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Clearwater Compliance Announces Strategic Solution to Help Hospitals Manage Evolving Cybersecurity Risks
Solution Endorsed by the American Hospital Association
NASHVILLE, TN – October 20, 2016 — Clearwater Compliance, a leading provider of healthcare compliance and information risk management (IRM) services, has announced the availability of Cyber Risk Services™ (CRS™), a new managed solution endorsed by the American Hospital Association and designed to help CIOs and CISOs achieve rapid visibility and advancement in the information security compliance and risk management posture of healthcare organizations.
The highly visible and significant public attention to ransomware attacks in healthcare has accelerated a top-down cyber risk governance process and board-level involvement. While hospital boards focus on strategic direction from a broad high-level perspective, the CIO is focused on a holistic service that will unburden staff and quickly mature their enterprise compliance and cyber risk management program.
“Hospitals are doing more than ever to ensure they continue to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of patient information in this rapidly-changing environment of healthcare transformation,” said Doug Shaw, Chief Operating and Development Officer, Health Forum, the strategic business enterprise of the American Hospital Association. “Due to the constantly evolving threats to information security, hospital leaders today need a comprehensive, cost-effective approach to safeguard a hospital’s data, systems and reputation, and we are pleased to endorse Clearwater’s latest solution so hospitals can continue their proactive efforts around cybersecurity.”
Clearwater’s Cyber Risk Services (CRS) solution is backed by front-line, real-world experience with deep information privacy and security skill sets that help hospitals and health systems establish, implement and cost-effectively mature their IRM programs. A three-year program, CRS addresses and advances all aspects of an organization’s IRM program including governance, people, processes, technology and organizational engagement. In addition, in the event of an OCR enforcement action, CRS will provide onsite support in preparing a response and evidence, without additional charge and within two business days, and remain engaged throughout any OCR enforcement process. CRS, which includes Clearwater’s award-winning IRM|Pro™ software, assists organizations in becoming self-sufficient over the three-year program term.
“Clearwater is proud to offer hospital leaders a comprehensive, cost-effective approach to ensure patient safety, and safeguard a hospital’s finances and reputation,” said Bob Chaput, CEO and founder of Clearwater Compliance. “Organizations can realize a proven security infrastructure through adoption of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) IRM approach.”
CRS is designed to maximize knowledge transfer effectiveness by working alongside resource-constrained IT, security and risk management teams. Clearwater healthcare information experts ensure the implementation of industry best practices in cyber risk visibility, help to eliminate process variation and expedite data protection strategies across the entire organization. The CRS proprietary approach draws heavily on the NIST approach to information risk management and is in accordance with guidelines set out by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
“Healthcare’s efforts to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of patient information in the rapidly changing environment of healthcare transformation and increasing cyber risks are more intensive than ever,” said David Finn, IT Security Officer at Symantec Corporation. “However, those efforts are hampered by the need for additional training and education, time, resources and budget in the area of cybersecurity and information risk management. Healthcare leaders today need a comprehensive, long-term strategy to ensure patient safety and safeguard the organization’s finances and reputations and their patient’s information and care. Information risk management is not a product; it is a process and culture. Clearwater’s solution not only addresses the tactics but also turns it to strategy; it aligns technology and business risk and builds a solid foundation for both. Not just a solution, it drives evolution so organizations can worry less about cybersecurity and focus on the business—taking care of patients.”
Extending over a three-year period, Clearwater’s CRS program includes:
- A designated information risk management leader assigned to each customer
- Annual risk analyses and risk response / management activities
- Onsite presence to perform risk oversight duties
- Monthly and quarterly executive reports
- Annual assessments of the organization’s IRM program maturity
- Executive and board IRM briefings, as requested
- Ongoing IRM education and training for staff and executives
- OCR enforcement assurance
- Actionable analysis and prioritized recommendations
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. More information about Clearwater Compliance is at www.Clearwatercompliance.com.Posted 10.20.2016 -
King Edward VII’s Hospital Selects Vital Images’ Modular Enterprise Imaging Solution
Rapid, consistent delivery of diagnostic information at the point of care
LONDON- October 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — King Edward VII’s Hospital, London’s foremost private hospital, is pleased to announce a new partnership with leading-edge advanced imaging and informatics company Vital Images, Inc. (Vital), based in Minneapolis, Minn., USA.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/65e1168d-6b5f-4bfe-9129-070e2229390f
Vital has provided King Edward VII’s Hospital with the first United Kingdom implementation of the company’s cutting-edge Data Stream, VNA and DICOM™web-enabled clinical imaging technologies. The innovative modular enterprise imaging solution offers staff at the Hospital unparalleled, fast and consistent access to a range of diagnostic data. Vital’s product portfolio provided to King Edward VII’s Hospital also includes the industry-proven Vitrea® Advanced Visualization platform that provides specialized 3D viewing to clinicians in a number of critical patient care areas, such as surgery and oncology.
“Customers have seen Vital as the premier provider of advanced visualization solutions and world-class service for many years,” says Jim Litterer, president and CEO of Vital Images. “We are now bringing that same focus of product and service excellence to the healthcare enterprise imaging market with high-profile and exacting customers like King Edward VII’s Hospital.”
“The flexibility of the complete Vitrea solution allows us to have full control over all our data,” says Corey Frazier, imaging manager at King Edward VII’s Hospital. “It’s good to know that this critical information is secured in one place in its original format and accessible using non-proprietary tools. The system gives us greater control over what viewing tools we use to look into the archive and it is simple to use.”
About Vital Images, Inc.
Vital Images, Inc., a Toshiba Medical Systems Group company, is a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and enterprise informatics solutions to help healthcare organizations deliver exceptional care while optimizing resources across multi-facility organizations. The company’s solutions are scalable to meet the unique needs of hospitals and imaging centers and are accessible throughout the enterprise anytime, anywhere. For more information, visit vitalimages.com or join the conversation on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.Vitrea is a trademark of Vital Images, Inc.
Marks not owned by Vital Images, Inc. are the property of their respective holders.
King Edward VII’s Hospital
King Edward VII’s Hospital is an independent, acute private Hospital located in Marylebone, central London. The Hospital delivers the highest standards of private medical care in London, supported by outstanding nurses, first class staff and hand-picked consultants, all of whom are recognized leaders in their fields.King Edward VII’s Hospital is open to all.
Website: kingedwardvii.co.ukContacts
Vital Images
Aaron Wangen
001.952.487.9632
[email protected]King Edward VII’s Hospital
Isobel Auchinachie or Ryan Thompson
0207.384.6980
[email protected]Posted 10.19.2016 -
CynergisTek Rated Above All Vendors in KLAS Security Advisory Services Report
Company Outpaced IT Consulting Giants to Set Bar for Highest Performance and Impact
AUSTIN, TX – October 18, 2016 — CynergisTek™, an authority in health information security, privacy and compliance, today announced that it was the highest-rated firm healthcare providers rely on for security consulting and services in the KLAS report entitled, Security Advisory Services: Which Firms Are Helping Providers Sleep at Night?, released in October, 2016. According to the report, CynergisTek’s clients report the highest overall satisfaction and has the most clients who say the firm’s work had a significant impact on security preparedness. Since 2004, CynergisTek has built a reputation for providing superior security support, and this KLAS report suggests that CynergisTek has successfully set itself apart from much larger firms with specialized healthcare knowledge and multiyear partnership agreements.
For this report, KLAS collected feedback from hundreds of healthcare organizations across the country. During its evaluation of CynergisTek, KLAS collected notable comments such as the following from a hospital CIO.
“CynergisTek’s leaders are extremely knowledgeable. They work directly with us, and their impact on our overall sense of security is significant because we can always get answers very quickly. The CynergisTek resources work directly with our information security operations staff while the executive team meets with our senior leadership to talk about strategy. We love how CynergisTek’s leadership always seems to know exactly what we need.”
“It is rewarding to stack up so powerfully against much larger firms cited in this report, and at CynergisTek, we believe it is a testament to the specialized expertise that effective healthcare security requires,” said Mac McMillan, CEO of CynergisTek. “The KLAS assessment is particularly gratifying to our team because it reflects the direct input from our provider clients. Their satisfaction and success is what propelled us to the top in this report and it is the driving force behind our work.”
CynergisTek has the most validated engagements for security/risk assessment, security-program assessment/development, and HIPAA assessment/program development in this report; and many clients report using the firm in all three areas.About KLAS
KLAS is a research firm on a global mission to improve healthcare delivery by enabling providers to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals and clinicians, KLAS gathers data on software, services, medical equipment, and infrastructure systems to deliver timely reports, trends, and statistical overviews. The research directly represents the provider voice and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. Follow KLAS on Twitter at twitter.com/KLASresearch.About CynergisTek
CynergisTek is a top-ranked information security and privacy consulting firm. The company offers solutions to help organizations measure privacy and security programs against regulatory requirements and assists in developing risk management best practices. Since 2004 the company has served as a partner to hundreds in the healthcare industry. CynergisTek is also dedicated to supporting and educating the industry by contributing to relevant associations such as HIMSS, AHIMA, HFMA, HCCA, AHIA, AHLA, IAPP and CHIME. The company has been named in numerous research reports as one of the top firms that provider organizations turn to for privacy and security, including the 2016 KLAS Security Advisory Services report, which rated CynergisTek for having the highest overall client satisfaction and impact on security preparedness. For more information visit cynergistek.com, call 512.402.8550 or email [email protected].Media Contact
Taylor VerMeer
Account Executive
Aria Marketing
617.332.9999 x205
[email protected]Posted 10.18.2016 -
Pivot Point Consulting Helps Healthcare Organizations Embrace Patient Kiosk
The more functions a kiosk can offer to check-in the patient, the less manual registration work that the hospital’s front desk employees have to perform, allowing them instead to focus on fulfilling engagement tasks. Fast-track kiosks should include a front and behind-the-scenes menu of task options that support a robust patient check-in workflow. Here are a few examples:
- Patient identification. Patients can type in their name, swipe a debit or credit card, or use their fingerprint or
a barcode to check-in. A typical 30-second process that takes the patient from the scheduled to arrive
status can save the provider up to three minutes of registration time. Some hospitals enable online
check-in that the patient can do at home; hence, the patient arriving at their hospital or practice
destination find their check-in data is already verified. Many patients are reluctant to swipe their credit cards
in fear of identity fraud. However, kiosks are encrypted and personal finance information is not archived. - Payment processing. Real-time insurance eligibility checks and the ability to pay a past due balance or
co-pay are offered to patients. - Wayfinding. Patients can print map or text-based directions, for instance, between the lab and radiology
units for two appointments scheduled the same day.
Other optional information-capturing tasks that providers can choose to augment their kiosks include: registration collection such as confirming the guarantor, e-prescription refills, future appointment scheduling, wait times display, patient portal enrollment and the ability to print or email forms.
Processes Accelerating Kiosk Usage
In developing a kiosk deployment strategy, the following support processes can encourage high visibility and utilization to drive patient engagement, streamlined check-in and return on investment.Consider placement of kiosks in high visibility, obvious areas such as the front admissions lobby of the hospital or the outpatient practice. Kiosk location enhanced with signage is critical to ensuring patient usage success whether it is employed as an appointment check-in device to alleviate admissions staff engagement or a standalone machine for paying medical bills.
- Designate a greeter to meet repeat and new patients arriving at the facility and to assist in the kiosk
check-in process. Essentially, the patient is greeted by a hospital or practice staff member. Depending on
the patient’s needs, the greeter will instruct the individual to use the kiosk or assign that person to
an employee. Much like the greeters stationed at airport kiosks, the greeter drives traffic in “pushing” kiosks
to patients, making them aware of the device. Keep in mind that though some information cannot be
entered electronically onto a kiosk, the greeter is your first line of defense resolving issues before the patient
is seen by the clinician. - If unable to designate a greeter, assign an employee to assist the patient during the kiosk check-in
process. Though the kiosk will prompt the patient for address, phone number and other personal
contact details, the “scheduler” is typically the patient’s first point of human interaction with the
organization, helping to ensure a positive patient experience. - Understand that a kiosk has functionality limitations. Not all patient check-in tasks are able to be
completed due to the diverse needs of each patient. Some tasks will be referred to the patient front desk
to handle, or a process can be created to capture and document remaining items after the appointment
during checkout. - Similarly, figure out how much is too much. Kiosk vendors offer a wide range of functionality in their
patient check-in modules; however, not all functions benefit every organization. Thus, the provider
must determine the reasons for deploying kiosks, determine the right functionality that realistically meets
the organization’s goals and set expectations with employees. If staff is not engaged in the kiosk usage
process or feel threatened by the auto-registration, they will not adopt the kiosk nor promote it to patients. - Kiosks are relatively expensive investments. To obtain an effective return on investment, determine a
time savings formula for measuring the minutes saved during kiosk patient self-service registration
comparable to manual front-desk registration time. - Educate the front desk employees of the kiosk’s pre-registration benefits in terms of proven time savings
and re-allocation of meaningful tasks.
As kiosk functions continue to evolve and expand, more benefits will also increase, helping both patients and healthcare professionals. While self-service kiosks are more popular in other industries currently, hospitals and health systems are, in essence, at the turning point for mass adoption.
To learn more about kiosk deployment, driving patient adoption, return on investment, or kiosk strategy, contact [email protected] or 800.381.9681.
Posted 10.14.2016 - Patient identification. Patients can type in their name, swipe a debit or credit card, or use their fingerprint or
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Statement on MACRA, EHR Certification Final Rules Published
ANN ARBOR, MI, October 14, 2016 – Statement by CHIME Vice President for Federal Affairs Mari Savickis on final MACRA and certified health information technology regulations:
While we are still reviewing the 2,400-page rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today seemed to take important steps in giving physicians much-needed flexibility for adopting health information technology as they transition to a new payment model. For instance, the final rule reduces the reporting burden on clinicians by giving them the option of a 90-day reporting period, or a full year. It also reduces the number of measures upon which clinicians must report.
Unfortunately, CMS appears to have retained stringent language requiring hospitals and clinicians to attest that they are not engaging in information blocking. The agency does, however, clarify that providers, “should not be held responsible for adherence to health IT certification standards or other technical details of health IT implementation that are beyond their expertise or control.”
Meanwhile, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT today finalized a rule covering certification and oversight of certified health information technology. CHIME appreciates that steps that the agency is taking to increase transparency of health IT performance. Hospitals and clinicians must have confidence that the products they purchase work as intended and do not pose a significant risk to patient safety or public health.
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 1,900 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 10.14.2016 -
VariantWire Adds New Members to its Data-sharing Network
The GeneInsight-powered platform advances molecular informatics initiatives
TUSCON, AZ – October 13, 2016 — Sunquest Information Systems Inc. today announced that Nationwide Children’s Hospital Institute for Genomic Medicine Clinical Laboratory, MedComp Sciences and the University of Minnesota Health Fairview are now members of the VariantWire® data sharing initiative. GeneInsight®, a Sunquest company, supports the VariantWire networking infrastructure and crowdsourcing platform, which provides real-time sharing of structured genetic data between laboratories.
VariantWire offers clinical laboratories across the US and Canada the opportunity to access information that can ultimately help to advance the field of personalized medicine. It is a “share and share alike” initiative that allows users of the GeneInsight IT platform to share variant information.
“We recognize how important collaboration and sharing are to provide exceptional care to our patients, and exceptional training opportunities to our students and trainees at the University of Minnesota,” said Matt Bower, MS, certified genetic counselor at the Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota Health Fairview. “With this in mind, we are excited and honored to be part of the VariantWire collaborative effort.”
VariantWire differs from other variant data-sharing repositories that require manual input of data. Specifically, VariantWire leverages the GeneInsight platform, which works in the background to seamlessly share the data so that laboratory workflow disruptions are minimized. VariantWire is currently facilitating the sharing of over 44,300 variant interpretations across 1,865 genes that are associated with more than 300 diseases.
“VariantWire and its data sharing objectives align well with the goals and initiatives of our laboratory,” said Jason Walker, lead scientist for the Baton Rouge, LA-based MedCompGx, LLC. “We are looking forward to participating in VariantWire and helping to advance the sharing of critical variant data.”
“We are excited to have Nationwide Children’s Hospital, MedComp Sciences and the University of Minnesota Health Fairview join VariantWire” said Samantha Baxter, the director of VariantWire and a clinical project manager and genetic counselor at the Broad Institute. “These institutions are joining a network of individuals and labs that are committed to data transparency and understand that the sharing of genetic knowledge leads to better patient care.”
For more information on VariantWire, please visit variantwire.org.
About GeneInsight
GeneInsight, a Sunquest company, provides a molecular informatics solution that streamlines the analysis, interpretation and reporting of complex genetic tests. In constant clinical use since 2005, GeneInsight facilitates delivery of test results to treating clinicians so they can integrate genetics into their routine diagnostic workflows. The hosted solution includes filtration, annotation and storage tools, along with novel variant assessment, variant knowledge management and reporting capabilities. GeneInsight is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sunquest Information Systems, a pioneer in laboratory informatics.About Sunquest Information Systems
Sunquest Information Systems Inc. provides diagnostics informatics solutions to more than 1,700 laboratories. Since 1979, Sunquest has helped laboratories and healthcare organizations 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 sunquestinfo.com.Posted 10.13.2016 -
Fortune Names Health Catalyst One of America’s Great Workplaces
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – October 13, 2016 — Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics and outcomes improvement, has been named one of the “100 Best Medium Workplaces,” by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work®. The company ranked No. 32 on the annual list of medium-sized companies with between 100 and 999 employees, and is the only healthcare information technology supplier to make the 2016 list.
Health Catalyst earned this accolade based on employees’ anonymous responses to an extensive survey about their levels of trust, pride and camaraderie at work. Fortune partner Great Place to Work® reviewed the survey results of more than 52,000 employees from hundreds of companies in the ranking process.
The honor is just the latest in a series of accolades that recognize Health Catalyst’s unique work culture. Earlier this month, the company was named one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine for the fourth consecutive year. In April, Health Catalyst became one of just 40 global companies to receive the 2016 Gallup Great Workplace Award, recognizing companies that create engaged workplace cultures.
“For years, our leadership team has felt that our success in accomplishing our mission is tied directly to our ability to attract and retain the best and brightest team members in our areas of expertise,” said Health Catalyst CEO Dan Burton. “We feel encouraged by the direct feedback from our team members that is reflected in this recognition.”
According to Great Place at Work, 97 percent of Health Catalyst team members say their workplace is “great.” Other findings highlighted by the survey include:
• 98% of team members say Health Catalyst management is “honest and ethical in its business practices”
• 98% believe management would lay people off only as a last resort
• 97% say they are encouraged to balance their work life and their personal lifeHealth Catalyst supports work-life balance for its team members with perks like unlimited paid time off, flexible schedules, telecommuting options, free food and drinks, and 84 days of maternity and paternity leave. The company supports a culture of health through monthly wellness reimbursements, a fitness program allowing team members to collect points and receive discounts on health insurance premiums, an onsite fitness center, and subsidized outside gym memberships. Health Catalyst also hosts regular family-friendly fun events like movie nights, baseball games, chili cook-offs, variety shows, fun runs for a cause, and picnics in the park.
“There’s a generosity of spirit that infuses the Best Medium workplaces-one that has a measurable return,” said Kim Peters, Executive Vice President of Great Place to Work. “Whether it’s funding employee ‘passion projects’ or giving surprise gifts to customers, the best workplaces give it away. And they get it back in the form of inspired people who innovate harder and generate higher revenue.”
Health Catalyst expects to have 90 job openings this year between its Salt Lake City and Minneapolis locations. Interested candidates can see available positions and submit applications at healthcatalyst.com/job-openings.
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.About The Best Small and Medium Workplaces
Published together with their partner, Fortune, the Best Small & Medium Workplaces rankings are based entirely upon feedback from more than 52,000 employees at Great Place to Work–Certified companies. Employees completed their anonymous Trust Index© survey, answering questions about how frequently they experience the behaviors that create a great workplace, including, for example, their assessment of the honesty and quality of communication by managers, degree of support for employees’ personal and professional lives and the authenticity of relationships with colleagues.Results from the survey are highly reliable, having a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 5% or less. Winning a spot on this list indicates the company has distinguished itself from peers by creating a great place to work for all – not only do the majority of their employees experience the company as a great place to work, but this experience is consistent across the organization, regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, job role, or other personal characteristics. The companies with the highest employee ratings compared with organizations of the same complexity in size and scope were selected for the list. Companies with fewer than 100 employees compete for placement on the 50 Best Small Workplaces list, and companies between 100 and 999 employees compete for placement on the 100 Best Medium Workplaces list.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work®provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In the United States, Great Place to Work®produces the annual Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For®” and a series of Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, Women, Diversity and over a half dozen different industries.Follow Great Place to Work® online at greatplacetowork.com and on Twitter at @GPTW_US.
Media Contact
Todd Stein
Amendola Communications
916.346.4213
[email protected]Posted 10.13.2016 -
Nordic, its employees benefit from Silversmith Capital Partners investment
MADISON, WI – October 13 2016 — Nordic is pleased to announce that it has completed a minority recapitalization with Silversmith Capital Partners and a group of banks led by current lender Square 1 Bank. By successfully raising this growth capital, Nordic reaffirms its position as the nation’s largest independent EHR/IT advisory consulting firm and positions itself as an industry leader well into the future.
The influx of capital will provide Nordic the resources to continue to expand and diversify, both organically and via Nordic’s potential acquisition of other firms, the services it provides to healthcare organizations. Those offerings include advisory, EHR implementation, optimization, affiliate solutions (including mergers and acquisitions), revenue cycle, managed services, data & analytics, and population health.
Another important reason for the recap is to enable investors and nearly 300 of Nordic’s employees to monetize a portion of their holdings as a return on investment for their hard work and commitment to Nordic since its initial recapitalization in 2012. It also allows Nordic to expand its equity participation program to all employees starting in 2017.
“We’re excited to be able to maintain our growth trajectory on our own terms while many of our competitors are being bought and sold,” Nordic CEO Bruce Cerullo said. “It’s extremely important to us that we continue to focus on outstanding service to our consultants and excellent results for our clients as this will allow us to continue to grow without compromising the special culture we’ve created.”
Since its inception, Nordic has produced exceptional growth with three straight appearances on the Inc. 5000, recognizing the fastest-growing privately held companies in the US. In addition, Nordic has been listed on the HCI 100 in each of the past three years as one of the highest-grossing healthcare IT companies in the nation.
Throughout its rapid growth, Nordic’s stellar reputation for quality continues to expand. In 2016, KLAS has recognized Nordic as a top performer in Epic IT Advisory Services, Comprehensive Healthcare IT Advisory Services, and Optimization Services. Such growth and quality has been made possible with Nordic’s unique culture and focus on employees, as evidenced by Nordic’s inclusion on “best places to work” lists compiled by Becker’s Health, Madison Magazine, and Modern Healthcare.
About Nordic
Based in Madison, Wis., Nordic is the nation’s largest independent EHR/IT consulting firm with deep expertise in Epic and other software and a trusted advisor to healthcare systems, connecting strategy through to IT execution. Nordic offers advisory services, implementation, optimization, data & analytics, managed services, population health, and affiliate extension solutions, including mergers and acquisitions. Renowned for excellence, Nordic helps clients improve the health of their patients and businesses while shaping the future of healthcare. In 2016 KLAS recognized Nordic as a top performer in Epic IT Advisory Services, Comprehensive Healthcare IT Advisory Services, and Optimization Services. In 2014 KLAS ranked Nordic the revenue cycle services Category Leader. Nordic has also enjoyed elite KLAS rankings in Epic Staffing and Implementation Support since Nordic’s inception.About Silversmith Capital Partners
Founded in 2015, Silversmith Capital Partners is a Boston-based growth equity firm with $460 million of capital under management. Silversmith’s mission is to partner with and support the best entrepreneurs in growing, profitable technology and healthcare companies. The founders have over four decades of collective investing experience and have served on the boards of numerous successful growth companies including Ability Networks, Accelecare Wound Centers, Dealer.com, Liazon, Liberty Dialysis, MedeAnalytics, MedHOK, National Cardiovascular Partners, Net Health, Passport Health, SurveyMonkey, Wrike and Yapstone. For more information, visit silversmithcapital.com.Additional Resources
Video: Bruce Cerullo discusses the reasons for recapitalization
Image: Bruce Cerullo head shot
Graphic: Nordic’s growth since 2012Posted 10.13.2016 -
Inside CHIME: Got Population Health?
10.13.16 by George Reynolds, MD, MMM, FAAP, CPHIMS, CHCIO
Retired CIO & CMIO, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha, NEThe CHIME-AMDIS Fall Symposium on Population Health is designed specifically to address the needs of CIOs and CMIOs.
How do you build a population health program? Or maybe a better question is, how do you break down silos and create a pop health program from a bunch of disparate work groups that are trying to solve different but related problems? How do you engage patients in meaningful and measurable ways? Does your analytics program meet the needs of your customers? Wait—do you have an analytics program defined by a robust governance program?
If you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, you can safely skip the CHIME-sponsored AMDIS Fall Symposium on Population Health. For the rest of us mere mortals, this may be the most important two days you can invest in your organization’s future and your career.
There is no shortage of pop health conferences; it is one of hottest topics in our little corner of the world. Most of these programs are focused on the needs of the care manager or the rev cycle team, but we know that the care manager and the rev cycle team are looking to the CIO and CMIO to address their problems. Do you have an answer for them? The remarkable faculty of the AMDIS Fall Symposium does. To my knowledge, this is the only program designed to address the needs of CIOs and CMIOs.
Let me be blunt. CMIOs have been signing up for this program for weeks, but CIOs (CHIME’s core constituency) have not. If I didn’t know better, I’d conclude that the CIOs have got the whole “pop health thing” wired. I know better. Pop health (and cybersecurity) are pretty much all CIOs are talking about.
The CHIME-AMDIS Fall Symposium is designed to meet the needs of CIOs and CMIOs working together to build effective pop health programs. The conference follows the CHIME16 Fall CIO Forum. If you’re already planning to attend CHIME’s 25th Anniversary meeting, an extra day will net you some pretty impressive benefits. Take a look at the agenda, you won’t be disappointed.
More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 28:
- Calls for Action on Patient Identification Continue to Grow – Matthew Weinstock
- This Week’s Washington Debrief (10.10.16)
Posted 10.13.2016 -
Inside CHIME: Calls for Action on Patient Identification Continue to Grow
10.13.16 by Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIMEThe problem of inaccurate patient identification continues to gain attention in policy circles and with major research organizations.
Two influential research organizations last month joined the growing chorus of those calling for greater attention to the problem of inaccurate patient identification. In separate reports, the National Academy of Medicine and ECRI Institute’s Patient Safety Organization detailed the risks associated with patient identification errors.
ECRI studied 7,613 wrong-patient events reported by 181 healthcare providers between January 2013 and August 2015. The analysis found that 72 percent of the errors occurred during patient encounters, 12 percent of which took place during the intake process. ECRI’s report takes a pretty deep dive into areas where patient identification errors can occur across the patient experience.
Meanwhile, an expert panel from the National Academy of Medicine took a broader look at how health IT and interoperability can influence care along the continuum. “The need for a national strategy for identification and matching has become more urgent in light of the increasingly digitized state of the US health care system and the substantial increase in demands and policies for accelerating electronic information-sharing,” the panel noted.
While recognizing CHIME’s National Patient ID Challenge, as well as other private sector initiatives aimed at advancing solutions, the panel said that “federal action is needed to facilitate accurate identification and matching of patient data to support widespread information-sharing and interoperability in the United States.” It called on Congress to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to “adopt and promulgate standards for patient identification and matching.”
Keeping on the policy front, CHIME joined 22 other healthcare organizations last week encouraging House appropriators to advance legislative language that could remove barriers inhibiting HHS from engaging with the private sector on patient identification and matching solutions.
Through CHIME’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., and the National Patient ID Challenge, momentum is clearly building for addressing this serious patient safety problem.
More Inside CHIME Volume 1, No. 28:
- Got Population Health? -George Reynolds
- This Week’s Washington Debrief (10.10.16)
Posted 10.13.2016 -
Impact Advisors Announces Winners of Pet Supermodel Contest
These pets are doggone adorable
CHICAGO, IL – October 12, 2016 — Impact Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare information technology services, has announced the official winners of its 6th Annual Pet Supermodel Contest. With nearly 8,000 views and 7,766 votes cast, the competition was “ruff,” but it was a “purr-fect” employee engagement activity. Felines Boots and Tink received the greatest number of votes, earning the title of Impact Advisors’ Pet Supermodels.
The final results are as follows:
- 1st Place – Boots and Tink, owner Carol Wheeler
- 2nd Place – Maisie, owner Glen Lam
- 3rd Place – Shelby, owner Crystal Bruzzese
- Best Bling (best use of Impact Advisors logo gear) – Bear, owner Carol Slone
“At Impact Advisors, we are committed to living our guiding principles, which includes ‘sustaining a fun and positive environment where our Associates thrive.’ Our annual Pet Supermodel Contest is one unique way we have great fun each year,” said Michael Nutter, Vice President at Impact Advisors. “I must say, the contestants were quite ‘fetching’ and after this year’s contest, we are more excited than ever to see what next year brings.”
In its 6th year, the Pet Supermodel Contest is a way for Impact Advisors employees to showcase their pets while engaging with one another in a friendly competition. This annual event is one of the firm’s most popular employee engagement activities of the year.
Known for its unmatched culture of caring, Impact Advisors was recently ranked #3 out of 100 on Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare list. In addition, Impact Advisors has earned a number of other workplace awards including Consulting magazine’s “Best Small Firms to Work For,” Becker’s Healthcare “150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare” and Achiever’s “ 50 Most Engaged Workplaces.”
To view the Pet Supermodel Contest winners, please visit impact-advisors.com/psc2016/.
For more information on Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com or visit the company on Facebook facebook.com/impactadvisors.
About Impact Advisors, LLC
Impact Advisors, a distinguished healthcare information technology consulting firm, improves its clients’ healthcare delivery through technology. As a trusted healthcare leader, the firm helps hospitals and health systems maximize clinical and operational performance with its Best in KLAS® strategic advisory, implementation and optimization services. Since its inception, Impact Advisors has consulted to more than 140 hospitals and health systems nationally and internationally. The firm has earned a number of industry and workplace quality awards including Best in KLAS® for seven consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty and Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit impact-advisors.com.Posted 10.12.2016 -
The Chartis Group Welcomes Three Industry Leaders to Its Informatics and Technology Practice
Further expanding their thought leadership in analytics, interoperability & applied informatics
CHICAGO, IL – October 11, 2016 (PRWEB) — The Chartis Group, a national advisory services firm dedicated to the healthcare industry, is proud to announce the addition of three Principals to its Informatics and Technology (IT) practice leadership team. All are proven industry experts, bringing unrivaled thought leadership and a wealth of experience to hospitals, health systems and physician group practices.
Their areas of expertise are as follows:
Mary Jo Morrison joined the firm in June as a Principal to lead the IT practice’s Analytics and Insights capabilities. Ms. Morrison has more than 25 years of healthcare operations experience and is an industry thought leader in the development of strategic, analytic-driven quality and performance improvement programs. Before joining The Chartis Group, she served as the Vice President of Performance Resources at Allina Health where she led the development and implementation of a system-wide productivity improvement program that realized $5.3 million in savings year one. Ms. Morrison also led the value improvement efforts in Allina’s Pioneer Accountable Care Organization and the clinically integrated network, where she developed and implemented improvement infrastructure in support of these strategic efforts. Ms. Morrison has advised integrated delivery systems, clinically integrated networks, payor organizations and academic medical centers, leveraging analytics and performance improvement to improve quality and decrease costs. She is LEAN certified, a graduate of the IHI Patient Safety Executive Development Program, and a graduate of the Intermountain Advanced Training Program.
Mark Pasquale joined the firm in June as a Principal and will lead the IT practice’s expanding Data Exchange and Interoperability capabilities. Mr. Pasquale brings over 30 years of hospital, physician clinic and health plan executive leadership experience to The Chartis Group. He is well known for leveraging technology investments to drive value and improve patient care. Most recently, he served as President and CEO for one of the nation’s largest health information exchange organizations, Missouri Health Connection. In this role, he led an 18-month comprehensive growth strategy, increasing the number of participating hospitals from three to 78, and the number of medical records exchanged daily from 11,000 to 104,000. Over the course of his career, Mr. Pasquale also served in CIO and Vice President of Information Services roles for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta and Mercy in St. Louis. He has provided strategic analysis, operational management, development, delivery and support of IT solutions to academic medical centers, health information exchanges, health plans, community hospitals, integrated delivery networks and critical access hospitals. Mr. Pasquale is a frequent speaker at industry conferences including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
Robert Schwartz, M.D., M.P.H., joined the firm in August as a Principal in the IT practice and a member of the Chartis Physician Leadership Institute. With over 34 years of healthcare experience, Dr. Schwartz is a triple boarded and accomplished physician and administrator. He has helped design clinical IT governance programs and garnered physician adoption of electronic health records while serving in leadership roles at academic medical centers, integrated delivery networks and community hospitals. He has been recognized by the Society for the Academic Emergency Medicine, Microsoft and the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania for his innovative work. Previously, Dr. Schwartz was Vice President and Medical Director for University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Office of Physician Relations. In this role, Dr. Schwartz designed and operationalized a leading strategy in physician relations that utilized a sophisticated Transition of Care Service Center, digital messaging strategy and customer service principles. This program obtained national recognition for having one of the best physician alignment strategies in the country. Prior to that, he served as the Medical Director of the Clinical Research Center and the Director of the Research Section, Emergency Medicine at Hartford Hospital. Dr. Schwartz is an expert in applied informatics, decision support analysis, order set and clinical documentation design and optimization. He is published in network development, physician relations, data management, quality and clinical messaging.
“We are at a transformative point in healthcare and fortunate to be working side by side with remarkable talent at our clients and within Chartis. Adding Mary Jo, Mark and Robert to our team continues to allow us to deliver on the possibilities within healthcare, pairing leading-edge thinking with hands on experience delivering on advanced technology and operating models. We are excited to provide their knowledge and experiences to our clients to help them achieve their strategic and operational goals for the foreseeable future,” says Daniel S. Herman, Director and leader of the Informatics and Technology practice.
About The Chartis Group
The Chartis Group (Chartis) is a national advisory services firm dedicated to the healthcare industry. Chartis provides strategic and economic planning, value-based care, advanced performance, and informatics and technology consulting services and decision support tools to the country’s leading healthcare providers. Chartis has been privileged to work with over two-thirds of the academic medical centers on the US News and World Report “Honor Roll of Best Hospitals,” seven of the 10 largest integrated health systems, four of the five largest not-for-profit health systems, nine of the top 10 children’s hospitals, emerging and leading accountable care organizations, hundreds of community-based health systems, and leading organizations in healthcare services. The firm is comprised of uniquely experienced senior healthcare professionals and consultants who apply a distinctive knowledge of healthcare economics, markets, clinical models and technology to help clients achieve unequaled results. Chartis has offices in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Needham, New York, Portland and San Francisco. For more information, visit chartis.com.Contact
Amy O’Brien
Principal and Vice President of Strategy and Business Development
The Chartis Group
[email protected]
312.932.3060Terri Sanders
Director of National Marketing
The Chartis Group
[email protected]
312.932.3051Posted 10.11.2016
