Global venture capital funding for digital health companies hit a record high in the first three months of 2020, according to a report from Mercom Capital Group.

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

'Ohana Health Plan, part of Centene Corp., is teaming up with Samsung to supply five Hawaii-based healthcare providers with 150 free smartphones so patients can participate in telehealth services.

Renton, Wash.-based Providence combined nine of its health technology investments into one comprehensive digital health portfolio called Tegria, the health system announced Oct. 12.

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic launched a new platform to increase remote diagnostic access for commonly transmitted diseases, the health system announced Oct. 12.

Twilio, a communications software company, is making a multibillion-dollar purchase to boost its consumer engagement platform capabilities.

Innovation must be a collaborative, boundary-pushing process supported by a team that is diverse in every sense of the word, according to Megan Ranney, MD, director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health, a partnership between Providence, R.I.-based Lifespan and Brown University. 

Boston Children's Hospital sold artificial intelligence technology developed at the hospital to building technologies provider Lumenix.

Todd Dunn, vice president of innovation at Atrium Health in Charlotte, N.C., joined the Becker's Healthcare Podcast to discuss his role as an innovation leader and best advice for up-and-coming executives. Mr. Dunn joined Atrium in February after spending more than seven years as an innovation leader at Salt Lake City, Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare.

Ahead of her new role as chief digital officer at Hoag Hospital, Kathy Azeez-Narain spent her career serving in various digital roles in the financial services industry.

The National Institutes of Health awarded $2.9 million to University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center and Rochester Institute of Technology to test their jointly developed artificial intelligence-powered toilet seat that measures heart failure patients' vitals.

Salt Lake City, Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare announced two digital health partnerships in the past 48 hours.

Abridge, an artificial intelligence tool that records patient and clinician conversations and generates a post-visit summary for the patient, launched its new app Oct. 6 after finalizing $15 million in funding. 

LinkedIn recently posted its annual list of the top 50 startups to know, and 10 digital health-related companies made the list.

2020 has become the largest funding year in history for digital health, with 24 deals worth more than $100 million apiece recorded, according to a recent Rock Health report.

Cleveland Clinic unveiled its list of the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2021 during its virtual Medical Innovation Summit Oct. 6.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente partnered with Best Buy Health to develop remote monitoring tools for older adults.

Hospitals and health systems across the U.S. are pushing digital transformation efforts forward by creating new tools and launching innovative programs. 

In terms of digital transformation, the U.S. healthcare system lags other industry sectors. While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated adoption of digital solutions in healthcare, hospitals and health systems will need to embrace much more innovation to stay competitive with nontraditional providers entering the healthcare space.

Boston-based Mass General Brigham had big plans for healthcare innovation in 2020.