News 10/31/18

Top News

The retail healthcare wars heat up: CVS pilots a delivery service for prescriptions and online purchases at 350 stores in Boston. The CarePass program offers free deliveries with an annual membership fee of $48. It also includes discounts on CVS products, access to a pharmacist helpline, and monthly coupons. The move, which CVS Pharmacy President Kevin Hourican attributes to customer demand, takes Amazon’s Prime membership model one step further by bundling prescriptions with retail goods. Though Amazon acquired prescription delivery service PillPack several months ago, it has yet to offer a similar bundling arrangement.

Should the pilot go well, CVS may include MinuteClinic services in an expanded version of the program.

Amazon, meanwhile, has launched a line of medical devices called Choice that includes blood pressure cuffs and glucose monitors. The new line was developed with help from consulting firm Arcadia Group, which has developed similar product lines for Walmart. Arcadia hopes to incorporate the devices into Alexa’s repertoire in the coming months.

Webinars

November 7 (Wednesday) 3:00 ET. “Opioid Crisis: What One Health Plan is Doing About It.” Presenter: Samuel DiCapua, DO, chief medical director, New Hampshire Health Families; and chief medical officer, Casenet. Sponsor: Casenet. This webinar will describe how managed care organization NH Health Families is using innovative programs to manage patients who are struggling with addiction and to help prevent opioid abuse.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Practice and revenue cycle management company Clinicspectrum relocates to expanded headquarters in Union, NJ.

Bloomberg reports that Elliott Management and Veritas Capital have teamed up to bid on Athenahealth. Veritas acquired GE’s revenue-cycle, ambulatory care, and workforce management software business for $1 billion in April.

New York-based HIE HealtheLink expands with new office space in Depew.

Patient engagement and practice marketing company PatientPop raises new capital, increasing its total funding to $75 million.

People

Less than two months after announcing a $24 million Series A funding round, Cricket Health brings on Sam Mankiewicz (Healthvana) CTO, Robert Sepucha (Fresenius Medical Care) chief administrative officer, and Dianna Budgeon, RN (Sound Physicians) head of clinical operations.

Announcements and Implementations

The Michigan Institute of Urology and The Urology Group (OH) go live on Integra Connect’s specialty-focused EHR at a combined 34 locations.

New York-based urgent and primary care provider WestMed Medical Group implements online appointment booking and virtual visit software from Solv Health.

Telemedicine

The American Psychiatric Association and American Telemedicine Association publish "Best Practices in Videoconferencing-Based Telemental Health," offering guidance on technology, settings, privacy and security, and clinical considerations for patients of different ages and backgrounds.

Philadelphia Eyeglass Labs selects 20/20Now’s telemedicine tools for eye care professionals. The five-location practice had been a beta tester of similar technology from DigitalOptometrics.

Other

A Swedish man credits his Apple Watch 4’s fall-detection feature with helping him contact emergency services (and quite possibly avoiding a kitchen fire) after suffering crippling back pain that caused him to collapse in the kitchen. The watch sensed the fall and offered to call an ambulance. The fall-alert feature is set to call an ambulance if a user is unresponsive one minute after a fall is detected.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks posts a podcast titled “Tools and Training to Target Physician Burnout.”
• AdvancedMD will exhibit at APTA PPS November 7-10 in Colorado Springs.
• Aprima will exhibit at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition November 3-5 in Orlando.

Blog Posts

• The Opioid Crisis: How to Increase Patient Safety (EClinicalWorks)
• 7 Key steps for outsourcing RCM for VBC (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 10/29/18

Top News

Primary care startup Carbon Health merges with Direct Urgent Care. The combined company now offers primary and urgent care at seven clinics in Northern California, aided by the Carbon Health app, virtual consults, and chatbot-powered messaging.

Webinars

October 30 (Tuesday) 2:00 ET. “How One Pediatric CIN Aligned Culture, Technology and the Community to Transform Care.” Presenters: Lisa Henderson, executive director, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Shehzad Saeed, MD, associate chief medical officer, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Mason Beard, solutions strategy leader, Philips PHM; Gabe Orthous, value-based care consultant, Himformatics. Sponsor: Philips PHM. Dayton Children’s Health Partners, a pediatric clinically integrated network, will describe how it aligned its internal culture, technology partners, and the community around its goal of streamlining care delivery and improving outcomes. Presenters will describe how it recruited network members, negotiated value-based contracts, and implemented a data-driven care management process.

November 7 (Wednesday) 3:00 ET. “Opioid Crisis: What One Health Plan is Doing About It.” Presenter: Samuel DiCapua, DO, chief medical director, New Hampshire Health Families; and chief medical officer, Casenet. Sponsor: Casenet. This webinar will describe how managed care organization NH Health Families is using innovative programs to manage patients who are struggling with addiction and to help prevent opioid abuse.

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

Announcements and Implementations

Bonita Springs, FL-based EyeMD EMR Healthcare Systems announces GA of its updated EHR for ophthalmologists.

In Arizona, 4C Medical Group will implement Elation’s EHR at its eight clinics.

Casamba adds Kno2’s health data exchange capabilities to its EHR for outpatient therapy practices. Casamba end users will now be able to take advantage of Direct messaging, and tap into the networks of CommonWell, Carequality, and a variety of HIEs and ACOs.

In Chicago, Plumbers Local Union 130 UA selects Cerner to manage a new clinic for members that will open early next year.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Chronic disease management software company Cliexa acquires Preventative Technology Solutions. Cliexa has licensed medical assessment software from PTS for several years as part of its Options behavioral health screening apps for primary care practices. 

The local business paper looks at Indiana University Health Physician’s efforts to acquire Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine – one of the state’s last independent medical groups. IU Health has acquired 65 physician groups since forming in 2009, but is facing a tough road with Goodman Campbell thanks to a fierce independent streak and in-demand physicians who like having the freedom to practice throughout the area’s health systems. Goodman Campbell Executive Director of Operations John Moeller has let it be known that, “Our goal is to continue to be independent.” Goodman Campbell’s contract with IU Health is up in December 2019.

With share prices hovering around $123, CNBC reports that Athenahealth expects to get its highly anticipated deal done with a yet-to-be-named buyer within the next two weeks.

People

The Health Collaborative CEO Craig Brammer will take on the additional role of CEO at The Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement. The Health Collaborative is a member of NRHI, a national nonprofit that works with 30 regional health improvement collaboratives on achieving the Triple Aim.

Government and Politics

CMS issues a proposed rule that would expand covered telemedicine benefits to Medicare Advantage plans starting in 2020.

Telemedicine

Genneve will add telemedicine to its line of health and wellness products and services for menopausal women. The Seattle-based startup will offer the virtual consults in five markets this year, and plans to expand in early 2019.

Urgent care provider Akos and AdviNow Medical partner to develop a medical station that uses augmented reality to guide patients through the self-collection of diagnostic data, which is then sent to an Akos provider via virtual consult. After the consult, AI-based software takes care of e-prescribing and payment details, and follow up.

Other

Suellen Lee, MD gives up her medical license after the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners found she borrowed $300,000 from a patient and co-worker whom she diagnosed with dementia nearly 20 years later. The patient, who was cleared of dementia by another provider, seems to have alerted the board because of Lee’s failure to repay the loan.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks publishes a podcast titled “Long Distance Relationships Made Easy With TeleVisits.”
• AdvancedMD will exhibit at the American Academy of Ophthalmology event through October 30 in Chicago.

Blog Posts

• Three Ways to Succeed with MACRA/MIPS in 2018 and Beyond (EClinicalWorks)
• How to use claims data to get a full report on population health (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 10/24/18

Top News

Digital health company Thirty Madison will launch a telemedicine service for migraine sufferers later this year. The New York City-based company announced a $15 million Series A funding round last week, which it will use for the new product launch and to further develop its telemedicine-based prescription service for men’s hair loss.  

Co-founders Demetri Karagas and Steve Gutentag both hail from Google. They have raised $23 million since launching the company last year.

Webinars

October 30 (Tuesday) 2:00 ET. “How One Pediatric CIN Aligned Culture, Technology and the Community to Transform Care.” Presenters: Lisa Henderson, executive director, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Shehzad Saeed, MD, associate chief medical officer, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Mason Beard, solutions strategy leader, Philips PHM; Gabe Orthous, value-based care consultant, Himformatics. Sponsor: Philips PHM. Dayton Children’s Health Partners, a pediatric clinically integrated network, will describe how it aligned its internal culture, technology partners, and the community around its goal of streamlining care delivery and improving outcomes. Presenters will describe how it recruited network members, negotiated value-based contracts, and implemented a data-driven care management process.

November 7 (Wednesday) 3:00 ET. “Opioid Crisis: What One Health Plan is Doing About It.” Presenter: Samuel DiCapua, DO, chief medical director, New Hampshire Health Families; and chief medical officer, Casenet. Sponsor: Casenet. This webinar will describe how managed care organization NH Health Families is using innovative programs to manage patients who are struggling with addiction and to help prevent opioid abuse.

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

Announcements and Implementations

EClinicalworks adds an Opioid Risk Tool to its EHR, giving providers the ability via smart form to assess a patient’s risk for drug abuse and offer alternatives that align with CDC recommendations.

New York-based Care Compass Network will use care management technology from GSI Health to integrate the EHRs of its community health partners, and improve care delivered to Medicaid patients within its nine-country service area.

Athenahealth incorporates real-time prescription pricing and benefit information from CoverMyMeds with its AthenaClinicals EHR.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Medicare quality reporting company Mingle Analytics merges with care management software company SilverVue to form physician practice-focused Mingle Health. Mingle Analytics founder and CEO David Mingle, MD will become executive chairman of the new company. SilverVue founder and CEO Will West will take on the role of CEO.

People

Patrick Block (LeanKit) joins Relatient as CFO.

MGMA names Akash Madiah (DaVita Medical Group) CFO.

Government and Politics

President Trump signs the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act into law. The 660-page bill focuses on combatting the opioid epidemic. Among other things, it encourages telemedicine utilization for patients suffering from opioid use disorder, and the adoption of EHRs among behavioral health providers.

OCR extends the Mecklenburg Country Health Department in North Carolina an olive branch of sorts by not fining it for a 2017 HIPAA violation. The infraction occurred when the county responded to a local media outlet’s records request with an Excel spreadsheet containing the PHI of thousands of health department patients. The county self-reported the violation, and has agreed to revise its policies, procedures, and training methods; and to purchase hardware and software that will help it better manage records requests.

Research and Innovation

A JAMA study finds that people have crowdfunded over $4 billion sine 2015 to fund unproven medical treatments. The majority of money was raised through GoFundMe for homeopathic or naturopathic cancer treatments.

Other

In HIMSS giveaway news: Smart mug manufacturer Ember connects its temperature- and quantity-sensing features with Apple’s Health app, giving users the ability to track their daily caffeine consumption and to better understand how it impacts their heart rate and sleep patterns. The mugs retail for between $80 and $150.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 10/22/18

Top News

Vatica Health makes a $1 million bid to acquire the assets of chronic care management company CareSync, which abruptly closed its doors in June. The Nashville, TN-based Vatica’s business model seems a little fuzzy based on its opaquely-worded website, which says it offers a “[u]nique blend of proprietary technology and clinical teams that enable providers and payers to thrive in value-based care.” Court filings suggest that the auction of CareSync’s assets could take place as early as November 5.

Webinars

October 30 (Tuesday) 2:00 ET. “How One Pediatric CIN Aligned Culture, Technology and the Community to Transform Care.” Presenters: Lisa Henderson, executive director, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Shehzad Saeed, MD, associate chief medical officer, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Mason Beard, solutions strategy leader, Philips PHM; Gabe Orthous, value-based care consultant, Himformatics. Sponsor: Philips PHM. Dayton Children’s Health Partners, a pediatric clinically integrated network, will describe how it aligned its internal culture, technology partners, and the community around its goal of streamlining care delivery and improving outcomes. Presenters will describe how it recruited network members, negotiated value-based contracts, and implemented a data-driven care management process.

November 7 (Wednesday) 3:00 ET. “Opioid Crisis: What One Health Plan is Doing About It.” Presenter: Samuel DiCapua, DO, chief medical director, New Hampshire Health Families; and chief medical officer, Casenet. Sponsor: Casenet. This webinar will describe how managed care organization NH Health Families is using innovative programs to manage patients who are struggling with addiction and to help prevent opioid abuse.

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

Announcements and Implementations

Allendale Association will implement behavioral health-focused EHR software from Streamline Healthcare Solutions at its facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin.

CarePoint Health (CO) and Holston Medical Group (TN) – both independent, multispecialty physician groups – select RCM software and consulting services from R1 RCM. CarePoint had been a customer of Intermedix, which R1 acquired early this year for $460 million.

EWellness will add automated speech-recognition and transcription technology to its Phzio digital physical therapy platform, which includes remote monitoring and video consults.

People

Scot McCray (BerkleyChambers) joins Community Health Services, an FQHC with six locations in Vermont, as CEO.

Government and Politics

The Health Resources and Services Administration of HHS will award $293 million in scholarships and loan repayments to primary care providers and students working within the National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corps. Providers within these programs typically care for underserved patients in rural, tribal, and urban communities.

Telemedicine

Just in time for flu season: Walmart will give customers who purchase products like Airborne and Mucinex vouchers for free virtual consults from Doctor on Demand.  Walmart’s experience with Doctor on Demand extends to its employees: Virtual visits from the company are included in employee benefits.

Other

This article spotlights the efforts of Turner Impact Capital CEO Bobby Turner to improve the cost and quality of healthcare for seniors in Florida. The investor has partnered with geriatrics-focused primary care company ChenMed to open six Dedicated Senior Medical Centers across the state. Los Angeles-based TIC’s $400 million healthcare fund is directed at facilities focused on ambulatory and transitional care in underserved neighborhoods.

In Montreal, physicians can now prescribe free visits to the local museum of modern art thanks to a pilot program funded by Médecins francophones du Canada and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. “There’s more and more scientific proof that art therapy is good for your physical health,” says family physician and association VP Hélène Boyer, MD. “It increases our level of cortisol and our level of serotonin.. People tend to think this is only good for mental health issues. That it’s for people who’re depressed or who have psychological problems. But that’s not the case. It’s good for patients with diabetes, for patients in palliative care, for people with chronic illness.”

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks will exhibit at CHCANYS18 Annual Conference and Clinical Forum through October 23 in Tarrytown, NY.

Blog Posts

• How Phoenix Children’s Patient-Centered Strategy is Driving Better Care and Improving Productivity (MediComp Systems)
• How telehealth helps to improve compliance among ADHD patients (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 10/17/18

Top News

Digital prescription savings company OptimizeRx acquires interactive patient messaging vendor CareSpeak Communications for an undisclosed sum.

Webinars

October 30 (Tuesday) 2:00 ET. “How One Pediatric CIN Aligned Culture, Technology and the Community to Transform Care.” Presenters: Lisa Henderson, executive director, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Shehzad Saeed, MD, associate chief medical officer, Dayton Children’s Health Partners; Mason Beard, solutions strategy leader, Philips PHM; Gabe Orthous, value-based care consultant, Himformatics. Sponsor: Philips PHM. Dayton Children’s Health Partners, a pediatric clinically integrated network, will describe how it aligned its internal culture, technology partners, and the community around its goal of streamlining care delivery and improving outcomes. Presenters will describe how it recruited network members, negotiated value-based contracts, and implemented a data-driven care management process.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

It looks like Aledade has raised more money, though maybe not in an entirely new round of financing. The Bethesda, MD-based company has accrued nearly $100 million since launching four years ago.

Announcements and Implementations

In New York, CareMount Medical integrates MyHealthDirect’s online scheduling software with its NextGen EHR across primary care, pediatrics, dermatology, and OB/GYN. The independent group – the largest of its kind in the state – will roll it out to additional specialties next year.

MDToolbox adds real-time prescription drug benefit and pricing information, plus therapeutic alternatives, to its e-prescribing software.

DACCO Behavioral Health (FL) selects care coordination, e-prescribing, and revenue cycle software from Streamline Healthcare Solutions.

Casamba adds RCM capabilities from IKS Health to its EHR for clinics, post-acute care, therapy, and hospice facilities.

Telemedicine

NextGen adds virtual visit capabilities from Otto Health to its ambulatory EHR.

Other

The New Hampshire Board of Medicine fines Nashua Pain Management Aaron Geller, MD $2,000 for a number of unorthodox practices and beliefs including a lack of patient drug testing based on the belief that some opioids are abuse-resistant and that gainfully employed patients are at lower risk for addiction. Poor electronic record-keeping – verging on the “abysmal” – was also noted in the 16-page ruling outlining all of his transgressions, which came to light after a three-day hearing.

The Sequoia Project creates the Interoperability Matters Advisory Group and solicits nominations for workgroup members who will provide HIE updates and feedback on interoperability recommendations. The Advisory Group will ultimately use the expertise of its workgroups to develop interoperability resources and action plans.

The AMA releases a Digital Health Implementation Playbook, offering physicians 12 action steps, plus best practices and resources, to aid in digital health adoption. The guide’s initial area of focus is on remote patient monitoring using wearables and other devices that generate data outside of a physician’s office.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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