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CHIME Statement on Federal Health IT Strategic Plan
Statement from Charles Christian, CHIME Board of Trustees chair, and Russell Branzell, CHIME president and CEO
Ann Arbor, MI, September 21, 2015 – Information technology plays a central role in helping hospitals and other healthcare providers reach the Triple Aim — a better patient experience, improved population health and reduced per capita costs. The Federal Health IT Strategic Plan 2015-2020, released today by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, lays out some critical markers for achieving those goals.
We applaud ONC for taking on the herculean task of coordinating federal health IT initiatives across 35 federal agencies and for reaching out to the healthcare community for input on the strategic plan.
CHIME endorses the overarching goals of the strategic plan — advancing person-centered care, delivery system transformation and a focus on community health, fostering research, enhancing the nation’s IT infrastructure. We are also in full agreement with the mission statement: Improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities through the use of technology and health information that is accessible when and where it matters most.
We have made tremendous strides in improving adoption of health IT and electronic health records, however, to reach the Triple Aim, we must now focus on creating a truly interoperable IT network. That means having clearly defined and enforceable standards, among other things. ONC, in its draft Shared Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap, laid out a 10-year agenda for achieving an interoperable system. This should be a priority for all stakeholders. We cannot achieve the promise of population health and other advances in patient care without the ability to fully and securely exchange data. This includes not just data between providers, but also establishing a framework for accepting the growth in patient-generated data.
While the strategic plan is a good step in that direction, CHIME also believes that we must attend to such issues as patient identification and development of functional electronic clinical quality measures. Finally, we are encouraged to see in the plan a recognition of the role privacy and security will play in advancing interoperability and greater adoption of health IT.
About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,600 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information please visit www.chimecentral.orgContact
Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
734.249.8917
[email protected]Posted 9.21.2015 -
ifa Systems AG & Merge Healthcare Collaborate to Provide Ophthalmic Imaging Solutions
Combined Solutions to Enhance Interoperability for the Singapore National Eye Center
Chicago, IL – September 21, 2015 — Merge Healthcare Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, today announced a collaboration with ifa Systems AG to deliver high quality, affordable eye care technology services to the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC), which manages more than 300,000 outpatient visits and 26,000 day surgeries annually. This collaboration will improve ophthalmologists’ ability to review and digitize patient documentation leading to greater productivity and efficiency.
Current and new clients using ifa Systems’ EMR ophthalmology platform will have access to Merge PACS™ and Merge Eye Care PACS™. Integrating these tools within ifa Systems’ EMR will ensure SNEC has access to comprehensive eye care instruments and diagnostic devices enhancing overall patient care.
“The cooperation with a global player like Merge Healthcare is a great opportunity to offer turnkey solutions based on the latest health IT using open standards,” said Guido Niemann, chief executive officer of ifa Systems. “The ifa team is very optimistic and proud of the worldwide collaboration as Merge and ifa share the same vision of integrated data and image systems in order to improve healthcare and eye care services with user-friendly and efficient solutions.”
“Merge is excited to work with ifa Systems in order to offer ophthalmology providers at SNEC a more integrated and robust EMR solution,” said Justin Dearborn, chief executive officer of Merge Healthcare. “We look forward to our continued collaboration together as we streamline workflows and enable providers to focus on the patient first and foremost.”
“SNEC is delighted to hear that ifa Systems and Merge Healthcare have collaborated to present their software solutions as a total concept; we look forward to reaping the benefits of such a partnership,” said Charity Wai, Chief operating Officer, SNEC. “Additionally, having Mandarin Opto-Medic, Singapore – with years of experience in the ophthalmic field – as local partner for the region will further complement the new combined solution.”
About Merge
Merge is a leading provider of innovative enterprise imaging, interoperability and clinical systems that seek to advance healthcare. Merge’s enterprise and cloud-based technologies for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides clinical trials software with end-to-end study support in a single platform and other intelligent health data and analytics solutions. With solutions that have been used by providers for more than 25 years, Merge is helping to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and enhance the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com and follow them on Twitter @MergeHealthcare.Posted 9.21.2015 -
Health Catalyst Wins Utah Ethical Leadership Award
SALT LAKE CITY, UT- September 17, 2015 — Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, has won the 2015 Utah Ethical Leadership Award in recognition of its culture of integrity and transparency.
The Utah Ethical Leadership Awards recognize leadership in Utah businesses, non-profit organizations and government entities that embody best practices in ethical behaviors. The awards are a joint effort between the Community Foundation of Utah, the Daniels Fund and the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
The awards are designed to recognize organizations that embody the spirit of ethical leadership exhibited by businessman Bill Daniels, who believed deeply in ethics and integrity, and in the importance of absolute ethical principles.
Health Catalyst won in the category of Business. Awards were also given to Utah non-profit organizations and government agencies.
“We congratulate Health Catalyst and the other award winners and finalists,” said Dr. Abe Bakhsheshy, director and professor of the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at the Eccles School. “It’s important for our community to pay tribute to companies and organizations that exemplify ethical behavior and integrity in their operations. Ethics is taught in the classroom here at the David Eccles School of Business – it’s part of every discipline and course curriculum. We’re honored to recognize the individuals who espouse ethical principles in their organizations at the annual Utah Ethical Leadership Awards.”
Jeff Selander, Health Catalyst Chief Financial Officer said the company’s founders created unbreakable operating principles to ensure its culture and values are consistently upheld. “Ethics and a sense of mission are foundational elements that we deeply value as a management team and we have built those elements into the culture of the company,” Selander said. “We’re convinced that, as team members follow these operating principles, they make better long-term decisions for our clients, for patients, and for our company.”
Nominees for the awards were judged based on eight criteria:
- Integrity – Act with honesty in all situations
- Trust – Build trust in all stakeholder relationships
- Accountability – Accept responsibility for all decisions
- Transparency – Maintain open and truthful communications
- Fairness – Engage in fair competition and create equitable and just relationships
- Respect – Honor the rights, freedoms, views and property of others
- Rule of Law – Comply with the spirit and intent of laws and regulations
- Viability – Create long-term value for all relevant stakeholders
About Health Catalyst
Health Catalyst is a mission-driven data warehousing, analytics and outcomes-improvement company that helps healthcare organizations of all sizes perform the clinical, financial, and operational reporting and analysis needed for population health and accountable care. Their proven enterprise data warehouse (EDW) and analytics platform helps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs in support of more than 50 million patients for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. For more information, visit https://www.healthcatalyst.com, and follow them on Twitter, LinkedInand FacebookPosted 9.17.2015 -
Statement on Call to Delay Meaningful Use Stage 3
Statement from CHIME Vice President of Congressional Affairs Leslie Krigstein
ANN ARBOR, MI, September 16, 2015 — The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) applauds Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) for calling on the Obama administration to take a more reasoned approach to the next phases of the Meaningful Use program.
During a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) hearing today, Chairman Alexander called on the administration to delay until 2017 final rulemaking for Stage 3. We appreciate his recognition that hospitals and health systems are still working to meet requirements under Stages 1 and 2.
Additionally, hospitals, physicians and their vendor partners continue to wait for a much-anticipated rule modifying certain requirements for meeting Stage 2 in 2015. The continued delays in the release of this final rule only jeopardize the long-term outcomes of the program. We must get the modification rule in the hands of providers as soon as possible to ensure that the well-intentioned relief offered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the proposed rule can be realized.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) comments on the importance of being able to accurately match patients to their health records and the need to address the other challenges impeding the development of an interoperable healthcare system were also notable.
Patients will be best served when as many providers as possible are successfully participating in the Meaningful Use program. CHIME is committed to ensuring that digital health tools are deployed safely and securely for the betterment of patient care.
We look forward working with the Chairman Alexander and the HELP Committee to ensure the ultimate lasting legacy of the Meaningful Use program is improved patient care through interoperable health records.
About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,600 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.chimecentral.org.
Contact
Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
734.249.8917
[email protected]Posted 9.16.2015 -
Are New Technologies in Women’s Imaging Delivering Desired Results?
KLAS analysis on how the 3D tomosynthesis marketplace is changing
OREM, UT – September 15, 2015 — 3D tomosynthesis is the latest technology to provide clearer images during screening and diagnostic procedures; however, it has not always been widely available. Hologic was the only vendor with FDA approval until April of this year, when Siemens received the much-awaited green light to sell their product in the United States. In the KLAS report Women’s Imaging 2015: Are New Technologies Delivering Promised Benefits? published today,data shows Hologic is still dominating the 3D tomosynthesis marketplace but is facing competition from Siemens and GE. Now approved, Siemens did not waste any time upgrading their systems, and providers are responding positively. GE is not receiving the same response from users because their 3D system is lagging due to implementation delays.
The annual report finds Phillips equipment still provides the strongest image quality for general ultrasound. However, Toshiba receives the highest overall satisfaction score due to their engaged support and adequate image quality and workflow. Siemens and GE users acknowledge the strength and quality of ultrasound images provided by their systems. Siemens and GE are also starting to expand their automated whole breast ultrasound offering, which could potentially be the next new technology that changes the shape of the industry.
“Patients are knowledgeable about women’s imaging and are seeking out healthcare organizations that use top-performing equipment for their procedures,” said Research Director Monique Rasband. “Patient satisfaction is driving industry innovation and leading organizations to proactively inform the public now about their updated imaging technology.”
To access this report, visit www.klasresearch.com.About KLAS
KLAS is a research and insights firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by amplifying the provider’s voice. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data and insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trends and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Visit KLAS at www.klasresearch.com.Posted 9.15.2015 -
Impact Advisors Recognized as one of Consulting Magazine’s Best Small Firms to Work For in 2015
Firm ranked sixth on prestigious list
Chicago, IL – September 14, 2015 — Impact Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare information technology services, is pleased to announce that it has been selected as one of Consulting Magazine’s Best Small Firms to Work For. The firm is ranked sixth and this is also the sixth time Impact Advisors has been recognized on the list.
“We are proud of this special recognition from Consulting Magazine,” said Andy Smith, President and Co-Founder of Impact Advisors. “This recognition proves that creating a culture of healthy, happy employees drives productivity and generates exceptional results for our clients.”
Consulting Magazine’s Best Firms to Work For survey is widely considered to be the most comprehensive, independent source of opinion about the quality of life within the consulting professions’ top firms. Rankings are based on an online survey, ranking firms in six different categories including firm culture, work/life balance, compensation and benefits, client engagement, career development and leadership. More than 9,000 consultants participated in the survey, representing more than 300 firms.“We are thrilled to be ranked on the Best Small Firms to Work For list for the sixth time,” said Michael Nutter, Director of Firm Culture and Associate Satisfaction. “We are dedicated to providing a high-energy, team-oriented and rewarding place to work for our Associates to grow and thrive.”
Impact Advisors adds this latest honor to a growing list of workplace awards that includes Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare for six consecutive years and Becker’s Hospital Review’s 150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare. The firm has been recognized by Consulting Magazine for a number of different awards including being named one of Consulting Magazine’s Seven Small Jewels in 2009. In addition, Chief Operating Officer Todd Hollowell received honors as one of Consulting Magazine’s Top 25 Consultants of 2015 and President and Co-Founder Andy Smith received the same honor in 2014. In 2014, Paula Elliott was recognized as one of the Top 12 Women in Consulting by the publication.
About Impact Advisors, LLC
Impact Advisors, a distinguished healthcare information technology consulting firm, improves its clients’ healthcare delivery through technology. As a trusted healthcare leader, the firm helps hospitals and health systems maximize clinical and operational performance with its Best in KLAS® strategic advisory, implementation and optimization services. Since its inception, Impact Advisors has consulted to more than 140 hospitals and health systems nationally and internationally. The firm has earned a number of industry and workplace quality awards including Best in KLAS® for seven consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty and Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit www.impact-advisors.com.Posted 9.15.2015 -
CHIME Announces New Board Members
ANN ARBOR, MI, September 15, 2015 – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is pleased to announce the election of members Cletis Earle, Theresa Meadows, R.N., CHCIO, and Donna Roach, CHCIO, to its board of trustees.
Earle is the chief information officer at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital, Newburgh, NY. Since joining CHIME in 2006, he has been active in both regional and national activities. Earle is the co-chair of StateNet in New York. CHIME’s StateNet fosters information sharing and networking among CIOs to help advance the adoption of health IT at a state level. Earle is also involved in CHIME’s professional development and education efforts, serving as a LEAD Forum speaker and on the planning committee for the annual Fall CIO Forum.
“As the CIO role continues to evolve, it is extremely important to advance best practices, all the while remaining dynamic in an ever changing industry,” he said. “CHIME helps keep me sane. We are able to learn from one another and make sure that we share best practices. CHIME is absolutely the best sharing experience once can have in a professional association.”
Meadows, senior vice president and CIO, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Fort Worth, Texas, served on the planning committee the Fall CIO Forum in 2014 and 2015. She’s also been a member of the CHIME Professional Development Committee and on the CHCIO item review panel. Having also worked as a registered nurse, Meadows understands firsthand how technology can make a difference in a patient’s life.
“As we broaden our view of healthcare outside of the hospital walls, I want to be actively involved in the shift from inpatient care to care transitions and population health,” said Meadows, “CHIME is uniquely positioned to lead the development of senior executives through this transition and their increased partnerships with other parts of the C-suite.”
Roach is the chief information officer at Via Christi Health-Ascension Information Services in Wichita, KS. A CHIME member since 2006, Roach has been instrumental in the development and growth of the Certified Health CIO (CHCIO) program since its inception in 2009. She sits on the CHCIO advisory panel and is a test reviewer. Roach has also been active in planning CHIME’s Fall and Spring CIO Forums, acting as co-chair for the 2015 events.
“With everything that is going on in the industry, there is so much to draw our attention away from professional development,” she says. “The board is well positioned not only keep us focused on development, but to enhance programs and services to our members, especially as we focus on the qualities that make up the CIO 3.0.”
CHIME is also pleased to announce the election of Zane Burke, president, Cerner Corp., Kansas City, MO, to the CHIME Foundation board of directors.
“I’m honored to join the CHIME Foundation board of directors and look forward to supporting their efforts to advance the important role of the CIO in healthcare,” Burke said.
CHIME’s newly elected board members will begin their three-year terms January 1, 2016. Foundation members serve four-year terms.
In addition, the current CHIME board of trustees elected officers for the 2017 board: Liz Johnson, CIO, acute care hospitals and applied clinical informatics, Tenet Healthcare, chair; Albert Oriol, CIO, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, treasurer; and Myra Davis, senior vice president and CIO, Texas Children’s Hospital, secretary.
“CHIME is clearly the leading organization for CIOs and health IT executives,” Johnson said. “We will continue to engage in advocacy, education and other areas to address the myriad of challenges facing our members. It is my honor to work with my colleagues in this capacity. I look forward to contributing to the continuing success of CHIME now and in the future.”
The CHIME board also selected Jan-Eric Slot, CIO, Bernhoven Hospital, Cologne, Germany, to serve on the board in an advisor role representing CHIME international members.
About CHIME
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 1,600 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.chimecentral.org.
Contact
Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
734.249.8917
[email protected]Posted 9.15.2015 -
Baptist Health System Selects Merge Healthcare to Further Enhance Cardiology Care
Merge’s cardiology solutions will deliver streamlined workflows and structured reports to improve access to critical patient data
Chicago, IL – September 14, 2015 — Merge Healthcare Incorporated (NASDAQ: MRGE), a leading provider of clinical systems and innovations that seek to transform healthcare, entered into an agreement to provide its Merge Hemo™ solution to Baptist Health System of Birmingham, Alabama.
Baptist Health System was seeking a technology solution that would streamline its workflows and monitor patients throughout their entire cardiac procedure. Using Merge Hemo™, the cardiology teams at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, Shelby Baptist Medical Center and Walker Baptist Medical Center will be able to leverage a centralized, web-based system for report generation and distribution.
“We are excited to improve patient safety and coordination of care as well as enhance our clinician’s experience by partnering with Merge.” said Dr. Chris Davis, chief information officer and chief medical informatics officer at Baptist Health System. “Integrating the hemodynamic procedural documentation directly into Epic (HIS) reduces duplicative documentation, and also makes it immediately available to other clinicians. Workflow will be further streamlined through patient scheduling and integrated lab results.”
“Baptist Health System and its cardiologists want to simplify their workflow in order to free up time to dedicate to patient care and enhanced outcomes,” said Justin Dearborn, chief executive officer of Merge Healthcare.
About Merge
Merge is a leading provider of innovative enterprise imaging, interoperability and clinical systems that seek to advance healthcare. Merge’s enterprise and cloud-based technologies for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides clinical trials software with end-to-end study support in a single platform and other intelligent health data and analytics solutions. With solutions that have been used by providers for more than 25 years, Merge is helping to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and enhance the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com and follow them on Twitter @MergeHealthcare.Posted 9.14.2015 -
KLAS Publishes Inaugural Healthcare IT Security & Risk Analysis Report
OREM, UT – September 10, 2015 — Keeping patients’ sensitive information confidential is paramount to healthcare providers, but it’s becoming more difficult in a digital world. In order to better understand the security vendor landscape, KLAS interviewed approximately 75 providers about the systems they are currently using and what measures they employ to mitigate security breaches. This inaugural security report, “Health Data Security: 155 Vendors Identified-Who is Protecting Your Data?”, discusses these findings as well as highlights which vendors offer what solutions and helps shine a light on the gaps the industry is facing as a whole.
Many vendors offer multiple solutions across data security segments; however, the majority of providers in this report don’t use the same vendor for all their security needs. In fact, 70% of providers use an average of four different vendors to meet their security requirements.
“Ensuring the security of personal information is an ongoing battle, and we see many healthcare vendors trying to provide solutions,” said Research Director Trisha Alexander. “This is a complex problem that will continue to evolve as providers look for various options.”
To access this report, visit www.klasresearch.com.
About KLAS
KLAS is a research and insights firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by amplifying the provider’s voice. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data and insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver timely reports, trends and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Visit KLAS at www.klasresearch.com.Posted 9.11.2015 -
Merge & RAD-AID Team Up to Help Developing Countries
RAD-AID International & Merge Healthcare Collaborate to Bring Imaging & Informatics Technology to Medically Underserved Regions of the World
Chevy Chase, MD & CHICAGO, IL – September 10, 2015 — Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ: MRGE) today announced a new global collaboration with the nonprofit organization, RAD-AID International, (US Registered 501c3) to bring vital radiology and health information technologies to medically underserved and poor regions of the world. The collaboration—RAD-AID Merge International Imaging Informatics Initiative (RMI4)—leverages Merge’s leadership in radiology information technologies with RAD-AID’s global health outreach network, including 3,500 volunteers, 14 country-outreach programs, 33 university-based chapters and affiliation with the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO reports that nearly half the world has little or no radiology services. Moreover, most of these low and middle-income countries have no access to health information technologies, such as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Electronic Health Records (EHR), Radiology Information Systems (RIS), Hospital Information Systems and other life-saving health informatics platforms for storing, retrieving and interpreting patient data. In collaboration with Merge’s charitable contributions of software, technical resources and expertise in radiology image-management, RAD-AID will implement these health information technologies at the nonprofit’s partnered international sites along with RAD-AID’s ongoing delivery of clinical education, on-site training and radiology assistance to comprehensively support poor and resource-limited countries.
“This collaboration between RAD-AID and Merge represents a major step forward in bridging charitable outreach and health technologies for the mission of improving global health,” said Dan Mollura, chief executive officer, RAD-AID International.
Serving as an important foundation for this collaboration, RAD-AID has designed and deployed its Radiology-Readiness AssessmentTM tool since 2008, to assess, plan and deliver radiology in poor and medically underserved regions. Over the last seven years, these RAD-AID Radiology-Readiness Assessments confirmed the near-complete absence of health information technology in low- and middle-income countries. To begin addressing this significant health care disparity, RAD-AID and Merge developed RMI4. As a resource for carrying out this initiative, RAD-AID recently enhanced the Radiology-Readiness tool to include PACS-Readiness, a data analytics tool for specifically planning international deployment of PACS in facilities having little or no prior experience with imaging platforms.
“Merge takes corporate social responsibility very seriously and is excited to partner with RAD-AID to bring radiology and health information technologies to medically underserved and resource-limited countries across the globe,” said Justin Dearborn, chief executive officer, Merge Healthcare.
The collaboration envisions the creation of a constructive, educational and supportive roadmap for medical imaging facilities and health institutions in underserved regions of the world to adopt radiology imaging informatics systems.
More information on RMI4 will be presented at the annual RAD-AID Conference in Washington DC on Saturday, November 7. More information is available at www.rad-aid.org/programs/rad-aid-conference/2015-rad-aid-conference and updates on RMI4 are at www.rad-aid.org/programs/informatics.
About Merge
Merge is a leading provider of innovative enterprise imaging, interoperability and clinical systems that seek to advance healthcare. Merge’s enterprise and cloud-based technologies for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides clinical trials software with end-to-end study support in a single platform and other intelligent health data and analytics solutions. With solutions that have been used by providers for more than 25 years, Merge is helping to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and enhance the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com and follow them on Twitter @MergeHealthcare.Posted 9.11.2015 -
Partners Healthcare, Health Catalyst Announce Strategic Collaboration to Improve Patient Care
Creates New Center of Excellence in Population Health to Share Best Practices, Improve Patient Care
BOSTON, MA & SALT LAKE CITY, UT – September 10, 2015– Partners HealthCare, founded by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Health Catalyst have established a strategic collaboration aimed at fostering and accelerating the adoption of population health management (PHM) strategies and practices nationally to improve the quality of health care and lowering costs while meeting the needs of patients, providers and payors. The $30 million initiative will enable the development and testing of innovative PHM strategies at Partners and, in collaboration with Health Catalyst, facilitate the transfer of the knowledge generated to other health care providers.
“This agreement with Health Catalyst and our new Center for Population Health will accelerate our care management program and improve outcomes for Partners HealthCare patients, as well as provide the infrastructure and knowledge base for broader outcomes transformation both here and across the country,” said Timothy G. Ferris, MD, Senior Vice President of Population Health Management for Partners HealthCare, who will lead the new Center of Population Health. “We have made significant progress with population health and care management over the past decade, including using Health Catalyst technology and services over the past few years, and we now believe we can take our efforts to the next level by further leveraging the experience and know-how of both organizations.”
“Our experience with Partners HealthCare as a customer, as an investor and as a development partner has been uniformly positive and we’re excited about this significant expansion of our relationship on all three fronts,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst. “The formation of the Center for Population Health is deeply consistent with our shared experience that transforming healthcare requires more than great software – you must combine technology with exceptional people with the experience and know-how to improve outcomes. Partners HealthCare has built a care management program filled with pragmatic innovations that have produced industry-leading measurable results over an extended performance period. Taken together, the new Center of Population Health and the intellectual property that we’re acquiring will enable Health Catalyst to further improve care management and population health outcomes, not only for Partners HealthCare but for health systems across the country.”
The new, expanded agreement between Partners HealthCare and Health Catalyst includes four major elements:
- Health Catalyst and Partners HealthCare will collaborate through the creation of a new Partners HealthCare Center for
Population Health. The Center will train Health Catalyst and Partners HealthCare clinical and administrative teams in best
practices for care management and population health, building on the knowledge base that enabled Partners HealthCare to
save $40 million in providing care to the seniors as part of the federal government’s Pioneer accountable care organization
from 2012 to 2014. Health Catalyst graduates of the program will disseminate these best practices to client healthcare
organizations across the country. - Health Catalyst is licensing technology, content and analytics innovations that Partners HealthCare, the Massachusetts
General Physician Organization and the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization developed as part of its
decade-long, nationally-recognized care management and population health management programs. Health Catalyst
intends to commercialize these innovations to further enhance Partners HealthCare’s population health and care
management programs, and to benefit other health systems in their care management and population health initiatives. - Partners HealthCare has signed an expanded enterprise-wide technology subscription agreement, giving it access to
Health Catalyst’s full suite of technology solutions to accelerate outcomes improvement. In keeping with Health Catalyst’s
mission to improve outcomes, a portion of the company’s revenue from the subscription will be tied to the attainment of
measureable improvements in Partners HealthCare’s clinical and financial performance. - Partners HealthCare is increasing its equity ownership stake in Health Catalyst, after first investing in the company in
2013.
About Health Catalyst
Health Catalyst is a mission-driven data warehousing, analytics and outcomes-improvement company that helps healthcare organizations of all sizes perform the clinical, financial, and operational reporting and analysis needed for population health and accountable care. Their proven enterprise data warehouse (EDW) and analytics platform helps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs in support of more than 50 million patients for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. For more information, visit www.healthcatalyst.com, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.Posted 9.11.2015 - Health Catalyst and Partners HealthCare will collaborate through the creation of a new Partners HealthCare Center for
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MEDENT® Enhances All-In-One EMR/EHR with CoverMyMeds’ ePA Functionality
CoverMyMeds to provide electronic prior authorization capabilities to all MEDENT® practices
COLUMBUS, OH – September 10, 2015– MEDENT®, the “All-In-One” EMR/ EHR, patient portal and practice management solution for the physician office today announced a partnership with CoverMyMeds, the nation’s largest electronic prior authorization (ePA) platform. The partnership will integrate CoverMyMeds’ ePA technology into MEDENT’s® platform to facilitate electronic prior authorization requests in the E-Prescribing workflow of all 8,000 prescribers using the MEDENT® system to maintain patient medical records.
Prior authorization (PA) is a process that requires pre-approval for certain prescribed medications. The process is often required with new and specialty medications, as well as drugs not on the formulary list of the patient’s health or prescription insurance plan. Historically, the PA process takes the form of paper, faxes and phone calls between medical practices, pharmacies and insurance companies. ePA transforms the paper-based PA workflow into an electronic process that minimizes prescription abandonment and administrative waste. Implemented properly, the ePA process provides real-time decision support for electronic prescribing.
MEDENT® EMR/EHR is the latest system to partner with CoverMyMeds for ePA. This functionality will be integrated in the MEDENT® clinical workflow, giving provider’s staff the ability to efficiently process the prior authorization during the E-Prescribing process. The result is reduced clerical work for the prescriber and faster speed to therapy for patients.
“We decided to partner with CoverMyMeds for our ePA functionality based on their years of experience in the ePA marketplace. CoverMyMeds automates the ePA process between PBM’s, insurance carriers, medical practices, and pharmacies across the nation. Integrating the ePA process within the MEDENT® workflow will allow our practices to deliver superior service to their patients,” said George Cuthbert VP of MEDENT®.
MEDENT® is providing the CoverMyMeds ePA solution at no cost to their EMR/EHR practices. Live functionality will be available to MEDENT® practices during the first quarter of 2016.
“MEDENT® uniquely ties together their EHR, patient portal and practice management system to provide an “all-in-one” solution to providers”, said Matt Scantland, Co-Founder of CoverMyMeds. “Incorporating CoverMyMeds’ ePA functionality will give MEDENT® providers another tool to streamline their workflow, eliminate administrative burden and focus on serving patients.”
About CoverMyMeds
CoverMyMeds is the leader in Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA) and one of the fastest growing healthcare technology companies in the US. They help physicians, pharmacists and their staff complete ePA requests for any drug and all health insurance plans. Their technology integrates with more than 45,000 pharmacies, 360 EHRs, and Payers representing 72 percent of US prescription volume to create the most efficient electronic prior authorization (ePA) strategy for all participants. With millions of ePA requests processed each month, CoverMyMeds is the only vendor using the NCPDP ePA standard at scale. For more information, visit www.covermymeds.com.Posted 9.11.2015