Here's the latest roundup of stories about health IT companies, including Apple, Google and Verizon.
1. The newest update to the smartwatch- and smartphone-compatible Samsung Health app adds a dedicated women's health category that includes a menstrual cycle-tracking calendar.
2. The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs' inspectors general will begin a joint audit this month to assess the agencies' progress achieving interoperability between their Cerner-built EHR systems.
3. Home healthcare company Aveanna Healthcare began notifying an undisclosed number of patients and employees Feb. 18 that their information may have been exposed in a phishing attack.
4. A 2016 contract signed by researchers from Google and the University of California San Francisco, obtained in a public records request filed by Stat, outlines Google's plan to use UCSF patient data to develop artificial intelligence to predict outcomes.
5. Artificial intelligence software developed by Nuance and Microsoft to listen to patient-physician conversations and automatically compile them into coherent reports is now available to the general market.
6. Allscripts on Feb. 25 announced the release of a new version of its web-based TouchWorks EHR for large ambulatory practices.
7. Apple and Johnson & Johnson opened enrollment on Feb. 25 for their joint "Heartline Study," in which they will test whether the iPhone and Apple Watch can speed detection of atrial fibrillation in users aged 65 and older.
8. Since taking over as Google Cloud's chief, Thomas Kurian has had to make tough decisions and shake up the company in order to compete with Amazon and Microsoft.
9. John Dragovits, who has held leadership roles at Cerner, Allscripts, Children's Health and Parkland Health & Hospital System throughout his career, is now senior vice president of strategic partnerships for devicemaker EarlySense.
10. Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare is teaming up with Verizon to explore 5G-powered health technology including connected ambulances, next-generation medical imaging and remote physical therapy.
11. Amazon has issued notices to its third-party sellers explaining that it will remove listings for products that claim to treat or cure coronavirus.
12. Hospital software provider NRC Health is notifying its affiliated hospitals that it was targeted in a ransomware attack Feb. 11.
13. Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health will transition from its Cerner EHR to an Epic system.
14. 3M filed a notice on Feb. 18 to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit alleging that IBM Watson Health had used 3M's healthcare software "in unauthorized ways."