News 11/17/16

Top News

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD releases the first Surgeon General’s report on substance abuse disorders. The report highlights the increasingly sad stats related to addiction in the US:

• Twenty-one million Americans deal with substance abuse disorders – more than the number of people who have all cancers combined. 
• One in seven people will likely develop a substance use disorder at some point in their lives.
• Just one in 10 receives treatment.

The Surgeon General writes that the “[u]se of Health IT is expanding to support greater communication and collaboration among providers, fostering better integrated and collaborative care, while at the same time protecting patient privacy. It also has the potential for expanding access to care, extending the workforce, improving care coordination, reaching individuals who are resistant to engaging in traditional treatment settings, and providing outcomes and recovery monitoring.” Along those same lines, he also advocates for greater integration of primary healthcare and behavioral health providers, and better use of patient portals, HIEs, and technology-delivered treatments.

Webinars

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

Announcements and Implementations

Concordia Systems adds automated telephone check-in calls to its line of SentinelCare technologies for post-acute, physical therapy/rehabilitation, and homecare patients. The messaging, intended to increase patient engagement and medication adherence, determines if medications have been taken, asks how the respondent is feeling and if anything is needed, and if the patient would like to have a follow-up call from a nurse or physician.

HIE San Diego Health Connect selects medical imaging technology from Ambra Health to better enable participants to view and share digital images.

Practice development company Unified Physician Management will roll out enterprise software and IT services from IDS, including radiology applications and clinical reporting, to 1,000 Ob/Gyn end users in five states.

The Southwest Diagnostic Imaging Center (TX) implements payment software from Royal Solutions Group.

Patient satisfaction data acquisition and analytics vendor MedStatix joins Greenway Health’s online marketplace of PM tools.

New West Physicians (CO) selects text messaging technology from PMD across its 18 offices in the greater Denver area.

People

Urgent care center company American Family Care promotes Jeremy Allen, MD to medical director, Birmingham region.

MedZed appoints Jeffery LeBenger, MD (Summit Medical Group), Rishi Manchanda, MD (The Wonderful Company), Christine Ritchie, MD (University of California San Francisco), Mark Smith, MD (Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network), and Bart Wald, MD (Providence Health & Services) to its new clinical advisory board.

Telemedicine

Athenahealth adds eVisit virtual consult technology to its EHR. The integration affords end users automated patient record verification, insurance collection, visit documentation, and scheduling between the two systems.

Research and Innovation

Carolina Partners in Mental Healthcare (NC) teams with Mynd Analytics to offer the SMART-MD clinical trial to service members, veterans, and family members. The trial, geared towards patients suffering from depression, will use Mynd’s predictive technology to help physicians determine what medication is best for treatment based on brain function and access to long-term outcomes registry data.

Government and Politics

CMS develops an API to help providers automatically share digital data for the Medicare Quality Payment Program. Using the new tool, software developers can retrieve and maintain the QPP’s measures, and build applications for clinicians and their practices.

Local news highlights the Alabama Medical Board’s efforts to make sure physicians check the state’s prescription drug-monitoring program before prescribing controlled substances. No such mandate currently exists, though the state Alabama leads the country in the volume of prescriptions written. “For those doctors who believe their patients are not doctor shopping, and that their patients are doing everything that they’re supposed to be doing and that they don’t need to check the PDMP, just try it on a few,” suggests internal medicine specialist Darlene Traffanstedt, MD. “They may be really surprised by what they see. I think to not use it as a tool to improve patient care is not ideal.” 

Other

The popular Disney show “Doc McStuffins” will be renewed for a fifth season – news that will no doubt thrill folks like Myiesha Taylor, MD who helped found the “We Are Doc McStuffins” movement right after the show launched in 2013. Taylor went on to create the Artemis Medical Society, a global group that supports female physicians of color worldwide.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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5 Questions with Richard Morel, MD Co-Medical Director, Westmed Medical Group

Richard Morel, MD is co-medical director of Westmed Medical Group, a large multispecialty practice that employs 350 physicians across 14 locations in New York and Connecticut. Westmed, which uses GE Centricity and has attested for Meaningful Use annually since its inception, is working with Bridge Portal to develop a new patient portal that will directly communicate with its EHR. The group hopes to gain a better patient interface and add mobility functions, including a branded app. 

Why did Westmed decide the time was right to implement new mobile-friendly portal technology?
Most people access technology through their phones; even though GE’s portal is not compatible with handheld devices, we noted that the majority of our patients were still using their phones to access the website and portal. Our goal is to provide a better patient experience. The new portal will launch in March.

How is the medical group helping its practices prepare for MACRA?
Westmed is well positioned to succeed under MACRA. We have been involved in quality metric reporting for years and have some of the highest quality scores in the nation (for example, we were number three nationally for the MSSP diabetes composite score for 2015, and were one of 18 practices to receive the 2015 Million Hearts award from the CDC for hypertension control). We have also been focused on cost by trying to provide the right care at the right time and in the right place.

I understand that Westmed has an ACO. What kind is it, and how has it utilized health IT to achieve savings?
We are a track 1 MSSP and have multiple other ACO-like contracts with commercial insurers. We have used IT to automate the closure of many gaps in care. A few examples: Four weeks prior to a scheduled appointment, we automatically scan for patients who are overdue for mammograms or diabetic eye exams. We then reach out to them by text, email, or phone (based on their preference) and offer to schedule the test one hour before or after their upcoming appointment. We also have customized the EHR to automatically scan for all gaps in care including flu shots, pneumonia shots, diabetic measures, and cancer screenings. The orders can automatically be entered and then reviewed by the provider when they enter the room.

Aside from MACRA, what other projects and programs is Westmed looking at?
We had wanted to apply for the CPC+ program, but unfortunately our region was not included.

The holidays are coming! What is on your health IT wish list?
For our app development to go well and be completed on time.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 11/16/16

Top News

Humana doles out nearly $94 million to 4,465 provider organizations that participate in the payer’s Provider Quality Rewards Program, a program Humana has run since 2012. Sixty-three percent of Humana’s Medicare Advantage members receive care from PCPs involved in the company’s valued-based payment programs, which incentivize physicians for improved outcomes related to breast and colorectal cancer screenings, and diabetes treatment management, among others.

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

Don’t miss the latest batch of practice-oriented interviews:

• ACO CVCHIP Board Chair Lerla Joseph, MD shares insight into the challenges practices face when it comes to reporting for value-based payment programs.
• Coordinated Care Oklahoma Chief Administrative Officer Brian Yeam, MD outlines the increasingly important role secure messaging and advanced directives play in health information exchange.
• Northwest Physicians Network CEO Rick MacCornack sheds light on the role physician networks play in connecting disparate EHRs and the value of working with startups.

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Point-of-care patient education company Context Media acquires competitor AccentHealth for an undisclosed sum. AccentHealth’s content is produced by Harvard Medical School and CNN’s Medical Unit, and hosted by Sanjay Gupta, MD.

People

FQHC operator Family HealthCare Network (CA) promotes Paramvir Sidhu, MD to deputy chief clinical officer.

Avi Fichman (Center for Public Integrity) and Jeff Goldman (Valence Health) join the Primary Care Coalition as COO, and vice President for population health, respectively.

Announcements and Implementations

Aprima offers a cloud-based faxing solution for its EHR.

Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients selects real-time patient matching technology from Verato to better match and link patient identities across HIE members in Maryland and Washington, DC.

Sikka Software adds schedule alerts and estimated patient arrival times to its Practice Mobilizer app for optometrists, dentists, and veterinarians.

Telemedicine

SnapMD adds new features to its Virtual Care Management app including the ability to enter, view, and manage appointments; view and manage billing details; and access health insurance information. The Los Angeles based company closed its latest round of funding in June, and has raised $7.5 million since launching in 2013.

Nuance-affiliated My Client Notes leans on teletherapy technology from E-Psychiatry to launch a telecounseling service for church teams and ministries.  

Government and Politics

The Alameda County Health Care Services Agency receives a $140 million grant from the California Dept. of Health Care Services that it will use to partially fund Alameda County Care Connect. The $280 million program, which aims to improve health outcomes for the homeless and mentally ill, will focus $15 million on creating a countywide data-sharing and care coordination system. “We’re going to develop a universal consent for sharing information,” says HCSA Medical Director Kathleen Clanon, “so that patient information can be shared with different agencies so … they don’t have to start from scratch.”

AMA members adopt a number of policies and resolutions at the association’s interim meeting in Orlando this week, including those that promote the safe and effective use of digital health apps with an eye towards security and protecting physicians from liability. The association also stressed the need for interoperability between state prescription drug monitoring programs and EHRs so that physicians can learn when their patients receive controlled substances from other prescribers.

Research and Innovation

A study finds that patients with chronic conditions are more apt to take their medication on a regular basis when they are part of a patient-centered medical home. In analyzing Aetna claims data on 300,000 patients between 2011 and 2013, researchers found that PCMH patients were adherent 64 percent of the time versus 59 percent of patients in non-PCMH practices. PCMH medication adherence rates were slightly higher for patients with diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Sponsor Updates

• Intelligent Medical Objects exhibits at the AMIA 2016 Annual Symposium in Chicago.

Blog Posts

• Optimization with Provider and Patient Experience (Culbert Healthcare Solutions)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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News 11/15/16

Top News

CareCloud raises a $31.5 million Series C thanks to support from new, leading investor Blue Cloud Ventures. The Miami-based company will use the cash infusion to expand its team and further develop its line of EHR, RCM, PM, and patient engagement software. It has raised $103 million since launching in 2009 – $46 million of which have been raised under the leadership of Ken Comée, who joined the company as CEO in April 2015. You can read my interview with him, conducted shortly after he took the helm, here.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Last night’s “Supermoon” (the closest the orb has been to Earth since 1948) prompted lots of drive-time talk this morning about its effect on school-aged children (who are normally so well behaved). Anecdotes abound relating to the number of births and ED visits during lunar events. Researchers have even determined that people, on average, sleep 13 minutes less on nights of such moonlit activity. I wonder if practices see an influx of illness during these times? Feel free to share anecdotes in the comments below.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. View previous webinars on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

FitLyfe adds clinical analytics and automation to its digital health and wellness technologies geared to member-based programs. The new capabilities will offer users care plans based on their health data, as well as proactive messaging related to preventive screenings and recommendations.

IHealth Innovations develops a set of wellness and revenue assistance program services to help physician practices and medical groups implement quality improvement programs under MACRA. In a refreshing turn of phrase, the company stresses that “more technology is not the answer” when it comes to transitioning to value-based payment programs. “For practices with the right strategic guidance and resources in place,” explains Chief Growth Officer Justin Barnes, “QPP incentives could represent significant earnings as well as penalty-avoidance between now and 2020.” I interviewed Barnes shortly after he joined the company several months ago, and am looking forward to his fireside chat with Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt at the Health IT Leadership Summit in just a few weeks.

Behavioral health services organization Centerstone Tennessee selects real-time predictive analytics technology from Faros Healthcare to help its clinicians better determine treatment paths and associated costs for members of the state’s Medicaid program.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking into developing smart glasses, a move that, in my mind, either reeks of desperation as the company loses smart phone market share or belies some greater plan related to innovations in augmented reality. Unnamed sources say the company is already looking into potential suppliers, and has ordered small batches of near-eye displays for testing. The picture above comes from a YouTube video posted in 2014, which means the idea has been ruminating for some time.

Government and Politics

CMS updates its interactive drug-pricing tool to include data on the $57 billion states spent on drugs within the Medicaid program, and information relating to rebates from drug manufacturers that offset costs. The latest stats show that drug costs accounted for 16.7 percent ($457 billion) of personal healthcare spending last year, up from 15.4 percent ($367 billion) in 2012.

Research and Innovation

Virginia-based cardiologist Ather Anis, MD creates TREEMER, a personal health record app that he hopes will help patients keep all of their health data in one place, share data with caregivers, and take advantage of built-in social networking features to connect with other patients. “People who have the same disease in an area can connect,” explains Anis. “It is a localization of the disease process we believe is going to be very powerful. We hope TREEMR can help educate patients as they share photos of procedures, therefore empowering them.”

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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HIStalk Practice Interviews Lerla Joseph, MD Board Chair, Central Virginia Coalition of Healthcare Providers

Lerla Joseph, MD is an internal medicine specialist and board chair of the Central Virginia Coalition of Healthcare Providers, a Medicare ACO created for solo physicians and small practices.

Tell me about yourself and the organization.
I have been a practicing internal medicine specialist for 36 years, and have been in private practice for 33 of those years. My practices are located in a medically underserved community in Richmond, and in the small town of Petersburg. I am very much interested in the availability of quality care for all persons and have advocated for more access to care my entire career. Central Virginia Coalition of Healthcare Providers (CVCHIP) was developed to ensure the triple aim of Medicare and to ensure the sustainability of the private practice of medicine. It is particularly interested in serving the small medical practice. We have 20 medical practices affiliated with CVCHIP, all of which are located in Virginia and North Carolina. We were approved as a Track 1 ACO in the Medicare Shared Savings Program in December 2015. We are primarily primary care practices, but have a few specialty practices as well.

CVCHIP implemented chronic care management technology last month. Why prompted the ACO to consider this type of software?
CVCHIP recognized early on that in order to achieve the quality metrics required by CMS, we need to engage in care coordination. Many of our patients suffer with two or more chronic diseases and are not accustomed to care management with emphasis on prevention and a holistic approach to care. Additionally, participating in the CCM program meets several of the MACRA measures that heretofore were PQRS and Meaningful Use. We believe earlier engagement in CCM rather than later will greatly benefit our patients and the quality and cost of care our providers give.

How do you envision this type of health IT impacting outcomes in the near future?
Our initial expectation is better patient engagement. We believe that having multiple touch points with the patients will give them a better understanding of their disease process, improve their lifestyle choices, and give them confidence in doing self-management. We also expect the providers to be better informed about the total patient including their support network, socioeconomic situation, and the patient’s ability to execute the recommendations for care we give. This should all translate into more collaborative care with decreased emergency department and hospital utilization.

What other types of healthcare IT is CVCHIP looking at right now (or will be looking at in the near future)?
We have in place a population health tool. Going forward, however, we will look at forecasting and data analytics tools.

When it comes to implementing new health IT, what are the biggest obstacles/pain points for CVCHIP physicians?
Cost is always a major concern for our practices when we look at implementing new IT solutions. At the same time, we want to be certain that the solution we select gives us data that is actionable and efficient – one that does not require additional human resources to utilize.

The MACRA final rule is still making headlines. How will MACRA affect CVCHP and its participants? What will 2017 and 2018 look like for the ACO in terms of reporting?
As an ACO, one of the selling features is our ability to do reporting for our participants. Many have not done PQRS or Meaningful Use reporting, and those that had found it confusing and cumbersome. With the ACO reporting GPRO, this removes some of the burden for the practices. What is disappointing is that the practices will still need to report Advancing Care Information because Track 1s are not Advanced APMs. We are gearing up for the 2017 reporting, and our population health tool will help with that.

Is CVCHIP doing anything to help its physicians with their population health management programs? Is the ACO leveraging relationships with local payers in this area?
We have started integrating participant EHRs into our population health tool. We have the ability to share claims data submitted by CMS to our participants. We have targeted quality metrics to keep them abreast of emergency department utilization and annual wellness visit utilization by practice. We have not engaged as yet with any of the local payers.

What do you consider to be the number-one challenge facing practices in ACOs right now? How have you seen your members overcome this?
CVCHIP is a physician-led and governed ACO. The challenge for our participants is time management in finding the balance between caring for their patients and devoting the time necessary to make CVCHIP all it can be. We are dedicated to preserving the private practice of medicine. This requires our input in decision -making and implementation of our strategies for success. It is called physician engagement and workflow management. I prefer to look at it as the time necessary to advocate for our patients and our practices. No one can do that better than we can. We are trying to overcome this by committee assignments for our participants, conference calls for quality reviews, and quarterly in-person governing meetings.

Do you have any final thoughts?
I truly believe physicians are the best advocates for their patients. This new era of health care delivery de-compartmentalizes the care delivery we have created over the last 40 years, placing the patient at the center of care. It is a shift for all of us. However, I believe that ultimately patients and physicians alike will be more satisfied and gratified with the change. Change is always daunting, but the providers of CVCHIP are ready to embrace the change for better care and healthier lives.

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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