News 6/26/23

Top News

Independent primary care practice management company Aledade raises $260 million in a Series F round of funding, with which it will improve and acquire services and technology. It has raised $678 million since former National Coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD launched the company in 2014.

Aledade, now valued at $3.5 billion, supports more than 1,500 practices in value-based care arrangements across the country.

Additionally, Efrem Castillo, MD (Optum) joins the company as SVP for Medicare Advantage.

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

Hybrid behavioral healthcare provider Octave raises $52 million in a Series C round of funding, bringing its total raised to $86 million.

Well Health Technologies subsidiary CRH Medical invests in Graphium Health, a billing and patient management software vendor serving anesthesia practices in the US. CRH implemented Graphium’s technology at two of its anesthesia sites as part of a pilot in 2022, and plans to expand the implementation to at least 54 ASCs over the next three years.

46VC makes a strategic investment in patient intake and referral technology startup Titan Intake. 

People

Modern Health names Neha Chaudhary, MD (BeMe Health) chief medical officer.

Holly McCann (Teleperformance) joins Carenet Health as EVP of sales.

On Belay Health Solutions names Bob LoNigro (HealthCare Partners), SVP, clinical affairs and Kate Casaday (Optum) chief of staff and executive director of program management.

Announcements and Implementations

South Community (OH) implements Cantata Health’s Arize EHR.

Haymarket Center (IL) selects NextGen Healthcare’s EHR and practice management software.

Government and Politics

CRH Healthcare and Peachtree Immediate Care will pay $1.6 million to resolve claims that they upcoded Evaluation and Management claims to Medicare. The Atlanta-based urgent care chain’s coding improprieties were brought to light by several whistleblowers.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 6/14/23

Top News

Virtual digestive care provider Oshi Health announces investments from the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association’s GI Opportunity Fund. The company, which launched three years ago, announced the closing of a $30 million Series B funding round in April.

Webinars

June 22 (Thursday) 2 ET. “The End of COVID Public Health Emergency is Here. Is Your Rev Cycle Ready?” Sponsor: Waystar. Presenter: Vanessa L. Moldovan, commercial enablement + insights program manager, Waystar. This webinar will describe the proactive steps that are needed to avoid increased rejections and denials. It will cover regulatory waivers and flexibilities, major shifts in telehealth, changes to reimbursement, and the impact of the end of the PHE on Medicaid coverage.

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.

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

People

Breastfeeding and infant nutrition telemedicine provider SimpliFed names Mary Hardy (Impathiq) chief commercialization officer.

Emily Transue, MD (Washington State Health Care Authority) joins Comagine Health as chief clinical officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Behavioral healthcare clinic Life is a Journey (TX) implements EClinicalWorks.

Lybbie adds virtual lactation consults from Nest Collaborative to its breastfeeding support app.

360 Medical Billing Solutions enhances its medical billing dashboards for urgent care centers and emergency rooms with business intelligence software from InetSoft Technology.

ACO Reach model participant Ilumed will leverage Spatially Health’s social determinants of health screening and decision support software.

Other

SMH: The SafetyDetectives research team determines that the top three most used (and hacked) passwords in the world are “123456,” “password,” and “123456789.” Americans especially love “password.”

Sponsor Updates

• AssociatesMD (FL) increases patient engagement after implementing Healow technology from EClinicalWorks.
• Nordic releases an episode of its In Network podcast titled “Making Rounds: Turning data into insights with managed services.”
• Nordic will exhibit at HFMA June 25-28 in Nashville.

Blog Posts

• We Surveyed Our Customers on Mental Health Issues. Here’s What We Learned. (AdvancedMD)
• Getting to grips with chronic disease management (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 6/12/23

Top News

Pomelo Care, a virtual clinic specializing in pregnancy and newborn care, announces $33 million in funding. Founder and CEO Marta Kerns launched the company in 2021 after spending seven years at Flatiron Health.

Webinars

June 22 (Thursday) 2 ET. “The End of COVID Public Health Emergency is Here. Is Your Rev Cycle Ready?” Sponsor: Waystar. Presenter: Vanessa L. Moldovan, commercial enablement + insights program manager, Waystar. This webinar will describe the proactive steps that are needed to avoid increased rejections and denials. It will cover regulatory waivers and flexibilities, major shifts in telehealth, changes to reimbursement, and the impact of the end of the PHE on Medicaid coverage.

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.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Cityblock Health, a tech-enabled primary and behavioral healthcare provider serving Medicaid and Medicare patients, will lay off 155 employees as part of an organizational restructuring plan. The company launched six years ago, and operates 12 clinics in five states and Washington, DC. It also offers home-based urgent care and virtual appointments.

People

Daymon Smith (Verily) joins Interwell Health as chief product and technology officer.

PracticeNow names Bethany Little (Community Brands) CEO.

Announcements and Implementations

Chicago Stem Cell Therapy & Pain Management Institute transitions from paper-based documentation to EClinicalWorks.

Government and Politics

CMS will launch a new primary care model – Making Care Primary – across eight states beginning July 1, 2024. The model will offer participating providers resources to:

• provide patients with primary care that is coordinated, integrated, and accountable;
• enter into value-based care arrangements; and
• improve care quality and outcomes while decreasing costs.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announces $1.5 million in grant funding for providers interested in participating in its Centers for Excellence model. Qualifying providers, particularly those serving rural populations, can use the funding to attract specialty care providers, invest in new technology, and remodel physical spaces.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks releases a new podcast, “Prisma: Enhancements & Benefits for Clinicians.”
• AdvancedMD publishes a new e-book, “The Private Equity M&A Playbook: A Guide for Private Practices.”

Blog Posts

• Nurses of Note 2023: The Interim Director and Nurse Development Leader (PerfectServe)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 6/7/23

Top News

New York City-based Yuvo Health raises $20 million in a Series A round of financing. The company offers FQHCs technology-based operational and administrative expertise for value-based care.

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Eye care-focused health IT firm Codex IT acquires EyeDeal Consulting, marking its third acquisition of 2023. EyeDeal Consulting owner Chris Dean has become Codex’s VP of professional services.

Employer-focused virtual musculoskeletal care company MD Ortho secures funding from Virginia Venture Partners.

Karoo Health raises $3 million in seed funding. The company, set to officially launch later this month, offers holistic, value-based cardiology care that includes remote patient monitoring, nutrition counseling, and personal coaching.

People

Eli Wahesh (CareMetx) joins Healthmap Solutions as COO.

Announcements and Implementations

Providence Anesthesiology Associates (NC) selects Gemini coding workflow software from Aidéo Technologies.

CarePoint Clinic (WA) implements C3S.ai’s health and social care management solution.

Research and Innovation

Fair Health’s Monthly Regional Telehealth Tracker finds that telehealth visits increased by nearly two percent from February to March, particularly in the Midwest and West. Mental health conditions and acute respiratory diseases and infections accounted for the top two diagnoses.

Sponsor Updates

• Horizon Health Care (SD) expands its use of EClinicalWorks to include the company’s behavioral health module.
• Nordic publishes an episode of its Designing for Health podcast that features an interview with Allison McCoy, PhD.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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Contact us online.
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News 6/5/23

Top News

Medical and dental billing company Medusind acquires behavioral healthcare software vendor Lightning Step’s Ava Billing & Consulting subsidiary.

Lightning Step acquired Ava Billing & Consulting in 2019. It also owns ZenCharts, which it acquired in March 2022.

Webinars

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

People

On Belay Health Solutions names Megan Sufka (Unite Us) chief people officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Hybrid healthcare provider Carbon Health adds an AI-enabled notes assistant to its EHR for hands-free charting.

Government and Politics

New Jersey-based Manasa Health Center will pay $30,000 to settle potential HIPAA violations stemming from a response it posted to a patient’s negative online review. Prompted by a patient complaint, an HHS OCR investigation found that the psychiatry practice may have disclosed patient diagnoses and treatment details in its response to four separate negative online reviews.

Other

Albany ENT & Allergy Services notifies patients of a data breach that occurred within its network in late March.

In Australia, the local paper profiles 81 year-old rural physician and aerial stunt pilot David Cooke, who still regularly flies to remote areas to treat patients. In addition to his practice, he performs with a group of pilots called the Bobcats. He served with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the 60s and 70s and isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon: “People say, ‘Why, at 81, don’t you retire?’ and I say, ‘Because I love work’. I love sitting in my surgery and talking to people and being up in the air.”

Sponsor Updates

• Be Well Primary Care (TX) transitions to EClinicalWorks V12.

Blog Posts

• Optimizing the Transfer and Call Centers – Methodist Le Bonheur + Call Center (PerfectServe)

• 4 Business Insights to Help Your Healthcare Practice Grow in 2023 (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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