• Inside CHIME: ICYMI – CHIME Advocates for Clear Policies on Medical Devices, EHR Cert

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    Weinstock 70x70 5.12.16 by Matthew Weinstock
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

    CHIME’s public policy team, including the Policy Steering Committee, has had a busy few weeks pulling together detailed comments on a trifecta of rules that will impact medical devices and EHR certification.

    CHIME recently responded to a number of regulatory proposals, continuing to make the case for reasoned and harmonious health IT policy. While we do our best to keep you abreast of key policy developments every Monday in the Washington Debrief, we know that you are extremely busy. So here’s our ICYMI column.

    • Commenting on a Food & Drug Administration draft cybersecurity guidance, CHIME and AEHIS called for
      greater collaboration between healthcare organizations and medical device manufacturers. “For several decades,
      there has been a tension between the identification of medical device vulnerabilities and the device
      manufacturer’s capability to mitigate or manage those risks,” the groups noted. CHIME and AEHIS also called for
      a standardized cybersecurity framework for medical devices.
    • In a separate comment letter, CHIME called on FDA to collaborate more closely with the Office of the National
      Coordinator to establish a set of uniform interoperability standards for medical devices. “CHIME members seek
      assurance that the devices they purchase are able to connect with other devices and systems,” the letter stated.
    • Keeping with the theme of coordination, CHIME urged ONC to “collaborate with the Centers for Medicare and
      Medicaid Services to minimize the impact of suspended or decertified products on provider reimbursement.” At
      issue is the uncertainly providers face if ONC takes action on an electronic health record system for
      “non-conformities.” CHIME cautioned the agency of the unintended consequences of its proposal, including
      the impact on patient safety.

    Lest we forget the 800-pound gorilla on the regulatory scene, CMS in late April issued proposed rules altering how physicians are paid, as required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. The 900-plus page proposal also seeks to dramatically restructure how physicians are scored for their use of health IT. CHIME’s policy team put together this detailed comparison of Meaningful Use and the Advancing Care Information proposal.

    CHIME is creating a new workgroup to develop comments on the MACRA proposed rule. Calls will take place at 2:30 ET on May 13, 20, 27 and June 3. Email Mari if you want to participate.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 17:

    Posted 5.12.2016

  • Inside CHIME: Apply for Your CHIME Scholarship Today!

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    ghickman 5.12.16 by George “Buddy” Hickman, LCHIME, FCHIME, CHCIO
    Chairman, CHIME Educaiton Foundation Board; Executive VP & CIO, Albany Medical Center

    More than half a dozen scholarships, ranging from $1,500 to $5,000, are available to help CHIME members grow their careers.

    From the 30-year health IT veteran, to the newly minted CIO, to the individual who is preparing to become a CIO, we each need to be on our best game. Healthcare is changing too rapidly and too much is at stake to believe that we’ve mastered our profession.

    Although CHIME offers best-in-class education and professional development opportunities for members, we also know that budgets are stretched thin as providers of all types grapple with new reimbursement schemes and business models. Unfortunately, training and professional development are often among the first things cut as organizations rein in expenses.

    Fear not. CHIME is here to help. The Education Foundation provides scholarships and tuition assistance for members and their staff to attend a number of CHIME-hosted professional development programs, including the CIO Boot Camp, LEAD Forums, the CIO Fall Forum, and local educational offerings. The scholarships are made possible by the generous support of Foundation firms and individual CHIME members, past and present. Last year, the Education Foundation handed out a record 50 scholarships totaling more than $170,000.

    Further, the Education Foundation has started a sustainability program. By building a futures fund, scholarships and education may be well subsidized, if not self-supporting, inside the next decade. I invite you all to help create this legacy for our next generation of CIOs.

    Our CHIME scholarships, which range from $1,500 to $5,000, are great opportunities for members to expand their scope of knowledge, network with peers and learn best practices. As a long-time CHIME member, Boot Camp faculty member and past board chair, I’ve seen the breadth and scope of CHIME’s educational offerings grow substantially over the years. I’ve also witnessed how these programs help members grow personally and professionally – that, of course, includes me! Our members gain a competitive edge by learning from thought leaders from across the industry by being exposed to best practices and from sharing knowledge with their peers. I invite you to become one of those leaders.

    And I highly encourage all of you to check out the available scholarships and apply or invite your people to do so. All applications are due by June 6.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 17:

    Posted 5.12.2016

  • Health Catalyst Eliminates Non-Compete Agreements for Employees

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT – May 11, 2016 –– Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, today announced it is joining a growing number of companies that have decided to eliminate post-employment restrictive covenants.

    The so-called “non-compete” provisions restrict the types of jobs that employees may seek following termination of employment.

    Going forward, Health Catalyst will no longer require employees to sign non-compete provisions as part of their employment agreements. The company also has informed current employees that it will not seek to enforce any non-compete provisions that are contained in existing employment agreements.

    “We believe that removing non-compete provisions is consistent with our ongoing focus on creating a positive and supportive culture for our team members,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst. “Imposing legal restrictions on their ability to seek employment elsewhere is inconsistent with that culture, and we feel it’s also anti-competitive and a drag on overall economic growth.”

    Burton added, “We are laser focused on attracting and retaining the best and brightest people, who have a genuine desire to help us achieve our mission of transforming healthcare and improving health outcomes for patients across the US.”

    The decision supports a work culture that has already received recognition as one of the nation’s best, including:

    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 65 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 them on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

    Posted 5.11.2016

  • General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services Expands Cyber Monitoring Capabilities to Industrial Control Systems

    Recent cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure highlight the increasingly vulnerable nature of industrial control systems

    HERNDON, VA – May 10, 2016 — General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services, a business of General Dynamics Information Technology, announced today it will expand its advanced cyber security monitoring services to industrial controls –– leveraging 40 years of experience protecting the Nation’s critical intelligence infrastructure to provide military-grade cyber security services for the private sector.

    The announcement comes at a time with new warnings from the US Department of Homeland Security about the country’s critical infrastructure becoming the next hacking target. At stake are the industrial control systems that oversee the physical processes linked to power, transportation, water, gas and other critical infrastructure systems.

    “We are committed to providing the commercial market with the military-grade services they need to effectively monitor and protect their business,” said Bernie Guerry, senior vice president of the Intelligence Solutions Division at General Dynamics Information Technology. “The expansion into the protection of industrial controls is one way we are meeting this emerging need.”

    General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services will offer cyber monitoring for industrial controls, with the use of an Industrial Network Anomaly Detection (INAD) system within security operations centers (SOCs). When correlated with security event data the INAD allows cyber analysts to detect deviations from industrial control systems, alerting the customer of a potential cyber-attack on their network.

    The company will leverage its 15 SOCs and critical incident response teams to provide 24×7 monitoring that will allow customers to mitigate cyber-attacks and empower them to respond to threats quickly.

    “We believe that cyber security services need to encompass all parts of the network and infrastructure, considering the entire threat surface,” said David Ross, general manager of General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services.  “Many organizations are now seeing that components such as industrial controls need to be included in their overall cyber defense strategy.”

    About General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services
    General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services provides military-grade cyber security to private-sector companies. Their comprehensive service offerings – Advanced Cyber Security Monitoring, Security Device Management and On-Demand Services – protect critical intellectual property and core business functions.

    For more information about General Dynamics Commercial Cyber Services, please visit www.gdit.com/commercialcyber.

    Posted 5.10.2016

  • Integration, Usability Key Reasons SRMC Selects MEDITECH’s 6.1 EHR

    May 5, 2016 — MEDITECH is excited to announce that Salem Regional Medical Center (Salem, OH) has recently signed for MEDITECH’s 6.1 EHR platform. The acute care hospital joins the growing list of new 6.1 customer signings, which most recently include Broadlawns Medical Center (Des Moines, IA) and Magnolia Regional Health Center (Corinth, MS).

    Salem Regional Medical Center (SRMC) is a 199-bed, full-service hospital providing advanced patient care, including a state-of-the-art Surgery Center and a brand new Cancer and Infusion Center. With 6.1, SRMC will have a fully-integrated EHR that features many state-of-the-art solutions such as Surgical Services, Oncology, and Critical Care.

    “SRMC completed a comprehensive vendor evaluation, and MEDITECH’s EHR met our specific criteria in the areas of end-user functionality, customer service and support, and cost,” explained Mark L’Italien, SRMC director of information services. “MEDITECH’s 6.1 EHR was selected by physicians and staff representatives from departments throughout our hospital. By providing applications for both clinical and business IT needs, MEDITECH delivers a more unified platform for improved clinical and business integration.”

    The site will undergo MEDITECH’s READY implementation plan, which is focused on transforming care delivery and driving productivity from day one.

    “MEDITECH’s 6.1 EHR will allow us to integrate many of the software programs currently used by our staff, and will provide an upgrade to our current IT system,” stated Anita Hackstedde, SRMC President and CEO. “Nearly every department at SRMC will be impacted by this project, and we feel that MEDITECH’s 6.1 EHR platform will enable us to successfully implement the new system house-wide by early 2017.”

    Posted 5.9.2016

  • Impact Advisors Earns Top Scores on KLAS Epic Consulting Report

    Firm leads in Overall Broad Performance & IT Advisory Services

    Chicago, IL – May 5, 2016 — Impact Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare information technology services, announced today it has been rated as the top performing Epic consulting firm, with a score of 93.5 in the Broad category, in the Epic Consulting 2016 Performance Report released by KLAS.

    In its research, KLAS analyzed 33 companies in the areas of Enterprise Implementation Leadership, Implementation Support and Staffing, Go-Live Support and IT Advisory Services. KLAS staff collected its information by talking with clinical, financial, IT leadership and C-suite professionals at healthcare institutions across North America.

    “We are proud that we continue to be recognized by our clients for our leadership and strategic services, which is testament to the exceptional work of our Associates,” said Peter Smith, CEO of Impact Advisors. “This recognition is a validation that we are achieving our goal of providing a wide breadth and depth of exceptional quality, value, and impactful results to our clients.”

    Impact Advisors was recognized for its Enterprise Implementation Leadership, which includes engagements in which a consulting firm plays a major role in helping an organization implement clinical and/or revenue cycle products; includes providing project leadership and a large team (eight or more consultants) and bearing some responsibility for the overall success of the project. The firm scored a 95.3 in this area and was the top-rated firm in this category in 2014.

    One provider explained the benefit of Impact Advisors’ support: “I don’t think we could have done our Epic implementation without Impact Advisors. We hired them because we had a short timeline, and they came in and pretty much led the charge. Our team attended meetings, made design decisions as needed, and provided input. But overall, Impact Advisors led that timeline, and they marched us down what needed to happen next.”

    In addition, Impact Advisors was the top-ranked firm, with a score of 96.0, in the IT Advisory Services category. This category ranks engagements in which consultants help Epic clients in one or more of the following areas: pre-implementation planning, assessment and strategy work related to Epic, clinical optimization, and revenue cycle optimization.

    One provider noted: “Impact Advisors helped us meet all of our time frames, fill the gaps, and do everything we needed to do to improve our system. Because they were so good and efficient, they actually went the extra mile to give us enhancements and functionality that we hadn’t initially planned for. The consultant we worked with had enough experience to optimize our system and take it beyond what we wanted it to be. Impact Advisors helps me keep in good stead with my system.”

    About Impact Advisors, LLC
    Impact Advisors is a nationally recognized healthcare information technology consulting firm that is solving some of the toughest challenges in the industry by delivering strategic advisory, implementation and optimization services. Their comprehensive suite of patient access, clinical and revenue cycle services span the lifecycle of their clients’ needs. Their experienced team has a powerful combination of clinical, revenue, operations, consulting, and IT experience. The firm has earned a number of prestigious industry and workplace awards including Best in KLAS® for eight consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty, as well as “best place to work” awards from: Modern Healthcare, Consulting Magazine, Becker’s Hospital Review and Achievers. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit www.impact-advisors.com.

    Posted 5.5.2016

  • CHIME Initiatives Advance Patient Safety

    Statement by CHIME Board Chair Marc Probst and CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO, on Johns Hopkins Medicine analysis of medical errors

    ANN ARBOR, MI, May 4, 2016 – The Johns Hopkins Medicine study raises serious concerns about patient safety in the nation’s hospitals. One death due to a medical error is too many. Improving quality of care and patient safety is the top priority for College of Healthcare Information Management Executive (CHIME) members. First and foremost is making sure that patients are properly identified when they walk into a hospital, clinic or doctor’s office. Unfortunately, the lack of a national patient identification system results in some patients being misidentified. The safety implications of that are immense. According to a 2012 survey, 20 percent of CHIME members could attribute at least one adverse medical event to patient identification or matching mistakes. CHIME has taken the bold step of trying to solve this problem once and for all. The CHIME Healthcare Innovation Trust’s National Patient ID Challenge — a $1 million crowdsourcing competition — aims to find a viable and scalable solution to ensure accurate patient identification 100 percent of the time. Already, 345 innovators from 39 countries have registered for the challenge and 113 entered the first phase of the competition. CHIME will award the $1 million grand prize to the winning developer next February.

    As we continue to digitize the delivery system, CHIME members are working with clinical leaders in other ways to harness the power of technology to reduce medical errors. For instance, automated alerts in electronic health record systems warn clinicians of a potential medication errors. Bar coding technology at the bedside help nurses ensure that they are giving the right drug to the right patient at the right time. CHIME is also a leading advocate for interoperability and improving the way medical information flows between healthcare providers and even medical devices.

    CHIME members are on the frontlines of transforming the delivery system and no issue is more important that patient safety. We will continue to work with clinical leaders to improve how health IT can save lives. 

    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 1,800 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.


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

    Posted 5.4.2016

  • DrFirst’s Rcopia E-Prescribing Platform is Honored Once Again with Surescripts White Coat of Quality Award

    E-Prescribing Vendor is a Four-Time Winner of Prestigious Award Recognizing Excellence & Quality

    Rockville, MD – May 3, 2016 — DrFirst, a pioneer in electronic prescribing, secure messaging and other healthcare SaaS solutions, has again been awarded the Surescripts White Coat of Quality Award for the e-prescribing excellence of Rcopia, the company’s market-leading e-prescribing platform.

    The 2015 White Coat of Quality Award recognizes organizations that meet rigorous e-prescribing standards around quality assurance. Requirements for the designation include measuring and reporting e-prescription content quality, implementation of software updates and ongoing end-user training.

    “We’re proud and honored to receive this award for a fourth time,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “It underscores our commitment to quality, safety, user experience and innovation. We provide more than technology. We deliver solutions that make it easier for prescribers to avoid medication errors, share information and care for patients.”

    “Surescripts is thrilled to acknowledge the organizations who are striving daily to achieve the goal of zero content errors in e-prescribing,” said Ajit Dhavle, vice president of clinical quality at Surescripts.

    DrFirst’s Rcopia is a market-leading e-prescribing and medication management software that helps physicians and healthcare organizations improve the ease, safety and accuracy of prescribing and managing patient medications.

    About DrFirst

    DrFirst (www.DrFirst.com) pioneers healthcare SaaS solutions that inform the doctor-patient point of encounter, optimize provider access to patient information, enhance the doctor’s clinical view of the patient, and improve care delivery and clinical outcomes. Our growth is driven by a commitment to innovation, security and reliability across a wide array of electronic prescribing, e-medication management, secure text messaging for healthcare and care collaboration services. We are proud of our track record of service to over 330 EMR/EHR/HIS partners and an extensive network of hospitals, post-acute care facilities, ambulatory practices and pharmacies nationwide.

    Posted 5.4.2016

  • Vocera’s Experience Innovation Network Releases Its Annual CXO Research Report

    Results show the CXO is not a traditional executive role & highlights work left to be done

    SAN JOSE, CA – May 3, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), the leading healthcare communications company, today announced that its Experience Innovation Network has released its second annual Chief Experience Officer (CXO) Report, “The Rise of the Healthcare Chief Experience Officer.”

    Vocera’s Experience Innovation Network is an international group of industry thought leaders focused on putting the science behind the experience of care and discovering innovative solutions that meet the Quadruple Aim of improving population health, elevating patient-centered care, and reducing costs while restoring joy back to the practice of medicine.

    In 2015, the Experience Innovation Network published the first study focused on the evolving role of the CXO in healthcare. The report established a benchmark for the industry, revealing priorities, resources, and responsibilities of these emerging change agents. For the 2016 research report, more than 100 leaders from in-patient and out-patient organizations across the United States and Canada once again provided insight about the role of leading experience transformation and shared insights on operational infrastructure, patient and staff engagement practices, improvement strategies, and human-centered technologies.

    “As the work to improve experience matures, healthcare leaders are facing new challenges and priorities as they strive to disrupt the status quo and redefine care delivery,” said Liz Boehm, director of the Experience Innovation Network. “Chief Experience Officers are expanding their scope in recognition of the links between delivering exceptional clinical quality, delivering care in an environment of empathy and respect, and engaging patients as true partners in all improvement projects.”

    Nearly 40 percent of CXOs report directly to the chief executive officer or their health system president, while 28 percent report to a clinical executive in quality, medicine or nursing. More women than men are leading healthcare experience work, according to the report, and the median number of staff members reporting to these leaders has nearly doubled since last year’s survey. On average, experience leaders have 20 people reporting to them. However, 13 percent said they have no direct reports, leaving them dependent on other teams’ resources to accomplish experience goals.

    While the most extensive work on experience improvement centers around clinical interactions that patients and families have with doctors and the care team, only 12 percent of experience leaders have a medical degree. Nearly two-thirds of CXOs in the research viewed physicians as passive or obstructive to experience work, and only 4 percent of respondents said physicians at their organizations are active leaders of experience improvement efforts.

    “It is important for CEOs to elevate experience improvement as the top strategic priority for their organizations, engage physicians in the work, and support CXOs as they tirelessly lead this work. Only by driving meaningful human-to-human connections across the entire continuum of care will healthcare systems succeed in long-term differentiation, loyalty and growth,” said Bridget Duffy, MD, chief medical officer of Vocera. “With burnout and fatigue at an all-time high for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, executives can strengthen care team collaboration and well-being by creating environments that support these healers and restore joy to the practice of medicine.”

    Patients and families must also be empowered to engage more in experience work. Only 28 percent of research participants said they partner with patients in every improvement project, and 7 percent said they don’t engage patients at all. The full 2016 Rise of the Healthcare CXO report will be released at the Experience Innovation Network’s 10th semi-annual CXO Roundtable, May 3-4, 2016, in San Francisco. To dive deeper into the research findings, download the report via this link: solutions.vocera.com/2016CXOReport.html.

    About Vocera
    Vocera Communications, Inc. offers the most robust clinical communications system in healthcare. Installed in more than 1,300 organizations worldwide, Vocera delivers secure, integrated and intelligent communication solutions that enable care teams to collaborate more efficiently by delivering the right information, to the right person, on the right device, in the right location, at the right time. Vocera solutions provide hands-free voice communication, secure text messaging, patient engagement tools, and integrated clinical workflow with EHRs, nurse call systems and physiological monitors.  These solutions help improve operational efficiency, quality of care, safety and satisfaction across the continuum of care. In addition to technology solutions, Vocera drives thought leadership and new standards in care to elevate patient, family, nurse and physician experiences via the company’s research collaborative, the Experience Innovation Network. Vocera is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in San Francisco, Tennessee, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.vocera.com and @VoceraComm on Twitter.

    Contact
Jessica Donnelly
Edelman
323.202.1051
[email protected]
    Posted 5.4.2016

  • Health Catalyst Chief Clinical Officer Recognized as One of Healthcare IT’s Most Powerful Women

    Salt Lake City – May 3, 2016 – Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, today congratulated Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Holly Rimmasch on being named to Health Data Management‘s list of “Healthcare IT’s Most Powerful Women.”

    The awards are designed to recognize the achievements of women executives in healthcare IT, a field traditionally dominated by men that still lacks gender diversity, according to the magazine’s editors. “The financial importance of gender diversity in the executive ranks and on corporate boards is becoming more apparent in the public consciousness every year, but the percentage of women who hold leadership positions in healthcare IT remains stubbornly low,” they write in describing the award.

    Rimmasch will accept her award at Health Data Management’s Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT conference, May 12, 2016 in Boston.

    “We congratulate Holly on this well-deserved honor,” said Dan Burton, Chief Executive Officer of Health Catalyst. “Holly’s contribution to Health Catalyst is profound. She brings a depth of expertise about the healthcare setting and healthcare operations gained from the many years she spent as a front line clinician, as well as a hard-earned understanding of effective deployment practices. She is a pioneer in clinical improvement initiatives whose expertise about the healthcare setting and healthcare operations has contributed to the health of people across the country. We’re lucky to have her on our team.”

    In her nearly four years as a senior executive at Health Catalyst, Rimmasch has been instrumental in driving the company’s remarkable growth. As Chief Clinical Officer her primary responsibility is to bridge the gap between technology and the clinical world to ensure that Health Catalyst’s products and services are being developed in a way that enables healthcare organizations to take full advantage of the data they already own across many disparate systems to effect real change in a way that benefits patients as well as the organization.

    By applying her three decades of clinical and healthcare management experience, Rimmasch helps clients understand how their products and services will be applied to eliminating waste and systematically standardizing best practices across hospitals and health systems. In particular, she has spearheaded the creation of Health Catalyst’s “Three Systems” approach to performance improvement: a combination of 1) data warehousing and analytics technology, 2) organizational change management, and 3) the consistent integration of evidence-based best practices into everyday care delivery.

    Prior to joining Health Catalyst, Rimmasch spent 20 years pioneering systems for improving clinical care through implementation of clinical and operational best practices, most recently as an Assistant Vice President at Intermountain Healthcare responsible for Clinical Services.  She was integral in promoting integration of clinical operations across hospitals, ambulatory settings and managed care plans using data and analytics as key tools. This pioneering work caught the attention of health systems throughout the country.  Prior to her role in Clinical Services, she served as the Clinical Operations Director and Vice-Chair of Intermountain’s Cardiovascular and Intensive Medicine Clinical Programs.  She also was the co-founder of and Principal in HMS, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm focusing on assessing, developing strategies and implementing best practices for populations across the continuum of care.

    “I am extremely grateful to Health Data Management for naming me one of Healthcare IT’s Most Powerful Women, especially in light of the amazing work done by the other executives on the list,” said Rimmasch. “To the extent that I’ve been successful, however, the credit really belongs to our extraordinary clients, whose commitment to making US healthcare a better, more efficient and cost-effective system for all Americans is truly something to watch.”

    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. Our proven enterprise data warehouse (EDW) and analytics platform helps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs in support of more than 65 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 us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.   

     

    

    				
    Posted 5.3.2016
    											
    		
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    					KLAS recognizes Nordic’s continued quality and breadth of offerings				
    				
    MADISON, WI – May 3, 2016 – Nordic has again been recognized as an industry leader in the latest KLAS report on Epic consulting firms, which was released this week. In addition to being recognized for a greater breadth of services than in the previous report, no firm has worked with more KLAS-validated clients than Nordic.
    

    In KLAS’ previous Epic Consulting report, Nordic was top-rated for Epic Implementation Support and Staffing, and this year’s report gave Nordic a higher score in that category (91.4) than in the past report. With over 170 Epic clients, Nordic has worked on more Epic projects than any other consulting firm, the evidence of which can be seen in the report. Of the 15 KLAS-rated firms for Implementation Support and Staffing, 10 meet the minimum KLAS Konfidence level, while Nordic’s scores are more solidly based on 26 engagements meeting full KLAS Konfidence.
    

    The report also marks the first time Nordic has been ranked in the IT Advisory space, posting a score of 92.6. Its 10 validated engagements in this category are the most of any company, and the report notes Nordic’s strength in revenue cycle optimization and clinical optimization work, in particular.
    

    One recent client comment in the IT Advisory category highlights the trust that Nordic has earned by developing services to meet future client needs.
    

    “Nordic Consulting has given a lot of thought to their methodology,” the director said. “When we needed help with security and privacy, they came to the table fully armed with processes that had been carefully thought out. It was apparent that Nordic Consulting had discovered a need for security consulting in the healthcare industry and developed a service to fill the gap.”
    

    Nordic has experienced consultants working across all Epic applications and was recognized for Enterprise Implementation Leadership as a preliminary data vendor, needing feedback from one more client to be fully rated. The industry’s go-to firm for affiliate work, Nordic was the only preliminary data firm in this category with validated engagements in Epic Community Connect and the only firm with validated Community Connect engagements in both Enterprise Leadership and Implementation Support and Staffing.
    

    “Nordic has fostered trust with their clients by providing good quality work at reasonable rates with straightforward contracting…,” KLAS commented. “(P)roviders consistently report turning to Nordic as their go-to firm without considering competitors.”
    

    KLAS referred to Nordic as a strong performer throughout the report and noted that Nordic has increasingly taken on a leadership role in implementations as well as providing advisory services. As Nordic has continued to grow as the world’s largest Epic consulting firm, it has consistently posted elite quality scores since the report’s inception in 2012.
    

    “We’re proud of the unparalleled combination of depth, breadth and quality that Nordic offers.” Nordic Chief Consulting Officer Vivek Swaminathan said. “In addition to our Implementation Support services, this report showcases the proven IT Advisory, Community Connect and Optimization services that we provide while demonstrating that our consultants have worked on more projects in the Epic space than any other firm. We’re grateful for our dedicated and experienced consultant and home office teams and for our wonderful client partners.”
    

    About Nordic
    
    Nordic is a trusted advisor to healthcare systems, connecting strategy through to IT execution. Nordic has worked with over 170 clients and offers advisory services, EHR implementation, optimization, data and analytics, 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.
    

    				
    Posted 5.3.2016
    											
    		
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