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Inside CHIME: New Team Members Poised to Help CHIME Grow
3.16.17 by Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIMECHIME recently added several new team members in its ongoing effort to provide unparalleled service to the membership.
We say it a lot, but it bears repeating: everything CHIME does is for you, the members. From best-in-class education programs and professional development, to networking opportunities and advocacy in Washington, D.C., CHIME staff is focused on supporting members in their mission to transform the nation’s healthcare system.
As CHIME continues to grow both in size – now 2,300-plus members – and program offerings, it’s important that we keep pace with the needs of the membership. So, we are thrilled to announce that CHIME recently added several new staff members to ensure that we are positioned to serve members in the best possible way.
Without further ado, here are your new CHIME team members:
CHIME Chris Werth
Administrative AssistantSpenser Staebler
Specialist, MembershipDana Burke
Specialist, EducationCHIME Foundation AEHIS, AEHIA & AEHIT Rose Lucas
SpecialistArika Lycan
SpecialistZach Donisch
Director, MembershipErin Waggoner
Specialist, FoundationsWe are also excited to announce that Jessica Hadley has been promoted to executive director, Education Foundation and Fundraising.
Don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello to the new team members. We are here to support you and the important work doing to improve care.
More Inside CHIME Volume 2, No. 6:
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- Years of IT Wisdom and Fresh Perspective of a Newcomer – Amy MacDonald
- This Week’s Washington Debrief (3.13.17)
Posted 3.16.2017 -
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GetWellNetwork & Veterans Health Administration Integrate Technology to Transform Care
Interoperability brings Veteran-generated data to VHA’s EHR system & care processes
BETHESDA, MD – March 14, 2017 — GetWellNetwork®, Inc., the leader in Interactive Patient Care™ (IPC) solutions, today announced the completion of interfaces enabling secure data exchange between the company’s IPC platform and VistA/CPRS, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) electronic health record system. GetWellNetwork also integrates with other technology platforms used by the VHA, including Computrition for meal ordering and Vocera for integrated communications.
GetWellNetwork is the first IPC platform to integrate with VistA/CPRS with approval from the US Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Information & Technology. The bidirectional interfaces will facilitate the inclusion of Veteran-generated data – such as health goals, preferences and the completion of prescribed care interventions – in the Veteran’s personal health record. This interoperability also brings value to clinicians, providing meaningful decision support data as well as the ability to prescribe patient-specific education and monitor Veterans’ progress against their goals.
Today, 34 VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and Clinics utilize GetWellNetwork’s inpatient solution to enhance patient-to-caregiver communication and better prepare Veterans to care for themselves following discharge. VAMCs across the country use GetWellNetwork’s patient satisfaction tools to obtain real-time patient feedback for rapid service recovery, and leverage clinically designed Interactive Patient Care Pathways™ to engage Veterans in managing their health. The combination of interoperability and GetWellNetwork tools enables a more efficient and effective care process that advances quality, safety and service outcomes.
“We are honored to support the VA in their commitment to transform care and improve engagement for Veterans throughout their whole health journey,” said David Wright, MPH, senior vice president of Government Services at GetWellNetwork. “Through integration with VistA/CPRS, we look forward to expanding and deepening the impact of IPC for our nation’s Veterans, their families and the clinicians serving and caring for them across the country.”
About GetWellNetwork
GetWellNetwork®, Inc. powers patient experience. Our 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. Our 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.
Media Contact
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
[email protected]
480.664.8412 ext. 15GetWellNetwork, Inc.
7700 Old Georgetown Road, 4th Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814-2500
877.633.8496
[email protected]Posted 3.14.2017 -
Pursuit Healthcare Advisors Makes Another Philanthropic Donation to Increase & Encourage Girls to Pursue STEM Careers
PHILADELPHIA, PA – March 10, 2017 — Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC (Pursuit) announced a donation of $1,000 to AAUW in support of Tech Trek. Tech Trek by AAUW is an experiential summer camp aimed at making the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields accessible and exciting for girls in middle school.
Pursuit made the decision to support the cause of motivating young women to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math after an engaged discussion with several industry leading CIOs at the College of Healthcare Information Executive’s (CHIME) Spring Forum. We led a lively focus group discussion which highlighted a generational gap in healthcare IT, and subsequently explored some creative ideas for closing the gap and becoming leaders for the upcoming generations. Additionally, to strive for a more diverse STEM talent pool in the future.
“As executive advisors in the healthcare industry we know there is a gender gap with women accounting for only 21% of executive and board members of Fortune 500 healthcare firms (Modern Healthcare),” says Cyndi Vely Cahill, Managing Partner of Pursuit. “As an advisory firm providing program and project management as well as interim leadership roles, we have seen the benefit of having a diverse talent pool. We are encouraged by our CHIME discussion and proud to be able to be part of this movement.”
To learn more about Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, click here. To learn more about AAUW, click here.
About The American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and more than 800 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. Learn more and join us at www.aauw.org.About Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC
Pursuit Healthcare Advisors, LLC (Pursuit) is focused on fostering a supportive and educational environment as well as creating opportunities for our employees to make a difference where they work. We are pleased to work with some of the most forward thinking organizations to help data become usable information – and have secure access to that information in a dynamic and mobile delivery. Together we help health enterprises, clinicians, and patients achieve success in this environment thereby improving care delivery, business performance, and health outcomes. It’s simple, at Pursuit, it’s all about Ü. For more information, visit www.pursuithealthcare.com.Posted 3.10.2017 -
Children’s Mercy Kansas City Goes Live With GetWellNetwork for Interactive Patient Care
Phase one focuses on patient education & discharge preparation at Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas; phase two includes expansion to Children’s Mercy Hospital & key integration with Cerner EMR
BETHESDA, MD & KANSAS CITY, MO -March 2, 2017 — GetWellNetwork®, Inc., the leader in Interactive Patient Care™ (IPC) solutions, today announced that Children’s Mercy Kansas City successfully completed phase one of IPC implementation at Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas in Overland Park, Kan. Designed to enhance the pediatric care experience for patients and families, the GetWellNetwork inpatient solution went live in December 2016 and will expand to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., in 2017.
In phase one, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas deployed GetWellNetwork in 50 patient rooms to engage, educate and empower children and parents in the care process. The hospital integrated GetWellNetwork with the admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) application of their Cerner electronic health records (EHR) system to personalize the care experience based on the patient’s name, age and diagnosis. Patients and families engage with educational content and entertainment options through GetWellTown, a fun and interactive user experience.
At go-live, the hospital implemented two Interactive Patient Care Pathways™ focused on education and discharge readiness. First, the Patient Education Pathway ensures patients and families view important education videos at admission prior to accessing other content through GetWellNetwork. In addition, safety tips automatically appear on the TV at 1 p.m. each day. Second, the Discharge Planning Pathway prompts patients and families throughout their stay with a checklist and questions to help them get ready to go home. As a result, patients learn more about their health condition and are better prepared to adhere to their care plan following discharge.
At Children’s Mercy, care for patients and their families is thoroughly integrated with the EHR. In phase two, GetWellNetwork will expand to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., where the evaluation of deeper integration with the EHR is currently underway. With integration between Cerner and GetWellNetwork, care teams can assign personalized educational content for patients and their families and view completion from the EHR. Interfaces between the two systems provide nurses a seamless, uninterrupted work process, promoting both utilization of GetWellNetwork health education and patient and family engagement.
“At Children’s Mercy, we continually seek new ways to fulfill our vision to be an international leader recognized for advancing pediatric health and delivering optimal health outcomes through innovation,” said Janis Smith DNP, RN-BC, senior director of clinical informatics & professional practice, Children’s Mercy Kansas City.
“Giving patients and their caregivers the tools to meet their individualized needs goes a long way to improving clinician-patient partnerships, especially with young patients who may not know how to express themselves or ask for exactly what they need.”
“For more than a century, Children’s Mercy Kansas City has been nationally recognized for delivering high-quality, compassionate pediatric care,” said Karen Drenkard, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, senior vice president and chief clinical and nursing officer at GetWellNetwork. “We are honored they have chosen to partner with us in helping transform children’s lives and redefine pediatric medicine.”
About Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is one of the nation’s top pediatric medical centers. With not-for-profit hospitals in Missouri and Kansas, and numerous specialty clinics in both states, Children’s Mercy provides the highest level of care for children from birth through the age of 21. US News & World Report has repeatedly ranked Children’s Mercy as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals.” For the fourth time in a row, Children’s Mercy has achieved Magnet nursing designation, awarded to fewer than seven percent of all hospitals nationally, for excellence in quality care. Its faculty of more than 700 pediatric subspecialists and researchers across more than 40 subspecialties are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research, and educating the next generation of pediatric subspecialists. Thanks to generous philanthropic and volunteer support, Children’s Mercy provides medical care to every child who passes through its doors, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. For more information about Children’s Mercy and its research, visit childrensmercy.org. For breaking news and videos, follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.About GetWellNetwork
GetWellNetwork, Inc.® powers patient experience. Our 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. Our 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.Media Contact
Marcia Rhodes
Amendola Communications
[email protected]
480.664.8412 ext. 15GetWellNetwork, Inc.
7700 Old Georgetown Road, 4th Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814-2500
877.633.8496
[email protected]Posted 3.2.2017 -
Health Catalyst Donates Technology & Services to Gunnison Valley Hospital to Improve Patient Care Using Data
SALT LAKE CITY & GUNNISON, UT – March 2, 2017 — Gunnison Valley Hospital, a top-rated critical access hospital in Gunnison, UT, and Health Catalyst, a leader in healthcare data warehousing, analytics, and outcomes improvement based in Salt Lake City, UT, are excited to announce their partnership to improve health outcomes for patients in the Sanpete Valley.
The pro bono arrangement reflects the values and mission of both organizations. “Part of our mission is to transform healthcare, and we feel this partnership with Gunnison Valley Hospital gives us a unique opportunity to pursue this mission,” said Dan Burton, CEO of Health Catalyst. “The award-winning team at Gunnison Valley Hospital is dedicated and already delivers excellent outcomes for their patients. Using analytics and the expertise of the Health Catalyst team, we are honored to help the hospital reach new achievements in outcomes improvements.”
“The communities of Central Utah deserve the best care possible,” said Brenda Bartholomew, Chief Nursing Officer at Gunnison Valley Hospital. “We love that we will be able to work with our data in new ways to see exactly what level of care we currently provide and how we can work to improve that care for our community.”
The relationship will start with Labor and Delivery improvement initiatives. According to the CDC, in 2015 the primary Cesarean delivery rate (births to women without a previous Cesarean) accounted for 21.8 percent of all births nationwide. Gunnison Valley Hospital is already well below this national average at 14 percent. Leveraging the partnership with Health Catalyst, the hospital has set the goal to reduce this number even more. Additionally, the hospital has a goal to decrease the composite neonatal complication rate (such as low Apgar scores, low birth weight, etc.).
More outcomes improvement work will follow as these initial goals are accomplished.
About Gunnison Valley Hospital
Gunnison Valley Hospital is a critical-access hospital that provides personalized care and cutting-edge technology, while still preserving its roots in the community. The hospital offers a variety of medical services, including acute inpatient care, surgery, ambulance and emergency medicine, respiratory therapy, laboratory, labor and delivery, physical therapy, advanced diagnostic imaging, home health and hospice care, and visiting specialists. For more information, visit www.gvhospital.org and follow us on FacebookAbout Health Catalyst
Health Catalyst is a next-generation data, analytics, and decision support company committed to being a catalyst for massive, sustained improvements in healthcare outcomes. We are the leaders in a new era of advanced predictive analytics for population health and value-based care with a suite of machine learning-driven solutions, decades of outcomes-improvement expertise, and an unparalleled ability to integrate data from across the healthcare ecosystem. Our proven data warehousing and analytics platform helps improve quality, add efficiency and lower costs in support of more than 85 million patients for organizations ranging from the largest US health system to forward-thinking physician practices. Health Catalyst’s technology and professional services help to keep patients engaged and healthy in their homes and workplaces, and to optimize their care when it becomes necessary. We are grateful to be recognized by Fortune, Gallup, Glassdoor, Modern Healthcare and a host of others as a Best Place to Work in technology and healthcare. Visit www.healthcatalyst.com, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.Media Contact
Todd Stein
Amendola Communications
916.346.4213
[email protected]Posted 3.2.2017 -
Inside CHIME: Spring CIO Forum Focuses on Leading Change
3.2.17 by Matthew Weinstock
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIMEKeynote speakers challenged CHIME members to respond to some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare and to reimagine how the delivery system is structured.
During a night out with college friends in 1990, B.J. Miller climbed on top of a parked commuter train. It seemed harmless at the time, but things quickly turned tragic when 11,000 volts of electricity arched out of some train equipment and into the watch on Miller’s left wrist. Suffering serious burns and other injuries, Miller survived but ended up losing both of legs below the knee and his left forearm.
Not one to be defined by his disability, Miller, now a palliative care doctor at UCSF Medical Center, has become a leading voice for reshaping how the healthcare industry – and society at large – views dying patients.
“We inherit this idea that death is all bad,” Miller told the more than 700 attendees packed into a ballroom at the Spring CIO Forum in Orlando last week. “The way we die is harder than it needs to be; there’s unnecessary suffering.”
Addressing the many failings end-of-life care, Miller noted that “dying patients are still living. That alone can help us figure out how to treat people who are dying. A great moment of alignment is when a doctor says to a patient, ‘I don’t know. Let’s look it up together.’ Let’s make some room for some mystery.”
CIOs have a significant role to play in this movement. Clinicians and caregivers across the continuum need to be able to access patient information – not just health data, but information that helps tell the full patient story. The key is figuring out better ways of sharing information “so we are learning from each other,” Miller said.
Miller wasn’t the only speaker to challenge CHIME members to reimagine how the delivery system can be transformed and, importantly, to think about their role in leading that change. Joel Selanikio, M.D., delivered a sobering analysis of the health IT market, user adoption and the disruptive forces lurking in Silicon Valley and beyond.
Selanikio told a cautionary tale of what happens to companies and industries that fail to adapt to new consumer demands and disruptive innovation. He reminded CHIME members of Nokia’s E61 smartphone, which helped propel the company to $75 billion in revenue in 2006. That was the peak for Nokia. A year later, Apple introduced the iPhone and Nokia’s revenue plummeted, along with such other smartphone manufacturers as Blackberry.
According to Selanikio, three key changes have helped push forward new innovations in technology: improved storage capacity, better connectivity, and increased computing power. At the same time, companies like Apple have ushered in a new era of consumer-centric devices. Providers and technology companies need to adapt, especially as consumerism pushes further into healthcare.
Of course, the more connected healthcare becomes, the higher risk of a hack or breach. Hacker-turned-consultant Kevin Mitnick put on a terrifying display at the CIO Forum of just how easy it is to compromise a computer network. Yet for all of the impressive gadgets and real-time demonstrations that he showed off, perhaps the most important part of Mitnick’s keynote was this: “The human element is the weakest link in cybersecurity.”
He cautioned that hackers will use a variety of tricks to build trust with unsuspecting victims and then deploy various technical tactics to breach a system. He rattled off a few important approaches CIOs can take to manage risk:
- Conduct simulated phishing attacks
- Make sure employees update third party software that’s on their desktop
- Configure incoming and outgoing firewalls correctly
- Segment your networks
The notion that CIOs need to at the forefront driving change in their organizations was a common theme across the keynote speeches. It was also a focal point for CHIME board chair Liz Johnson as she and CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell addressed members to kick off the forum. The pair highlighted a number of initiatives that CHIME is embarking on to help members take on some of these challenges. Johnson discussed the launch of a board-level initiative aimed at improving diversity among health IT leaders. Branzell announced that CHIME, along with the Association for Executives in Health Information Security, is launching a new center to promote best practices in cybersecurity. Look for more details on these programs and others in upcoming issues of Inside CHIME.
More Inside CHIME Volume 2, No. 5:
- As Cyber Risks Grow, Diligence is Key – Lisa Schulte
- This Week’s Washington Debrief (2.27.17)
Posted 3.2.2017 -
Inside CHIME: As Cyber Risks Grow, Diligence is Key
3.2.17 by Lisa Schulte
Vice President, AEHIS, AEHIT & AEHIA Foundations
At cybersecurity forum, CISOs talk about the importance of education, training and aligning organization priorities.
In March 2014, Boston Children’s Hospital was notified about an impending cyberattack by Anonymous. The alert from an external cyber intelligence group set several wheels in motion, including convening the hospital’s incident response team to handle contingency plans, with particular focus on potentially having to go dark and cutting the hospital off from the rest of the internet if necessary.
Daniel Nigrin, M.D., senior vice president and CIO at Boston Children’s, shared his experiences managing the potential attack at last week’s cybersecurity forum jointly organized by HIMSS, CHIME and AEHIS. Nigrin detailed some valuable lessons:
- Countermeasures are critical
- Know which systems depend on internet access and have contingency plans in place
- Recognize how important email is to the organization
- Create alternate methods of communication
- Push through security measures – no excuses, secure teleconferences and make sure you know which
threats are real, and not just noise.
The forum, held at the beginning of HIMSS17, was aimed at sharing critical ideas for improving cybersecurity. Karl West, CISO and assistant vice president of information systems at Intermountain Healthcare, stressed that the demand for access data at any time and from any place has “increased productivity, but, at the same time, has elevated risk.” According to West, the biggest threat comes from employees, contractors and customers. The best defense, he said, is education.
Ronald Mehring, vice president of technology and security at Texas Health Resources, said it is important for organizations to develop an assessment program aligned with the business risk profile and leadership expectations. Penetration testing, an assessment approach where security controls are purposely evaded in order to detect vulnerabilities, is one tool that CISOs can utilize.
Reinforcing Mehring’s point, Mitchell Parker, executive director, information security and compliance, Indiana University Health, said that it is critical to talk with the board of directors and senior management about prioritizing cybersecurity and allocating sufficient resources.
More Inside CHIME Volume 2, No. 5:
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- Spring CIO Forum Focuses on Leading Change – Matthew Weinstock
- This Week’s Washington Debrief (2.27.17)
Posted 3.2.2017