News 1/14/16

Top News

It’s official: HealthSpot files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. The Dublin, OH-based company had raised nearly $50 million and signed several high-profile clients since launching its line of telemedicine kiosks in 2012. “There were some positive events in the operation of the business,” explains filing attorney David Whittaker, “but the company simply did not have enough cash flow to continue to operate and continue to execute on those positive opportunities.” The filing listed assets of $5.2 million, with its largest single debts linked to $10 million owed to Cox Communications and $6 million owed to investor Xerox.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Venture capital funding in healthcare IT totals $4.6 billion via 574 deals made in 2015, slightly less than 2014’s $4.7 billion across 670 deals. Total corporate funding amounted to $7.9 billion. Funding growth was strongest in the areas of comparison shopping, appointment booking, and wellness.

People

Jackson Healthcare promotes Chris Franklin to president of LocumTenens.com.

Announcements and Implementations

Physician-owned and operated National ACO selects Drchrono’s EHR, PM, and billing solution for its 230 physicians. The Beverly Hills, CA-based organization joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program in 2013 and cares for 114,000 patients.

Icon Eyecare (CO) will roll out Compulink Business System’s Ophthalmology Advantage EHR and PM technology to 20 physicians across 11 locations in Colorado and Texas.

Telemedicine

Doctor on Demand signs its 400th employer customer. The company announced a $50 million funding round last summer, bringing its total funding to $71 million.

Kansas City, MO-based NuWin Enterprises launches the NuWinCare telemedicine service for employers.

Genesis Psychiatric Group (NE) implements Bryan Health’s telemedicine solution.

Government and Politics

FTC hosts its first PrivacyCon in Washington, DC. As I mentioned in a recent post, healthcare was represented by panels dedicated to personalized medicine and genetic testing. Funnily enough, FTC forgot to CC the email addresses of attendees before it sent out conference messaging a few days before the event. One recipient found it “surprising that FTC.gov team would not hide all of the email recipients on a blast in regards to a conference on … digital security and best practices.”

Vice President Joe Biden calls on “data and technology innovators” to aid him in his “moonshot” to cure cancer.” Biden, who lost his son to the disease last year, plans to work with a wide range of stakeholders to help break down the data and communications silos between doctors, and ensure that patients have access to their own data and the ability to contribute to research.

Research and Innovation

Pew Research Center looks at sharing health information in its 47-page report on privacy and information sharing. When given the hypothetical opportunity to access medical records and schedule appointments via a new physician website, 52 percent gave the ok. Several of the 26 percent who found the scenario unacceptable commented on their reasoning: “There is no such thing as a secure site. Hackers are always finding entry points into databases. Insurance companies can afford to hire hackers. The gleaned database information would allow insurance companies to deny coverage to the patients whose information was compromised. Doctors charge excessive fees to patients to use and access this online record tool. Many patients cannot afford the online record service.”

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg, Lt. Dan

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

Readers Write: 2016 is the Year of the Patient

2016 is the Year of the Patient
By Fauzia Khan, MD

Now that EHR systems are no longer a distant “to do” project and wearable devices track our every move, we can finally acknowledge that information is not only widely available, but actively consumed on a daily basis. Whether we are mapping our daily run or closely managing a chronic condition, these valuable data points are strengthening the patient and provider relationship by enabling more accurate, real-time information that can support more personalized care. As we continue to get back into the swing of “business as usual,” I can’t help but think about the exciting changes that are coming to healthcare in 2016. Will this be the year that we see patients truly at the center of their care?

Here are my top 5 predictions for 2016.

1. More power to patients and families.
With mobile devices and apps at their fingertips, we have reached a tipping point where patients are finally active participants in their own health and wellness. However, much of this information is still fragmented. Therefore, demand for support tools will skyrocket as patients look for ways to enhance overall communication throughout the entire care team and effectively manage healthcare finances. Patients are looking for easy technology solutions that provide holistic support, not individual portions of their care.

2. Thinking beyond EHRs. 
EHR adoption is the norm, but with so many varieties of standards, we will never get to true interoperability without landing on a single set of data standards and forcing all vendors to comply and open up their systems. We will finally stop talking about what a barrier EHRs are to innovation and how they control the desktop and access. We will start thinking of apps and systems that either sit on top of or outside of the EHR. Think of EHRs as smartphones with different apps!

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources or FHIR is a next-generation HL7 standards framework in healthcare data integration and is meant to facilitate interoperability. FHIR APIs will fuel innovation and we will start to see development of useful apps.

3. Documentation and HCC scores will add to physician office burdens. 
The physician office bears many burdens and one of the biggest is continually combatting reductions in Medicare reimbursements. Though it has been around for many years, Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) is one way to ensure that the physician’s office is being reimbursed appropriately, especially for Medicare Advantage plans. Because of the proven success of HCCs in predicting resource use, the model has been extended under the ACA to determine reimbursement for other programs including ACOs. With value-based reimbursements, more providers are assuming risk and the need to accurately document health status for their patients. Focusing on HCC coding and documentation is now also critical for commercial payers.

4. Chronic Care Management adoption barriers will be addressed. 
Physician reimbursement from CMS for 20 minutes of non-face-to-face care per patient per month could provide a new revenue opportunity for physicians and enables greater freedom for patients. Unfortunately, according to recent surveys, half of responding healthcare organizations lack a formal chronic care management structure, and as a result, are missing out on this new reimbursement opportunity. Why are physicians not adopting this program more quickly? Though the program is one with many benefits, there are many barriers that need to be overcome in order to see increased adoption.

The American College of Physicians hopes to see legislation enacted this year to help remove the barriers, specifically waiving the copayment requirement and reducing the overall administrative burden to practices. The American Academy of Family Physicians has also echoed this sentiment. Chronic care management is definitely a topic of interest for many providers and I am hopeful that Washington will address these barriers quickly.

5. CMS will continue its path on alternative payments and release more options. Other payers will follow.
Alternative payment models are here to stay, and we are beginning to see more and more payers follow the lead of CMS. This year marks the introduction of bundled payments with CCJR and more are on the horizon. We will also see the Chronic Care Management Program act as a bridge from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement. Chronic care management has already been introduced by United Healthcare and Humana, and I expect to soon see other payers follow suit as the benefits of the program start to be seen by physicians.

Fauzia Khan, MD is CMO of Persivia in Lowell, MA.

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg, Lt. Dan

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 1/13/16

Top News

Lyft looks to cash in on healthcare and catch up with Uber, partnering with National Medtrans Network to offer non-emergency medical transportation for elderly patients in New York City. The ride-sharing service has developed a new Web-based dashboard called Concierge to help NMN’s operators book the rides, which now account for 2,500 of the company’s 250,000 transportation requests. “Using transportation-as-a-service like this, the health plans and government agencies we partner with are significantly reducing fraud, saving costs, and improving the patient experience,” says NMN President Billy McKee. “We provide over 25,000 livery trips per week in NYC, and our goal is to push all of those through Lyft.”

Reader Comments

From HIStalkapalooza Newbie: “Could you give me a quick preview of what HIStalkapalooza is all about? That sounds like a silly question, but I’ve never personally attended HIMSS before (unfortunately), so any brief description of the event would be very helpful!” I like to refer to HIStalkapalooza – our annual shindig at HIMSS – as health IT’s party of the year – the one time a year industry friends and colleagues can get together and cut loose at no cost to themselves, courtesy of our gracious sponsors and the hard work of Lorre and Mr. H. Here’s a quick breakdown of the party, happening at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay:

• 6:30 Doors open only for HIStalkapalooza registered guests. Check in, check your coat, and walk the red carpet to participate in the shoe and fashion judging.
• 6:45 Live jazz music starts wafting from the stage.
• 7:00 Bars and dinner buffet stations open in multiple locations.
• 7:40 Stage activities start, include sashing, the HISsies, and special guests.
• 8:30 Party on the Moon starts rockin’.
• 11:00 event ends.

Last’s year event was one of my favorites. Party on the Moon brought the house down and everyone seemed to have a good time – especially Jonathan Bush, who turned on the charm to avoid a pie in the face from Judy Faulkner. There’s just one caveat: You have to register to be considered for a ticket.

People

WEDI President and CEO Devin Jopp resigns and is now the CEO at Future Focus Health, a health IT consulting agency. The WEDI Board of Directors has formed a search committee to identify a replacement. I came across this 2012 interview with Jopp, in which he shares his thoughts on “CEO Transitions.”

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Consumer engagement tech vendor MPulse Mobile secures $10 million in Series A funding led by HLM Ventures, with support from previous investors OCA Ventures, Merrick Ventures, and Jumpstart Ventures. The Encino, CA-based startup will use the cash infusion to ramp up analytics capabilities.

Compulink Business Systems acquires optometric EHR and PM systems vendor EyeCom for an undisclosed sum.

Regional Women’s Health Group (NJ) acquires Brunswick Hills OB/GYN, touting the 16-physician practice’s healthcare technology proficiency as one of its most attractive selling points: “Brunswick Hills OB/GYN has been a pioneer in the adoption of electronic medical records,” says Rob Baron, vice president of strategic planning and business development for RWHG. “Their technology-forward approach and commitment to providing top quality care represents the true essence of a successful Regional practice.” Both practices are EClinicalWorks customers. 

Research and Innovation

An Annals of Family Medicine study finds that patients are not as willing to share sensitive diagnostic information via mobile devices as they are medication and appointment reminders, lab results, vital signs, and symptoms. Age also played a factor in their willingness to share, with older patients less likely to exchange any type of data. Researchers noted that level of education, income, and trust in providers correlated with a patient’s willingness.

Other

As if the masses weren’t already glued to their smartphones: Uber offers smartphone app developers a chance to create “trip experiences” for its riders that will feed them tailored information and entertainment. (Can sponsored ads be too far behind?) I’ll throw an idea out there: Develop an app for in-labor mothers on the way to the hospital that offers breathing exercises and a contraction tracker.

Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK requires incoming freshmen to wear Fitbits, an upgrade from its previous policy that required students to keep a fitness journal and log “aerobics points.” The school will feed each student’s Fitbit data into its online learning management platform, after which it plans to look for correlations between steps taken and academic achievement.

@ValaAfshar recounts an old email from Elon Musk that outlines his disdain for industry acronyms – a stance I’m sure many in healthcare IT share. Musk explains, “Individually, a few acronyms here and there may not seem so bad, but if a thousand people are making these up, over time the result will be a huge glossary that we have to issue to new employees. No one can actually remember all these acronyms and people don’t want to seem dumb in a meeting, so they just sit there in ignorance. This is particularly tough on new employees. The key test for an acronym is to ask whether it helps or hurts communication.”

Sponsor Updates

• Atlanta Tech Village includes Clockwise.MD’s graduation in its list of 2015 achievements.

Blog Posts

• Using Standardized Care Plans to Drive Patient Engagement (Healthwise)
• Meaningful Use Hardship Exception Signed into Law (E-MDs)

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg, Lt. Dan

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

DOCtalk with Dr. Gregg 1/12/16

HIT by Any Other Name

Perhaps it was the passing of iconic rock legend David Bowie that got me thinking about my rock and roll years. Perhaps it was some Ziggy Stardust-type strangeness that inspired my weird side. Perhaps it was just one of those days. Regardless, it recently occurred to me that HIT might benefit from a little rock-n-roll-ness. Specifically when it comes to nomenclature, and even more specifically when it comes to product names.

My current EMR has a pretty good name; they used a synonym for the word “happiness.” I was told this name was chosen because they wanted clinicians to feel “elated” by its simple and intuitive interface and wonderful workflow design. As an end user for some time now, I’d have to admit that the name sorta fits. Maybe I’m not exactly “elated,” but its ease-of-use does make me happy.

I wonder if such product branding would actually help other providers feel better about the HIT products they use? What if you added a little rock-ness to the name game for EHRs? Would it enliven the whole spirit behind using HIT products, especially for those less likely to inspire such joie de vivre on their own merits?

Let’s try a little name game to see…

TOP 20 POTENTIAL EHR/EMR ROCKER NAMES

• From heavy metal: MEGABLOODSTAR EHR
• From classic rock: THE EHGLES EHR
• From blues rock: B.B. EHR
• From reggae: Bob EMRley
• From pop: Ziggy EHRDust (Had to be in there.)
• From glam rock: EMRli Vanilli

• From country rock: Down Home EHR
• From hip hop: Master E.H.R.
• From disco: KC & The EMR
• From 50’s rock: Elvis EHR
• From psychedelic rock: The EMR Experience
• From folk rock: Bob (Just “Bob”)
• From grunge rock: Alice in EHR
• From punk rock: The Ramones EMR (How can you mess with their name?)

• From techno rock: Daft EMR
• From surf rock: Surfin’ EHR
• From stoner rock: High-On EHR
• From southern rock: Lynyrd EMRnyrd
• From ska punk: EHRbone
• From rockabilly: Stray EHR

As we near the end of another long, here-we-go-again football season, one more came to mind. For all you fellow long-suffering (some call us just plain stupid) Cleveland Browns fans, here’s one more from a Cleveland-based band, the industrial rock-inspired: Nine Inch NEHR (NIИ).

I dunno … even with a little adapted user interface and some logo reworks to match, maybe others wouldn’t find sitting down to peck away at an EHR with a rock-inspired name to be all that inspiring, but for most folks who seem to suffer in front of their electronic health systems, I bet it couldn’t be any worse!

From the trenches…

“I re-invented my image so many times that I’m in denial that I was originally an overweight Korean woman.” – David Bowie (RIP)

Dr. Gregg Alexander, a grunt in the trenches pediatrician at Madison Pediatrics, is chief medical officer for Health Nuts Media, an HIT and marketing consultant, sits on the board of directors of the Ohio Health Information Partnership, and is the semi-proud author of “Monsters Don’t Fart!”

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg, Lt. Dan

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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

News 1/12/16

Top News

Rockville, MD-based DrFirst acquires e-prescribing app developer IPrescribe.net for an undisclosed sum. The company, which raised $42 million last year, is looking to expand in the areas of mobile care collaboration, e-prescribing, and medication management, according to President Cameron Deemer. “Our strong financial footing enables us to seize new opportunities that align with that mission,” he explains, “both domestically and abroad.”

Webinars

January 13 (Wednesday) 1:00 ET. “Top 5 Benefits of Data as a Service: How Peace Health Is Breathing New Life Into Their Analytics Strategy.” Sponsored by Premier. Presenter: Erez Gordin, director of information management systems, Peace Health. Finding, acquiring, and linking data consumes 50 to 80 percent of an analyst’s time. Peace Health reduced the time analysts were spending on data wrangling, freeing them up to create new actionable insights.

Contact Lorre for webinar services. Past webinars are on our HIStalk webinars YouTube channel.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

SSIMed Practice Management and EMRge Technologies – a division of Windsor, CT-based Meridian Medical Management – rebrands its medical record and billing product line to VertexDR. Vertex, in case you’re wondering, can mean “the top or apex” or “the angular point of a geometric figure.”

Aledade CEO Farzad Mostashari, MD makes the case for the independent physician practice in The Annals of Family Medicine, specifically calling out the need for four federal policies that will better support competition and patient choice:

• Put primary care rates on par with those of health systems so that physicians are less likely to jump ship for employment
• Avoid undue regulatory burdens on physicians and offer administrative relief for small practices
• Investigate complaints regarding limiting admitting privileges, restricting care by hospital employees, and vendors and health systems forcing independent physicians away from market choice.
• Allow flexibility for physician-led ACOs and prevent hospitals from “ACO squatting.”

People

The American Academy of Pediatrics promotes Alexander Fiks, MD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) to director of its Pediatric Research in Office Settings network. Fiks will carry his research on improving outcomes through collaborative, practice-based research and healthcare technology into his new role.

Jonathan Cook (NCQA) joins Arcadia Healthcare Solutions as CTO.

Announcements and Implementations

Reconstructive Orthopedics (NJ) will implement the EClinicalWorks EHR platform, including scribe capabilities and IPad app,  at its nine locations. The 50-physician practice, the largest of its kind in the state, will also work with ECW on its PQRS initiative.

Bayou Clinic (AL) implements AssessURhealth’s mental and behavioral health assessment app. The clinic was founded by former US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD.

Iatric Systems bundles its automated patient-privacy monitoring technology with medical compliance and support services from Mindleaf Technologies, targeting stand-alone clinics and group practices.

Government and Politics

CMS develops a website for vendors looking to assist states in upgrading their Medicaid systems. The new resource includes links to state Medicaid procurement websites and open RFPs. In addition, CMS plans to develop a new certification process for Medicaid systems, publish a series of state guidance documents, and seek input from the vendor community on how the agency can better spend its dollars on technology that will better benefit state needs.

Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt sends healthcare media outlets into a tizzy with this tweet during the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. The phrase “with something better” leaves a lot to the imagination, which is probably just what Slavitt intended. My one and only prediction for 2016 will be that, should CMS bring down the curtain on MU “as it has existed,” they’ll do so via press release on the Friday before a three-day weekend – or at HIMSS.

And speaking of Meaningful Use, CMS releases its latest round of payment numbers for EPs, nearly 209,000 of which will receive 2-percent cuts in their Medicare payments this year for failing to meet MU criteria in 2014.

Telemedicine

The ATA voices its support for the new, telemedicine-friendly Next Generation ACO Model, which enables provider groups to assume greater financial risk and reward. “Today is an important day for Medicare beneficiaries getting access to value-based telehealth care,” says ATA Chief Policy Officer Gary Capistrant. “We think all Medicare ACOs should be able to use telehealth to provide the Medicare range of coverage, and we hope that Congress and CMS will explore allowing more use of innovation to serve better Medicare beneficiaries.”

Acute-care management and staffing company CEP America launches the On Duty telemedicine service for independent physician associations, ACOs, hospitals, payers, and large employers.

Other

In news reminiscent of Mr. H’s recent medical records request saga, a Motherboard reporter is told by the National Security Agency that he will have to wait to three to four years for his Freedom of Information Act request to be fulfilled concerning his attempts to dig up proposed graphic designs from one of the agency’s educational coloring books (for kids, not adults). The NSA attempted to lift his spirits, urging him to “hope that your case may be assigned to a Case Officer within the next 12-18 months. Estimating an actual completion date for your case is also difficult, as it is entirely dependent on whether or not document [sic] are located, how many documents are found, and the complexity of any document located. The estimated completion date for those cases in the median range is 3-4 years. Please be advised that this estimate is subject to change.”

Contacts

Jennifer,  Mr. H, Lorre, Dr. Jayne, Dr. Gregg, Lt. Dan

More news: HIStalk, HIStalk Connect.

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