News 4/16/18

Top News

An OIG analysis of telemedicine claims made to CMS between 2014 and 2015 finds that nearly a third did not meet Medicare requirements. The biggest claim error stemmed from violations of the program’s originating site rule, which states that providers will only be reimbursed for virtual treatment of patients living in rural areas. CMS paid out $3.7 million for the erroneous claims. CMS broadened its telemedicine reimbursement criteria to include several new categories at the beginning of 2018.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

Announcements and Implementations

Hutchinson Clinic (KS) will implement technology-enabled RCM services from Meridian Medical Management across its 118 multi-specialty provider group.

Drchrono adds automated online appointment review request messaging from BirdEye to its EHR.

The Puerto Rico Primary Care Association Network offers its members – a number of whom are fax-reliant physicians who have not yet implemented EHRs – data exchange capabilities from Health Gorilla.

In an effort to better connect clinical and social service providers, United Way of North Carolina will integrate its NC 2-1-1 patient referral and management system with care coordination software from United Us.

People

Ryan White (DaVita) joins Integrated Oncology Network as EVP, corporate compliance officer.

Behavioral health-focused practice management company Remarkable Health names Chad Camac (ManagementPlus) EVP of growth and Amber Bollinger (Ace Asphalt of the Southwest) VP of people operations.

Telemedicine

1.800MD adds behavioral health to its line of telemedicine services.

Research and Innovation

Nearly a third of larger physician practices expect to replace their EHRs within three years due to optimization issues, according to new research from Black Book. Those looking for replacements put financial analytics, compliance and quality tracking, virtual visit support, and speech-recognition at the top of their shopping lists. Smaller practices facing EHR-induced frustrations attribute them to an inability to optimize their systems to leverage advanced features like secure messaging, decision support, and data sharing.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 4/11/18

Top News

Amid rumors of its impending acquisition by Walmart, Humana acquires 22-clinic Family Physicians Group (FL) as part of its primary care expansion efforts.

The company is in the midst of consolidating its physician networks in South Florida and Texas under the new payer-agnostic Conviva brand – part of a strategy that CEO Bruce Broussard says is built around integrating senior-focused primary care, home and behavioral health with tech and analytics to help patients proactively manage their health.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

Announcements and Implementations

Northeast Texas Women’s Health deploys RCM software and services from EMDs to help its physician and office manager – also husband and wife – reclaim time at home, some of which had been used to catch up on billing.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

A former CCS Oncology employee is outraged after her last paycheck bounces. Denise Goff, who left the company last month, believes there are between 100 and 150 former employees who also received bad checks. The company filed for bankruptcy last week.

Telemedicine

To help practices more efficiently implement and use telemedicine, Global Partnership for Telehealth develops a tool that puts PHI, peripheral scope access, and tele-auscultation technology on one platform.

Press Ganey develops surveys to help practices gauge patient satisfaction with virtual care services.

Research and Innovation

An SAS survey of 500 consumers finds that they are more comfortable with AI-powered technologies in healthcare than in banking or retail. (And yet less than half reported they can accurately define the concept.)

A new Surescripts survey of PCPs finds that, like today’s increasingly price-conscious patients, physicians believe prescription cost should impact prescribing practices – yet just 11 percent of the 300 surveyed can access that information electronically. Respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with their ability to digitally access patient clinical histories and medication adherence data.

Other

Cambia Grove launches the TRAILS Competition to offer primary care-focused health IT startups access to data and multi-state testing in primary care settings through its partnership with the University of Washington’s Primary Care Innovation Lab. First-round submissions are due April 27.  

Sponsor Updates

• AdvancedMD will exhibit at ASCRS April 13-17 in Washington, DC.
• EClinicalWorks will exhibit at the AAOE 2018 Annual Conference April 14-17 in Orlando.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 4/9/18

Top News

AdvancedMD, Drchrono, Epic Systems, NextGen, NetSmart, Modernizing Medicine, and SIS Amkai score top rankings in Black Book Research’s latest customer satisfaction survey on specialty EHRs.

Webinars

April 10 (Tuesday) 3:00 ET. “Using Socioeconomic Data, Not Just Demographics, to Create a Healthier Patient Population.” Sponsor: LexisNexis. Presenters: Erin Benson, director of marketing planning, LexisNexis Health Care; Eric McCulley, director of strategic solutions consultants, LexisNexis Health Care. Did you know that 25 cents of every healthcare dollar is spent on health conditions that are caused by changeable behavior? Use of social determinants of health (SDOH) — including information on households, neighborhoods, relatives, and assets — can directly improve care management and risk stratification. However, it’s important to first define what SDOH is and isn’t. A recent LexisNexis Health Care CIO survey found that only 50 percent of organizations are using SDOH data at all, and even then, they have only limited information from their EHR or from patient surveys. The question is: what are you going to do about it? This webinar will reveal the myths and truths that will help you avoid answering, “Not enough.”

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

Here’s the recording of last week’s webinar titled “Succeeding in Value-Based Care Via a Technology-Driven Approach,” sponsored by Health Fidelity.

Announcements and Implementations

Oregon Oncology Specialists will implement Navigating Cancer’s patient relationship management software that includes remote monitoring and patient education, triage, and symptom management tools.

Triad Radiology Associates (NC) selects billing, coding, and practice management services from Healthcare Administrative Partners.

People

Tyson McDowell (Lead Wingman) joins blockchain-based PHR startup MintHealth as CTO.

NueHealth promotes John Palumbo to executive chairman and names Carl King CEO.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

App-based house call company Remedy secures an early-stage investment from JF2 Capital Partners. Before founding the Texas-based startup, founder Jeremy Gabrysch, MD spent three years as CMO at Soddo Christian Hospital in Ethiopia.

Radiology practice management and technology company Premier Imaging Ventures rebrands to LucidHealth.

The New York Times looks at the changing landscape of primary care, highlighting the convenience-based business models of urgent care and retail clinic chains like Healthy Now (WA) and technology-enhanced models of groups like One Medical. While all eyes wait to see what the “mega-mergers” of CVS/Aetna, Amazon/Berkshire Hathaway/JPMorgan, and Walmart/Humana will mean for primary care, hospitals are continuing to encroach on the footprint of independent practices by opening up their own urgent care facilities. “Everyone is fighting for the primary care patient,” concedes Summit Medical Group CEO Jeffrey Le Benger, MD. Summit Medical has also opened up urgent cares, a move Benger refers to as being a “loss leader” for its unprofitability but importance in maintaining patient market share.

Telemedicine

Doctor on Demand leverages Change Healthcare’s Intelligent Healthcare Network to offer patients lab testing facilities based on location and cost.

Other

A man suffering from shortness of breath credits his visit to a telemedicine kiosk at a local pharmacy for saving his life. (He hadn’t been to the doctor’s in years.) Consulting from nearby New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, the telemedicine doc advised the patient to check himself into the ER, where he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, fluid in his lungs, and diabetes. While the availability of a virtual visit was indeed fortuitous, the story is more of a cautionary tale about the dangers of missing regular health checkups.

The AMA and Google launch the Health Care and Interoperability Innovation Challenge to uncover new ways of monitoring and sharing health data between chronic disease patients and physicians using mobile technology. Up to $50,000 in Google Cloud credits will be awarded to the top three winners.

Sponsor Updates

• PerfectServe will present at AONE 2018 April 14 in Indianapolis.

Blog Posts

• HIMSS hype or health IT promise: We had 500 people weigh in … (Medicomp Systems)
• Advances in Speech Technology (NVoq)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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Contact us online.
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News 4/4/18

Top News

CCS Oncology’s financial struggles compel it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Court documents show the New York-based chain of practices will cut its physician workforce from 60 to eight as part of an overall staff downsizing from 181 to 74. The company has also decided to jettison its primary care and non-cancer practices.

Webinars

April 5 (Thursday) 1:00 ET. “Succeeding in Value-Based Care Via a Technology-Driven Approach.” Sponsor: Health Fidelity. Presenters: Adele L. Towers, MD, MPH, senior clinical advisor, UPMC Enterprises; Adam Gronsky, director of advisory services, Health Fidelity. Success in value-based care requires a thorough understanding of how risk-based payment models work. To prosper in this data-laden era of care, providers need to manage their patient populations holistically rather than through a collection of individual episodes and be able to accurately identify, document, and report risk scores. Given the stakes, is your provider organization adequately set up to take on and succeed in managing risk? In this webinar, learn how technology-enabled risk capture optimization is helping providers succeed in risk-based payment models.

April 10 (Tuesday) 3:00 ET. “Using Socioeconomic Data, Not Just Demographics, to Create a Healthier Patient Population.” Sponsor: LexisNexis. Presenters: Erin Benson, director of marketing planning, LexisNexis Health Care; Eric McCulley, director of strategic solutions consultants, LexisNexis Health Care. Did you know that 25 cents of every healthcare dollar is spent on health conditions that are caused by changeable behavior? Use of social determinants of health (SDOH) — including information on households, neighborhoods, relatives, and assets — can directly improve care management and risk stratification. However, it’s important to first define what SDOH is and isn’t. A recent LexisNexis Health Care CIO survey found that only 50 percent of organizations are using SDOH data at all, and even then, they have only limited information from their EHR or from patient surveys. The question is: what are you going to do about it? This webinar will reveal the myths and truths that will help you avoid answering, “Not enough.”

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

Announcements and Implementations

Appriss Health adds HC1.com’s zip code-based Opioid Dashboard to its PDMP technology for government agencies.

C&C Medical Administration launches Web-based coding and billing services.

Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa will replace its Greenway Health EHR with EClinicalWorks V11.

Diagnostic Professionals (FL) implements Royal Solutions Group’s Web-based patient intake kiosk and payment software across its four facilities.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Optum wraps up its $28 million acquisition of Reliant Medical Group (MA). First announced last May, RMG CEO Tarek Elsawy said the acquisition will enable the physician group to remain competitive, and give it access to advanced data analytics capabilities. Optum won out over Massachusetts-based Harvard Pilgrim and UMass Memorial Health Care, according to state filings.

Billing, coding, and practice management company AdvantEdge Solutions acquires competitor Professional Management. Former PM President Dave Nicholson will become AdvantEdge EVP.

Government and Politics

As part of the MyHealthEData Initiative, ONC publishes a consumer-friendly guide to obtaining and using digital health records.

Research and Innovation

A study in Health Affairs finds a disconnect between EHR quality measurement functionality and the federal programs that link payment to such measures. An analysis of 1,500 practices found challenges with EHR upgrade delays, lack of bandwidth to prepare data for reports (or a lack of resources to outsource preparation), and software that lacked customizable measurements.

Telemedicine

AAFP will offer select members access to virtual care tools from Zipnosis as part of a pilot program before rolling it out to all members later this year.

Other

The solar-powered town of Babcock Ranch, FL prepares to open a health and wellness center fueled by energy produced during workouts. The center, which also offers physical therapy, will begin offering primary care through Lee Health’s physician group this summer.

Sponsor Updates

• Aprima will exhibit at the OKMGMA Conference April 5-6 in Oklahoma City.

Blog Posts

• HIMSS hype or health IT promise: We had 500 people weigh in… (Medicomp Systems)
• Black Book recognizes Nordic for highest client satisfaction in Epic IT Advisory Services (Nordic)
• The Calm After the Storm (AdvancedMD)
• Medical Practice Billing Challenges and Some Suggestions to Overcome Them (Aprima)
• Developing a Strong Workforce as We are Faced with Competing Priorities (Culbert Healthcare Solutions)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 4/2/18

Top News

Veritas Capital will acquire GE Healthcare’s Value-Based Care Division – including Centricity, RCM, and workforce management assets – for $1 billion. GE Healthcare President and CEO Kieran Murphy says the business will move forward with a focus on digital precision health solutions that include smart diagnostics, connected devices, AI, and enterprise imaging.

Webinars

April 5 (Thursday) 1:00 ET. “Succeeding in Value-Based Care Via a Technology-Driven Approach.” Sponsor: Health Fidelity. Presenters: Adele L. Towers, MD, MPH, senior clinical advisor, UPMC Technology Development Center; Adam Gronsky, director of advisory services, Health Fidelity. Success in value-based care requires a thorough understanding of how risk-based payment models work. To prosper in this data-laden era of care, providers need to manage their patient populations holistically rather than through a collection of individual episodes and be able to accurately identify, document, and report risk scores. Given the stakes, is your provider organization adequately set up to take on and succeed in managing risk? In this webinar, learn how technology-enabled risk capture optimization is helping providers succeed in risk-based payment models.

April 10 (Tuesday) 3:00 ET. “Using Socioeconomic Data, Not Just Demographics, to Create a Healthier Patient Population.” Sponsor: LexisNexis. Presenters: Erin Benson, director of marketing planning, LexisNexis Health Care; Eric McCulley, director of strategic solutions consultants, LexisNexis Health Care. Did you know that 25 cents of every healthcare dollar is spent on health conditions that are caused by changeable behavior? Use of social determinants of health (SDOH) — including information on households, neighborhoods, relatives, and assets — can directly improve care management and risk stratification. However, it’s important to first define what SDOH is and isn’t. A recent LexisNexis Health Care CIO survey found that only 50 percent of organizations are using SDOH data at all, and even then, they have only limited information from their EHR or from patient surveys. The question is: what are you going to do about it? This webinar will reveal the myths and truths that will help you avoid answering, “Not enough.”

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre for information.

Announcements and Implementations

Cary Skin Center (NC) implements patient referral coordination and communication software from Infina Connect.

People

Practice Fusion founder and former CEO Ryan Howard (IBeat) joins MTBC as a special advisor to CEO Stephen Snyder. To my knowledge, MTBC is the only ambulatory EHR vendor offering its software to physicians for free, as Practice Fusion did before its Allscripts-influenced move to subscription pricing earlier this year.

Billing company Inbox Health promotes founder Blake Walker to CEO.

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Payspan promotes Rob Pinataro CEO and appoints Mark Chapman (VoApps) president and CFO.

Government and Politics

Alabama becomes the 50th state to pass a data breach notification law requiring organizations to notify citizens affected by a breach of electronically stored information within 45 days. California passed the first such law in 2003.

Other

In JAMA, physicians publish a “Charter on Physician Well-Being,” offering guiding principles and a framework organizations can use to help their physicians avoid burnout.

Middletown Medical (NY) alerts patients to a January data breach caused by an improper radiology interface security setting that may have allowed users to see patient listings and to access certain PHI.

Talk about a paper trail: The local paper looks at the efforts the daughter of a local physician who died last spring is going through to return nearly 7,000 paper medical records to their rightful owners. Darcie Maurice-Garcia, who was also her father’s office manager, has gone so far as to take out an ad in the local paper ahead of her self-mandated “Shred Day” on April 4. “I feel like it’s my duty,” she told the Medical Board of California when she reached out for advice on what to do with the files. “I’ve known a lot of these patients all my life.” 

Sponsor Updates

• HealthcareNow Radio interviews Medicomp Systems CEO Dave Lareau.
• Nordic publishes a podcast titled “How to use change champions for a more successful go-live.”

Blog Posts

• The key to being a great healthcare consultant: flexibility (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.