“A digital Ellis Island.” That’s what Amir Hemmat, co-founder and CEO of Welcome Tech, set out to build when he made the company in 2010.

Hemmat, a son of immigrant parents, said he saw a community of people who were trying to participate fully in society, but were left behind by service providers that were “really horrible” at reaching them.

“[Immigrants have] never really had a formal onboarding integration support platform,” Hemmat told Healthcare Brew. “The government’s very focused on security and citizenship, but nobody’s really providing a platform with the everyday services that our immigrant communities need.”

That’s why Hemmat said he started Welcome Tech, which offers healthcare, financial, and educational services and resources to immigrants via an online hub called SaberEsPoder. Welcome Tech has framed its offerings as a discount program because immigrants often experience issues finding health insurance and encounter language barriers while receiving care.

The program brings together a “historically fragmented consumer segment” to have more leverage and buying power by offering its millions of members access, he added.

Keep reading here.—CM

Wanna revive your role in healthcare? Indeed’s got just the webinar to help you reach a whole new level in your healthcare career.

Join Indeed’s Job Search Academy on Aug. 14 at 12pm ET/11am CT. This live webinar includes a panel of experts who will share strategies for finding more fulfillment in your day-to-day work as well as advice for exploring new healthcare career paths within your skill set.

You’ll hear from these experts:

• Dr. Farah Laurent, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Nurse Career Coach
• Jonathan Smith, PA-C, Cardiology PA
• Dr. Travis Moore, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, The Indeed Nurse

Register here.

Northwell Health is heading to Hollywood.

New York’s largest health system is opening a film studio to produce both scripted and unscripted promotional content in partnership with production company CreativeChaos, Ramon Soto, Northwell SVP and chief marketing and communications officer, said in an announcement on July 24.

Soto told Healthcare Brew that, through Northwell Studios, the health system hopes to differentiate itself in the “hyper-competitive” New York healthcare market.

“Some of our competitors first had their hospital charters signed in the 1750s by King George. [They’re] long, storied institutions, academic medical centers, and Ivy League associations,” Soto said. “We’re about a 30-year-old brand, so we wanted to look at really different ways to engage with consumers and take the healthcare journey with them. We were enamored with entertainment and how entertainment engages with consumers.”

Michael Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO, said in the statement that the films created under Northwell Studios will address social issues that affect the communities it serves, such as gun violence and mental health.

Keep reading here.—MA

Microsoft is stepping up its healthcare game using artificial intelligence (AI).

Teaming up with Mass General Brigham and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the tech leader aims to perfect AI models for medical imaging. The partnership, announced on July 24, will focus on researching how AI-powered algorithms and apps help health professionals interpret scans, create reports, classify diseases, and analyze data, according to a Microsoft press release. The goals are to increase the accuracy of medical imaging, reduce patient wait times for imaging results, relieve physician burnout, and supplement staff shortages.

“Together, we are not only advancing medical imaging, but also helping deliver more accessible and better-quality patient care in a very resource-constrained environment,” Peter Durlach, corporate VP of Microsoft’s health and life sciences division, said in the release.

The company said AI models will be built on Microsoft’s Azure AI platform and extend the Nuance suite of radiology applications. Microsoft bought Nuance, an AI healthcare transcription service, in 2021 for $16 billion, making it one of several major investments the tech giant has made in AI and healthcare in recent years.

Keep reading here.—CC

Power up payments. Transform your payment process (+ reduce friction) for your revenue cycle team by giving your tech a boost. In this on-demand webinar from Zelis, you’ll learn how tech can streamline the claims payment process and explore real-life success stories to help guide your strategy. Tune in here.