News 12/7/22

Top News

Advance Care Medical employees in Clarksville, TN voluntarily close the clinic after corporate owner Healthcare Solutions Management Group stopped paying them on October 1. HSMG has attributed the delay in payments to “corporate finance restructuring,” though it has sent employees partial payments through Zelle and Cash App over the last week.

The clinic’s water and power have also been intermittently shut off due to lack of funds. Staff say that while they still come into the office several hours a week to process medication refill requests, they can’t access the clinic’s EHR because the bill for its service has also not been paid.

HSMG Chairman and Interim CEO/CFO Justin Smith told one employee via text, “I can’t ask anyone to stay or even believe in us anymore. Things haven’t gone our way. And it’s not fault of yours! You guys’ rock. We messed up.”

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Kidney care management company Interwell Health launches managed services for nephrology practices that include payer analytics, practice review, debt cost insights, and expense control.

Government and Politics

CMS publishes a proposed rule that would require some payers to implement digital prior authorization processes, shorten the time frame to reply to PA requests, and establish payer-to-payer data exchange, among several other requirements. CMS estimates that these policies would save physician practices and hospitals over $15 billion over a 10-year period.

Research and Innovation

A Wolters Kluwer Heath survey of 1,006 consumers finds that 61% foresee receiving primary care services at retail clinics and pharmacies rather than primary care practices. More than half would seek care from a pharmacist if it was less expensive than seeing a traditional provider.

Other

Looking for the perfect gift for the physician in your life? Check out these “10 Can’t Miss Doctor Gifts Worth Giving (or Having.” Should you opt for the mug above, I highly recommend filling it with Marylee’s peppermint mocha, courtesy of CoverMyMeds resident barista Marylee Dunbar. And don’t skimp on the whip cream! (I recently discovered peppermint-flavored whipped cream at my local big box retailer.)

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic releases a new episode of its DocTalk series.

Blog Posts

• Review Your Healthcare Business Credit Card This Holiday Season (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 12/5/22

Top News

Direct-to-consumer telemedicine company Thirty Madison will expand into sleep care with the launch of a new brand dubbed River. Similar to competitors Hims and Hers Health, the company offers online consults and prescription delivery for conditions including hair loss, sexual and reproductive health, skin conditions, allergies, and migraines. It has raised $210 million since launching in 2017.

Webinars

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

People

Hims and Hers Health hires former Cleveland Clinic executive Scott Knoer (Knoer Enterprises) as its first Chief Pharmacy and Innovation Officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Community Technology Cooperative wraps up its year-long implementation of Epic at 10 FQHCs in Massachusetts. Two more clinics will go live on Epic with help from CTC in 2023.

Morris Heights Health Center *NY) will use The Garage’s Bridge population health management software.

Other

The local news profiles Greg Ciliberti, MD a semi-retired primary care physician who substitutes in his local public school system and donates his earnings back to the classroom. He is currently subbing for (and donating paychecks to) a teacher who will be out for several weeks recovering from a car accident. “I’d love the kids to know that there are adults who they’ve never met before who actually care about them and their futures,” he says. “That would be something I would love to see.”

Sponsor Updates

• TigerConnect appoints former Cooper University Health Care CEO Adrienne Kirby to its board.
• Healthwise announces that it has been recognized by Avia Connect as a top company in patient education.

Blog Posts

• CIO Guide to EHR Integration (TigerConnect)
• 5 keys to a healthy Community Connect host-affiliate partnership (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 11/30/22

Top News

NextGen Healthcare acquires practice-focused health IT reseller TSI Healthcare for $68 million.

NextGen President and CEO David Sides says the deal will enhance the company’s offerings in rheumatology, pulmonology, and cardiology.

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Therapy Brands acquires The Echo Group, a behavioral health EHR vendor based in New Hampshire. Therapy Brands offers EHR, practice management, billing, and data software for mental and behavioral health, applied behavior analysis, and various therapies. Private equity firm KKR acquired a majority interest in Therapy Brands in 2021 for a reported $1.25 billion. Jeff Shoreman (Magnitude Software) joined the company as CEO in August.

Announcements and Implementations

US Radiology Specialists implements Health Logix’s intake, engagement, and workflow automation software across its network of outpatient imaging centers in 14 states.

Senior focused-primary care group Matter Health (TN) adopts Ursa Health’s analytics software. Matter raised $35 million in a Series A funding round earlier this year.

PathfinderHealth, an ACO affiliated with Northern Arizona Healthcare, will leverage services from Equality Health, including access to technology, to enhance the value-based care programs of its primary care practices in Arizona.

Emergence Health will implement VisualDx’s clinical decision support software at its ClearChoiceMD and CareWell urgent care practices in New England.

Government and Politics

Lindsay Clark, MD pleads guilty to receiving and delivering to patients misbranded injectable drugs and devices for cosmetic procedures. She also concealed from patients the fact that certain drugs and devices were not approved by the FDA. Patients paid her practice over $1 million for these non-FDA-approved, misbranded products.

Other

Stony Brook Primary Care (NY) sees its patient satisfaction scores increase from 60% to 90% with the addition of a waiting room concierge service. Distinct from front desk staff, the concierge sits at a desk in the waiting room so as to easily be available to patients who need assistance of any kind. The concierge is responsible for keeping patients updated on how far a physician may be running behind, notifying them verbally at 15 minutes and giving them the option to reschedule at 30 minutes. The practice has also installed a notification board with similar information so that waiting patients are always aware of their doctor’s availability.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic publishes a video titled “The Download – Harnessing Data and Analytics to Freeze the Squeeze.”

Blog Posts

• Shortening the long road to reimbursement (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 11/28/22

Top News

Behavioral health EHR vendor CentralReach opens a 25,000 square-foot collaborative work space in the Bell Works development in Holmdel, NJ. The company currently employs nearly 400 people, all of whom work remotely, and plans to hire an additional 100 in the coming months.

Webinars

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

People

J. Paul O’Haro (Advantedge Healthcare Solutions) joins PracticeSuite as COO.

Announcements and Implementations

Stigler Health & Wellness Center and Central Oklahoma Family Medical Center, both FQHCs located in Oklahoma, selects tech-enabled lung cancer screening and follow-up care coordination services from Oatmeal Health.

Government and Politics

HHS seeks feedback on a proposed rule concerning the confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records. According to @JodiDaniel, the rule would implement provisions in the CARES Act, align part two written consent with HIPAA authorization and clarify how consent can enable use and/or disclosure for treatment and payment, and align enforcement with HIPAA enforcement.

Other

Canadian couple Michael and Theresa Linklater take to social media to offer interested, local physicians a $1,000 “bribe” to take them on as patients. The money will actually be donated to a charity of the physician’s choice. Linklater, who has a chronic heart condition, and his wife have joined the province’s physician waiting list, but aren’t hopeful they’ll be taken on anytime soon: “Some have been on the waiting list for four or five or seven years. It isn’t a list, it is a parking lot. I’m 73, I might not have seven years left to wait. Some people can get a doctor through friends or business contacts but the rest of us are waiting.”

SMH … You have to wonder how long this has been there.

Sponsor Updates

• AdvancedMD publishes an e-guide, “Billing Options for the Modern Practice.”
• EClinicalWorks publishes a new customer success story, “Brookhaven Heart &MD365: Streamlining Patient Engagement and Intervention with RPM.”

Blog Posts

• Strengthening Communication with EHR Embedded Messaging (PerfectServe)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 11/21/22

Top News

Interstate Health Systems launches with pre-seed funding to develop a network of primary care, urgent care, and telemedicine services along the nation’s highway system. It is initially planning to build 60 clinics near truck stops and travel centers within the next two years. Led by former Lifepoint Health executive Jeff Seraphine, IHS will also develop a technology platform, including telemedicine and e-prescribing, that will integrate with trucking software.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, as is the rush of holiday activities that quickly follow. I encourage you to maintain an attitude of gratitude as you spend time in long lines, with family members you don’t necessarily get along with, and/or stuck at airports or in traffic traveling to and from grandma’s house. Giving thanks has, after all, been scientifically proven to increase levels of happiness. I am particularly thankful to a friend for sharing this pumpkin bar recipe, which I will attempt to bake in the coming days. I am also very thankful for you, dear readers. Happy Thanksgiving!

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Behavioral health IT vendor Lightning Step secures an undisclosed amount of funding from Gallant Capital Partners. The company, which offers EHR, RCM, and CRM software, has grown through its acquisitions of Ava Billing and ZenCharts.

Home Health Care News reports that DispatchHealth has raised $330 million in a funding round led by Optum Ventures. Initially focused on house call-based urgent care, the company has expanded with hospital-at-home services in select markets. This latest investment will no doubt further its development of proprietary technology dubbed, “the Last Mile Health Technology Platform,” which will offer logistics, clinical support, and care coordination and management.

Research and Innovation

According to The Physicians Foundation’s latest report on practice challenges, one in three physicians has experienced staffing shortages in the last year, with the biggest contributing factors being administrative burdens, increased workloads without compensation, and reduced salaries/benefits. Primary care practices are particularly challenged by administrative burdens like EHRs and prior approvals.

Sponsor Updates

• PerfectServe announces the full integration of AnesthesiaGo with its Lightning Bold scheduling platform, and new automation capabilities for improved integration between Lightning Bolt and its clinical communication solutions.
• EClinicalWorks releases a new series of podcasts on “Achieving Success Through Data Capture and Effective Communications.”
• AdvancedMD releases its fall update, adding 35 features.

Blog Posts

• The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks in Healthcare (TigerConnect)
• Anatomy of Effective Landing Pages (Healthwise)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.