• Kentucky: Humana has named Santanu Nundy as its new CMO, effective Aug. 31. Most recently, Nundy served as EVP of care delivery and chief health officer at Accolade. Before joining Accolade, he advised FDA on AI, was a senior health specialist at the World Bank, directed the nonprofit Human Diagnosis Project, and managed clinical innovation at Evolent Health. Nundy replaces Kate Goodrich, who served as Humana's CMO from 2022 to 2025, before leaving for a role in UnitedHealth Group's* health services division. As Humana's new CMO, Nundy will help design the company's products, platforms, and use of AI with a clinical eye. According to Humana CEO Jim Rechtin, Nundy's "experience at the intersection of clinical outcomes, technology, and the consumer experience" will add value to the company. (Parduhn, Healthcare Dive, 8/20)
• Massachusetts: Amwell has extended its contract with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to help support virtual care. The company, along with the technology firm Leidos, first won a $180 million contract with DHA in 2023 and recently deployed a new platform for virtual care visits across the Department of Defense (DOD). Since the platform was implemented, virtual visits have almost tripled compared to the military's legacy system. During a recent earnings call, Amwell CEO Ido Schoenberg reported that the company had extended its contract with DHA for another year. However, the new contract cut out deployments for Amwell's behavioral health and automated care programs "due to budget restrictions being broadly enforced by [DOD]," Schoenberg said. However, he noted that the programs could be added back in a future contract since they were well received and had a positive impact on costs. (Olsen, Healthcare Dive, 8/7)
• Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania has reported two deaths from measles, marking the first deaths from the disease in the United States this year. They are also the first measles deaths in the state in 35 years. The deaths occurred in two unvaccinated individuals from Lancaster County. So far, Pennsylvania has recorded 393 confirmed cases of measles across 28 counties. Because measles was largely eliminated in the Commonwealth for more than three decades, "people are not familiar with this disease and don't fully understand the potential severity of the illness," said Pennsylvania Health Secretary Debra Bogen. "As a physician, I want to make sure that people understand that the MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine is safe and provides the best protection we have against measles." Since early last year, successive measles outbreaks have sickened thousands of people, with new infections leading to sustained outbreaks in multiple states. This year, the United States recorded the highest number of measles cases since 1990 and may no longer have its measles elimination after over a year of sustained transmission. (Roubein/Sun, Washington Post, 8/25)

*Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent.  

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness, and as more cases are reported in the United States, health experts are underscoring the importance of vaccination to protect yourself and others from potential infection.