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Virtual First Care Coalition Releases Health System Maturity Model

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New framework enables health systems self-assess their current state of virtual care in patient care delivery; offers tailored recommendations for improvements 

BOSTON, Aug. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the Virtual First Care (V1C) Coalition by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe), a pre-competitive consortium dedicated to unlocking the true potential of V1C to improve outcomes, enhance patient access, and create the most effective care possible, released the V1C Health System Maturity Model. Accompanied by five real-world case studies, the new framework enables health systems to self-assess their current state and build strategies for leveraging virtual care in patient care delivery, focusing specifically on specialty and chronic care.

V1C provides significant value in navigating healthcare costs at a time when costs are skyrocketing. This is particularly critical when managing chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease, preventing the exacerbation of conditions (e.g., post-surgery care, where remote patient monitoring (RPM) can play a crucial role), and in specialty care, where virtual care technologies are essential due to the shortage of nurses and providers.

“While some healthcare systems have recognized the opportunity to leverage V1C as part of an omnichannel strategy to achieve their strategic goals, the promise remains largely untapped” said Abby Sugg, Associate Director, DiMe. “Our vision for the future is one where V1C is synonymous with efficiency, effectiveness, and exceptional patient outcomes. These new, open-source resources will provide health systems with the necessary tools, support, and expertise to implement strategies to advance this work and improve the patient experience.”

Health systems that have not yet moved toward V1C delivery need the tools and knowledge to self-assess and enhance their virtual care strategies. The V1C Health System Maturity Model enables these health systems to bridge the gap between existing practices and the effective use of virtual care technologies.

“During the pandemic, we saw health systems shift toward hybrid models to offer more virtual care services, and that trend continues to this day,” said Reyann Davis, Director of Value-Based Care at Texas A&M. “This model is an incredible resource for health systems to self-identify problems suitable for V1C solutions and prepare to engage effectively to expand access to high-quality care for patients living in rural areas.”

The new resource is comprised of three components:

The Virtual First Care (V1C) Health System Framework for Maturity: To help health systems, V1C providers, and payors have full visibility into the key domains that define the criteria for different phases of maturity.

The V1C Health System Maturity Model Assessment: To provide health systems with a score indicating their maturity level in V1C and readiness to adopt and implement V1C. They will also receive actionable suggestions to uplevel their V1C strategy, helping them to navigate the complexities of virtual care integration.

The Virtual First Care (V1C) Health System Checklist: Maturity Stages & Growth Opportunities: Providing health systems, V1C providers, and payors with tailored suggestions and actionable steps for progression across maturity levels and helping them unlock the full potential of their organization’s digital health strategy and guide strategic decision-making.

The V1C Coalition is a community dedicated to unlocking the potential of V1C and helping health systems thrive in the era of digital healthcare. We’re excited about the future of V1C and look forward to growing our coalition. Click here to learn more about V1C, join the Coalition, and view our existing open-source resources.

About the V1C Coalition: The Virtual First Care (V1C) Coalition by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) convenes V1C leaders to accelerate effective patient care, where digital interactions are key components of a patient’s journey. Our members collaborate to build the tools, resources, and networks necessary to establish a viable omnichannel healthcare ecosystem — one that’s optimized for the digital era with a shared mission of improving outcomes, enhancing access, and meeting patients where they are with the most effective care possible.

About the Digital Medicine Society: DiMe is a global non-profit and the professional home for digital medicine. We bring together the many, diverse perspectives essential to achieving a vision of better health powered by digital innovation. Join us to advance the safe, effective, and equitable use of digital approaches to redefine healthcare and improve lives.

Media Contact: Carla English, press@dimesociety.org 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virtual-first-care-coalition-releases-health-system-maturity-model-302221668.html

SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)

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LPGA Tour Veteran Ryann O’Toole Wins 2026 Aon Risk Reward Challenge and $1 Million Prize

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After 15 years on the LPGA Tour, O’Toole earns a career-defining achievement through strategic decision-making, capping a standout season as she prepares to welcome her first child

NAPLES, Fla., Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, and the LPGA Tour today announced Ryann O’Toole as the winner of the 2026 Aon Risk Reward Challenge, earning the Aon trophy and $1 million prize.

O’Toole’s victory was built on a season of consistently making the right decisions when risk and opportunity were at its highest. Analysis of her performance on the Aon Risk Reward Challenge holes shows how she converted those moments into competitive advantage, finishing 22-under-par across her counting scores and delivering some of her best golf of the season when it mattered most.

Across 12 Challenge holes, with her two best scores counting on each, O’Toole finished 21-under-par on the par 5s, including four eagles. She hit 21 of 24 greens in regulation, or 87.5%, 22 percentage points higher than her overall season average and recorded 15 one-putts without a single three-putt.

Her performance on the Challenge holes reflected a broader transformation in her game. After ranking 125th on the LPGA Tour in par-5 scoring in 2025, O’Toole climbed to 11th in 2026, the best ranking of her 16-year career. At age 39, she also averaged a career-best 270.6 yards off the tee, combining improved distance with consistent execution to capitalize on opportunity throughout the season.

For O’Toole, those decisions extended beyond the golf course. Having built a commanding lead in the Challenge standings and secured the minimum number of rounds required to qualify, she made the decision to conclude her 2026 LPGA Tour season following the FM Championship as she prepared for the birth of her first child. It meant leaving the final outcome of the Challenge in the hands of the remaining field, confident in the position she had created through her performance across the season.

“Ryann is a veteran who knows exactly when to take a risk and how to deliver on it, and watching her win the 2026 Aon Risk Reward Challenge has been inspiring,” said Craig Kessler, LPGA Commissioner. “A year after going back to Q-Series to earn her card, Ryann finished on top while playing a limited schedule, all while navigating her pregnancy and supporting her brother in his recovery from a severe accident. That’s really special golf.”

“Aon’s philosophy of making better decisions in the face of uncertainty resonates with me more than ever this year,” said O’Toole. “Sometimes the greatest rewards come from continuing to trust yourself, staying committed to what matters most, and embracing the opportunities in front of you, even when the path doesn’t look exactly how you imagined.”

A 15-year veteran of the LPGA Tour, O’Toole has built a career defined by dedication, perseverance and longevity. Her 2026 Aon Risk Reward Challenge victory represents one of the most significant achievements of her professional career, with the $1 million prize nearly doubling her highest single-season on-course earnings.

“Ryann’s performance shows what better decision making looks like: understanding the risk, recognizing the opportunity and having the confidence to act when it matters most,” said Anne Corona, CEO of North America, Aon. “We are proud to celebrate her as the newest Aon Risk Reward Challenge champion, and we wish Ryann and her partner, Gina, all the best as they prepare to welcome their first child.”

O’Toole adds the Aon Risk Reward Challenge title to her list of career accomplishments, joining past champions Carlota Ciganda, Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Angel Yin and Jeeno Thitikul and Jennifer Kupcho.

“For Ryann and Gina, as they get ready to welcome their son, I know this $1 million prize means a lot,” said Kessler. We’re so grateful to Aon for rewarding smart, brave golf and helping shine a light on stories like Ryann’s. Congratulations, Ryann – we can’t wait to see you back out here with your newest fan cheering you on.”

For more information on Aon’s sports partnerships across the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Scuderia Ferrari and Ferrari Hypersail, see here.  

About the Aon Risk Reward Challenge
In the seventh season, the Aon Risk Reward Challenge brings better decision-making to life though elite performance. The Challenge tabulates the two best scores from every participating event a player competes in with players required to compete in a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season to qualify. Players must weigh risk and opportunity, while data and analysis provides insight into the decisions they make and how those decisions translate into performance.

The Challenge runs across 28 regular season tournaments with the Golf Channel as its official broadcast partner. Each week in broadcast, Aon provides insights specific to the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole.  

To view the final Aon Risk Reward Challenge leaderboard on the LPGA Tour and for more information, click here. 

About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that protect and grow their businesses. 

Follow Aon on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram. Stay up-to-date by visiting Aon’s newsroom and sign up for news alerts here. 

About the LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world’s premier women’s professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose Members now represent nearly 40 countries, is the longest-standing professional women’s sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. The LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course. 

Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and download its mobile apps on Apple or Google Play. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram and YouTube. 

About the LPGA Tour  
The LPGA Tour is the world’s leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts 33 annual events across 13 countries for over 200 athletes, awarding total prize funds exceeding $132 million and reaching television audiences in more than 170 countries. 

Contacts:  
LPGA: 
Mallory Kinahan, Communications Coordinator
Mallory.kinahan@lpga.com

Aon:
mediainquiries@aon.com  
Toll-free (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico): +1 833 751 8114  
International: +1 312 381 3024 

SOURCE Aon plc

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Another Vision of Modernization for the Asia-Pacific

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BEIJING, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from China.org.cn on another vision of modernization for the Asia-Pacific.

Every winter, nearly 100,000 migratory birds fly south from Siberia and land in downtown Shenzhen. Year after year, what kind of city keeps drawing them back?

The answer begins at sea. At Nansha Port in Guangzhou stands the world’s first fully automated river-sea-rail multimodal terminal, where unmanned vehicles guided by BeiDou satellites operate around the clock. In the cold-chain center next door, the “Cherry Express” and “Durian Express” bring Asia-Pacific’s freshest fruit to Chinese tables, while Chinese-made goods set off from the same shore, for the same ocean.

Take a look inside the factories. In Shunde, Foshan, the world’s largest microwave oven manufacturing base — a World Economic Forum “Lighthouse Factory” — runs a single production line that flexibly switches between multiple models, selling to more than 100 countries and regions. In Dongguan, OPPO has filed over 120,000 patent applications worldwide; while an office chair, designed globally and made locally, now seats people in 127 countries. A complete supply chain and an open business ecosystem give manufacturers here confidence.

Now, let’s return to where the birds land. The Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve is China’s only national nature reserve in the heart of a city. In 2026, the International Mangrove Center began operating right here — the world’s first intergovernmental organization dedicated to mangrove conservation. During this year’s APEC Ministerial Meeting on Forestry, delegates from 21 economies planted mangrove seedlings to be transplanted into the reserve’s “APEC Ministers’ Forest.” And in nearby Zhongshan, Ming Yang is developing wind power solutions that now reach more than 60 countries. Here, growth and conservation are never mutually exclusive.

What holds all this together is the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge: Spanning 55 kilometers, it is the world’s longest sea crossing, handling over 107 million passenger trips by the end of 2025. In 2025, trade through the bridge’s ports of entry exceeded 300 billion yuan; with nearly 3 million cross-border e-commerce parcels crossing it every day as of July 2026. The bridge has not only boosted trade, but also brought people closer together. Despite occupying less than 0.6% of China’s land, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area generates about one-ninth of the national economy —bringing modernization into the lives of millions.

In 2026, as APEC comes to Shenzhen, the world will see China and another possibility: that modernization has no single standard answer, and the fast lane of development can still leave room for the flight paths of migratory birds. As cargo ships set sail, production lines hum, and the birds return on schedule,  this land is writing a practical, warm-hearted new chapter for the Asia-Pacific.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/another-vision-of-modernization-for-the-asia-pacific-302933205.html

SOURCE China.org.cn

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Arch Systems Brings Its Factory AI Platform to Defense Manufacturers with FedRAMP Class D Certification Through Partnership with Knox Systems

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Defense manufacturers can now run Arch’s Data Foundation and its full Intelligence Layer of AI applications and agents inside secure, compliant infrastructure they own and control

PALO ALTO, Calif. and WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Arch Systems, a leader in manufacturing data and analytics solutions, today announced that its Data Foundation and full Intelligence Layer can be deployed in Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Class D environments through partnership with Knox Systems (Knox), the largest, longest-running federal managed cloud. Defense manufacturers can now run the same platform, applications, and AI agents that power the world’s most advanced electronics and AI hardware factories, inside infrastructure they own and control.

Every defense manufacturer faces the same bind. The AI now transforming commercial factories depends on a data foundation that integrates machine data with Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) context, enabling predictive insights and AI-guided actions on the floor. But defense work demands that this foundation sit inside infrastructure the manufacturer owns and controls. Until now, those two requirements were in tension: build and manage everything yourself, or go without.

The Knox partnership resolves that tension. Knox operates a FedRAMP Class D environment in which Arch stands up a single-tenant instance each customer owns and controls. Arch becomes part of the customer’s infrastructure, not an alternative to it. Manufacturers who prefer their existing private cloud can deploy there instead. Both paths deliver the same thing: the latest AI models, Arch’s data architecture, and full Arch support.

Arch built its track record in some of the most challenging factories in the world: mission-critical discrete goods, low-volume and high-mix production, and complex product types. It has worked with defense manufacturers for years, but only at the edge, and with the private-cloud half of its architecture out of reach. That full hybrid architecture is now available to defense customers for the first time, including the complete Data Foundation with Connector Platform, which unifies a mixed-vendor floor and its MES and ERP context into a single data model.

“For years, defense manufacturers had to build and manage their own infrastructure to run AI on the factory floor. Now they can deploy our commercial-grade platform, proven at scale, in a way that meets the strictest security requirements. They no longer have to choose between security and progress,” said Andrew Scheuermann, CEO of Arch Systems.

The rigorous and exclusive FedRAMP program is designed to standardize security assessment and authorization for cloud service offerings, accelerating the adoption of government-grade cloud solutions by federal agencies. Knox reduced the authorization bottleneck and compliance timelines for Arch, while also enabling the company to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Controlled data can flow into that same unified model, and the AI agents built on it can go to work on the business cases where the stakes are highest.

“Defense manufacturers have had to choose between the AI capabilities they need and the infrastructure controls their mission demands,” said Irina Denisenko, CEO of Knox Systems. “Knox exists to close that gap. By partnering with Arch, we’re giving defense manufacturers a direct path to the same AI-driven factory intelligence commercial industry already relies on without asking them to compromise on security.”

These capabilities are generally available now to qualified federal, defense, and regulated manufacturing customers. Learn more at Arch Systems. To learn more about FedRAMP Certification via Knox, visit knoxsystems.com.

About Arch Systems

Arch Systems delivers AI-powered factory intelligence that helps manufacturers improve performance, reduce downtime, and enhance efficiency across their operations. By turning factory data into real-time decisions and actions, Arch enables teams to scale expertise, improve key performance indicators, and drive consistent outcomes across global manufacturing environments.

About Knox Systems

Knox Systems operates the largest managed federal cloud, trusted by top agencies and partners across defense and civilian sectors. Built for speed, resilience, and compliance, Knox delivers FedRAMP authorization in 90 days – turning the biggest bottleneck in government IT into the fastest path to modernization. Knox proudly serves Adobe, Celonis, OutSystems, Armis, BigID, and more AI and SaaS providers, accelerating secure innovation across the federal landscape. Learn more at knoxsystems.com.

Media contacts: media@archsys.io, knox@w2comm.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arch-systems-brings-its-factory-ai-platform-to-defense-manufacturers-with-fedramp-class-d-certification-through-partnership-with-knox-systems-302933021.html

SOURCE Knox Systems, Inc

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