While digital transformation has accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, key factors to keep the momentum going are trust, a focus on the patient experience and ensuring safety and efficiency, according to Anita Gupta, DO, PharmD. 

Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and its digital health innovation center recently expanded their collaboration with Fern Health, a virtual musculoskeletal pain management program.

Google's parent company Alphabet revealed details about a new project that aims to tackle mental health challenges.

Microsoft has launched Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, an offering that provides healthcare organizations with digital tools for improved interoperability and data analysis.

Many healthcare professionals said they think the rapid acceleration of digital health technologies that the industry experienced in 2020 will continue to grow in the next year.

Towson, Md.-based Greater Baltimore Medical Center is implementing a new digital front door mobile platform that allows patients to access indoor wayfinding capabilities, view their medical records in Epic MyChart and manage prescriptions all in one app.

Rome (N.Y.) Memorial Hospital's cardiology department plans to roll out a Bluetooth stethoscope that allows physicians to monitor patients' heartbeat without being physically in the room, according to an Oct. 28 WTSM report.

The U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command awarded Fitbit $2.5 million to develop wearable tech capabilities that can detect COVID-19 before symptoms start and test the devices with Northwell Health, according to an Oct. 29 news release.

Baylor Scott & White Texas Spine and Joint Hospital in Tyler partnered with HitCheck, a cognitive assessment app, to bring mobile concussion tests to the sidelines for student athletes across the state, the hospital announced Oct. 28.

Intuitive, a company focused on robotic-assisted surgical technology, launched a venture capital fund Oct. 27 to invest in digital health companies.

Portland, Ore.-based insurer Moda Health will provide Fitbit devices to more than 64,000 members as part of its new digital health offerings, according to an Oct. 26 news release. 

Maneesh Goyal has been promoted to COO of Mayo Clinic Platform, responsible for its strategic and operating plans.

Here are nine recent health IT vendor contracts and go-lives accelerating digital transformation efforts at healthcare organizations.

Tony Ambrozie brings a unique, customer-focused perspective to his new role as senior vice president and chief digital officer at Baptist Health South Florida.

Here are 11 recent partnerships between healthcare organizations and big tech companies including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. 

Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network inked a multimillion-dollar deal to install new ultrasound technology and IT workflow software.

Chris Stenzel, vice president of national business development and innovation at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, played an integral role in the health system's partnership with Best Buy Health to develop remote patient-monitoring tools for older adults. He describes how the partnership came about in a recent episode of the Becker's Healthcare podcast.

West Lafayette, Ind.-based Purdue University researchers have applied architectural features from spider webs to create 3D photo detectors for biomedical imaging, according to an Oct. 21 news release.

From their thoughts on how to respond to digital disruption in the healthcare industry to what makes a successful hospital innovation team, here are 11 key quotes about the role of innovation in healthcare that executives from hospitals and health systems across the country shared with Becker's Hospital Review in the past 30 days:

Mullica Hill, N.J.-based Inspira Health said it has implemented a cloud-based platform that streamlines patient data-sharing from first responders to physicians before the ambulance arrives at the emergency department.