Grand Rounds strikes another deal

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and today in healthcare news:

• Grand Rounds and Doctor on Demand are buying startup Included Health;
• Akili just raised $160 million – but it still hasn't won over insurers for its video-game digital therapeutic;
• All the ways home care agencies are trying to recruit more workers.

If you're new to this newsletter, sign up here. Comments, tips? Email me at [email protected] or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Let's get to it…

Grand Rounds and Doctor On Demand are acquiring a little-known startup that's taking a new approach to LGBTQ-friendly healthcare

• Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand are acquiring Included Health, the companies told Insider.
• Included helps LGBTQ+ people navigate the healthcare system and avoid discrimination.
• The deal is part of an M&A frenzy in digital health, and shows companies are committed to diversity and inclusion.

Read the exclusive here>>

Investors just poured $160 million into prescription video-game startup Akili. But it's still figuring out how to get insurers on board.

• Akili is the first company to launch a video game that can be prescribed by doctors.
• The startup raised $110 million from investors and $50 million in credit from Silicon Valley Bank.
• It plans to use the money on its first rollout, which has been slow due to wary insurance companies.

Get the full scoop here>>

From guaranteeing full-time work to giving out gas cards, the shorthanded home-care industry is pulling out all the stops to hire more caregivers

• 2021's tighter labor market has hit the home-care industry particularly hard.
• In response, its employers are using hiring tactics like sign-on bonuses to get workers on board.
• Long-term retention relies on new caregivers understanding the significance of their work.

Here are all the ways home care companies are working to win over workers>>

More stories we're reading:

• Teens in Moderna's vaccine trial share their experiences and mild side effects as data show the shot is effective in younger people (Insider)
• Weight loss startup Noom just raised $540 million as it expands into areas likes sleep and stress management (Bloomberg)
• Breakthrough coronavirus cases after vaccines are very rare and mostly due to variants, a new CDC report found (Insider)
• What it's like growing up after receiving a cutting-edge gene therapy (Stat News)

- Lydia