News 2/1/21

Top News

Ro considers going public via merger with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal that would value the online health, wellness, and prescription delivery company at $4 billion.

The New York City-based company raised $200 million in July, giving it a $1.5 billion valuation.

Competitor Hims went public last month through a merger with SPAC Oaktree Acquisition Corp. – a move that earned it a $1.6 billion valuation.

Webinars

February 24 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Maximizing the Value of Digital Initiatives with Enterprise Provider Data Management.” Sponsor: Phynd Technologies. Presenters: Tom White, founder and CEO, Phynd Technologies; Adam Cherrington, research director, KLAS Research. Health systems can derive great business value and competitive advantage by centrally managing their provider data. A clear roadmap and management solution can solve problems with fragmented data, workflows, and patient experiences and support operational efficiency and delivery of a remarkable patient experience. The presenters will describe common pitfalls in managing enterprise information and digital strategy in silos, how to align stakeholders to maximize the value of digital initiatives, and how leading health systems are using best-of-breed strategies to evolve provider data management.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Specialty practice-focused health IT company Nextech acquires medical lead management software developer MyMedLeads.

Behavioral health services company Concert Health raises $14 million in a Series A round led by Vertical Venture Partners. The company works with primary care practices to integrate behavioral health into treatment plans via licensed providers and technology.

People

Practice optimization and RCM vendor Health Prime has named Pranil Vadgama (R1 RCM) president and CEO.

Announcements and Implementations

Banty announces GA of a white label telemedicine and patient engagement offering for practices.

The Texas-based Aspen Physician Network will use health information exchange capabilities from Hasa to underpin its clinically integrated network in the Dallas-Forth Worth area.

Online urgent care and walk-in clinic search tool developer Solv launches COVID-19 vaccine scheduling and logistics software for healthcare facilities.

Other

Health workers and volunteers from the Josephine County Public Health department in Oregon administer COVID-19 vaccines to fellow stranded motorists. The JCPH team, traveling between vaccine clinics, didn’t want the six doses they had on hand to go to waste.

Sponsor Updates

• The Sharp Index, in partnership with Medicomp Systems, announce the 2021 Annual Sharp Index Awards recipients for excellence in physician well-being.
• CHIME names Nordic Chairman of the Board Bruce Cerullo a Healthcare Hero for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• MHS will integrate its CareProminence platform with the Healthwise Care Management Solution for health education.

Blog Posts

• Near, far, [project] manage wherever you are (Nordic)
• Optimization Services: Make a Difference in 2021! (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 1/27/21

Top News

Toronto-based Skylight Health Group (fka CBS Insights) applies for listing on the Nasdaq. The group operates 30 medical clinics in 14 states, offers a subscription telemedicine service, and has developed its own EHR. Skylight acquired six-facility US Primary and Urgent Care for $14.3 million earlier this month.

Webinars

January 28 (Thursday) 12:30 ET: “In Conversation: Advancing Women Leaders in Health IT.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Tabitha Lieberman, SVP of clinical and revenue cycle applications, Providence St. Joseph Health; Ann Barnes, CEO, IMO; Deanna Towne, MBA, CIO, CORHIO; Amanda Heidemann, MD, CMIO, CMIO Services, LLC. IMO CEO Ann Barnes brings together a panel of female health executives for a results-oriented discussion on how managers and C-suite executives can address diversity and inclusion in their organizations. From STEM education to mentoring and networking, the “COVID effect” on women in the workplace, to matters of equity, there’s no better time to talk openly about these issues to help generate meaningful change in healthcare.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

TimelyMD secures a $60 million Series B investment from JMI Equity. The telemedicine company offers mental health, psychiatry, and health coaching services to college and university students across the country.

Equality Health, which manages a network of value-based, tech-enabled primary care practices, secures funding from General Atlantic and acquires consulting firm Daraja Services.

Announcements and Implementations

Exer Urgent Care implements virtual line notification capabilities from Pomelo Health.

Upstate Family Health Center (NY) selects Orb Health’s Enterprise Virtual Care technology to improve chronic care management between patient visits.

Workplace clinic operator Concentra replaces its telemedicine software from Amwell with virtual visit technology from EVisit.

Ortho Florida integrates Rectangle Health’s Practice Management Bridge payment and billing software with its Intergy EHR from Greenway Health.

Online form builder Jot Form develops the Health app, giving providers access to HIPAA-compliant data collection for patient intake, payments, surveys, team collaboration, and business associate agreements.

Other

The Connecticut Examiner updates readers on the plight of HIE in Connecticut: The state has spent $43 million over 14 years on three failed efforts. The fourth and most current saw its leader resign in early December, leaving the remaining CONNIE team members with the unenviable task of overcoming “organizational skepticism after a legacy of past failed efforts.” Contractors CedarBridge and Velatura have yet to finish tasks they’ve already been paid for, and in fact have had their contacts extended. Technology developed by CRISP and UConn Analytics & Information Services is complete but can’t be shared until agreements are finalized between the state and providers. Twenty three small- to medium-sized providers have signed on so far, while just one health system has expressed strong interest.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 1/25/21

Top News

CloudMD acquires Canadian Medical Directory for $1.6 million and will integrate it with its Juno EHR, billing, and telemedicine software.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Did reading make your list of New Year’s resolutions? If you’re in need of titles to put on your must-read list, check out “4 nonmedical books every doctor should read” and “6 Books for Budding PT Leaders to Read in 2021.” I myself am in the middle of “The Hemingses of Monticello,” which, while rich with information, reads almost like a textbook. I have been on a bit of a Founding Fathers kick lately, but may need to take a break once I’m done with this award-winner.

What books have helped you kick off 2021? Email me with your picks and I’ll gladly share with fellow readers.

Webinars

January 28 (Thursday) 12:30 ET: “In Conversation: Advancing Women Leaders in Health IT.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Tabitha Lieberman, SVP of clinical and revenue cycle applications, Providence St. Joseph Health; Ann Barnes, CEO, IMO; Deanna Towne, MBA, CIO, CORHIO; Amanda Heidemann, MD, CMIO, CMIO Services, LLC. IMO CEO Ann Barnes brings together a panel of female health executives for a results-oriented discussion on how managers and C-suite executives can address diversity and inclusion in their organizations. From STEM education to mentoring and networking, the “COVID effect” on women in the workplace, to matters of equity, there’s no better time to talk openly about these issues to help generate meaningful change in healthcare.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Telemedicine and online prescription delivery companies Hims and Hers will refer patients who use their telemedicine and online prescription delivery services to Privia Health providers for in-person care in Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC. Hims and Hers have similar arrangements with Ochsner Health (LA) and Mount Sinai Health System (NY).

People

Iora Health names Gillian Munson (Union Square Ventures) CFO and Chris Hollander (Panera Bread) chief growth officer.

Other

AdvantageCare Physicians in New York City inadvertently creates a barrier for patients trying to use its online system to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination by also requiring that new patients setting up accounts go through an identity verification process conducted by Experian. Patients with a lack of credit history are then effectively kicked out of the registration process, likely frustrating some patients – especially those without access to the Internet – who might feel that the process is already overly burdensome.

An MGMA survey of 400 practices finds that 85% of independent practices and 45% of hospital or health system-owned practices in pursuit of the COVID-19 vaccine for their patients report having obtained none to date – figures in keeping with nationwide reports that smaller healthcare facilities are being left out of the distribution loop, despite physician sentiment that patients would be far more comfortable receiving a vaccine from their PCP than at a drive-thru clinic or local hospital.

Workers at a clinic in Frankenham, England, share their appreciation for a Banksy-like piece of street art sprayed (or stenciled or chalked) outside of the clinic. A similar image has also appeared outside of a local bakery.

Sponsor Updates

• Medicomp Systems sponsors the awards section of the Physician Burnout Symposium through January 29.

Blog Posts

• Healthcare interoperability and the vendor-system divide (Nordic)

• Digital Programs Let You Enroll More Patients in Cardiac Rehab (Healthwise)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 1/20/21

Top News

Chat-based telemedicine company K Health raises $132 million in a Series E funding round. The New York City-based business, which offers its services on a per-visit basis or through annual membership, has also launched a pediatrics service.

Since launching in 2016, K Health has raised nearly $275 million and is now valued at $1.5 billion.

Webinars

January 28 (Thursday) 12:30 ET: “In Conversation: Advancing Women Leaders in Health IT.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Tabitha Lieberman, SVP of clinical and revenue cycle applications, Providence St. Joseph Health; Ann Barnes, CEO, IMO; Deanna Towne, MBA, CIO, CORHIO; Amanda Heidemann, MD, CMIO, CMIO Services, LLC. IMO CEO Ann Barnes brings together a panel of female health executives for a results-oriented discussion on how managers and C-suite executives can address diversity and inclusion in their organizations. From STEM education to mentoring and networking, the “COVID effect” on women in the workplace, to matters of equity, there’s no better time to talk openly about these issues to help generate meaningful change in healthcare.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

UnitedHealth Group reports $2.2 billion in Q4 2020 profit, and $15.4 billion for the year. Optum, the payer’s provider services, data analytics, and pharmacy benefit manager arm, earned $136.3 billion in annual revenue. Highlighted areas of future growth include ambulatory services and value-based care.

Announcements and Implementations

WRS Health announces GA of cloud-based EHRs for dermatologists and orthopedists.

Naugatuck Valley Radiology (CT) implements referral management software from Royal Solutions Group.

Government and Politics

Using claims data from six payers, the FTC will analyze the market impact of physician practice mergers and acquisitions by hospitals between 2015 and 2020.

Research and Innovation

A retrospective analysis of MGMA 2020 member surveys reveals the biggest changes to practices were seen in staffing, cost and revenue, practice transformation, technology and operations. Top priorities for 2021 include managing staff shortages and mental health; implementing, maintaining, and or expanding telemedicine and remote patient monitoring; improved measurement of key metrics; reassessing space needs; and improving staff morale. Other takeaways:

• Forty percent experienced staff shortages.
• Nearly 100% expanded telemedicine offerings.
• Top coding and billing challenges related to virtual visits included inconsistent payer rules, pay parity and accuracy, and documentation.
• Sixty-one percent say provider compensation took a COVID-19-induced hit.
• Nearly 100% report the cost of PPE increasing, while 15% say it’s increased by over 100%.

A PatientPop survey of 533 patients conducted in December shows an increasing optimism in patient propensity to resume in-person appointments:

• Nearly a third say they feel safe returning to in-person appointments with safety protocols in place – a 46% increase since August.
• Nearly 75% have had scheduled appointments between December and February.
• Eighty-three percent of those with in-person appointments scheduled over the next several months are planning to go.

Other

Fourteen FQHCs in Hawaii will use $1.3 million in grants from The Freeman Foundation and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation to improve telemedicine services. Funding will go towards software and equipment, Internet connectivity upgrades, training for staff, and educational materials for patients.

Sponsor Updates

Blog Posts

• AdvancedMD launches Hub, customer community portal (AdvancedMD)
• How Providers Can Keep Their Focus During the COVID Era (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 1/18/21

Top News

Canadian health IT vendor CloudMD acquires Medical Confidence, a developer of healthcare navigation software aimed at helping employees more easily find and access specialists, for $4.7 million.

Webinars

January 28 (Thursday) 12:30 ET: “In Conversation: Advancing Women Leaders in Health IT.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Tabitha Lieberman, SVP of clinical and revenue cycle applications, Providence St. Joseph Health; Ann Barnes, CEO, IMO; Deanna Towne, MBA, CIO, CORHIO; Amanda Heidemann, MD, CMIO, CMIO Services, LLC. IMO CEO Ann Barnes brings together a panel of female health executives for a results-oriented discussion on how managers and C-suite executives can address diversity and inclusion in their organizations. From STEM education to mentoring and networking, the “COVID effect” on women in the workplace, to matters of equity, there’s no better time to talk openly about these issues to help generate meaningful change in healthcare.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Management services organization Femwell Group Health secures a minority investment from LightBay Capital. Miami-based Femwell supports over 300 women’s health and primary care practices and also manages TopLine MD, which offers practices online and patient relationship management software, billing services, and training.

People

Cory Wiegert (CancerLinQ) joins Integra Connect as COO.

Catalyst Health Network names Soon Rabb (S&P Global) chief people officer, Srinivas Achukola (KEPRO) CTO, and Danny DeAtley (McKesson) SVP of marketing.

Announcements and Implementations

Behavioral health IT vendor CentralReach adds business intelligence capabilities to its EHR and practice management software, and announces the forthcoming launch of AI-based scheduling.

The City of Los Angeles selects California-based primary care and technology company Carbon Health’s new vaccination program management software, which assists with infrastructure set-up; and helps patients determine eligibility, schedule appointments, and obtain proof of shots. 

WRS Health announces GA of a cloud-based EHR for neurologists.

Government and Politics

HHS has launched an online tool to help providers and patients find outpatient facilities that can treat COVID-19 patients with monoclonal antibody therapeutics.

Research and Innovation

A survey of 2,057 consumers finds that 34% say their providers are their most trusted source for COVID-19 vaccine information, followed by health agencies, government agencies, and vaccine manufacturers. Preferred methods for vaccine communications include email, phone, and text.

Other

The American Medical Association warns of fake emails purportedly from current AMA President Susan Bailey, MD and past President Patrice Harris, MD soliciting foreign doctors and nurses to work in the US.

Independent physician Rebecca Parish, MD works with local health officials to set up a drive-thru vaccination clinic after several of her senior patients expressed frustration with trying to navigate online scheduling systems. “I had a patient call me absolutely in tears, my 83-year-old patient, after trying to navigate online and she wasn’t able to do it,” Parish explains. She was able to vaccinate 500 people on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Sponsor Updates

• Everest Group names Nordic a “Leader” in its “Healthcare IT Services Specialists PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021.”

Blog Posts

• American use of the EHR: What can we learn from others? (Nordic)
• Why Virtual Diabetes Programs Should Be the New Normal (Healthwise)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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Contact us online.
Become a sponsor.