• New “Connection” Brand Advances 35-Year History of Innovation

    Aligns More Precisely With PC Connection’s Mission of Connecting People with Technology

    MERRIMACK, NH – September 8, 2016 (BUSINESS WIRE) — PC Connection, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCCC), an industry-leading National Technology Solutions Provider, has changed its brand name to Connection. The Company will begin trading under the new ticker symbol NASDAQ: CNXN at market open onFriday, September 9, 2016. Reflecting the increasing relevance of transformational technologies, this new brand aligns precisely with the Company’s mission to connect people with technology that enhances growth, elevates productivity, and empowers innovation.

    Connection unites PC Connection, GovConnection, MoreDirect, andSoftmart into one clear, concise, and powerful brand name. Emphasizing elements of the trademark symbol, the “blue arc,” this new brand clearly represents the organization’s strength, the unity of the 2,500-strong workforce, and their passion for connecting people with the high-quality technology solutions they require to meet both their everyday IT needs and solve their complex technology challenges. Dedicated to providing trusted guidance and exceptional customer service to organizations of all sizes, across all industries, Connection is well-positioned for the future. The new branding reflects the full scope of the Company’s capabilities—and its role as a connection to the latest technologies and better business outcomes for customers.

    Tim McGrath, CEO/President of Connection, stated, “Since 1982, our goals have been deeply rooted in providing customer-centric IT solutions and services for small- to medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and public sector markets. The role of technology has undoubtedly changed over the years, but our commitment has not. In the age of the digital transformation, we have shifted from selling technology to connecting people with the resources they need to build stronger, more efficient businesses. By removing the ‘PC’ from our brand name, we are focusing on the next four decades and planning how we will help customers connect with new and exciting ideas—whether those innovations fit on a desk, in a data center, or inside tomorrow’s wearable technology. Our new brand name, Connection, better reflects the promise of our future and the successes of our past.”

    As a leading National Technology Solutions Provider, Connection is committed to connecting its customers with best-in-class hardware, software, and services. In addition to providing solutions across seven technology areas, including Converged Data Center, Cloud, Security, Mobility, Networking, Software, and Lifecycle. The Company’s experts help people use technology in more meaningful ways, whether it’s deploying the latest devices to improve productivity, developing innovative security programs to keep data safe, or providing the latest off-premises cloud services to boost agility. Connection will continue to make significant investments in its portfolio of products and services to offer its customers the tools and resources to reduce total cost of ownership, increase productivity, and improve their competitive advantage.

    About Connection
    Connection (connection.com) and ticker symbol (NASDAQ: CNXN) is a Fortune 1000 company that united PC Connection, Inc.;GovConnection, Inc.; MoreDirect, Inc.; and Softmart into one corporate brand name, reflecting the Company’s mission to connect people with technology that enhances growth, elevates productivity, and empowers innovation. Headquartered in Merrimack, NH with offices throughout the United States, the Company continues to deliver custom-configured computer systems overnight from our ISO 9001:2008 certified technical configuration lab at our distribution center in Wilmington, OH. Connection also services international customers through a global alliance with Bechtle AG, an IT provider based in Europe. In addition, the Company has over 2,500 technical certifications to ensure that we can solve the most complex issues of our customers. Investors and media can find more information about Connection at ir.connection.com.

    Connection Business Solutions (800.800.5555), the original business ofPC Connection, Inc., serving primarily the small- and medium-sized business sector, is a rapid-response provider of IT products and services. It offers more than 300,000 brand-name products through its staff of technically trained sales Account Managers, catalogs, publications, and website at connection.com/SMB.

    Connection GovConnection Public Sector Solutions (800.800.0019), ourGovConnection, Inc. subsidiary, is a rapid-response provider of IT products and services to federal, state, and local government agencies and educational institutions through specialized Account Managers, catalogs, publications, and online at connection.com/publicsector.

    Connection MoreDirect Enterprise Solutions (561.237.3300),connection.com/enterprise, our MoreDirect, Inc. subsidiary, provides corporate technology buyers with best-in-class IT solutions, in-depth IT supply-chain expertise, and access to more than 300,000 products and 1,600 vendors through TRAXX™, a proprietary cloud-based eProcurement system. The team’s engineers, software licensing specialists, and project managers help reduce the cost and complexity of buying hardware, software, and services throughout the entire IT lifecycle.

    Connection Softmart Global Solutions (800.328.1319),connection.com/global, our Softmart, Inc. subsidiary, is a global supplier of technology, tools, and service solutions with more than 34 years of expertise in helping customers simplify software purchasing. As a Microsoft Licensing Solution Provider (LSP), the team offers industry-leading volume software license programs and affiliated license support.

    pccc-g

    “Safe Harbor” Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements that are based on currently available information, operating plans, and projections about future events and trends. Terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” or similar statements or variations of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include such terms. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties, include, but are not limited to, the impact of changes in market demand and the overall level of economic activity and environment, or in the level of business investment in information technology products, competitive products and pricing, product availability and market acceptance, new products, market acceptance of the Company’s new branding, fluctuations in operating results, the ability of the Company to manage personnel levels in response to fluctuations in revenue, and other risks detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the year ended December 31, 2015. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this press release or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of any new information, future events, or otherwise.

    Connection
    Media Relations Contact:
    Linda Fanaras, 603-204-0908
    [email protected]
    or
    Investor Relations Contact:
    Joseph Driscoll, 603-683-2505
    Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
    [email protected]

    Source: PC Connection, Inc.

    News Provided by Acquire Media

    Posted 9.8.2016

  • Health Catalyst Named to First-Ever Forbes 2016 World’s Best 100 Cloud Companies List

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT – September 8, 2016 — Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, has been named to the first-ever Forbes 2016 Cloud 100: the definitive list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, developed in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners.

    “It is an honor to be recognized among the world’s top 100 private cloud companies,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst. “Cloud companies are revolutionizing how people live and do business—and few industries have a better opportunity to use cloud technology to improve lives than healthcare. We are excited that Forbes and its partners recognize the great value of harnessing data and analytics platforms to improve healthcare and save lives.”

    The first-ever Forbes 2016 Cloud 100 list profiles the world’s top-tier private companies leading the cloud technology revolution, plus twenty rising stars within the field. With advancements in software, cloud security, or platform development, these companies are redefining the future for all industries and sectors.

    Forbes, in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners, received hundreds of submissions to identify the most promising private companies in cloud. The Forbes 2016 Cloud 100 was selected by a panel of judges representing leading public cloud companies, using qualitative and quantitative data submitted by nominees, along with publically available third-party data sources.

    “These are the companies to watch,” said Byron Deeter, a leading cloud investor and partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “The Forbes Cloud 100 companies represent the very best private companies in cloud computing. We will see big IPOs and category killers emerge from this list as the cloud computing continues to propel the trillion-dollar software industry.”

    To view the list, please visit forbes.com/cloud100. The list will appear in the October 4, 2016 issue of Forbes magazine.

    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 70 million patients for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. For more information, visit healthcatalyst.com, and follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

    Contact
    Todd Stein
    Amendola Communications
    916.346.4213
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.8.2016

  • The National Institute of Standards & Technology Selects Clearwater Compliance for Research Projects to Bolster Cybersecurity of Wireless IV Medical Infusion Pumps

    Clearwater to Serve as Key Industry Consultant in First-of-its-Kind Project to Identify Cyber Risks & Recommend Best Practices

    NASHVILLE, TN – September 8, 2016 -– Clearwater Compliance, a leading healthcare cybersecurity company, will collaborate with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) as part of a wide-ranging, first-of-its-kind risk assessment project focusing on wireless IV medical infusion pumps. This research project will investigate how to improve wireless IV medical infusion pumps’ security, with an end goal of helping companies and organizations increase their cyber risk assessment and management capability. The end result of this collective collaboration is a reference design and an implementation guide on how to protect wireless IV medical infusion pumps from unintended errors or unauthorized access, including malicious acts.

    Wireless IV medical infusion pumps are no longer stand-alone instruments that interact only with the patient but have capabilities that allow them to connect to other networks, devices and operating systems. While this technology has improved healthcare, it has led to additional risks in patient safety and health data security. Clinicians and patients rely on infusion pumps for safe and accurate administration of fluids and medications. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified problems that can compromise the safe use of external infusion pumps.

    “Clearwater is honored to offer best practices and share our expertise to help organizations understand and protect themselves from risk,” says Bob Chaput, founder and chief executive officer of Clearwater Compliance. “We continuously find ways to offer greater insights for improved security with new cyber breaches. Through this collaboration, we can accelerate best practices in a more reproducible and efficient way. We have long considered NIST to be a key public-private partner in advancing healthcare cybersecurity.”

    More information is available about this cyber-related project at nccoe.nist.gov/projects/use_cases/medical_devices

    About Clearwater Compliance
    Clearwater Compliance, LLC is a leading provider of healthcare compliance and cyber risk management solutions. Its mission is to empower hospitals and health systems to successfully manage healthcare’s evolving cybersecurity risks and ensure patient safety. Exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association, Clearwater solutions have been deployed within hundreds of hospitals and health systems, Fortune 100 organizations and federal government institutions. Clearwater’s award-winning solutions have earned the trust of many of today’s largest and most prestigious hospitals by consistently delivering innovative solutions that address today’s evolving cyber threats. More information about Clearwater Compliance is at www.Clearwatercompliance.com.

    Posted 9.8.2016

  • Optimum Healthcare IT Strengthens & Expands Community Connect Practice

    Former Cleveland Clinic Executives Join Optimum

    JACKSONVILLE, FL – September 7, 2016 — Optimum Healthcare IT, a leading healthcare IT staffing, and consulting services company, announced that to further meet the demands of the healthcare industry, it has expanded their Community Connect practice which is dedicated to improving healthcare in communities across the country. To comply with Meaningful Use and Healthcare Reform, a growing number of physician offices and hospitals are choosing to partner with large healthcare organizations to integrate their electronic health records (EHR). Community Connect enables Epic’s customers to extend a shared EHR to these smaller community hospitals and physicians. This collaboration allows smaller organizations to have access to a more integrated and robust EHR

    To enhance the Community Connect practice, Optimum Healthcare IT has hired two of the best in the industry to lead the practice; Executive Directors Jon Straffon and Kelli Mangino, previously of Cleveland Clinic. At Cleveland Clinic, Ms. Mangino, and Mr. Straffon were responsible for the development and implementation of Epic’s first Community Connect program. With their experience in the industry, leadership, tools, and proven methodology, Optimum’s Connect practice is now equipped to be the best in the market.

    “Health Systems who are looking to implement an EHR extension program are becoming vendors of the Epic software. We recognize that patient care is the priority, and we want to be the partner that helps these healthcare organizations extend their reach without losing focus on the patients,” said Jon Straffon, Executive Director of Optimum’s Connect Practice. “As the top-rated Healthcare IT Consulting Services firm in the country, we feel that enhancing this service allows Optimum to assist our clients across the full continuum of care,” added Jason Mabry, President of Optimum Healthcare IT.

    As Optimum Healthcare IT enhances their Community Connect practice, the firm is currently engaged in one of the largest hospital Connect projects in the country.

    About Optimum Healthcare IT
    Optimum Healthcare IT is a leading healthcare IT staffing and consulting services company based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Optimum provides world-class consulting services in advisory, implementation, training and activation, Community Connect, analytics, and managed services – supporting client’s needs through the continuum of care. Their excellence in service is driven by a leadership team with more than 50 years of experience in providing expert healthcare staffing and consulting solutions to all types of organizations.

    Visit www.optimumhit.com or call 1.904.373.0831 to find out how your organization can take advantage of their solution offerings.

    Posted 9.7.2016

  • North West London Pathology Consortium Selects Sunquest Europe for Laboratory Information Services

    Total contract value of $18.9M includes comprehensive, hosted managed LIS plus Molecular for complex testing

    TUCSON, AZ – September 7, 2016 — Sunquest Information Systems Inc. today announced that North West London Pathology Consortium (NWLP) has signed an $18.9M (£14.4M GBP) total contract value with Sunquest Europe for a complete Hosted Managed Service Laboratory Information System (LIS) covering all core pathology disciplines, plus Molecular for complex testing and human leukocyte antigens (HLA).

    NWLP was created as an initiative between Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (now part of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust.) The goal of the partnership is to develop a new shared services model for the provision of pathology services in North West London and is based upon a vision of a modern, innovative and sustainable service that delivers a world-class lab to users and patients alike.

    “Sunquest is pleased to work alongside the newly created NWLP to help deliver a ‘world-class lab’ system that will support nearly 10% of all lab and diagnostic events in the UK,” said Matthew Hawkins, president of Sunquest. “The Northwest London Pathology team shares our passion for making patients safer and healthcare smarter, and working alongside these creative individuals is truly inspiring.”

    The NWLP operation model includes a central hub for all non-urgent and specialist work, plus six spoke laboratories providing 24/7 service to meet the needs of hospital patients and clinicians. The Sunquest LIS will be deployed at both the hub and spoke laboratories to support all areas of pathology and will integrate with a number of clinical systems. To further its efforts in becoming a world-class laboratory provider, NWLP will also implement a complete Statistics and Reporting package, plus Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage the delivery of its pathology services to hospitals and clinicians.

    “After a challenging procurement process NWLP is extremely excited in working with Sunquest as our chosen laboratory information system supplier,” said Stephen Snewin, head of laboratory operations for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. “As one of the largest pathology suppliers in the United Kingdom with a number of acute, primary, academic and specialist customers, NWLP looks forward to working in partnership with Sunquest. The supply of the laboratory information system is one of the key enablers in underpinning the future success of the business.”

    “North West London Pathology’s selection of Sunquest followed a very competitive OJEU tender against several other strong vendors,” said Keith Sturges, senior vice president of international sales and marketing for Sunquest. “In the end, North West London’s Pathology leadership recognized that Sunquest offers the best fit for a large, comprehensive enterprise and better aligned with their long-term vision for delivering outstanding quality and service to their patients and providers.”

    About Sunquest Information Systems
    Sunquest Information Systems Inc. provides laboratory information systems to more than 1,700 laboratories. Since 1979, Sunquest has helped laboratories across the world optimize financial results, enhance efficiency and improve the quality of patient care. The company’s singular focus on diagnostic innovation has delivered solutions that offer unique support for complex testing, enable community-wide connectivity and can be used at the point-of-care. Headquartered in Tucson, AZ with offices in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and India, Sunquest is a global leader in healthcare information technology. For more information, visit www.sunquestinfo.com.

    Posted 9.7.2016

  • Survey: 8 in 10 Hospital Leaders Say Predictive Analytics is Important to Future Yet Only One-Third Use It

    Lack of appropriate tools & trained personnel ranked as top barriers to adoption

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT – September 7, 2016 — Nearly 80 percent of hospital executives believe the future of healthcare could be significantly improved through the use of predictive analytics, a population health management tool that can help providers stay one step ahead of costly problems like preventable readmissions, patient downturns and contracts with insurers that pay less than the cost of providing care. Yet only 31 percent of hospitals have used the technology for more than a year, and 19 percent have no plans to do so.

    Those results from an August survey of 136 hospital and health system executives by Health Catalyst point to potentially significant barriers to the adoption of predictive analytics. They may also signal pent up demand for the advanced form of analytics, which has been touted as a solution to many of healthcare’s problems and as key to the development of more effective “personalized” treatments for common diseases such as cancer.

    Top barrier to adoption: “Right data or tools”
    Both current users and non-users of predictive analytics agree (32%) that the top barrier to its adoption is the lack of appropriate data or tools and infrastructure, according to the survey. That result is not unexpected since producing reliable predictions of future probabilities or trends requires both an accessible and trusted source of data aggregated from multiple IT systems—electronic health records (EHR), financial systems, etc.—as well as analytic applications to drive the predictions and make them easy for front-line staff to use.

    Survey respondents said the next most significant barriers to the use of predictive analytics were a lack of people or skills (26%) and a lack of executive support or budget (20%). Few seem to question the effectiveness of the technology; only one respondent said past efforts had failed to show results. And despite the relative youth of predictive analytics technology, confidence in its accuracy ranged from neutral to very strong among respondents. Only 2 percent said the technology produces inaccurate results.

    Pent up demand?
    Apparently driven by faith in predictive analytics’ ability to deliver meaningful results, demand for the technology appears to be strong among hospital leaders. In addition to the 31 percent of respondents who already use it, 38 percent said they plan to adopt predictive analytics within the next three years. Fourteen percent of that group said they will adopt it in the next 12 months.

    Still, nearly one-third of the survey takers are on the fence. In addition to the 19 percent who said they have no plans to use predictive analytics, another 11 percent are unsure whether they will use it in the future or not.

    Even among those who plan to adopt predictive analytics, few said they have the budget to allocate significant resources to the effort. Most (37%) are tip-toeing into the space with commitments or planned commitments of 1-3 people devoted to the task of leveraging analytics for predictions. Only 8 percent said they would allocate more than four people to that role. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they were unsure how many people they would have work in the area.

    Preventive care tops list of uses
    Both current users of predictive analytics and prospective users agreed (58%) the top priority for its use is to alert caregivers to interventions that may prevent health declines among high-risk patients, according to the survey. Asked to name the top three priorities for the use of the technology, respondents assigned the second and third spots to predicting financial outcomes (such as patient cost or likelihood of patients to pay their bills) (52%), and improving the ability of providers to negotiate contracts with insurers (42%).

    Other priorities for predictive analytics identified by survey takers were projecting patient health outcomes and satisfaction (38%) and improving the quality of diagnoses (33%). Falling last on the list of priorities was the forecasting of staffing and supply chain needs (27%).

    EHR tops list of preferred data sources
    When asked to list the top three sources of data for making predictions, respondents most often selected clinical data from the EHR (80%). Tied for second as important data sources were claims data and patient outcomes data, both selected by 53 percent of respondents. Financial data was the next most selected category (50%), followed by non-medical patient demographics (22%) and patient satisfaction data (21%).

    “Overall, the survey findings point to a growing need within the provider community for solutions that help to identify long-term rising-risk patients who are on their way to becoming high-cost consumers of heath care,” said Levi Thatcher, Director of Data Science at Health Catalyst. “With an ever greater light being cast on system-wide inefficiencies, providers are hungry for analytics that will help them identify and treat these patients before their health deteriorates, both improving their lives and reducing needless spending across the system.”

    Methods
    Survey results reflect the opinions of 136 healthcare professionals who responded to an online survey in August 2016. Respondents included 34 CEOs; 18 chief financial officers; 26 chief information and chief medical information officers; and a variety of other executive and departmental leadership roles. They work for organizations ranging from some of the nation’s largest urban academic medical centers and integrated delivery networks to small, rural critical access facilities.

    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 70 million patients for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. For more information, visit healthcatalyst.com, and follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

    Media Contact
    Todd Stein
    Amendola Communications
    916.346.4213
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.7.2016

  • Kurt Salmon’s Health Care Group Joins ECG

    Kurt Salmon’s Health Care Practice announced today that it is joining ECG Management Consultants, one of the nation’s leading consulting firms serving health systems, hospitals, medical groups and academic medical centers.

    The combined strengths of the two firms and complementary service offerings will provide the industry with one comprehensive consulting resource focused solely on health care, with nearly 120 years of history and experience in helping providers and payors thrive. Together, the organizations offer the combination of strategy, operations, IT, facility and capital assets, and finance expertise that providers of all sizes need to navigate the industry’s, and their own, transformation.

    “We are excited to join forces with the ECG team. Our firms are highly aligned in culture, capabilities and client base, and we see great opportunity to build upon our respective strengths,” said Andy Bachrodt, managing partner of Kurt Salmon’s Health Care Practice. “Our clients across the spectrum—from community hospitals, regional and national health systems, children’s hospitals, academic medical centers, and schools of medicine—will benefit from the depth of our combined service offerings and thought leadership as we help them plan for the future and devise innovative solutions to the challenges facing the U.S. health care system.”

    “Kurt Salmon’s Health Care Practice is a natural fit with ECG, sharing a singular focus on health care. If you look at the expertise and capabilities of each firm, what we will be able to accomplish together for the benefit of our clients is really unmatched in the industry,” said ECG CEO Gary Edmiston. “Coming together allows us to strengthen ECG’s current suite of services and expand our offerings in facility planning, capital asset management and IT strategy in order to fully serve the health care organizations we work with.”

    Posted 9.7.2016

  • Former Intermountain Medical Center CEO/Administrator David Grauer Joins Health Catalyst as Senior Vice President

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT –  September 6, 2016 (PRNewswire) — Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, announced that David Grauer is joining the company as a Senior Vice President, effective September 2016.

    Grauer comes to Health Catalyst after 23 years in executive leadership positions at Intermountain Healthcare, a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, and 1,400 employed physicians that is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and in efficient healthcare delivery. For the last nine years, Grauer served as CEO/Administrator of Intermountain Medical Center, a 502-bed hospital in suburban Salt Lake City that is both Utah’s largest hospital and the flagship of Intermountain Healthcare. Previously, he was CEO/Administrator of two other Intermountain hospitals—Cottonwood Hospital and The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital/TOSH.

    “David is a highly experienced healthcare leader who has successfully led a true transformation in the quality and efficiency of operations within one our nation’s best healthcare organizations,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst. “We are thrilled that he has agreed to join our leadership team, where his expertise will be invaluable in helping the company execute on its strategic imperatives in the years ahead.”

    Grauer will work directly with Health Catalyst clients across the country to help them implement the company’s methodology for systematic quality improvement.

    “I’m excited to work with the team at Health Catalyst. I’ve known them for years and I’ve always respected and admired their vision for transforming care,” said Grauer. “As a healthcare executive, I am focused on improving how healthcare is delivered, improving the health of our communities and reducing healthcare costs. With Health Catalyst, I can now work with healthcare providers throughout the country on these important goals.”

    A long-time community volunteer, Grauer has served on the boards of several community organizations in the Salt Lake Cityarea, including Utah Food Bank, Jewish Family Service of Utah, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, and Children’s Service Society ofUtah. He is a recipient of the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Regent’s Award and in 2013 was named a “Healthcare Hero,” for administrative excellence, by Utah Business magazine.

    Grauer holds an MBA and a master’s degree in health services administration, both from the University of Michigan.

    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 andaccountable care. Their proven enterprise data warehouse (EDW) and analytics platform helps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs in support of more than 70 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.

    Contact
    Todd Stein
    Amendola Communications for Health Catalyst
    916.346.4213
    [email protected]

    Photo – photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160904/404039
    Logo – photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140217/MM66628LOGO

    Posted 9.6.2016

  • Inside CHIME: Crafting a Cybersecurity Plan for All of Healthcare

    Inside CHIME - header

    Weinstock 70x70 9.1.16 by Matthew Weinstock
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

    CHIME board member Theresa Meadows, R.N., is leading a federal effort to craft a set of recommendations that the entire healthcare industry can use to better protect patients and sensitive information.

    Navigating the complexities of cybersecurity for a hospital is tricky enough, but try developing an action plan for the entire healthcare industry. Where hospital leaders are worry about protecting patient data and keeping life-saving devices operational, big pharma is concerned about trade secrets and strategic plans falling into the wrong hands. Insurers fear a breach that leaves millions of patient records and payment information vulnerable. Then there are labs, small physician offices, home health agencies, medical device manufacturers, and so on. Add in the Internet of Things, mHealth and consumerism, and the web gets much more tangled.

    “Healthcare is different from any other industry,” says Theresa Meadows, R.N., CHCIO, senior vice president and CIO, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Fort Worth, Texas. “We have multiple sectors that comprise one big sector, each with different vantage points and resources.”

    As co-chair of the federal Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force, Meadows is tasked with leading a group of 20 experts in analyzing what other industries are doing to shore up their defenses and developing a set of recommendations that could apply across healthcare. While it is a daunting assignment, Meadows says that the task force, which has held two face-to-face meetings since April, along with monthly teleconferences, has made a fair amount of progress. There’s a common concern for data integrity, whether its patient information or intellectual property. Additionally, all of the stakeholders see value in improving information sharing; figuring out how to leverage what’s out there is another story.

    The federal task force was created under the Cybersecurity Information Security Act of 2015. Meadows was one of nearly 200 people to people from across healthcare to apply for a seat at the table. She wasn’t a household name in cybersecurity circles, so, admittedly, it seemed like a long shot.

    “I was taken aback when I got the call that they wanted me on the task force and that they wanted me to be co-chair,” she says. But Meadows’ diverse background, as well as serving on the CHIME board, were major pluses. A registered nurse by training, Meadows found her second calling in health IT. She earned a master in informatics at a program that was specifically designed to train people to become a CIO. Her career took her from consulting to a web developer and, ultimately, back to healthcare. She was mentored by Tim Stettheimer, senior vice president and regional CIO at Ascension Health Information Services, before being named CIO at Cook Children’s six years ago.

    Ultimately, Meadows hopes that the task force can create a set of recommendations that anybody in healthcare can utilize.

    “We need to make information sharing work for everyone,” she says. “It’s one thing to get information, but we need to help people understand what to do with it.”

    Beyond getting the industry to be in lockstep on a set of recommendations, Meadows acknowledges that the task force faces another unique challenge – its report will come out early next year, after a new administration has taken office. Keeping the issue front and center will be critical for the task force and the industry as a whole.

    As it continues to study cybersecurity, the task force is looking for feedback from the industry. Join the conversation on the task force’s blog page. Meadows and fellow task force member David Ting, co-found and CTO, Imprivata, will provide an update on task force activity at the CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum, Wednesday, Nov. 2.

    On a related note, CHIME and AEHIS are asking members to complete a brief cybersecurity survey to better inform our advocacy. The results will be shared with the task force.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 25:

    Posted 9.1.2016

  • Inside CHIME: National Patient ID Challenge Guidelines, Updated Timeline Posted

    Inside CHIME - header

    Weinstock 70x70 9.1.16 by Matthew Weinstock
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME

    The CHIME Healthcare Innovation Trust and HeroX released guidelines and an updated the timeline for the National Patient ID Challenge Final Innovation Round.

    As we reported a couple of weeks ago, nearly 370 innovators from 40 countries are registered for the CHIME Healthcare Innovation Trust’s National Patient ID Challenge. The level of support for and engagement in this effort is nothing short of amazing. And last week, CHIME published guidelines, including use case scenarios, for the Final Innovation Round.

    With so much interest in the patient ID challenge, and the need to give innovators ample time to review the guidelines and fully develop their solutions, CHIME also updated the challenge timeline. The deadline to submit for the Final Innovation Round was extended to January 15, 2017. As a result, the final award announcement has been pushed back to spring of 2017. This is a big and complex problem and it is important to get the right solution. Additionally, during the Concept Blitz Round, we learned that evaluating and judging the submissions is a daunting process.

    We will continue to keep you apprised of developments with the challenge, but you can also check in on the HeroX website, and follow it on Twitter at #NPIDChallenge.

    More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 25:

    Posted 9.1.2016
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