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News 12/2/19

December 2, 2019 News Comments Off on News 12/2/19

Top News

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AWS unveils a healthcare-focused version of its transcription service for cloud customers that converts dictated medical notes or multi-party conversations to text in real time.


HIStalk Practice Musings

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It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is over and Christmas and a new year are just around the corner. I’m hoping a few books will find their way under my tree this year. I’d love to know what’s on your reading wish list. Email me with titles you’re hoping Santa will bring, assuming you’re on the “nice” list!

Not sure what to ask for? CNBC reporter Chrissy Farr has compiled a list of the 40 books she read over the last year. Perhaps it will inspire you to cut down on social media time. Farr says she stopped using Instagram for six months and cut back on Netflix, which gave her back eight to 10 hours each week.

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Finally, my love of health IT and Hallmark Channel collide: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has created a movie based on the true love story of Jack and Alice Totah (which was included in the book “God Wink Christmas Stories.”). The Texas couple met through a series of coincidences that included their uncles meeting on a boat to America 50 years before Jack and Alice married. Jack works for health IT vendor ScImage.


Webinars

December 10 (Tuesday) 1:00 ET. “Move on from the age of the inefficient EHR.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Jim Thompson, MD, physician informaticist, IMO; Obaid Baig, product manager, IMO. The EHR seems more like transactional workflow system rather than an intuitive clinical documentation tool, creating the possibility of loss of data consistency and the need for manual workarounds. The presenters will describe how to turn an EHR into a powerful tool that can help improve workflows and documentation so that clinicians can focus on care, not coding and reimbursement.

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


Announcements and Implementations

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EvoHealth adds ScriptSender’s automated communication software for referring providers to its RIS solution.

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ClearData announces GA of its Healthcare Security and Compliance Platform, which includes software, managed services, and professional services for public cloud-based uses across multiple healthcare verticals.


Telemedicine

Telepsychiatry is booming in Missouri, according to data from the University of Missouri and the Missouri Telehealth Network, which shows that tele-visits by Medicaid beneficiaries have increase tenfold since 2010. Mental and behavioral healthcare made up 65% of visits in 2016 – a trend that has continued. Telemedicine’s growing popularity is helping to address the state’s physician shortage: “A lot of our counties,” says Compass Health Network’s Cathy Grigg, “obviously, in the middle of the state are very rural,” she said. “Our providers don’t want to live there; they want to live in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia.”


Other

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CNBC digs into increasing presence of physicians on TikTok, a short video app that is becoming increasingly popular with tweens and teens. Doctors like Rose Marie Leslie, MD (@DrLeslie) has amassed 300,000 followers with videos devoted to combating health misinformation. Her anti-vaping videos have been especially effective, largely because they’re meeting users where they’re at and educating them on vaping’s dangers. “I may not be the perfect health guru on social media,” she says. “I don’t meditate or do yoga, I rarely get enough sleep, I’m not vegan and I don’t post inspirational quotes. But let me tell you, I have never and will never try to convince you that drinking celery juice cures cancer.”

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White Plains, NY-based Ivy Rehab Network notifies patients of a data breach that occurred in May after an employee fell victim to an email phishing attack.


Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 11/27/19

November 27, 2019 News Comments Off on News 11/27/19

Top News

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Activist investor Starboard Value takes an undisclosed stake in CVS Health and enters into “amicable” talks with its management. Like Walgreens, CVS is suffering from the threat of retailers like Amazon and Walmart encroaching on its retail pharmacy and clinic space. Both Walgreens and CVS have and plan to close underperforming locations within the next year.

Starboard made news earlier this year when it took several seats on Cerner’s board. The Financial Times reported in April that though Paul Singer’s Elliott Management (of Athenahealth takeover infamy) manages more money, Starboard has become a more prolific activist investor.


Webinars

December 10 (Tuesday) 1:00 ET. “Move on from the age of the inefficient EHR.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Jim Thompson, MD, physician informaticist, IMO; Obaid Baig, product manager, IMO. The EHR seems more like transactional workflow system rather than an intuitive clinical documentation tool, creating the possibility of loss of data consistency and the need for manual workarounds. The presenters will describe how to turn an EHR into a powerful tool that can help improve workflows and documentation so that clinicians can focus on care, not coding and reimbursement.

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


Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

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Virtual chronic care management company Orb Health opens new headquarters in Richardson, TX.

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Provider scheduling and clinical workforce management software company Qgenda will relocate 300 Atlanta-based employees to expanded office space in Buckhead.

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The local paper profiles the journey of seven physicians who have broken away from CaroMont Health in North Carolina and now work for themselves as part of the newly formed Gaston Medical Partners, which will officially open for business on December 2. Brian Wysong, MD says the GMP physicians were tired of the hospital’s bureaucracy, and lack of control when it came to office management. Tryon Medical Partners, another local practice made up of physicians who’ve broken away from a major health system, will provide GMP with practice management services including IT. Wysong says the long-term goal, once legal challenges with CaroMont are resolved, are to join Tryon.


Announcements and Implementations

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ISalus Healthcare integrates prescription price transparency and electronic prior authorization solutions from CoverMyMeds with its EHR and practice management software.

Nextech adds RCM capabilities from Encoda to its practice management software for specialty practices.

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Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades (OR) will use a $33,000 grant from the Coverys Community Healthcare Foundation to implement Epic.

Healthmonix integrates ChartSpan’s chronic care management services with its analytics and MIPS reporting capabilities.


People

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PatientPop hires Nick Bellomo (Tastemade) as CFO.

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Medicare care management and patient engagement company MD Revolution promotes Kyle Williams to CEO upon its acquisition of competitor Falcon Care.


Telemedicine

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MeMD expands its line of urgent care telemedicine services to include care specific to men and women, including erectile dysfunction, menopause, hair loss, and smoking cessation.


Sponsor Updates

  • Nordic staff volunteer at The River Food Pantry and donate gifts for 65 local children.

Blog Posts


Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 11/25/19

November 25, 2019 News Comments Off on News 11/25/19

Top News

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The USDA announces $42.5 million in grants for 133 distance learning and telemedicine projects in 37 states and two territories.


Webinars

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


Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

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First announced in April, VillageMD and Walgreens open their first co-located primary care practice in Houston. They plan to open four more Village Medical at Walgreens practices in the area over the next two months. VillageMD offers patients proprietary registration, care coordination, remote patient monitoring, and virtual visit technology.

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Canadian primary care and software company Well Health Technologies acquires Trinity Healthcare Technologies for $5.4 million. Well has been strategically acquiring businesses that sell OSCAR EHR technology; Trinity is its fifth such purchase.


Announcements and Implementations

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Patient intake software vendor Clearwave develops an interface with Modernizing Medicine’s EHR and practice management systems.

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Eyefinity adds payment processing capabilities from FIS to its EHR and practice management products for optometry practices.


People

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Online prescription delivery and telemedicine company Blink Health names Gene McKenna (Groupon) head of performance marketing and analytics.


Telemedicine

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Jaclyn Qualter, NP launches virtual care company LogIn Clinics in North Carolina. Customers can choose from one-time visits or monthly memberships for individuals and families. Qualter, who touts telemedicine certification from the Global Health Access Institute, hopes to also set up telemedicine kiosks in retail outlets and communal spaces that will connect patients with LogIn Clinic providers.


Other

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Canadian physician Arnold Tweed, MD publishes “Medical Misadventures: What I Didn’t Learn in Medical School,” a collection of short stories collected over the course of his 50-year career in medicine. Tweed says his favorite story is probably the one about “the exotic dancer who called herself Juanita and used a snake in her act.” He has so far donated over $1,000 to a scholarship fund for his alma mater from the book’s proceeds.


Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 11/20/19

November 20, 2019 News Comments Off on News 11/20/19

Top News

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Kareo decides to sell its RCM services business to Health Prime International, an EHR, practice management, and billing vendor based in National Harbor, MD.

Kareo CEO Dan Rodrigues says the company will focus its efforts on its practice management and EHR products, and will offer outsourced billing services through its network of 1,500 partners. “We believe this shift in strategy will also help Kareo build stronger relationships with medical billing companies, who in the past were concerned about competing with their software supplier.”

The company’s first (and possibly last) report on medical billing industry trends from earlier this year projected a 12% growth in revenue this year for medical billing companies. The report also found that 28% of surveyed physicians plan to outsource their billing within the next two years.


HIStalk Practice Musings

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In the latest installment of Hyland’s “What Our Execs are Reading” series, EVP and CCO Ed McQuiston praises “The Challenger Sale” and its sequel, “The Challenger Customer,” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson. McQuiston believes that, “As drivers of change, we need to talk about our audience. Because we might be focusing on the wrong people. Turns out, whether you’re selling into an organization, or trying to lead change within it, it’s not the people who are early adopters we need to embrace. It’s the skeptics.”

Holiday downtime will soon be upon us. If you’re looking for something to read, check out the titles included in these lists:

Literary lists should be in ample supply as the year winds down. Please email me with any that you come across – the wackier, the better.


Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

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Home-based chronic care management startup Presidium Health raises $3.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Alethea Capital Management. The San Diego-based company’s capabilities include Secure Text Activated Triage, a medical alert device home-bound patients can use to communicate with their care team and transmit vitals in real time.

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Wellframe, a digital health management company based in Boston, announces a $20 million Series C funding round. The company has developed a patient-facing app that offers secure messaging and an interactive daily healthcare checklist for patients that can also generate intervention alerts.


People

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Canadian health IT firm Premier Health Group names David Ostrow, MD (University of British Columbia) CMO.


Announcements and Implementations

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New Jersey Urology will implement ISalus Healthcare’s HealthWatch chronic care management program across its 40 locations. The program includes access to HealthWatch’s MyMedicalLocker patient portal. The service is now available in 40 states.

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Retail clinic and telemedicine company CarePortMD implements AI-powered diabetic retinopathy eye exam technology from IDx at Albertsons grocery stores in Delaware and Pennsylvania.


Telemedicine

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CVS Health expands its Minute Clinic virtual care program with the addition of Teladoc-powered services at locations in Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey.


Research and Innovation

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Convenience trumps loyalty when it comes to patient access and engagement, according to a DocASAP survey of 1,000 patients. A few key findings:

  • Eighty-four percent of patients say the ability to schedule an appointment outside of office hours is somewhat to very important.
  • Ninety would choose the more convenient care option, such as a video visit, even if their PCP was available at their preferred time.
  • Just over half reported missing or delaying an appointment because scheduling was too difficult.
  • Top barriers to appointment scheduling included lengthy wait times for the actual appointment, a lack of options for scheduling outside off a practice’s office hours, and unavailability of preferred providers.

Sponsor Updates

  • EClinicalWorks posts a podcast titled “Telluride Medical Center: On the Primary Care Frontier.”
  • A five-year study finds that a health literacy incentive program using health education content from Healthwise lowered healthcare costs.

Blog Posts


Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

News 11/18/19

November 18, 2019 News Comments Off on News 11/18/19

Top News

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The US Attorney’s office in Chicago has charged three former Outcome Health employees with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, all of which are related to a scheme to defraud customers and investors that led to several executive exits, a tarnished reputation, and a $70 million settlement with the DoJ.

The charges are the first to result from the uncovering two years ago of the company’s attempts to falsify the size and effectiveness of its digital advertising efforts in waiting and exam rooms. Former co-founders Rishi Shah and Shradha Agarwal have not been charged.


HIStalk Practice Musings

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I love this: Jean-Jacques Megel-Nuber has constructed a mobile, used bookstore that he drives around to villages in eastern France. The tiny house holds 3,000 books and is equipped with special shelving that can handle the bumpy back roads of Alsace. He takes the house out twice a month to seasonal festivals and literary events.

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Michael Young, MD wins a Best of Los Angeles Award – Best Novel with Medical Theme for “The Illness of Medicine: Experiences of Clinical Practice.” Young is a surgeon and director of the Division of Urology Innovation and Technology at the University of Illinois – Chicago, which makes me wonder how he’s eligible for an LA-based award.


Webinars

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


Announcements and Implementations

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EHR and practice management software vendor EMDs adds DrFirst’s consumer-facing medication adherence tools to its e-prescribing technology.

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Plantation, FL-based CascadeMD launches with AI-powered, voice-dictation software that populates a patient’s EHR.


Government and Politics

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Providers may want to give this a try: HHS hires Living Security to offer 72 employees a cybersecurity-focused Escape Room experience. Challenges included how to identify and use two-factor authentication, recognize phishing emails and personally identifiable information, find unsecure WiFi access points, and assess physical computer security.


Telemedicine

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Hope Family Health in rural Tennessee will use a $21,000 donation from The AT&T Foundation to expand its telemedicine program for behavioral health.


Other

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In case you were wondering … (TikTok, fka Musical.ly, is an app that features short, user-generated video content. I’ve never been on it, probably because it appeals to the youngest member of my family.)


Sponsor Updates

  • Intelligent Medical Objects will exhibit at the AMIA 2019 Annual Symposium through November 20 in Washington, DC.

Blog Posts


Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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

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