News 12/4/19

Top News

ENT and Allergy Associates (NY) launch QMMS USA, a practice support company that will provide its 46 clinics and other practices with billing, practice management, and health IT, among other back-office services. ENT and Allergy Associates CEO Robert Glazer will also head up the new company.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Health IT and books again collide in “Scenes from an Early Morning Run,” a new coffee table book from former HIStalk contributor, health IT fixture, and athlete Ed Marx. He says the book contains “the best pics taken while running from around the world. You are holding the first edition. All proceeds go directly to help a Dreamer realize her dreams.”

It wasn’t long after I came across the book above that I ran across the story of family physician Maria Loerzel, MD who’ll run her first marathon this Sunday while pushing her friend Chris Douglas, who has ALS, in a wheelchair. Loerzel got into running several years ago after losing a bet to her husband.

Webinars

December 10 (Tuesday) 1:00 ET. “Move on from the age of the inefficient EHR.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Jim Thompson, MD, physician informaticist, IMO; Obaid Baig, product manager, IMO. The EHR seems more like transactional workflow system rather than an intuitive clinical documentation tool, creating the possibility of loss of data consistency and the need for manual workarounds. The presenters will describe how to turn an EHR into a powerful tool that can help improve workflows and documentation so that clinicians can focus on care, not coding and reimbursement.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Atlanta-based Motivo raises $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Cox Enterprises. Motivo has developed an app that helps connect mental health providers with clinical supervisors who can oversee continuing education related to licensure.

The OneFifteen addiction center in begins seeing patients in Dayton, OH. The center is part of an addiction services campus backed by Verily that will eventually include a workforce development site. Plans are already in the works for a 5,000 square-foot addition.

Senior-focused primary care, management, and technology company ChenMed will open 20 new practices in five new cities, bringing the number of its centers to 80 in 10 states.

Announcements and Implementations

Clearwater develops a cyber risk management and HIPAA compliance implementation and management program for business associates of healthcare providers.

The American Oncology Network of 58 physicians selects patient and provider engagement software from PatientPoint.

People

Digital prescription savings company RxSense names Vishal Arora (EF Educational Tours) CTO of its enterprise division and Nitin Shingate (Raise) as CTO of its consumer division.

MGMA hires Ron Holder (Baylor Scott & White Healthcare) as COO and Albert Hwang (Prestige Consumer Healthcare) as CMO.

Telemedicine

Foley & Lardner publishes a state-by-state look at telehealth payment parity laws in a new 150-page report. Only 10 states have true parity – meaning providers are reimbursed at the same rate for virtual care as for in-person care.

Other

Could this be the start of a trend? Rahul Khare, MD expands his practice’s services to include cannabis-focused primary care and cannabis consulting. Khare and his staff will guide patients on the appropriate use of cannabis for symptom relief, including the most effective strains and dosing.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 12/2/19

Top News

AWS unveils a healthcare-focused version of its transcription service for cloud customers that converts dictated medical notes or multi-party conversations to text in real time.

HIStalk Practice Musings

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is over and Christmas and a new year are just around the corner. I’m hoping a few books will find their way under my tree this year. I’d love to know what’s on your reading wish list. Email me with titles you’re hoping Santa will bring, assuming you’re on the “nice” list!

Not sure what to ask for? CNBC reporter Chrissy Farr has compiled a list of the 40 books she read over the last year. Perhaps it will inspire you to cut down on social media time. Farr says she stopped using Instagram for six months and cut back on Netflix, which gave her back eight to 10 hours each week.

Finally, my love of health IT and Hallmark Channel collide: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has created a movie based on the true love story of Jack and Alice Totah (which was included in the book “God Wink Christmas Stories.”). The Texas couple met through a series of coincidences that included their uncles meeting on a boat to America 50 years before Jack and Alice married. Jack works for health IT vendor ScImage.

Webinars

December 10 (Tuesday) 1:00 ET. “Move on from the age of the inefficient EHR.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Jim Thompson, MD, physician informaticist, IMO; Obaid Baig, product manager, IMO. The EHR seems more like transactional workflow system rather than an intuitive clinical documentation tool, creating the possibility of loss of data consistency and the need for manual workarounds. The presenters will describe how to turn an EHR into a powerful tool that can help improve workflows and documentation so that clinicians can focus on care, not coding and reimbursement.

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

Announcements and Implementations

EvoHealth adds ScriptSender’s automated communication software for referring providers to its RIS solution.

ClearData announces GA of its Healthcare Security and Compliance Platform, which includes software, managed services, and professional services for public cloud-based uses across multiple healthcare verticals.

Telemedicine

Telepsychiatry is booming in Missouri, according to data from the University of Missouri and the Missouri Telehealth Network, which shows that tele-visits by Medicaid beneficiaries have increase tenfold since 2010. Mental and behavioral healthcare made up 65% of visits in 2016 – a trend that has continued. Telemedicine’s growing popularity is helping to address the state’s physician shortage: “A lot of our counties,” says Compass Health Network’s Cathy Grigg, “obviously, in the middle of the state are very rural,” she said. “Our providers don’t want to live there; they want to live in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia.”

Other

CNBC digs into increasing presence of physicians on TikTok, a short video app that is becoming increasingly popular with tweens and teens. Doctors like Rose Marie Leslie, MD (@DrLeslie) has amassed 300,000 followers with videos devoted to combating health misinformation. Her anti-vaping videos have been especially effective, largely because they’re meeting users where they’re at and educating them on vaping’s dangers. “I may not be the perfect health guru on social media,” she says. “I don’t meditate or do yoga, I rarely get enough sleep, I’m not vegan and I don’t post inspirational quotes. But let me tell you, I have never and will never try to convince you that drinking celery juice cures cancer.”

White Plains, NY-based Ivy Rehab Network notifies patients of a data breach that occurred in May after an employee fell victim to an email phishing attack.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 11/27/19

Top News

Activist investor Starboard Value takes an undisclosed stake in CVS Health and enters into “amicable” talks with its management. Like Walgreens, CVS is suffering from the threat of retailers like Amazon and Walmart encroaching on its retail pharmacy and clinic space. Both Walgreens and CVS have and plan to close underperforming locations within the next year.

Starboard made news earlier this year when it took several seats on Cerner’s board. The Financial Times reported in April that though Paul Singer’s Elliott Management (of Athenahealth takeover infamy) manages more money, Starboard has become a more prolific activist investor.

Webinars

December 10 (Tuesday) 1:00 ET. “Move on from the age of the inefficient EHR.” Sponsor: Intelligent Medical Objects. Presenters: Jim Thompson, MD, physician informaticist, IMO; Obaid Baig, product manager, IMO. The EHR seems more like transactional workflow system rather than an intuitive clinical documentation tool, creating the possibility of loss of data consistency and the need for manual workarounds. The presenters will describe how to turn an EHR into a powerful tool that can help improve workflows and documentation so that clinicians can focus on care, not coding and reimbursement.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Virtual chronic care management company Orb Health opens new headquarters in Richardson, TX.

Provider scheduling and clinical workforce management software company Qgenda will relocate 300 Atlanta-based employees to expanded office space in Buckhead.

The local paper profiles the journey of seven physicians who have broken away from CaroMont Health in North Carolina and now work for themselves as part of the newly formed Gaston Medical Partners, which will officially open for business on December 2. Brian Wysong, MD says the GMP physicians were tired of the hospital’s bureaucracy, and lack of control when it came to office management. Tryon Medical Partners, another local practice made up of physicians who’ve broken away from a major health system, will provide GMP with practice management services including IT. Wysong says the long-term goal, once legal challenges with CaroMont are resolved, are to join Tryon.

Announcements and Implementations

ISalus Healthcare integrates prescription price transparency and electronic prior authorization solutions from CoverMyMeds with its EHR and practice management software.

Nextech adds RCM capabilities from Encoda to its practice management software for specialty practices.

Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades (OR) will use a $33,000 grant from the Coverys Community Healthcare Foundation to implement Epic.

Healthmonix integrates ChartSpan’s chronic care management services with its analytics and MIPS reporting capabilities.

People

PatientPop hires Nick Bellomo (Tastemade) as CFO.

Medicare care management and patient engagement company MD Revolution promotes Kyle Williams to CEO upon its acquisition of competitor Falcon Care.

Telemedicine

MeMD expands its line of urgent care telemedicine services to include care specific to men and women, including erectile dysfunction, menopause, hair loss, and smoking cessation.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic staff volunteer at The River Food Pantry and donate gifts for 65 local children.

Blog Posts

• Webinar recap: Testing and training best practices for Epic quarterly upgrades (Nordic)
• We’re taking Evo on the road (AdvancedMD)
• 3 Tools That Could Keep Your Patients Engaged (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 11/25/19

Top News

The USDA announces $42.5 million in grants for 133 distance learning and telemedicine projects in 37 states and two territories.

Webinars

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

First announced in April, VillageMD and Walgreens open their first co-located primary care practice in Houston. They plan to open four more Village Medical at Walgreens practices in the area over the next two months. VillageMD offers patients proprietary registration, care coordination, remote patient monitoring, and virtual visit technology.

Canadian primary care and software company Well Health Technologies acquires Trinity Healthcare Technologies for $5.4 million. Well has been strategically acquiring businesses that sell OSCAR EHR technology; Trinity is its fifth such purchase.

Announcements and Implementations

Patient intake software vendor Clearwave develops an interface with Modernizing Medicine’s EHR and practice management systems.

Eyefinity adds payment processing capabilities from FIS to its EHR and practice management products for optometry practices.

People

Online prescription delivery and telemedicine company Blink Health names Gene McKenna (Groupon) head of performance marketing and analytics.

Telemedicine

Jaclyn Qualter, NP launches virtual care company LogIn Clinics in North Carolina. Customers can choose from one-time visits or monthly memberships for individuals and families. Qualter, who touts telemedicine certification from the Global Health Access Institute, hopes to also set up telemedicine kiosks in retail outlets and communal spaces that will connect patients with LogIn Clinic providers.

Other

Canadian physician Arnold Tweed, MD publishes “Medical Misadventures: What I Didn’t Learn in Medical School,” a collection of short stories collected over the course of his 50-year career in medicine. Tweed says his favorite story is probably the one about “the exotic dancer who called herself Juanita and used a snake in her act.” He has so far donated over $1,000 to a scholarship fund for his alma mater from the book’s proceeds.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 11/20/19

Top News

Kareo decides to sell its RCM services business to Health Prime International, an EHR, practice management, and billing vendor based in National Harbor, MD.

Kareo CEO Dan Rodrigues says the company will focus its efforts on its practice management and EHR products, and will offer outsourced billing services through its network of 1,500 partners. “We believe this shift in strategy will also help Kareo build stronger relationships with medical billing companies, who in the past were concerned about competing with their software supplier.”

The company’s first (and possibly last) report on medical billing industry trends from earlier this year projected a 12% growth in revenue this year for medical billing companies. The report also found that 28% of surveyed physicians plan to outsource their billing within the next two years.

HIStalk Practice Musings

In the latest installment of Hyland’s “What Our Execs are Reading” series, EVP and CCO Ed McQuiston praises “The Challenger Sale” and its sequel, “The Challenger Customer,” by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson. McQuiston believes that, “As drivers of change, we need to talk about our audience. Because we might be focusing on the wrong people. Turns out, whether you’re selling into an organization, or trying to lead change within it, it’s not the people who are early adopters we need to embrace. It’s the skeptics.”

Holiday downtime will soon be upon us. If you’re looking for something to read, check out the titles included in these lists:

• The 20 Best Works of Nonfiction of the Decade
• 24 Books for Anyone Who Wants to Get Ahead in Life
• The 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years

Literary lists should be in ample supply as the year winds down. Please email me with any that you come across – the wackier, the better.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Home-based chronic care management startup Presidium Health raises $3.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Alethea Capital Management. The San Diego-based company’s capabilities include Secure Text Activated Triage, a medical alert device home-bound patients can use to communicate with their care team and transmit vitals in real time.

Wellframe, a digital health management company based in Boston, announces a $20 million Series C funding round. The company has developed a patient-facing app that offers secure messaging and an interactive daily healthcare checklist for patients that can also generate intervention alerts.

People

Canadian health IT firm Premier Health Group names David Ostrow, MD (University of British Columbia) CMO.

Announcements and Implementations

New Jersey Urology will implement ISalus Healthcare’s HealthWatch chronic care management program across its 40 locations. The program includes access to HealthWatch’s MyMedicalLocker patient portal. The service is now available in 40 states.

Retail clinic and telemedicine company CarePortMD implements AI-powered diabetic retinopathy eye exam technology from IDx at Albertsons grocery stores in Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Telemedicine

CVS Health expands its Minute Clinic virtual care program with the addition of Teladoc-powered services at locations in Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey.

Research and Innovation

Convenience trumps loyalty when it comes to patient access and engagement, according to a DocASAP survey of 1,000 patients. A few key findings:

• Eighty-four percent of patients say the ability to schedule an appointment outside of office hours is somewhat to very important.
• Ninety would choose the more convenient care option, such as a video visit, even if their PCP was available at their preferred time.
• Just over half reported missing or delaying an appointment because scheduling was too difficult.
• Top barriers to appointment scheduling included lengthy wait times for the actual appointment, a lack of options for scheduling outside off a practice’s office hours, and unavailability of preferred providers.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks posts a podcast titled “Telluride Medical Center: On the Primary Care Frontier.”
• A five-year study finds that a health literacy incentive program using health education content from Healthwise lowered healthcare costs.

Blog Posts

• Making Telemedicine Seamless (AdvancedMD)
• How Choosing the Right EHR Helped Our Practice (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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