News 10/14/20

Top News

Patient intake and eligibility verification vendor Clearwave acquires Odoro, a patient scheduling and engagement company, for an undisclosed amount.

Webinars

October 27 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Don’t Waste This Pandemic (From a Former Healthcare CEO).” Sponsor: Relatient. Presenter: Monica Reed, MD, MSc, former CEO, Celebration Health. Some healthcare organizations are trying to get back to the normalcy of 2019, but tomorrow’s leaders are accelerating even faster in 2020. Two- or three-year roadmaps were accomplished in six months, so what’s next? The presenter will describe how technology was changing before COVID-19, how the pandemic accelerated plans, what we can expect to see as a result, how leaders and providers can adapt, and what healthcare’s digital front door looks like going forward and how it can be leveraged.

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

October 29 (Thursday) 1 ET. “How Presbyterian Healthcare Services Is Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future Using Digital Care Tools.” Sponsor: Bright.md. Presenters: Ries Robinson, MD, SVP/chief innovation officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services; Ray Costantini, MD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Bright.md. Presbyterian Healthcare Services changed the way New Mexico patients access healthcare with its pres.today digital front door, which has given patients easy access to care during a global crisis. The health system’s digital care strategy goes beyond simply offering virtual visits and instead makes every episode of care — regardless of where it is delivered — better by streamlining clinical workflows and by directing patients to the most appropriate venue of care. The presenters will describe how Presbyterian has continued to meet patient needs during the pandemic, how it is deploying digital tools to tackle the combined COVID-19 and flu seasons, and how the health system is innovating care delivery to prepare for a post-pandemic future.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Navina, an Israeli startup focused on using AI to help physicians better organize and assess patient data, raises a $7 million seed funding round led by Grove Ventures.

Announcements and Implementations

Plano, TX-based Practice EHR adds payment capabilities from Global Payments Integrated to its cloud-based EHR.

Northern Ohio Medical Specialists implements Navina’s AI-powered Patient Portrait software.

DrChrono integrates MD Revolution’s Rev Up care management service within its EHR workflow.

Other

Kudos to the folks at Morrow Family Medicine, which has launched a virtual fitness challenge to raise money for student technology as part of its bi-annual Forsyth BYOT Benefit. The practice, which has two locations in Georgia, has raised over $350,000 since launching the benefit in 2011. Founder Jim Morrow, MD was kind enough to participate in HIStalk Practice’s first “5 Questions With” interview in 2014.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

Get HIStalk Practice updates.
Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.

News 10/12/20

Top News

McKinney, TX-based MyTelemedicine will use a regional economic grant to relocate and expand its headquarters within the city, and more than triple its staff over the next three years.

The company’s app offers virtual care, provider search, prescription savings, and referrals.

Co-founder and CEO Rey Colon also co-founded AmeriDoc, which he sold to Teladoc in 2013.

Webinars

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Announcements and Implementations

Fresenius Medical Care North America’s Health Partners division will leverage Livongo’s Whole Person for CKD offering, comprised of virtual diabetes and hypertension management solutions tailored for chronic kidney disease patients.

CloudMD launches a white-label telemedicine service for pharmacies, payers, and employers in Canada.

CentralReach will incorporate Change Healthcare’s RCM software and services into its EHR for autism-focused providers and educators.

People

Practice management company Women’s Health USA names Jon Bunker (OptumCare) SVP.

Government and Politics

The USDA allocates $72 million to fund 116 projects across the country through its distance learning and telemedicine grant program.

NY Spine Medicine will pay the HHS Office of Civil Rights a $100,000 settlement for failing to provide a patient with all of her requested medical records, including diagnostic film, in a timely manner. The patient, who initially requested her records in June 2019, finally received them this month.

Sponsor Updates

• Healthwise will exhibit during the virtual Cerner Health Conference October 13-14.

Blog Posts

• Rapid Critical Result Reporting with Clinical Communication Technology (PerfectServe)
• Reaching Our “Silent Seniors” During COVID-19 (Healthwise)
• Surviving COVID-19: Telehealth and Beyond (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

Get HIStalk Practice updates.
Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.

News 10/7/20

Top News

Abridge formally launches with a $15 million Series A funding round led by Union Square Ventures and UPMC. The Pittsburgh-based company has developed a patient-facing app that records and transcribes healthcare encounters, offers resources to help patients understand what was discussed during their appointments, and follows-up with prompts to ensure patients adhere to treatment plans.

Co-founders Shiv Rao, MD and Sandeep Konam both have ties to UPMC; Rao is a practicing cardiologist while Konam was a senior product manager with the medical center’s investment arm.

Webinars

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Membership-based mental healthcare telemedicine and prescription delivery startup Cerebral raises $35 million in a Series A funding round, which it will use to expand its services to all 50 states by the end of the year.

Prior authorization software startup PriorAuthNow raises $10 million, bringing its total raised to $32 million since launching in 2014.

People

Clinical decision support startup Curation Health hires Josh Kerns (TrustHCS) as CFO following a Series A financing round led by Deerfield Management.

Announcements and Implementations

Nephrology Associates in Delaware implements Saykara’s AI-powered voice assistant and automated charting software.

Dialysis services provider Fresenius Kidney Care connects to the CommonWell interoperability network, giving it access to the Carequality interoperability framework.

Other

Walmart launches an insurance brokerage division that will help Medicare patients find and enroll in plans from eight payers across all 50 states and Washington, DC.

And speaking of Walmart, I hope you find this tweet exchange as humorous as I do.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

Get HIStalk Practice updates.
Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.

News 10/5/20

Top News

As anticipated, health and wellness telemedicine company Hims will go public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company overseen by Oaktree Capital Management. Expected to wrap up by the end of the year, the merger will bring in up to $280 million and give Hims a $1.6 billion valuation. 

Earlier this year, Hims founder and CEO Andrew Dudum said he hopes to see the company, which earned $100 million in revenue with 100-plus employees last year, eventually hit the $20 billion valuation mark.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

People

Shandy Guharoy (Evolent Health) joins healthcare and social services referral software vendor Unite Us as CTO.

Population health management company Healthmap Solutions names co-chairman Eric Reimer CEO, co-founder Joe Vattamattam president and CFO, and co-founder Andrew Wall chief innovation officer.

Announcements and Implementations

DrChrono adds patient intake, engagement, virtual visit, and analytics capabilities from Weave to its tablet-based EHR.

Greenwich House (NY) implements TenEleven Group’s EHR with medication assisted treatment capabilities. 

Health IT vendor Opus Behavioral Health announces GA of telemedicine software and services for addiction treatment centers.

Nextech Systems adds ambulatory surgery center charting features to its IntelleChartPro EHR for ophthalmologists.

Carolina Pediatric Therapy (NC) selects EHR and practice management software from MTBC’s CareCloud subsidiary.

New Jersey Urology becomes the first large, independent urology group to implement Epic.

Government and Politics

Montana Governor Steve Bullock announces that the state HIE – Big Sky Care Connect – will launch later this fall. Montana is one of two states without a statewide HIE. St. Vincent Healthcare, Billings Clinic, RiverStone Health, and BCBS Montana began a pilot HIE in 2015, and then used a CMS grant of $19 million to build out Big Sky Care, which already has 20 participants.

Other

University of Virginia researchers are working with several public libraries to launch a pilot program that will help patrons use a library’s WiFi to access telemedicine appointments. Associate Professor of Nursing Pam DeGuzman, RN says that UVA’s research has found that virtually all of the state’s libraries offer at least a minimum speed that would be sufficient to stream a video visit. Our research has shown that, right now, we can’t find anyone who’s doing this.”

Maine Seacoast Mission’s ship, the Sunbeam V, will return to active duty after undergoing a $1.5 million overhaul that began in May 2019. The ship serves the islands, offering telemedicine, flu clinics, meals, and fellowship.

Sponsor Updates

Blog Posts

• The Power of Provider Schedule Availability (PerfectServe)
• The risks of EHR theater (Nordic)
• 3 Important healow TeleVisits Features (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

Get HIStalk Practice updates.
Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.

News 9/30/20

Top News

Colorado-based CORHIO and Arizona-based Health Current announce plans to merge, potentially creating the largest HIE in the Western United States. Combined, the two organizations serve 1,320 healthcare organizations.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Getting away last week to a somewhat quiet campsite was refreshing. It was nice to sit at the bend of a creek and stare into a crackling campfire, with hardly a thought for worldly goings-on. As the above camper pic shows, I don’t travel lightly. Primitive camping is not in my wheelhouse. The only camping hack I can offer is to make sure you have a traveling coffee maker in your sleeping quarters. Waking up to the sound of babbling water outside and brewing coffee inside my bed-in-a-box definitely made the mornings enjoyable.

I endured a rainy day by doing some antiquing in a quaint, nearby mountain town. I of course kept my eyes peeled for good deals on used books, and wound up adding the titles above to my home library. It’s always nice to have books on hand when you find yourself in between trips to the library.

Webinars

None scheduled in the coming weeks. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Irish cosmetic clinic chain SISU raises $5.5 million in a Series A round of financing that will enable it to launch its “face as a service” offerings in the US, aided by digital booking capabilities, online evaluations, and an e-commerce platform. Its founders consider it to be the “One Medical for aesthetic treatments.”

People

Rourke Yeakley, MD joins Saltzer Health (ID) – soon to be owned by Intermountain Healthcare (UT) – as chief innovation officer and medical director of its urgent care clinics.

EverCommerce hires Brent Michael (Eye Care Leaders) to lead its ISalus and AllMeds business, which offers EHR, practice management, and RCM software and services to physician practices.

Announcements and Implementations

Telemedicine vendor CloudMD will integrate Canada Health Infoway’s PrescribeIT e-prescribing software with its Juno EHR. CloudMD provides its services to 376 clinics across Canada.

CPSI adds clinical document improvement capabilities from ChartWise Medical Systems to its TruBridge RCM software.

Other

Physician practices in Washington, DC and surrounding areas face flu vaccine shortages caused by what many believe to be distribution issues. Sandy Chung, MD of Fairfax Pediatric Associates (VA) explains: “Unfortunately, how our vaccine shipment process is set up in our nation, there are priorities given to larger companies, so your big box stores, retail stores, health systems sometimes, are getting vaccines before your doctor’s office. Your doctor’s office is often last on the list and also the ones that are impacted most significantly when there are shipment delays because we don’t have a lot of vaccines stored in our offices like a retail store might.”

This article looks at the impact remote scribes have on physician productivity. Technologies such as Augmedix’s smart glasses are enabling scribes to sit in on appointments despite being continents away. The market, which has expanded from 15,000 to 100,000 scribes in the last five years, has gone increasingly digital in the same timeframe, as speech-recognition software has matured. Access to a remote scribe has been a game-changer for Susan Fesmire, MD who has used time previously devoted to finishing up charts at the end of the day to becoming COO of her Dallas-based practice: “It was like constantly having homework that you don’t finish.”

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

Get HIStalk Practice updates.
Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.