Morning Headlines 1/4/13

Lexmark Acquires Acuo Technologies

Acuo Technologies, archive and clinical content manager vendor, is acquired by Lexmark’s Perceptive Software unit for $45 million

Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe Completes Acquisition Of GetWellNetwork

GetWellNetwork is acquired by PE firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. GetWellNetwork just signed a deal with the VA last month to provide in-room patient engagement solutions across 21 facilities.

Patient Portals: Providers Choose Path of Least Resistance

A new KLAS report on patient portals shows that most physicians are going with whatever product their EHR vendor is offering. “The existing EMR vendor relationship appears to be more important than any other factor when choosing a patient portal,” said report author Mark Allphin. “While functionality and ease of use are important to providers, they take a back seat compared to providers’ desire to manage fewer vendors and interfaces.”

SRS Receives Substantial Investment from Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo, a PE firm which holds equity in Hyland Software and Mediware, invests an undisclosed sum in SRS Software.

TriZetto Acquires Claims Workflow Automation Company To Further Enhance Efficiency of Healthcare Payers And Providers

TriZetto acquires Healthcare Productivity Automation, a Franklin, TN-based vendor of an automated claims administration solution.

Morning Headlines 1/3/13

Hospital groups unhappy with fiscal cliff legislation

Hospitals are left holding the bill as fiscal cliff legislation stops a 26.5 percent payment cut for Medicare physicians, but shifts nearly half of the cost to hospitals by further reducing hospital payments over the next 10 years.

Laptop Stolen From Gibson General Hospital

A laptop stolen from the home of a Gibson General Hospital employee during a burglary compromises the names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and clinical information of 29,000 patients.

Kyruus raises $11M to advance ‘big data’ health IT

Big data startup Kyruus raises $11 million in series B funding, bringing its total to $19.6 million in just its second year of operations. Kyruus uses EHR data and algorithms to figure out which doctors within a network are most efficient at specific procedures and why, hoping to drive better health care outcomes and lower costs. It communicates this information to physicians within the network when they are referring patients for consultations.

Separate may not be equal: A preliminary investigation of clinical correlates of electronic psychiatric record accessibility in academic medical centers

The International Journal of Medical Informatics publishes research findings comparing readmission rates of patients whose psychiatric records are made available to the clinical team via the EHR versus when the psychiatric records are treated as confidential. The study concludes that having a single, merged chart correlates with improved clinical care as measured by lower readmission rates for psychiatric patients.

Morning Headlines 1/2/13

2012 in Review

John Halamka, MD discusses the major healthcare IT-related events of 2012.

Medicare Program; Request for Information on Hospital and Vendor Readiness for Electronic Health Records Hospital Inpatient Quality Data Reporting

CMS wants to hear from hospitals and health IT vendors about streamlining the reporting process for the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program.

Pain Clinic of Northwest Florida, Inc. files a lawsuit against Allscripts

After pulling the plug on MyWay, Allscripts is sued by Pain Clinic of Northwest Florida, which claims that Allscipts misled the clinic about the quality and functionality of MyWay.

Morning Headlines 12/30/12

Higgins Calls for Expanded Use of Electronic Medical Record

Congressman Brian Higgins (D), of New York’s 27th congressional district, speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives highlighting the need for increased adoption of EHRs and HIEs and the benefit they each played in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Higher-Complexity ED Billing Codes — Sicker Patients, More Intensive Practice, or Improper Payments?

The New England Journal of Medicine publishes an article in response to the OIG and HHS investigation of EHR-induced fraud, suggesting that a change in the role EDs play in medical care, as well as a change in average ED patient demographics could just as easily account for the increase in higher reimbursement claims.

Greenway Medical CEO: ‘You have to practice going public before you go public’

Tee Green, CEO of Greenway, gives advice to business leaders considering an IPO.

Form 8-K for ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, INC.

Diane Adams, EVP of culture and talent at Allscripts, departs taking 12 months’ severance, her target bonus, a year of health benefits, accelerated vesting, and a retention bonus.

Morning Headlines 12/28/12

New system for patient records in place at Carthage hospital

Mercy McCune-Brooks hospital, a 52-bed critical access hospital in Missouri, goes live on Epic.

$1 million grant to health group aimed at improving continuity of care throughout South Jersey

NJSHINE receives a $1 million grant to connect seven southern New Jersey hospitals in a health information exchange network.

CFO Outlook for 2013 Grim

Hospital CFOs report financially uncertain times as they look toward 2013. With pressure coming from government mandates and insurance denial management systems, CFOs express concern over the year to come.

AwarePoint Lands $4,000,000 New Financing Round

RTLS technology vendor AwarePoint nets $4 million in a new financing round from an undisclosed investor.

Morning Headlines 12/27/12

HIPAA 5010 Transition: Thirty Percent of Providers Report Payment Delays

KLAS releases a market analysis of claims management and clearinghouse vendor performance through the HIPAA 5010 transition, during which thirty percent of providers reported significant payment delays. Navicure is named Best in KLAS.

OIG Advisory Opinion

OIG has published an advisory opinion clarifying that the federal anti-kickback statute is not violated if a hospital gives a practice free access to an EHR interface for orders and results.

Drchrono: Onpatient to replace Google Health January 1

As Google Health prepares to eliminate access to patient health records on January 1, freeware EMR vendor drchrono releases a PHR alternative that will accept data transfers from still-active Google Health accounts.

Healthcare sector vulnerable to hackers, researchers say

The Washington Post claims  healthcare is among the most vulnerable industries in the country to hackers, though far fewer attacks are carried out as compared to attacks on financial, corporate, and military networks.

Morning Headlines 12/21/12

Allscripts Fires Long-Time CEO

After failing to secure a buyer, Allscripts fires CEO Glen Tullman, President Lee Shapiro, Chief Client Officer Laurie McGraw and EVP Diane Adams. Paul Black, former Cerner COO, will step in as CEO to redefine the company’s long-term direction.

Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center ACO Selects eClinicalWorks CCMR

eClinicalWorks announces that New Jersey’s Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center will implement eClinicalWorks Care Coordination Medical Record.

SAIC Awarded $17 Million Contract by United States Coast Guard

SAIC, the parent company of maxIT Healthcare and Vitalize, is selected to maintain Epic across all US Coast Guard facilities.

Microsoft Wants to Kinect with Pentagon

The DoD is considering working with Microsoft’s Kinect gaming accessory to provide remote physical therapy to rehabilitating wounded soldiers.

Morning Headlines 12/20/12

Allscripts names new CEO as strategic review ends

The Allscripts board ends its review of strategic alternatives and dismisses CEO and board member Glen Tullman and President Lee Shapiro, naming Allscripts board member and former Cerner COO Paul Black as president and CEO. According to customer communication received by HIStalk, other executive team members will be leaving the company as well. Shares were trading down 17 percent after hours following the announcement.

The December HIT Standards Committee Meeting

The Health Information Technology Standards Committee meets to discuss timelines associated to publication of clinical scenarios for EHR certification testing and plans for adding security criteria to the modular EHR certification requirements.

HealthEast approves $135M electronic records system

St. Paul, Minnesota-based HealthEast announced plans to spent $135 million implementing Epic across its three-facility network over the next five years. HealthEast will finance the purchase as their 2011 earnings were only $29 million.

Survey suggests public is ready to engage

Wolters Kluwer Health releases a study of 1,000 US consumers, concluding that only 19 percent of the public uses a PHR, but that 85 percent of women and 74 percent of men believe that the “consumerization” of healthcare is a positive.

InteliChart Completes Development Agreement with RelayHealth Expanding Cost-Effective Health System Data Exchange

InteliChart comes to terms on a development partnership with RelayHealth to provide a patient-centric health information exchange aimed at cash-strapped private practices looking for an affordable alternative to ponying up for expensive vendor HIE interfaces.

Morning Headlines 12/19/12

Elliott offers to buy Compuware for $2.35B

Compuware shares closed up 17 percent after Elliot Management, which owns 8 percent of existing stock, submitted a $2.35 billion acquisition offer, which represents a 15 percent premium over Friday’s closing price.

PatientSafe Solutions raises $13.3 million

PatientSafe Solutions raises $13.3 million in equity financing toward its overall goal of $25.7 million.

California-based Health Group Selects Paragon to Fuel Growth Strategy

Rideout Health selects McKesson Paragon for its clinical and financial EHR solution.

Orion Health Mobile Will Increase Clinical Efficiency and Enhance Patient Care

Orion Health announces the release of a mobile app providing access to real-time patient information.

Morning Headlines 12/18/12

CCHIT plans to develop and share IT framework for ACOs

CCHIT announces that it will develop and publish healthcare IT framework recommendations to support an ACO model.

Community Hospital CIS Market Share 2012: Small Hospitals, Big Changes

KLAS releases a new report on community hospital market share shows the largest growth for Epic, Cerner, CPSI and Healthland in the under-200 bed market segment.

Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System Partner on Health Plan

Piedmont Healthcare and Wellstar Health System announce plans to offer a health system-based insurance plan starting in 2014. Hospital executives report a need for greater access to patient data to support a population health model of care.

New Horizons Health Systems, Inc. Moves Away from Current HIT Provider and Selects Healthland EHR Technology

New Horizon Health System, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Owenton, Kentucky selects Healthland’s Centriq EHR.

Morning Headlines 12/17/12

2014 Edition Test Method

ONC releases the 2014 Edition Test Method which outlines testing steps for EHR certification

HealthTrio Sues Aetna for Patent Infringement in Colorado

HealthTrio sues Aetna and its ActiveHealth Management and Medicity subsidiaries for violation of its patient portal patent.

New Medicare fraud detection system saves $115 mil

A new CMS report claims it has realized $115 million in savings after implementing a $77 million fraud detection system.

2 Chesco companies report combined 168 layoffs

Medecision announces that it will lay off 83 employees from its software development and technical support divisions, effective February 3.

Morning Headlines 12/14/12

Allscripts Sues NYC Health & Hospitals Over Contract Award

In an inexplicable strategic decision, Allscripts files suit against both NYC Health & Hospitals and Epic over HHC’s recent selection of Epic over Allscripts.

Streamline Health Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Results

Streamline Health reports Q3 results, with 52 percent increased revenue and EPS –$0.11 vs. $0.03.

Battle Mountain General Hospital Selects Prognosis HIS Enterprise Solution for Fast Usability and Adaptability

Prognosis HIS is awarded vendor of choice by Battle Mountain General Hospital.

Bill Moran Named Chief Information Officer at The Brooklyn Hospital Center

Bill Moran is named CIO of The Brooklyn Hospital Center, leaving his position as SVP and Health Practice Principal Executive at Dell.

5th Annual HIMSS Security Survey

HIMSS surveys HIT professionals on security policies, auditing, and budgets. More than half of the survey respondents reported an increase in budget for information security.

Morning Headlines 12/13/12

Mediware Buys MediServe to Continue Expansion

Mediware Information Systems announces the acquisition of MediServe, a Chandler, Arizona-based provider of electronic documentation solutions for inpatient and acute care rehabilitation.

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority Studies Electronic Health Records’ (EHR) Safety

Pennsylvania’s Patient Safety Authority reviews 3,099 EHR-related events and determines that 89 percent resulted in no harm, 10 percent resulted in an unsafe condition but did not result in harm, and fifteen individual events resulted in actual patient harm.

Maine tops states for provider rate of EHRs, meaningful use

National Health IT coordinator Farzad Mostashari, MD, commends Maine, Kentucky and Ohio for having the most accelerated adoption of EHR rates in the nation during ONC’s annual meeting.

Cerner Announces Share Repurchase Program

Cerner approves a buyback of $170 million of its common stock, representing 1.2 percent of the company’s outstanding shares, as it closes out a year in which its stock is up more than 29 percent.

Morning Headlines 12/12/12

WebMD to eliminate 250 jobs in cost-cutting push

WebMD announces that it will lay off 250 employees as it concludes a year in which its stock is down 63 percent.

Patient records held to ransom in Australia

In the latest ransom-ware attack, Russian hackers hijack the EMR servers of an Australian medical practice, demanding $4,200 to decipher the now-encrypted files

Oroville Hospital Open Sources eRx VistA Module

Oroville Hospital releases a freeware eRx solution that supports all of the capabilities required for Meaningful Use 2 and integrates with the VistA EHR.

Souerwine Leaves McKesson Provider Technologies

McKesson Provider Technologies confirms on HIStalk that David Souerwine, president of the group, has left the company “to reassess where he wants to spend the remaining time of his career.”

Charlotte healthcare software firm hires new CEO, changes name

Rothman Healthcare renames itself PeraHealth and hires Stephanie Alexander as CEO.

Morning Headlines 12/11/12

ACOs, already surging, poised for even more growth

The American Medical Association publishes a snapshot on ACO growth which it says shows significant traction leading into 2013, based on the more than 500 organizational applications submitted to CMS this year requesting ACO recognition.

Bipartisan Policy Center Calls for Greater Use of Electronic Tools to Engage Patients and Drive Improvements in the Cost and Quality of Health Care

ONC’s Farzad Mostashari, MD and former US Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle host a technology discussion in conjunction with the release of a BPC report calling for greater use of mHealth technology to streamline care and reduce healthcare costs.

Epic Systems close to owning more land in Verona

Epic is in the process of adding 40 acres and 8-10 office buildings to its “Intergalactic Headquarters.”

Central Tennessee ACO adopting clinical analytics software

The Cumberland Center for Healthcare Innovation, a central Tennessee ACO, will implement Clinigence clinical analytics software to help meet Medicaid Shared Savings Program goals.

Bassett Medical Center Implementing Inpatient EMR

Bassett Medical Center goes live on Epic Inpatient after ambulatory clinics completed their Epic implementation this summer.

E-Mail Incident Involves Some Patient Information

Carolina HealthCare System notifies 5,600 patients of a data breach after a hacker was discovered to have accessed  a physician’s e-mail account over a six-month span.

Morning Headlines 12/10/12

Health IT training center opens

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, and Health Careers Futures form the Pittsburgh-based Quality Information Technology (QIT) training center, with the goal of training health professionals on emerging technologies that will add emphasis on coordinating care and measuring the quality of care.

For ER doctors, an extra hand on the keyboard

Rochester General Hospital’s use of scribes in the ED, which realized an annual $600,000 savings last year and is credited with allowing ED staff to treat 30 percent more patients per shift, is profiled in a local paper.

Third-party revenue cycle expertise reduces healthcare costs, tightens processes

Strong growth in the revenue cycle management segment is being attributed to meaningful use, ICD-10 plans, and reduced payments.

Panetta says DoD, VA to ‘meet or beat’ iEHR rollout goals

DoD announces a revised plan that will expedite the completion of the iEHR rollout, culminating in a 2017 go-live.

Morning Headlines 12/7/12

Athenahealth to buy Watertown complex for $169M

Athenahealth completes a deal with Harvard University to buy a 760,000 square foot Watertown, MA campus for $168.5 million.

Ninety-Four Percent of Hospitals Surveyed Suffered Data Breaches; Estimated Cost to Healthcare Industry Averages $7 Billion

Survey results from the Ponemon Institute reveal that 94 percent of hospitals experience data breaches in the last 12 months, with 45 percent reporting more than five breaches over the past two years.

T-Systems Wins Major IT Outsourcing Agreement in US Health Industry

T-Systems expands its presence in HIT as it closes a “pay-as-you-go” IT outsourcing for Presbyterian Healthcare Services.

Reuters – Thoma Bravo, Francisco, THL Final Suitors for Merge

Thoma Bravo LLC, Francisco Partners and Thomas H. Lee Partners have submitted revised takeover offers to Merge Healthcare.

SAIC Announces Financial Results for Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2013

SAIC announces Q3 results: revenue up 3 percent, EPS $0.33, missing on expectations of $0.35. The company reported that it had signed over $100 million in consulting contracts through its Vitalize and MaxIT acquisitions.