic changes to the Medicaid program, and CMS is working closely with states to put those changes into action," CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said in a <a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-launches-nationwide-framework-implement-medicaid-work-requirements">statement</a>. "This rule helps Americans build skills and independence through work, education, job training, or community service, creating new opportunities for themselves and their families."</p> <p>The Medicaid Community Engagement Requirement Interim Final Rule provides some clarity around <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthcarepayers/news/366632108/Health-status-of-those-affected-by-Medicaid-work-requirements">work requirements</a> and program exemptions, which the agency said should help states carry out the rule come January 2027.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Outlining work requirements and exemptions"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Outlining work requirements and exemptions</h2> <p>The framework reiterates the community engagement guidelines, stating that non-pregnant adults ages 19-64 who are not entitled to or enrolled in Medicare but are enrolled in Medicaid in an expansion state are required to participate in the program.</p> <p>These individuals must work, complete community service, participate in a work program or be enrolled in an educational program at least half-time to fulfill program requirements. Individuals may also complete a combination of these activities for at least 80 hours per month or have a monthly income that is not less than the federal minimum wage multiplied by 80 hours.</p> <p>Notably, the framework outlines exemptions to these requirements, including the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Pregnant individuals or those eligible for postpartum coverage in their state.</li> <li>Former foster care youth.</li> <li>Veterans with a disability rating.</li> <li>Parents, guardians or caretakers of dependent children under age 13 or dependents with a disability.</li> <li>Those in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.</li> <li>Inmates of a public institution.</li> <li>Individuals who already comply with similar requirements through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.</li> <li>American Indian/Alaska Native people.</li> <li>Medically frail people.</li> </ul> <p>States may also extend hardship exemptions to those who need to travel for themselves or a dependent to obtain certain medical care not available within their community. Optional hardship exemptions may also apply to those living in a county with an unemployment rate at or above 8% or 1.5 times the national average.</p> <p>Notably, the interim final rule does not provide a definition for medical frailty beyond having "special medical needs that significantly impair [beneficiaries'] ability to comply with the requirement."</p> <p>This is a sticking point for some industry groups, including America's Physician Group (APG).</p> <p>"It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to administer the community engagement requirements in a manner that will [be] workable, reasonable, and fair for individuals, states, and the health care system, and potentially millions of sick individuals could lose their Medicaid health coverage when they most need it," the group said in a <a href="https://www.apg.org/press-release/proposed-rule-on-medicaid-community-engagement-requirements-could-prove-unworkable-for-individuals-states-and-the-health-care-system-americas-physician-groups-says/">statement</a>.</p> <p>Particularly, provisions stating that individuals with common chronic illnesses might not qualify for exemptions.</p> <p>The rule states that conditions like asthma, hypertension, generalized pain, type 1 or 2 diabetes or headaches do not "significantly impair an individual's ability" to meet community requirements. The rule also said those conditions might fluctuate such that they may no longer impair an individual's ability to work.</p> <p>"These statements suggest that individuals on Medicaid with chronic or serious conditions may be forced into a nearly endless cycle of doctors' visits to determine how ill they really are and whether they can work; that states will similarly have to digest endless streams of such information about enrollees; and that states will also have substantial latitude to force enrollees off the program through subjective interpretations about their illnesses and their ability to work," APG said.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Understanding reporting provisions"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Understanding reporting provisions</h2> <p>According to the CMS, states are required to verify and report individual Medicaid eligibility and compliance with work requirements.</p> <p>When states are unable to verify compliance, they must send the individual a notice of noncompliance and provide 30 calendar days to demonstrate eligibility. Should an individual fail to do so, states should deny the application or disenroll the beneficiary.</p> <p>States might use data from state or local agencies, federal databases, payroll data or claims data to verify compliance with work requirements, the CMS said.</p> <p>"States must have a process to obtain the information defined as reliable information available to the State without seeking information from the individual," the CMS wrote in the interim final rule. "The process may be automated, such as through an Application Programming Interface (API) or other electronic interface or could require a worker to manually obtain the information from its source."</p> <p>State verification processes are expected to require a significant technology overhaul, the CMS acknowledged. To that end, the agency is offering $200 million in Government Efficiency Grants to support state system modernization and another $600 million in support from private-sector technology vendors to help defray state costs.</p> <p>It remains to be seen how the framework will affect state approaches to Medicaid work requirements. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthcarepayers/news/366642528/How-are-states-preparing-for-Medicaid-work-requirements">KFF reported that most states are taking a broader approach to exemptions</a>, aiming to achieve fewer disenrollments.</p> <p>Still, the effects of Medicaid work requirements are expected to be pronounced. In March of 2026, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute estimated that between <a href="https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2026/03/millions-could-lose-health-coverage-due-to-new-rules.html">4.9 and 10.2 million people would lose Medicaid coverage</a> as a result of work requirements and increased eligibility checks.</p> <p><em>Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.</em></p> </section> The framework adds some specificity around Medicaid work requirement exemptions, but stakeholders say it's still unclear what constitutes medical frailty. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/check_g1199243271.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/healthcarepayers/news/366643893/CMS-framework-aims-to-clarify-Medicaid-work-requirements Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:47:00 GMT <p>Snowflake on Tuesday unveiled an avalanche of new features aimed at helping customers build AI tools that make employees better informed and more efficient.</p> <p>Among others, they include a fully managed <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Real-time-data-streaming-for-AI-invest-where-it-matters">streaming data service</a> in Snowflake CoCo (formerly Cortex Code), which is the vendor's coding agent for developing workflows and applications, and personalization capabilities in Snowflake CoWork (formerly Snowflake Intelligence), which is a personal agent that assists users as they analyze data and build data workflows.</p> <p>In addition, Snowflake introduced new tools in Horizon Catalog, a data catalog that enables users to govern and discover data, aimed at securing and governing agents and standardizing <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/Why-context-engineering-is-the-next-enterprise-software-priority">the context agents call upon</a> to carry out tasks.</p> <p>The new features were revealed during Snowflake Summit, the vendor's user conference in San Francisco.</p> <p>Michael Ni, an analyst at Constellation Research, noted that by unifying capabilities in CoCo, CoWork and Horizon Catalog, Snowflake is demonstrating its evolution toward becoming a platform for agentic AI. As a result, its additions are significant.</p> <p>"Snowflake's release looks less like a product launch cycle and more like platform maturation," Ni said. "There are plenty of new features, but the real significance lies in Snowflake's … bigger strategic ambition as it shifts from being the Data Cloud, where the story was 'bring AI to your data', to the 'Agentic AI Platform' with the story of using trusted context to govern AI actions across the enterprise."</p> <p>Sanjeev Mohan, founder and principal of analyst firm SanjMo, likewise noted that Snowflake's new features collectively comprise a significant update with a new feature called Cortex Training, which allows users to customize <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/Foundation-models-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know">foundation models</a>, showing the vendor's growth.</p> <p>"It's significant due to the breadth," he said. "Many vendors ship features in one or two layers of the stack. Snowflake shipped simultaneously across infrastructure, metadata and semantics, security and AI surfaces for both developers and knowledge workers. The Cortex Training announcement … could be a net-new revenue category. Thus far, training or fine-tuning small models has not become mainstream."</p> <p>Based in Bozeman, Mont., but with a campus in Menlo Park, Calif., Snowflake's data platform and AI development capabilities are designed to enable users to build AI and analytics tools on <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366618249/Trusted-data-at-the-core-of-successful-GenAI-adoption">a trusted data foundation</a>. Beyond introducing new features, Snowflake on May 27 expanded its partnership with AWS, signing a collaboration agreement to invest $6 billion in helping joint customers build and deploy AI.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Empowering enterprises with AI"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Empowering enterprises with AI</h2> <p>Snowflake <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366573245/Snowflake-boosting-its-commitment-to-AI-including-GenAI">was slow</a> to add AI development and management capabilities after OpenAI's November 2022 launch of ChatGPT sparked surging interest in AI development that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-1-15-gartner-says-worldwide-ai-spending-will-total-2-point-5-trillion-dollars-in-2026" rel="noopener">continues to increase</a>.</p> <p>Rival Databricks and hyperscale cloud vendors AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft all quickly added integrations with large language models such as ChatGPT -- some even developing their own -- and created development frameworks designed to simplify building AI tools.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> It's significant due to the breadth. Many vendors ship features in one or two layers of the stack. Snowflake shipped simultaneously across infrastructure, metadata and semantics, security and AI surfaces for both developers and knowledge workers. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>Sanjeev Mohan</strong>Founder and principal, SanjMo </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Following <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366571855/Snowflake-CEO-Slootman-steps-down-Ramaswamy-takes-over">a CEO change</a> in February 2024, Snowflake similarly embraced AI as a core part of its platform and continues to add AI capabilities that simplify using its tools as well as features that enable customers to create their own AI applications.</p> <p>"Our whole mission is based on the premise that we are the platform that will help organizations make every team member be more productive … through the benefits of AI, and do so being able to sleep well at night because of security, compliance and governance," Christian Kleinerman, Snowflake's executive vice president of product, said during a virtual press conference on May 26.</p> <p>Many of the new capabilities Snowflake revealed on Tuesday are tied to that aim.</p> <p>Snowflake CoCo is the interface for developers to build the AI and analytics workflows that enable business users to be more productive. New CoCo features include Datastream to bring <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/252512512/Apache-Kafka-31-opens-up-data-streaming-for-analytics">real-time Apache Kafka data</a> into AI applications to keep them current and accurate, desktop and mobile versions that enable developers to work in preferred environments, Automations to autonomously execute recurring workflows, and prebuilt Skills that simplify engineering tasks.</p> <p>Snowflake CoWork is the AI-powered interface that enables business users to be more productive. New CoWork capabilities include User Skills to personalize insights and actions based on an employee's role, Deep Research to enable in-depth analysis across both <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Why-agentic-AI-demands-both-structured-and-unstructured-data">structured and unstructured data</a> and Cortex Sense to join data with business definitions and operational knowledge to provide agents with better context.</p> <p>Horizon Catalog is the hub that connects and governs an enterprise's Snowflake estate, enabling development and analysis. New Horizon Catalog tools include Horizon Context to provide context layer that ensures AI-driven outcomes are reliable, Semantic Studio and Semantic View Autopilot <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/Why-data-semantics-matters-for-context-aware-systems">to build semantic views</a>, Agent Identity to give each agent a verified identity before it can access data or take action, and adaptive compute to automatically optimize compute and software resources.</p> <p>"Horizon Context along with Cortex Sense are probably the most valuable [new capabilities]," Mohan said. "AI agents are only as reliable as the definitions they reason from. … Snowflake's earlier Semantic Studio and Semantic View Autopilot along with the [Open Semantic Interchange] standard solved this at the platform level. Now they are taking it to a higher level -- context."</p> <p>Finally, to improve access to the often distributed data that informs agents and other AI tools, Snowflake is improving the interoperability of its platform with capabilities such as support for <a href="https://iceberg.apache.org/spec/">Apache Iceberg v3</a>, zero copy integrations with data sources including SAP and Salesforce, centralized governance across systems through Apache Polaris within Horizon Catalog, and Open Data Sharing to enable organizations to securely share data and AI assets with customers and partners.</p> <p>While each of the individual features address customers' evolving needs, the most important additions are the tools that deliver trusted, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/feature/Talend-CEO-discusses-importance-of-mining-relevant-data">relevant data</a> to agents, according to Ni.</p> <p>"The most valuable thing Snowflake announced wasn't another agent," he said. "It was the shared understanding that those agents operate from. Snowflake recognizes that when intelligence becomes cheap with the new LLMs, the hardest problem in enterprise AI is ensuring multiple humans, BI tools, applications, and agents operate from the same business truth."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Competitive standing"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Competitive standing</h2> <p>Although Snowflake was once slow to react to surging interest in AI development, the vendor is now one of many data management vendors <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/opinion/The-race-to-build-the-ultimate-data-platform">in a race</a> to provide the tools customers need to develop and manage agentic AI systems on a foundation of governed data, according to Ni.</p> <p>Amid that race, however, Snowflake is carving out its own niche rather than directly competing with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366638723/Databricks-launches-PostgreSQL-Lakebase-to-aid-AI-developers">rival Databricks</a>, he continued.</p> <p>"While data and AI platform vendors like Databricks focus on helping developers build agents, Snowflake focuses on making agents simple to trust and scale," Ni said. "At the same time, the market is moving from agent creation to agent governance, and that's where Snowflake is making its biggest bet."</p> <p>Mohan similarly noted that Snowflake is taking a different approach than Databricks, which has historically catered more to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/feature/AI-engineer-vs-data-scientist-Whats-the-difference">data scientists and engineers</a> than Snowflake, which focuses on business users.</p> <p>"Databricks' strengths are in the machine learning and data engineering workflow," he said. "Snowflake's counter-play is governance-first agent infrastructure. For teams building ML-heavy systems, Databricks is still stronger. For enterprises that need AI with audit trails and consistent business semantics, and want it to work for business users, Snowflake's Summit announcements make a strong case."</p> <p>Regarding what more Snowflake can add to continue serving its customers as they attempt to modernize with agents, Mohan suggested that the vendor add tools that <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Why-AI-is-forcing-enterprises-to-rethink-observability">oversee how agents behave</a> in production so that customers don't have to seek out such capabilities from competitors.</p> <p>"Snowflake now has CoCo for developers and CoWork for knowledge workers, but … the hardest problems are operational, like monitoring, debugging, regression testing for agent behavior," he said. "Snowflake should build native tooling here before customers are forced to stitch together third-party solutions."</p> <p>Ni, meanwhile, advised Snowflake to continue adding and refining features such as Horizon Context that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Exploring-the-context-layer-for-AI-systems">help agents understand</a> an enterprise's operations so they can perform as intended.</p> <p>"Horizon Context is important to helping AI understand what the business means," he said. "The next frontier is helping AI understand how the business operates. Most enterprise decisions are not driven by data alone, but by the combination of business context, process state and operational constraints."</p> <p><i>Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than three decades of experience. He covers analytics and data management.</i></p> </section> A streaming data service and tools that provide agents with contextual awareness highlight the latest from the vendor as it constructs a foundation for agentic enterprises. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/code_g175422126.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366643795/Snowflake-barrage-adds-more-AI-development-analysis-tools Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT <p>LAS VEGAS --– Cisco is intent on making each of its network devices an enforcement point for centralized policy that controls AI agents that manage infrastructure, or AgenticOps.</p> <p>In pursuit of that goal, the networking giant launched a new umbrella software framework called Cisco Cloud Control in controlled availability here at Cisco Live this week. The product combines an AI assistant, telemetry dashboards, third-party agent management, MCP tools and API support for AgenticOps. The interface for Cisco Cloud Control will be AI Canvas, a collaborative workspace previewed last year. Later in 2026, the product will add Cloud Control Studio, which will include an Agent Builder and a low-code App Builder with OpenAI's Codex assistant built in.</p> <p>Cisco Cloud Control, which replaces the previous Cisco Security Cloud Control, provides a common orchestration layer for observability and network management in addition to security. All are connected to cross-domain log data in the Splunk-based <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366630300/Cisco-Splunk-strategy-shift-unveiled-with-Data-Fabric">Cisco Data Fabric</a>, launched last year and set to reach general availability over the next two months.</p> <p>Cisco is telling a "more cohesive story" than ever, delivering on previously disclosed roadmap plans consistently over the last 18 months, said Mike Leone, an analyst at Moor Insights &amp; Strategy.</p> <p>"For a long time, people would poke at Cisco for the multiple management interfaces across all the products in the portfolio," Leone said. "Cloud Control is, I would argue, the most coherent platform argument they've made in years."</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_ai_canvas-f.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_ai_canvas-f_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_ai_canvas-f_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_ai_canvas-f.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco AI Canvas" data-credit="Cisco" height="315" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco's AI Canvas will become the common interface for AgenticOps automation across infrastructure domains using the new Cloud Control framework. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The challenge: standing out from the crowd"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The challenge: standing out from the crowd</h2> <p>Virtually every enterprise tech vendor, whether it specializes in infrastructure or not, has rolled out its own <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/news/366636690/Agentic-orchestration-the-next-AI-issue-for-CIOs-to-tackle">AI agent orchestration</a> platform over the past year, complete with pledges of compatibility with third-party agents. Cisco Cloud Control will face off against other large IT infrastructure vendors, including Microsoft, Google, AWS, Dell and IBM/Red Hat, each of which also has a broad base of existing enterprise customers -- many of whom overlap with those of the others.&nbsp;</p> <p>"Every single vendor has this challenge," Leone said. "If you were to separate the existing customers versus net new customers [for AI agent orchestration platforms], existing customers would absolutely [outweigh] net new customers."</p> <p>Cisco has quickly assembled a broad list of more than 50 partners for cross-domain AI agent support, which is new for the company, but not new in the market, according to Jim Frey, an analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget.</p> <p>"It's bringing Cisco into what has already been a thriving partner environment for everybody else," Frey said. "It's good that folks who are dedicated to working with Cisco equipment will now have access to the same kind of capabilities and ecosystem that other vendors have already pulled off."</p> <div class="extra-info"> <div class="extra-info-inner"> <h3 class="splash-heading">Read agentic data egress fine print</h3> <p>Potential <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366642661/Atlassian-MCP-updates-take-aim-at-AI-token-usage">data egress costs</a> enterprises might incur when sharing data across agents is just one of the hot topics in the industry surrounding pricing for agentic tools. Some vendors have begun offering <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366611612/Zendesk-debuts-outcome-based-pricing-for-AI-agents">outcome-based pricing</a>, while many charge by licensing tier, which include pools of AI tokens.</p> <p>Cisco Cloud Control fits into the latter category: it will be priced in three tiers: Essentials, Advantage or Premium. Customers can also buy token packs a la carte.</p> <p>Enterprises should press vendors for deeper pricing details, said Mike Leone, an analyst at Moor Insights &amp; Strategy.</p> <p>"Where does that meter sit when a non-Cisco agent calls into Cisco data?" he said. "And is that on you or is that on the other platform that the agent's coming in from? That's where the open ecosystem promise is going to get tested really fast.</p> <p>"Tier creep is a big thing, too," Leone added. "All it takes is somebody who's asking way too many questions or asking it to do too many things. And does the Essentials tier really give you enough to run Cloud Control to its fullest extent?"</p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The network is the differentiator?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The network is the differentiator?</h2> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> Networking is cool again. As we move to these highly distributed environments, the network becomes a key enabler for operationalizing AI. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>Bob Laliberte,</strong>Analyst, TheCube Research </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Among Cisco's differentiators are its <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366623089/Cisco-Google-Meta-collab-trains-cybersecurity-LLM">purpose-built large language models</a>,<b> </b>including<b> </b>a frontier model and specialized models for network management and cybersecurity. And it has a long track record with network visibility and control mechanisms, which are crucial to multi-agent communication and governance, said Bob Laliberte, an analyst at TheCube Research.&nbsp;</p> <p>"Networking is cool again," Laliberte said. "As we move to these highly distributed environments, the network becomes a key enabler for operationalizing AI. Even Nvidia is a very large networking company right now."</p> <p>However, Cisco must compete in AgenticOps against <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/366635872/HPE-Discover-Barcelona-2025-unveils-AI-networking-advances">other networking vendors</a> that also offer AgenticOps features, including Arista and HPE, Frey said. Network-specific software vendors can also claim an advantage over switch vendors in AgenticOps for multi-vendor networking environments.</p> <p>As a general observability and log analytics company, <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366630512/Splunkconf-Splunk-and-Cisco-showcase-unified-platform">Splunk</a> gives Cisco some credibility in multi-vendor management as well, as long as Cisco continues to run Splunk somewhat independently, Frey said.</p> <p>"There's a honeymoon period when a company acquires another company, and it has a certain amount of credibility as a third-party supplier that erodes over time, because people understand where the investments will be made and where they will not be made," he said.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Network Actions to include digital twins"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Network Actions to include digital twins</h2> <p>A new generation of Cisco switches and routers will support network-specific AgenticOps features called Network Actions, due out in beta this month. The update includes some typical features of AgenticOps tools, such as telemetry dashboards and root-cause analysis, but it also offers an alpha-stage <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/news/366640672/How-simulations-and-digital-twins-are-advancing-robotics">digital twin</a> feature that enables users to experiment with infrastructure changes without affecting production.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_network_actions_digital_twin-f.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_network_actions_digital_twin-f_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_network_actions_digital_twin-f_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_network_actions_digital_twin-f.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Network Actions digital twin" data-credit="Cisco" height="315" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco's new Network Actions features include a digital twin that enables users to experiment with AgenticOps without affecting production. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>While trust appears to be growing in AgenticOps products, it's primarily being used so far in compute systems rather than networking, according to recent market research Frey has reviewed.</p> <p>"Compute systems are cattle -- servers and containers and virtual machines are all designed to be disposable," he said. "But networks are still like pets; something goes wrong with a network switch, okay, now you've got a problem that's got a much broader impact, potentially."</p> <p>Features baked into Network Actions and Cisco Cloud Control, including confidence and risk scores and digital twins, don't address all of the trust issues with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366643426/IT-orgs-cautiously-try-AI-agents-for-infrastructure-as-code">AI agents for infrastructure automation</a>, but do address some of the common early barriers, Leone said.</p> <p>"Cisco's design is really solid here," he said. "Surfacing confidence and risk scores that are based on every agent and the digital twin component will all make 'human in the loop' involvement really fast."</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ikjJCG0eXpY?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0" loading="lazy"></iframe> </div> <p><em>Beth Pariseau, senior news writer for Informa TechTarget, is an award-winning veteran of IT journalism. Have a tip?&nbsp;</em><a target="_blank" href="mailto:bpariseau@techtarget.com?subject=News%20tip" rel="noopener"><em>Email her</em></a><em> or connect on </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethpariseau" rel="noopener"><em>LinkedIn</em></a><em>.</em>&nbsp;</p> </section> Cisco's control plane for AI agent-based infrastructure management marks a significant convergence of previously disparate tools, according to analysts. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/ai_a264431831.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/366643670/Cisco-Cloud-Control-unites-AgenticOps-for-IT-infrastructure Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:00:00 GMT <p>Fivetran and DBT Labs are one.</p> <p>The merger of the two, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366632699/Fivetran-DBT-Labs-merge-to-add-complementary-capabilities">first revealed in October 2025</a>, became official on Monday, creating a new company that combines the data integration capabilities of Fivetran with the data transformation and data modeling capabilities of DBT Labs.</p> <p>Although financial terms of the all-stock transaction were not disclosed, Fivetran was valued at $5.6 billion in September 2021 when it raised $565 million in venture capital funding, while DBT Labs was valued at $4.2 billion in February 2022 when it raised $222 million from venture capitalists.</p> <p>The combined entity will operate as Fivetran + DBT Labs with former Fivetran CEO <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366538572/Fivetrans-new-funding-a-hedge-against-economic-uncertainty">George Fraser</a> serving as the new company's CEO and former DBT Labs CEO <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/252513954/Dbt-Labs-raises-expectations-for-data-transformation">Tristan Handy</a> serving as president.</p> <p>Given that Fivetran and DBT Labs bring separate but complementary capabilities to Fivetran + DBT Labs, their combination is logical, according to Devin Pratt, an analyst at IDC.</p> <p>"Fivetran moves the data and DBT makes it trustworthy," he said. "Together they cover the two things that buyers care about most right now, [which are] data quality and AI readiness."</p> <p>However, whether existing customers -- particularly those of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366632586/DBT-Labs-targets-costs-with-new-data-engine-adds-AI-agents">DBT Labs</a>, which began as an open source project -- stay loyal as the new company evolves remains to be seen, Pratt continued.</p> <p>"The technology fit is the easy part," he said. "The real test is keeping the DBT open-source community's trust through the transition."</p> <p>Donald Farmer, founder and principal of TreeHive Strategy, similarly noted that Fivetran and DBT Labs are a strong technological fit. But given Fivetran's history as a closed-source <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcloudcomputing/definition/Software-as-a-Service">SaaS</a> vendor "with a reputation for complex, aggressive consumption-based pricing models" and DBT Labs' open-source ethos, there could be culture clashes as the two join forces, he cautioned.</p> <p>"If they integrate well and operate as a single platform they can eliminate some of the complexity of the data stack," Farmer said. "And they do share many customers already. But they may be less compatible in business terms. ... Bringing these two communities together is going to be a real challenge."</p> <p>Ultimately, the motivation behind the merger might be an initial public stock offering, he added.</p> <p>"Perhaps the real driver is that neither company was likely to successfully IPO individually [and] this merger consolidates their annual recurring revenue to cross a threshold required for a successful public listing," Farmer said.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Technological fit"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Technological fit</h2> <p>While Fivetran and DBT Labs each developed user bases as independent vendors, as <a target="_blank" href="https://kpmg.com/us/en/media/news/q1-ai-pulse2026.html" rel="noopener">agentic AI becomes more prevalent</a> across enterprises and data management evolves to become a foundational layer for multi-agent systems, some vendors are turning their platforms into end-to-end systems for data and AI.</p> <blockquote class="main-article-pullquote"> <div class="main-article-pullquote-inner"> <figure> The technology fit is the easy part. The real test is keeping the DBT open-source community's trust through the transition. </figure> <figcaption> <strong>Devin Pratt</strong>Analyst, IDC </figcaption> <i class="icon" data-icon="z"></i> </div> </blockquote> <p>Those that have the capital to compete -- hyperscale cloud vendors such as AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft along with data platform providers including Databricks and Snowflake -- are expanding. As they do so, it makes it difficult for niche vendors to remain independent, which is leading to consolidation.</p> <p>Some formerly independent companies have opted to sell to broader platform vendors. For example, Informatica is now <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/news/366624960/Salesforce-to-acquire-Informatica-in-8-billion-deal">part of Salesforce</a>, Confluent was <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366636098/IBM-acquiring-Confluent-to-boost-AI-development-capabilities">bought by IBM</a>, and Dremio was <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366642794/SAP-acquisitions-of-Dremio-Prior-Labs-target-AI-development">acquired by SAP</a>. Rather than find buyers to become small pieces of larger wholes, Fivetran and DBT Labs elected to merge to expand beyond their specialties.</p> <p>Together, they can provide a data infrastructure layer designed to prepare data for AI, including the semantic modeling capabilities and business logic that help feed agents the contextually relevant data they require to deliver accurate, trustworthy outcomes.</p> <p>In addition, with DBT Labs' origins in the open-source community, the combined Fivetran + DBT Labs platform includes open standards that work across all clouds, engines and tools so that customers can use the data management architecture of their choice and avoid becoming too closely aligned with any single vendor.</p> <p>Pratt noted that IDC research shows that 97% of organizations want to reduce the number of products they use for data management. However, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/Best-practices-to-avoid-AI-vendor-lock-in">only 12% want to use a single vendor</a>. Therefore, though the space for specialists is shrinking, there remains room for independent vendors such as Fivetran + DBT Labs that provide more than one niche capability but aren't end-to-end data and AI platforms.</p> <p>"Specialists can still thrive, as long as they slot cleanly into a core or get big enough to be that core," Pratt said. "Combining, as Fivetran and DBT have, is one way to do that rather than waiting to be bought."</p> <p>Farmer likewise noted that despite ongoing consolidation, there remains a place for independent vendors. In particular, independent vendors with unique engineering approaches can survive given that integration becomes the focus amid acquisitions rather than innovation.</p> <p>"Independents do have opportunities, especially if they can support a methodology and community," Farmer said. "When independents -- like Confluent, Dremio or DBT -- get absorbed, their engineering resources are inevitably redirected from product innovation toward integration and from the interests of their community towards alignment with enterprise sales."</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="New capabilities"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>New capabilities</h2> <p>Beyond the merger, Fivetran + DBT Labs unveiled its first new features. They include the following:</p> <ul type="disc" class="default-list"> <li>Agents Schema, an open source standard for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/Why-context-engineering-is-the-next-enterprise-software-priority">providing context to agents</a> that designates one <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/schema">schema</a> in a data warehouse or data lake that is compatible across systems as the shared context layer for agentic AI.</li> <li>DBT Core 2.0, the latest version of DBT Labs' open source Fusion engine for data transformation using <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/SQL">SQL</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Python">Python</a> code.</li> <li>DBT State, a caching layer for data pipelines aimed at enabling users to reduce infrastructure costs.</li> <li>DBT Wizard, an autonomous assistant that uses context including lineage and defined metrics from DBT projects for model authoring, refactoring and debugging.</li> </ul> <p>DBT Core 2.0, DBT State and DBT Wizard are in various states of testing and not yet generally available.</p> <p>"I like DBT State," Farmer said. "In an era where CFOs are cracking down on unpredictable bills, if DBT can cut infrastructure costs … with smart caching, that's a solid -- and testable -- claim."</p> <p>Pratt, meanwhile, noted the potential value of Agents Schema.</p> <p>"The hardest part of getting agents into production isn't the model, it's giving the agent context it can trust," he said. "Agents Schema goes straight at that, as an open standard the customer owns rather than one more lock-in."</p> <p>Looking ahead, now that Fivetran and DBT Labs have merged, Pratt recommended that the company continue to stress and honor the openness on which DBT Labs was founded. With some vendors making it difficult to integrate with third parties, and others enabling only some <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/feature/More-reasoning-interoperability-key-to-future-of-agentic-AI">interoperability</a>, Fivetran + DBT Labs could stand apart from at least some competitors by fully embracing openness.</p> <p>"Staying open is their biggest asset," Pratt said. "The opportunity now is to pair that openness with strong governance and automation, the things buyers value most, which would position them to keep their users and attract new ones."</p> <p>Toward that end, Farmer suggested that Fivetran + DBT make <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchbusinessanalytics/news/366556394/DBT-Labs-updates-Semantic-Layer-adds-data-mesh-enablement">DBT's semantic modeling capabilities</a> open source rather than keep it a paid feature.</p> <p>"They need to fully open up DBT's semantic layer," he said. "A semantic layer must integrate with outside tools to be useful."</p> <p><i>Eric Avidon is a senior news writer for Informa TechTarget and a journalist with more than three decades of experience. He covers analytics and data management.</i></p> </section> The combined capabilities of the newly formed company provide the infrastructure, including data integration and preparation, for agents and other cutting-edge applications. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_a346805525.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/news/366643590/Fivetran-DBT-Labs-complete-merger-to-form-data-layer-for-AI Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:57:00 GMT <p>It's been a busy couple of weeks for smart ring developer, Oura. After announcing on May 21 that it <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/oura-files-for-ipo-amid-healthcare-push/821108/?utm_source=xtelligent&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=Xtelligent-Healthcare-Dive-Site-Cross-Promo">plans to go public</a>, Oura has released an <a href="https://ouraring.com/blog/introducing-health-radar/?srsltid=AfmBOoq05ApyCEYIy8DGv-fNdO_A6xWAgZeJq2fjJXYNk0HfH1kF0Gia">expanded suite of health features</a> this week alongside a <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528686853/en/URA-Introduces-The-Worlds-Smallest-Smart-Ring-Oura-Ring-5">new version of its smart ring</a>.</p> <p>The company is marketing its Oura Ring 5 as "the smallest smart ring in the world." The ring, which features low-profile sensor domes for better skin contact and more powerful LEDs for clearer readings, aims to provide deeper insights into metabolic health and live activity.</p> <p>The ring will also include Oura's new Health Radar feature. According to a company blog post, the feature was developed in collaboration with more than 40 in-house physicians and researchers and builds upon Symptom Radar, launched in 2024. Health Radar and Symptom Radar are available not only on Oura Ring 5 but also on Oura Ring Gen3 and Oura Ring 4.</p> <p>While <a href="https://ouraring.com/blog/inside-the-ring-symptom-radar/">Symptom Radar</a> helps identify early signs of strain in a user's biometric data, including an elevated heart rate or temperature, Health Radar includes capabilities to monitor blood pressure and breathing during the night.</p> <p>Oura's new Blood Pressure Signals in Health Radar capability tracks cardiovascular-related trends using nighttime photoplethysmography data from the smart ring during 30-day assessment periods. Photoplethysmography is an optical technology that uses shining light through the skin to measure blood flow and cardiovascular signals. The ring will alert the user to changes that may be associated with blood pressure variation, the press release noted. Supporting this capability are features that show your overnight BP-related dips and how they change over time, as well as the ability to log manual cuff measurements in the Oura App.</p> <p>The Nighttime Breathing in Health Radar capability will track disruptions in breathing rhythm during the night, which can result in fragmented sleep and cardiovascular strain. The capability provides a 30-day rolling view of sleep-related breathing patterns and disturbances, providing explanations and guidance to help users understand the changes. Users can also access sleep health resources, including sleep assessments and educational materials,&nbsp;in the Oura App&nbsp;through a <a href="https://ouraring.com/blog/introducing-health-radar/?srsltid=AfmBOoq05ApyCEYIy8DGv-fNdO_A6xWAgZeJq2fjJXYNk0HfH1kF0Gia">recent partnership between Oura and ResMed</a>.</p> <p>"As a physician, I know that personal health can feel overwhelming -- not only because information can be hard to access, but because it's often unclear which changes really matter," said Ricky Bloomfield, M.D., chief medical officer at Oura, in the blog post.</p> <p>In addition to Health Radar, Oura is collaborating with Counsel, an AI-enabled primary care platform, to launch asynchronous virtual visits within the Oura app. Called Oura Labs: Counsel Health, the new capability will allow users to connect with Counsel's medical AI app and physicians. If Health Radar alerts users to trends or changes worth exploring, Oura Advisor, an AI-powered tool that translates data from the smart ring into guidance, will offer to connect users with Counsel. The user will then have the option of connecting with AI to interpret lab results, identify symptoms and receive initial guidance or connecting with a Counsel physician, who will assess concerns, provide tailored treatment plans and fill prescriptions. Oura Ring users in the U.S. will be able to test the new capability "soon," according to the press release.</p> <p>The new features come a few months after the wearables developer acquired a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366639936/Oura-expands-AI-driven-capabilities-with-new-acquisition">Finnish company that&nbsp;provides gesture recognition technology</a> and announced that it is <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthtechanalytics/news/366639539/Oura-unveils-proprietary-AI-model-for-womens-health">testing its first proprietary AI model focused on women's health</a>.</p> <p><em>Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.</em></p> The new health features include blood pressure and nighttime breathing monitoring, as well as a planned asynchronous virtual visit capability that lets users connect with an AI tool or a human clinician. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/virtual%20health_g673493724.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/virtualhealthcare/news/366643738/Oura-launches-new-health-features-with-new-ring-release Fri, 29 May 2026 13:15:00 GMT <p>Walmart <a href="https://www.teladochealth.com/newsroom/press/teladoc-health-expands-access-to-care-through-walmarts-better-care-services">has added Teladoc Health</a> to its Better Care Services platform, bringing its suite of virtual care offerings to the digital health marketplace.</p> <p>Launched in January 2026, Walmart's Better Care Services platform <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2026/01/08/new-year-new-you-walmart-launches-better-care-services-and-rolls-back-prices-on-1000-wellness-essentials">provides access to a network of third-party telehealth providers</a> for urgent care and behavioral health, as well as LillyDirect, Eli Lilly's digital health tool for chronic disease management and medication delivery.</p> <p>The goal is to streamline the healthcare consumer experience by providing a "one-stop wellness destination, where customers can move from guidance to care and then choose to return to Walmart for all their post-diagnosis needs,"&nbsp;Leslie Fletcher, vice president of growth and partnerships, Health &amp; Wellness at&nbsp;Walmart, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/virtualhealthcare/feature/Why-Walmarts-return-to-telehealth-features-a-marketplace-model">previously told <i>Virtual Healthcare</i></a>.</p> <p>The new partnership-based model is a marked difference from its previous foray into virtual healthcare, which <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/virtualhealthcare/news/366596719/Walmart-shutters-health-centers-telehealth-service-citing-cost-burdens">was ultimately shuttered</a>. Walmart shut down its virtual care business alongside its 51 health centers, citing a "challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs" as the reason. &nbsp;</p> <p>Through a new collaboration, Teladoc Health will join the network of virtual care providers available on the Better Care Services platform. For a cash-pay price of $89 per visit, Walmart customers will be able to access various services through Teladoc, including urgent care for common conditions, such as sinus infections, colds and pink eye, dermatology and nutrition services. Prescriptions resulting from these virtual visits can be sent to a pharmacy, including Walmart.</p> <p>"Walmart is where millions of Americans already go for everyday needs, and now, getting care from Teladoc Health can be part of that same experience," said Kelly Bliss, Teladoc Health's president of U.S. Group Health, in the press release. "By removing friction and meeting people where they are, virtual care becomes something people choose first, not just something they can access."</p> <p>The collaboration also comes on the heels of <a href="https://ir.teladochealth.com/news-and-events/investor-news/press-release-details/2026/Teladoc-Health-Reports-First-Quarter-2026-Results/default.aspx">Teladoc's middling first-quarter 2026 financial results</a>. The company reported revenue of $613.8 million, down 2% year over year, and a net loss of $63.8 million. The company's beleaguered BetterHelp segment reported revenues of $218.4 million, down 9% from Q1 2025.</p> <p>Still, Chuck Divita, CEO of Teladoc Health, emphasized continued focus on "execution across our strategic priorities, including key investments in product innovation, technology, and our clinical model" in a company press release accompanying the financial results.</p> <p>The collaboration with Walmart, alongside partnerships with <a href="https://www.teladochealth.com/newsroom/press/teladoc-health-joins-amazons-health-benefits-connector-for-cardiometabolic-programs">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.teladochealth.com/organizations/resources/teladoc-health-and-instacart-partnership">Instacart</a>, is a way for the company to provide a trusted front door for healthcare consumers, streamlining their experience, Amanda Cobos, vice president of Teladoc Health's Brand Marketing &amp; Consumer Strategy, <a href="https://www.teladochealth.com/organizations/resources/becoming-the-first-place-people-go-for-care">wrote in a recent company blog post</a>.</p> <p><em>Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers healthcare IT and innovation, including artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, EHRs and interoperability.</em></p> Teladoc Health is now available on Walmart's Better Care Services platform, offering virtual urgent care, dermatology and nutrition services. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/virtual%20health_g1456456457.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/virtualhealthcare/news/366643620/Teladoc-Health-joins-Walmarts-Better-Care-Services-platform Fri, 29 May 2026 13:10:00 GMT <p>CVS Health <a href="https://www.cvshealth.com/news/company-news/cvs-caremark-delivers-affordability-and-access-to-glp-1-weight-management-medications-with-expanded-coverage-options.html">said</a> yesterday it will restore coverage of Eli Lilly's blockbuster weight loss shot Zepbound and add the pharma giant's <a href="https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/fda-approves-lilly-obesity-pill-orforglipron-foundayo-novo/816359/">recently approved obesity pill,</a> Foundayo, to Caremark's standard formulary.</p> <p>The move follows a <a href="https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/cvs-novo-nordisk-wegovy-deal/746887/">pricing deal Novo reached</a> last year with CVS, which made Wegovy the preferred obesity therapy on standard plans, cutting coverage for Zepbound in July.</p> <p>Now, both oral and injectable GLP-1 drugs from Lilly and Novo will be offered through CVS Caremark, one of the largest PBMs in the United States, effectively undercutting Novo's competitive advantage over its rival.</p> <p>Foundayo will be added to Caremark's commercial formularies beginning next month, and Zepbound will make a reappearance on the list of covered medications on Oct. 1, CVS Health <a href="https://www.cvshealth.com/news/company-news/cvs-caremark-delivers-affordability-and-access-to-glp-1-weight-management-medications-with-expanded-coverage-options.html">said</a> in a statement.</p> <p>"With this expanded coverage, millions of Americans will have access to Zepbound and Foundayo, giving patients and their doctors a real choice in how obesity is treated," Lilly also said in a press release.</p> <p>The agreement is expected to help boost earnings for Lilly now that the drugmaker's entire obesity portfolio will be covered by all three of the nation's biggest PBMs -- Caremark, UnitedHealth Group's OptumRx and Cigna's Express Scripts.</p> <p>On top of that, Caremark provides additional lifestyle clinical support as part of the CVS Weight Management program, which could help attract more patients.</p> <p>This announcement also comes as insurers have struggled to provide fair access to obesity treatments, causing high prices to put GLP-1 therapies out of reach for many people who could benefit from them.</p> <p>But now, those with private insurance could pay as little as $25 a month for both Zepbound and Foundayo. Through the Medicare&nbsp;GLP-1&nbsp;Bridge program, beginning&nbsp;July 1, Medicare Part D beneficiaries could pay up&nbsp;to $50&nbsp;per month.</p> <p><em>Alivia Kaylor is senior editor of Xtelligent's Pharma Life Sciences, which she helped launch in 2023. She has spent nearly five years covering the biopharma industry, with a focus on GLP-1s and other obesity therapies, federal policy, clinical R&amp;D and drug pricing.</em></p> <p><em>&nbsp;Before becoming a full-time reporter, Alivia worked in drug manufacturing as a quality control microbiologist at a U.S. subsidiary of Daiichi Sankyo specializing in sterile injectables. She holds a bachelor of science in microbiology from Ohio State University and a master of science degree from Ohio University.</em></p> CVS Caremark will cover Eli Lilly's weight loss drugs Zepbound and Foundayo, intensifying competition in the obesity market between the drugmaker and its rival Novo Nordisk. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/pharma_g1317416781.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/pharmalifesciences/news/366643587/CVS-brings-back-Lillys-Zepbound-coverage-adds-obesity-pill-Foundayo Fri, 29 May 2026 11:12:00 GMT <p>A <a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/federal-independent-dispute-resolution-operations-cms-9897-f.pdf">final rule</a> released by CMS this morning seeks to address some of the biggest challenges payers and providers are facing with the No Surprises Act's independent dispute resolution process.</p> <p>Payers and providers have <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366639535/New-report-shows-NSA-is-working-So-why-are-payers-providers-still-mad">criticized the IDR process</a>, with both sides finding fault with how it determines claim eligibility, its high administrative fees and communication breakdowns. They have pointed fingers at each other over these issues, urging the federal government to improve the process.</p> <p>Now, the Trump administration is stepping in.</p> <p>"We are cutting fees, improving transparency, and restoring order to a system that was overwhelmed. This is about making government processes efficient, accountable, and focused on results," CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said in a <a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/federal-rule-takes-aim-saving-taxpayer-dollars-health-care-bureaucracy-reducing-dispute-fees">press release</a> today.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Faster eligibility determinations to reduce IDR backlog"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Faster eligibility determinations to reduce IDR backlog</h2> <p>The final rule will address one of the biggest IDR bottlenecks -- a high volume of ineligible claims that have flooded the system, leading to determination delays and a massive backlog of disputes.</p> <p>CMS said in the press release that over 5 million disputes have been submitted to the federal IDR process since its launch in April 2022, creating a massive backlog of cases. About <a href="https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/new-ahip-bcbsa-survey-shows-nearly-40-of-providers-surprise-billing-disputes-are-ineligible-under-no-surprises-act">40% of those disputes are ineligible</a> for the process, though, claims America's Health Insurance Plans.</p> <p>Certified IDR entities will now have to determine eligibility within five business days of being assigned to a case and notify both parties and the relevant federal departments, according to the final rule.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Transparency for payer claim communications"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Transparency for payer claim communications</h2> <p>The rule also seeks to improve communication between payers and providers, which they say has been neither <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366642402/AMA-alerts-officials-of-health-plans-No-Surprises-Act-abuse">direct nor clear</a>.</p> <p>Payers and providers entering the IDR process will soon need to provide additional information if requested by the IDR entity within five business days to expedite eligibility determinations, conflict of interest reviews and payment determinations.</p> <p>Failing to meet the deadline will result in IDR entities moving forward with a decision without the information or closing the dispute.</p> <p>Payers will also have to better communicate claim eligibility to out-of-network providers, according to the rule.</p> <p>The rule will require payers to include claim adjustment reason codes and remittance advice remark codes on any remittance advice it sends to providers outside their networks. These codes generally explain how payers adjudicated a claim, including why a claim was denied, reduced or paid differently than billed.</p> <p>The applicable CARCs and RARCs will indicate whether a claim for an item or service furnished by an out-of-network provider is or is not subject to the federal IDR process, CMS said.</p> <p>Payers will also need to include more information when paying or denying claims, including legal business names of coverage carriers and a new registration number that payers will need to get to participate in the IDR process moving forward.</p> <p>The number will be part of a new IDR registry established by the rule, which will contain information on the application of the process to items and services covered by the plan.</p> <p>Additionally, payers will need to modify language in their disclosures to out-of-network providers to better facilitate the open negotiation period.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Stricter rules for the open negotiation period"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Stricter rules for the open negotiation period</h2> <p>Under the NSA, payers and providers have 30 business days to negotiate a payment rate for items or services before submitting the claim to the IDR process. However, this isn't always happening in good faith, according to payers and providers.</p> <p>Parties will have to provide an open negotiation notice to the other party and relevant federal departments through the federal IDR portal to initiate the open negotiation period, the rule states.</p> <p>The rule also specifies that the 30-business-day period starts when the party submits the notice, along with the payment remittance or a notice of denial, to the portal.</p> <p>Parties that receive an open negotiation notice must also respond by the 15th business day of the open negotiation period.</p> <p>CMS said in the rule that these changes will provide more transparency into the process by ensuring parties know when the open negotiation period has started, which could also reduce the number of ineligible claims.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Expanded batching criteria to streamline IDR disputes"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Expanded batching criteria to streamline IDR disputes</h2> <p>Batching has also been a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/answer/Lessons-from-the-NSAs-Independent-Dispute-Resolution-IDR-Process">major sticking point within the IDR process</a>. Payers and providers have complained that strict rules have forced patient encounters into multiple arbitrations, adding to the backlog and driving up administrative costs.</p> <p>The Texas Medical Association sued the federal government in 2023 over the restrictive batching rules and a 600% increase in an administrative fee implemented earlier that year. <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/texas-decision-no-surprises-idr-lawsuit-fee-batching/690032/">TMA won the case</a>, with a judge vacating the "same service code" batching restriction.</p> <p>The final rule officially expands batching criteria for payers and providers. It will allow qualified IDR items and services to be batched under three circumstances, as follows:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>If they are furnished to the same patient in a single day or consecutive days and billed on the same claim form.</li> <li>If they are furnished to one or more patients and are billed under the same service code or a comparable code across coding sets.</li> <li>Anesthesiology, radiology, pathology, and laboratory items and services furnished to one or more patients under service codes belonging to the same Category I CPT code section.</li> </ul> <p>The rule also finalized a limit on batched determinations to 50 qualified IDR items and services per dispute to streamline the process.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="IDR administrative fees drop 85%"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>IDR administrative fees drop 85%</h2> <p>Administrative fees will also fall to $15 per party per dispute from $115, the rule adds. If a party does not pay, the rule also says the IDR entity will not consider their offer and the federal government may collect any unpaid fees.</p> <p>The Trump administration plans to enact the new fee structure as soon as five days after the final rule's publication. Other provisions, including the addition of CARCs and RARCs, will take effect two months after the rule's publication, while new batching requirements will launch within 90 days.</p> <p>The rule's publication date has not been announced yet, but it usually takes several days to two weeks.</p> <p><i>Jacqueline LaPointe is an Executive Editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, covering revenue cycle management, healthcare payers, health policy, and health IT since 2016.</i></p> </section> A new final rule slashes IDR fees to $15, speeds up eligibility checks to 5 days, expands claim batching and boosts transparency to fix No Surprises Act bottlenecks. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/ComputerWeekly/Hero%20Images/healthcare-medical-statistics-stethoscope-adobe.jpeg https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366643599/No-Surprises-Act-IDR-gets-major-overhaul-from-CMS Thu, 28 May 2026 12:34:00 GMT <p>The United States continues to underperform against its peers in nearly every public health measure, lagging behind in health insurance coverage, clinical outcomes and healthcare access, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.</p> <p>The "<a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2026/may/us-health-care-global-perspective-2026">U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2026</a>" report uses data about health spending, outcomes, status and utilization from the 12 other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations.</p> <p>The findings aren't exactly revelatory. The U.S. still spends significantly more than OECD nations only to see poorer outcomes, a trend the Commonwealth Fund credited to the nation's lack of universal healthcare coverage.</p> <p>"We spend more than any other nation on health care, so our poorer health outcomes aren't due to a lack of resources -- it is about how we choose to use them," Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., Commonwealth Fund president, said in a <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2026-05/Gunja_us_health_care_global_perspective_2026_PR.pdf">press release</a>. "We know what high-performing health systems look like -- other countries have them and are building them. It's high time the U.S. did better."</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="America is behind on health insurance coverage"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>America is behind on health insurance coverage</h2> <p>It is no secret that the U.S. has a complex health insurance landscape, standing out from its peers for lacking a universal health insurance system. Indeed, the U.S. is only joined by Mexico in lacking universal healthcare, with around a fifth of residents remaining uninsured.</p> <p>Still, Mexico is slated to close that gap. The nation does have a system set up intended for universal health coverage. According to the Commonwealth Fund, Mexico is reforming its system to close that gap and ensure free public health insurance for all residents by 2027.</p> <p>In the U.S., around 8% of adults, or 27 million people, don't have insurance. That rate is higher among Hispanic, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. Notably, the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/healthcarepayers/news/366629225/Breaking-down-uninsured-numbers-under-Trumps-spending-law">U.S. uninsured rate is expected to climb under new health policies</a>.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="U.S. underperforms on key health outcomes measures"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>U.S. underperforms on key health outcomes measures</h2> <p>U.S. life expectancy at birth is three years lower than that of other developed nations, at 79 years of age. The highest life expectancy is 84.3 years in Switzerland, and the OECD average is 81.2 years.</p> <p>Again, there are serious disparities at play in the U.S. as Black (74 years) and AI/AN people (70.1 years) have lower life expectancy than non-Hispanic White (78.4 years) and Hispanic people (81.3 years).</p> <p>Avoidable mortality, too, is higher in the U.S. than in its peer nations. This is a key clinical performance indicator, as excess avoidable deaths can indicate lapses in public and population health. In the U.S., the avoidable mortality rate is 312 per 100,000 people. The only country with a higher avoidable death rate is Mexico at 418 per 100,000 people.</p> <p>Relatedly, the U.S. has above-average years of potential life lost (YPLL), a public health measure that estimates the average number of years a person would've likely lived had they not prematurely died up until age 75.</p> <p>Having a higher YPLL number means there are more avoidable deaths among younger people. In the U.S., YPLL is 7,384 per 100,000 people, the second highest among OECD nations (Mexico is 9,209). The OECD average YPLL is 4,762 per 100,000 people.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="U.S. a 'global outlier' for healthcare affordability"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>U.S. a 'global outlier' for healthcare affordability</h2> <p>The U.S. performs markedly worse than its peer nations in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366600279/27-of-Adults-Face-At-Least-One-Healthcare-Affordability-Challenge">healthcare affordability</a>, with the Commonwealth Fund calling it a "global outlier."</p> <p>The U.S. spent 18% of its GDP on health between 1990 and 2024. The next highest spender was Germany, at 12.3%.</p> <p>Moreover, the U.S. spends far more per person on healthcare than any other developed nation. The cost of care per person in the U.S. is $12,649. The next highest spender was Switzerland at $7,927. Notably, Switzerland had higher out-of-pocket spending per individual than the U.S., with Swiss individuals spending $2,459 of their own money on healthcare, compared to $2,110 in the U.S.</p> <p>These high costs come with consequences, as <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366636686/1-in-4-patients-delay-care-cite-healthcare-affordability-issues">Americans are significantly more likely to skip care because of cost</a>. Around a quarter (23.1%) of Americans skip care because of high costs. In Canada, that figure was 11.3%. In every other OECD nation, fewer than 1 in 10 patients skip care due to cost.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="U.S. doctor shortage limits healthcare delivery and access"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>U.S. doctor shortage limits healthcare delivery and access</h2> <p>The report showed that the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/revcyclemanagement/news/366601806/AAMC-Predicts-Physician-Shortage-to-Hit-Between-54K-to-139K-by-2033">U.S. has a doctor shortage problem</a>, with the nation graduating fewer physicians than its peers.</p> <p>In the U.S., there are 8.6 physician graduates per 100,000 people, likely due to the exorbitant medical school tuition in the country. The OECD average is 14.5 physician graduates per 100,000 people. Only Japan, Korea, Canada and Israel produce fewer physicians.</p> <p>Still, the U.S. is lagging in primary care providers, which is arguably a dire situation considering that all individuals are recommended to have a primary care clinician or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/What-does-usual-source-of-care-mean-in-healthcare">usual source of care</a>.</p> <p>In the U.S., there are only 0.3 primary care providers per 1,000 people, compared to the OECD average of 1.1 per 1,000 people. This leads to serious supply and demand issues in the U.S., resulting in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366624919/Average-patient-appointment-wait-time-is-31-days-in-2025">extremely long wait times</a> and many <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366584607/Fewer-Patients-Have-Usual-Source-of-Care-Primary-Care-Provider">going without a usual source of care</a>.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The U.S. performs well in patient experience"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The U.S. performs well in patient experience</h2> <p>The good news is that American patients report positive healthcare experiences. For example, 83.5% of patients said their doctor spends enough time with them, 92.1% say it's easy to understand their doctor's advice and 89.1% are regularly <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/feature/Enhancing-Patient-Engagement-through-Shared-Decision-Making">involved in clinical decision-making</a>.</p> <p>Importantly, these positive patient-provider relationships are evident in other OECD nations, too. However, it is still a positive finding that American patients are satisfied with the care that can so often be hard to access.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="U.S. policy limits advances in health outcomes"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>U.S. policy limits advances in health outcomes</h2> <p>Relatively poor health outcomes in the U.S. are likely the result of underinvestment in universal healthcare coverage -- the U.S. is one of two countries not to provide this -- and primary care, the Commonwealth Fund said.</p> <p>To improve across metrics, investment in primary care, retention of a more robust medical workforce and leveraging advanced technology will be critical.</p> <p>However, the Commonwealth Fund acknowledged that progress will likely be slow, as <a href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/enhanced-aca-subsidies-expire-congress/808418/">changes to the Affordable Care Act</a> and Medicaid eligibility will likely prevent more people from accessing comprehensive health insurance coverage, perpetuating longstanding cost and outcome trends, the Commonwealth Fund indicated.</p> <p>"Americans pay more for health care and get less in return," Reginald D. Williams II, the Commonwealth Fund's senior vice president and leader of the International program, said in the press release.</p> <p>"That's not inevitable," Williams added. "It's the result of different choices. Other countries have shown that alternatives work. What's striking isn't the absence of solutions; it's our reluctance to implement them. The failure of the U.S. health system is not a failure of ideas. It's a failure of will to act on them."</p> <p><em>Sara Heath is an executive editor at Xtelligent Healthcare Media, where she covers patient engagement, healthcare policy and health IT.</em></p> </section> The Commonwealth Fund report indicated that the U.S.'s lack of universal health insurance limits healthcare access and overall outcomes compared to peer nations. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/collab_g1213710695.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/patientengagement/news/366643698/Does-no-universal-healthcare-drive-USs-poor-health-performance Thu, 28 May 2026 12:29:00 GMT 60 webmaster@techtarget.com