Medical Devices & Digital Health

Salt Lake City – October 05, 2026 -- Nolla Health has become the first company in the country authorized to let an AI system issue initial prescriptions, starting with acne treatment for adults in Utah through its Nolla Derm app for $4.99 a month.

The approval, granted after months of work with the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence, lets Nolla's AI prescribe acne medication directly to patients 18 and older, bypassing the waitlists and office visits that keep most people from ever seeing a dermatologist.

Nolla targets a gap affecting 100,000 Utah residents

An estimated 100,000 people in Utah live with active acne at any given time, but only 10% ever see a dermatologist, according to the company. The average wait for an appointment in the state is 61 days -- nearly double the national median -- and 11 Utah counties have no dermatologist at all. Visits that do happen can cost up to $300.

Herndon – October 05, 2026 -- Patients who shed significant weight on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic often lose fat from the buttocks and hands faster than anywhere else, leaving too little tissue to harvest for traditional fat grafting. Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi of AMG Plastic Surgery in Herndon, Virginia, is now offering an alternative: alloClae, a donor-derived structural adipose tissue product placed directly into the body without liposuction.

The procedure skips the operating room entirely

Unlike autologous fat grafting, which requires harvesting a patient's own fat through liposuction, alloClae arrives ready for placement. Dr. Ghaznavi injects it in his office under local anesthesia -- no donor site, no general anesthesia. Most patients return to desk work within one to two days.

Eden Prairie, Minn. – October 01, 2026 -- Starkey has launched Omega AI+, a new hearing aid family built around a chip the company says processes sound up to 2.7 times faster than rival devices that advertise deep neural network processing.

A new processor runs four AI systems at once

Omega AI+ is powered by Starkey's G4 Gen AI Neuro Processor, which embeds neural network intelligence directly into the chip's silicon. The device relies on what Starkey calls Quad DNN Architecture, four specialized deep neural networks that work together in real time to handle speech understanding, environmental awareness, sound quality, and listening comfort.

Oakland, Calif. – October 01, 2026 -- Blue Shield of California has unveiled its 2027 Medicare plan lineup, giving eligible residents new coverage choices ahead of the Annual Enrollment Period running Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026.

Plan options span Medicare Advantage to prescription-only coverage

The nonprofit insurer's portfolio includes Medicare Advantage plans, a Dual-Eligible Special Needs plan for those who qualify for both Medicare and Medi-Cal, Medicare Supplement plans, and stand-alone prescription drug plans. Members seeking flexibility can opt for Medicare Supplement plans, which allow access to any doctor nationwide who accepts Medicare.

Oakland – September 30, 2026 -- BodySpec has opened a new storefront in downtown Oakland offering medical-grade DEXA body scans for under $60, giving East Bay residents a fast way to track muscle mass, visceral fat, and bone density as GLP-1 weight-loss drug use rises.

The 12-minute scan measures body fat, visceral fat, lean muscle mass, and bone density, paired with a digital dashboard and a conversational AI agent that explains results and suggests personalized next steps.

GLP-1 users risk losing muscle along with fat

One in 8 Americans currently uses a GLP-1 medication, and studies show 25 to 40 percent of weight lost on these treatments can be lean muscle rather than fat, according to BodySpec.

Shenzhen – September 20, 2026 -- Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited has unveiled "Ping An GlobalCare," a new service designed to help foreign residents in China overcome language barriers and confusing hospital procedures when seeking medical care. The product, revealed at the Shenzhen Sci-Tech Innovation Exhibition, is now available for trial in Shenzhen.

The AI engine translates medical conversations in real time across 19 languages

Ping An GlobalCare uses an AI-powered translation system that supports two-way speech and text conversion, with specific coverage for professional medical terminology. The tool aims to remove communication gaps between international patients and Chinese physicians during consultations.

Users can log in with mobile numbers from 198 countries and regions, a feature intended to make the service accessible to a broad international user base without requiring a local Chinese phone number.

Baltimore – September 17, 2026 -- Mercy Medical Center has introduced Mako SmartRoboticsTM technology for shoulder replacement surgery, making it among the first providers in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer the robotic-arm assisted procedure.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gregory Gasbarro leads the new program

Gregory V. Gasbarro, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained shoulder specialist at Mercy, is now performing robotic Mako shoulder arthroplasty for patients. He treats patients ages 15 and older through The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Center at Mercy.

The technology builds a 3D surgical plan from a patient's own CT scan

Mako SmartRoboticsTM uses a detailed 3D CT scan of each patient's shoulder to generate a personalized surgical plan. During the operation, the robotic-arm assisted system helps the surgeon execute that plan with added precision while allowing real-time adjustments.

Manassas – September 16, 2026 -- Meant Health has expanded its telehealth platform to connect patients with licensed U.S. clinicians for evaluation and prescription of FDA-approved GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic.

Patients start with an intake questionnaire before any prescription decision

The process begins with a questionnaire covering health history, current medications and treatment goals. A licensed clinician then reviews the submission and decides, case by case, whether a prescription is appropriate.

Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes, not weight loss

Ozempic carries FDA approval for treating type 2 diabetes. When clinicians prescribe it for weight management, that use is off-label and remains entirely at the clinician's discretion.

Berlin – September 11, 2026 -- Diabetes can silently damage the eyes years before patients notice any change in their vision, yet new data show barely half of people with type 2 diabetes get the recommended eye exam. To close that gap, German health insurer mkk - meine krankenkasse now offers its members a free eye screening from Skleo Health at participating opticians and drugstores.

About seven million adults in Germany live with known or undiagnosed diabetes, according to the Robert Koch Institute. One serious complication is diabetic retinopathy, damage to the tiny blood vessels in the retina caused by diabetes duration, high blood sugar, and hypertension. Retinal changes can develop long before someone experiences blurred vision or other symptoms.

PHILADELPHIA -- September 01, 2026 -- David Lozano, a Spanish rider with type 1 diabetes, won the King of the Mountains classification at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on Saturday, claiming the climber's jersey as America's most prestigious one-day race returned after a decade away. Lozano, who races for Team Novo Nordisk, the world's first all-diabetes professional cycling team, led the day's decisive breakaway over the Manayunk Wall and Lemon Hill. Teammate Filippo Ridolfo finished 12th, the team's top overall result on the day.