News 9/7/16

Top News

Apple unveils two versions of the Iphone 7, Watch upgrades, and preps for launch of IOS 10 next week. The company hasn’t added any new bells and whistles related to healthcare (unless you count activity-inducing Pokemon Go being added to the Watch), and yet I’d feel remiss if I didn’t recap the highlights: The 7 Plus, which comes in two sizes, is water- and dust-resistant, comes equipped for wireless headphones in lieu of a headphone jack, and features two rear-facing cameras for different focal lengths. Based on fanboy reaction, it seems that the pricey earbuds will have to be purchased separately. Watch upgrades include water-proofing and faster processing.

In slightly related news, Google discontinues its attempts to build smartphones with interchangeable batteries, cameras, and other parts that would have enabled consumers to upgrade phones bit by bit rather than shelling out big bucks for an entirely new device. I’m sure the Apple overlords are breathing a sigh of relief.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Austin, TX-based EMDs joins the CommonWell Health Alliance.

Independent anesthesiology practice MMC Anesthesia Group signs on with Zotec Partners for RCM technology and support services. The 10-physician practice is based out of Methodist Medical Center in Oakwood, TN.

MDsave and Healthcare Bluebook agree to offer the other’s services, which include appointment booking at pre-negotiated rates, and pricing and quality listings, within their respective online tools.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Aprima reports record double-digit growth in revenue and EBITDA during the first half of 2016, aided by contracts signed with large medical groups and university- and hospital-based practices, three of which were over $1 million each.

People

Culbert Healthcare Solutions hires Nancy Gagliano, MD, MBA (CVS Health) as CMO.

Telemedicine

MarijuanaDoctors.com, which seems to be an aggregator of physicians that offer cannabis-prescribing privileges, launches virtual consults for patients.

Government and Politics

A bipartisan group of congressmen serving on the Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees pen a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell outlining their concerns with MACRA’s proposed start date of January 1, 2017. While the legislators don’t call for a firm delay, they do ask that CMS “consider flexibilities for all practitioners, including small practices, to succeed.” Most industry insiders predict that the final MACRA rule will be issued in late October or early November, giving physicians – especially already overwhelmed independents – little time to get their ducks in a row by the first of the year.

The FTC hosts a half-day workshop on ransomware as part of its fall technology series. While none of the panels focused specifically on healthcare, the industry was represented by Children’s National Health System Director of Information Security Chad Wilson, who spoke on best defense tactics. A video of the sessions will be posted to the FTC website soon.

Other

Time Politics Editor Ryan Beckwith ranks one of today’s favorite buzzwords. The top (and last) choice reminds me of the 1995 movie “Hackers,” which introduced me to the concept of computer hacking, and the acting chops of Jonny Lee Miller.

Following yesterday’s sad statistics related to our nation’s reading habits, I can’t help but mention a public library’s plans to enforce strict new borrowing rules. The library, which is struggling to recoup $200,000 worth of overdue books, plans to issue $100 fines and 30-day jail terms to offenders who ignore late notices issued via text and email.

Sponsor Updates

• Aprima will exhibit at the Arizona State Physicians Association meeting September 15-17 in Scottsdale.
• EClinicalWorks will exhibit at International Vision Expo West September 15-17 in Las Vegas.

Blog Posts

• The 2016 Aprima User Conference: Another Great Meeting in the Books! (Aprima)
• Take Full Advantage of EPCS (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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News 9/6/16

Top News

A 430-hour study of 57 physicians working in four ambulatory specialties finds that for every one hour of face time with a patient, two are spent on EHR and administrative work. Nearly a third of study participants who kept after-hours diaries also recorded an extra one to two hours each night documenting in the EHR. Athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush added his two cents to the study results, pointing out that, “Key measures like after-hours EHR documentation and time spent in face-to-face patient care will help squelch healthcare’s technology problem, bring transparency to the most offensive solutions in the market and, more important, will chip away at care team burnout and dissatisfaction.” He brings up an interesting idea with a slippery slope – grading EHRs based on the amount of time physicians spend in them after-hours. Would physicians already facing burnout be more inclined to purchase an EHR with a record of users that spend little to no time in them after business hours?

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

Thanks to the following sponsors, new and renewing, that recently supported HIStalk Practice. Click a logo for more information.

It’s HIStalk Pledge Week for new sponsors. Contact Lorre for a great deal.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Sahali Health Clinic (OR) works with local startup Kannact to offer real-time blood-glucose monitoring and coaching to patients when it opens within the next few weeks. The Portland-based vendor has raised $8.5 million since launching in 2012.

New York City-based nonprofit Fair Health works with the Connecticut Health Foundation to develop FH Cost Lookup CT, a mobile pricing transparency app built to help Connecticut residents better understand medical and dental costs, and to improve overall health literacy. Pricing is derived from Fair Health’s database of over 21 billion claims for privately billed procedures dating back to 2002.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Healthcare staffing firm Cross Country Healthcare, which counts EHR transition staffing among its services, expands its headquarters in Boca Raton, FL to better accommodate 160 office-based staff members. It employs 600 across the city, and 1,000 more in 70 branch offices across the country.

Telemedicine

The ATA goes global, signing a partnership agreement with the Telemedicine Society of India in order to foster telemedicine collaboration between the two countries. Near-term deliverables will include white papers, programs, and projects. Telemedicine has a potentially big role to play in the future of healthcare in India, given that nearly 70 percent of its population lives in remote, rural areas. Analysts predict that the country’s telemedicine market will more than double to $32 million by 2020.

EyeCrave Optics (NY) rolls out vision exams via telemedicine from Smart Vision Labs, which offers a smartphone-based autorefractor for vision testing.

Other

Nonprofit FEMR co-founder and ballet dancer Sarah Draugelis attributes her passion for healthcare technology to her time working in Haitian clinics in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. “[W]e lost a patient to complications from gestational diabetes,” she explains. “When I got back to the States, I learned that there had been another group volunteering in the same village just one month prior. I was devastated. Had we [been] emailed about that patient, my team would have brought insulin with us and saved her life. I knew there needed to be a change in the way these volunteer efforts are done. There needed to be more communication and some level of accountability.” Draugelis brought two colleagues on board to develop and launch the EHR for pop-up clinics in natural-disaster areas in 2014. She counts Epic founder Judy Faulkner as a role model: “I wonder sometimes if she and I are the only two females in the world that run EMR companies.” I’ll let readers weigh in on her assumption.

It’s a sad state of affairs when organizations start touting the fact that their doctors are “patient-centered.”

It’s also sad that one in four Americans haven’t picked up a book – in any format – in the last year. I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that the Pew Research statistic hasn’t gotten worse over the last 12 months, and that, on average, Americans read a dozen books a year. I can’t imagine not having a book within bedside reach at all times. In fact, I just started rereading “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver. My favorite Kingsolver book, however, has to be “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.” Definitely recommended reading if you find yourself thinking about starting a self-sustaining farm or dipping your toes into the world of paleo cuisine. I’m willing to bet a similarly themed tome by BIDMC CIO and gentleman farmer John Halamka would be well received.

Sponsor Updates

• Versus Technology receives top KLAS rating in eight RTLS categories, including location accuracy.
• Illinois Senator Dick Durbin visits the Intelligent Medical Objects office.

Blog Posts

• What is The Ideal Team Player? (Nordic)

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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News 9/1/16

Top News

Sherpaa founder and CEO Jay Parkinson, MD announces the company’s move into consumer-facing telemedicine. The New York City-based business previously catered solely to employer clients like General Assembly, Meetup, and Freelancers Insurance Co. It has raised over $7 million since getting its start in 2012. Parkinson helped co-found practice management company Hello Health, which he left in 2010.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Integrated Radiology Partners, a PM, collaboration, and consulting company headquartered in Milwaukee, announces partnerships with Cambria Somerset/Life Point Hospital System, Empire Health Support Services, and Synergy Health Alliance. 

Central Virginia Family Physicians and Medical Associates of Central Virginia join Privia Medical Group, a business unit of population health and practice management company Privia Health. The Virginia-based practices employ a combined 80 physicians across 15 facilities.

People

Steven Wolinsky, MD (Horizon Blue Cross of New Jersey) joins Zelis Healthcare as CMO.

Telemedicine

The local business paper profiles Carolina Online Health, a South Carolina-based telemedicine company co-founded earlier this year by ED doctor David Circle, MD. “We’re not doing this to get rich,” Circle explains. “We’re doing this because I’ve been a physician for 17 years in the ER, and it’s frustrating to me to see the waste and inefficiency and how inconvenient it is for patients. The truth is that many patients in the ER don’t need to be seen in person. They could be helped through telemedicine without cutting back on the quality of care.”

Other

Coding audits and assessment company Central Learning launches the “Code your way to $5K” 30-day coding contest. Open to coders of all levels of proficiency and experience through September 15, the contest will award prizes in three categories:

• Ambulatory surgery coder with highest average accuracy and productivity scores across 30 outpatient cases.
• Inpatient coder with highest average accuracy and productivity scores across 10 inpatient cases.
• ED coder with highest average accuracy and productivity scores across 30 outpatient cases.

Jazzercise never looked so good: Nick Offerman and First Lady Michelle Obama present a compelling visual presentation on the “The History of Exercise.” (Offerman’s wife, Megan Mullally, even makes a cameo.)

Clear Vue Eye Center (FL) owner Monique Barbour, MD agrees to pay $1 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleges she billed excessively for patient visits, for procedures that weren’t medically necessary, and for procedures that happened while she was out of the country, all of which violate the False Claims Act. Whistleblower and Office Manager Lori Moore says Barbour’s fraudulent billing practices included using improper billing codes and not taking notes in real time. Moore, who worked at the practice for over a decade, knew something was up when Barbour’s lifestyle became increasingly extravagant with the purchase of multiple homes, cars, and businesses, and even an attempt to become a pop star.

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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Contact us online.
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News 8/31/16

Top News

HHS awards $53 million to six programs designed to help healthcare organizations bolster drug misuse prevention efforts, improve access to opioid use disorder treatment, reduce opioid-related deaths, and improve data tracking of opioid misuse and overdoses (fatal and non-fatal). The 25 states participating in the data-related programs will receive a combined $10 million, which will be distributed via the CDC and SAMHSA. “States are on the frontline of preventing prescription opioid overdoses—it is critical that state health departments have the support they need to combat the epidemic,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD. “States can use these funds to develop, implement, and evaluate programs that save lives.”

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Announcements and Implementations

Falcon Physician adds charting capabilities to its Platinum EHR for nephrologists.

The Reconstructive Orthopedic Center of Houston will roll out RCM and patient engagement software and services from Indianapolis-based Zotec Partners at its four facilities.

Telemedicine

The National Psoriasis Foundation adds the DermatologistOnCall telemedicine service from Iagnosis to its Patient Navigation resource center. The Pittsburgh-based vendor has had a busy month, also signing on United Skin Specialists (MN) and Summa Health (OH).

A JABFM policy brief (based on the somewhat dated findings of an AAFP survey) highlights the likelihood of safety net clinics and health management organizations to use telemedicine in primary care. Family physicians working in PCMHs were evenly split in their use of telemedicine, prompting the authors to suggest “a need for greater evidence of telehealth’s benefits and incentives for its adoption on the road to practice transformation.”

People

The Global Partnership for Telehealth promotes Sherrie Williams to COO.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Bedford, TX-based software, services, and consulting firm Quatris Health secures an undisclosed amount of funding from private equity firm Seaport Capital. The company was formed in 2013 through the merger of Final Support and Alliance Healthcare Solutions, and is now the largest reseller of GE Healthcare’s Centricity software.

Sponsor Updates

• Gibson Consultants publishes “Independence remains a rewarding choice for doctors” by Aprima CEO Michael Nissenbaum and Chadwick Prodromos, MD.
• KLAS recognizes Nordic as a top performer in optimization services.

Blog Posts

• Attend EVO16 – This Year’s AdvancedMD User Conference (AdvancedMD)
• What it’s really like to help keep a US health system’s vitals in check (GE Healthcare)

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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News 8/30/16

Top News

AMA adds population health data to its health workforce mapping tool, which visually healthcare workforce statistics  in each state. The new feature, developed with help from AAFP and HealthLandscape, serves up data on healthcare access and quality, demographics, and a bevy of social health determinants such as graduation and unemployment rates.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel. Some recent ones that are available for replay:

• Surviving the OCR Cybersecurity & Privacy Pre-Audit
• Your Call is Very Important
• Ransomware in Healthcare: Tactics, Techniques, and Response
• rise of the small first letter vendors
• Six Communication Best Practices for Reducing Readmissions and Capturing TCM Revenue

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Compliance and risk management software vendor CAEK relocates from Fayetteville, AR to Reno, NV, where it plans to hire 150 employees within the next five years. The company, which currently employs nine, targets its “TurboTax for HIPAA compliance” software to dental and physician practices of all sizes.

Announcements and Implementations

Greenway Health and ambulatory surgery center software vendor HSTpathways add San Jose, CA-based VMDOC’s cloud-based patient management software to their respective technologies.

Community health centers in Fresno, Merced, and Contra Costa counties in California roll out Emocha Mobile Health’s MiDot medication adherence app for tuberculosis patients. The company, which licensed its technology from Johns Hopkins University, is based out of the university’s FastForward East accelerator.

Telemedicine

Turnkey telemedicine technology vendor SnapMD adds advanced scheduling, single sign-on access, and workflow tools to its virtual care management platform. The Los Angeles–based startup raised a $5.3 million Series A at the beginning of the year, and has since developed partnerships with Konica Minolta and TelehealthOne.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) visits the Alcona Health Center’s Oscoda Clinic as part of his five-day motorcycle tour of Michigan. Peters, who introduced The Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act to allow Medicare to cover additional telemedicine services for patients late last year, had a chance to view the clinic’s telemedicine capabilities during his visit. “The only way you can write good legislation and good policy is by coming out and seeing things first hand – hearing directly from the people who do this day in and day out,” Peters explains. “The only way I can really learn and be their advocate in Washington, DC for practical common sense solutions is by being here in the local community and talking to the people that do it everyday.”

And now for something completely different: Prepaid cellular company ROK Mobile teams up with Human Health Organization (a Studio City, CA-based business that seems to deal mainly in electronic cigarettes and vaporware) to develop a low-radiation smartphone using technology developed by NASA. In addition to the phone, subscribers to ROK Mobile plans will have access to telemedicine services, roadside assistance, burial insurance, and ROK’s music-streaming app.

Other

Interfaith Medical Center (NY) launches a prescribe-a-bike program at its Bishop Orris G. Walker Jr. Health Care Center in Brooklyn. The program will enable physicians to prescribe free one-year memberships to a local bike-sharing service in an effort to help patients stave off diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity. The prescriptions also include a free helmet and reflector arm band, access to group rides, and a journal.

Contacts

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

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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