News 10/26/20

Top News

Athenahealth plans to hire 100 employees at its office in Belfast, Maine. The Watertown, MA-based company is looking to fill positions related to analytics, customer support, medical coding, and operations. The Belfast location has served as the center of Athenahealth’s operations and customer support.

Perhaps the company has finally started to find its footing after the departure of co-founder and CEO Jonathan Bush, the finalization of its acquisition by Veritas, and a slew of layoffs and new C-level hirings over the last two years.

HIStalk Practice Musings

There’s still time to send me your Halloween reading suggestions. I may have to pick up “Pride, Prejudice and Zombies” by Seth Grahame-Smith this week to get me into the spirit of the season. (The movie adaptation is absolutely ridiculous in the best way. I may have to conclude October 31 with a viewing of that, or my all-time zombie flick favorite, Shaun of the Dead.)

Webinars

October 27 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Don’t Waste This Pandemic (From a Former Healthcare CEO).” Sponsor: Relatient. Presenter: Monica Reed, MD, MSc, former CEO, Celebration Health. Some healthcare organizations are trying to get back to the normalcy of 2019, but tomorrow’s leaders are accelerating even faster in 2020. Two- or three-year roadmaps were accomplished in six months, so what’s next? The presenter will describe how technology was changing before COVID-19, how the pandemic accelerated plans, what we can expect to see as a result, how leaders and providers can adapt, and what healthcare’s digital front door looks like going forward and how it can be leveraged.

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

October 29 (Thursday) 1 ET. “How Presbyterian Healthcare Services Is Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future Using Digital Care Tools.” Sponsor: Bright.md. Presenters: Ries Robinson, MD, SVP/chief innovation officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services; Ray Costantini, MD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Bright.md. Presbyterian Healthcare Services changed the way New Mexico patients access healthcare with its pres.today digital front door, which has given patients easy access to care during a global crisis. The health system’s digital care strategy goes beyond simply offering virtual visits and instead makes every episode of care — regardless of where it is delivered — better by streamlining clinical workflows and by directing patients to the most appropriate venue of care. The presenters will describe how Presbyterian has continued to meet patient needs during the pandemic, how it is deploying digital tools to tackle the combined COVID-19 and flu seasons, and how the health system is innovating care delivery to prepare for a post-pandemic future.

November 11 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Beyond the Firewall: Securing Patients, Staff, and the Healthcare Internet of Things.” Sponsor: Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Presenter: Daniel Faurlin, head of network solutions for healthcare, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. The biggest cybersecurity risk for healthcare IoT isn’t the objects themselves, but rather the network door they can open. This webinar will address meeting the challenges of security, management, and monitoring using ALE’s Digital Age Networking, a single service platform for the network infrastructure that includes an autonomous network, onboarding and managing IoT, and creating business innovation with automated workflows. Specific use cases will be described, including COVID-19 quarantine management, locating equipment and people, and ensuring the security of patients.

November 12 (Thursday) 5 ET: “Getting Surgical Documentation Right: A Fireside Chat.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Alex Dawson, product manager, IMO; Janice Kelly, MS, RN, president, AORN Syntegrity; Julie Glasgow, MD, clinical terminologist, IMO; Lou Ann Montgomery, RN, BSN, nurse informaticist, IMO; Whitney Mannion, RN, clinical terminologist, IMO. The presenters will discuss using checklists, templates, the EHR, and third-party solutions to improve documentation without overburdening clinicians. They will explore the importance of surgical documentation in perioperative patient management, the guidelines and requirements for surgical documentation and operative notes, how refining practices and tools can improve accuracy and efficiency, and the risks and implications of incomplete, inconsistent, and non-compliant documentation.

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

Announcements and Implementations

Health Choice Network in Florida selects Orb Health’s virtual care software and services to better enable its network of health centers implement and manage chronic care and patient support services, and outbound clinical campaigns.

The Iowa Clinic selects human capital management software from Ultimate Kronos Group. UKG is the new brand of the combined Ultimate Software and Kronos, workforce management companies that merged earlier this year.

Community Health Network will implement customer experience management software from Qualtrics across its care sites in Central Indiana.

HIE Nebraska Health Information Initiative expands its use of social services referral software from Unite Us to include organizations and providers in Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, and Minnesota.

Beach Family & Urgent Care (SC) has transitioned its seven clinics to virtual visits using CompuGroup Medical’s ELVI Telemedicine software.

The Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities offers virtual visits from StationMD to residents with disabilities.

Government and Politics

Primary care practices participating in the CMS Greater Buffalo Region’s Comprehensive Primary Care Plus program will use HealtheLink’s HealtheOutcomes software to aggregate and analyze clinical and claims data for program reporting.

Other

Stu Jones and Justin Boggs launch Medical House Calls in Tennessee to offer in-home urgent care with transparent pricing. A physician’s assistant, Jones is the founder and former owner of 7 Springs Orthopedics, while Boggs worked as an ER nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center before transitioning into marketing and consulting.

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News 10/21/20

Top News

Maternity care company Oula raises $3.2 million in seed funding, which it will use to open a prenatal clinic and birthing center, and develop and offer collaborative care models as well as virtual coaching and monitoring.

The New York-based company touts an app-based remote care platform.

Co-founder Adrianne Nickerson also co-founded the Robin Care, a technology and services startup focused on engaging and educating cancer patients through app-based content.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Seeing things from another person’s point of view seems to be a lost art these days, which is why I found WebPT’s latest blog post – “8 Books to Immerse PTs in Diverse Patient Experiences” – so refreshing. I imagine anyone working in a healthcare setting – no matter their title – would find these books edifying.

Halloween is almost upon us, and so I’d love to hear of any spooky titles that are must reads for HIStalk Practice readers as we look ahead to the pseudo-holiday. “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Dracula” by Bram Stoker are classics, of course; but I wonder if there are other, more modern tales that I should look into. I’ll certainly recommend “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. Please email me with your favorites.

Webinars

October 27 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Don’t Waste This Pandemic (From a Former Healthcare CEO).” Sponsor: Relatient. Presenter: Monica Reed, MD, MSc, former CEO, Celebration Health. Some healthcare organizations are trying to get back to the normalcy of 2019, but tomorrow’s leaders are accelerating even faster in 2020. Two- or three-year roadmaps were accomplished in six months, so what’s next? The presenter will describe how technology was changing before COVID-19, how the pandemic accelerated plans, what we can expect to see as a result, how leaders and providers can adapt, and what healthcare’s digital front door looks like going forward and how it can be leveraged.

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

October 29 (Thursday) 1 ET. “How Presbyterian Healthcare Services Is Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future Using Digital Care Tools.” Sponsor: Bright.md. Presenters: Ries Robinson, MD, SVP/chief innovation officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services; Ray Costantini, MD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Bright.md. Presbyterian Healthcare Services changed the way New Mexico patients access healthcare with its pres.today digital front door, which has given patients easy access to care during a global crisis. The health system’s digital care strategy goes beyond simply offering virtual visits and instead makes every episode of care — regardless of where it is delivered — better by streamlining clinical workflows and by directing patients to the most appropriate venue of care. The presenters will describe how Presbyterian has continued to meet patient needs during the pandemic, how it is deploying digital tools to tackle the combined COVID-19 and flu seasons, and how the health system is innovating care delivery to prepare for a post-pandemic future.

November 11 (Wednesday) 1 ET. “Beyond the Firewall: Securing Patients, Staff, and the Medical Internet of Things.” Sponsor: Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. Presenter: Daniel Faurlin, head of network solutions for healthcare, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. The biggest cybersecurity risk for healthcare IoT isn’t the objects themselves, but rather the network door they can open. This webinar will address meeting the challenges of security, management, and monitoring using ALE’s Digital Age Networking, a single service platform for the network infrastructure that includes an autonomous network, onboarding and managing IoT, and creating business innovation with automated workflows. Specific use cases will be described, including COVID-19 quarantine management, locating equipment and people, and ensuring the security of patients.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Medical billing and IT services business Sharp Practice Solutions expands in Virginia. The boutique firm was founded 20 years ago in New Mexico as Enterprise Computing Systems.

Rite Aid COO Jim Peters stresses that the retail pharmacy chain has no interest in launching primary or urgent care services, and has chosen to instead focus on putting its pharmacists front and center as part of a brand re-launch. New store layouts will feature ultra-modern pharmacy counters akin to a Genius Bar and virtual care rooms where customers can access telemedicine.

People

Medical billing and coding company Abeo promotes Joe Ferro to chief technology and innovation officer. He will retain his role as president of Trustedi10, which Abeo acquired last year.

Announcements and Implementations

Dickson Medical Associates implements I2I’s population health management software across its nine clinics across Middle Tennessee.

West Texas Centers selects EHR software from Streamline Healthcare Solutions for its mental health and intellectual and developmental disability programs. The community center will also leverage Streamline’s billing services for its early childhood intervention program.

In Canada, Aware MD integrates Infoway’s e-prescribing functionality with its Cerebrum EHR.

In Texas, Milam County officials partner with Texas A&M Health to install an OnMed telemedicine kiosk in the local police station. County Judge Steve Young has nothing but praise for the kiosk: “This is huge for Milam County,” Milam County. We have no hospital, we have no urgent care, we have no emergency room. This fills the void we’ve had in this county for a long time. The technology of this thing is so far advanced and it’s easy to use. You can walk in, push one button, up comes the doctor and you get a diagnosis, a prognosis and even your medication.”

VeeMed announces GA of VeeClinic, virtual visit technology that includes video, documentation, and scheduling capabilities.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 10/19/20

Top News

Text-based telemedicine company 98point6 raises $118 million in a funding round led by L Catterton and Activant Capital.

The company saw a 200% increase in utilization between January and April, with 40% of those interactions related to COVID-19. It offers its services to health systems, payers, employers, and through retailers like Sam’s Club, which introduced $1 telemedicine visits through 98point6 last month.

The company has raised over $240 million since launching in 2015.

Webinars

October 27 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Don’t Waste This Pandemic (From a Former Healthcare CEO).” Sponsor: Relatient. Presenter: Monica Reed, MD, MSc, former CEO, Celebration Health. Some healthcare organizations are trying to get back to the normalcy of 2019, but tomorrow’s leaders are accelerating even faster in 2020. Two- or three-year roadmaps were accomplished in six months, so what’s next? The presenter will describe how technology was changing before COVID-19, how the pandemic accelerated plans, what we can expect to see as a result, how leaders and providers can adapt, and what healthcare’s digital front door looks like going forward and how it can be leveraged.

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

October 29 (Thursday) 1 ET. “How Presbyterian Healthcare Services Is Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future Using Digital Care Tools.” Sponsor: Bright.md. Presenters: Ries Robinson, MD, SVP/chief innovation officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services; Ray Costantini, MD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Bright.md. Presbyterian Healthcare Services changed the way New Mexico patients access healthcare with its pres.today digital front door, which has given patients easy access to care during a global crisis. The health system’s digital care strategy goes beyond simply offering virtual visits and instead makes every episode of care — regardless of where it is delivered — better by streamlining clinical workflows and by directing patients to the most appropriate venue of care. The presenters will describe how Presbyterian has continued to meet patient needs during the pandemic, how it is deploying digital tools to tackle the combined COVID-19 and flu seasons, and how the health system is innovating care delivery to prepare for a post-pandemic future.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Birth control prescription delivery startup Twentyeight Health raises a $5.1 million seed funding round led by Third Prime. The company’s services, which cater to low-income women, are available in six states.

Boca Raton, FL-based WhiteSpace Health will use an undisclosed amount of new funding to further scale its analytics offerings and expand its sales and marketing team. Former MModal SVP Sasanka Yellamanchali founded the company in 2014. Omega Healthcare Management in India acquired it three years later.

People

EHR Data hires Meghann Chilcott (XIL Consulting) as VP of integrations.

Announcements and Implementations

Behavioral health providers Freedom Healthcare (NV) and Curry Community Health (OR) will implement EnSoftek’s DrCloudEHR.

Ivy Rehab Network selects outcomes reporting and management software from Net Health company Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes.

Other

The State of Connecticut prepares to finally launch a statewide HIE. A local news outlet points out that three previous attempts costing millions of dollars have left stakeholders frustrated, especially at a time when a lack of data-sharing between providers and facilities have hampered public health efforts to track COVID-19 outbreaks, identify hotspots, and dig deeper into patient data for analytical purposes. The exchange, named “Connie,” will launch in November with the Connecticut State Medical Society’s CTHealthLink network of physician practices. CTO Allan Hackney says it will likely take two to three years to sign up all of the state’s providers.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care distributes nearly $3 million to 30 independent practices in New England to help them purchase PPE, reconfigure their facilities for social distancing, and shore up infrastructure for telemedicine.

Sponsor Updates

• Why fundamentals matter: Three key plays for a winning EHR (Nordic)

Blog Posts

• Online Doctor’s Appointment Booking Made Easy (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 10/14/20

Top News

Patient intake and eligibility verification vendor Clearwave acquires Odoro, a patient scheduling and engagement company, for an undisclosed amount.

Webinars

October 27 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Don’t Waste This Pandemic (From a Former Healthcare CEO).” Sponsor: Relatient. Presenter: Monica Reed, MD, MSc, former CEO, Celebration Health. Some healthcare organizations are trying to get back to the normalcy of 2019, but tomorrow’s leaders are accelerating even faster in 2020. Two- or three-year roadmaps were accomplished in six months, so what’s next? The presenter will describe how technology was changing before COVID-19, how the pandemic accelerated plans, what we can expect to see as a result, how leaders and providers can adapt, and what healthcare’s digital front door looks like going forward and how it can be leveraged.

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

October 29 (Thursday) 1 ET. “How Presbyterian Healthcare Services Is Preparing for a Post-Pandemic Future Using Digital Care Tools.” Sponsor: Bright.md. Presenters: Ries Robinson, MD, SVP/chief innovation officer, Presbyterian Healthcare Services; Ray Costantini, MD, MBA, co-founder and CEO, Bright.md. Presbyterian Healthcare Services changed the way New Mexico patients access healthcare with its pres.today digital front door, which has given patients easy access to care during a global crisis. The health system’s digital care strategy goes beyond simply offering virtual visits and instead makes every episode of care — regardless of where it is delivered — better by streamlining clinical workflows and by directing patients to the most appropriate venue of care. The presenters will describe how Presbyterian has continued to meet patient needs during the pandemic, how it is deploying digital tools to tackle the combined COVID-19 and flu seasons, and how the health system is innovating care delivery to prepare for a post-pandemic future.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Navina, an Israeli startup focused on using AI to help physicians better organize and assess patient data, raises a $7 million seed funding round led by Grove Ventures.

Announcements and Implementations

Plano, TX-based Practice EHR adds payment capabilities from Global Payments Integrated to its cloud-based EHR.

Northern Ohio Medical Specialists implements Navina’s AI-powered Patient Portrait software.

DrChrono integrates MD Revolution’s Rev Up care management service within its EHR workflow.

Other

Kudos to the folks at Morrow Family Medicine, which has launched a virtual fitness challenge to raise money for student technology as part of its bi-annual Forsyth BYOT Benefit. The practice, which has two locations in Georgia, has raised over $350,000 since launching the benefit in 2011. Founder Jim Morrow, MD was kind enough to participate in HIStalk Practice’s first “5 Questions With” interview in 2014.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 10/12/20

Top News

McKinney, TX-based MyTelemedicine will use a regional economic grant to relocate and expand its headquarters within the city, and more than triple its staff over the next three years.

The company’s app offers virtual care, provider search, prescription savings, and referrals.

Co-founder and CEO Rey Colon also co-founded AmeriDoc, which he sold to Teladoc in 2013.

Webinars

October 28 (Wednesday) noon ET: “How to Build a Data-Driven Organization.” Sponsor: Newfire Global Partners. Presenters: Chris Donovan, CEO and founder, Adaptive Product Consulting; Harvard Pan, CTO, Diameter Health; Jason Sroka, chief analytics officer, SmartSense by Digi; Jaya Plmanabhan, data scientist and senior advisor, Newfire Global Partners; Nicole Hale, head of marketing services, Newfire Global Partners. The panel of data experts will discuss the opportunities that data can unlock and the challenges involved with becoming a data-driven organization. Attendees will learn why having a data strategy is important; how to collect, manage, and share data with internal and external audiences; and how to combat internal resistance to create a data-driven culture.

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

Announcements and Implementations

Fresenius Medical Care North America’s Health Partners division will leverage Livongo’s Whole Person for CKD offering, comprised of virtual diabetes and hypertension management solutions tailored for chronic kidney disease patients.

CloudMD launches a white-label telemedicine service for pharmacies, payers, and employers in Canada.

CentralReach will incorporate Change Healthcare’s RCM software and services into its EHR for autism-focused providers and educators.

People

Practice management company Women’s Health USA names Jon Bunker (OptumCare) SVP.

Government and Politics

The USDA allocates $72 million to fund 116 projects across the country through its distance learning and telemedicine grant program.

NY Spine Medicine will pay the HHS Office of Civil Rights a $100,000 settlement for failing to provide a patient with all of her requested medical records, including diagnostic film, in a timely manner. The patient, who initially requested her records in June 2019, finally received them this month.

Sponsor Updates

• Healthwise will exhibit during the virtual Cerner Health Conference October 13-14.

Blog Posts

• Rapid Critical Result Reporting with Clinical Communication Technology (PerfectServe)
• Reaching Our “Silent Seniors” During COVID-19 (Healthwise)
• Surviving COVID-19: Telehealth and Beyond (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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