Artificial intelligence-focused health care companies raised nearly $1 billion in funding in the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report from data analytics firm CB Insights, reflecting a growing trend in health tech: As much of the world braces for a probable pandemic-era recession, some health startups are nailing crucial, if eleventh-hour, funding. But it was a welcome uptick from the final quarter of last year, when funding dipped for the first time all year. Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT Plus and enjoy your first 30 days free! STAT Plus is STAT's premium subscription service for in-depth biotech, pharma, policy, and life science coverage and analysis. Our award-winning team covers news on Wall Street, policy developments in Washington, early science breakthroughs and clinical trial results, and health care disruption in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Melissa Mulholland had no idea the baby she was carrying might not survive. If she hadn't gone to a high-risk clinic for an ultrasound, and if that ultrasound hadn't been reviewed by a doctor with expertise in a certain area of fetal care, the outcome could have been much different. Her ultrasound showed a fetal abnormality called posterior urethral valves (PUV), a congenital problem that is sometimes missed in reviews of ultrasounds unless doctors are trained to look for it, which they generally are not. PUV, which affects 1 in 8,000 males, means that extra tissue obstructs the baby's bladder, causing a reverse flow of urine that can damage other organs, and can be fatal. At 16 weeks, Mulholland, director of business strategy for One Commercial Partner (OCP), which helps enable Microsoft partners' success around the world, underwent a risky procedure.

Now that it's upending the way you play music, cook, shop, hear the news and check the weather, the friendly voice emanating from your Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker is poised to wriggle its way into all things health care. Amazon has big ambitions for its devices. It thinks Alexa, the virtual assistant inside them, could help doctors diagnose mental illness, autism, concussions and Parkinson's disease. It even hopes Alexa will detect when you're having a heart attack. At present, Alexa can perform a handful of health care-related tasks: "She" can track blood glucose levels, describe symptoms, access post-surgical care instructions, monitor home prescription deliveries and make same-day appointments at the nearest urgent care center. Amazon has partnered with numerous health care companies, including several in California, to let consumers and employees use Alexa for health care purposes.