< + > Study: 88% Of Melatonin Gummy Products Inaccurately Labeled, Some Included CBD

The actual levels of melatonin in the products ranged from 74% to 347% of what was listed on the labels.

< + > England’s Unions Split On Healthcare Pay Deal

As one union votes to accept a pay deal for England’s public healthcare staff, another has rejected it — the latest twist in a months-long industrial dispute that’s put intense pressure on the country’s already-beleaguered health service.

< + > Bonus Features – April 30, 2023 – 68% of providers say improving patient collections is a high priority, hospital expenses have increased 2x the Medicare IPPS reimbursement rate since 2019, and more

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

News and Studies

Compared to other industries, healthcare is leading the way in improving networks to support edge computing, according to the latest AT&T Cybersecurity Insights Report. Budgets for edge computing go into four buckets – strategy, networks, security, and applications – and healthcare is putting nearly one-third of its edge computing spending into networks. While this investment is helping to converge on-premises networks, it does leave less to spend on network security, which is a worrying sign.

Healthcare risk management company Censinet, KLAS Research, and the American Hospital Association (AHA) published their inaugural Healthcare Cybersecurity Benchmarking Study. The study found that organizations are doing well when it comes to email security but face gaps when it comes to medical device security and supply chain risk management. Overall, the study concluded, organizations are still taking a reactive and not a proactive approach to cybersecurity.

Syntellis and the AHA reported that hospital expenses increased 17.5% from 2019 to 2022 – or more than double the rate of increase for Medicare IPPS reimbursement (7.5%). Drug expenses also increased 19.7% over the same time period, Additionally, 74% of hospitals reported an increase in the number of administrative tasks related to health insurance policies, compared to just 2% who reported a decrease.

A CWH Advisors study commissioned by healthcare payment company Sphere found that 68% of provider organizations believe improving patient payment collections is a high priority. Additionally, 71% ranked accelerating cash flow as one of their top three priorities, followed by improving customer service for patients and staff (68%) and offering flexible payment options for patients (50%).

A paper from Southern California FQHC AltaMed Health Services and mPulse Mobile, which makes conversational AI tools for patient engagement, reported a 7% increase in colorectal cancer screening rates when patients received automated text reminders and fotonovelas (in either English or Spanish) educating them about the importance of screening.

Partnerships

• Withings Health Solutions is sponsoring Project Power, a diabetes lifestyle change program from the American Diabetes Association.
• WellDoc partnered with Conifer Health Solutions to launch Conifer Connect, a a personalized digital health application for chronic care.
• Mobile diagnostics company Sprinter Health is partnering with Story Health, a specialty care service provider, on in-home care for patients with heart disease.
• RCM vendor medaptus is collaborating with Fresenius Kabi to offer hospitals financial reimbursement software for infusion services.
• Video and sensor company Iveda is working with Movement Interactive to provide real-time alerts to healthcare workers monitoring residents of long-term care communities.
• Healthcare cybersecurity company Clearwater is using Cyturus for third-party risk management within its its Vendor Risk Management managed services program.

Product and Company News

• Fortified Health Security unveiled Fortified Central Command, consolidating all of its managed security services into a single platform.
• Analytics vendor Komodo Health introduced MapEnhance, a network of specialty data partners.
• Data sharing company Datavant released data connectivity tools suitable for use under GDPR to create pseudonymized data for research.
• Point-of-sale patient payment platform PatientFi launched PRIVI for monthly payments of recurring aesthetic treatments.
• Virtual care and remote monitoring company AvaSure launched its Virtual Nursing application and Care Model.
• Workforce engagement technology vendor Clinician Nexus rolled out its Education Suite and Performance Suite.
• Patient billing platform Inbox Health received a patent for its customized communication technology.
• Medication engagement company Medisafe launched a Custom Branded Solution for pharmaceutical companies developing digital patient journeys.
• A Forrester study commissioned by NETSCOUT reported that its enterprise performance management products reduced the time spent on incident response by 80%.
• Linus Health published two studies demonstrating the effectiveness of digital cognitive assessments to identify early signs of cognitive impairment and dementia. In addition, UMass Chan Medical School is using Linus Health in a pilot to screen for early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Sales

• Colorado-based Quality Medical Clinic is implementing eClinicalWorks PRISMA. In addition, Colorado-based Litchfield Hills Orthopedic Associates is implementing eCW PRISMA, healow, and eBO reporting.
• Central Virginia Family Physicians expanded its use of Navina, an AI tool for decision support and patient engagement in primary care.
• Texas-based Dell Laser Consultants chose ModMed for ophthalmology practice management, analytics, patient engagement, and billing.

Awards

• Rock Health announced its Top 50 in Digital Health for 2022, a list that includes dozens of startup founders, leading venture capitalists and policymakers, and journalists such as CNBC’s Bertha Coombs, TechCrunch’s Natasha Mascarenhas, and Modern Healthcare’s Gabriel Perna.
• DrFirst medication management solution SmartRenewal won Gold in the Edison Awards.

People

• Handheld ultrasound device maker Butterfly Network named Joseph M. DeVivo as President and Chief Executive Officer.
• Enterprise performance management software Syntellis appointed Robert Hendricks as Chief Product Officer.
• Provider data management company Kyruus hired Peter Boumenot as Chief Product Officer.
• RCM vendor Savista hired Warren Jacobson as Vice President of Client Revenue Cycle.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.

< + > With Increasing Reliance On Healthcare Technology, Cybersecurity Is A Growing Concern

Technology has provided many benefits in healthcare, but has also created significant vulnerabilities.

< + > CDC Will Stop Tracking Covid-19 Community Levels, Here Are The Problems

These changes will coincide with the U.S. declaration of Covid-19 as a public health emergency scheduled to expire on May 11.

< + > Promises, Perils, And Predictions For Artificial Intelligence In Medicine: A Radiologist’s Perspective

Four ways AI will change the practice of medicine. Mostly for the better!

< + > No, These 2 Papers Don’t Show Face Masks Cause Long Covid, MIES, Stillbirths

Here are the multiple flaws of these 2 new papers that are from the same group.

< + > Minnesota Lawmaker About Marijuana: ‘Just 2 Ounces Is Equivalent To 3 Joints’

Republican Minnesota state Sen. Warren Limmer was arguing against bills that would permit adults 21 and older in Minnesota to purchase up to two ounces of cannabis flower, eight grams of concentrate or 800 milligrams of edible products.

< + > Weekly Roundup – April 29, 2023

Welcome to our Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundup. Each week, we’ll be providing a look back at the articles we posted and why they’re important to the healthcare IT community. We hope this gives you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed during the week.

A Tribute to Casey Quinlan – Advocate and Renaissance Woman. Colin Hung wrote a heartfelt tribute to Casey Quinlan, an outspoken advocate for increased patient involvement in healthcare decision-making and a more accountable (and affordable) healthcare system. She may be gone, but her legacy remains strong. Read more…

Improving Device Management by Focusing on Physical Workflows. Clinical staff need physical workstations or handheld devices to treat patients. Waiting for devices that are fully charged and sanitized can waste precious time. That’s why Enovate Medical and JAR Systems partnered to create a device management platform tailored to the unique workflows of the inpatient setting. Read more…

Giving Healthcare Organizations the Return on Investment They Want. Three leaders of ROI Healthcare sat down with John Lynn and talked about helping health systems get the payoff they want from investments in RCM, ERP, and EHR software. Two key steps: Revisiting licensing agreements and ensuring new systems aren’t tethered to old processes. Read more…

How Addressing Sepsis Helped HCA Better Prepare for Hurricanes. After improving the quality of data collected at the point of care, HCA rolled out a project to better detect and prevent sepsis. Jim Jirjis, MD, told Colin the back-end work for the project had an unintended benefit: By streamlining documentation, nurses had patient information readily available when facilities needed to be evacuated before a hurricane hit. Read more…

The Intersection of Informatics, Analytics, and Medicine. In the latest CIO Podcast, Ray Gensinger, MD, at Tegria talked to John about the journey from physician to CIO to CMO. With this perspective in mind, he also discussed how healthcare organizations should prioritize their informatics efforts – no small task given the large quantity of data they have in contrast to their limited informatics resources. Read more…

Tracking the Patient Experience at Intermountain Health. Like most health systems, Intermountain wanted to improve the patient experience but needed a systematic way to get information from its call centers, which receive more 32 million calls each year. Dan Liljenquist told John how Intermountain is using Qualtrics not only to gather data but to to build customer preferences into each individual’s record. Read more…

Maximizing Healthcare Data Starts with a Human-Centric Approach. The pandemic highlighted all too well the value of readily available and reliable public health data, noted Chris Anello at iTech AG. This has required the industry to rethink how this data is presented to the public, and getting that right requires an increased emphasis on how consumers interact with data. Read more…

Fueling Innovation in Healthcare by Scaling Access to Protected Data. Manually de-identifying, abstracting, or normalizing data doesn’t give healthcare organizations the insights they need, according to Suraj Kapa, MD, at TripleBlind. That’s where federated analytics comes into play, enabling organizations to use real data in a secure and scalable way. Read more…

Leveraging Data to Maintain Access to Care Amid the Medicaid Redetermination Process. Up to 18 million Medicaid beneficiaries are due to lose coverage as the public health emergency ends. Analyzing member data can help public and private Medicaid health plans determine who faces the greatest risk of failing to recertify their eligibility, said Ashley Perry at Socially Determined. Read more…

Unlocking the Digital Front Door. Digitizing the patient experience is necessary to drive the increased consumerization of healthcare, and it should be an operational imperative for every healthcare organization, argued John Squeo at CitiusTech. The most effective digital front door must support multichannel engagement and integrate with multiple front-end and back-end tools. Read more…

Aiming for Health Equity Through Personalized Medicine. Nearly 80% of medications are approved for a single dosage, which often fails to account for how patients of different races, ages, or genders may respond to a treatment. Hakim Yadi, PhD, at Closed Loop Medicine described the role of real-time remote monitoring in linking personalized, optimized dosing with outcome improvements. Read more…

Featured Health IT Job: Clinic Informatics Coordinator at the Cow Creek Health & Wellness Center, based in Roseburg, Oregon, posted to Healthcare IT Central.

Bonus Features for April 23, 2023: 77% of doctors are confident in a chatbot’s ability to assess patients’ symptoms, while only 7% of executives are very satisfied with patient-facing payment products. Read more…

Funding and M&A Activity:

• Data analytics platform Arcadia raised $125 million in funding from Vista Credit Partners.
• Confidential information disclosure management company Verisma merged with ScanSTAT, which specializes in managing confidential information. The new company will do business under the Verisma brand.
• Cloud-based data platform 1upHealth raised $40 million in Series C funding.
• Care management solution provider MedArrive announced $8 million in funding.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our latest Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundups.

< + > After Sperm Donor Fathers Over 550 Children, Dutch Court Orders Him To Stop

In 2017, the man was already banned from offering his semen to Dutch fertility clinics yet continued to donate internationally.

< + > Technology Companies Are Betting On A Healthcare Revolution: Bringing Hospital Care To The Patient’s Home

Healthcare-at-home will revolutionize how care is delivered.

< + > Forget AI; Organoid Intelligence May Soon Power Our Computers

While the world has been captivated by artificial intelligence, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified a new form of intelligence: organoid intelligence. A future where computers are powered by lab-grown brain cells may be closer than we could ever have imagined.

< + > Healthcare Systems Are Rebranding. Is It A Real Pivot Or Old Wine, Just In New Bottles?

If the industry is serious about better health outcomes at lower total cost of care, it needs more than a rebranding exercise. It needs to redefine the underlying business model.

< + > HHS is prioritizing consumer experience, data exchange, explainable AI

Andrea Palm, deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says the agency is striving to "put the people we serve at the center of what we do." Meanwhile, ONC officials offer updates on new Cures Act rules.

< + > Arcadia Raises $125 Million in New Financing from Vista Credit Partners

Investment to accelerate platform innovation and company growth; further establish leadership position in healthcare data analytics

Arcadia, a leading data analytics platform for healthcare, today announced $125 million in financing from Vista Credit Partners, the credit-lending arm of Vista Equity Partners and a strategic investor and financing partner focused on the enterprise software, data and technology market. The investment will accelerate Arcadia’s platform innovation and go-to-market strategy to meet the growing demand from leading healthcare organizations to aggregate and analyze data from across disparate systems for business efficiencies and improved patient care.

“Arcadia’s mission is to inform better healthcare decisions by unlocking the power of the vast amount of data that is captured in modern healthcare delivery and operations,” said Michael Meucci, CEO at Arcadia. “Vista Credit Partners is the preferred partner to help us achieve our goals, providing new financing and access to the broader Vista ecosystem which holds deep expertise and resources for scaling HealthTech and enterprise software businesses. We look forward to further investing in our platform, our service delivery and customer relations to solidify our position as the leading data platform for healthcare organizations.”

Arcadia helps providers and health plans deliver actionable insights to advance care and research, drive strategic growth, and ensure financial success. The past year included several important milestones for Arcadia, including:

• Inclusion on Inc. 5000’s 2022 Fastest Growing Private Companies list, reflecting 99% revenue growth over three years;
• Achieving 35%+ ARR growth in 2022 by continuing to build and expand relationships with the top payers and providers in the U.S.;
• Growing total active unique users of the Arcadia Analytics platform by 50% in nine months; and
• Saving customers more than $1.3 billion through Arcadia’s Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) service.

“Vista Credit Partners invests in innovative software businesses with established market leadership, providing non-dilutive credit solutions and counsel to help them achieve their next phase of growth,” said David Flannery, President at Vista Credit Partners. “Arcadia is an exciting investment as its platform serves as a mission-critical tool for blue-chip national health systems, hospitals, and health plans, helping them drive ROI by delivering actionable intelligence that enables strategic growth and financial success in pursuit of better health outcomes. We’re thrilled to partner with Michael and the entire Arcadia team and support the Company’s continued growth and success.”

In addition to business growth and platform adoption, Arcadia has been consistently recognized for outstanding customer satisfaction and company culture, earning Best in KLAS in Value-Based Care Managed Services for five consecutive years and being named to Built In’s 100 Best Places to Work in 2023 in Boston and Chicago.

About Arcadia

Arcadia is dedicated to happier, healthier days for all. We transform data into powerful insights that deliver results. Through our partnerships with the nation’s leading health systems, payers, and life science companies, we are growing a community of innovation to improve care, maximize value, and confront emerging challenges. For more information, visit arcadia.io.

About Vista Credit Partners

Vista Credit Partners (VCP) is the credit-investing arm of Vista Equity Partners and is a strategic investor and financing partner focused on the growing enterprise software, data, and technology market. VCP employs a highly disciplined approach to credit investing while maintaining flexibility to pursue investments offering the best relative value and investing across the capital structure. Since formation in 2013 and as of December 31, 2022, VCP has deployed over $9.7 billion and grown to over $6.6 billion of assets under management. For more information, please visit vistaequitypartners.com.

Vista Credit Partners offers solutions tailored to strategic objectives with growth-friendly terms and long-term investment horizons across both the private and broadly syndicated markets, sourcing deals directly from founder-led companies, through sponsor relationships, and from its deep network of experts, advisors and other intermediaries to support growth and unlock value through creative capital solutions and operational partnership. Vista Credit Partners has completed more than 495 software and technology transactions since inception.

Originally announced April 13th, 2023

< + > England’s Nurses To Cut Strike Short After Legal Battle

England’s nurses will halve a planned 48-hour strike after losing a legal battle in the country’s high court.

< + > Roundup: Sunshine Private live with Kyra EMR, MedicalDirector and more briefs

Also, the WA government has announced new funding to begin the first phase launch of the WA Virtual Emergency Department.

< + > What To Know About ‘Arcturus’: New Covid Variant Causing Pink Eye

New Covid strain XBB.1.18, nicknamed arcturus, is quickly spreading across the U.S., but experts are warning that pink eye and high fever, two symptoms of the new variant, are particularly present among children.

< + > Resurrection Of Covid Antibody Therapy: IgG3 Fc Fusion To The Rescue

Recent studies indicate the previously unknown protective value of non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

< + > Fueling Innovation in Healthcare by Scaling Access to Protected Data

The following is a guest article by Dr. Suraj Kapa, Chief Medical Officer at TripleBlind

Data is arguably the most critical driver of innovation in healthcare today. When you think about it, everything in healthcare hinges on having access to the right data: From developing new drugs and medical devices to allocating scarce resources amidst supply chain issues.

Getting your hands on the data necessary to make breakthroughs in healthcare is a significant challenge given its sensitive nature. Essentially, we need a way to have our cake (access raw health data to drive life-saving advances in medical care) and eat it too (maintain said data’s privacy).

Historically, organizations have tried to get around this by using synthetic, abstracted, or pre-anonymized datasets, but that strategy just doesn’t cut it. Best case scenario, it can result in higher costs to healthcare systems. Worst case scenario, it can result in flawed insights if the data contains errors or is missing key elements. 

Thankfully, new solutions have emerged that let organizations safely collaborate with sensitive data and algorithms using federated analytics. Keeping health data secure yet accessible offers the best of both worlds: Total privacy without any barriers to innovation. 

With all that said, let’s look at the state of health data, current practices, and how new solutions are letting us have our cake and eat it too. Grab your fork. 

Healthcare has a Data Problem: Here’s How We’ve Been Trying to Tackle It

It’s no secret that having continuous access to raw health data is invaluable—that fact is well established. However, recent advances in analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence have brought us to a tipping point where healthcare can no longer ignore the value of having access to this data. 

We need this data to drive the next wave of innovation—people’s health and well-being depend on it. We can only achieve this if the data is kept private to maintain patient privacy and the intellectual property rights of healthcare companies and their industry partners. 

Over the years, initiatives have emerged to address this. Everyone has heard of HIPAA, which was enacted to protect patients’ health information from disclosure without their consent or knowledge. It also features standards designed to improve efficiency in the healthcare industry. The less-talked-about Sentinel Initiative was created to monitor the safety of medical products via direct access to patients’ electronic health records. Despite legislation and initiatives to help with this problem, the challenge remains and will only become more amplified as health data grows in volume and complexity. 

Organizations have been shooting themselves in the foot by relying on manually de-identifying, abstracting, or normalizing data to get the insights they need. It’s nearly impossible to obtain meaningful, accurate, real-time insights from health data in this manner. This outdated method is hardware dependent, poses potential risks for re-identification, offers only partial security, and generally only works on structured or specific types of data. 

New Tech, New Opportunities

Privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) emerged just in time to make gleaning insights from health data scalable, accurate, and secure: a true win-win. One PET we’re truly excited about? Federated analytics.

Federated analytics improves upon prior PETs and keeps health data safe in three ways. First, the data is secured at its point of residence so that external parties cannot access it in any meaningful way. Second, the data is kept secure as parties collaborate to decrease the risk of interception. Finally, the data is secured during computation, reducing the risk of sensitive information extraction. Organizations can also track how the data is used to ensure it is only leveraged for its intended purpose.

Federated analytics software lowers the risks associated with sharing health data by eliminating decryption and movement of raw data, while allowing privacy-intact computations to occur. Additionally, technology improvements driven by federated analytics minimize the computational load necessary to analyze data, which reduces hardware dependency and increases scalability.

Other benefits include access to raw data beyond just structured data, including video, images, and voice data; more secure internal (across regulatory boundaries) collaboration and external (between organizations) collaboration; and a lower chance of non-compliance due to simplified, more cohesive contracting processes. 

Federated analytics is driving healthcare towards the future. By safely scaling access to raw health data, organizations can optimize processes for clinical trials, develop and deploy groundbreaking AI algorithms, and bolster pharmacovigilance. Thanks to the development of federated analytics solutions, there is no longer a need to choose between gaining powerful insights that will shape the future of healthcare and keeping patient data private.

About Dr. Suraj Kapa

As its chief medical officer, Dr. Suraj Kapa, leads healthcare strategy for TripleBlind, the leader in automated, real-time data de-identification. In addition, Dr. Kapa is a board-certified cardiologist with subspecialty certification in cardiac electrophysiology at Mayo Clinic.  Dr. Kapa has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, given hundreds of guest lectures, and filed over 30 patents that serve as the foundation for healthcare startups.

< + > Verisma and ScanSTAT Announce Merger, Providing the Strength and Know-How that HIM Departments Need for the Path Ahead

Merger meets growing demand by combining strengths and accelerating investment in people, technology, and service to lead the industry forward

Verisma, a trusted disclosure management partner servicing diverse healthcare environments with their most complicated release challenges, and ScanSTAT, Release of Information (ROI) experts specializing in physician groups, ambulatory services, health systems and hospitals with expanded health information management (HIM) solutions, announced a merger of the two companies, creating a new market leader in Release of Information. Coming together under the Verisma brand, the combined company provides faster turnaround times through automation, expanded services to manage compliance requirements, and advanced tools to improve patient experience.

“The technology and service experts coming together is a response to a very real demand we see from HIM departments,” said Verisma CEO, Marty McKenna. “Increasingly, scale and sophistication are essential to ensure we evolve with the market and create more efficient ways to protect our clients and their patients. ScanSTAT has veteran experience, white glove service, and expanded HIM services that naturally complement our broader technology and service capabilities. Together, we now deliver a comprehensive market-leading ROI solution – a sophisticated, reliable, and efficient platform that can be customized to the unique needs of different types of providers.”

With combined strengths and resources, Verisma and ScanSTAT can scale investments in people, technology, and services that will lead the HIM industry forward.

“Our companies share the view that sophisticated ROI is no longer optional,” said ScanSTAT CEO, Matt Rohs, who will take on the role of Chief of Staff in the combined company and join the Verisma Board of Directors. “Verisma and ScanSTAT uniting is a natural move for both of us as providers seek experts to help simplify the complicated world of ROI.”

NewSpring Healthcare, NewSpring’s dedicated healthcare strategy and an existing investor in Verisma, provided funding to facilitate the transaction.

“Throughout our partnership with Verisma, the company has grown into a market leader in disclosure management and exceeded our high expectations for the business,” said Matt Plevelich, Principal at NewSpring Healthcare. “Verisma still has significant runway for further growth and we are thrilled to provide funding for this merger that will help the company continue to expand and improve the overall experience for healthcare providers and third-party requestors.”

Guggenheim Securities, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to ScanSTAT on this transaction.

About Verisma

With Verisma® services and technology, health information managers elevate their organization’s method of securely disclosing confidential information to patients, attorneys, and other third parties. Built on the principles of truth and accuracy, Verisma is a trusted partner in complying with changing regulations while reducing errors, turnaround time, and cost. Verisma HITRUST® certified technology integrates with existing EHRs and portals for advanced automation and transparency uniquely designed for release of information (ROI), self-serve request tracking, and audits. Flexible service models including full-service, technology-only, or a hybrid seamlessly blend Verisma’s end-to-end solution with the needs of existing staff. Our partnership is truly a promise to put patient protection first. Learn more about our disclosure management system at verisma.com.

About ScanSTAT

ScanSTAT always strives to stay ahead of the curve. Our combination of technology, expertise, HIPAA-compliant processes, and ability to deliver a suite of high-quality health information management services sets ScanSTAT apart from the industry. Our highly trained health information management experts help you increase efficiency and remain compliant with HIPAA regulations. ScanSTAT is a proud partner to some of the industry’s best electronic health record (EHR) systems. Learn more at scanstat.com.

Originally announced April 13th, 2023

< + > Common multi-cloud mistakes – and how to avoid them

A cloud computing expert discusses ways around the challenges of finding qualified cloud professionals, developing an appropriately tailored approach to cloud hosting and creating a comprehensive cloud-forward plan.

< + > ROI Healthcare Solutions Provides the Returns Healthcare Organizations Want

In these days of tightened payments and higher costs, organizations need to “do more with less” by finding better prices for their purchases while maximizing reimbursements—and above all, by making sure that technology improves ROI, according to Jeff Tennant, EVP of Healthcare IT Strategy & Services at ROI Healthcare Solutions.  Tennant and his colleagues sat down with Healthcare IT Today to share how ROI (Return on Investment) is core to the culture of the work they do with healthcare organizations.

In this interview, Diana Van Blaricom, VP of ERP Strategy, emphasizes the waste created by IT system licenses that are still being paid for but are no longer being used, or used rarely. Plus, organizations sometimes spend millions to create new systems that incorporate a “dead process” and therefore don’t see user adoption.

ROI Healthcare Solutions has been optimizing processes and guiding transformations at health care organizations for 24 years. They now operate in 34 U.S. states and 9 countries. The healthcare systems in many countries are just starting their digital transformation, according to Melissa Ursi, COO of ROI Healthcare Solutions and Managing Partner at ROI International.

Although their first focus is on revenue, through goals such as quicker and more accurate billing, Ursi emphasizes that the goal ultimately has to be improved patient care. ROI Healthcare Solutions works closely with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, EHRs, and the systems that connect to them.

Watch this video for more insights into maximizing the efficiency and usefulness of IT systems in health care.

Learn more about ROI Healthcare Solutions: https://roihs.com/

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

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Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

 ROI Healthcare Solutions is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene.

< + > Leveraging Data to Reduce Member Churn, Maintain Access to Care, and Avoid Care Gaps as a Result of the Medicaid Redetermination Process

The following is a guest article by Ashley Perry, MPH, Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined

When Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, it decoupled the Public Health Emergency (PHE) from the Medicaid program’s continuous enrollment provision, which was implemented as part of the PHE in March 2020. It also established April 1, 2023 as the date on which the Medicaid redetermination process would resume nationwide. 

The continuous enrollment provision resulted in substantial growth in Medicaid enrollment nationwide and helped bring the national uninsured rate to an all-time low. These recent gains in coverage are now in jeopardy with the unwinding of the provision. A recent analysis conducted by the Urban Institute projected that 18 million beneficiaries will lose coverage as a result of this process. While for many, this will be because they no longer meet the program’s eligibility criteria, estimates suggest that up to 40 percent of those who lose coverage will still qualify, they simply will not be able to complete the recertification process successfully, due to administrative and/or social barriers. 

This will result in a number of negative consequences. Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will experience material reductions in their membership. Health care providers will experience increases in uncompensated care and bad debt. Most concerningly, some of the most vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries will experience access to care issues and care gaps that could result in poor health outcomes and widening health disparities. To avoid these negative impacts, CMS, state Medicaid agencies and MCOs should leverage data and analytics to minimize the number of eligible Medicaid beneficiaries that lose coverage as a result of the redetermination process. Here are a few areas where a data-driven, analytics-first approach can help:

Updating Member Contact Information

During the three years that the continuous enrollment provision was in place, many Medicaid beneficiaries moved, and as a result, state Medicaid agencies and MCOs may not have current contact information for them. Updating member contact information is a key step in ensuring Medicaid beneficiaries are able to provide the necessary information to confirm their eligibility. There are added benefits for health plans investing in this, as it will also help maximize the reach and impact of existing member outreach campaigns, engagement strategies, care management programs, and other initiatives designed to increase member engagement and improve outcomes. 

Assessing the Impact of Health Literacy Challenges and Language Barriers

Health literacy challenges and language barriers will also impact members’ ability to complete the recertification process. A recent study found that non-English speaking Medicaid beneficiaries are five times less likely to successfully recertify than those who cite English as their primary language. In addition, nearly half of all American adults have health literacy levels that may hinder them from comprehending the information requested on recertification forms and being able to complete them fully as required to maintain coverage. Data regarding beneficiaries’ preferred language and risk analytics around health literacy challenges can help MCOs proactively identify subsets of their members that may face these barriers. These insights can then enable plans to proactively reach out to these members to offer language and literacy level-appropriate support in understanding the redetermination process and providing the required information to maintain coverage.  

 Leveraging Demographic Data and Social Risk Analytics to Inform Outreach Strategies 

State Medicaid agencies and MCOs alike are investing in a variety of outreach and education strategies to help eligible beneficiaries retain their coverage. For example, the California Department of Health Services (DHCS) has appointed coverage ambassadors to engage Medi-Cal beneficiaries within their local communities and deliver tailored messages about the process. These ambassadors include traditional health navigators, Community Health Workers (CHWs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), and other trusted community members. Texas has hired 1,000 additional employees to help administer the redetermination process for the state’s 6 million-plus Medicaid beneficiaries. Nationwide, many MCOs are making similar investments in member outreach, education and support strategies. Despite these investments, these resources are outmatched by the magnitude of beneficiaries that will be required to complete the process over the coming year. Demographic data and social risk analytics offer a data-driven, analytics-first, equity-focused strategy to proactively identify beneficiaries that face the greatest risk of not recertifying due to social barriers. 

Maintaining coverage and access to care for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries should be a top priority for CMS, state Medicaid agencies, MCOs and health care providers to avoid negative health and business consequences alike. Leveraging available contact and demographic data, as well as social risk analytics, that are available through a variety of public and proprietary sources offers a key strategy for achieving this. 

< + > Walmart To Expand Health Clinics Into Oklahoma, Adding To 2024 Expansion

Walmart will expand its doctor-staffed “Walmart Health” centers it operates with four new sites in the Oklahoma City area next year.

< + > Featured Health IT Job: Manager – Clinic Informatics Coordinator

We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we’re featuring the Clinic Informatics Coordinator position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by Cow Creek Government Office and is in Roseburg, Oregon.

Here’s a description of the position:

Position Purpose

The Clinical Informatics Coordinator (CIC) will be responsible for the implementation and smooth operation of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Greenway utilized at the Cow Creek Health & Wellness Center (CCH&WC) and other related technology-based initiatives critical to Clinic success.

Essential Functions

• Serves as a liaison between clinician, facility leadership, and various clinical committee/workgroups
• Assists in the planning, design, development, implementation, support and ongoing optimization of Greenway and other technologies
• Monitor, audit, and report on adoption process to identify trends
• Collaborate with appropriate teams to formulate corrective actions for identified needs
• Assume leadership role in identifying and coordinating change efforts, including communication, change readiness assessment, gap analysis, education, workflows and policy and procedural changes
• Participate/lead initiatives to educate, train, and provide ongoing educational support to clinicians regarding the use of Greenway and related technologies
• Work with key customers to develop strategies, manage change, and maintain compliance of best practices workflow
• Participate in facility and corporate committee meetings and or/ projects as clinical informatics expert

Qualifications

• COVID vaccine required
• At least 3 years with primary responsibility for, and extensive knowledge of, electronic health record and practice management applications
• Experience or specific knowledge with Greenway Intergy EHR product a big plus
• Minimum bachelor’s degree in information systems or equivalent
• Extensive knowledge of SharePoint and demonstrated ability to administer site
• Familiarity with data visualization applications and the principles of the field
• Ability to accomplish responsibilities with minimal direction
• Able to demonstrate creativity and latitude in problem solving
• Working familiarity with web design and web-mastering including search engine optimization
• Must demonstrate proven effective verbal and written communication skills with attention to detail, grammar, and punctuation
• Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with staff, local agencies, and individuals from different cultural & ethnic backgrounds in a friendly and professional manner
• Certified Professional Coder Preferred
• Ability to commute to all clinic locations

Looks like a great opportunity for those with experience with coordinating clinical informatics! If this looks like a position that would interest you, check out the full details for the job and how to apply.

As always, you can search our Health IT job board for a variety of jobs from leading companies in the industry. You can also register for free and post your resume where recruiters search for job candidates regularly.

< + > England’s Covid App To Finally Switch Off

The app would tell members of the public to self-isolate if they’d been in close contact with someone who went on to test positive for the virus.

< + > Unlocking the Digital Front Door

The following is a guest article by John Squeo, Senior Vice President of Provider and Healthcare Services at CitiusTech

With IT powerhouses entering healthcare and consumers enjoying a seamless and intuitive digital experience in their daily lives, the pressure is on for healthcare organizations to create effective digital front doors that improve patient care and enable providers and payers to be more efficient and effective

The revolution is real. In any given month, Amazon.com, the front door for one of the most successful technology companies in history, sees more than two billion visits. Consumers who click on the prominently displayed “Amazon Health” tab are met with an invitation to learn more about One Medical, “the doctor’s office, reimagined.”  

Simultaneously, at Walmart.com, where more than 350 million visits occur monthly, shoppers are met not only with an overview of store departments, but also a listing of the many services the company offers, among them those for health and wellness, including a pharmacy that promises to lower costs and Walmart Health, launched in 2019.  Now operating 32 clinics in five states, it recently announced significant expansion plans. 

For physician practices, payers, hospitals, and health systems, the takeaway is clear. The consumerization of healthcare and more to the point – the digitization of the patient experience that is required to satisfy it – is no longer theoretical. It is not only occurring, but radically accelerating as consumers of every age and from every walk of life demand the same intuitive, easy and transparent experience in healthcare they enjoy in their daily lives, whether it’s shopping online or finding the perfect movie on Netflix. 

As a result, the digital front door – the first point through which patients, and the payers and clinicians who serve them, engage one another is now an operational imperative for every healthcare organization. But what does this mean for incumbents? How can they create a digital front door that rivals the technical wizardry of the tech giants and online retailers? What technologies will be involved, and what are the key factors of success that must be considered?

For even cursory answers, we first agree on how to define a digital front door. While unique to every healthcare organization, effective digital front doors all have characteristics in common. First and foremost, they are platforms that provide a consistent, transparent, intuitive, and personalized experience for care navigation – not just for patients, but also providers and payers. 

By default, they must work equally well not only for all stakeholders involved, but they must also incorporate numerous channels of communication and interaction. These include websites, patient portals, member portals, electronic health records, call centers, chatbots, mobile devices, and more. 

They must also incorporate myriad technologies, innovations and tools – among them software-defined infrastructure, the cloud, machine learning, customer relationship management, data analytics, business intelligence, military-grade encryption and security, and increasingly ChatGPT-like generative artificial intelligence – all while working seamlessly with a wide range of wired and mobile devices. Not surprisingly, for many organizations creating a digital presence that addresses such perimeters is both daunting and complex; however, keeping three key trends digital front doors both address and reflect, as well as the requirements they demand, in mind can help ensure that organizations begin their digital front door journey on the right foot.

Digital Front Doors Reflect and Enable Organizations to Address Three Key Trends

Providers and Payers will be Known by their Digital Presence

Just as omnichannel retailers and tech industry natives are known by the convenience and utility they offer online, providers and payers will likewise be judged not only the digital experience they provide, but by also how effectively they communicate what makes them unique in each and every interaction with the patient. Everything from the personality and talents of physicians to the added benefits associated with specific health plans must be conveyed effectively and elegantly. As a result, a seamless and consistent experience must be provided in every interaction, whether it’s online, in-person, on the phone or in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Most patients will use numerous channels.

Patients will be Recognized and Treated as Individuals

The dreaded paper form that treats patients as strangers in every interaction will be replaced by a front door greeting that immediately lets individuals know they are recognized, known and valued. As a result, technology systems will be required to immediately and effectively confirm the identity of all individuals regardless of which form of communication they prefer – not only to increase engagement, but to ensure that personal and medical information remains secure and private. 

Data by Necessity will be Processed and Analyzed Much Faster

Fresh data will play a critical role. Patients’ communications preferences for example will need to reflect intelligence gained in interactions made in the past month or two, while the availability and results of diagnostic tests, for example, will need to be conveyed in real time. As a result, data management and performance will be crucial – a reality that will impact how organizations adapt legacy systems or whether they build from scratch.

Creating an effective digital front door is a complex and difficult undertaking that requires not only technology expertise, but also a keen understanding of the workflows that occur in healthcare environments and the crucially important compliance requirements involved. But regardless of the resources they have at hand, even a well thought out, but initial effort to create an effective digital front door can deliver tangible benefits and increase both current and prospective patient engagement. 

About John Squeo

John Squeo, senior vice president of provider and healthcare services at CitiusTech, considers health our greatest gift and is on a mission to ensure that all have access to quality care. A veteran CIO at hospitals, John also brings significant Big Four consulting experience in healthcare cloud, interoperability, blockchain initiatives and other IT imperatives to his role at CitiusTech. He is the chairman of the board for Access to Care, a nonprofit that provides care to those without insurance – a role he has held for the past eight years. 

< + > Health Data Cloud Leader 1upHealth Raises $40 Million Series C led by Sixth Street Growth

Company to invest in scaling its health data platform, providing payers, providers and digital health companies with an end-to-end solution for interoperability and open computing

1upHealth today announced the close of a $40M Series C investment led by Sixth Street Growth with participation from existing investors F-Prime Capital, Jackson Square Ventures, and Eniac Ventures. 1upHealth will use this latest investment to expand product development and customer growth teams and accelerate efforts to lead the digital transformation of the healthcare industry in the cloud.

1upHealth’s FHIR®-native platform designed for interoperability and modern computing is used by over 75 enterprise organizations including leading national and regional health plans, the highest performing CMS ACOs, international clinical research organizations, and over 20 state Medicaid agencies. By leveraging the industry’s FHIR standard, modern and open cloud architecture, and restful APIs, 1upHealth helps customers acquire, store, and interact with the data needed to power their business operations and analytics.

“Over the past decade, industries ranging from manufacturing to retail have all undergone digital transformation and now it’s healthcare’s turn. Our customers are ready. They are more and more motivated by the power of what data and interoperability can do for their business,” said Joe Gagnon, CEO at 1upHealth. “With the support of one of the top growth equity firms in Sixth Street Growth, we are at the forefront of this transformation and 100% committed to building healthcare’s modern data cloud.”

The funds raised will be used to accelerate efforts in building the 1upHeath Data Cloud across three key areas:

1. Invest in product development and engineering in preparedness for proposed and future CMS regulations
2. Enhance 1upHealth data cloud infrastructure for serverless scalability and open access
3. Grow Customer and Services teams to support market expansion across payers, providers, pharma, digital health and more

Founded in 2017 and referred to as the “first true implementation of ONC’s intent for healthcare interoperability” by Gartner in their 2020 Cool Vendors in Healthcare Interoperability Report, 1upHealth has since grown 101% in ARR year over year; 648% ARR growth since 2020.

“The healthcare industry is under significant pressure to improve the quality of care and reduce per capita costs, and leveraging the power and insights of combined claims and clinical data via 1upHealth’s FHIR-standard platform is one way to achieve this,” said Lee Mooney, Managing Director at Sixth Street Growth, who will join the Company’s Board of Directors. “With proposed federal regulations requiring enhanced health information exchange capabilities, 1upHealth is well-positioned to respond to these market forces while helping healthcare organizations enhance the utility of their data using modern database technology.”

About 1upHealth

1upHealth provides a modern data platform that’s cloud-based, API-enabled, and FHIR-native. The company was founded in 2017 and built natively in the cloud using FHIR as the easiest way to connect, control, and compute on health data. More than 75 enterprise health plans and health systems operate on the 1up platform with 35+ million patients. Our industry-leading tools enable quick connections using FHIR APIs to patient data at an individual and population level, high quality transformation of legacy data, unmatched field-level security, and consent management with robust data governance. With the push towards digital quality measures, population health analytics, value-based contracts, and better healthcare experiences, the 1up managed platform helps our customers to meet the growing demands for data access and connectivity. For more information visit 1up.health.

About Sixth Street

Sixth Street is a leading global investment firm with approximately $65 billion in assets under management and committed capital. Sixth Street Growth is the firm’s dedicated platform for making private investments in growth companies. The Sixth Street Growth team partners with companies and management teams to provide bespoke capital solutions to accelerate organic and inorganic growth. Sixth Street has invested over $9 billion in more than 70 companies in its growth investing strategy since inception. Select Sixth Street Growth investments include Airbnb, AvidXchange, Bloomreach, Datavant, DrFirst, Gainsight, MasterControl, MDLIVE, Spotify, and Sprinklr. For more information, visit sixthstreetgrowth.com, and follow Sixth Street on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Originally announced April 12th, 2023

< + > New Survey Reveals That Covid Has Turned Many Homeowners Into Homebodies

Covid turned many Americans into homebodies, according to the Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence.

< + > Are We Leaving Useful Antibodies Behind? The Value Of Non-Neutralizing Protective Monoclonal Antibodies

While common sense may suggest that antibodies that do not neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus are of little value, recent studies show they can still confer protection against infection.

< + > Centene Profits Eclipse $1.1 Billion On Obamacare And Medicaid Growth

Centene reported more than $1.1 billion in first quarter profits thanks to a big boost in Obamacare enrollment.

< + > Lung Cancer: Parking Lot Scans Spot Disease Earlier In England

Data shows these efforts are getting those most at risk diagnosed quicker.

< + > MedArrive Raises $8 Million Investment to Bring More Care Into the Home

New funding led by Cobalt Ventures will support continued business growth and expansion of health plan relationships

Mobile-integrated care management platform company, MedArrive, today announced $8 million in new funding led by Cobalt Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC). The investment follows MedArrive’s $25 million series A round in November 2021 and brings the company’s total funding to $40.5 million to date.

MedArrive supports both adult and pediatric populations, providing a white-labeled care management solution that powers care into the home – often for the hardest-to-reach, disengaged and most-vulnerable populations. It connects providers and payers with MedArrive’s field provider network of highly trained and skilled paramedics, EMTs, and other healthcare professionals. These field providers visit the homes of patients or members on behalf of their provider or health plan, providing a mix of in-home healthcare services, diagnostics, health assessments, post-acute care, and other preventive health measures – while also addressing social care needs like transportation, mobility, or nutrition assistance.

When higher-acuity care is needed, field providers will connect people with physician-led telehealth services. The MedArrive platform also includes integrations with a growing ecosystem of specialized partners, which allows field providers to bring even more care services into the home such as virtual behavioral health, retinal screening, and maternity care.

“MedArrive has quickly become a leader in delivering healthcare at home solutions with a unique platform and agile workforce that helps lower cost of care for health plans while building trust, improving access to care and driving better outcomes for their members,” said David Eichler, Managing Partner at Cobalt Ventures.

“Everyone in America has a right to inclusive, high-quality care, yet too many are left out and have no one on their side who can connect them to the system. That’s what the MedArrive platform and our field providers offer – a trusted and compassionate bridge into the homes of the people who need care the most and at the right time,” said MedArrive CEO and Co-Founder, Dan Trigub. “The work we are doing with dedicated healthcare organizations, who are committed to health equity, is what drives our team every day, and we are honored to receive this strategic investment from Cobalt Ventures.”

In a few years, MedArrive has built an impressive list of customers – especially with managed Medicaid health plans – demonstrating a significant ability to improve the health of very at-risk populations while also lowering costs. For example, in a collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Texas, MedArrive helped Molina’s members navigate the healthcare system, connected them with resources that improved their health and quality of life, and facilitated more care in an appropriate setting.

In the first phase of the program, MedArrive drove 74% member engagement and a 20% reduction in ED usage; created a 5% improvement in member retention; surfaced undocumented social determinants of health (SDOH) needs in 32% of visits; reduced hospitalizations by 50%; and garnered a 90+ NPS.

MedArrive also led a variety of successful home-health programs with Bright Health, and several Centene plans including Superior HealthPlan (Texas), and HealthNet (California) among others. The company’s capital-efficient model has become attractive for payers, providers and investors alike who are all looking to leverage a growing home-health market. McKinsey predicted that approximately $265 billion worth of healthcare services could shift into the home by 2025. At the same time, payers and risk-based providers are looking for proven ways to reduce costs associated with at-risk populations, like those on Medicaid. Research has shown that nearly 50% of Medicaid patients will visit the ED at least once a year, which is about 4 times more than commercial patients.

With its proven ability to deliver outcomes and this new investment, MedArrive plans to use the new investment to expand its payer relationships, build out its team and platform, and scale its business into new markets.

About MedArrive

MedArrive enables healthcare providers and payors to power care services into the home, leveraging a fully integrated care management platform that bridges the virtual care gap with physician-led telemedicine combined with our network of EMS professionals.

MedArrive’s holistic care model, network of field providers, and technology serve vulnerable populations in their homes, building patient self-advocacy, lowering the total cost of care, and reconnecting the unengaged back to primary care. This unique approach gives patients access to trusted medical expertise by utilizing an untapped workforce, ultimately ensuring continuity of care, better patient outcomes, and significant cost savings for payers and providers alike.

MedArrive has a national network of thousands of highly skilled EMS providers in its national network. Services span dozens of clinical use cases, including chronic condition management, transitional care, readmission prevention, urgent care, vaccinations, palliative care, and more. For more information, visit medarrive.com. 

About Cobalt Ventures

Cobalt Ventures, LLC is the strategic venture capital arm of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City. Cobalt invests in high growth companies that align with Blue KC’s mission and can scale nationally across the payer industry.  Cobalt actively partners with entrepreneurs in bringing innovative solutions to healthcare that increase overall quality, improve outcomes, and lower costs for customers and members.  More information about Cobalt Ventures can be found at cobalt-ventures.com.

Originally announced April 11th, 2023

< + > Can We Avoid The Impending Healthcare Workforce Labor Shortage?

Healthcare workforce shortages are seen as inevitable. They don’t have to be.

< + > ChatGPT’s Use In Medicine Raises Questions Of Security, Privacy, Bias

A recent Pew Research poll found 6 in 10 Americans would be uncomfortable with their doctor relying on artificial intelligence to provide care. This article explores patient fears about AI, including risks of security, privacy and algorithmic bias.

< + > One Year Of Woo: Redefining Gen Z Wellbeing Culture

This week, ITV’s online platform Woo – an experimental blend of retail and media striving to redefine how Gen Z accesses and imbibes wellbeing – turns one. From demystifying sex lives and sober clubbing to healing pop music, founder & CEO Stephen Mai reveals what’s working and where it’s going next.

< + > Amazon & 3M Will Use Generative AI To Ease Documentation For Healthcare Providers

Clinical documentation is one of the most challenging aspects of care delivery.

< + > China Billionaire’s Grand Pharma Buys BlackSwan Vascular For $37.5 Million

Global market eyed

< + > Is Tinnitus Such As Ear-Ringing Linked To Covid-19 Vaccines?

Here's what studies have found about potential hearing-related issues after vaccination against Covid-19.

< + > ChatGPT Is Michael Jordan, But In Medicine The “Supporting Cast” Will Be Key

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the chatbot’s solo brilliance will need the right “supporting cast” – as Jordan famously referred to teammates – to achieve its transformational potential in medicine.

< + > Bonus Features – April 23, 2023 – 77% of doctors are confident in a chatbot’s ability to assess patients’ symptoms, only 7% of executives very satisfied with patient-facing payment products, plus additional news from HIMSS 2023

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

News and Studies

Surprisingly, medical practices seem to really like generative AI, according to a Software Advice survey – 95% are satisfied with their chatbots right now, and 68% report a positive ROI. Scheduling appointments and requesting medication refills are common use cases, but practices are also interested in applying chatbots to clinical care. Nearly half of doctors (45%) said tools like ChatGPT are useful today without any adjustments, and 77% said they are somewhat or extremely confident in a chatbot’s ability to accurately assess patients’ symptoms.

Healthcare saw a 368% increase in phishing attacks form 2021 to 2022, according to a report from Zscaler ThreatLabz. Believe it or not, that figure placed healthcare fifth among all industries, behind education, finance, insurance, and government. The rise of ChatGPT is one factor in the increase, the company said, as as generative AI makes it much easier for attackers to create malicious code.

More News from HIMSS 2023

• Philips unveiled its 8th annual Future Health Index report, which found that decision support is the main use case for AI investment among provider organizations. In addition, Philips expanded its partnership with MIT‘s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science.
• Research from Waystar and The Health Management Academy found that only 7% of healthcare executives are very satisfied with their patient-facing financial products, with payment estimates and prior authorizations being the most challenging touchpoints.
• Cox Communications reported that 5G networks, the cloud, and real-time location services are the top “smart hospital” investments for leaders over the next two years. AI and virtual care are the top clinical technology investments.
• Hospital interoperability platform Olinqua is partnering with FiveP, maker of a a role-based messaging app for Microsoft Teams called Baret. In addition, FiveP announced that Australia’s Monash Health Victorian Heart Hospital implemented Baret.
• Caregility added AI-enhanced in-person and virtual care features to Caregility Cloud, its virtual care platform.
• Health Recovery Solutions announced HRS Analytics for its remote monitoring and care management programs.

Partnerships

• Augmedix and HCA Healthcare are jointly developing ambient documentation products for the acute care setting; HCA is also making a financial investment in Augmedix.
• VisiQuate is partnering with SunStone Consulting to offer advanced revenue cycle analytics.
• Care navigation company Quantum Health is working with Health Plans, a third-party administrator, to build a product for self-insured employers in New England.
• Communications provider Windstream Enterprises announced Contact Center as a Service functionality powered by Talkdesk.

Products

• athenahealth unveiled Patient Digital Engagement Index, which measures how patients use digital tools when receiving care.
• Interoperability vendor Particle Health launched Particle for Platforms, a single API layer that enables connections to
• Inovalon RCM Intelligence is now compatible with all electronic data interchange claims clearinghouses.
• The AI model from Cedar Gate Technologies identified individuals at risk for diabetes with over 80% accuracy.
• CentralReach released CR Care Coordinator to assist clinical staff and caregivers in providing care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Noyo achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance for its benefits data management platform.
• RapidAI received FDA 510(k) clearance for Rapid NCCT Stroke, a decision support tool for CT imaging.
• Healthcare cybersecurity company Clearwater received a patent for Predictive Risk Rating within its IRM|Analysis software.

Sales

• NHS Shared Business Services selected Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP. The company also announced that the Princess Alexandra NHS Trust is migrating to the Oracle Health EHR.
• Flagstaff Surgical Associates is transitioning to eClinicalWorks v12.
• Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company chose RevSpring as its payment partner. In addition, Texas-based Next Level Medical chose RevSpring for personalized digital patient engagement.
• Managed services firm DMI received the recompete for the Cybersecurity Modernization II Initiative from NIH; the 3-year contract is worth $24 million.
• Providence Health chose Cadence for remote patient monitoring and virtual care.
• Pennsylvania Mountains Healthcare Alliance adopted FinThrive’s revenue management platform.
• Datavant subsidiary Ciox Health extended its partnership with Oscar Health to provide the insurer with access to clinical data.

People

• RockHealth.org named two new members to its Board of Directors: Rodney Foxworth, CEO at Common Future, and Dave Chokshi, M.D., at NYU Langone Health.
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions appointed Adam Mariano as President and General Manager of Healthcare.
• Aging technology vendor Nobi added Sarah Thomas to its Board of Directors.
• TimelyCare CEO Luke Hejl is a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 Southwest Award.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.

< + > Ground Beef Burger Recall: 2,122 Pounds After Complaints Of Rubber-Like Material

The recall was issued by Weinstein Wholesale Meats, Inc., according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

< + > Latest England Nurse Strike May Be Against The Law

A legal battle may put nurses’ plans to strike on hold in England, following months of industrial action.

< + > Bay Area Hospital Reinstitutes Face Mask Mandate After Covid-19 Outbreak

This came just a few weeks after the California Department of Public Health basically went bye-bye to all remaining statewide masks mandates on April 3.

< + > 3M to partner with AWS to leverage AI for clinical documentation

By leveraging ML and artificial intelligence services, 3M will expedite, refine and scale the delivery of its real-time speech recognition platform, the company says.

< + > NFL's Damar Hamlin at HIMSS23: 'We have to keep doing the work'

Just three months after his frightening, nationally televised cardiac arrest, the Buffalo Bills safety was cleared to play this week. He spoke at HIMSS23 about lessons learned during his recovery. 

< + > Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi: Recession risk is high, but not inevitable

A healthy healthcare industry is key to keeping inflation down and avoiding recession, Zandi said at HIMSS23 on Friday. Despite workforce challenges and cost pressures, he's optimistic AI and automation can help boost productivity.

< + > Tracking the Patient Experience Using Qualtrics at Intermountain Health

We all benefit from sharing our concerns communally. “What, you had the same problem I did?” We say to a friend. “How did you handle it?”

Intermountain Health, provider with 33 hospitals about 400 clinics, wanted to cull information of that type from the many interactions they have with patients—32 million phone calls in Utah alone, according to chief strategy officer Dan Liljenquist.

So Intermountain Health is adopting tools from Qualtrics, a company that analyzes interpersonal communications to “surface customer friction.” Liljenquist says that Intermountain Health plans to use this information to “reduce friction points.”

Although Intermountain Health is a leader in many kinds of medical treatment and patient safety, like most health systems they knew they had room to improve the overall patient experience, but they didn’t have a systematic way to gather all the information about the patient experience from their patient call centers, and they believe Qualtrics can provide that data.

Furthermore, Intermountain Health wants to build customer preferences into each individual’s record so that every caregiver the patient meets with understands fully what they need and where they are on their patient journey.

See this short video for Liljenquist’s description of the new Intermountain Health initiative with Qualtrics to better listen to patients and improve the patient experience.

Learn more about Intermountain Health: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/

Learn more about Qualtrics: https://www.qualtrics.com/

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Qualtrics covered travel and expenses for Healthcare Scene to attend the conference.