News 9/13/24

Top News

Revenue cycle automation vendor Candid Health raises $29 million in a Series B funding round.

Co-founder and CEO Nick Perry, who came from Palantir Technologies, earned an MS in biomedical informatics from Stanford. 

Reader Comments

From Dr. Lovestrange: “Re: AI. Just came across this resource, which makes me think that we are underestimating the potential problems that are associated with AI.” The MIT-developed AI Risk Repository is a taxonomy of 700 AI risks that were documented in 43 frameworks. My search for “privacy” as a keyword turned up 41 sources.

From Oracle client: “Re: Oracle. While its earnings were higher, the company laid off client account execs on the Oracle Health side, continuing the ongoing gutting of support.” Unverified.

From Boingo: “Re: CVS. They are exiting the HDMS data analytics by the end of 2025, which leaves clients scrambling as they are in the throes of annual benefit planning. The only obvious players they can switch to on short notice are Optum or Truven. Once again, we have a great example of large players who think they can fix healthcare failing miserably.” CVS must have really ruined the business, which dropped into their lap as part of their $70 billion Aetna acquisition in late 2018, if the best option is to shut it down rather than turf it off to private equity.

HIStalk Announcements and Requests

Google released a test version of NotebookLM, a personalized research assistant that is powered by its Gemini 1.5 pro LLM, so of course I had to try it. I sent it a link to Tuesday’s news post and asked it to create what is basically a podcast. Here’s the resulting file, which sounds no less annoying or inexpert than many of the health tech podcasts that have proliferated like loquacious weeds. I need to play with the tool more since it seems to do a lot.

Webinars

September 17 (Thursday) noon ET. “Level Up Your Stars – Innovative Approaches to Boosting Quality Performance.” Sponsor: Navina. Presenters: Dana McCalley, MBA, VP of value-based care, Navina; Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, PreferCare; Yair Lewis, MD, PhD, chief medical officer, Navina. The presenters will explore strategies to boost quality performance and close care gaps effectively. Topics include enhancing quality metrics, developing strategies for care gap closure, leveraging AI for enhanced performance, and optimizing workflows.

September 19 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Cutting-Edge Conversations: A Fireside Chat With Top CMIOs.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drex DeFord, MSHI, MPA, This Week Health; Lacy Knight, MD, MSMI, Piedmont Health; Jake Lancaster, MD, MSHA, MS, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Colin Banas, MD, MSHA, chief medical officer DrFirst. This fireside chat will distill key points from 15 CMIO participants of the 229 Executive Summit. Topics include the impact of AI on clinical workflows, strategies for optimizing healthcare operations, addressing physician burnout and patient safety, and advances in population health management.

October 3 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Navigating AI-Powered Medical Interpretation: Insights for Health Leaders.” Sponsor: Globo. Presenter: Dipak Patel, CEO, Globo. AI is redefining how providers can communicate with patients who speak limited English. However, not all LLMs are created equal, and their potential and limitations need to be examined further. Globo has published its results from testing several LLMs. This webinar will address the promises and perils of AI-enabled medical interpretation in summarizing that research in four key domains: the process of AI interpretation, how to measure it, the state of AI tools today, and the areas where AI falls short with interpretation.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

MPulse acquires insurer consumer engagement technology vendor Zipari.

People

Mount Sinai Health System names Lisa Stump, MS, RPh (Yale New Haven Health) as chief digital information officer and dean for information technology.

Ambient AI vendor Corti hires Chad Compton, MBA (Microsoft) as chief revenue officer; Frederik Brabant, MD (Microsoft) as chief medical strategy officer; and Yvonne Kirsch (Philips) as VP of partnerships.

Veritas Labs hires Rich Kenny, RN, MMCi (SAS) as chief clinical officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Salesforce announces out-of-the-box AI services for 15 industries, including patient services and benefits verification for healthcare.

NEJM will present “AI in Health Care – Putting Patients First,” a free virtual event on October 9.

NHS England’s procurement body will create a supplier framework that covers diagnostics and AI,  valued at $1 billion.

AvaSure will collaborate with Oracle Cloud and Nvidia to develop a virtual hospital concierge solution for nurses and families.

Netsmart launches Bells Virtual Scribe, which offers transcription and ambient documentation.

Government and Politics

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC), who is a physician, tells the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee that Oracle Cerner “should be abandoned today” because it was not a good choice for the VA. He says the VA should admit, “We screwed up, we made a mistake, we picked the wrong system, and we move on to a better system.”

Privacy and Security

Lehigh Valley Health Network will pay a $65 million settlement for a Russian hacker group’s cyberattack that exposed patient information and images of nude cancer patients on the dark web.

Other

I had given up on HIMSS ever filing their IRS Form 990 information returns and they never answer my requests to send them my way, but I accidentally ran across what seems to be a recent filing for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 (it seems like they should have filed for 2022 and 2023 by now and I didn’t find those). Highlights:

• Total revenue increased from $65 million to $87 million.
• Total expenses jumped from $47 million to $106 million.
• Net income dropped from $17.9 million to –$19 million.
• Net assets dropped from –$8.4 million to –$29.9 million.
• HIMSS sold 25% of its assets, $21 million, to fund operations during the COVID-19 downturn. It was paid $775,000 in insurance proceeds (presumably related to the cancelled HIMSS20) and took in $5.4 million in federal PPP COVID-19 funds.
• HIMSS employed 404 people at the time of filing.
• President and CEO Hal Wolf earned $1.2 million.
• Others topping the HIMSS compensation list are Chief Operating and Strategy Officer Sebastian Krolop ($770,000 – left in January 2023), EVP Bruce Steinberg ($597,000 – left in December 2023), VP of Media Sales Frank Bilich (433,000), and HIMSS Analytics EVP Reid Oakes ($402,000).
• HIMSS paid $10.3 million for consulting, including $1 million to McKinsey.
• Conference and meeting revenue was $31.7 million, which was 42% of total revenue, while membership dues totaled $10.2 million..
• The organization spent $2.3 million for legal services, $11.1 million for IT, and $129,000 for lobbying.
• HIMSS launched the Office of Scientific Research in November 2020, which reported zero income for 2021.

The New York Times investigates the conversion of a 1,200 acre Utah ranch into a luxury hunting retreat by Mike Siaperas, founder and CEO of medical RCM and credentialing firm Med USA. The Times found that he received $5 million from Utah lawmakers to clear cut his property using a technique that can flatten 100 acres of trees per day, which the state supported as an ecology project. The Times notes that Utah’s legislative session lasts just 45 days, leaving part-time lawmakers – who are overrepresented by developers and real estate investors – with little time to seek expert opinion or public feedback.

In India, a teen dies following a failed gallbladder operation that was being performed by a fake doctor who was following along with YouTube surgery tutorial videos on his phone while cutting. The “surgeon,” who dismissed the family’s concerns during the operation with “Am I the doctor here, or you?” is the subject of a police search after he fled following the teen’s death.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks releases a new podcast, “Skyrocket RCM Productivity with EClinicalWorks & Healow.”
• Ellkay will exhibit at the Athenahealth Thrive event October 28-30 in Austin.
• Findhelp welcomes North Star Health, Southeast Community Health Systems, and All Hours Adult Care to its network.
• FinThrive will present at the Florida HFMA Central Education & Networking Event September 20 in Clearwater.
• Behavioral health software vendor ContinuumCloud will integrate medication management solutions from DrFirst into its EHR platform.
• Impact Advisors will exhibit at Workday Rising 2024 September 16-19 in Las Vegas.
• Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City in the Middle East upgrades to InterSystems TrakCare Mobile Enabled User Interface.
• Laudio publishes a new case study, “How Novant Health Alleviated Pressure on Nurse Managers, Improved Employee Engagement, and Reduced RN Turnover by 15%.”
• Australia-based software startup DidgUgo will add interoperability, FHIR, and AI functionality to its visit verification solution using InterSystems Iris for Health.
• Linus Health will exhibit at the AAFP’s FMX 2024 conference September 24-28 in Phoenix.
• Med Tech Solutions publishes a new guide, “How Cloud EMR/EHR Can Transform Your Practice in 90 Days.”
• MRO will exhibit at the 2024 Tri-State HIM Summit September 15-17 in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Blog Posts

• Healthcare Practices Benefitting with EClinicalWorks AI Capabilities (EClinicalWorks)
• The Biosimilar Boom is Creating Medication Data Challenges for Stakeholders Across Healthcare (First Databank)
• Road to Dreamforce Part 2: The Power of Five9 and Salesforce Integration (Five9)
• AI Regulation in the US and Beyond: What You Need to Know (Fortified Health Security)
• How to Achieve a Strong Eligibility Verification Process (Inovalon)
• Transforming Rural Healthcare: Blue Ridge Medical Center’s Transition to a Sustainable REH Model (Medhost)
• 5 customers shine spotlight on health equity strategies (Meditech)
• Normal Wound Healing: Myths, Reality, and Tech Innovation (Net Health)

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 9/12/24

AI alert. One of the topics around the public health informatics virtual water cooler this week was about whether Google’s AI Overviews are negatively impacting patients.

Physicians have had a longstanding love / hate relationship with the so-called Dr. Google as a source of health information. Although many health systems spend a lot of time and money providing high-quality patient education materials, it’s just so convenient to type a clinical question into the Google search bar and hope for the best.

One of my colleagues noted that when you get an AI Overview for certain clinical topics, there’s a disclaimer that says, “This is for informational purposes only. For medical advice or diagnosis, consult a professional. Generative AI is experimental.” When I replicated the topic he mentioned on my PC with 24-inch monitor, the disclaimer scrolled off the bottom of the window, so I doubt that people who are using devices with smaller form factors see it easily.

Health literacy is woefully low in the US, with the Office of the Surgeon General reporting that only 12% of US adults possess proficient health literacy skills. Many can’t understand drug labels or understand how to identify and access healthcare resources, so it’s not surprising that they’re going to turn to consumer-level resources. For care delivery organizations that have robust patient education solutions and consumer resources, I’m challenging you to double down on those and increase their visibility so that patients know how to access them and when to use them. It doesn’t have to be a complicated omnichannel campaign – it can be as simple as having signs in exam rooms and waiting rooms, or even those paper table tents we used to see in the hospital cafeteria in the olden days.

A recent KLAS Arch Collaborative report shows that despite interoperability advances, clinicians are still struggling with synthesizing information from disparate systems. Almost half of the 33,000 clinicians surveyed said that they found it difficult to find key patient information from outside sources, with the same proportion noting that they are challenged with addressing duplicate data.

I’m sad to say that I’ll become part of the problem in a couple of weeks when I show up for a subspecialist visit with paper copies of critical records, because I don’t trust the various providers to share what needs to be shared in a timely manner. I’ve already tried to send digital copies of a pathology report to my care team and they were rejected, so I’ll be there with my manila folder in hand.

From Jersey Collector: “Re: branding. I know this has been a hot topic for you. Hospitals and health systems are getting into the act with the WNBA, which makes sense since women make the majority of healthcare decisions for their families.” That’s certainly a valid statistic, but I’m still not sure how much seeing a hospital or health system logo on a professional athlete’s uniform impacts someone’s choice of healthcare providers. I would say that the number one driver would be insurance coverage, followed by recommendations, ratings and reviews, and also the acuity of a problem.

If a loved one is having a significant issue, people tend to go to the closest facility that accepts their insurance. They don’t care  who they sponsor or what celebrity might endorse a given hospital. Some of the jersey deals run in the millions and I’m certainly glad to see women’s sports receiving sponsorships, but I can’t help but think that nurses who are looking for raises or families who are struggling with medical bills might be less than impressed.

It’s been a while since I saw a major healthcare bombshell reported, but reports out of the University of Virginia certainly meet that description. The Cavalier Daily reports that faculty have called for the immediate removal of UVA Health’s CEO as well as the dean of the school of medicine at the University of Virginia. The letter is signed by 128 members of the faculty, who accuse the two of creating a toxic work environment that compromises patient safety and has led to “an ongoing exodus of experience and expertise.”

Additional allegations include retaliation against physicians who raised safety concerns by denying promotion, encouraging staff to bypass safety processes, harassment and bullying of trainees, and financial mismanagement. One call-out in the letter mentions “disregarding valid reports of fraudulent billing and requests by senior leaders to fraudulently modify patient records in order to obfuscate adverse outcomes and boost productivity metrics.” CMS doesn’t look too kindly on this sort of thing, so I hope the institution has its compliance auditors and attorneys on standby.

The non-profit Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) has released a report showing that the vast majority of diagnostic errors occur during the testing process. They reviewed 3,000 patient safety adverse events and near misses. Leading issues include technical and processing errors, lack of skill in performing a test, sample mix-ups, wrong-patient issues, and communication failures. The report specifically calls out “productivity pressures that prevent providers from exploring all investigative options or from consulting other providers” as a factor in causing diagnostic error. Time pressure is also a factor when test results aren’t reviewed quickly or when results aren’t appropriately communicated to patients.

Those of us on the informatics side should take note of their findings with regard to health equity, where women and underrepresented populations can be at greater risk for diagnostic errors. They specifically call out the potential for race-based biases in medical algorithms and communication barriers, both of which can be significantly improved by thoughtful application of healthcare technologies. For organizations looking at artificial intelligence solutions, it’s going to be critical that they appraise how systems handle these biases and how the potential for hallucinations might contribute to additional opportunities for diagnostic errors.

Speaking of patient safety, World Patient Safety Day is right around the corner on September 17th. I have yet to see anyone who I regularly interact with, including my own clinical employer, making plans to mark the day. This year’s theme is focused around improving the safety of the diagnostic process, with the slogan “Get it right, make it safe!” Although this seems like a simple concept, we’ve learned that it can be more complicated than one can imagine.

My own loved one presented for a scheduled surgery this week to find that it had been booked for the wrong side of the body, leading to confusion and delay as well as stress to the family. Fortunately, the patient safety processes in place at the hospital worked and a wrong-side surgery was avoided, but it’s staggering to know that this is still a risk in 2024.

What is your institution doing to mark World Patient Safety Day? Leave a comment or email me.

Email Dr. Jayne.

Morning Headlines 9/12/24

Circadian Health Garners HC9 Ventures’ Investment to Accelerate Value-Based Specialty Care

Virtual specialty care provider Circadian Health announces $7.5 million in new funding led by HC9 Ventures.

Salesforce Launches Industries AI: 100+ Out-of-the-Box AI Capabilities that Tackle Industry-Specific Pain Points Across 15 Industries

Salesforce announces out-of-the-box AI services for 15 industries, including patient services and benefits verification for healthcare.

Candid Health Announces $29 Million Series B Led by 8VC to Transform Revenue Cycle Automation

Revenue cycle automation company Candid Health raises $29 million in a Series B funding round, bringing its total raised to $47 million.

Concentra Adds Advanced Primary Care to Close Health and Wellness Gap in the Workplace

Occupational healthcare provider Concentra, which went public in July, will invest in Epic to accommodate new advanced primary care services offered through its workplace-based Onsite Health division.

Healthcare AI News 9/11/24

News

Apple announces Apple Intelligence, which will add AI capabilities to the latest models of IPhones, MacBooks, and IPads with the launch of IOS 18 later this month. It will include:

• Writing tools that can rewrite text, proofread, summarize, and suggest content for an email reply.
• A new version of Siri that supports voice and typing.
• Photo tools for removing unwanted objects, searching by content, and creating user-defined memory movies.
• Phone call recording and transcription.
• Coming later will be Visual Intelligence (searching by taking photo), an emoji generator, custom image creation, and connections to ChatGPT and third-party apps.

Apple adds sleep apnea detection for the Apple Watch using a new Breathing Disturbances metric and AI analysis.

OpenAI will reportedly release its Strawberry reasoning-focused AI as part of ChatGPT within two weeks. The system “thinks” for up to 10-20 seconds before responding to provide better responses. 

Business

Japan’s drug and medical device agency approves IRhythm’s Zio AI-interpreted, 14-day cardiac monitoring patch that patients mail in to the company for analysis and reporting to their physician as an alternative to the Holter monitor.

Salesforce announces out-of-the-box AI services for 15 industries, including patient services and benefits verification for healthcare.

Philips will significantly expand its health technology work in India, especially that related to AI. The company’s innovation campus in Bengaluru houses 5,000 employees who focus on generative AI solutions for healthcare.

Drug maker Gilead Sciences contracts with Genesis Therapeutics to use its molecular AI platform to discover therapies. Gilead will pay Genesis $35 million upfront for three potential drugs, with additional payments for meeting development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Genesis, which has raised $280 million in funding, is led by 32-year-old co-founder and CEO Evan Feinberg, PhD.

Research

Researchers from MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School develop ScribblePrompt, which segments biomedical images from human annotations.

Other

Hippocratic AI and healthcare education firm Adtalem Global Education will develop clinician AI training modules that will emphasize the learning needs of nurses.

A survey of UK doctors finds that nearly 90% are worried that patients who use generative AI for medical inquiries will receive misinformation. More than half are enthusiastic for using AI to provide diagnostic and treatment options to doctors themselves, while 83% think that government or medical associations should oversee AI’s use in healthcare.

Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, which established a dedicated AI center in 2019, has developed 20 AI-powered diagnostic and treatment applications. The applications automate tasks such as summarizing medical literature and monitoring patient progress, which it says has reduced bed wait times from 32 hours to six.

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

Morning Headlines 9/11/24

Oracle shares jump 13% on earnings and revenue beat

Oracle reports Q1 results: revenue up 7%, adjusted EPS $1.39 versus $1.19, beating Wall Street expectations for both and sending ORCL shares to an all-time high.

Pieces Technologies Raises $25M Growth Round to Expand Leading Suite of Generative AI Solutions

Clinical generative AI company Pieces Technologies announces $25 million in new growth funding from investors that include OSF HealthCare (IL) and Children’s Health (TX).

Highlander Health Launches to Modernize Clinical Research and Patient Care

Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD (Verily) and Brad Hirsch, MD (Verily) launch Highlander Health, which will focus on evidence generation and related investment.

NeoPrediX Secures Investment From Springhood Ventures to Advance Neonatal Health Innovations

NeoPrediX, a predictive analytics business focused on neonatal and maternal care, announces new funding from Springhood Ventures.

News 9/11/24

Top News

Oracle reports Q1 results: revenue up 7%, adjusted EPS $1.39 versus $1.19, beating Wall Street expectations for both and sending ORCL shares to an all-time high.

Cerner / Oracle Health was not mentioned in the earnings call except that Larry Ellison used healthcare as an example in response to an analyst’s general question about monetizing AI:

• Oracle uses AI to prepare a pre-visit patient summary for the physician.
• Ambient AI is used to document the visit.
• Stanford needed three people to find his son’s X-rays in Epic, but with Oracle, the physician just says “Oracle, please show me Larry Ellison’s latest X-ray.” He adds, “Our user interface is so different than Epic.”
• Ellison says that “all of Cerner is the monetization,” where AI will fuel expansion of the health business, but won’t be sold as a separate product.

HIStalk Announcements and Requests

On the musical front, I’m still digging deeper and longer into the REM catalog and can confidently recommend “All The Way to Reno,” “Crush with Eyeliner,” and the magnificent “Find the River.” Original drummer Bill Berry retired after collapsing on stage in 1997 with a brain aneurysm and seems to still suffer from some of the effects in recent interviews, but pre-1997 concert videos show his energetic, symphonic drumming and harmonizing, not to mention that his absence as a songwriter changed the band’s sound a lot for their remaining five albums. He and bassist Mike Mills were the most experienced and musically trained members of the band, but selflessly plugged away on the seemingly simple rhythm instruments because someone had to do it.

Webinars

September 17 (Thursday) noon ET. “Level Up Your Stars – Innovative Approaches to Boosting Quality Performance.” Sponsor: Navina. Presenters: Dana McCalley, MBA, VP of value-based care, Navina; Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, PreferCare; Yair Lewis, MD, PhD, chief medical officer, Navina. The presenters will explore strategies to boost quality performance and close care gaps effectively. Topics include enhancing quality metrics, developing strategies for care gap closure, leveraging AI for enhanced performance, and optimizing workflows.

September 19 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Cutting-Edge Conversations: A Fireside Chat With Top CMIOs.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drex DeFord, MSHI, MPA, This Week Health; Lacy Knight, MD, MSMI, Piedmont Health; Jake Lancaster, MD, MSHA, MS, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Colin Banas, MD, MSHA, chief medical officer DrFirst. This fireside chat will distill key points from 15 CMIO participants of the 229 Executive Summit. Topics include the impact of AI on clinical workflows, strategies for optimizing healthcare operations, addressing physician burnout and patient safety, and advances in population health management.

October 3 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Navigating AI-Powered Medical Interpretation: Insights for Health Leaders.” Sponsor: Globo. Presenter: Dipak Patel, CEO, Globo. AI is redefining how providers can communicate with patients who speak limited English. However, not all LLMs are created equal, and their potential and limitations need to be examined further. Globo has published its results from testing several LLMs. This webinar will address the promises and perils of AI-enabled medical interpretation in summarizing that research in four key domains: the process of AI interpretation, how to measure it, the state of AI tools today, and the areas where AI falls short with interpretation.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

The private equity owners of Zelis consider selling their minority stake in the healthcare payments company in a potentially $17 billion deal. Bain Capital and Parthenon Capital merged Zelis with payment data company RedCard Systems in 2019 in a transaction valued at $6 billion.

Global investment firm EQT will acquire revenue cycle and health information management company Gebbs Healthcare Solutions from ChrysCapital for a reported $850 million. EQT is also reportedly considering strategic alternatives for RCM vendor AGS Health, including a potential sale. EQT’s health IT investments also include Citius Tech, Lumeon, and Waystar.

Clinical generative AI company Pieces Technologies announces $25 million in new growth funding from investors that include OSF HealthCare (IL) and Children’s Health (TX).

AMA releases CPT 2025, which includes 270 new codes, 112 deletions, and 38 revisions.

Healthcare IT Leaders will open an Overland Park, KS office on the Aspiria campus and will add 25 positions there.

Sales

• Gillette Children’s Hospital (MN) selects data, analytics, and care management technology from HealthEC.
• Healthcare-at-home service provider CareRing Health will implement WellSky’s EHR and analytics software across its locations in five states and Washington, DC.

People

Glenn Wada (Blue Ocean Go to Market Partners) joins Iris Telehealth as chief growth officer.

MDClone hires Bruno Lempernesse, MS (Health Catalyst) as president.

Industry long-timer Mark Erwich, MBA (Verato) joins Health Launchpad as chief strategy officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Mercy Cedar Rapids Women’s Center (IA) goes live on Volpara Health’s breast cancer risk assessment and care management software.

Renown Health (NV) implements DetectRx drug diversion monitoring software from IatricSystems.

Royal Columbia Hospital in British Columbia goes live on Meditech Expanse as part of Fraser Health’s facility-wide implementation.

LogicSource will collaborate with Cleveland Clinic to create non-clinical procurement best practices and benchmarking.

Apple adds sleep apnea detection to the Apple Watch and incorporates hearing features in AirPods Pro that include passive noise reduction, a clinical grade hearing test, and the ability to use AirPods Pro as an over-the-counter hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss.

Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD (Verily) and Brad Hirsch, MD (Verily) launch Highlander Health, which will focus on evidence generation and related investment.

A KLAS Arch Collaborative Report on EHR interoperability finds that a major clinician pain point is using outside patient data.

Privacy and Security

Five hospitals in Ontario and their shared IT services provider will spend $6.6 million on recovery efforts stemming from a ransomware attack in October 2023. Bluewater Health restored all of its systems, including Meditech, in February of this year. It will go live on Oracle Health in November. Windsor Regional Hospital, which is still working on a full recovery, has spent the majority of its recovery costs on staff overtime.

Just 20% of small and rural hospitals are taking advantage of free and low-cost cybersecurity resources from Microsoft and Google, according to new stats from White House officials. The vendor offerings are part of a federal initiative launched in June designed to help select healthcare facilities shore up their cybersecurity defenses.

Sponsor Updates

• EClinicalWorks releases a new podcast, “Skyrocket RCM Productivity with eClinicalWorks & Healow.”
• AGS Health will exhibit at the Revenue Integrity Symposium September 12-13 in Oak Brook, IL.
• Altera Digital Health releases a new e-book, “Sunrise: The Flexible EHR to Meet Your Evolving Needs.”
• The Department of Commerce appoints Arcadia Chief Strategy Officer Aneesh Chopra to its National AI Advisory Committee.
• AvaSure will host its 2024 Symposium October 2-4 in Grand Rapids, MI.
• Capital Rx releases a new episode of “The Astonishing Healthcare Podcast, “Customer Care in Healthcare: Setting a Higher Bar, with Will Tafoya.”
• CereCore releases a new podcast, “5 Communication Tactics for Better IT and Business Alignment.”
• The “InteropNow” podcast features Consensus Cloud Solutions EVP of Healthcare Strategy and Policy Bevey Miner, “Bringing Healthcare to Structured Data with Consensus Cloud Solutions.”
• Laudio publishes a case study titled “How Novant Health Alleviated Pressure on Nurse Managers, Improved Employee Engagement, and Reduced RN Turnover by 15%.”
• CloudWave publishes a new whit epaper, “Patient-centric Incident Response in Healthcare: A New Approach – What You Need to Know.”

Blog Posts

• 5 Communication Tactics for Better IT and Business Alignment (CereCore)
• No-show rates, virtual nursing programs & common medical billing mistakes (AdvancedMD)
• Demonstrating AI’s new role in medical imaging at Tampa General Hospital’s first ever Innovation Week! (Agfa HealthCare)
• Unlocking RCM Optimization for Private Equity-backed Medical Groups: Insights from Industry Leaders (Alpha II)
• Five Keys to Growing Through Memberships (Amenities Health)
• Ascom Asks the Experts: Exploring the Benefits of a Connected Healthcare Platform – Insights from the Industry (Ascom)
• Reproductive Health Privacy Rule Lawsuit May Signal Shift in Balance of Power (Clearwater)
• A Year in the Evolution of Data Quality (Clinical Architecture)

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

Morning Headlines 9/10/24

EQT to acquire GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, a leading healthcare technology solutions provider

Global investment firm EQT will acquire revenue cycle and health information management company Gebbs Healthcare Solutions from ChrysCapital.

Aledade Launches Recruiting Service to Connect Primary Care Practices to Talent

Primary care network management company Aledade launches a physician recruiting service.

Cyberattack recovery costs hit $8.9M for SW Ontario hospitals — so far

Five hospitals in Ontario and Transform Shared Service Organization, their shared services provider, are on track to spend $6.6 million on recovery efforts stemming from a ransomware attack in October 2023.

Curbside Consult with Dr. Jayne 9/9/24

As I work on optimization projects with different care delivery organizations, I’m shocked by how much waste I see within the system. Many large health systems spent a significant amount of time and money over the last two decades investigating in process improvement initiatives. However, it seems like once focus is lost, waste creeps back into the system and becomes an impediment to efficient patient care.

End users such as physicians and nurses are often experiencing some degree of burnout and may not want to spend the effort pushing back against processes that they know aren’t serving patient care. Others may experience learned helplessness, where repeated stressors cause them to feel that they have no ability to change the situation, so they don’t even try.

Some of the inefficiencies I see are caused by people over-interpreting regulations. For example, two-factor authentication for electronic controlled substances is required. However, it is not required for electronic prescriptions for drugs that are not controlled substances. Organizations that don’t understand the ability of EHRs to have different settings for different types of medications may require two-factor authentication or a password input for all medication, resulting in millions of wasted clicks each year and countless hours of frustration among clinicians.

Other inefficiencies are caused by outdated attitudes towards patient management. In past decades, some institutions taught policies that hinted at the idea that patients can’t be trusted. For example, if a patient was due to have a follow-up visit in 90 days, one shouldn’t write them a prescription with more than 90 days’ worth of refills because then the patient would be forced to come for an appointment or at least to call the office. In contrast, practice management journals have advocating for years that this approach isn’t supported in the medical literature and just creates additional risk of patients running out of their medications as well as extra work for ambulatory practices as they field refill requests.

Practice management journals have also advocated having patients schedule their follow-up appointments before they leave the office, yet many do not. My own primary care practice refused to schedule my annual appointment before I left last year, citing the fact that physician schedules weren’t open yet. They said that normally they have patients fill out a postcard that they mail when the schedules open, but that they were out of postcards and would fill one out on my behalf when they were restocked and schedules were open.

It’s been a full three months, and I have zero confidence that this multi-step process is happening in the office. Given the lag time on getting an appointment in this particular practice, I should probably call this week to set myself up for nine months from now. Of course they don’t have online scheduling open either, so it’s lots of wasted effort when you add up how many patients are impacted by this lack of process.

I also see physicians who continue to retake blood pressures on every patient, regardless of whether values are in or out of range. I would propose that if you don’t trust the blood pressure readings that your staff members are doing, you have two options. One, you could teach them to take readings exactly the way you want them to so they can perform proficiently moving forward. Or, you could have them stop altogether, freeing up their time to do other support tasks. But continuing to repeat on every single patient is just wasteful. I also see the documentation of irrelevant vital signs just for the sake of documenting vital signs. Temperature is generally irrelevant for well visits and most chronic disease follow-up visits, so why does everyone end up with a thermometer under their tongue?

On the positive side, many organizations have taken the advice of their EHR vendor to filter the number of “thank you” messages that make it to physician EHR inboxes. Although this can decrease inbox burden, some of my colleagues report that they miss those expressions of gratitude and that it feels like their inbox is now only full of demand messages. Some ambulatory organizations are focusing on routing messages to ancillary staff, such as medical assistants, before escalating to nurses and to physicians only if needed. I’m seeing a few places adopt delegated refill policies, although there is still much more hand-wringing about these types of protocols than there ought to be.

I’m also seeing more organizations configure EHR message routing so that ambulatory physicians aren’t inundated with inpatient test and diagnostic results. Some are also stopping the practice of automatically copying the primary care physician on tests that are ordered by other ambulatory physicians. This is a plus in two ways – not only does it cut down on inbox volume, but it also prevents confusion as to who is responsible for managing the test results. This creates extra work for consulting physicians, though, who may need to send a specific communication back to the primary care physician to let them know what is going on with the patient. This shouldn’t be too much of a shock to them as they theoretically should be sending a consultation letter already, especially if the primary care physician referred the patient for evaluation.

The most widespread optimization efforts that I’m seeing are in the implementation of ambient documentation solutions. Adoption was slow at first, but is really taking off. At some point, it’s going to become a requirement for facilities that want to attract top physicians. If I was a graduating resident at an institution that had implemented it and I was used to using it every day, you can bet that it would be a must-have criterion for a future workplace. Organizations that aren’t ready to go all-in on the technology should consider other bridge solutions, such as virtual scribes, or at a minimum, human scribes.

In other technology news, I was able to catch a glimpse of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, also known as ACS3, flying through the sky at an altitude of 600 miles on Sunday night. Temperatures have dropped into the 50s overnight here, so it was a perfect excuse to pull out the fire pit, pour an adult beverage, and chill out in a lawn chair as I prepare for the coming week. I’ll have another prime viewing opportunity Monday night, so here’s to crossing my fingers and hoping for a crisp and cloudless night. If you’re interested in trying to spot it yourself, more information can be found here.

What activities help you recharge and get ready for the busy work week? Leave a comment or email me.

Email Dr. Jayne.

Morning Headlines 9/9/24

EQT Is Said to Consider Sale of US-Headquartered AGS Health

Global investment firm EQT reportedly considers strategic alternatives for RCM vendor AGS Health that include a possible sale.

Zelis Owners in Talks to Sell Stake at $17 Billion Value

The private equity owners of Zelis consider selling their minority stake in the healthcare payments company in a potentially $17 billion deal.

Kipu Health Acquires Hatch Compliance to Strengthen Behavioral Health Technology Portfolio

Behavioral health technology vendor Kipu Health acquires Hatch Compliance, which specializes in compliance and risk management software for behavioral health providers.

Monday Morning Update 9/9/24

Top News

A cybersecurity researcher finds an unsecured web database that contains the information of patients of the ironically named Confidant Health, an AI-powered mental health and addiction treatment provider.

The database contained 120,000 files and included lengthy psychiatry patient intake notes. It also included audio and video recordings of sessions. Information in the files suggests that some of it was collected by Confidant’s conversational chatbot called Alfie.

The company says that less than 1% of those files could be accessed openly.

Confidant says that it fixed the problem within an hour of being notified. It objects that the findings were publicized in a “sensational” way.

Reader Comments

From Enlighted Analyst: “Re: CVS Health. Has announced that it will sunsetting its HDMS business as of the end of 2025. HDMS provides data warehousing and analytic services to health plans and large employers and was acquired by CVS Health as part of its acquisition of Aetna.” Reported in a CVS announcement. Health Data and Management Solutions offers the Enlight data solutions and visualization platform. It describes its business as “build[ing] connected health views for employers, health plans, providers, and brokers. We transform unrefined data, often disparate and difficult-to-access, into integrated insights.”

HIStalk Announcements and Requests

You are (sadly) beating poll respondent averages if you spend six or more hours dealing with work-related messages after hours. I have to commend employers who have somehow convinced their workers that spending their free (literally) time doing company work is OK.

New poll to your right or here: How much impact has the information technology that is used by your providers and insurers had on your overall health and happiness?

Webinars

September 10 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Overcoming Hurdles in Specialty Med Access Under Medical Benefits.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drew Hunsinger, VP of corporate business development, DrFirst; Tyler Wince, MEd, VP of product and technology specialty solutions, DrFirst. More specialty medications, which made up 80% of FDA’s new drug approvals last year, are falling under medical benefits, which challenges the patient care processes and efficiency of providers. Medication access experts will discuss how automation and unified medication management solutions can ensure better outcomes for patients and providers by addressing patient access hurdles and enhancing the ‘stickiness’ of EHRs. They will also provide insights into how regulatory changes such as interoperability and prior authorization mandates will affect healthcare stakeholders.

September 17 (Thursday) noon ET. “Level Up Your Stars – Innovative Approaches to Boosting Quality Performance.” Sponsor: Navina. Presenters: Dana McCalley, MBA, VP of value-based care, Navina; Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, PreferCare; Yair Lewis, MD, PhD, chief medical officer, Navina. The presenters will explore strategies to boost quality performance and close care gaps effectively. Topics include enhancing quality metrics, developing strategies for care gap closure, leveraging AI for enhanced performance, and optimizing workflows.

September 19 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Cuttng-Edge Conversations: A Fireside Chat With Top CMIOs.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drex DeFord, MSHI, MPA, This Week Health; Lacy Knight, MD, MSMI, Piedmont Health; Jake Lancaster, MD, MSHA, MS, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Colin Banas, MD, MSHA, chief medical officer DrFirst. This fireside chat will distill key points from 15 CMIO participants of the 229 Executive Summit. Topics include the impact of AI on clinical workflows, strategies for optimizing healthcare operations, addressing physician burnout and patient safety, and advances in population health management.

October 3 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Navigating AI-Powered Medical Interpretation: Insights for Health Leaders.” Sponsor: Globo. Presenter: Dipak Patel, CEO, Globo. AI is redefining how providers can communicate with patients who speak limited English. However, not all LLMs are created equal, and their potential and limitations need to be examined further. Globo has published its results from testing several LLMs. This webinar will address the promises and perils of AI-enabled medical interpretation in summarizing that research in four key domains: the process of AI interpretation, how to measure it, the state of AI tools today, and the areas where AI falls short with interpretation.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Oracle acquires the former Cerner demonstration center on the vacant campus at 2800 Rockcreek Parkway. Oracle exercised the purchase option for the 125,000 square foot building that Cerner moved into in early 2019 in a sales-leaseback contract with North Kansas City.

Announcements and Implementations

Palantir launches HealthStart, a program for startup developers that focuses on three layers: streamlining compliance approvals, a starter kit for builders, and ontology as a service.

Government and Politics

Texas sues the federal government for implementing a HIPAA medical privacy rule that prohibits state investigators from obtaining the medical records of women who cross state lines to obtain abortion services. The lawsuit questions HHS’s ability to determine the scope of federal privacy and says that such action unlawfully limits state investigative authority, which is guaranteed by HIPAA.  

Two independent reviews find that VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals in patient satisfaction (79% four or five stars versus 40%) and hospital quality ratings (58% four or five stars versus 40%).

Sponsor Updates

• NeuroFlow staff volunteer with Cradles to Crayons to help pack bookbags for local students.
• EClinicalWorks releases a new podcast, “Cutting Costs and Improving Care Seamlessly.”
• Netsmart recaps its 17th annual Connections2024 conference in Dallas, which showcased customer achievements and AI innovations of its CareFabric platform.
• Wolters Kluwer Health offers free, online access to evidence-based information about mpox in a dedicated mpox resource center.
• RLDatix will host a lunch and learn session featuring customers Bozeman Health and St. Francis Hospital at NAMSS 2024 September 30 in Denver.
• Laudio publishes a new report, “Frontline Leaders in Focus: Executive Strategies for Top Workforce Trends.”
• Medicomp Systems releases a new episode of its Tell Me Where IT Hurts Podcast featuring ASTP/ONC Deputy Director, Certification & Testing Division, Jeffery Smith.
• Med Tech Solutions expands its capabilities into the acute care market by enhancing its Epic, Oracle Health, and Meditech expertise.
• Inovalon, Arcadia, Wolters Kluwer, and MRO will sponsor Rise West 2024 September 11-13 in Colorado Springs.
• Nordic releases a new episode of its “Designing for Health: podcast, “Interview with Steve Muething, MD.”
• Pivot Point Consulting Physician Executive Partner Nick Patel, MD joins the HIMSS 2025 Americas Board of Advisors.
• Rhapsody Health publishes a new case study, “Qventus achieves 10X performance and reduces customer onboarding time by 50%.”
• Sectra releases a new podcast, “From co-development to go-live: Inside Penn Medicine and Sectra’s genomics journey.”
• SmartSense by Digi will exhibit at the Health Connect Partners Hospital Pharmacy Fall Conference September 30-October 2 in Columbus, OH.
• SnapCare will exhibit at the Colorado Healthcare 2024 Fall Convention September 10-12 in Loveland.
• Gartner names Verato a Sample Vendor in its latest Hype Cycle for Real-Time Health System Technologies report.

Blog Posts

• Empower pharmacists and streamline processes with advanced data visualization (Meditech)
• CPT vs. ICD-10 Codes: Mapping the ‘Why’ and ‘What’ of Rehab Therapy Patient Journeys (Net Health)
• 3 Health Checks to Know a Workday and ServiceNow Integration is Right for Your Organization (Optimum Healthcare IT)

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

Morning Headlines 9/6/24

The Rawlings Group, Apixio Payment Integrity, and VARIS Merge to Form Next-Generation Payment Accuracy and Integrity Platform

New Mountain Capital will combine three of its healthcare billing portfolio businesses into a new company valued at $3 billion.

WindRose Health Investors Makes Strategic Investment in MyndYou

MyndYou, a virtual care assistant software developer, secures funding from WindRose Health Investors.

Kain Capital Launches Kain Analytics

Kain Capital’s new subsidiary, Kain Analytics, will offer healthcare companies value-based care data automation capabilities and intelligent dashboards that deliver real-time analytics.

News 9/6/24

Top News

Private equity firm New Mountain Capital will combine three of its healthcare billing portfolio businesses into a new company that is valued at $3 billion.

The companies are Rawlings Group, Apixio’s payment integrity business, and Varis.

Datavant has acquired Apixio’s Connected Care platform and value-based care solutions as part of the transaction.

The CEO of the unnamed company will be David Pierre, formerly COO of CVS Health-acquired Signify Health.

Reader Comments

From ID Protector: “Re: Optery. The CEO mentioned on their website is me, and the friend that introduced me to Optery was you, from an HIStalk post.” Pretty cool. Optery is a service that gets your name and personal information (address, phone number, age, family members, etc.) removed from websites that are easily found by Googling. Sign up for a free Optery account to see where your information is available for the world to see. I mentioned my personal experience with it in October 2021. I’ve been paying $3.99 per month for basic removal, but because of this CEO’s memory jog, I just now upgraded to Optery Extended for $120 paid annually after applying a promo code that I found online. His example was shocking – someone used his online information to obtain a fake driver license and apply for $50 million in PPP loans, not to mention that the personal information of employees makes it easier for hackers to breach a company. I just now chose a high-profile, Optery-free executive, and within 60 seconds, had photos of their house, what they paid for it, the names and ages of their family members, and details about their spouse’s employer.

Webinars

September 10 (Tuesday) noon ET. “Overcoming Hurdles in Specialty Med Access Under Medical Benefits.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drew Hunsinger, VP of corporate business development, DrFirst; Tyler Wince, MEd, VP of product and technology specialty solutions, DrFirst. More specialty medications, which made up 80% of FDA’s new drug approvals last year, are falling under medical benefits, which challenges the patient care processes and efficiency of providers. Medication access experts will discuss how automation and unified medication management solutions can ensure better outcomes for patients and providers by addressing patient access hurdles and enhancing the ‘stickiness’ of EHRs. They will also provide insights into how regulatory changes such as interoperability and prior authorization mandates will affect healthcare stakeholders.

September 17 (Thursday) noon ET. “Level Up Your Stars – Innovative Approaches to Boosting Quality Performance.” Sponsor: Navina. Presenters: Dana McCalley, MBA, VP of value-based care, Navina; Michael S. Barr, MD, MBA, chief medical officer, PreferCare; Yair Lewis, MD, PhD, chief medical officer, Navina. The presenters will explore strategies to boost quality performance and close care gaps effectively. Topics include enhancing quality metrics, developing strategies for care gap closure, leveraging AI for enhanced performance, and optimizing workflows.

September 19 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Cuttng-Edge Conversations: A Fireside Chat With Top CMIOs.” Sponsor: DrFirst. Presenters: Drex DeFord, MSHI, MPA, This Week Health; Lacy Knight, MD, MSMI, Piedmont Health; Jake Lancaster, MD, MSHA, MS, Baptist Memorial Health Care; Colin Banas, MD, MSHA, chief medical officer DrFirst. This fireside chat will distill key points from 15 CMIO participants of the 229 Executive Summit. Topics include the impact of AI on clinical workflows, strategies for optimizing healthcare operations, addressing physician burnout and patient safety, and advances in population health management.

October 3 (Thursday) 1 ET. “Navigating AI-Powered Medical Interpretation: Insights for Health Leaders.” Sponsor: Globo. Presenter: Dipak Patel, CEO, Globo. AI is redefining how providers can communicate with patients who speak limited English. However, not all LLMs are created equal, and their potential and limitations need to be examined further. Globo has published its results from testing several LLMs. This webinar will address the promises and perils of AI-enabled medical interpretation in summarizing that research in four key domains: the process of AI interpretation, how to measure it, the state of AI tools today, and the areas where AI falls short with interpretation.

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

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Netsmart acquires post-acute market intelligence firm HealthPivots, which it will integrate with CareFabric to support the transition to value-based care.

National oncology practice operator OneOncology acquires Navigating Cancer, which offers a patient engagement and care management platform.

Business Insider profiles Commure as “the weirdest startup in healthcare,” having raised $1 billion at a $6 billion valuation but then walking away from its original mission of developing a healthcare data integration platform to instead offer efficiency-boosting automation for healthcare administrative tasks. The company’s acquisitions include Augmedix, PatientKeeper, Strongline, and Rx.Health. Insiders say that the October 2023 “merger” of Commure and Athelas was actually a Commure acquisition, with products from Athelas becoming Commure’s primary growth engine. Athelas CEO Tanay Tandon took over as Commure’s fourth CEO in October 2023.

Sales

• In Canada, Nova Scotia Health will implement conversational web visitor search tools, EHR search, and radiology workflow from Google Cloud in a five-year, $31 million project.
• Sentara Home Care Services goes live on WellSky CareInsights and Value-Based Insights, integrated with their EHR. 

People

City of Hope hires Simon Nazarian, MBA (Optum) as EVP/chief digital and technology officer.

Michael Justice, MBA (Medical Advantage) joins Mind 24-7 as SVP of technology.

University of Chicago Medicine promotes Karen Habercross, MBA, MSW to VP/chief information security and privacy officer.

Industry long-timer Laura Anderson (Elsevier) joins IKS Health as chief product officer.

EHR vendor Canvas Medical promotes Adam Farren, MBA to CEO. He replaces founder Andrew Hines, who will transition to CTO.

Erik Johnson (BioMérieux) joins Harmony Healthcare IT as VP of marketing.

NVoq hires Dawn Iddings (Netsmart) as chief revenue officer.

Hugh Brennnan (11TEN Innovation Partners) joins Cordea Consulting as EVP of sales.

Greenway Health hires Geordie Sanborn (Arvest Bank) and Chuck Rackley (Infinx) as sales VPs.

Announcements and Implementations

University of Iowa Health Care rolls out Nabla’s ambient technology to all of its clinical workforce, including faculty, advanced practice providers, allied health professionals, trainees, and students. UI Health Care will work with Nabla to develop new use cases and improve its Epic integration.

IRhythm, which offers an ambulatory cardiac monitoring system, signs an exclusive license to incorporate BioIntelliSense’s technologies that measure pulse oximetry, accelerometry, and trending non-invasive blood pressure.

A new KLAS report on patient education solutions notes that 2024 Best in KLAS winner Healthwise, which was acquired by WebMD this year, is used by the widest variety of organizations. Wolters Kluwer is strong in EHR and portal integration, while Elsevier shines with its patient-friendly content. New vendor Mytonomy publishes short-form videos.

Government and Politics

The Republican National Committee alleges to election officials in six states that Vot-ER may be violating election laws, stating that the organization’s goal is to turn “every check-up and doctor’s visit into a political lecture” by pressuring patients to vote in a certain way as a condition of receiving medical care. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) previously asked Epic to respond to his concerns that its users could be registering non-citizen voters in Vot-ER. Vot-ER Executive Director Aliya Bhatia, MPP provided this response:

Vot-ER is proud of empowering health professionals and patients to vote, many of whom face significant barriers to civic participation. It’s unfortunate and frankly a shame that our nonpartisan efforts to promote civic engagement are coming under unwarranted scrutiny. Vot-ER has always been clear in its mission to remain nonpartisan, and we are guided by a bipartisan advisory board, including Republican and Democratic former elections officials, to ensure that our work reflects the needs and concerns of all voters, regardless of political affiliation. Vot-ER does not promote or endorse any political party or candidate, participation is entirely voluntary, and nothing in our programming remotely suggests that patients are pressured or coerced to register to vote. Moreover, we have protocols and technology in place to prevent ineligible individuals from registering, and any suggestion otherwise is simply false.

I mentioned the Epic app name post from interoperability guy Brendan Keeler earlier this week, so here’s another fun thread in which he looks at some of the interesting comments that ASTP received about HTI-2. He cites an anonymous commenter who was “coming out guns blazing” with these points (not Brendan’s):

• Questionable applications have already joined the network by exploiting its lenient onboarding process, which could include using fake NPIs and websites.
• Ineffective monitoring allows organizations to siphon off data without sharing data of their own.
• ASTP should follow Carequality’s focus on thorough vetting and continuous monitoring, which could include real-time participant monitoring and removal and notifying practices when their credentials are used.

Other

Kaiser Permanente hematologist / oncologist Faisal Cheema, MD says that he’s happy that they are using Abridge for ambient documentation after piloting Nabla Copilot. He says that Copilot was effective but not integrated with Epic (he didn’t say whether it was an app problem or KP decision) and Abridge’s integration with Epic Haiku was a game-changer. Next, he would like to see transcription of virtual visits directly from the smartphone app. 

Hamilton Health Sciences profiles cardiologist Darryl Leong, MBBS, MPH, MBiostat, PhD, who is also associate CMIO for research, and his involvement with the organization’s use of Epic in research.

Sponsor Updates

• Middletown Medical (NY) sees reduced claim rejections, decreased claims submission lag, and ROI savings after adding RCM capabilities to its EClinicalWorks EHR.
• Black Book’s latest survey of VC and PE healthcare leaders reveals priorities for healthcare IT investments in 2025.
• CereCore will present at Meditech Live September 27 in Foxborough, MA.
• Arcadia publishes a new report, “The healthcare CIO’s role in the age of AI.”
• Artera publishes a new customer snapshot featuring Newton Clinic.
• Availity partners with Iodine Software to bring advanced mid-revenue cycle solutions to its Availity Essentials Pro customers.
• AvaSure will host the 2024 AvaSure Symposium October 2-4 in Grand Rapids, MI.
• Capital Rx releases a new episode of The Astonishing Healthcare Podcast, “Never Move Again, a Paradigm Shift in Pharmacy Benefits, with AJ Loiacono.”
• The American Health Law Association features Clearwater Chief Risk Officer and Head of Consulting Services and Client Success Jon Moore on its latest podcast.
• Memphis VA Medical Center (TN) expands its use of CliniComp solutions.
• CloudWave publishes a new case study, “Safeguarding Patient Care: Emanate Health Adopts OpSus Live for Enhanced EHR Security.”
• Crossings Healthcare Solutions, FinThrive, and Nordic will sponsor Oracle CloudWorld 2024 September 9-12 in Las Vegas.
• Ellkay will exhibit at Mayo Clinic’s Leveraging the Laboratory Conference September 17-18 in Rochester, MN.
• Elsevier offers free access to research and clinical resources via its Mpox Information Center to accelerate the fight against viral disease.
• FinThrive releases a new episode of its Healthcare Rethink Podcast, “Is the Boom of Digital Health Really Booming?”
• Five9 will present at SaaStr Annual 2024 September 10 in San Francisco.

Blog Posts

• Epic’s UGM 2024: Innovations, insights, and the future of healthcare (Nordic)
• 5 Fundamentals to Master Healthcare Delivery at Scale (AGS Health)
• Specialty practices and the need for a mold-breaking EHR (Altera Digital Health)
• Elevating Patient Registration: Improving the First Step in Accessing Care (Amenities Health)
• Ascom Asks the Experts: The Future of Nursing – Embracing Virtual Care (Ascom)
• A Candid Conversation with the FDA: Medical Device Cybersecurity (CloudWave)
• Enhancing Diversity and Inclusion in Hiring (Direct Recruiters)
• The Emerging Role of AI Medical Scribes in Patient Engagement (EClinicalWorks)
• Pharmacists Serve as Last Line of Defense Against Drug Overdoses (First Databank)
• Streamline for Success: Top 3 Signs It’s Time to Consolidate Your Healthcare RCM Vendors (FinThrive)
• Healthcare Cybersecurity Threats: August 2024 (Fortified Health Security)
• Infrastructure Management Services (HCTec)
• Integrating Workday with Scheduling Applications (Impact Advisors)

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

EPtalk by Dr. Jayne 9/5/24

I enjoyed reading the results of Mr. H’s poll on company culture, where a full one-third of respondents said their company’s culture was worse today compared to a year ago. There’s always a disconnect between what employers think of their culture and what employees experience.

A recent story of culture gone wrong details a company retreat involving some hiking in Colorado. One member of the group became separated and was ultimately stranded overnight on the mountain in dangerous conditions that included freezing rain and high winds. Contributing factors included co-workers who retrieved pieces of gear that had been used to mark the way through a scree field, as well as delayed notification to search and rescue personnel.

Search efforts were pended overnight due to conditions, but the hiker was eventually found after a coordinated search effort that included nine agencies. The man sustained multiple injuries in falls as he tried to descend, and had to be carried to a point where an all-terrain vehicle could assist. I’ve done a fair amount of hiking in my time and would highly recommend always carrying the 10 essentials even if you’re in a large group.

HIMSS is starting to hype its 2025 conference, sending emails to alert members that registration opens next week. The conference is once again in Las Vegas, which I’m not thrilled about since HLTH is there also. I’d really like a break from conferences in Las Vegas and Orlando, but the lack of growth in conference facilities elsewhere makes those venues seem like a lock. Conference passes start at $995 this year with an Executive Summit pass starting at $1,445 that promises access to additional events including a reception and an evening special event.

When I first started working in healthcare IT, there was no such thing as social media, let alone the idea of digital influencers. Things have certainly changed and our industry is bursting with influencers, leading to changes in how business in certain segments is conducted. The University of Texas at San Antonio has added a major in Digital Media Influence to its lineup of degrees. Under the leadership of the Communications program, students will take production classes as well as courses that are focused on digital communication and digital audiences. They will learn technical skills as well as strategies to build and retain followers.

It will be interesting to see how many graduates complete the program and where their career paths lead. I hope they include such topics as “buy a real microphone, no one wants to watch you talking into a wadded up set of wired earbuds” and “how to film without giving your audience vertigo.”

There’s no denying that social media has changed healthcare, however. East Idaho News reports that a local hospital will convene focus groups following a complaint about delays in its emergency department that was posted on Facebook. The post received 190 replies, eventually leading the hospital to contact the author and invite her to participate in a focus group. The organization plans multiple sessions over the net few weeks and hopefully they’ll not only receive constructive feedback but will take action on it.

From The Name Game: “Re: here we go again. Did you see the reports of Jefferson Health buying its way onto the Philadelphia Eagles practice jerseys? They’ll also have their logo featured on the backdrop at press conferences.” Terms of the deal were not made public, but I suspect that they paid a pretty penny for the privilege. The article mentions that the practice jersey logo replaces that of an orthopedic group, but I wonder how many fans will actually notice, let alone care.

Bring on the creepy images and supernumerary digits: The Verge reports that Google Gemini will once again allow users to create AI-generated people, following a hiatus after the tool produced “historically inaccurate images, like racially diverse Nazis.” The tool should be available to Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise users quickly and is powered by Imagen 3. Guardrails will be in place to prevent users from creating realistic images of public figures, content involving minors, or sexual scenes. I recently tried Meta’s “imagine yourself” and was impressed by its ability to interpret requests for 18th century fashion, although it did give me mismatched earrings in three of three generated images.

No wonder primary care physicians are tired. A recent research letter in JAMA Health Forum looks at the impact of value-based contracting on primary care. Researchers identified 57 distinct quality measures that one health system’s physicians were expected to track based on value-based contracts with multiple payers. Medicare contracts averaged 13 measures for contract, followed by 10 for commercial payer contracts and five for Medicaid agreements. The authors’ discussion highlighted the disparities in different quality metrics, noting that not only were they addressing different conditions, but that some differed in the outcomes that physicians were expected to meet.

In other study-based news, it’s no surprise that patients report higher satisfaction levels when clinicians are seated when meeting with them. The authors specifically looked at “the effect of chair placement on length of time physicians sit during a bedside consultation and patients’ satisfaction.” Over 100 physician encounters with hospitalized patients were observed, and chairs were placed either within three feet of the patient’s bedside or at a “usual” chair location.

Outcomes included whether the physician sat or not at any time during the visit, along with patient satisfaction. The difference in physician behavior was notable, with 38 of 60 physicians in the “chair placement group” sitting during the visit but only five of 65 physicians in the “usual” chair location group sitting. During college, a friend of mine who was studying architecture used to regale me with the things that he was learning while I was suffering my way through organic chemistry. The idea that “people will sit where they are places for people to sit” appears to be as true in the healthcare setting as it is in theory.

Are your clinicians encouraged to sit at the bedside, or are they just standing at the wheeled workstation or a wall unit? Do they ask for something different? Leave a comment or email me.

Email Dr. Jayne.

Morning Headlines 9/5/24

Netsmart Announces Acquisition of HealthPivots to Support Value-Based Care Transition for Healthcare Providers

Netsmart acquires HealthPivots, a post-acute care market intelligence firm based in Oregon.

Revelstoke Capital Partners Announces Significant Growth Investment in MediQuant

Healthcare data management company MediQuant secures an undisclosed amount of funding from Revelstoke Capital Partners.

Navigating Cancer Accelerates Investments to Enhance Care Management Platform for Providers and Patients

OneOncology acquires digital oncology care software vendor Navigating Cancer.

Healthcare AI News 9/4/24

News

A legal advisor recommends that doctors not use AI to respond to patient complaints. She says that AI’s responses may use country-specific laws (most likely from the US), generate misleading statements, and ask for confidential information that could breach privacy laws. She also notes that patients may find AI’s wording to be insincere or indicative that their complaint didn’t warrant a human response.

Business

Aidoc adds seven AI solutions for the European health market. Four of them address notification and triage of vessel occlusion, aortic dissection, vertebral compression fractures, and malpositioned endotracheal tube. The others involve quantitative assessments for midline shift, coronary artery calcification, and abdominal aortic measurement.

Imaging-based real world evidence vendor Segmed raises $10.4 million in a Series A funding round, with Advocate Health being among the investors. The company will use the proceeds to expand its use of AI.

Samsung acquires France-based fetal ultrasound AI software vendor Sonio, whose product is FDA 510(k) cleared in the US, for $92 million.

Research

A study finds that AI models can guess a patient’s self-reported race based on technical aspects of radiology images, which could perpetuate diagnosis bias. The authors note that setting a score threshold for the relevant factors can mitigate some of the bias.

Other

Digital transformation leader David Bray, PhD, MSPH says that it’s imperative that AI-generated outputs be labeled consistently to avoid “AI self-cannibalization,” which occurs when AI models are recursively trained on data that was created by previous AI work. He believes that HL-7 standards could be expanded to provide healthcare data provenance to create a traceable, transparent AI ecosystem and to support interoperability.

Actor Tom Hanks warns fans that online ads for “miracle cures and wonder drugs” are using AI-generate images of him, for which he didn’t consent.

Contacts

Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
Get HIStalk updates.
Send news or rumors.
Contact us.

Readers Write: Leveraging the Power of Technology to Improve Behavioral Health

Leveraging the Power of Technology to Improve Behavioral Health
By Shana Hoffman

Shana Hoffman, MBA is CEO of Lucet.

We are living in an age of anxiety. Americans of all ages are increasingly struggling with their mental health. Half of young adults and one-third of all adults reported feeling anxious, either always or often in the past year, according to a 2022 survey. In 2023, 60 million Americans, roughly 23% of all adults, reported experiencing mental illness in the previous year.

Despite the growing need for care, millions of people are finding themselves without access to mental health treatment. The barriers they face in accessing behavioral health services are numerous and complex. Long wait times, a shortage of providers, geographical barriers, stigma, and cost all contribute to a system that is unable to meet the demand.

The shortage of mental health providers is a particularly acute problem. According to the American Psychology Association’s 2022 COVID-19 Practitioner Impact Survey, 60% of psychologists reported no openings for new patients. Nearly half of the US population in 2022 lived in a mental health workforce shortage area, with some states needing up to 700 more practitioners to close the gap.

The consequences of this inadequate access to care affect more than just individuals. On a micro level, insufficient healthcare access can impair a person’s ability to proactively manage their mental health challenges, leading to a worsening condition and potentially negative long-term health outcomes. On a macro level, unaddressed mental health issues can contribute to a range of problems, including homelessness, poverty, unemployment, and safety concerns. These have a cascading effect on the local,  and ultimately national, economies.

But there is hope. We may be living in an age of anxiety, but we are also living in an age of technology. Technology can help bridge the gap and improve access to behavioral healthcare. By using today’s advanced tools, we can address many of the barriers that have historically limited access to mental health services.

One of the most significant advantages of using technology in behavioral healthcare is its ability to improve access in areas where mental health resources are limited. Rural areas in particular have long struggled with a lack of mental health services. Tele-mental health services offer a solution for these patients, connecting them to the care they need regardless of their geographical location. Mental Health America reports that rural areas have 20% fewer primary care providers than urban areas, with 65% of rural counties lacking a psychiatrist and 81% without a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Technology can help close these gaps, ensuring that these rural patients are not left behind.

Technology offers flexibility, enabling patients to access care at times that fit their schedules to make it easier for them to commit to treatment. Technology also helps expedite the process of connecting individuals to care. Current average time between booking an appointment and a claims-confirmed connection is over 45 days, with some psychologists reporting wait times of three months or longer. Technology tools that quickly identify active, in-network providers who are accepting new patients can significantly reduce these wait times, ensuring that patients receive the care they need when they need it.

Providers benefit from technology-enabled care access as well. By giving patients more flexibility in how they access care, technology makes it easier for them to stick to their treatment plans over time, helping providers achieve better long-term results.

Most critically, technology can help address the issue of provider shortages by offering advanced and accurate insights into available care resources, minimizing the time it takes for providers and patients to connect, allowing for more efficient scheduling of treatment. By streamlining administrative tasks such as patient intake, documentation, and screening, technology can also help free up clinicians to spend more time on delivering care.

Use of technology can improve treatment adherence and expand access to care in underserved areas, leading to healthier populations and lower long-term costs for payers. Additionally, by improving the accuracy of provider directory management systems, technology can help eliminate “ghost networks” in which healthcare providers who are listed in a health plan’s network are not actually available to provide care. This not only enhances regulatory compliance, but also boosts member satisfaction.

Mental health technology solutions have enormous potential to increase access to care, enhance efficiency, and improve outcomes. To fully realize this potential, stakeholders must continue to invest in and support technological advancements in behavioral healthcare, because only then can we create a more equitable and effective behavioral healthcare system.

Readers Write: Virtual Care Isn’t What It Used to Be – It’s Getting Better

Virtual Care Isn’t What It Used to Be – It’s Getting Better
By Derek Streat

Derek Streat is CEO of DexCare.

Virtual emerged as a vital access bridge during the pandemic, ensuring that patients received on-demand care while living in lockdown. As society transitioned back to normal, public use of virtual care inevitably declined. Today, as we watch market shakeups as companies shutter and shrink, critics are quick to point out that virtual fell short and will never replicate in-person care. That’s a shortsighted outlook, because like any technology, virtual is undergoing a natural pivot.

The industry grew too fast, but disruption drives progress, creates new applications, and forges pathways for value creation. The technology that is powering virtual care has matured from simple, one-off video consultations into an adaptive strategy that complements in-person care to balance a health system’s limited capacity.

Virtual care 2.0 is underway, and at just the right time. With 11,000 Americans aging into Medicare each day and not enough primary care doctors, a new model for how care is accessed and delivered is required. Virtual is a critical backstop to meet the rising demand for care while reducing the pressures on clinicians.

The reality is that not everyone needs to see a doctor in person. It’s the type of appointment and routing to appropriate venues of care that counts. Instead of follow-ups, consultations, and common conditions clogging up urgent care clinics, emergency rooms, or taking away from a doctor’s finite time, health systems can redirect patients to a virtual appointment, a clinic, or a nurse practitioner. Modern care orchestration is multi-modal, predictive, and powered by real-time intelligence to ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.

But how can a health system guide a patient to the right modality on the fly? By operating in real time and having the digital flexibility to coordinate how, when, and where patients select care. It’s about having dynamic controls to precisely administer system-wide resources to match demand against capacity. Virtual is part of a broad portfolio of care that underpins convenience for patients while managing workforce resources by the hour, day, month, or quarter.

Consider Kaiser Permanente’s multi-modal approach. By integrating virtual consultations, online check-ins, and secure messaging, the health system enhances patient access while optimizing resources before and after in-person visits or by reducing the need for patients to physically see doctors altogether. The net result is more time for clinicians, greater choice for patients, and the delivery of quality, clinically appropriate care.

Virtual is no longer a button for patients to push, but rather a technology to promote flexibility and growth. For many health systems, virtual is being applied in innovative ways to address more complex patients’ needs.

Health systems can extend the reach of care by offloading routine visits to virtual. These can include check-ups, preventive, and chronic-condition management. The impact is time saved at multiple touch points throughout the delivery pipeline, allowing for a responsive patient experience while liberating resources to focus on acute care and higher complexity cases.

Disruption isn’t failure. It is fuel for innovation. Virtual care is evolving, not fading, and is a cornerstone to a growing mix of care venues, including services, locations, and providers. It’s not about replacing doctors, but rethinking how and where care is accessed to extend workforce resources. This isn’t the slow, phase out of virtual care. It’s just the beginning of a smarter, more agile health system.