Foundation Health, which offers AI-powered telehealth, diagnostics, and digital pharmacy solutions, raises $20 million in Series A funding.
Amazon Pharmacy to launch electronic kiosks for prescriptions at One Medical locations
Amazon Pharmacy will fill prescriptions from kiosks in One Medical clinics and is talking to health systems about broader use.
Workforce solutions vendor HealthStream acquires Virsys12, which offers a provider data management suite.
Amazon Pharmacy will fill prescriptions from kiosks in One Medical clinics and is talking to health systems about broader use.
Patients are sent a QR code in the Amazon app that is scanned at the kiosk to pick up the custom-labeled medication.
From Made in the USA: “Re: H1-B visas. How are companies in this space being affected? My employer relied on H1-B employees heavily for years. They even restructured a major division in a way that nobody’s responsibilities changed whatsoever, but people got split into one role or the other. One of the roles allowed visa sponsorship, while the other didn’t. I am curious to know if other firms also rely on visas like we did, and how they are being impacted.” I welcome feedback from the front lines.
HIStalk sponsors who are participating in the HLTH conference October 19-22: tell me about your activities and I’ll include them in my conference guide.
Welcome to new HIStalk Platinum Sponsor Bizmatics. Bizmatics Inc., a leading innovator in healthcare technology, empowers ambulatory medical practices to thrive in today’s evolving healthcare landscape. PrognoCIS EHR Software, our AI-integrated comprehensive suite of clinical and business productivity solutions, includes Practice Management, Medical Billing, Telemedicine, Patient Portal, and Occupational Medicine. PrognoCIS equips clinics of all sizes – from small to large and multi-specialty – with the tools they need to achieve operational efficiency, create better patient outcomes, and maximize revenue. Thanks to Bizmatics for supporting HIStalk.
I found this YouTube video that introduces PrognoCIS EHR.
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Workforce solutions vendor HealthStream acquires Virsys12, which offers a provider data management suite.
Oracle releases renderings of its planned $1.2 billion, 70-acre riverfront headquarters campus in Nashville, which will include a Nobu hotel and restaurant and a public park.
Microsoft reportedly licenses Harvard Health Publishing content to provide answers to healthcare questions that are posed by Copilot users.
Seattle Children’s hires Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS (UC San Diego Health) as CEO.
WellSky adds an ambient listening and transcription to its home health platform and will launch a voice assistant to complete OASIS documentation in December.
A KLAS review of credentialing technology concludes that vendor relationships matter most, but full credentialing automation is not yet available and clinician usability lags.
TigerConnect earns FDA 510(k) clearance for its cloud-native alarm management solution.
Oracle Health announces GA of its Health Connection Hub data governance and reporting console.
All nine Epic-using health systems in Louisiana go live on MyChart Central, giving patients single sign-on, cross-facility access to records, messaging, and care management.
Wolters Kluwer Health updates Lippincott DocuCare, its EHR simulator for training nurses.
A Bain & Company and KLAS report finds that providers are prioritizing ROI-driven technology and are widely adopting ambient documentation and RCM solutions. Payers are focusing on care coordination and utilization management. Only 20% of providers prefer best-of-breed tools, and two-thirds of Epic customers would choose a given Epic option over a competitor’s better product.
A new KFF poll finds that 59% of respondents disapprove of the job performance of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, with most Republicans approving and most Democrats disapproving.
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The US federal government shutdown continues, and with it, the loss of payment for telehealth visits for Medicare beneficiaries.
I reached out to a few of my CMIO friends to understand how their systems are addressing the issue. The first health system moved telehealth visits onto the regular schedule by just updating the resource and place of service. It doesn’t sound like it went well. Administrators made the decision without assessing staffing, and although they had enough exam rooms, they didn’t have staff to complete registration or intake functions.
The second organization is honoring scheduled telehealth visits, but is not scheduling new ones. It will absorb any losses that are generated by lack of payment.
The third site is offering patients an in-person visit that is near their scheduled telehealth day at one of its convenient care locations, or a later in-person visit with the original provider. This may work for primary care, but not for subspecialists, although the institution reports that few subspecialists use telehealth.
From a patient perspective, honoring existing visits but not scheduling new ones is the least interruptive. I’m curious how many other organizations have taken that approach. If you’re knee-deep in managing Medicare telehealth limitations, feel free to weigh in.
Mr. H mentioned this article about the administration’s opposition to private-sector vetting of healthcare AI tools. I see the risk of big vendors sidelining startups, but these organizations are competitive and independent enough that “cartel” overstates it. The Coalition for Health AI lists 3,000 industry partners from big tech, health systems, medical specialty groups, standards organizations, and even startups.
No federal organization is resourced to monitor healthcare AI, which leaves it largely unregulated. Waiting for our elected leaders and their appointees to get something in place creates a lot of patient-facing risk in the interim. Given current priorities, lawmakers are unlikely to address this soon.
Also in the AI realm, a reader shared this piece about how the use of AI tools is impacting energy and infrastructure. For those not familiar with the organization, IEEE is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and has its roots in professional organizations of electrical engineers and radio engineers. Its goal is to advance technology “for the benefit of humanity,” and members hail from 190 countries.
The infographics estimate that one day’s per-user consumption of AI resources by ChatGPT, based in 25 queries, is enough to run a 10-watt LED bulb for an hour. Globally, that year of use requires the annual electrical output of two nuclear reactors. The page notes that it’s difficult to calculate these needs because high-intensity queries can consume far more resources. At scale, the numbers become immense. I’ve made a conscious effort recently to only use AI resources when they’re likely to be of more benefit than traditional ones, but it’s hard to avoid the convenience and easy access to AI.
AI research article of the week: JAMA Network Open published an article looking at whether a hybrid chatbot using both AI and rule-based elements can help encourage patients to receive pneumococcal vaccinations. The study was small (under 400 individuals) and focused (Hong Kong residents over 65 years of age), but the authors found that subjects who interacted with the hybrid chatbot, which included real-time answers to patient questions, were more likely to receive the vaccine than those who received a standard chatbot intervention. It will be interesting to see this work replicated in different locales and age groups, although I suspect the results will be similar.
Most consumers don’t read the Terms and Conditions thoroughly each time they sign up for a new online profile or service. We have seen a gradual but persistent devaluing of individuals’ privacy as their data is bought and sold almost constantly. In discussing apps and solutions, I will often ask, “What is your privacy worth?”
A recent class action settlement that involves Facebook sharing user data with third parties puts a number on it of just $34 per claimant. That, my friends, is how much your privacy is worth.
I had a chance this week to visit a former colleague who retired from the healthcare software industry. It was great to hear what life is like on the other side. She and her husband have been traveling the world in a low-key way and sharing most of their adventures with friends and family via social media. They’ve done some cool things, although she mentioned that she didn’t completely leave her life as a road warrior behind because she’s had plenty of arguments with rental car agencies and challenges with airlines.
They say that they would have retired earlier if they had found a better way to buy health insurance before Medicare eligibility. Unless you are a multi-millionaire, that sentiment is shared by millions of workers in the US. The fact that people feel forced to stay in unfulfilling jobs or in bad relationships because of access to healthcare is something to think about.
I didn’t attend last week’s Becker’s Health IT + Digital Health + RCM Meeting, but happened to be in town for a bit of baseball. I was able to swing by a couple of conference-adjacent events. A special shoutout to Ambience Healthcare for putting on an elegant rooftop event complete with ice artists carving the Chicago skyline.
I’ve been to many vendor events, but this one felt different. It had plenty of tables and seating, which encouraged deep and meaningful conversations among people who are working to solve the same problems. There was no loud music to shout over, although there was some occasional chainsaw noise from the artists.
I had a great conversation with someone who is deep into the implementation of ambient documentation solutions at their organization. They invited me to come see it in action, which I might do. Extra points to the company’s marketing team, to Charlotte who kept the event running smoothly, and to whichever marketer decided to use Phineas Gage as a patient name on the company website.
What’s the most creative event or marketing effort you’ve seen recently? Leave a comment or email me.
Email Dr. Jayne.
New AI tool helps rural hospitals improve financial incomes
Microsoft launches a free, AI-powered claims denial navigator from its Rural Health AI Innovation Lab.
Xcellerant Ventures Invests in Mindset Medical to Advance Contactless Vital Sign Monitoring
Mindset Medical, which offers camera-based, vital sign monitoring software, secures funding from Xcellerant Ventures.
Saint Peter’s Healthcare, Atlantic Health merger plans called off
Saint Peter’s Healthcare and Atlantic Health call off their merger in New Jersey, nixing Saint Peter’s plan to transition to Atlantic Health’s Epic EHR.
Microsoft launches a free, AI-powered claims denial navigator from its Rural Health AI Innovation Lab.
The VA updates its AI strategy, which includes deploying tools for scheduling, real-time transcription, claims processing, and administrative tasks.
HHS officials say that the administration opposes private-sector vetting of healthcare AI tools, warning that it could shut out startups.
Samsung will add a heart failure detection feature to its Galaxy watches using an algorithm for left ventricular systolic dysfunction, while also developing Korea-built Ear-EEG technology that uses ear-worn electrodes to detect drowsiness and analyze video preferences.
UnitedHealth Group hires Michael Pencina, PhD, Duke Health’s chief data scientist and co-founder of the Coalition for Health AI, as chief AI scientist.
Qualtrics CEO Zig Serafin says that the company’s $6.75 billion acquisition of Press Ganey was driven by AI, giving the customer experience and analytics vendor “the most complete, specialized AI platform” to speed adoption in healthcare.
A study finds that clinician burnout fell from 52% to 39% within 30 days of implementing an ambient AI scribe across six health systems, with additional gains in documentation efficiency, patient communication, scheduling flexibility, and after-hours workload.
Some parents are letting their children use generative AI toys and chatbots to spark their creativity, but experts warn that the tools can confuse kids about what is real, limit their originality, and mislead them. A parent turned his four-year-old son, who is a fan of “Thomas the Train Engine,” over to ChatGPT’s voice mode and found him still talking two hours and 10,000 words later. He laments, “My son thinks ChatGPT is the coolest train-loving person in the world. I am never going to be able to compete with that.”
Mr. H, Lorre, Jenn, Dr. Jayne.
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9 Sites Going Live with New Electronic Health Record in 2026
The VA will add nine sites to its Oracle Health EHR rollout in 2026.
Attuned Intelligence Raises $13M to Transform Hospital Call Centers with Supervised AI
Health system call center technology vendor Attuned Intelligence raises $13 million in seed funding.
Savista Acquires ONCO Services, Expanding Cancer Registry Leadership and RCM Capabilities
Savista, which offers RCM outsourcing and technology, acquires the cancer registry business of Onco Services.
Healthcare IT consulting firm Healthlink Advisors joins Chartis
Healthcare advisory business Chartis acquires Healthlink Advisors.
The VA will add nine sites to its Oracle Health EHR rollout in 2026.
Four Michigan sites will also go live in 2026.
Survey: “What’s your take on the value of IT Managed Services?” Sponsor: CTG. Due to recent legislative changes, Healthcare organizations are under growing pressure to balance cost, performance, and innovation. CTG wants to hear from leaders like you on how IT managed services can help — or hinder — those goals in this quick, 5-minute survey. Your insights will help inform industry understanding and provide a clear picture of how IT managed services is currently being used.
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Australia-based healthcare AI company Heidi raises $65 million in Series B funding and names Simon Kos, MBBS, MBA (Lumyra.AI) as chief medical officer. Heidi works with Beth Israel Lahey Health (MA) and MaineGeneral in the US.
Qualtrics, which offers customer and employee experience software, will acquire healthcare market research company Press Ganey for $6.75 billion.
Health system call center technology vendor Attuned Intelligence raises $13 million in seed funding.
Savista, which offers RCM outsourcing and technology, acquires the cancer registry business of Onco Services.
Image-guided surgery technology vendor MediView raises a $24 million Series A funding round.
Chartis acquires Healthlink Advisors.
ReferWell names Mark Bergen, MS (Gebbs Healthcare Solutions) SVP of sales.
Susan Reagan (RLDatix) joins AssureCare as VP of sales.
Datavant names Josh Builder (CVS Health) as CTO.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital moves from piloting to fully implementing Veris Health’s remote patient monitoring platform.
CommonSpirit Health implements Safety Net Connect’s advanced care planning software at its four hospitals in Los Angeles as part of a pilot program for improved recuperative care coordination.
A new report from Trilliant Health titled “2025 Trends Shaping the Health Economy” contains some interesting points:
Zus Health CEO and Athenahealth co-founder and CEO Jonathan Bush will reportedly announce this week that he is running as a Republican in Maine’s 2026 governor’s race.
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Hipp Health Raises $6.2 Million in Seed Funding
Hipp Health, which offers AI software that automates clinical, administrative, and compliance workflows to behavioral healthcare practices, raises $6.2 million in seed funding.
Australia-based healthcare AI company Heidi announces $65 million in Series B funding and a valuation of $465 million.
Qualtrics to buy healthcare tech firm Press Ganey in $6.75 billion deal, FT reports
Qualtrics, which offers customer and employee experience software, will acquire healthcare market research company Press Ganey for $6.75 billion.
Talkspace Acquires Wisdo Health to Expand AI-Powered Social Health and Peer Support Solutions
Virtual mental healthcare provider Talkspace acquires Wisdo Health, which offers an AI-powered peer support and social health app.
Last week was a busy one. My already packed schedule was hit with meeting requests related to the US government shutdown.
There were discussions whether our organization should continue delivering telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries. That led to talking about the pros and cons of telehealth in general.
Whether physicians like it or not, patients like it. I can’t imagine going back to a pre-2020 situation where all of our visits were conducted in person. Several of our practice locations added clinicians without adding exam rooms due to everyone having half days in which they deliver only virtual care, so that’s a win for lowering overhead.
Unfortunately, some juggling was needed to accommodate everyone’s clinic schedules, and not every clinician is thrilled. We will have to see how that shakes out over time.
I was also pulled in to deliver some unanticipated patient care after a colleague was injured and her backup was diagnosed with COVID. I did locum tenens coverage for this group and was still listed on their medical liability insurance policy, so I was happy to step in.
The practice is one of a growing number of Direct Primary Care sites, so they don’t have issues with credentialing or billing when they have to bring in outside coverage. It has been quite some time since I’ve used their EHR, but documentation was easy because I wasn’t worried about compliance with coding and billing metrics.
I was surprised by how many patients were more worried about their physicians than their own health issues. Most wanted me to pass along their wishes to get well soon. I’m used to having patients be irritated or annoyed when schedules are altered or delays come up, so it was a refreshing change.
The weekend brought some cooler temperatures in my world. It was time to catch up on yard work, then spend a couple of hours making sure that I can remain a practicing physician in 2026 and beyond. I had to do my state license renewal and my DEA number renewal. I decided to tackle the most recent bunch of “continuing knowledge assessment” questions that released on October 1 rather than waiting until the end of the quarter as I usually do.
I had a little fun with it. I fired up a couple of AI tools to see if one was better at answering board-style questions. I tried a couple of approaches, including taking the question and distilling it down into a concise prompt versus using the question nearly verbatim. Both approaches seemed to deliver the same accuracy in results and took about the same time to provide an answer.
It made me wonder whether physicians who cut-and-paste to get their answers learn as much as those who read the questions in detail and create a custom prompt. I haven’t seen studies that address that specific approach, but it would be interesting to see if retention differs.
I changed my tactic after a few questions, trying to figure out ways to use AI tools while still getting a good learning experience. I used traditional tools to look for the answer, then used AI tools to validate the choice that I thought was correct. This made the process faster even though it took a little longer to create the prompts.
This particular module is pass-fail, but many physicians have that competitive streak and want to have a perfect score. I liked the idea that I was validating my thought process rather than just searching for the answer.
I’m big into environmentalism and sustainability, so I think about the impact of AI tools. A friend recently mentioned data center projects in her state that are being blocked because of environmental impacts. This got me thinking about my own information-seeking behaviors and whether I should be more diligent about using traditional tools where possible rather than just jumping to AI tools because they are at my fingertips. I’m conscious of the environmental impact of products I choose in my daily life, everything from yogurt to sunscreen, so being more mindful about information resources isn’t a big leap for me.
I’m off to Anaheim for the American Academy of Family Physicians FMX conference, which was formerly known as Family Medicine Experience. Unlike healthcare IT conferences, the main stage lineup doesn’t feature celebrities or businesspeople, but actual physicians, including 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA. I have to admit I’ve had a little crush on him since he appeared with Elmo teaching us not only how to cough into our elbows, but also about the importance of regular preventive visits and vaccines. You can bet I’ll be in fangirl mode.
Who would you like to see speaking on a conference main stage? What would you like to hear them cover? Leave a comment or email me.
Email Dr. Jayne.
Cancer AI Alliance unveils first collaborative AI platform for cancer research
The Cancer AI Alliance, a research collaboration of four major cancer centers, launches a platform that securely centralizes anonymized data from its members to train AI models.
Uniform virtual care platform vendor Collette Health acquires the Virtual Nursing Academy, which provides education for deploying virtual nursing in health systems.
Payments company Zelis Healthcare hires Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan for an early 2026 IPO
Healthcare payments company Zelis Healthcare prepares for an IPO that sources say could value the company at $17 billion.
The Cancer AI Alliance, a research collaboration of four major cancer centers, launches a platform that securely centralizes anonymized data from its members to train AI models.
Most poll respondents aren’t so loyal to their doctors that they will tolerate administrative frustration.
New poll to your right or here: What health tech term is most overused? That inspired me to check my HISsies awards from 10 years ago, where I was reminded that the most overused buzzword was “big data.”
I consummated my occasional urge this week to binge my favorite finance thriller movies: “Wall Street,” “The Big Short,” “Boiler Room,” and “Margin Call.” It was either impossible or expensive to do this before rollout of ad-supported streaming channels such as Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel.
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Uniform virtual care platform vendor Collette Health acquires the Virtual Nursing Academy, which provides education for deploying virtual nursing in health systems.
Former pharmacy chain giant Rite Aid closes its last drugstores, adding to the one-third of US pharmacies that shut down between 2010 and 2021.
TruBridge hires Michael Daughton, MBA (EnableComp) as chief business officer.
Lisa Dykstra, CHIME advisor and former Lurie Children’s Hospital SVP/CIO, died last week at 55.
England requires all GP practices to keep online consultation tools active 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, allowing patients to request appointments, ask questions, and describe symptoms without joining “the 8 a.m. scramble.” Some practices disable apps once slots fill, driving 6.6% of patients who can’t get through by phone to the ED. One practice cut appointment wait from 14 days to three, with 95% of patients seen within a week.
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Akron’s Summa Health completes $515M sale to for-profit HATCo
General Catalyst’s HATCo closes its acquisition of Summa Health and will convert it to a for-profit and use it as a living laboratory for the technology products of GC’s portfolio companies.
Trump to the health and tech giants: AI is not your ‘cartel’
HHS officials say that the administration does not support private sector vetting of AI tools in healthcare.
Koda Health Oversubscribes $7M Series A to Scale Goal-Concordant Care Nationwide
Koda Health, which offers patient decision support and advance care planning software, raises $7 million in a Series A funding round.
Medicare’s telehealth flexibilities lapse due to the federal government’s shutdown, with these changes:
HIStalk sponsors who are participating in the HLTH conference October 19-22: tell me about your activities and I’ll include them in my conference guide.
Survey: “What’s your take on the value of IT Managed Services?” Sponsor: CTG. Due to recent legislative changes, healthcare organizations are under growing pressure to balance cost, performance, and innovation. CTG wants to hear from leaders like you on how IT managed services can help — or hinder — those goals in this quick, 5-minute survey. Your insights will help inform industry understanding and provide a clear picture of how IT managed services is currently being used.
Contact Lorre to have your resource listed.
Fortified Health Security acquires cybersecurity firm Latitude Information Security.
Veradigm’s special investor update call offered no details on its anticipated Nasdaq relisting. The company said that its financials remain sound, but it again withheld profit metrics, citing the unresolved revenue recognition discrepancies that led to its delisting. It continues to hope to become current on SEC filings and have shares relisted sometime in 2026.
Waystar closes its $1.25 billion acquisition of Iodine.
General Catalyst’s HATCo closes its $500 million acquisition of Akron-based Summa Health, two years after it was announced. The VC firm will convert Summa to a for-profit and use it as a living laboratory for the technology products of GC’s portfolio companies.
TigerConnect hires Peter Stetson, MD, MA (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) as CMIO and Sheeza Hussain (Press Ganey) as chief growth officer.
NextGen Healthcare promotes Srinivas Velamoor, MBA to president and CEO. He replaces David Sides, who will remain an investor and board member.
The VA updates its AI strategy, which includes:
HHS officials say that the administration does not support private sector vetting of AI tools in healthcare. Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill, who is a technology investor, tells Politico that the Coalition for Health AI could become a “cartel” that allows big companies to squelch startups.
Meta will use conversations with its AI products for targeted advertising. Its upcoming privacy update also authorizes using data that is captured by its smart glasses and its AI image generator to target ads on Facebook and Instagram, with no opt-out option offered.
Medical school professor Robert Wachter, MD provides interesting analysis of the “AI knowledge war” among OpenEvidence, Wolters Kluwer’s UpToDate, and Epic. Notes:
Keep the pumpkin-everything products — my most-anticipated fall treat is Mr. Autumn Man.
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Family members who I talk to about AI are usually surprised to learn that it’s being used in healthcare. They assume that regulations for its use must be in place. I explain the threshold for when software becomes a medical device that is regulated, but I’m not sure that resonates with the average patient.
The conversation frequently morphs into the fact that AI is everywhere, and has been to some degree for a long time, but people are mostly worried about generative AI solutions. Many other advanced technologies have been introduced in healthcare, such as brain-computer interfaces, but I’m not yet ready to bring those into the conversation with most of my relatives.
From Apple Fan Boi: “Re: Apple in hospitals. Did you see this article about hospitals finally ‘seeing the light’ with regard to Mac usage for clinicians? Now I just need to talk my CMIO into enabling me.” After spending the majority of my career on Windows-centric hospital platforms, I was surprised to learn that Emory Healthcare runs an all-Apple hospital. The 100-bed Emory Hillandale Hospital in Lithonia, GA is running the full spectrum of Apple devices everywhere, from the nursing station to the clinicians’ wrists. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who is directly involved in the project, whether behind the scenes or in an end-user capacity. As expected, the Apple article made it sound like the ultimate experience, but I’ve seen enough vendor-published pieces to know that reality is usually somewhat different from what that kind of article describes.
I spotted this article from last week that looked at the privacy concerns that are associated with brain-computer interfaces. They can be used to facilitate communication by patients who have difficulty speaking and writing, but require large volumes of neural data. The article summarizes ethical concerns with such data and whether patients understand the privacy elements that they give up when sharing this information with manufacturers and researchers.
Plenty of articles have described being able to infer the activities that couples might be participating in based on publicly shared biometric or wearable data. I hadn’t seen much written about brain data and its ability to predict certain diagnoses or the risk of declining function.
The article mentions that Chile became the first country to specifically protect neurodata and mental privacy, through an amendment to its constitution in 2021. The US has no federal laws around this, but legislators and the American Medical Association have expressed interest in developing a protection strategy.
It will be interesting to see how these privacy movements advance over the coming months and years and if consumers will be as willing to give up their mental privacy as they are in giving up data about their shopping, web surfing, and other habits through the countless apps and websites that people use almost continuously.
One of my former consulting colleagues reached out to ask for a curbside consultation on tick bites and the Powassan virus, which was recently found in a human in Illinois. The virus can cause brain swelling and there’s no specific treatment for it, so prevention is the best way to address the situation. My colleague was being asked to run some reports on his EHR database to find patients who might have had the condition without being diagnosed. His practice is big enough to support a “data guy,” but not big enough to have a CMIO or dedicated clinical informaticist, so I was happy to point him in the right direction.
Ticks spread plenty of other diseases, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, ehrlichiosis, and Lyme Disease. If you’re going to be outside this fall, consider long sleeves and long pants as well as repellent sprays.
Removing a tick within 24 hours of attaching lowers risk. If you hesitate to visit a physician or urgent care for help with removal, many of us have seen tick bites on nearly every part of the body and we’re happy to take care of it for you rather than have you increase the risk by waiting. We’ll even tag and bag the tick so it can be identified and tested if needed.
We also have SpongeBob bandages in our cabinets this month. I wonder whether our usually beige-loving supply chain person was feeling whimsical or if the character version was just cheaper.
In my role, I don’t follow Medicare happenings as closely as I used to. Therefore, I wasn’t fully up to speed on the fact that the Medicare ACO REACH (Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health) model will end on December 31, 2026. The program delivers value-based care to patients with traditional Medicare and encourages physicians and healthcare delivery networks to better coordinate care delivery, improve outcomes, and manage costs. The 160,000 providers in the nation’s 103 programs will need to decide whether their ACO will transition to a different ACO model or wind down.
ACO REACH is notable for its focus on health equity and a track for medically complex patients. Other elements made it more attractive to smaller provider groups compared to the larger CMS Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs. If you work for an impacted organization, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m behind on some continuing education requirements, so I’ll need to buckle down this week and get them completed. When I was thinking about obtaining my second board certification, I was more worried about learning the material and preparing to pass the exam than I was about what Maintenance of Certification would look like over the next couple of decades. It feels like I’m in an endless cycle of quarterly questions that are coming from multiple directions, and unfortunately, 80% of the material that I am quizzed on isn’t relevant to my scope of practice or work.
I understand that we are being held responsible for being well-rounded subspecialists, but I’d rather be spending my scarce free time reading material that would help me do my actual job better rather than frantically searching for answers to clinical scenarios I haven’t encountered in 20 years and will never encounter again.
How do you like to demonstrate lifelong learning? Do you prefer self-directed study or third-party accountability? Leave a comment or email me.
Email Dr. Jayne.
Federal Government Shuts Down as Telehealth Flexibilities Lapse
The federal government fails to extend funding for Medicare telehealth flexibilities before it shuts down, forcing providers to limit or cease some virtual care services.
VA AI strategy says early use cases will inform adoption in new EHR
The VA emphasizes in its latest AI strategy update that early use cases of AI will help to inform eventual integration of those capabilities with its EHR and other technologies.
Fortified Health Security Acquires Latitude, Expands Cybersecurity Advisory Capabilities
Fortified Health Security acquires Latitude Information Security and names Latitude CEO Mark Ferrari VP of its new risk and governance services unit.
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