5 Questions With David Shih, MD CMO, CityMD

David Shih, MD is CMO at CityMD, a chain of urgent care facilities in New York and New Jersey. The company, which employs 1,500 staff to care for 1.3 million patients each year, made the switch from Aprima to EClinicalWorks last fall and is looking to begin the Meaningful Use attestation process sometime this year. It is the first private urgent care provider in the nation to achieve NCQA Patient-Centered Connected Care recognition.

What was the impetus for implementing eCW? How do you hope its utilization will benefit CityMD and its patients?
In order for us to take our practice to the next level in providing the best patient-centered medical care and to begin multiple of IT initiatives, we needed an EHR partner that could scale and grow with us. This meant that we needed a national partner who could help us in multiple areas – from optimizing billing, front desk, and clinical operations to gathering business intelligence and obtaining analysis of data to assistance in compliance and reporting of of MU, PQRs, and related quality metrics to introduction of a patient portal, care coordination, and referral management tools – to improve the patient experience and increase our ability to serve with kindness.

Where is your organization with Meaningful Use?
Meaningful Use is projected to start sometime in 2016. Due to the multiple changes in MU, we have found it very challenging to initiate this project due to layers and layers of complexity. It was not designed well, and CMS has already announced that MU will go away and merge into MIPS by 2019. With that said, the financial penalties attached to this project means we will have to attempt this.

What sort of healthcare technology adoption/implementation challenges are unique to urgent care practices?
Many of the quality initiatives such as PQRS, CAHPS or MU do not have urgent care in mind. They are geared towards primary care or hospital-based practices. Many of the challenges in healthcare technology stem from the fact that systems do not talk to each other, evolve very quickly and/or become outdated, and many healthcare systems cannot agree on the same standards, which makes it very difficult for our practice to determine best practice.

How has CityMD handled the transition to e-prescribing in New York?
The transition to e-prescription has been relatively smooth since ECW and the operations team at CityMD had time to prepare. Overall, there were few complaints or issues from the patients and providers.

What’s next on the horizon for CityMD in terms of new healthcare technologies, particularly those that will better enable patient engagement?
There are many healthcare IT initiatives planned for this year. We plan on continuing our PQRS, CAHPS, and MU reporting. We are starting PCP notification, referral management, integration with other EHRs, expanding our patient portal capabilities, implementing kiosks and mobile technology, and diving into telehealth.

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 5/16/16

Top News

RCM vendor Keizer Solutions acquires EHR and PM technology vendor Colonial Valley Software for an undisclosed sum.

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

The latest HIStalk poll asks, Would you recommend the hospital or medical practice where you had your most recent medical experience as a patient? I can’t help but weigh in with an experience I’m sure I’m not the first to have. My last experience took place at a family practice recently acquired by a large health system, meaning that billing is now handled offsite at the corporate office, and that clinical staff are that much more removed from the pricing of their services. My visit, which was my first at the practice, met my expectations in that my physician took the time to listen to my concerns with a sympathetic ear with no keyboard-entry distractions. I felt that I had her full attention for the time it took me to share my concerns. I didn’t feel rushed. Blood work was conducted just down the hall in an efficient manner, and I received the results via the patient portal maybe a day later. The rub came when the bill arrived. The cost was, in my opinion, exorbitant, and hadn’t been billed through my insurance, which the front-office staff was unfamiliar with. I called the main billing office to ask for an itemized bill, which I never received. Like so many patients, I let the bill languish for a few weeks before ultimately paying the whole thing just so I could put the episode behind me. In taking the poll, I’d have to say that I’d recommend the physician, but not the practice. I fortunately don’t go to the doctor often. When next I do, I’ll likely search out that diamond in the healthcare rough – the still-independent physician who isn’t tethered to the billing bureaucracy of its hospital overlord. You can share your story via the poll here.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Santa Monica, CA-based PatientPop secures a $20 million Series A round of financing led by Toba Capital, which brings its total funding to $33.3 million. The startup will use the new funding to further develop its practice growth software, which offers patient acquisition, retention, reputation, and business insight tools.

Announcements and Implementations

PokitDok makes available three new APIs – Pharmacy Plan, Pharmacy Formulary, and In-Network Pharmacy – to give physicians and developers better insight into pharmacy benefits and eligibility.

The Alamo Area Resource Center (TX) selects ClientTrack case management, EHR, and billing technology from Eccovia Solutions to help manage its new outpatient clinic and growing mental health program.

Dominion Pathology Associates implements RCM services from McKesson Business Performance Services at its 10-physician group serving Carilion Clinic facilities in Western Virginia.

People

Valita Fredland (IU Health) joins the Indiana HIE as vice president, general counsel and privacy officer.

Glen Prasser (Beacon Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine) joins the Independent Physicians Collaborative as executive director. Founded with help from Prasser in 2015, IPC now represents of 21 independent physician groups in Cincinnati.

Telemedicine

Arizona and New Hampshire adopt the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, bringing the total number of states looking to expedite medical licensure to 14.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine adds a self-pay feature to its telemedicine platform for sleep medicine physicians and sleep centers.

Research and Innovation

New research emphasizes what many healthcare insiders already know: Consumers keep buying wearables, yet do not find value or cannot easily incorporate them into their healthcare. An online PwC survey of over 1,000 consumers finds that nearly half own a wearable device (smartphones included), and 36 percent of those own more than one. Yet a separate, smaller Accenture study finds that nearly half of its respondents who use digital health tools like wearables do not integrate data from these tools into their care. Just 32 percent of those surveyed say data collected from their mobile and Web-based apps is automatically shared with their provider. Perhaps the data integration issue really boils down to whether or not physicians want to be responsible for receiving and acting upon all that data.

Government and Politics

CMS, responding to small medical practice concerns about MACRA, publishes a fact sheet and reminds that it will accept comments about the proposed legislation through June 27.

AHRQ offers a Patient-centered Outcomes Research Clinical Decision Support Learning Network grant to researchers looking to better understand how to add comparative-effectiveness research into practice via decision support software.

ONC announces that former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will keynote its annual meeting May 31-June 2 in Washington, DC.

Other

The local paper looks at Dose, a Nashville-based startup that is finding a niche providing on-demand urgent care house calls. The 11-employee company, which launched last year, charges $99 for an exam, diagnosis, and treatment, and is looking to partner with employers and health systems that want to up their access game.

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 5/12/16

Top News

AMA President Steven Stack, MD takes to the Huffington Post (of all places) to urge physicians to use their state prescription drug monitoring programs in light of the nation’s highly publicized opioid epidemic – an epidemic, I daresay, made more headline-worthy by the prescription drug controversy surrounding Prince’s death. Stack also calls on physicians to limit the amount of opioids prescribed for post-operative care and identify and assist patients with opioid use disorder in obtaining evidence-based treatment.

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

Reading: Casino Healthcare – The Health of a Nation: America’s Biggest Gamble by Dan Munro. Forbes contributor Munro does a thorough job of walking readers through healthcare’s casino culture, one that has made revenue a top priority instead of patient safety and quality. From RUC, to universal healthcare, to Obamacare, Munro takes readers through the culture’s evolution and offers insight on the road ahead. While not quite a beach read, I’d recommend it to anyone looking to better understand how healthcare’s players (including patients) have created this culture and how we can get ourselves out of it. 

Webinars

None scheduled in the coming weeks. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Georgia Physicians for Accountable Care partners with Evolent Health to better manage the transition of its 630 physicians to value-based care. GPAC will initially work with Evolent’s tools to better understand the health and risk of its patient panels.

IPatientCare enhances its PQRS reporting service with the launch of a PQRS Registry Portal.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Accountable physician trade group CAPG begins offering consulting services to help its members navigate the still murky waters of alternative payment models.

Hospital and ambulatory surgical center operator Foundation HealthCare acquires a majority stake in Ninety Nine Healthcare Management. The PM company will retain its headquarters in Dallas.

Telemedicine

AdvancedMD launches a telemedicine platform for OB/GYNs capable of integration with its EHR.

3Derm develops a triage system for its teledermatology software, enabling physicians to expedite urgent consults while screening out more routine concerns.

Commtech Telecommunications upgrades the patient, doctor, and administrator interfaces of its VirtuMedix telemedicine platform.

HealthyCT, Connecticut’s non-profit health insurance co-op, will use Safety Net Connect’s specialist EConsult software as part of its contract with Community EConsult Network. The network is an offshoot of Community Health Center, the state’s largest primary care provider for the underserved. HealthyCT also offers virtual consults via Teladoc.

Research and Innovation

A quarter of providers surveyed in a small online study believe their organizations are making progress with virtual consults. That progress includes the ability of the telemedicine programs to improve efficiency, patient volumes and loyalty, and being financially sustainable. Top challenges to launching a progressive telemedicine program include competing technology priorities, organizational readiness, maintaining a sustainable business model, and regulatory compliance concerns.

Other

Hoarders take heed: “Vintage” iPods are fetching exorbitant sums on Ebay, thanks in part to Apple’s decision in 2014 to discontinue the groundbreaking device. Prices paid have ranged from $1,000 to a whopping $90,000 for one U2 special edition.

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 5/11/16

Top News

The State of New York’s Office of Mental Health and Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services awards 122 pediatric behavioral health organizations nearly $50,000 each to help them purchase EHR and RCM software, and hardware. Several of the recipients anticipate the new resources will help them connect to their local RHIO. Transitional Living Services Deputy Executive Officer Maureen Cean adds that, “Having the ability to get the info from our end into [HealtheEconnections], it’s going to make any other provider in that patient’s network able to view the services that we provide.”

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

I had the opportunity to “hang out” with friends and colleagues during last week’s Xerox Healthcare “Ask the Experts” session on population health management. We covered a number of angles including the shift to value-based payments, the role of consumers and even pharmacists, and – my favorite part – the need to better incorporate mental health services. Thanks to the Xerox team for having me.

Webinars

None scheduled in the coming weeks. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Pediatric Medical Associates (PA) moves from paper records to EHR software from Xcite Health. News like this serves as a timely reminder that there are still pockets of practices that haven’t yet made the digital leap.

Medent adds Clinigence’s data analytics and business intelligence capabilities to its EHR.

People

David Bradley (Sutter Health) joins Privia Medical Group as president of its operations in Georgia.

Robert Walton (Oncology Analytics) joins Arcadia Healthcare Solutions as COO.

Telemedicine

Teladoc reports $26.9 million in revenue for Q1 2016, an increase of 63 percent year over year. Membership increased by 42 percent to 15.1 million. The company saw its highest utilization rate to date, with nearly 240,000 visits, and anticipates seeing up to 900,000 visits by the end of the year.

Walgreens collaborates with Mental Health America to add mental health resources to its website, offer access to MDLive’s behavior telehealth solution, and provide mental health training programs to its pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Doctor on Demand enables users of CliniCloud’s smart medical devices to share their vital signs remotely during virtual consults.

The State of Wisconsin doles out nearly $1 million in Public Service Commission grants to better equip 21 health centers in rural and underserved areas with telemedicine equipment.

Research and Innovation

British dementia researchers develop Sea Hero Quest, a video game that will help them establish a baseline understanding of how a healthy brain works. The research team hopes to then study how patients suffering from dementia fare during the game’s challenges, which test memory and visual perception and a player’s ability to situate themselves in space, and eventually to use the game as a diagnostic tool.

A Deloitte online poll of 1,360 healthcare providers, retailers, and distributors finds that there are, of course, a number of barriers to collaboration between retail settings, traditional settings, and payers. The top include coordinating care (32 percent), different financial incentives (28 percent), distrust and silos (18 percent), and technology (just 8 percent). Liability and cybersecurity risks seem to be the biggest downside to the attempts of retailers to infiltrate healthcare.

Other

GE launches the HealthyCities Leadership Academy, a program that will help communities partner with public and private entities to improve population health. The academy includes an innovation challenge that will award up to 10 communities $25,000 apiece and the chance at additional funding during a year-long learning collaborative that will include training sessions, site visits, and mentorship.

Sponsor Updates

• Clockwise.MD will exhibit at the NAHAM patient experience conference from May 24-27 in New Orleans.
• Aprima will exhibit at the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists Annual Meeting May 15-16 in Washington, DC.

Blog Posts

• Using Telemedicine in Your Independent Practice (AdvancedMD)
• Empowering Patients (Culbert Healthcare Solutions)

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 5/10/16

Top News

Humana makes an equity investment in Livongo, which will use the funding to further accelerate its diabetes management technology and service line. The investment completes the Glen Tullman-led company’s $49.5 million Series C financing round. Humana has already rolled out Livongo’s digital health tools to a select group of members with “successful results.”

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

Thanks to the following new and renewing HIStalk Practice sponsors. Click a logo for more information. Email Lorre if your company is interested in learning about sponsorship benefits.

Don’t miss the latest HIStalk feature, “Diagnosing Primary Care’s Identity Crisis.” I had the chance to chat with AAFP President Wanda Filer, MD and several physicians that have moved to Direct Primary Care. I always enjoy talking with physicians (don’t call them providers!) working in the trenches.

Webinars

May 11 (Wednesday) noon ET. “Measuring the Impact of ACA on Providers.” Sponsored by Athenahealth. Presenters: Dan Haley, general counsel, Athenahealth; Josh Gray, VP, AthenaResearch. Athenahealth will share the findings of real-time analysis of its provider network. The presenters will describe how patient financial obligations have changed, how physician reimbursement is trending, the patterns created by increased ACA coverage, and the effect of the latest ACA trends on physician practices.

Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Here’s the recording of a recent webinar, “Provider-Led Care Management: Trends and Opportunities in a Growing Market.” Our presenter had audio problems during the live webinar, so we recorded a new version.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

MD Solutions becomes a certified reseller of Nuance’s Dragon Medical Practice Edition 2.

Lumin Medical acquires the Online Reputation Management assets of Implementing Technologies for an undisclosed amount, and will move the business from Charleston, SC, to its headquarters in Franklin, WI. Lumin has incorporated the newly acquired technology into its PatientTrak collection of patient satisfaction tools.

Hixny relocates, expanding into 6,500 square feet of new office space in Latham, NY. The HIE employs 25 and serves 75 percent of the region’s physician practices, as well as 67 percent of specialists and all private hospitals.

Announcements and Implementations

Kareo develops an all-in-one clinical, administrative, RCM, marketing, and patient engagement software solution for independent practices.

St. Thomas East End Medical Center, a FQHC in the US Virgin Islands, goes live on Greenway Health’s EHR.

Valley Emergency Room Associates (NJ) taps McKesson Business Performance Services to help improve its RCM.

People

Prevea Health SVP and CFO Lorrie Jacobetti joins AMGA’s Public Policy Committee.

ATA President Reed Tuckson, MD joins ViTel Net’s Board of Directors as chairman.

Telemedicine

Telemental health startup Regroup Therapy raises $1.8 million from investors led by Hyde Park Angels. The Chicago-based company got its start at Matter, and has grown from three to nine employees in the last year. CEO David Cohn has done stints with CEB and the Peace Corps.

Other

The Bay Area Children’s Association, a mental healthcare services organization in San Jose, CA, alerts parents and guardians of a malware attack on its unnamed EHR system that began in January 2015. No fraudulent activity has been detected thus far.

Sponsor Updates

• Midmark closes its acquisition of Versus Technology.

Blog Posts

• A nurse’s intuition: Filling the gaps technology can’t (PerfectServe)

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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