Atlanta’s health innovation community is having a moment.
Last night at Krog Street Market felt like proof. A full room (bar section? patio?), great conversations conversations, people staying longer than planned.
Earlier this week, I asked a friend what stood out from his first Bonne Fire event. He said something simple: in healthcare, the real innovation isn’t just the ideas, it’s the people. The ones who keep showing up. Learning. Building. Finding each other over time.
That’s what this is.
From our first volunteer day to The Spark launching April 1, it all ladders up to the same thing. Get the right people in the room and trust what happens next (this is always the hardest part for me).
If you’ve been part of it, you already know.
Let’s dive in.
ONE BIG THING
Atlanta Health Innovation: Spring Spotlight
Photo Credit to Catherine Sovie
The Atlanta healthcare innovation community is having a moment. Here's your cheat sheet.
Bonne Fire ATL is growing. Last night's happy hour at Krog Street Market drew so many fun, amazing folks from the full health innovation ecosystem, all in the same room, having just really good conversations. We heard from attendees that it felt less like a networking event and more like a community with a pulse. That’s been the goal since day one. Earlier this month we also held our first volunteer event with Open Hand Atlanta — our next volunteer event is in the works! Want to get more involved? Reply to this email.
On April 1st, we launch The Spark: a drink in your hand, a brilliant speaker at the front of the room, and a conversation worth having. Our inaugural speaker is Elizabeth Sprouse, Chief Public Health Informatics Officer at Emory Healthcare, on two decades of health tech and what it means for the patient sitting across from a doctor today. I’m super excited for this event, it’s been so much fun to pull together for y’all. Space is limited, bring your best friend. Get your tickets →
On the calendar
TAG Digital Health | March 24 Healthcare’s One Big Beautiful Opportunity – From Challenges to Value is a half-day event bringing together healthcare executives, payors, clinicians, technologists, and innovators to confront the complexity shaping today’s healthcare landscape. RSVP →
Emory Rollins HPM Policy Forum | April 13 State Policy, Medicaid, and Rural Health. Join national & state policy leaders to discuss evolving Medicaid policy and its impacts on rural health — and what’s at stake for states. Register Here →
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Here’s what we’re reading
Policy in Motion
Georgia is advancing two bills to address its looming provider shortage: a private recovery pathway for nurses with addiction, and a licensing route for internationally trained doctors to practice in underserved areas. With the state projected to be short 23,000 nurses and a third of its doctors within a decade, this is practical triage. (h/t Healthbeat Atlanta)
Twelve Senate Democrats released a private insurance reform framework targeting affordability, prior auth, junk plans, and insurer vertical integration. Not a bill yet, but a clear signal of what Democrats plan to campaign on heading into the midterms.
A federal judge blocked RFK Jr.'s overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule, ruling he bypassed required procedures and stacked the CDC's advisory committee with underqualified members. HHS is appealing, and legal experts think this one has Supreme Court written all over it.
An Oregon judge blocked HHS's December declaration labeling gender-affirming care for minors unsafe, ruling Kennedy tried to impose a national medical standard without following rulemaking requirements. For now, providers in the 21 plaintiff states can't be penalized under it.
Consolidation
Grady announced a $1B+ South Fulton campus including a 200-bed hospital opening in 2031, directly targeting one of Atlanta's fastest-growing care deserts. CEO John Haupert is retiring at year's end; COO Anthony Saul takes over January 1.
If you’re in Atlanta, join us on April 25th at Move for Grady, a citywide run, walk, and ride that raises money for Atlanta’s safety net. Grady serves everyone. This is one small way we show up for them. Join the Bonne Fire ATL team here →
Allina Health signed a Letter of Intent to join California-based Sutter Health, creating a 39-hospital nonprofit with a $2B investment commitment to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Allina keeps its name and Minneapolis HQ.
Market Signals
PwC projects the women's health market hits $600B globally by 2030, up from $430B today. Fertility, oncology, and menopause are driving it, and the report flags that even $600B may be an undercount once digital and AI-enabled models scale. Love to see it.
Turquoise raised $40M to become the operating system for healthcare contracts and payments. The core bet: put payer-provider contracts in one place with auditable rates upfront, and you kill most of the denial and billing chaos downstream.
Verily closed a $300M round, spun out from Alphabet as an independent company, and rebranded as Verily Health.
Google dropped its annual health update, committing $10M to reimagine clinician AI training and announcing Fitbit upgrades that let users connect CGMs and link their medical records to their fitbit personal health coach.
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Fun Reads
Untangle Health built a March Madness bracket for health innovation companies and honestly it's the most fun you'll have thinking about ecosystem power all week. 68 companies, four regions, one champion. Fill out your picks→
Our friend Brendan Keeler aka Health API Guy has a top notch write up on the Epic Litigative Universe. He’s consistently one of my go to’s when getting up to speed on legal battles/policy®/standards/memes.
Nikhil shares a tour of some pretty cool open source healthcare projects — shared data models, data infrastructure, open source EHRs, even 3D-printed prosthetics. Out-of-Pocket is another one of our regular reads around here.
What did you think of this week's Pulse Check?
Closing Thoughts
We’re very lucky to have this community. If you’ve been part of it in any way, thank you.
Grab a ticket to The Spark, and we’ll see you there.
Luv, Nadine