News 8/31/20

Top News

Utah Pathology Services notifies patients of attempted fraudulent financial activity in late June that resulted in a data breach of identifying information, insurance credentials, internal record numbers, clinical and diagnostic information, and some Social Security numbers.

HIStalk Practice Musings

It’s hard to believe summer is just about at an end. Growing up, trips to the public library several times a week were common place as me and my siblings made sure the librarians kept record of our reading as part of their summer program for kids. I’ve been making just as many trips to the library this summer as I did back then, taking advantage of curbside pick-up to stay in the thick of the Poldark and Wolf Hall series. For something completely different, I’m also rotating in Veronica Roth’s Divergent books.

And speaking of different, I’ve discovered that there is a genre of romances related to lockdowns, quarantines, and pandemic life. I’m sure they’d be perfect beach reads for the long holiday weekend coming up.

What have you read this summer? Email me with your favorite discoveries and I’ll share with readers.

Webinars

September 3 (Thursday) 2 ET. “How Does A Global Pandemic Reshape Health IT? A Panel Discussion.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rob Wallace, chief product officer, IMO; Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, IMO; Lori Kevin, VP of enterprise IT and security, IMO; Sahas Subramanian, MCA, enterprise architect, IMO. As COVID-19 continues to spread, regulation changes, code system updates, and an increased reliance on technology are making it hard to stay on top of the many ways the pandemic is altering health IT. What’s more, we’re confronting challenges that rely heavily on technological solutions – like accurate reporting tools or telehealth adaptations – and we need those solutions now. The panel of subject matter experts across the enterprise will share insights on how the global pandemic is reshaping the health IT world.

September 17 (Thursday) 1 ET. “ICD-10-CM 2021 Updates and Regulatory Readiness.“ Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: June Bronnert, MSHI, RHIA, VP of global clinical services, IMO; Theresa Rihanek, MHA, RHIA, mapping manager, IMO; Julie Glasgow, MD, clinical terminologist, IMO. IMO’s top coding professionals and thought leaders will review additions, deletions, and other revisions to the 2020 ICD-10-CM code set that will be critical in coding accurately for proper reimbursement.

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

People

Patient engagement and telemedicine vendor Epion Health names Josh Schwartz (Jumpstart Capital) to the new position of chief business development officer.

Announcements and Implementations

EHR and practice management vendor WRS Health announces GA of Urology-Cloud.

Cedar will integrate Waystar’s pricing estimates, payment options, and eligibility verification capabilities into its patient engagement software.

Eighteen physician practices, including Family Medical Associates of Raleigh (NC), Urology Centers of Alabama, Urology Associates of Mobile, AllCare Health (OR), and Synovation Medical Group (CA) select software from Allscripts.

Research and Innovation

A survey of 1,200 chronically ill patients finds that the majority favor telemedicine appointments over in-person visits in the areas of convenience, safety, and ease, especially when it comes to routine matters like referrals and prescription refills. Nearly 60% of those surveyed have used telemedicine since March, versus 11% in the preceding months.

An analysis of EHR data from 17 affiliated primary care practices reveals that the ability of patients to schedule their own appointments using direct scheduling technology leads to care continuity. Researchers suggest, however, that such an online tool may exacerbate the digital divide, given that direct scheduling was more often used by young, white, commercially insured patients.

Other

Dentist Suzanne Spencer transforms the basement of her dental practice into a three-room school to accommodate her and her staff’s children who are learning virtually. Parents have hired a retired teacher to help the kids with their schoolwork. “As a business owner and a dentist,” she says, “I was going to change my schedule. And then the more I thought about it, I thought, it doesn’t affect just my schedule and my family. It affects all of our staff members. Now I am going to know each one of these kids and each one of their families. It’s just going to be a bigger part of me.”

Former Epic nursing innovation and product lead Bre Loughlin, RN bands together with Tracy Zvenyach, NP to launch Nurse Disrupted, which offers virtual COVID-19 screening to men’s and women’s shelters in Madison, WI. They hope to expand their services to campuses, businesses, schools, and prisons.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 8/26/20

Top News

HHS will award over $117 million to 1,318 health centers across the country to help with quality improvement efforts that will include advancing the use of health IT.

Webinars

September 3 (Thursday) 2:00 ET. “How Does A Global Pandemic Reshape Health IT? A Panel Discussion.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rob Wallace, chief product officer, IMO; Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, IMO; Lori Kevin, VP of enterprise IT and security, IMO; Sahas Subramanian, MCA, enterprise architect, IMO. As COVID-19 continues to spread, regulation changes, code system updates, and an increased reliance on technology are making it hard to stay on top of the many ways the pandemic is altering health IT. What’s more, we’re confronting challenges that rely heavily on technological solutions – like accurate reporting tools or telehealth adaptations – and we need those solutions now. The panel of subject matter experts across the enterprise will share insights on how the global pandemic is reshaping the health IT world.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

HealthLynked CEO and Chairman Michael Dent, MD invests $3 million in the company. HealthLynked offers medical record-sharing services for patients, and patient engagement software for providers.

Kain Capital makes an undisclosed investment in New York City-based health IT vendor MDLand.

Chicago-based primary care provider Oak Street Health opens its fourth location in Cleveland. The company has seen its shares double to $44 since going public earlier this month in an IPO that brought in $328 million. Oak Street now has 67 facilities in nine states.

Announcements and Implementations

Massachusetts-based Holyoke Health Center implements Radix Health’s automated appointment scheduling and patient notification software.

Research and Innovation

A survey of 438 behavioral health providers conducted by Tridiuum finds that 81% have used telemedicine for the first time within the last six months. The same percentage reported that virtual visits were as effective or more effective as in-person visits in improving the conditions of their patients. Seventy percent plan to continue with virtual visits once the pandemic is at an end. Nearly half said virtual consults contributed to improved clinical workflows.

Sponsor Updates

• Medicomp Systems releases an updated version of its Quippe Nursing care planning and clinical documentation software.

Blog Posts

• Healthcare IT in the Age of Coronavirus: HIPAA & Cybersecurity Protections (AdvancedMD)
• Our National Conference in 2020 (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 8/24/20

Top News

Physician practice-focused patient messaging and telemedicine vendor Klara raises $15 million in a Series A round led by Google’s AI-focused Gradient Ventures, bringing its total raised to $32 million.

Webinars

September 3 (Thursday) 2:00 ET. “How Does A Global Pandemic Reshape Health IT? A Panel Discussion.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rob Wallace, chief product officer, IMO; Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, IMO; Lori Kevin, VP of enterprise IT and security, IMO; Sahas Subramanian, MCA, enterprise architect, IMO. As COVID-19 continues to spread, regulation changes, code system updates, and an increased reliance on technology are making it hard to stay on top of the many ways the pandemic is altering health IT. What’s more, we’re confronting challenges that rely heavily on technological solutions – like accurate reporting tools or telehealth adaptations – and we need those solutions now. The panel of subject matter experts across the enterprise will share insights on how the global pandemic is reshaping the health IT world.

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

Announcements and Implementations

Tower Radiology implements OpenDoctor’s online scheduling software across its facilities in Florida.

The Behavioral Health and Long Term Support Division of Wood County Human Services (WI) selects SmartCare EHR technology from Streamline Healthcare Solutions.

The Notal Vision Diagnostic Clinic, which offers remote patient monitoring services through its ForeSeeHome program, leverages Xifin’s RCM software and services.

Government and Politics

Through HRSA, HHS invests $35 million in projects focused on improving telemedicine access and care in rural communities. Grantees include the Telehealth Network Grant Program, Telehealth Focused Rural Health Research Center Program, among others.

Research and Innovation

An Updox survey finds that telemedicine utilization among physician practices jumped from 19% at the start of the pandemic to 94% as of today. Nearly 60% say telemedicine will be integral to the future success of their practice.

Other

In an effort to ensure their patients have access to telemedicine and educational resources, the Northeast Missouri Health Council will make 300 WiFi hotspots available to patients within its FQHC network thanks to a partnership with the Missouri Telehealth Network. The hotspots will offer those with limited coverage access to unlimited data through June of next year.

XspresSpa opens its second XpresCheck COVID-19 testing location at Newark Liberty International Airport. Capable of conducting 350 tests per day, the service will initially cater to airport and airline employees. The flagship location at JFK in New York (above), which opened in June, began offering tests to passengers earlier this month. An initial announcement earlier this year mentioned that XpresCheck would use AdvancedMD’s EHR.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw this: Panasonic has come out with an at-home cubicle for those employees who find themselves missing the “not-quite-solid not-quite-walls” of the office space they once occupied. Available only in Japan for now, they’re priced at just over $800. I imagine it will only be a matter of time until Ikea offers something similar (though you could probably fashion something similar yourself for far less).

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 8/19/20

Top News

Pediatric behavioral health startup Brightline raises $20 million in a Series A funding round that will enable the Silicon Valley company to further develop its virtual visit services, add evidence-based treatment plans for teenagers, and launch subscription-based services.

Co-founder Naomi Allen, formerly chief growth officer at Livongo, says she hopes to eventually open clinics, and that digital access will remain the priority for now.

Webinars

September 3 (Thursday) 2:00 ET. “How Does A Global Pandemic Reshape Health IT? A Panel Discussion.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rob Wallace, chief product officer, IMO; Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, IMO; Lori Kevin, VP of enterprise IT and security, IMO; Sahas Subramanian, MCA, enterprise architect, IMO. As COVID-19 continues to spread, regulation changes, code system updates, and an increased reliance on technology are making it hard to stay on top of the many ways the pandemic is altering health IT. What’s more, we’re confronting challenges that rely heavily on technological solutions – like accurate reporting tools or telehealth adaptations – and we need those solutions now. The panel of subject matter experts across the enterprise will share insights on how the global pandemic is reshaping the health IT world.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Consulting and analytics firm Milliman acquires Torch Insight, healthcare data and analytics technology developed by Leavitt Partners. Milliman will incorporate the Torch Insight into its MedInsight analytics platform.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillion says the company is committed to the expansion of its Walmart Health clinics in the wake of the departure of Sean Slovenski, the health and wellness SVP who had overseen the launch of the clinics for the last two years. The company shows no signs of slowing down its expansion plans, which include opening clinics in Florida next year:

“We recently opened another clinic not far from Bentonville, Elm Springs and it’s a smaller clinic than the one that some of you have seen in Dallas, Georgia …,” McMillion said. “So we’re playing around with it as you would expect, and it’s been interesting to watch how customers are interacting with that experience during the COVID-19 environment. The team has done a great job and the medical doctor and the other professionals in the clinic of keeping people safe, and demand is still strong in an environment where people are not necessarily taking advantage of a lot of preventative care.”

People

Andrew Schutzbank, MD (Iora Health) joins kidney care company Cricket Health as chief product officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Primary and pulmonary care company Sunrise Medical Management adopts HGE Health’s remote symptom management technology as part of its remote patient monitoring service offered to COPD patients across its three clinics in Arizona.

Research and Innovation

A Physicians Foundation survey of 3,500 physicians finds most are not optimistic that their practices will return to “normal” anytime soon:

• Nearly half believe COVID-19 won’t be under control until June of next year.
• Nearly 75% believe the virus will negatively impact patient outcomes because of delayed care, negative impacts on patient payment abilities, and the pandemic-induced closure of practices.
• Nearly 60% believe the virus will lead to a decrease in the number of independent practices.
• Eight percent of respondents, representing 16,000 practices, have already closed their doors, while 43% have reduced staff.
• Twelve percent have switched to virtual visits; 52% say they will increase their use of telemedicine within the next year.

Sponsor Updates

Blog Posts

• Three Simple Steps to Reducing Accounts Receivable (AdvancedMD)
• 7 Keys to Better EHR Usability (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 8/17/20

Top News

Consumer-facing telemedicine and prescription delivery startup Thirty Madison raises $47 million, bringing its total funding to $70 million. The three year-old company offers treatments for migraines, hair loss, and acid reflux. Newly launched virtual urgent care services are offered on a pay-as-you-can basis.

Webinars

August 19 (Wednesday) 1:00 ET. “A New Approach to Normalizing Data.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rajiv Haravu, senior product manager, IMO; Denise Stoermer, product manager, IMO. Healthcare organizations manage an ever-increasing abundance of information from multiple systems, but problems with quality, accuracy, and completeness can make analysis unreliable for quality improvement and population health initiatives. The presenters will describe how IMO Precision Normalize improves clinical, quality, and financial decision-making by standardizing inconsistent diagnosis, procedure, medication, and lab data from diverse systems into common, clinically validated terminology.

September 3 (Thursday) 2:00 ET. “How Does A Global Pandemic Reshape Health IT? A Panel Discussion.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Rob Wallace, chief product officer, IMO; Andrew S. Kanter, MD, MPH, chief medical officer, IMO; Lori Kevin, VP of enterprise IT and security, IMO; Sahas Subramanian, MCA, enterprise architect, IMO. As COVID-19 continues to spread, regulation changes, code system updates, and an increased reliance on technology are making it hard to stay on top of the many ways the pandemic is altering health IT. What’s more, we’re confronting challenges that rely heavily on technological solutions – like accurate reporting tools or telehealth adaptations – and we need those solutions now. The panel of subject matter experts across the enterprise will share insights on how the global pandemic is reshaping the health IT world.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Health IT vendor MTBC reports a 17% increase in Q2 revenue, taking in nearly $20 million. The company saw a dip in quarterly revenue during the COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year, but has since seen patient encounters at client sites return to within 6% of weekly averages seen during January and February.

Research and Innovation

Urgent care clinics across the country saw a peak in patient visits during the month of July, according to new data from Experity and the Urgent Care Association. On average, 253 patients visited urgent cares during the week of July 11, compared with 88 per week in April. The increase seems in keeping with Dr. Jayne’s latest in-the-trenches observations, which, in a nutshell, highlight the stress put on urgent cares as stressed patients try to delay care and avoid hospitals.

Other

Patient safety, evidence-based medicine and technology decision-support nonprofit ECRI partners with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices to form a joint patient safety organization. According to ECRI President and CEO Marcus Schabacker, MD, the new PSO will bring “up-to-date information and real-time guidance to assure healthcare leaders that they’re making the best decisions to keep patients, long-term care residents, and staff safe.”

Ava Clara Bridal Couture in Virginia Beach hosts a bridal gown giveaway for healthcare workers as a way to say thank you for all they’ve done over the last several months. The boutique, which has held similar giveaways for teachers, had such overwhelming interest when they first announced the event in April that they increased the number of gowns from 50 to 75. The brides-to-be had about 30 minutes to find their dream dresses.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic volunteers help The River Food Pantry distribute over 100 pounds of curbside emergency food and supplies per household.
• PerfectServe announces bidirectional integration between its clinical communication platform and Nuance’s PowerConnect Actionable Findings solution within the radiologist’s Nuance PowerScribe reporting workflow.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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