Archive: January 2017

Home » Archives for January 2017 » Page 2

• Next Wave Health Advisors Announces the Addition of Greg Walton as its Newest Advisor

  Walton joins NWHA following his distinguished career as a healthcare leader & visionary

  SCRANTON, PA – January 18, 2017 —Next Wave Health Advisors, LLC (NWHA), a Huntzinger Management Group company, announced today that Greg Walton has joined the firm as its newest advisor.

  Before joining NWHA, Walton served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, Calif. “I am excited to enter the next phase of my professional life as part of Next Wave Health Advisors,” Walton said. “It will be a unique opportunity to collaborate with such a distinguished group of colleagues as we assist healthcare organizations and startups with their information technology challenges.”

  Walton has more than 35 years of health information technology experience. Prior to his tenure at El Camino Hospital, Walton served as Senior Vice President and CIO at Carilion Health System in Roanoke, Va. He has also held provider management positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, CapGemini, and SMS. Greg holds a master’s degree in business administration from Widener University in Chester, Pa., and a bachelor’s degree in social science from the University of Miami, Florida. He’s a fellow of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), as well as the past chair of the HIMSS Board of Directors.

  “Recognized and respected as a visionary thought leader in healthcare information technology, the addition of Greg’s talent and experience further enriches the insight and leadership NWHA presents to our industry,” said William Reed, Executive Vice President and Partner at Huntzinger.

  About Next Wave Health Advisors
  Next Wave Health Advisors, LLC, a Huntzinger Management Group company, are the preeminent leaders in healthcare information technology. Our team of executives played central roles in forming the modern-day HIT landscape over the past several decades, setting the bar in HIT leadership, management, technology, information security, business intelligence and organizational development. For more information, visit www.nextwavehealthadvisors.com.

  Contact
  Huntzinger Management Group
  William Reed, EVP and Partner
  570.824.4721
  [email protected]

  Posted 1.18.2017

• Auxilio has Acquired Healthcare IT Security Solutions Leader, CynergisTek for up to $34.3 Million

  Deal Will Expand CynergisTek Capabilities with Addition of New Services, Tools & Personnel from Redspin, an Auxilio Company

  MISSION VIEJO, CA – January 17, 2017 — Auxilio, Inc. (OTCQB: AUXOD), a leading provider of complete document workflow solutions and IT security services for the healthcare industry, announced today that it acquired Austin, TX based CynergisTek, an industry leader in health information privacy, compliance and cybersecurity consulting, for initial consideration of approximately $26.8 million in combined cash, stock, and seller debt. Additional “earn outs” may be paid of up to $7.5 million over the next five years based on certain financial criteria being met. The acquisition will enable the Company to meet growing demand from healthcare customers for comprehensive IT security solutions that reduce risk and deliver long-term value.

  CynergisTek generated approximately $15 million in revenues and $5.0 million of EBITDA in 2016. The transaction is expected to be substantially accretive to 2017 EPS. CynergisTek will continue to operate independently as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Auxilio, offering end-to-end IT security solutions to a diverse and growing customer base, including some of the largest and most prestigious health systems in the country. As part of the deal, Auxilio’s Redspin division will become part of CynergisTek, to complement existing offerings such as penetration testing, security assessment and risk management solutions, and to bolster technical resources and capabilities. CynergisTek has provided services to hundreds of hospitals and healthcare organizations since its inception in 2004 and was recently recognized by KLAS, a provider of unbiased vendor performance data for the healthcare IT security sector, as the highest-rated firm that healthcare provider organizations rely on for security consulting and services.

  The initial consideration paid to CynergisTek of approximately $26.8 million consists of $15 million in cash, approximately 1.17 million shares of Auxilio common stock and a seller’s note in the amount of $9 million. Auxilio will enter into a 5 year term loan from Avid Bank in the amount of $14 million to fund the cash portion.

  “We have long stated our desire to expand our reach in healthcare IT security and this acquisition puts us in an immediate leadership position in the category. We have come to know the founders and employees of CynergisTek quite well over the last couple of years and from the earliest conversations it was obvious we shared a vision of what the future of healthcare IT security and document workflow looked like and how the two will become increasingly intertwined,” stated Joe Flynn, CEO of Auxilio. “While CynergisTek will continue to operate independently, there are numerous opportunities for mutually assisted growth over the near term and we foresee the ability to offer services under a combined umbrella over time. This is a truly unique fit and we could not be more excited to complete this transaction.”

  CynergisTek founders, Mac McMillan and Dr. Michael Mathews, will take Board positions in the combined entity and assume a significant ownership stake to ensure the continued leadership and integrity of the CynergisTek brand. The companies plan to align their service offerings to provide comprehensive information management solutions designed to mitigate risk, optimize productivity and drive savings for healthcare organizations.

  “With assets from Auxilio, we’ll have what we need to extend our offerings and to keep pace with market demand while simultaneously maintaining the superior level of client support we’ve become known for,” said Mac McMillan, CynergisTek CEO. “Our clients recognize that document and device security are important components of their overall security risk profile and the ability to deliver an integrated approach to managing those aspects of their infrastructure along with the digital pieces we’ve traditionally focused on is something we are laying the foundation for now.”

  For interested parties, a conference call led by Mr. Joe Flynn, CEO of Auxilio, will be held today, Tuesday, January 17^th at 2:00pm PT, 5:00pm ET, where additional details of the transaction will be provided.

  Conference Call Information
  Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2017
  Time: 2:00pm PT, 5:00 pm ET
  US: 1-888-224-1142
  International: 1-913-312-1475
  Conference ID: 9373663
  Webcast: public.viavid.com/index.php?id=122575

  A replay of the call will be available from 8:00pm ET on January 17, 2017 to 11:59 pm ET on April 17, 2017. To access the replay, please dial 1-877-870-5176 from the US and 1-858-384-5517 from outside the US The PIN is 9373663.

  About CynergisTek
  CynergisTek (www.cynergistek.com) is a top-ranked cybersecurity 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, performance and impact on security preparedness.

  About Auxilio
  Auxilio (www.auxilioinc.com) provides complete document workflow solutions and IT security services to healthcare organizations across the United States. Auxilio has helped its clients save more than $80 million since 2004 by providing solutions which lower costs, improve operational efficiency and enhance security. Auxilio’s iPLATFORM, an intelligent workflow automation suite delivers a customer driven, vendor neutral approach to secure patient health information, reduce waste and drive additional savings opportunities. Auxilio serves a national portfolio of nearly 220 hospital campuses and manages over 1.5 billion documents annually from over 90,000 devices supporting over 280,000 caregivers.

  Forward Looking Statements
  This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, regarding the enhancement of shareholder value and the Company’s strategy relating to uplisting to a national exchange. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to read the risk factors set forth in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q, and other filings made with the SEC. Copies of these reports are available from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or without charge from the Company.

  Investor Relations Contact Mike Cole MZ North America 949.259.4988 [email protected]

  Media Contact Chanel Benoit Senior Account Executive Aria Marketing 617.332.9999 x 209 [email protected]

  Posted 1.17.2017

• John Muir Health to Install a Sectra Cloud-Based Archive for Enterprise Imaging

  SHELTON, CT – January 17, 2017 — International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) announces that John Muir Health has purchased an archive to store radiology and cardiology studies in the cloud. All images in the enterprise will be archived in three geographically separate areas with fail-over capabilities. Integration with the Epic EMR will allow physicians to access comprehensive patient records through the Sectra Universal Viewer. John Muir Health serves patients in the San Francisco East Bay at medical centers located in Concord and Walnut Creek as well as outpatient, urgent care, and surgery centers. All facilities utilize Sectra PACS and, in anticipation of the cloud archive, have also installed Sectra’s Cross-Enterprise Workflow solution to share images with other healthcare institutions in Northern California.

  “I’m pleased to be working with Sectra on expanding our image storage in a secure environment. The ability to archive both radiology and cardiology images in the cloud allows our providers to retrieve and share images to better collaborate on and coordinate care for our patients,” says Linda Womack, executive director at John Muir Health.

  Sectra’s complete enterprise imaging offering is modular and supports the most image-intense departments—radiology, pathology, cardiology and orthopaedics. Being built on the same technical platform, customers can easily extend a departmental solution to create a comprehensive VNA and enterprise image management solution without major investments or the replacement of existing components.

  About John Muir Health

  John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of more than 1,000 primary care and specialty physicians and offers a full-range of medical services including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopaedic, cancer, cardiovascular trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information, visit johnmuirhealth.com
  Sectra at HIMSS 2017
  Meet Sectra in Orlando, US, at HIMSS 2017, starting on February 20. Visit them at booth #714 where they will showcase their view of patient-centered care and demonstrate how they enable healthcare providers to consolidate their image handling, while ensuring clinical workflow efficiency, growth management and business continuity. Visit sectra.com/himss.

  About Sectra
  With more than 20 years of innovation and 1,700 installations, Sectra is a leading global provider of imaging IT solutions that support healthcare in achieving patient-centric care. Sectra offers an Enterprise Image Management solution comprising PACS for imaging-intense departments, VNA and Cross Enterprise Workflow solutions. Read more about Sectra and why Sectra PACS is ‘Best in KLAS’, sectra.com.

  Contact
  Andrea Sowitch
  Vice President of Marketing
  Sectra North America
  [email protected]
  203.925.0899 ext 268

  Posted 1.17.2017

• GetWellNetwork All-In-One PLC Used by VA Achieves EPEAT Certification

  BETHESDA, MD – January 17, 2017 — GetWellNetwork®, Inc., the leader in Interactive Patient Care™ (IPC) solutions, announced today that it has achieved silver-level Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certification for their product, the GetWellNetwork All-In-One PatientLife Console (PLC).

  The GetWellNetwork All-In-One PLC is a 19-inch touch-screen device that includes the PC necessary to operate GetWellNetwork’s inpatient IPC solution and also provides television functionality. The All-In-One is positioned at the bedside of VA Medical Center patients for easy navigation of GetWellNetwork and the TV, and a sip-and-puff device can also be connected to enable control for patients with limited mobility, spinal cord injuries or paralysis from the neck down. Sealed for infection control, the All-In-One delivers greater ease of use while also saving space within each patient’s hospital room. GetWellNetwork partnered with Onyx Healthcare to reduce environmental and health impacts and achieve EPEAT certification.

  EPEAT is the definitive trusted source of environmental global product ratings that makes it easy to select high-performance electronics that support organizations’ IT and sustainability goals. Managed by the Green Electronics Council, EPEAT currently tracks more than 4,400 products from more than 60 manufacturers across 43 countries.

  “Government agencies face growing information demands, shrinking budgets, and a federal mandate to reduce energy consumption, increasing demand for solutions that reduce agencies’ costs and environmental footprint,” said David Wright, senior vice president, Government Services, GetWellNetwork. “The EPEAT certification marks another important milestone in GetWellNetwork’s efforts to enhance and expand the services, certifications and capabilities that support and fulfill VA regulations and requirements. It is an important step in our continuing effort to expand the scope and depth of resources to better serve our nation’s veterans through the VA Health System.”

  As head of GetWellNetwork’s Government Services, Wright brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, with 13 years specifically in the field of Interactive Patient Care (IPC). He works closely with VA/DOD leaders to leverage IPC to achieve organizational goals and to transform the care experience for Veterans and Active Duty Military Men and Women.

  GetWellNetwork’s partnership with the VA and DOD spans 35 Medical Centers, including 12 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) across the country, providing IPC solutions including GetWellNetwork Inpatient, GetWellNetwork Ambulatory and GetWellNetwork’s unique Marbella data collection and reporting tool. IPC technology through GetWellNetwork is increasingly used to support many VA strategies and programs, including Whole Health, telehealth and veterans’ access to information, education and personalized health intervention in the ambulatory clinic setting.

  “Government agencies today are required to use EPEAT to acquire environmentally-friendly electronics, as well as ensure that Energy Star features are enabled on computers and monitors,” explained Robin Cavanaugh, senior vice president and chief technology officer, GetWellNetwork. Cavanaugh added: “At GetWellNetwork, sustainability is more than another box on the compliance matrix. We are building environmental efficiencies into product design and overall business strategy to help federal agencies achieve environmental stewardship and cost savings.”

  About GetWellNetwork
  GetWellNetwork, Inc.® powers patient experience. Their solution, The Patient’s Platform, helps leading health care systems create connections with patients in any setting, deliver insights to clinicians in real time, and transform care through an evidence-based model for patient engagement. Their open technology integrates with electronic health record and IT applications to extend the value of existing investments and expand the possibilities of care. With more than 50 million patient interactions per year, we drive performance improvement, positive outcomes and patient loyalty. Learn more at www.getwellnetwork.com.

  Contact
  Marcia Rhodes
  Amendola Communications
  480.664.8412 ext. 15
  [email protected]

  GetWellNetwork, Inc.
  7700 Old Georgetown Road, 4th Floor
  Bethesda, MD 20814-2500
  877.633.8496
  [email protected]

  Posted 1.17.2017

• CHIME Appoints New Board Members

  ANN ARBOR, MI, January 13, 2017 – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) today announced the appointment of Michael Martz to its board of trustees. Martz, vice president and chief information officer of Ohio Valley Health Services & Education, replaces Cindy Peterson, who recently announced her retirement as vice president and CIO of Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Martz’s appointment received unanimous support from the CHIME board; he’ll serve a three-year term.

  Martz has been extremely active in CHIME, especially on the public policy front. He is an active member of the organization’s Policy Steering Committee, providing valuable insights into the real-world implications of legislation and regulations. Martz has also served on committees shaping CHIME’s education and professional development programs.

  “Having served with Michael Martz on the Policy Steering Committee, I’ve seen firsthand how focused and committed he is to making sure that our federal partners understand the many ways in which health IT touches patients’ lives,” said CHIME Board Chair Liz Johnson, MS, FAAN, FCHIME, FHIMSS, CHCIO, RN-BC, chief information officer of acute care hospitals and applied clinical informatics at Tenet Healthcare. “He also a strong advocate for advancing the role of the healthcare CIO.”

  Johnson congratulated Peterson on her retirement and offered praise for her more than 30 years in the industry, noting that she helped craft education programming at CHIME as a member of the CIO Fall Forum planning committee. She also served on the advisory board for the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications, a CHIME affiliate.

  CHIME also announced that Steve Eckert, president and chief operation officer at Divurgent; and Kali Durgampudi, vice president at Nuance Communications; were appointed to the CHIME Foundation Board of Directors.

  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 2,000 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 1.13.2017

• Sectra Announces Breast Imaging PACS Contract with Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital

  SHELTON, CT – January 12, 2017 — International medical imaging IT company Sectra (STO: SECT B) announces that the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, has entered into a multi-year agreement to utilize Sectra PACS for all their breast imaging workflow. This solution was purchased to provide the breast radiologists a comprehensive means to support the full patient pathway from screening to diagnostic exams, with the end goal of improving cancer detection and care. Northwestern Memorial Hospital offers screening mammography and a full range of diagnostic breast imaging services, including 2D and 3D mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, breast biopsies and needle localizations. The Sectra PACS will be integrated with the existing IT infrastructure including the EMR, radiology PACS and VNA.

  About Sectra Breast Imaging PACS
  Sectra PACS features world-leading functionality for efficient mammography screening and diagnostic breast imaging workflows. True vendor-neutral, multi-modality capabilities enable display of breast images from any modality—including digital pathology and breast tomosynthesis—side by side with the mammograms. This provides a complete patient overview for the reading radiologist.

  About Sectra
  With more than 20 years in the business, Sectra develops and sells IT systems and services for radiology, pathology, women’s health and orthopaedics. More than 1,700 hospitals, clinics and imaging centers worldwide use the systems daily, making Sectra one of the world-leading companies for handling digital images. For more information, visit www.sectra.com.

  About Northwestern Medicine
  For more information about Northwestern Medicine, visit news.nm.org/aboutnorthwestern-medicine.html

   

   

  Posted 1.12.2017

• Santa Rosa Consulting Leads Memorial Health System through Full Life-Cycle Migration to MEDITECH 6.15

  Santa Rosa served as Memorial Health System’s primary Project Management & consulting partner for their complex migration from MEDITECH Acute 6.0 to MEDITECH 6.15

  FRANKLIN, TN – January 11, 2017 (PRWEB) — Santa Rosa Consulting, Inc. today announced another highly successful MEDITECH 6.15 migration. Memorial Health System (MHS) in Marietta, Ohio, selected Santa Rosa as their lead migration partner from MEDITECH Acute 6.0 to MEDITECH 6.15. Santa Rosa has emerged as the leading MEDITECH implementation partner for MEDITECH’s 6.15 Ambulatory platform, with the largest and most complex implementation to date completed and 5 additional implementations underway.

  “This ambitious initiative comes to life as we implement MEDITECH 6.15. Physicians and staff alike have joined together with our primary consultants at Santa Rosa, committing hundreds of hours to design, build, test, and validate a comprehensive solution for Memorial Health System” announced David B. Watson, MS, Chief Information Officer at MHS. “We appreciate their dedication to delivering a system that enhances MHS’ ability to provide exceptional patient care.”

  MHS went live successfully on November 1st. As MHS’ primary Project Management and consulting partner for this complex migration, Santa Rosa provided full life-cycle solutions including design, build and testing services, conversion of medical practice management historical data from the ambulatory practices, integration coordination, resource and change management and E2E Activation Services® throughout go-live. Santa Rosa also provided overarching project management over the migration and other niche consulting firms.

  “Santa Rosa offers the depth and breadth of proven, full life-cycle services that is unparalleled in the industry. Integrating our diverse services into a complete, comprehensive MEDITECH solution enabled us to assist MHS from start to finish with this huge migration project,” explains Mark Scruggs, President of Santa Rosa’s InfoPartners division. “This diversity of services coupled with our ‘get it right the first time’ philosophy has led to a 100% success rate in all of our MEDITECH 6.x projects. Simply put, clients who choose Santa Rosa achieve their migration goals no matter the size or complexity of the project. We always go the extra mile to deliver stellar results.”

  About Santa Rosa Consulting
  Santa Rosa Consulting provides management advisory services and technical consulting expertise across the full range of IT vendor products and systems, delivering solutions specifically designed to address the needs of the healthcare market. Founded in 2008, Santa Rosa Consulting is managed by industry veterans with an average of 20 years of healthcare information technology experience. Santa Rosa is recognized for delivering world class services and solutions; and has received Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare award five years in a row (2012-2016). For more information, visit the company’s website or call 866.944.4772.

  Posted 1.11.2017

• Iatric Systems Announces New FlexButtonTM Application to Bring Third-Party Patient Data into the EHR Workflow

  FlexButton streamlines workflow by putting patient data at clinicians’ fingertips

  BOXFORD, MA – January 10, 2017 – To help streamline clinical workflows, Iatric Systems, Inc., today launched FlexButton™, expanding its robust suite of solutions aimed at increasing access to patient data. FlexButton works with an array of EHR systems, alerting clinicians to key patient information in various healthcare IT systems and bringing it into the EHR workflow so clinicians avoid the burden of managing multiple sign-ons and passwords.

  With the recent proliferation of disparate healthcare IT solutions that hospitals and providers depend on daily, Iatric Systems used its more than 25 years of extensive integration experience to create a solution that easily exchanges data between disparate systems without disrupting workflow or increasing data entry. This allows care providers to access the same patient’s information on third-party systems directly from the EHR, making clinician workflows more efficient and allowing clinicians to spend more time with patients.

  With its inherent flexibility, FlexButton delivers vital patient data to providers when and where they need it most. Data is presented through seamless links to patient screens on other systems, pulling data from those systems into the provider’s EHR.

  FlexButton lets clinicians and healthcare organizations streamline care delivery by:

  • Enabling certain actions to trigger pop-ups and alert caregivers to critical patient conditions or information from other solutions, which helps users provide better, timely, and more efficient patient care.
  • Avoiding the need to re-authenticate when accessing third-party solutions from within the EHR system.

  Injecting data and information from third-party vendor systems into the healthcare workflow.

  An early adopter of FlexButton, 222-bed Ephraim McDowell Health, in Danville, Kentucky, quickly reported streamlining clinician access to cross-platform patient data.

  “The ability to see patient data and images for a specific Medical Record Number (MRN) residing in other systems right from our EHR is invaluable to our clinicians for continuation of patient care,” said Becky Blevins, Information Services Project Manager at Ephraim McDowell Health. “FlexButton is saving our clinicians a lot of time because they don’t have to exit the EHR and log in to another system and search for that MRN. We also appreciated Iatric Systems working on a workflow to meet our clinicians’ needs so they can focus on caring for patients.”

  “The number of technologies hospitals and clinicians rely on to streamline workflows and improve care outcomes has exploded, creating data silos. It’s challenging for clinicians to access this data easily, yet it’s critical for patient care,” said Frank Fortner, President of Iatric Systems. “We employed our clinical workflow integration expertise to develop a solution that eliminates these frustrations and allows clinicians to have a plethora of data at their fingertips. The possibilities for leveraging FlexButton are endless, and we are thrilled to already see workflow and clinician satisfaction improvements at Ephraim McDowell. This exciting and nearly immediate success is what we expect to see with other healthcare organizations that adopt FlexButton.”

  FlexButton will be among featured applications at the Iatric Systems exhibit during the HIMSS17 tradeshow in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 19-23 in booth #2715. To schedule a meeting, contact Iatric Systems at [email protected]. For information about the HIMSS17 conference, please visit www.himssconference.org

  About Iatric Systems
  Iatric Systems is a healthcare technology company dedicated to helping healthcare organizations enhance their IT investments. We do so with our diverse healthcare experience, an extensive partner network, and our proven capabilities in patient privacy, analytics, EHR optimization, and interoperability. For more than 25 years, Iatric Systems has delivered solutions to more than 1,300 healthcare organizations. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.iatric.com. Connect with Iatric Systems on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

   

  Contact
  Allison Klingsick
  Jetstream Communications for Iatric Systems
  972.788.9456, ext. 303
  [email protected]

  Posted 1.10.2017

• CTG Expands Health Solutions Leadership Team with New Managing Director, North American Sales

  Hamish Stewart-Smith Hired in Support of Company’s Continued Healthcare Industry Focus

  BUFFALO, NY – January 9, 2017 — CTG, an information technology (IT) services and solutions company, today announced it has appointed Hamish Stewart-Smith as the Managing Director of Sales for the company’s North American healthcare business unit.

  At CTG, Stewart-Smith will apply his extensive sales experience to lead a team of business development client partners and will have responsibility for sales strategy and execution in North America. In his role, he will work with sales, delivery, and marketing leadership to develop collaborative client relationships, broaden CTG market reach, and play a key role in diversifying the company’s capabilities and offerings to help healthcare clients strategically address their business challenges with innovative IT solutions and services.

  “I’m delighted to welcome Hamish to the CTG team,” said CTG Health Solutions Vice President, Angela Rivera. “This is a strategic hire for us as we accelerate expansion of our services and solutions and look to expand our client base. Hamish’s consulting expertise, management talents, and his significant healthcare industry experience will serve CTG and our clients well. I look forward to working with Hamish to grow CTG’s healthcare business.”

  Stewart-Smith is a healthcare IT industry veteran with more than two decades of experience leading teams in healthcare organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and the United States military. Prior to joining CTG, he was Director of Sales, Eastern Region, at Encore Health Resources, a Partner at Greencastle Associates Consulting, and served in the United States Air Force for eleven years.

  “I’m very excited to be a part of CTG and look forward to working with teams across the organization to ensure client satisfaction, develop new client relationships, drive innovative service-offerings to meet the needs of today’s dynamic healthcare market, and achieve the company’s revenue and profit objectives,” said Stewart-Smith.

  A photo of Hamish is available upon request.

  About CTG
  CTG provides industry-specific IT services and solutions that address the business needs and challenges of clients in high-growth industries in North America and Western Europe. CTG also provides strategic staffing services for major technology companies and large corporations. Backed by 50 years of experience and proprietary methodologies, CTG has a proven track record of reliably delivering highvalue, industry-specific staffing services and solutions to its clients. The company’s North American Health Solutions business unit is dedicated to helping healthcare provider, payer, life science, and related organizations achieve their clinical and financial goals through effective technology and business solutions. For more than 25 years, CTG has provided reliable healthcare IT, operational, and strategic consulting support to more than 700 clients in North America and Western Europe. CTG has operations in North America, Western Europe, and India. The company regularly posts news and other important information online at ctg.com.

  Contact
  Amanda LeBlanc
  Vice President, Marketing
  [email protected]
  225.772.8865

  Posted 1.9.2017

• Pamela Arora Named John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year

  

  ANN ARBOR, MI and CHICAGO, January 9, 2017 — Pamela Arora’s goal is simple: ensure that clinicians at Children’s Health have the resources and information they need to provide the best care possible for patients. In an era of tremendous upheaval and budgetary constraints, fulfilling that pledge can test even the most sophisticated organizations. Yet through an ambitious telemedicine program, an unwavering commitment to information exchange and willingness to help small provider organizations, Arora has helped the Dallas-based health system break down barriers to care.

  In recognition of her commitment to transform healthcare, Arora, senior vice president and CIO of Children’s Health, has been named the 2016 John E. Gall, Jr. CIO of the Year. The award, sponsored by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and HIMSS, recognizes healthcare IT executives who have made significant contributions to their organization and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. The boards of directors for both organizations annually select the recipient of the award, which is named in honor of the late John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical information system in the world at California’s El Camino Hospital in the 1960s. Arora will receive the award Feb. 21, 2017, at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Orlando.

  “Each of us has a personal story that involves healthcare,” Arora said. “Whether we are the patient, or one of our loved ones is the patient, we want our physicians and clinicians to have every resource to ensure they can deliver the best possible care. This recognition reaffirms that, though technology may not always be visible, the work we are doing is making a difference in the lives of patients — in our case, we’re delivering on our mission of making life better for children”

  Under her leadership, Children’s Health has bolstered information sharing by hosting electronic medical records for physician practices and other providers. The health system also forged strong partnerships with regional health information exchange programs. Through a 2013 pilot with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Children’s Health became one of the first health systems in the nation to give parents untethered access to their children’s health information. The innovations don’t stop with information exchange. Extending care beyond the hospital walls, an ever-expanding telemedicine program enables nurses at nearly 100 schools to conduct virtual consultations with hospital-based clinicians. All of these initiatives give care teams a better glimpse into the health status of their patients and improves care across the continuum.

  “IT has been able to provide the tools and infrastructure necessary to support our organization’s reach outside of our walls,” Arora said. “Because our team members and clinicians are eager adopters of technology, we are typically able to gain buy in for technology initiatives that will allow our providers to care for patients in new and innovative ways.”

  As healthcare organizations improve information sharing though, new vulnerabilities arise. Cyber criminals are increasingly targeting healthcare with sophisticated attacks. Recognizing that smaller provider settings don’t always have the resources to bolster their security systems, Children’s Health has championed a HITRUST program called CyberAid that enables small practices to find cost-effective cybersecurity solutions.

  “Pamela Arora continues to push the envelope of what it means to be a CIO,” said Russell Branzell, CHIME president and CEO. “Time and time again, she shows how we can use health IT to not only support an organization’s overall strategy, but truly transform patient care across the entire continuum.”

  Beyond her passion for improving care in the Dallas area, Arora has demonstrated a tremendous commitment to advancing the role of the CIO and other health IT leaders. She’s served on both the CHIME and HITRUST board of trustees. She also represented CHIME and HIMSS on the international front, working to build partnerships and share best practices across the globe. Arora has been honored with a number of awards, including propelling Children’s Health to Stage 7 of HIMSS Analytics’ Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model^SM, the highest level of achievement on that scale.

  “Pamela Arora understands and advances the strategic connection between quality patient care and the best use of IT. As a HIMSS member for 13 years, her leadership and vision have made a positive difference in the work she does at Children’s Health and in her overall dedication to improving health and healthcare for the patients she serves,” said H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS president and CEO.

  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 2,000 CIO members and over 150 healthcare IT vendors and professional services firms, CHIME provides a highly interactive, trusted environment enabling senior professional and industry leaders to collaborate; exchange best practices; address professional development needs; and advocate the effective use of information management to improve the health and healthcare in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.

  About HIMSS
  HIMSS is a global voice, advisor, convener, and thought leader of health transformation through the best use of IT with a unique breadth and depth of expertise and capabilities to improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health and healthcare. Through its network of over 1 million professionals, including 64,000-plus members, HIMSS advises leaders, stakeholders and influencers globally on IT best practices to ensure decision-makers have the right information at the right time to make the right decisions.  HIMSS North America, HIMSS Analytics, Personal Connected Health Alliance, HIMSS Media and HIMSS International (HIMSS Europe, HIMSS Asia and HIMSS Middle East) are the five business units of HIMSS.  A not-for-profit headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, HIMSS has additional offices in North America, Europe, United Kingdom, and Asia.

  Contact:

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

  Joyce Lofstrom, APR Senior Director, Corporate Communications, HIMSS 312.915.9237 [email protected]

  Posted 1.9.2017

• Vancouver Island Health Authority Selects the Vocera Communication Platform to Improve Clinical Workflow Efficiency

  Research shows Vocera smartphone application improves physician satisfaction & response time

  SAN JOSE, CA – January 5, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE:VCRA), the leading healthcare communications company, today announced that Vancouver Island Health Authority (Island Health) selected the Vocera Communication Platform for secure text messaging, voice communication and alerts. Island Health chose the Vocera smartphone solution after collaborative research conducted by the Pharmacy Department and the Information Technology Department showed the mobile application reduced interruptions to patient care and significantly improved clinical communication, workflow and physician response time.

  The three month study involved 161 hospitalists, obstetricians, intensivists, pharmacists and switchboard operators from three Canadian hospitals in Victoria and Campbell River in British Columbia. Participants sent and received messages and alerts using the Vocera secure app on their smartphone, instead of sending and receiving information through traditional paging. Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses and ICU clerks used the application via a web console on their computer. During the pilot, 3,808 alerts and 5,691 secure text messages were sent and received with the Vocera solution.

  “The primary outcome was the difference in response times before and after implementing the Vocera smartphone solution,” said Dr. Sean Spina, pharmacy clinical coordinator, “Our study showed that physicians responded faster when using the secure texting app compared to traditional pagers. Physicians also found the app reduced interruptions to patient care. It also enabled them to prioritize calls, messages, texts and alerts faster and easier using one device.”

  With more than 18,000 staff members providing healthcare and support services to the people in the Island Health region, effective care team collaboration is essential to delivering excellent patient care. Prior to piloting the Vocera mobile solution, clinicians received traditional pages with only a call-back number. There was no context about patient events or urgency of pages. By using the smartphone app, clinicians sent and received secure contextual information that enabled them to triage alerts and respond with the right information instantly. The active directory within the application also made it easier for clinicians to connect by simply selecting the name or role of their colleague on a patient case.

  Research showed that when the Vocera solution was used for routine alerts, the average physician response time improved from 5.5 minutes to 3 minutes. In addition, the number of physicians reporting interruptions in patient care fell from 77 to 32 percent. Many physicians and pharmacists reported that the Vocera smartphone application improved the timeliness and safety of patient care. Proven results and favorable responses by care teams helped drive the pilot program to an enterprise communication strategy.

  “The healthcare ecosystem is complex, and with so many factors in play, predicting how new innovations will impact quality, provider experience and, ultimately, health outcomes can be challenging. Clinical health technology research like that conducted by Dr. Spina and his team provides an objective evidence-base for decision making that’s grounded in real-world clinical practice. That is invaluable for cutting through the hype and helping ensure our technology investments deliver the intended benefits for patients, providers and the system overall,” said Graham Payette, corporate director of enterprise architecture and quality engineering at Island Health.

  “Island Health is an innovative healthcare system clearly dedicated to delivering the best possible care to their patients and empowering care teams with the right technology to make their jobs and the healthcare experience better,” said Brent Lang president and CEO of Vocera. “I’m impressed by how Island Health put science behind their technology decision. The research underscores the significant impact that the Vocera Communication Platform has on care team collaboration, workflow efficiency, and patient care delivery.”

  Island Health marks a growing list of hospitals in Canada to select Vocera in 2016 for improving clinical communication and care team collaboration. Niagara Health System, Providence Care, Toronto Grace Health Centre, Saskatoon Children’s Hospital, Saskatchewan Hospital and Selkirk Hospital are among the other Canadian healthcare facilities that chose Vocera for hands-free communication, secure text messaging, and clinical integrations. Implementations at these organizations are underway or set to start in early 2017.

   

  About Vocera
  Vocera Communications, Inc. offers the most robust clinical communications system in healthcare. 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 physiologic 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 led by President and CEO Brent Lang and is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in San Francisco, Tennessee, Indiana, Canada, India, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Robert J. Zollars is the Chairman of the Board. For more information, visit www.vocera.com and @VoceraComm on Twitter.

  The Vocera logo is a trademark of Vocera Communications, Inc. Vocera® is a trademark of Vocera Communications, Inc. registered in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks appearing in this release are the property of their respective owners.

  Source: Vocera Communications, Inc.

   
  Contacts

  Investors and Analysts Sue Dooley Vocera 408.882.5971 [email protected]

  Media Tara Stultz Amendola Communications 440.225.9595 [email protected]

  Posted 1.5.2017

• New CHIME Board Chair is Passionate About Transforming Care

  ANN ARBOR, MI, January 5, 2017 — Sitting in a busy and chaotic emergency department when she was about 10-years-old, Liz Johnson watched in awe as nurses, physicians and other hospital staff rushed around to treat victims of a plane crash. Johnson, who was there to get an infected cut treated, was mesmerized.

  “It was very graphic, but I remember making up my mind at that point that I wanted to be like the doctors and nurses who were such a significant part of the scene.,” said Johnson, MS, FAAN, FCHIME, FHIMSS, CHCIO, RN-BC, chief information officer of acute care hospitals and applied clinical informatics at Tenet Healthcare. “In spite of all the scurrying, the disorganization and the chaos, nurses and doctors were making a difference. They were helping these significantly injured people.”

  Whether it was caring for patients at the bedside or ensuring that technology systems aid clinicians in providing better care, Johnson has spent more than three decades working to fulfill those early ambitions. She is certain to bring that same commitment and passion for improving patient care to her tenure as 2017 chair of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives board of trustees.

  Johnson noted that in 2017, CHIME is expected to announce the winner of its National Patient ID Challenge – a $1 million crowd-sourcing competition aimed at finding a national solution for ensuring that patients are correctly identified.

  “We have long known as leaders in the healthcare industry that the inability to identify patients with confidence across multiple venues of care and data exchange leads to medical errors, unnecessary use of healthcare resources and less than the outcomes our patients should expect,” she said. “Providing a viable solution for identifying patients will provide our members and nation the first giant step toward resolution of this issue.”

  With a new administration and Congress coming into power, Johnson said that CHIME is well positioned to help policymakers understand the powerful role that information technology plays in improving care delivery. She said that CHIME and its members must articulate the need for policies that advance rather than hinder such key issues as interoperability and cybersecurity. Johnson has long been active in public policy matters, including serving on CHIME’s policy steering committee and the federal Health Information Technology Standards Committee.

  From a professional development standpoint, Johnson said CHIME will spend time in 2017 building out programs that seek to improve mentoring and diversity across the health IT sector.

  “Many of our members are well respected, seasoned professionals who have extraordinary wisdom to impart to their colleagues earlier on their CIO journeys,” she said. “CHIME also recognizes that the diversity of our membership, as well as our emerging leaders, provides opportunities to offer forums to promote diversity and offer networking opportunities to benefit all.

  Johnson’s term as CHIME board chair runs from January 1 to December 31, 2017.

   

  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 2,000 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 1.5.2017