Microsoft unveils new voice-activated AI assistant for doctors

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2025

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Microsoft is giving its health-care artificial intelligence tools a makeover.

The company on Monday unveiled a new voice-activated AI assistant that combines capabilities from its dictation solution, Dragon Medical One, and ambient listening solution, DAX Copilot, into one tool.

“Dragon Copilot” will be able to help doctors quickly pull information from medical sources and automatically draft clinical notes, referral letters, post-visit summaries and more, according to the company. It’s Microsoft’s latest effort to help health-care workers cut down their daunting clerical workloads, which are a major source of burnout in the industry.

Clinicians spend nearly 28 hours a week on administrative tasks like documentation, for instance, according to an October study from Google Cloud.

“Through this technology, clinicians will have the ability to focus on the patient rather than the computer, and this is going to lead to better outcomes and ultimately better health care for all,” Dr. David Rhew, global chief medical officer at Microsoft, said Thursday in a briefing with reporters.

Microsoft acquired Nuance Communications, the company behind Dragon Medical One and DAX Copilot, for about $16 billion in 2021. As a result, Microsoft has become a major player in the fiercely competitive AI scribing market, which has exploded in popularity as health systems have been looking for tools to help address burnout.

AI scribes like DAX Copilot allow doctors to draft clinical notes in real time as they consensually record their visits with patients. DAX Copilot has been used in more than 3 million patient visits across 600 health-care organizations in the last month, Microsoft said.

Other companies like Abridge, which has raised more than $460 million according to PitchBook, and Suki, which has raised nearly $170 million, have developed similar scribing tools. Microsoft’s updated interface could help it stand out from its competitors.

Dragon Copilot is accessible through a mobile app, browser or desktop, and it integrates directly with several different electronic health records, the company said.

Clinicians will still be able to draft clinical notes with the assistant like they could with DAX Copilot, but they’ll be able to use natural language to edit their documentation and prompt it further, Kenn Harper, general manager of Dragon products at Microsoft, told reporters on the call.

For instance, a doctor could ask questions like, “Was the patient experiencing ear pain?” or “Can you add the ICD-10 codes to the assessment and plan?” Physicians can also ask broader treatment-related queries such as, “Should this patient be screened for lung cancer?” and get an answer with links to resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WellSpan Health, which treats patients across 250 locations and nine hospitals throughout central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland, has been testing out Dragon Copilot with a group of clinicians in recent months.

One of those clinicians is Dr. David Gasperack, chief medical officer of primary care services at WellSpan. It’s still early days, but Gasperack told CNBC the assistant is easy to use and has been more accurate than Microsoft’s existing offerings.

“We’ve been asked more and more over time to do more administrative tasks that pull us away from the patient relationship and medical decision making,” Gasperack said. “This allows us to get back to that so we can focus on the patient, truly think about what’s needed.”

Microsoft declined to share the cost of Dragon Copilot but said the pricing structure is “competitive.” It will be easy for existing customers to upgrade to the new offering, the company added.

Dragon Copilot will be generally available in the U.S. and Canada starting in May, Microsoft said. The roll out will expand to the U.K., the Netherlands, France and Germany in the months following.

“Our goal remains to restore the joy of practicing medicine for clinicians and provide a better experience for patients globally,” Rhew said.

Watch: What it’s like to have a doctor visit with AI

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Amazon adds pet prescriptions to its online pharmacy

Published

12 hours ago

May 8, 2025

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Amazon adds pet prescriptions to its online pharmacy

Close-up of a hand holding a cellphone displaying the Amazon Pharmacy system, Lafayette, California, September 15, 2021.

Smith Collection | Gado | Getty Images

Amazon is expanding its online pharmacy to fill prescription pet medications, the company announced Thursday.

The company said it has added “hundreds of commonly prescribed pet medications” to its U.S. site, ranging from flea and tick solutions to treatments for chronic conditions.

Prescriptions are purchased via Amazon’s storefront and must be approved by a veterinarian. Online pet pharmacy Vetsource will oversee the dispensing and delivery of medications, said Amazon, adding that items are typically delivered within two to six days.

Amazon launched its digital drugstore in 2020 with the added perk of discounts and free delivery for Prime members. The company has been working to speed up prescription shipments over the past year, bringing same-day delivery to a handful of U.S. cities. Last October, Amazon set a goal to make speedy medicine delivery available in nearly half of the U.S. in 2025.

The new pet medication offerings puts Amazon into more direct competition with online pet pharmacy Chewy, as well as Walmart, which offers pet prescription delivery.

Amazon Pharmacy is part of the company’s growing stable of healthcare offerings, which also includes One Medical, the primary care provider it acquired for roughly $3.9 billion in July 2022. Amazon’s online pharmacy was born out of the company’s 2018 acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack.

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Coinbase acquires crypto derivatives exchange Deribit for $2.9 billion

Published

13 hours ago

May 8, 2025

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Coinbase acquires crypto derivatives exchange Deribit for .9 billion

The Coinbase logo is displayed on a smartphone with stock market percentages on the background.

Omar Marques | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Coinbase agreed to acquire Dubai-based Deribit, a major crypto derivatives exchange, for $2.9 billion, the largest deal in the crypto industry to date.

The company said Thursday that the cost comprises $700 million in cash and 11 million shares of Coinbase class A common stock. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.

Shares of Coinbase rose nearly 6%.

The acquisition positions Coinbase as an international leader in crypto derivatives by open interest and options volume, Greg Tusar, vice president of institutional product, said in a blog post – which could allow it take on big players like Binance. Coinbase operates the largest marketplace for buying and selling cryptocurrencies within the U.S., but has a smaller share of the global crypto market, where activity largely takes place on Binance.

Deribit facilitated more than $1 trillion in trading volume last year and has about $30 billion of current open interest on the platform.

“We’re excited to join forces with Coinbase to power a new era in global crypto derivatives,” Deribit CEO Luuk Strijers said in a statement. “As the leading crypto options platform, we’ve built a strong, profitable business, and this acquisition will accelerate the foundation we laid while providing traders with even more opportunities across spot, futures, perpetuals, and options – all under one trusted brand. Together with Coinbase, we’re set to shape the future of the global crypto derivatives market.”

Tusar also noted that Deribit has a “consistent track record” of generating positive adjusted EBITDA the company believes will grow as a combined entity.

“One of the things we liked most about this deal is that it’s not just a game changer for our international expansion plans — it immediately diversifies our revenue and enhances profitability,” Tusar told CNBC.

The deal comes at a time when the crypto industry is riding regulatory tailwinds from the first ever pro-crypto White House. Support of the industry has fueled crypto M&A activity in recent weeks. In March, crypto exchange Kraken agreed to acquire NinjaTrader for $1.5 billion, and last month Ripple agreed to buy prime broker Hidden Road.

Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC Pro:

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Whoop launches two new wearables with 14-day battery life

Published

14 hours ago

May 8, 2025

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Whoop launches two new wearables with 14-day battery life

Whoop member wears the new device.

Courtesy of Whoop

Whoop on Thursday announced two new wearable devices, Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG, which feature sleeker hardware, a longer battery life and additional in-app health insights.

Both of the company’s new devices are designed for 24/7 wear.

The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG support 14 days of battery life, which is around triple the four-to-five-day range offered by Whoop 4.0. The new hardware is also 7% smaller than the previous device, with a processor that’s 60% faster, the company said.

“We’ve taken everything we’ve learned over the past decade and built a platform to help our members perform and live at their peak for longer,” Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed said in a release.

The launch marks Whoop’s first major hardware update since 2021, when the company released Whoop 4.0. Whoop said its new devices will help users understand how their daily decisions impact their performance and health outcomes over time, according to a release.

Cost and tiers

There are three annual membership tiers: Whoop One, which costs $199 and includes the Whoop 5.0; Whoop Peak, which costs $239 and includes the Whoop 5.0; and Whoop Life, which costs $359 and includes the Whoop MG. Accessories like additional bands will come at an extra cost.

Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG memberships and accessories are available for purchase online starting on Thursday.

Whoop’s new membership options.

Whoop

Whoop One members will be able to use their Whoop 5.0 to measure sleep, strain and recovery, as well as the cardiovascular and muscular impact of various workouts. Users can also track their menstrual cycles and pregnancies.

Whoop Peak builds on those core metrics. Members have access to a Health Monitor feature, which provides a quick look at vitals like respiratory rate, heart rate, blood oxygen, and skin temperature. Whoop Peak also supports a real-time stress monitor, where users can see their stress level and complete guided breathing sessions if they’d like to increase relaxation or alertness.

The company also unveiled a feature called Healthspan, which uses nine metrics to calculate adult users’ Whoop Age and Pace of Aging. A user’s Whoop Age compares their physiological age to their actual age, and Pace of Aging assesses how fast or slow someone is aging based on their behavior.

The Healthspan feature is updated every week, and users will get tips about how they can improve their Whoop Age and Pace of Aging in their app. Whoop developed this feature in partnership with the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the company said.

The most comprehensive membership is Whoop Life, which will give users access to additional medical-grade health features with Whoop MG.

Whoop Life members can record an electrocardiogram, or an ECG, to detect irregular heart rhythms like AFib, high heart rate or low heart rate. Once the reading is complete, they can share a PDF of the recording with their doctor.

The ECG feature has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It’s not intended for users under 22 years old, or for users with a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted devices. It will be available in the U.S., the UAE and Qatar at launch, with additional countries coming soon.

Whoop Life members can also get daily insights about their blood pressure, including estimated systolic and diastolic ranges. Users will have to log a traditional cuff-reading to act as a baseline to unlock this feature, and it’s not intended for treatment, diagnosis or medical use.

Whoop said Blood Pressure Insights has been in development for several years, and the feature is currently in beta.

Quick takeaways

Ashley Capoot wearing Whoop MG

Ashley Capoot

I got a sneak peek at the Whoop MG, and I’ve been wearing it for the past few days. I can’t speak to what it’s like to wear the device over an extended period, but my initial experience has been largely positive.

From a hardware standpoint, the Whoop MG looks and feels sleeker than the Whoop 4.0, which I tested out in April. The actual sensor is roughly an inch wide, and the band is slightly thinner than that. I’ve found that both the Whoop MG and the Whoop 4.0 are a little hard to take off — you really have to tug on the latch.

The Whoop MG’s setup is very straightforward, and I was up and running on the app in a matter of minutes. With all the new features, there’s a lot of additional data to make sense of, so the app seemed pretty busy to me at first. I felt like I had a better handle on it after a few hours, though, and I haven’t felt pressure to constantly monitor it.

Of the new features, I thought Healthspan was particularly interesting. As a relatively healthy 24-year-old, I noticed I still felt relieved to be “younger” than my age. I’d be curious to see how that feature would change based on my behaviors from week to week.

I also liked the Whoop MG’s detailed sleep tracking and the real-time stress monitor, as stress is something I’ve personally been trying to be more mindful of. I’ve learned that my stress levels really skyrocket while I’m taking public transport, for instance, and adjust accordingly.

After about a dozen tries, I wasn’t able to log a successful ECG reading. I kept getting errors, even after switching wrists and the positioning of my arms. That’s been disappointing, as I’m interested to see my results. The Blood Pressure Insights are neat, and assuming other users can successfully record ECG readings, it’s easy to see the potential benefit. That said, I don’t think I need those features in my daily life yet, so the Whoop Life membership probably wouldn’t be the right pick for me.

I’m not totally sold on the Whoop MG’s aesthetics. I have small hands and wrists, so I always feel like smart devices tend to look clunky on me.

I definitely felt like the Whoop 4.0 was too big for me, but the Whoop MG doesn’t bother me quite as much. That’s just my personal taste, and there are lots of Whoop accessories you can buy to spiff up the device for different occasions.

After just a few days, there’s a lot I can still learn from the Whoop MG, but I feel like I’d personally reach for the Whoop 5.0. The range of membership options helps ensure that users don’t have to break the bank, so I’d feel comfortable recommending Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG to my friends and family. And for existing Whoop customers who are thinking about an upgrade, the extended battery life alone is worth considering.