Archive: December 2015

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• Craig Richardville Named CHIME – HIMSS 2015 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year

  ANN ARBOR, MI and CHICAGO, December 9, 2015 — Recognizing that healthcare providers need to transition from sick care to well care, Carolinas HealthCare System has been aggressively pursuing a technology strategy that powers more effective patient engagement, virtual care delivery and interoperability amongst providers in the Carolinas. At the Charlotte, NC-based healthcare system, information technology professionals, clinicians, analysts and operational leaders collaborate on executing a strategy that delivers tools and technology to improve patient care, easily.

  Spearheading these initiatives has been Craig D. Richardville, MBA, FACHE, FHIMSS, senior vice president and chief information officer. In recognition of his efforts to bring better care to patients in North and South Carolina, Richardville has been named the 2015 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year.

  The award, sponsored by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and HIMSS, recognizes healthcare IT executives who have made significant contributions to their organization and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. The boards of directors for both organizations annually select the recipient of the award, which is named in honor of the late John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical information system in the world at California’s El Camino Hospital in the 1960s. Richardville will receive the award on March 3, 2016, at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas.

  “I’m honored and humbled to be recognized for this award,” Richardville said. “I credit the team at Carolinas HealthCare System who has the commitment and talent to serve our patients. With this team, we’ve been able to leverage technology to improve and support the care delivered.”

  Richardville has been instrumental in advancing innovative technologies for patient care. In 2013, the health system deployed one the nation’s largest virtual ICU practices. Currently, nearly 300 ICU beds in North and South Carolina were being monitored virtually. Clinicians cans also conduct virtual psychiatric visits, as well as provide care for stroke and other complicated conditions to rural communities.

  Richardville and his team of 1,200 staff have also been on the cutting edge of improving patient engagement. For instance, the health system developed two mobile health applications that allow patients to share data from Fitbits, wireless scales or nearly 50 other devices and apps directly with their care team.

  The healthcare system also leads a statewide private health information exchange where more than 270 providers are contributing data so patient data is accessible throughout the Carolinas.

  “From the bedside to the home, we always are looking for ways to truly engage the patient in managing and improving their health status,” Richardville said. “Virtual visits, virtual ICUs and mobile applications like MyCarolinas Tracker puts the patients in charge of their health. Here in the Carolinas, we’re proud of the work we’ve done, and we recognize there is a lot more work to do. In order to be truly effective, one of the biggest challenges facing us as an industry is interoperability. We cannot leave it to the government or the vendors. Rather, all of us have to come together to craft a solution that securely and safely enables meaningful health data access for our citizens.”

  “Craig is a true visionary,” said Charles E. Christian, FCHIME, LCHIME, CHCIO, chair of the CHIME board of trustees. “He is passionate about finding innovative ways to use technology to not just transform healthcare, but ensure that we are improving care for the patients that we serve. His work at Carolinas HealthCare System has raised the stature of the CIO and is raising the bar for the rest of the industry.”

  Richardville has been extremely involved in both CHIME and HIMSS. He is a HIMSS fellow and was previously the president of HIMSS’ North Carolina chapter. Currently, he serves as a reviewer for the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model.

  “Craig Richardville led the Carolinas Health System team in its health IT implementation process with nine of the system’s hospitals and 254 of its ambulatory clinics achieving Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, the standard for measuring health IT implementation progress. Craig’s leadership in this effort resulted as well in the establishment of exemplary business and clinical intelligence used to monitor and improve the health of the Carolinas patients. As an active HIMSS member, he has shared his expertise as a committee chair and as a reviewer to validate Stage 7 hospitals. HIMSS recognizes the many accomplishments of this healthcare leader and CIO who has contributed so much to improving health with IT,” said Carla Smith, MA, FHIMSS, CNM, executive vice president, HIMSS North America.

  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 1,700 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 chimecentral.org.

  About HIMSS
  HIMSS is a cause-based, global enterprise producing health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS encompasses more than 61,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 640 corporations and 450 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information about HIMSS, please visit himss.org.

  Contact
  Matthew Weinstock
  Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
  734.249.8917
  [email protected]

  Posted 12.9.2015

• Nordic welcomes Bruce Cerullo as CEO

  MADISON, WI – Nordic is excited to announce the addition of Bruce Cerullo as chairman and chief executive officer. Bruce brings more than 30 years of relevant industry experience, including executive leadership roles in healthcare services organizations such as TravCorps, Cross Country Healthcare, Vitalize Consulting Solutions, and SV Life Sciences. The Nordic CEO position had been vacant since founder Mark Bakken stepped down in late 2014.

  “Bruce’s proven track record, combined with his team-orientated leadership style and appreciation of Nordic’s results-driven culture, makes him a great fit to lead us through the next phase of our company’s evolution,” Chief Consulting Officer Vivek Swaminathan said.

  Given Nordic’s fast growth and numerous accolades—including being ranked #1 by KLAS for implementation in every Epic-specific report since its inception and being recognized by Modern Healthcare in both 2014 and 2015 as one of the Best Places to Work—the company is well positioned to further expand its service offerings.

  “2015 was an exciting year of continued success for Nordic’s core business as well as explosive growth in its new service lines,” David Bernd, CEO of Sentara Health Care and Nordic board member, said. “Bruce’s leadership will no doubt further fuel Nordic’s goal to assist its customers in maximizing the value of their Epic investment.”

  About Nordic
  Nordic is a trusted advisor to healthcare systems, connecting strategy through to IT execution. Nordic has worked with 145 clients and offers advisory services, EHR implementation, optimization, managed services, and affiliate extension solutions. Renowned for excellence, Nordic helps clients improve the health of their patients and businesses while shaping the future of healthcare. From 2012-14, KLAS ranked Nordic #1 in Epic Staffing and Implementation Support and, in 2014, the Category Leader in revenue cycle services.

  Posted 12.4.2015

• MedSys Group Names P.J. deRijke VP of Client Relations

  With in-depth knowledge of the business side of healthcare, P.J. collaborates closely with clients to identify, implement & optimize solutions for the betterment of patient care, quality & organizational outcomes

  PLANO,TX – December 3, 2015 –- MedSys Group today announced the designation of P.J. deRijke as VP of Client Relations. With over 20 years in Healthcare, P.J. has significant experience in operational management, business development and IT services. He will be doing System Assessment, portfolio management, and Strategic Planning work for the firm. PJ will also be leading several client initiatives as they move from old EMR technology to more robust, fully integrated platforms. His depth and breadth of experience working with health system leadership will be key as MedSys Group continues to assist clients in their navigation the of the HIT market.

  “We are very excited to add PJ to our MedSys Advisory Team. His industry knowledge and experience will be a great compliment to the team currently serving our clients. We are looking forward to PJ’s involvement in our continued commitment to help our clients as they evolve healthcare,” Mark Embry, Senior Vice President of Client Development said.

  PJ’s expertise includes Team Leadership, Strategic Planning, Project Management, Network Design and Software Implementation and Migration. P.J. has been successful at producing strong sales results along with a high level of client satisfaction working with C-suite executives.

  “I feel very fortunate to be working with a team of such well accomplished and esteemed individuals from the healthcare industry,” P.J. deRijke said. “I look forward to working with clients to utilize my experience with IT Advisory services and project oversight to ensure quality deliverables and project success among our customer base.”

  P.J. has served as Interim CIO for large health systems. Achievements included EHR stabilization and optimization to provide increased revenue and clinical outcomes. He served as executive chair for Meaningful Use attestation, which resulted in over 5 million dollars for the health system. He reduced operating expense for IT through governance and project management methodologies.

  MedSys Group is made up of seasoned thought leaders with deep knowledge and expertise in health IT, clinical practice, and business strategy. Specializing in helping its clients plan and achieve high value from their IT systems and services, the team assists client executives in facilitating real, cost-effective progress.

  About MedSys Group®, LLC
  Founded in 2008, MedSys Group® LLC, is a healthcare IT services firm, delivering outstanding services and results to academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks, specialty hospitals, and physician practices. MedSys provides expert leadership in Cerner, Epic and other acute/ambulatory, EHR and revenue cycle systems. MedSys is frequently featured in A-list publications and was named for two consecutive years on the Dallas 100 list of fastest growing companies in North Texas. MedSys is the recipient of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare and the Inc. 5000 awards. For more information please visit www.MedSysGroup.com or call 972.464.0020. You can also follow the company on Twitter @MedSysGroup. For interviews or media inquiries, please contact Gretchen Hydo, Director of Public Relations, [email protected].

  Posted 12.4.2015

• Inside CHIME: Boot Camp – Changing the Mindset

  

  12.3.15 by Matthew Weinstock Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

   

  The CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp is a powerful experience, often providing healthcare IT leaders with a new outlook not just on work, but life.

  Shortly after returning from the CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp, Alozie Ogechika, M.D., started putting in place a few of the new tactics he picked up at the intensive training program.

  “We are switching to a new electronic medical record system,” the chief medical information officer at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Texas, told me recently. “We didn’t have a good scorecard for clinical informatics, so I pushed our senior leadership to come out with a balanced scorecard. We are going to publish it and we are going to push it out to the university.”

  Ogechika also learned that sometimes the best way to lead is by letting go.

  “You hire good people and get out of their way,” he said. “I used to want to control everything. Since Boot Camp, I have deliberately set expectations for the team and stepped aside. I’ve told them that I won’t be upset if you fail honestly. It’s been powerful to hear the people with whom I work say, ‘I see a change in you,’ and, ‘You are a better boss now.’ It’s been a change in mindset.”

  Prior to joining CHIME, I spent years covering the organization as healthcare reporter and editor. CIOs would often pepper me with stories about the power of Boot Camp. Similar to Ogechika, many said that it was not only career altering, but life changing. In October, before the CHIME15 Fall CIO Forum, I got to witness this firsthand.

  More than 60 healthcare IT leaders showed up for the Boot Camp in Orlando. Over the course of three-and-a-half days, they unplugged from their mobile devices and engaged in honest dialogue with seasoned CIOs who detailed their experiences navigating challenging personnel and leadership scenarios, creating strong teams and, perhaps most importantly, building trust throughout their organizations.

  During small group exercises, Boot Campers applied that knowledge as they hashed out solutions to complicated — and real-life — scenarios. For instance: The board’s quality committee, in consultation with the chief nursing and medical officers have decided to implement CPOE. You were not involved in the decision or planning process, nor was your team. After months of planning, the costly implementation is not going well and there’s no medical staff buy-in. The project seems headed for failure. The CEO has tasked you with getting this project back on track, but you must ensure that the CNO and CMO save face and remain champions of the initiative. What do you do?

  In another exercise, and one that left an imprint on Ogechika, Boot Campers used a balanced scorecard to demonstrate IT value to an organization that is moving towards value-based care and population health management.

  “I actually expected Boot Camp to cover current topics and reference materials while I was preparing for the CHCIO exam,” said Jessica Cornelius, CIO, Hendricks Regional Health, Danville, IN. “It was very different and far exceeded my expectations. We heard insight from colleagues at varying stages of their careers, focused on communications, the value of relationships, and had open discussion in a safe environment about real problems we were all facing. We focused not just on the business side but also on the personal side of the stressful environment we are committed to being in every day.”

  It’s that latter point that, I think, leaves a lasting impression on everyone at Boot Camp. For three days, these leaders are put through exhaustive programming. It builds and builds until that final session when Boot Camp faculty open up about work-life, or, rather, life-work balance. Some of their stories are deeply personal. There’s a saying at Boot Camp — What happens at Boot Camp stays at Boot Camp — so I can’t divulge too much. Suffice to say, you start to re-evaluate your priorities.

  One by one, Boot Campers stand and tell their new-found friends what lessons they learned and what they plan to change when they get back home. I would venture to guess that at least 60 percent picked up on that life-work balance — spend more time with loved ones; be a better dad, mom, brother or sister; be a more empathetic boss. Several shed tears as they let the weight of the past three days — and, perhaps, years of work — wash over them.

  “I gained so much insight at Boot Camp through the content and exercises, however the best part for me was the relationships formed during three short days,” Cornelius said. “I connected with so many amazing people at Boot Camp and at the end it felt as though we had known each other for years.”

  And what would she tell anyone thinking about attending? “It is an experience they will never forget and they will have so much to gain professionally and personally.”

  The next Healthcare CIO Boot Camp is April 16-19 in Chicago. It is open to CHIME members and their direct reports.

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  More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 6:

  • The Value Proposition Behind CHCIO – by Tim Stettheimer

  Posted 12.3.2015

• Inside CHIME: The Value Proposition Behind CHCIO

  

  12.3.15 by Tim Stettheimer, PhD, FCHIME, CHCIO Vice President & Regional CIO, Ascension Health Information Services

   

  Whether found in job posting requirements, education credentials or simply on a business card, the CHCIO credential continues to shine.

  Next February, a group of healthcare IT executives will sit for a 125-question exam testing their knowledge of the industry and readiness to address the complicated situations they face on a daily basis.

  As the Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO) program moves into its seventh year, I thought it would be helpful to provide some perspective on why this is such an important initiative for our profession.

  Elected to the CHIME Board of Trustees in 2008, I was assigned member education as an area of focus. While I was familiar with many of CHIME’s education efforts, especially since I served as a Healthcare CIO Boot Camp faculty member, I wasn’t aware of some broader strategic planning initiatives that the board had been discussing. That quickly changed when, at my first board meeting, I was alerted to a plan to create a credentialing program for our profession. With the Board’s consent, I agreed to lead the effort.

  Over the course of the next year, we engaged a consulting firm familiar with credentialing programs, assigned CHIME staff to support the effort and enlisted a small group of CIO members in the planning and design phases. Frankly, we were all surprised by the heavy lifting needed to actually launch and sustain a credentialing program, yet as we all began to understand the potential benefits for members and our profession, our commitment to the program grew.

  We learned some valuable lessons in those early days through talks with consultants, members and representatives from Foundation firms:

  1. Value: CHIME members, as well as the broader industry, had no interest in a program that didn’t deliver value. As we wrestled with defining value from those perspectives, we heard significant criticism about existing credentialing programs, let alone developing a new one. Therefore we knew that the value proposition had to be significant. It was critical that, all things being equal, the CHCIO designation would make CIOs more valuable to an employer. The hiring value is related directly to the legitimacy of the credentialing program and its marketing. We not only engaged experts in developing credentialing programs, but ensured that the exams would be created by CIOs for CIOs.
  2. Quality: As mentioned, the credential had to have industry gravitas. The only way to attain the level of recognition and sustain the program was to assure that the principles, governance and approach were above reproach. To achieve this, in partnership with our credentialing experts, we established committees, processes, and requirements and assured that the documentation steps involved in ongoing program operations met every benchmark. One example of this rigor involves questions that make it to the CHCIO certification examination. For a question to be on the exam, it must come from documented industry literature, proceed through multiple writing and review steps by teams of CIOs and then pass through statistical reviews. And even after making it to the exam, each question continues to undergo repeated editorial and statistical review for relevance and utility.
  3. Awareness: The credential had to have recognition or it would be meaningless. Our conversations with CHIME Foundation members, particularly recruiting firms, was especially helpful. While we would partner to publicize information about the credential, without a solid message to the right audiences, our communications would have limited effectiveness. We engaged with other professional organizations to reach key parts of the C-suite — CEO, CFO and COO. At the same time, we pressed forward with the message that a CIO with CHCIO after their name was heavily committed to education and advancing the profession.

  Hundreds of CIOs have been involved with the program and today we boast 245 CHCIOs. The credential, designed and sustained by healthcare CIOs, is the preeminent recognition of knowledge, skill and experience for the healthcare IT leader. In the years to come, the credential will increase in visibility and value, especially as CIOs continue to become more integral to the overall strategic direction of their organizations. Whether found in CIO job posting requirements, education credentials or simply on a business card, the CHCIO credential continues to shine.

  Click here to learn more about becoming a CHCIO and to sign up for the February exam in Las Vegas or April exam.

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  More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 6:

  • Boot Camp: Changing the Mindset – by Matthew Weinstock

  Posted 12.3.2015

• Wake Radiology Using InteleOne XE to Connect Radiologists to Their VNA

  Intelerad solution will enable a cross-enterprise workflow to read for multiple customers using a single worklist & viewer

  MONTREAL, CAN – December 1, 2015 –- Intelerad Medical Systems™, a leader in cross-enterprise medical imaging workflow solutions, today announced that Wake Radiology has chosen InteleOne® XE for its diagnostic workflow and viewing needs. The selection follows Wake Radiology’s deployment of a VNA across their 20 sites.

  Following the selection of their archive, Wake Radiology was looking for a robust and intuitive diagnostic viewer to provide a single, streamlined reporting interface and workflow to their radiologists. With InteleOne XE, their radiologists will be able to leverage a unified worklist and viewer that will seamlessly link them to the patient images and reports stored in their VNA.

  “At the end of our vendor analysis, we asked three vendors to hook up to our test VNA to see how they perform,” said Appleby. “For the radiologist workflow, Intelerad was the clear choice. Our radiologists found it intuitive and user-friendly, and were able to use data they were familiar with right away.”

  A cross-enterprise workflow solution, InteleOne XE’s interoperability allows organizations to link to disparate RIS, HIS, EMR and PACS systems. For quality purposes, InteleOne XE’s allows to gather prior images and reports across the entire imaging ecosystem to ensure comprehensive patient history is available prior to reporting. Meanwhile, Intelerad’s robust, yet intuitive InteleViewer™, will allow radiologists to read for all modalities – from PET/CT to 3D tomosynthesis.

  “We’re looking to be more efficient and advance our workflow, and also have a business tool that can help us adapt and change,” said Brian Appleby, Clinical Systems Manager, Wake Radiology. “We’re confident that InteleOne XE will provide that.”

  “At Intelerad, our goal is to develop and deploy solutions that truly meet the needs of imaging enterprises,” said Randall Oka, President and CEO, Intelerad. “For organizations working with a VNA, this means providing a workflow and viewing experience that will enable radiologists to reach higher levels of quality and productivity.”

  For more information on InteleOne XE, or to book a demonstration at RSNA 2015, visit www.intelerad.com/inteleone-xe.

  About Intelerad
  Intelerad Medical Systems is a leader in distributed radiology, specializing in RIS, PACS and cross-enterprise imaging solutions for healthcare organizations. Intelerad solutions increase productivity and streamline workflow by overcoming technical barriers in distributed and complex environments. Highly scalable, flexible and robust, Intelerad’s solutions offer high performance and industry leading customer service and support. Intelerad solutions are used in more than 1,000 sites across North America, Oceania and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.intelerad.com.

  Posted 12.2.2015

• Baystate Health & Imprivata Partner to Improve Care Coordination across the Pioneer Valley Information Exchange (PVIX)

  Leading secure communications platform & health information exchange (HIE) enable collaborative care across Western Massachusetts

  LEXINGTON, MA – December 2, 2015 — Imprivata® (NYSE: IMPR), the healthcare IT security company, announced today that Baystate Health has chosen Imprivata Cortext as the health system’s secure communications platform to improve care coordination and securely transfer digital health information to improve patient care for Baystate’s health population.

  Imprivata Cortext is available to all members of the Pioneer Valley Information Exchange (PVIX), a regional HIE connecting patients and providers at each transition of care through a “one patient, one record” view across hospitals, medical practices, health insurance payers, laboratories, and other healthcare institutions throughout western Massachusetts and surrounding areas.

  “As a health system, ACO, and HIE for most of western Massachusetts’ residents, we felt it was our responsibility to identify the right partner for secure communications across physicians, nursing staff, and patients, in and outside of our facilities, allowing us to be more efficient and improve patient care,” shared Joel Vengco, CIO, Baystate Health. “We are committed to the digital revolution in healthcare today and are excited to migrate our communications away from pagers to a more modern, integrated platform.”

  As a member of PVIX, Baystate currently utilizes Imprivata Cortext, to enable its physician practices, specialty practices, and healthcare systems to coordinate care and securely communicate patient status updates, quick consults, and referral requests. Baystate has integrated Imprivata Cortext with the organization’s answering service, Crocker Communications, to quickly send a secure message alert to the physician and get an immediate response, which is especially useful in Pediatrics and OBGYN.

  “Before integration with Cortext, the answering service relied on legacy technologies such as pagers or email to communicate with physicians, often resulting in longer response times and potentially delayed care,” said Ed Gaudet, General Manager of Imprivata Cortext. “With Imprivata Cortext, repeating notifications and sounds with visual acknowledgements ensure that messages are never lost and senders know when a message has been opened.”

  “We are now able to provide Baystate Health with an exponentially faster, reliable and secure communication process after business hours,” said Matthew Crocker, President, Crocker Communications. “Previously, if patients had questions or needed to communicate a change in their condition, we paged or called physicians. With Imprivata Cortext, we know when a message goes through and as soon as a doctor opens it resulting faster response rates.”

  Imprivata Cortext is the secure communication platform for healthcare that enables providers to quickly and easily communicate using their mobile device, tablet, or desktop to better coordinate care across groups and multiple affiliated sites. According to the KLAS report, “Secure Messaging 2015: First Look At Who Providers Are Considering and Why,” providers considering secure messaging consider Imprivata Cortext in potential purchases twice as many times as any other strategic vendor.

  According to a new secure messaging report from KLAS, “Imprivata sets themselves apart by engaging in deep development partnerships with providers and working closely with end users to customize the solution to their needs, thereby increasing adoption of the solution. Additionally, the experience is improved for end users by Imprivata sharing best practices.” To learn more about the KLAS secure messaging category, visit data.klasresearch.com/segment/285.

  About Imprivata
  Imprivata® (NYSE: IMPR), the healthcare IT security company, provides healthcare organizations globally with a security and identity platform that delivers authentication management, fast access to patient information, secure communications, and positive patient identification. Imprivata enables care providers to securely and efficiently access, communicate, and transact patient health information to address critical compliance and security challenges while improving productivity and the patient experience. For more information, please visit www.imprivata.com.

  Posted 12.2.2015