AI Healthcare Startups | Walmart Enters Medicare Advantage | Nobel Prize For Black Holes

Plus: Real Men Don’t Sleep—Research Finds This Masculine Stereotype Hurts Men

All eyes are on the White House right now thanks to President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, but it’s also important to look beyond the news cycle and into the future. (Though if you want the latest on the Covid-19 outbreak, subscribe to our daily newsletter.) When it comes to thinking about the future, one of the biggest fears with artificial intelligence is that the technology might be used to replace humans. This week we’ve got three startups that are building platforms to help—not replace—human healthcare workers. Mountain View, California-based Qventus is using AI to help hospitals navigate the operational troubles of the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, including identifying bottlenecks and recommending remedies. 

Pittsburgh-based Abridge, which launched on Tuesday, has raised $15 million to combine a consumer app with AI to securely transcribe doctor appointments and help patients decode medical jargon and identify next steps. Palo-Alto-based Cognoa has developed a tool to help pediatricians diagnose autism using AI and smartphone video. Forbes contributor Graison Dangor reports Cognoa’s CEO expects the device, which is pending FDA approval, could hit the market in the second half of 2021. 

Any questions? Send me an email at kjennings@forbes.com.

Retail giant Walmart is getting into the Medicare Advantage game through a new insurance brokerage, right as the country’s largest insurers are jockeying for position in the lucrative market ahead of the annual open enrollment period, which begins on October 15. Walmart Insurance Services will be working with several existing national and regional health insurance carriers, including Humana, UnitedHealthcare and Centene. Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealth, and Humana, have all announced plans to expand Medicare Advantage offerings into hundreds more counties this year.

Noteworthy

San Francisco-based Scribe Therapeutics announced a collaboration with Biogen to develop CRISPR-based genetic medicines for neurological diseases, including ALS.

Virologist Michael Houghton was one of three people to receive the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. 

A medical case study examines how a Covid-19 nasal swab test led to a cerebrospinal fluid leak. 

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn reassured the public that scientists will make decisions on whether a Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective for Americans.

Direct-to-consumer dentistry startup Tend raised $37 million to make going to the dentist “fun.” 

Dr. William Haseltine explains the different medications President Trump is taking to treat Covid-19. 

Across Forbes

• Survivors And Thrivers: 25 Small Business Standouts

• Facebook And Twitter Sanction Trump Posts Comparing Covid-19 To Flu

• This Company’s Cooling Chip Became An Essential Tool During The Coronavirus Pandemic

• Scientists Who Made Landmark Discoveries About Black Holes Win Nobel Prize In Physics

What Else We Are Reading

• Moderna vaccine trial contractors fail to enroll enough minorities, prompting slowdown (Reuters)

• U.S. Surgeon General faces coronavirus citation for being in a Hawaii park (Axios)

• Dying Young: The Health Care Workers in Their 20s Killed by COVID-19 (Kaiser Health News)

Across Forbes