Morning Headlines 11/4/13

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center bond rating lowered

Standard & Poor’s lowers Wake Forest Baptist’s bond rating following a problematic Epic implementation that took place during the fall of 2012 and resulted in weak operating performance. Moody’s lowered the medical center’s credit rating in March.

Peter Dutton to announce inquiry into online health record system

In Australia, the administration of newly elected prime minister Tony Abbott will launch an inquiry into its national patient-controlled EHR. The patient portal-based platform has cost about $200,000 per patient to launch, attracting only 400,000 users to date. The incoming health minister Peter Dutton is calling the failed EHR program a "scandal."

Why Obama’s ‘IPod Presidency’ Was Doomed

A Bloomberg article compares innovation in business with innovation in government, concluding that organizations like HHS are fundamentally disadvantaged when it comes to creating websites like healthcare.gov because they are older organizations and are not subjected to market pressures to stay current with innovation.

Samsung edges Apple in tablet-satisfaction survey

Samsung gets top honors from JD Power’s biannual tablet satisfaction survey even though Apple scored higher in four of five categories: performance, ease of operation, styling/design, and features, while Samsung scored higher in just one: cost.

Morning Headlines 11/1/13

Overrides of medication-related clinical decision support alerts in outpatients

A study published in JAMA looks at the value of clinical alerts within CPOE systems and finds that alerts are overridden 52 percent of the time. The most common alerts were duplicate drug (33.1%), patient allergy (16.8%), and drug–drug interactions (15.8%). The most likely alerts to be overridden were formulary substitutions, age-based recommendations, renal recommendations, and patient allergies.

MEDSEEK Acquires SymphonyCare to Expand Presence in Emerging Population Health and Care Management Market

Physician web portal and HIE vendor MEDSEEK acquires population health vendor SymphonyCare as part of a broader strategy to diversify its portfolio.

Merge Reports Third Quarter Financial Results

Merge reports Q3 results: revenue dropped to $57.7 million from $60.4 million during the same quarter last year,  missing analysts estimates on both revenue and EPS.

WebMD buys startup Avado to connect patients and physicians

As part of a strategic makeover aimed at rebranding itself a patient engagement platform, WebMD acquires Avado, a startup that develops cloud-based software that helps physicians and patients interact online.

Morning Headlines 10/31/13

Sebelius: ‘I apologize, I’m accountable’ for Obamacare website flaws

Amid growing demands for her resignation, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before congress today where she took full responsibility for the healthcare.gov rollout and reported that to date the site has cost taxpayers $174 million, which includes $56 million for support. In an unfortunate timing of events, the site crashed again in the middle of her testimony.

HIPAA framework could be expanded, privacy expert says

Modern Healthcare reports that growing concern over the impact mobile health apps and patient portals are having on health information security could lead to another expansion of HIPAA.

NM’s massive electronic health record project finally in the black

After eight years in operation, the nonprofit that built New Mexico’s health information exchange is operating in the black. CEO Bob Mayer reports "Our federal grant runs out in January and we will be sustainable on Jan. 1.”

CommonWell Health Alliance Announces Board of Directors

CommonWell Health Alliance introduces its board of directors which includes: Jeremy Delinsky, Board chairman (AthenaHealth CTO); Rich Elmore, Board vice chairman (Allscripts VP); Bob Robke, Board treasurer (Cerner VP); Rod O’Reilly, Board secretary (McKesson VP); Scott Schneider (CPSI EVP); Justin T. Barnes (Greenway VP); and Keith Laughman (Sunquest EVP).

Morning Headlines 10/30/13

Obamacare website official: Sorry for problems, but system working

CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner apologizes for the problems associated with healthcare.gov, promising that it "can and will be fixed," and reporting that a vast majority of consumers would be able to successfully use the site by the end of November.

Registry data standards may need to catch up before Stage 3

ONC members working to establish MU Stage 3 requirements are running into significant technical barriers as they work to facilitate the framework for integrated public health registries.

ZocDoc and CareCloud team up to streamline services for doctors

Ambulatory EHR vendor CareCloud partners with ZocDoc, an online doctor review and appointment booking website.

athenahealth Partners With Quantros; Proactively Brings Safety Solutions to Its Nationwide Cloud-Based Network of Medical Providers

athenaHealth, in partnership with cloud-based analytics vendor Quantros, launches a patient safety reporting platform that will allow end users to report patient safety concerns as well as share best practices to enhance safety and improve care.

Morning Headlines 10/29/13

Sutter to go live with ICD-10 early

Sutter Health announces that it will go live with its ICD-10 program on May 31, 2014. The health system clarifies that it will not be submitting claims with ICD-10 codes, but all elements of the system will be live and physicians will be able to start using it.

AHIMA annual convention begins in Atlanta

At the 85th annual convention of the American Health Information Management Association, CommonWell discusses the work it has been doing building its privately operated HIE. Thus far, the organization has created an enhanced method of matching patients to their records, about which Patrice Wolfe, senior vice president and general manager of RelayHealth, says "we think we have a better mousetrap.”

Measuring The Outcomes Of Health Reform: Opportunities For Federal And State Policymakers

A Health Affairs article discusses the performance metrics that will be used to measure the effectiveness of the state and federal health insurance exchange marketplaces.

Morning Headlines 10/28/13

St. Rita’s first in country to pilot tablet technology

Lima, OH-based St. Rita’s Medical Center announces that it’s piloting a new Epic product designed for patients. The tablet-based application is an acute care-based patient portal that lets admitted patients see their care plan, review their lab results, and even see pictures and details for their entire care team.

Hundreds of thousands click on Healthcare.com after Healthcare.gov launch

The easily mistaken site healthcare.com, which sold to a Miami-based entrepreneur seven years ago for $2 million, has received millions of hits since the October 1 launch of healthcare.gov. The site owners monopolized on the traffic by putting up an official looking webpage and accepting health insurance quote requests, of which it’s already received 100,000.

Major Conflict of Interest with QSSI, the Contractor for the Health Insurance Exchange

QSSI, a general contractor working to fix healthcare.gov, is being called out on a potential conflict of interest because it is owned by parent company UnitedHealth Group which also owns United Healthcare, the largest private insurance company in the country.

GAO Appointments to Health IT Policy Committee

The Government Accountability Office names three new members to its Healthcare IT Policy Committee: David Kotz, PhD (Dartmouth College), Devin Mann, MD/MS (Boston University School of Medicine), and Troy Seagondollar, MSN (Kaiser Permanente).

Morning Headlines 10/25/13

Cerner shares drop on revenue miss, outlook

Cerner reports Q3 results: EPS of $0.35 vs $0.30, revenue increased 7.6 percent but missed expectations leading to a three percent drop in share price after hours. Cerner shares are up 43 percent year-to-date.

The Wellness Network Acquires LOGICARE Corporation

The Wellness Network, a media company that owns several in-hospital TV channels, acquires patient instruction and education vendor Logicare.

Representatives Blackburn, Green, Gingrey, DeGette, Walden and Butterfield Introduce SOFTWARE Act

A bipartisan group of legislators have introduced the Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency (SOFTWARE) Act, a bill written to clarify the role the FDA will take in regulating medical software, including mobile health apps and EHRs.

Boston Children’s Hospital Researchers Launch Start-up to Offer Enterprise-grade Software Solutions and Services Across the Digital Healthcare Ecosystem

Boston Children’s Hospital announces the launch of Wired Informatics, a spinoff startup that will market an NLP product to hospitals and other healthcare organizations.

Fighting Healthcare Fraud Using Whistleblower Statute Returns $20 For Every $1 Invested

A report by the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund finds that for every dollar spent investigating and prosecuting government fraud, more than 20 dollars are recovered. Health care economist Jack Meyer notes “If all costs and benefits are accounted for, the benefit to cost ratio of False Claims Act law enforcement now exceeds 20:1. Civil health care fraud is one area where federal and state governments are recovering far more than they are spending."

Morning Headlines 10/24/13

Parents want e-mail consults with doctors, but don’t want to pay for them

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System finds that 77 percent of parents would be likely to seek email advice for their children’s minor illness if that service were available, but 48 percent felt that an online consultations should be free.

Administration enlists former CEO to help fix HealthCare.gov

Jeff Zients, former CEO of the Advisory Board Company, has been tapped to lead the tech surge for Healthcare.gov.

Laptop thefts compromise 729,000 hospital patient files

San Gabriel Valley-based AHMC Healthcare (CA) is notifying 729,000 patients of a data breach following the theft of two unencrypted laptops from an administration building.

California HIE taps iBlueButton

California will implement Humetrix’s iBlueButton app as part of a San Diego-based HIE pilot program. The app will let residents review their medical records from all participating physicians.

Morning Headlines 10/23/13

Paragon Customers Optimistic Despite Functionality Gaps

A new KLAS report finds that McKesson Paragon customers are optimistic about Paragon’s ability to compete in the large hospital market, despite current functionality gaps.

Healthgrades 2014 Hospital Quality Report Reveals Risk of Death and Complications Vary Widely Among Our Nation’s Hospitals

A new Healthgrades report finds that individuals are far more likely to die or suffer complications at hospitals receiving the lowest Healthgrades rating. For example, Healthgrades evaluated 33 hospitals in Atlanta and found that stroke mortality rates were 17 times higher in hospitals receiving one star versus hospitals receiving five stars.

Nearly 10,000 Physicians and Their Practices Are Transforming HIT Systems and Physician Leadership Skills with the Support of Grants Funded by The Physicians Foundation

The Physician Foundation, a non-profit working to help practice physicians, announces that it has issued $3 million in grants aimed at helping practices through the EHR selection and implementation process.

VMware Shares Rise After Third-Quarter Profit Tops Estimates

VMWare reports its Q3 results: EPS of $0.84, beating analysts $0.82 estimate and driving share prices up to 9.8 percent at closing.

Morning Headlines 10/22/13

Obama: Health care website problems inexcusable

President Obama weighs in on the failed Healthcare.gov launch, calling it inexcusable and reporting that the nation’s best and brightest from both the public and private sectors have been reaching out and asking how they could get involved to help fix the problems. The same "best and brightest" promise was made in a Sunday blog posted by HHS. No details were provided by either on who these new staffers are, what the additional cost will be, or when the site is expected to be fully operational. Both the president and HHS took the opportunity to publish the most recent Healthcare.gov numbers: 19 million visitors and 500,000 insurance applications filed since its October 1 launch.

How ONC is getting back on track after gov’t shutdown

As ONC’s full staff returns to work, various workgroups are adjusting the due dates of expected deliverables to account for lost time. Paul Tang, MD, vice-chair of the HIT Policy Committee, says that his group would be shifting its schedule of deliverables out by a month, which includes finalizing MU Stage 3 recommendations.

Miami Children’s Hospital Enters Technology Venture With MediTouch EHR

Miami Children’s Hospital forms a strategic partnership with HealthFusion Inc., developers of the MediTouch ambulatory EHR, in which MCH will market a white-labeled, cloud-based, pediatric EHR that comes integrated with MCH’s existing EHR database. The EHR will be available for Southern Florida based pediatric practices.

Morning Headlines 10/21/13

The sad state of EMRs: How they are doing more harm than good

Val Jones, MD, a blogger and advocate for digital health, writes that EHRs have come to the point that they are doing more harm than good. She cites the “enormous time suck” that charting into an EHR has caused for physicians.

CMS planned for paper processing before Obamacare launch

Just days before the launch of Healthcare.gov, CMS extended its contract with UK-based Serco, who had been managing its paper insurance application process, leading many to speculate that CMS knew the insurance exchange enrollment site was going to fail.

Medical Identity Theft: Recommendations for the Age of Electronic Medical Records

The California Attorney General’s office publishes a report on medical identity theft and recommendations for health systems in the age of EHRs, adding that nearly half of medical identity theft cases are actually incidents in which someone loans their insurance card to an uninsured friend or relative to obtain treatment under their insurance.

AMC and VUmc conclude contract with Epic for new joint EPD

Two Amsterdam hospitals, American Medical Center and VUmc, sign up to implement Epic.

Morning Headlines 10/18/13

Sebelius Stands Firm Despite Calls to Resign

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is refusing calls for her resignation after the failed launch of Healthcare.gov.

athenahealth, Inc : athenahealth, Inc. Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2013 Results

Athenahealth reports Q3 results: revenue jumped to $151 million, up 43 percent from $105 million during Q3 2012. Epocrates accounted for $13 million of that total.

St. Luke’s expects to spend $200 million on electronic records system

Nine-facility St. Luke’s Health System will spend $200 million implementing Epic across all of its hospitals and clinics. The system is expected to be live across the network sometime after 2017.

HIMSS Analytics Essentials: Virtualization Software and Dictation with Speech Recognition Applications Positioned for Aggressive

Data visualization and speech recognition applications are predicted to see a surge in sales according to a recent HIMSS Analytics report.

Morning Headlines 10/17/13

Francisco Partners to Acquire McKesson’s Automation Unit

Private equity firm Francisco Partners acquires McKesson’s pharmacy automation business for an undisclosed sum. McKesson acquired the former Automated Healthcare in 1996 for $65 million.

Pace of EMR Adoption During the Past 5 Years

A HIMSS study finds that 25 percent of US hospitals have failed to raise their standing on the HIMSS Analytics EMR adoption model over the past five years. However, 20 percent of hospitals jumped four or five stages during that time.

Hospital Progress To Meaningful Use: Status Update

Health Affairs reports that as of July 2013, two-thirds of hospitals have achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use and nearly all are engaged with the program in some way.

Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense Interagency Program Office Awards Systems Made Simple Re-compete of iEHR System Integration Contract

The office responsible for overseeing the DoD/VA iEHR development has awarded a re-compete contract to incumbent iEHR service and support vendor Systems Made Simple. As the prime on the contract, SMS will provide technical support for the iEHR project, working to develop stronger integration between the VA and DoD systems.

Morning Headlines 10/16/13

Cerner Joins Wolters Kluwer, Hit 52-Week High

Cerner stock hits a 52-week high at $55.98 per share following an announcement that it will partner with Wolters Kluwer Health in a joint venture to develop a new physician documentation solution that will embed Wolters Kluwer’s clinical decision support tools.

Patient Engagement: How To Do It Right

InformationWeek profiles both the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic and the work they are doing to draw patients into their patient portals.

IBM’s Watson wants to fix America’s doctor shortage

IBM’s Watson supercomputer will be implemented at Cleveland Clinic in an effort to create a digital assistant capable of scanning a patients record and pointing doctors to crucial data and likely diagnoses. The tool is still a prototype and will initially not be consulted until after a doctor has made a diagnosis. Neil Mehta, MD, the Cleveland Clinic project lead says "I’ve had a couple of patients where Watson found things that I had missed. It doesn’t work every time, but it’s getting better."

CareCloud CEO: We may go public next year

Ambulatory EHR vendor CareCloud hints at a 2014 IPO.

Novant Health honored for implementation of Epic

North Carolina-based Novant Health receives HIMSS Stage 7 designation after installing Epic across its 350 ambulatory offices this August.

Morning Headlines 10/15/13

Mostashari shares concerns, ‘insider clues’ in first speech since leaving ONC

In a keynote speech at the CHIME Fall CIO Forum, ex-ONC leader Farzad Mostashari, MD spoke candidly about ONC policy. He reports that the Stage 2 timeline will likely stay on track as planned. He also discussed usability, saying, "“I do worry about usability. Not that it isn’t getting better…but I wonder if the market is incentivizing usability as much as it should."

National eHealth Strategy Review to be Considered This Year

In Australia, Deloitte has been contracted to run a mid-point review of Australia’s national 10-year eHealth implementation, which kicked off in 2008 and which Deloitte is also running. According to Linda Powell, first assistant secretary for eHealth policy, the review will focus on clinical adoption to ensure the systems in place are resulting in "meaningful use."

Petersburg Gets New Hospital Computer System

Petersburg, AK-based Petersburg Medical Center goes live with its $1.4 million CPSI EHR.

Morning Headlines 10/14/13

Cirdan Ultra Acquires US GE Healthcare Subsidiary

GE’s Centricity Lab product is acquired by Lisburn, UK-based Cirdan Ultra. Cirdan will take over all assets and responsibility for service and support for current GE lab customers.

Which Chicago corporate boards deliver for shareholders?

The board of Merge Healthcare is named least-competent Chicago-area board of directors by Crain’s Chicago Business.

Boston Children’s Hospital Innovation Chief Talks Hurdles

Boston Children’s Hospital CIO Naomi Fried is profiled in an InformationWeek interview. She discusses a number of in-house integration projects she oversaw to help her clinicians optimize their EHR, bed management system, and other clinical applications.

eClinicalWorks Kicks off Sold Out 2013 National Users Conference

eClinicalWorks is holding its national conference this weekend in San Antonio, running through Monday.

Morning Headlines 10/11/13

Physician job satisfaction driven by quality of patient care

A RAND study that interviewed 220 physicians across the US finds that a primary driver of their job satisfaction is being able to provide high-quality healthcare, and while some physicians acknowledge advantages of EHRs, the general consensus is that the systems in use today are cumbersome and are an important contributor to their dissatisfaction.

Kansas City Council approves $4.3 billion Cerner campus plan

The Kansas City Council voted 10-1 Thursday to approve a $1.63 billion tax incentive package to support development of Cerner’s new 4.5 million-square-foot campus. The new campus will house an estimated 15,000 new employees by the time it is complete in 2024.

KHC electronic records go live Sunday

25-bed Knoxville Hospital (IA) goes live with its new $2.8 million Cerner system on Sunday night, October 13. 

Union protests shutdown at VA Medical Center

Union employees at the Iowa City VA Medical Center are protesting in support of their IT staff who, because of the government shutdown, will begin working without pay this week. A spokesman for the union said that since there are no paper records in VA hospitals, the hospitals are entirely reliant on computer systems and the absence of funds to pay for the VA’s IT staff will cause problems for many VA hospitals across the country.