News 7/17/23

Top News

Herself Health raises $26 million in a Series A funding round. The company offers primary and behavioral healthcare, plus a range of other services, to women 65 and older at its flagship clinic in St. Paul, MN.

Founder Kristen Helton, formerly a director at Amazon Care, says the company will open two more clinics in St. Paul in the near future, and anticipates opening one in a new market sometime next year.

Webinars

July 26 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Lessons We’ve Learned Since Launching our Cancer Prevention Program.” Sponsor: Volpara Health. Presenter: Albert Bonnema, MD, MPH chief medical information officer, Kettering Health System, and Chris Yuppa, product owner for oncology services and cancer prevention, Kettering Health System. Kettering’s IT department has played a critical role in providing an EHR-driven framework to bring cancer risk assessment and individual prevention plans to more than 90,000 patients. Primary care, OB/GYN, oncology, and imaging providers are now able to assess the hereditary, genetic, and lifestyle factors that affect the risk of developing lung, breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancer in any patient encounter. Learn how Kettering brings together people, processes, and technology to be more proactive in the fight against cancer and where its cancer prevention program is headed next.

July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faced by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.

July 27 (Thursday) 2 ET. “Denial Prevention 101: How to stop denials from the start.” Sponsor: Waystar. Presenter: Crystal Ewing, director of product management, Waystar. There’s a reason denial prevention is prominent everywhere in healthcare RCM. Denials reduce cash flow, drive down revenue, and negatively impact the patient and staff experience. More than half of front-end denials don’t have to happen, but, once they do, that money is gone. It’s a pretty compelling reason to take some time now to do some preventative care on your revenue cycle. This webinar will help you optimize your front end to stop denials at the start. We’ll explore the importance of not only having the right data, but having it right where staff need it, when they need it.

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

People

Allison Kavanagh (Sunwave) joins the American Telemedicine Association as VP of marketing.

Announcements and Implementations

Oberd announces GA of its new Assess Yourself outpatient, pre-appointment triage software for orthopedic practices.

Pediatric Cardiology Center of Oregon implements EClinicalWorks and its Prisma health information search tool.

Government and Politics

Health officials on Prince Edward Island in Canada say that 90% of family clinicians are using the province-wide Telus Health EHR to some degree, while 80% report having used it for more than nine months. (Implementations began in 2021.) Seventy percent say it makes for more efficient workflows, enabling them to better coordinate care. Health PEI plans to roll out the patient portal feature in the coming months.

Other

A former medical assistant at Axia Women’s Health (PA) pleads guilty to multiple felony charges related to identity theft, for which she could face up to five years in prison. Ashley Latimer took photos of patient forms and screenshots of EHR data in order to use patient information to open lines of credit, purchase goods, and rent an apartment. She was fired from her previous job at an urgent care clinic after her boss suspected she had stolen petty cash.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic releases a new Designing for Health Podcast featuring Manish Patel, MD.
• Primary Care Joliet (IL) enhances its patient experience with EClinicalWorks EHR and Healow patient engagement solutions.

Blog Posts

• Unlocking the value of IT in healthcare (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 7/12/23

Top News

Fold Health raises $6 million. The company has developed software to help primary care providers unify and automate administrative workflows with an eye to value-based care arrangements

Founders Abhijit Gupta and Ram Sahasranam sold their first startup, EHR optimization company Praxify, to Athenahealth in 2017 for $63 million.

Webinars

July 26 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Lessons We’ve Learned Since Launching our Cancer Prevention Program.” Sponsor: Volpara Health. Presenter: Albert Bonnema, MD, MPH chief medical information officer, Kettering Health System, and Chris Yuppa, product owner for oncology services and cancer prevention, Kettering Health System. Kettering’s IT department has played a critical role in providing an EHR-driven framework to bring cancer risk assessment and individual prevention plans to more than 90,000 patients. Primary care, OB/GYN, oncology, and imaging providers are now able to assess the hereditary, genetic, and lifestyle factors that affect the risk of developing lung, breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancer in any patient encounter. Learn how Kettering brings together people, processes, and technology to be more proactive in the fight against cancer and where its cancer prevention program is headed next.

July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faced by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.

July 27 (Thursday) 2 ET. “Denial Prevention 101: How to stop denials from the start.” Sponsor: Waystar. Presenter: Crystal Ewing, director of product management, Waystar. There’s a reason denial prevention is prominent everywhere in healthcare RCM. Denials reduce cash flow, drive down revenue, and negatively impact the patient and staff experience. More than half of front-end denials don’t have to happen, but, once they do, that money is gone. It’s a pretty compelling reason to take some time now to do some preventative care on your revenue cycle. This webinar will help you optimize your front end to stop denials at the start. We’ll explore the importance of not only having the right data, but having it right where staff need it, when they need it.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

After-hours pediatric telemedicine company Hello Pediatrics raises $3 million in a Series B funding round. The company plans to expand its behavioral healthcare services, as well as into new states. It currently operates in five states along the East Coast.

Gradia Health secures $4.2 million in seed funding. The company has developed software that helps physicians in concierge care practices remotely monitor patients in between visits. Currently focused on gastrointestinal care, it plans to expand to other specialty-specific care pathways.

People

Larry Steenvoorden (Chembio Diagnostics) joins CareCloud as CFO.

Heard Technologies names KK Mulligan (Wheel) COO and Brandon Wolf (Maze) head of support.

Confluent Health promotes Kim Mascaro to EVP of innovations, Meg Dietzel, chief marketing officer, and Bridget Morehouse chief strategy officer.

Announcements and Implementations

National Spine and Pain Centers will leverage Sure Med Compliance’s Perspectives in Care app to help its patients manage their medications.

Privia Health will integrate research, clinical trial, and patient recruitment sites managed by Velocity Clinical Research with select Privia Care Centers.

Caduceus Medical Group (CA) implements ELovu Health’s digital wellness technology for prenatal and maternal care.

Other

Keith Vrbicky, MD debuts his memoir, “Forever Grateful: The Gift of New Life from Organ Donation,” written after he recovered from a heart transplant in 2021. Vrbicky practices at Faith Regional, Midwest Health Partners, and Family Medicine & Convenient Clinic in Nebraska. He launched American Educational Telecommunications, a telemedicine company, in 1999.

Sponsor Updates

• PerfectServe announces that customer satisfaction with its clinical communication solutions have been highlighted in a new KLAS Research report, “Clinical Communication Platforms 2023: A Closer Look at Customer Adoption.”

Blog Posts

• We Surveyed Our Customers on Mental Health Issues. Here’s What We Learned. (AdvancedMD)
• Nurses of Note 2023: The Nurse of Many Titles (PerfectServe)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 7/10/23

Top News

Verifiable raises $27 million in a Series B funding round. The company, which offers automated healthcare credentialing and compliance software, has raised $47 million since launching in 2020.

Webinars

July 12 (Wednesday) 2 ET. “101: National Network Data Exchanges.” Sponsor: Particle Health. Presenter: Troy Bannister, founder and CEO, Particle Health. It’s highly likely that your most recent medical records were indexed by a national Health Information Network (HIN). Network participants can submit basic demographic information into an API and receive full, longitudinal medical records sourced from HINs. Records come in a parsed, standardized format, on demand, with a success rate above 90%. There’s so much more to learn and discover, which is why Troy Bannister is going to provide a 101 on all things HIN. You will learn what HINs are, see how the major HINS compare, and learn how networks will evolve due to TEFCA.

July 26 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Lessons We’ve Learned Since Launching our Cancer Prevention Program.” Sponsor: Volpara Health. Presenter: Albert Bonnema, MD, MPH chief medical information officer, Kettering Health System, and Chris Yuppa, product owner for oncology services and cancer prevention, Kettering Health System. Kettering’s IT department has played a critical role in providing an EHR-driven framework to bring cancer risk assessment and individual prevention plans to more than 90,000 patients. Primary care, OB/GYN, oncology, and imaging providers are now able to assess the hereditary, genetic, and lifestyle factors that affect the risk of developing lung, breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancer in any patient encounter. Learn how Kettering brings together people, processes, and technology to be more proactive in the fight against cancer and where its cancer prevention program is headed next.

July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faced by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Heard Technologies raises $15 million. The startup has developed bookkeeping, taxes, and payroll software for mental health providers, and plans to expand into practice formation, banking, and retirement services.

People

Carenet Health names Rhonda Gibler (Teleperformance) chief sales officer.

Kristi Henderson, DNP (Optum) joins Confluent Health as CEO.

Announcements and Implementations

Stockton Medical Cardiology Group (CA) implements Recora’s virtual recovery solution for heart disease patients.

Sponsor Updates

• MedPeds (MD) successfully upgrades to EClinicalWorks V12.
• PerfectServe announces that customer satisfaction with its clinical communication solutions have been highlighted in a new KLAS Research report, “Clinical Communication Platforms 2023: A Closer Look at Customer Adoption.”
• Central Virginia Health Services upgrades to the latest EClinicalWorks technology to enhance efficiency and care coordination for more than 50,000 patients.

Blog Posts

• Nurses of Note 2023: The Nurse of Many Titles (PerfectServe)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 7/5/23

Top News

Constellation Software’s Harris Computer business acquires the US-based EHR, practice management, and RCM assets of Canadian company CloudMD for $6.3 million. CloudMD sold its Canadian health IT assets last year to Well Health Technologies for $4.3 million. CloudMD is now focused on its Health and Wellness services, particularly in the area of remote patient monitoring.

Webinars

July 12 (Wednesday) 2 ET. “101: National Network Data Exchanges.” Sponsor: Particle Health. Presenter: Troy Bannister, founder and CEO, Particle Health. It’s highly likely that your most recent medical records were indexed by a national Health Information Network (HIN). Network participants can submit basic demographic information into an API and receive full, longitudinal medical records sourced from HINs. Records come in a parsed, standardized format, on demand, with a success rate above 90%. There’s so much more to learn and discover, which is why Troy Bannister is going to provide a 101 on all things HIN. You will learn what HINs are, see how the major HINS compare, and learn how networks will evolve due to TEFCA.

July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faced by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Virtual obesity management clinic Alfie raises $2.1 million in a pre-seed funding round. The company, which uses AI-powered clinical decision support, is working with a large cardiology group to help it manage the weight loss of a select group of obese patients.

Health IT and cybersecurity business Anatomy IT acquires the MIPS/value-based care business of MarsdenAdvisors. Marsden’s remaining migration services business has been renamed Kyval.

Announcements and Implementations

In Oregon, Marion County Health and Human Services goes live on EnSoftek’s DrCloudEHR.

Northwest Pain Care implements EClinicalWorks and its Prisma health information search tool.

Aesthetix CRM adds an AI chat assistant to its CRM for medical aesthetics practices.

OrthoLoneStar (TX) implements Hatch’s white-label patient intake and care coordination software.

A Loving Heart Youth Services selects Cantata Health’s Arize EHR.

Government and Politics

The State of Hawaii joins the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which makes it easier for physicians to become licensed to practice in person and virtually across state lines. The compact is already in effect in 37 other states.

Other

A local Dallas media outlet profiles Sniffle, an AI-powered virtual care app that offers telemedicine to patients, and white-label virtual consult capabilities to physicians. Founder and CEO Rich Blanton says the company, launched in 2017, has signed a revenue-sharing agreement with Athenahealth. The State of Arkansas invested in the company, and its technology is now used by 85 physicians in 10 Arkansas clinics.

Sponsor Updates

• AdvancedMD releases over 25 product enhancements to drive greater productivity for private practices.
• Carson Medical Group (NV) successfully transitions to the EClinicalWorks Cloud EHR
• Nordic releases a new Designing for Health Podcast featuring Memorial Hermann Health System VP of Consumerism Dense Worrell
• EClinicalWorks releases a new podcast, “Redesigned Dashboard: Transforming Safety & Compliance.

• Waystar publishes a report with HFMA featuring research and insights on denials in healthcare.
• FQHC Mountain Park Health Center increases its number of available appointments using health IT solutions from EClinicalWorks.

Blog Posts

• From back office to partners in care: The evolution of hospital information technology departments (Nordic)
• How to Improve Patient Transfers with Better Communication (PerfectServe)
• Health Information Management Budgets: What You Need to Know (HealthMark Group)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 6/28/23

Top News

THL Partners considers selling specialty practice-focused health IT vendor Nextech in a deal that could be worth $1.5 billion. THL acquired Nextech from Francisco Partners in 2019 for $500 million.

Webinars

July 12 (Wednesday) 2 ET. “101: National Network Data Exchanges.” Sponsor: Particle Health. Presenter: Troy Bannister, founder and CEO, Particle Health. It’s highly likely that your most recent medical records were indexed by a national Health Information Network (HIN). Network participants can submit basic demographic information into an API and receive full, longitudinal medical records sourced from HINs. Records come in a parsed, standardized format, on demand, with a success rate above 90%. There’s so much more to learn and discover, which is why Troy Bannister is going to provide a 101 on all things HIN. You will learn what HINs are, see how the major HINS compare, and learn how networks will evolve due to TEFCA.

July 27 (Thursday) noon ET. “Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Use Generative AI.” Sponsor: Orbita. Presenter: Bill Rogers, co-founder, president, and chairman, Orbita. The advent of generative AI tools truly represents a paradigm shift. And while some healthcare leaders embrace the transformation, others are hesitant. Invest 20 minutes to learn why you shouldn’t wait. When combined with natural language processing, workflow automation and conversational dialogs, generative AI can help leaders address a raft of challenges: from over-extended staff, to the rising demand for self-service tools, to delivering secure information to key stakeholders. You will learn where AI delivers the greatest value for providers and life sciences, how it can solve critical challenges faced by healthcare leaders, and how Orbita has integrated generative AI into its conversational platform so healthcare leaders can leverage its full capabilities safely and securely.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

RCM and population health management company UnisLink acquires RCM vendor Healthcare Support Technologies, which supports FQHCs, behavioral health clinics, and rural health clinics.

Blueprint raises $9 million in a Series A funding round. The company offers mental health providers patient tracking and outcomes assessment technologies, as well as a collaborative care app for patients.

In Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart will invest $75 million to gain a minority stake in telemedicine company Maple, whose services are available at 160 of the retail chain’s locations in British Columbia.

Author Health launches with $115 million in funding. The company specializes in offering Medicare Advantage members a team-based, primary care-integrated approach to behavioral healthcare via in-person and virtual visits.

People

William “Bill” Bettermann (Optum) joins P3 Health Partners as EVP and COO.

Tebra names Jon Pexton (UserTesting) CFO.

CentralReach promotes Matt Ward to principal data scientist.

Announcements and Implementations

Heart of Ohio Family Health, an FQHC with six locations in the central part of the state, selects Medicus IT’s MCare managed services.

Community Health Northwest Florida rolls out EClinicalWorks across its 19 locations.

Navina develops a generative AI assistant to help improve the workflows of primary care physicians.

Government and Politics

The US Attorney’s Office charges two former employees of a nonprofit mental healthcare provider in Massachusetts with conspiring to access a protected computer network, plus other charges related to wire fraud. During a two-month period in 2021, the men allegedly attempted to access employee records, listen to and view employee conversations, and develop and deploy a computer program designed to impede an executive’s use of the network. Their efforts shut down the provider’s network, including its EHR.

Research and Innovation

Half of 1,000 surveyed healthcare consumers say they are using more digital health tools than they previously have to communicate with providers and payers. Sixty-two percent expect their online interactions with providers to be just as relevant and consistent as their in-person interactions. Top reasons for changing providers include digital tools that are hard to use, inconsistent experiences across communication channels, and impersonal patient engagement. Not surprisingly, a majority of survey-takers believe AI has the potential to enhance communication between patients, providers, and payers, though not at the expense of patient privacy.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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