• emids Announces Investment from New Mountain Capital

    Leading Investment Firm Well-Positioned to Help Healthcare Digital Solutions Provider Achieve Next Level of Growth

    NASHVILLE, TN — September 26, 2019 — emids, a leader in digital engineering and transformation solutions to the healthcare industry, today announced it has partnered with New Mountain Capital, a leading growth-oriented investment firm with over $20 billion in assets under management. As part of the transaction, emids management and other select stakeholders will remain invested in the Company, while current investors Baird Capital and Council Capital are exiting. The investment by New Mountain sets the stage for the continued accelerating growth of emids as the healthcare industry’s preferred partner for digital transformation.

    Founded in 1999, and headquartered in Nashville, TN, emids partners with health technology companies, payers, providers, and life science firms to accelerate the adoption of next-generation digital technologies and manage an increasingly complex data ecosystem to drive high quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare. The Company provides digital transformation, clinical data engineering, custom software development, data analytics and integration, and strategic advisory consulting services nationwide.

    “Healthcare, as an industry, is just beginning to tap the true potential of data and advanced technology to improve the care lifecycle experience, and we are thrilled to have such a successful and like-minded investor as New Mountain join us on this next stage of our journey,” said emids founder and CEO Saurabh Sinha. “Baird Capital and Council Capital have been fantastic partners, and we look forward to continuing to build and make growth investments in talent, scale, and intellectual property.”

    “emids is a true leader in digital transformation, clinical data engineering, and data analytics to the healthcare sector,” said Matt Holt, Managing Director and Deputy Head of Private Equity at New Mountain Capital. “This partnership is the result of our continued efforts to identify and back innovative platforms that enable healthcare stakeholders to meet the rapidly changing needs of a digital world.”

    “We are thrilled to be partnering with Saurabh and the emids management team,” said Jack Qian, Managing Director at New Mountain. “We look forward to supporting the Company’s continued growth by identifying both organic and inorganic initiatives to help the Company realize its full potential.”

    Baird Capital Partner Jim Pavlik complimented emids’ unrelenting focus on customer service and quality during its rapid expansion: “We’ve witnessed the emids commitment to keep its customers front and center. It’s a differentiator and key ingredient in their success.”

    “We’re pleased to have been able to successfully leverage the Council Model to partner with the emids management team with our deep bench of industry and functional experts, as well as facilitate new customer relationships,” said Council Capital Managing Partner Grant Jackson. “We wish Saurabh and his team much continued success in this next phase of their growth.”

    Credit Suisse served as exclusive financial advisor and DLA Piper LLP as legal counsel to emids in this transaction. Ropes & Gray LLP provided legal counsel to New Mountain.

    About emids

    emids is a specialist provider of digital solutions and services to the healthcare industry, serving payers, providers, life sciences, and technology firms. Headquartered in Nashville, emids helps bridge critical gaps in providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare by providing digital transformation services, custom application development and testing, data engineering, business intelligence solutions, and specialized consulting services to all parts of the healthcare ecosystem. With over 1,800 professionals globally, emids leverages strong domain expertise in healthcare-specific platforms, regulations, and standards to provide tailored, cutting-edge solutions and services to its clients. For more information, visit www.emids.com.

    About New Mountain Capital

    New Mountain Capital is a New York-based investment firm that emphasizes business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation. The firm currently manages private equity, public equity, and credit funds with over $20 billion in assets under management. New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies. For more information on New Mountain Capital, please visit www.newmountaincapital.com.

    About Credit Suisse

    Credit Suisse AG is one of the world’s leading financial services providers and is part of the Credit Suisse group of companies (referred to here as ‘Credit Suisse’). Our strategy builds on Credit Suisse’s core strengths: its position as a leading wealth manager, its specialist investment banking capabilities and its strong presence in our home market of Switzerland. We seek to follow a balanced approach to wealth management, aiming to capitalize on both the large pool of wealth within mature markets as well as the significant growth in wealth in Asia Pacific and other emerging markets, while also serving key developed markets with an emphasis on Switzerland. Credit Suisse employs approximately 46‘200 people. The registered shares (CSGN) of Credit Suisse AG’s parent company, Credit Suisse Group AG, are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at https://www.credit-suisse.com/us/en.html.

    Contacts

    Libby Werner | 615-550-9908 | [email protected]

    Posted 9.26.2019

  • CHIME Awards 2019 Federal Public Policy CIO Leadership Title to Theresa Meadows

    ANN ARBOR, MI, Sept. 26, 2019 – Theresa Meadows, senior vice president and CIO at Cook Children’s Health Care System and co-chair of an influential federal cybersecurity task force, was named winner of the 2019 Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) announced today. The award is given annually to a CHIME member who has demonstrated leadership in educating Congress and administration officials at the federal level about the value of health IT and its role in patient care.
     
    Meadows is a former CHIME Board of Trustees member, co-chair of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthcare Cybersecurity Task Force, vice chair of the Health Sector Council Cybersecurity Working Group and a member of the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Overseers. Under her leadership, the task force researched and made recommendations for improving the healthcare sector’s cybersecurity, which were then published in a 2017 report. As vice chair of the working group, she is leading efforts to provide resources that allow organizations to carry out those recommendations.
     
    “Theresa’s work in public policy is having a deep impact on health and care in our country,” said Russell Branzell, CHIME’s president and CEO. “Cybersecurity is a growing concern, with hospitals and health systems increasingly under attack. The work Theresa and her teams have done in Washington to help all organizations – from small, rural and under resourced providers to multistate networks – means we are all stronger, safer and better able to protect patients from these persistent threats.”
     
    “It is a privilege to work with so many talented and dedicated people, both through the federal groups and through CHIME,” Meadows said. “I am honored that my colleagues have selected me for this award, and that CHIME places so much value in our public policy efforts.” 
     
    Meadows is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in healthcare informatics. She leads a team of more than 350 employees who support infrastructure, applications, telecommunications and project management at the Fort Worth-based Cook Children’s Health Care System. Under her leadership, Cook Children’s has received numerous awards, including a 2019 CHIME HealthCare’s Most Wired Performance Excellence Award. She has made the list of “Most Powerful Women in Health IT” from 2016 through 2019. She is also a CHIME fellow, an alumni and faculty member of the CHIME Healthcare CIO Boot Camp™, a faculty member of the newly launched CHIME AEHIS CISO Boot Camp and a Certified Healthcare CIO (CHCIO).
     
    The 2019 Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership is announced in conjunction with National Health IT Week and will be presented during the 2019 CHIME Fall CIO Forum, which will take place Nov. 3-6 in Phoenix.
     
    About CHIME
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 2,900 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners 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 care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.
     
    Contact
    Candace Stuart
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
    734.665.0000
    Posted 9.26.2019

  • Statement from CHIME CEO in Response to Introduction of National Patient Identifier Repeal Act

    ANN ARBOR, MI, Sept. 25, 2019 – Below is a statement from College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) President and CEO Russ Branzell in response to the introduction of the National Patient Identifier Repeal Act of 2019 by Sen. Rand Paul.
     
    “The patient identification conversation is one about saving lives and unlocking the potential for technology to revolutionize healthcare while cutting costs.
     
    Even in the paper era, Congress recognized the criticality of identifying patients with the passage of HIPAA. They acknowledged that maintaining the privacy and security of health data is of the utmost importance, but that the data needs to be portable to aid in the provision of care.
     
    Congress continued this commitment through the investment of nearly $40 billion into the adoption and utilization of electronic health records. In the 21st Century Cures Act, the bipartisan expectation for nationwide interoperability was clearly laid out as they recognized the power of data to save lives.
     
    Moreover, Congress has approved a healthcare identifier for Medicare beneficiaries that goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
     
    Sen. Paul’s arguments are tired and lack a grasp of current reality. They are, to put it mildly, antiquated and from some bygone era. He tried a similar effort during a recent HELP Committee markup, but his ill-fated amendment was met with a resounding defeat by members of even his own party.
     
    Our patients deserve better and it is the time to do the right thing. No more excuses.
     
    About CHIME
     
    The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is an executive organization dedicated to serving chief information officers (CIOs), chief medical information officers (CMIOs), chief nursing information officers (CNIOs), chief innovation officers (CIOs), chief digital officers (CDOs) and other senior healthcare IT leaders. With more than 2,900 members in 56 countries and over 150 healthcare IT business partners 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 care in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit chimecentral.org.
     
    Contact
    Candace Stuart
    Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
    734.665.0000
    Posted 9.26.2019

  • AMP: Access for More Patients™ Transforms Patient Access to Specialty Medications

    Technology-driven patient support solution cuts time to therapy by 27 percent and supports ongoing adherence to medication regimens

    IRVING, TX — September 25, 2019 — RxCrossroads by McKesson and CoverMyMeds today announced the launch of AMP: Access for More PatientsTM, a first-in-class, technology-driven patient support solution that transforms how patients access, afford and adhere to their medications. Designed to automate access to specialty medications for physicians and patients, this collaboration brings together the robust technology platform and established provider network of CoverMyMeds with the deep specialty experience and commercialization expertise of RxCrossroads by McKesson.

    Innovative therapies designed to treat complex and chronic specialty diseases continue to reach the market¹, growing from fewer than 30 specialty medications approved by the FDA in the early 1990s to more than 400 today²,³.  The traditional hub model that helps enroll an average of one in five patients into specialty medication access programs has complex requirements and time-consuming manual processes, which, on average, delay treatment by up to eight weeks4.

    Fundamentally changing the way patient support is provided, the proprietary AMP solution enables four out of five patients across the United States to access their specialty medications 27 percent faster than traditional hub programs.5 By integrating directly into the physician workflow, AMP enables patients to enroll into biopharma-sponsored patient support programs at the point of prescribing, in real-time before the patient leaves the provider’s office. Results published today in an AMP case study found AMP’s ability to capture patient consent in the provider’s office also helped increase patient enrollment completion by 92 percent.5

    “Our goal is to be the new starting point for specialty medication access utilizing the industry’s most trusted network, allowing us to positively impact patients from the time the prescription is written and throughout their treatment journey,” said Erica Conroy, VP of Specialty, CoverMyMeds. “As part of this innovative solution, we are bringing biopharma-sponsored hub services into the physician workflow for visibility at a patient case level from diagnosis and therapy initiation to ongoing adherence support.”

    AMP also provides high-touch services for patient cases that need intervention support beyond the automated technology platform, such as proactive clinical support, behavioral coaching and financial assistance. These patient-centric programs improve adherence to medication regimens by an average of 10 percent6, helping to support better outcomes for patients. AMP also helps patients manage reimbursement issues, incomplete benefits information, payment denials and appeals, and other exceptions to enable optimal access to medications.  

    “Biopharma companies provide a broad range of access and adherence services to help patients overcome financial obstacles and remain on therapy. However, one in five patients aren’t aware of these services or know that help is available,” said Meagan Sampogna, VP of Business Transformation, RxCrossroads by McKesson. “AMP enables the opportunity to reach four out of five patients with efficient technology-driven processes and human intervention to drive greater patient adherence and outcomes⁶.”

    The AMP case study will be highlighted at CBI’s 13th Hub and SPP Model Optimization in San Diego. Attendees of the conference are invited to attend Erica Conroy’s and Meagan Sampogna’s presentation, “Streamlining Patient Access Through Adaptable Technology: Next Generation in Hub Services,” at 4:35 p.m. PT on September 26 to learn more about AMP.

    1. FAQs from Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
    2. The Evolution of Specialty Pharmacy
    3. Trends in FDA Approval of Specialty Drugs 1990 through 2017, RJ Health
    4. The Impact of Disease-Modifying Therapy Access Barriers on People with Multiple Sclerosis: Mixed-Methods Study, Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2018
    5. AMP Case Study, 2019
    6. RxCrossroads by McKesson data, 2018

    About RxCrossroads by McKesson

    RxCrossroads by McKesson creates flexible, connected solutions for life sciences companies. Its solutions focus on increasing access, adherence, and safe use conditions, seamlessly connecting patients to their therapies, and enabling them to thrive at every step in their care journey. Through expert teams, deep market insights and innovative technology, RxCrossroads by McKesson designs forward-thinking solutions that optimize the patient experience and positions its customers for success in every phase of the product life cycle. As part of McKesson Life Sciences, a business within McKesson Corporation, RxCrossroads by McKesson harnesses unparalleled reach and connectivity across the healthcare system to connect the dots between payers, providers and biopharma, so together, they can deliver better care and outcomes for every patient.

    About CoverMyMeds

    CoverMyMeds, part of McKesson Prescription Technology Solutions, is one of the fastest growing health care technology companies in the U.S. and consistently recognized as one of the best places to work in the country. CoverMyMeds’ solutions help patients get the medications they need to be healthy by seamlessly connecting the health care network to improve medication access; thereby increasing speed to therapy and reducing prescription abandonment. CoverMyMeds’ network includes more than 500 electronic health record systems (EHRs), 60,000 pharmacies, 700,000 providers and most health plans and PBMs. By facilitating appropriate access to medications, the company can help its customers avoid billions of dollars each year in administrative waste and avoidable medical spending caused by prescription abandonment. Visit www.covermymeds.com for more information.

    Contacts
    RxCrossroads by McKesson
    Claire Crye, Public Relations
    281.825.9927 [email protected]

    CoverMyMeds
    Angela Masciarelli, Public Relations
    614.360.1735 [email protected]

    Posted 9.25.2019

  • HL7 FHIR Survey

    We are requesting your input to help shape our public policy efforts in Washington, D.C.
     
    Hospitals and clinicians are required to make available patient data via application programming interfaces (APIs). According to a proposed rule published in March, HL7’s Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) will be the required API. Specifically, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has proposed requiring various FHIR releases; however, many in the industry (including CHIME) are supporting Release 4, the American National Standard Institute’s approved standard, as many in the industry believe Release 4 will better support interoperability. This proposal builds on existing requirements that you deploy APIs as part of your 2015 Certification, a requirement that became effective this year.
     
    For a more comprehensive list of efforts underway by both the federal government and industry to implement the HL7 FHIR standard, go here.
     
    Given the growing use of FHIR and the fact that ONC has proposed this as a standard for use in deploying APIs under Medicare rules, we are seeking your feedback to:
     
    1. Better understand our members’ knowledge and experience with FHIR so that we can help inform the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rulemaking; and
    2. Share information on where policymaking and the industry are headed with HL7.
     
    Respondents of the survey will be entered into winning:
    • FHIR hands-on tutorial prior to an HL7 work group meeting
    • A seat at a FHIR connectathon (which takes place the Saturday and Sunday before a work group meeting)
    Please log in as a member to take the survey.

    Posted 9.25.2019

  • CHIME Statement on Hill Oversight of ONC Interoperability Rule

    The 21st Century Cures Act absolutely will help spur better interoperability across healthcare and the administration is taking seriously their task to further this with the proposed interoperability rules released earlier this year. The Office of the National Coordinator’s (ONC) rule makes several improvements to the way certified products work, requirements for electronic health record (EHR) vendors that make providers more informed consumers and puts a spotlight on connecting patients to their records. Today we call on Congressional leaders to help ensure that the administration properly acts on their well-intended policies. We need interoperability, clinicians need it and patients deserve it.
     
    However, many of the proposed policies in information blocking are very complex, confusing and in fact seem to pit the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) against new information blocking policies, creating a chaotic state in which providers will have to function. ONC has attempted to thread the needle with a series of exceptions to inoculate providers and others from invoking data blocking violations and penalties. Unfortunately, the complexity associated with deciphering this is beyond most providers’ reach and will require substantial legal assistance to navigate. In addition, there is significant confusion around the definition of “electronic health information” or EHI, which forms the basis for much of the policies in the rule. Both issues must be clarified so that providers understand what data they must share. As information blocking policies are rolled out and providers are in a learning mode, there must be ample time to master them before any penalties are levied.
     
    Finally, given the amount of patient information that is at stake and the explosion of third-party apps, we owe it to patients to ensure that their data is shared in a manner that protects their privacy and that security is built in on the front end, not the back end. Patients have every right to access their health information in a timely manner, but they also need to be informed about how third parties plan on reusing or selling this information.
     
    We still have a chance to get these policies right. We are eager to work with the administration and Congress to carry out the intent of Cures while creating reasonable and clear requirements for providers that put patients at the center.
     
    A link to a letter to the Senate is available here and to the House here.
    Posted 9.23.2019

  • Clearwater Partners with NSA Centers of Academic Excellence To Advance Cyber Defense Education

    Company’s IRM|Pro Software Prepares Students to Meet Healthcare Industry’s Need for Professionals Skilled in Enterprise Cyber Risk Management

    NASHVILLE, TN – August 22, 2019 – Clearwater, the leading provider of cyber risk management and HIPAA compliance solutions, is addressing the nation’s widening cybersecurity talent gap head on, partnering with three of the nation’s leading Information Security and Intelligence programs to help train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

    Healthcare is the primary target for cyber attacks, yet a big challenge is sourcing the talent to fight the onslaught. With more than 300,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs— a number expected to rise to 1.8 million by 2022—Clearwater is collaborating with Kennesaw State University, Ferris State University and, most recently, The University of Texas at Austin, to design and deliver programs that provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to protect our information infrastructure.

    The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security have designated Kennesaw State and Ferris State as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education. Both universities include Clearwater’s IRM|Pro® Enterprise Cyber Risk Management Software (ECRMS) in their curricula and offer postgraduate and bachelor’s degrees as well as certificates within their cyber programs.

    “For a degree that prepares students to protect the most critical assets in an organization, it is important that we arm them with critical thinking and problem-solving skills,” said Mike Whitman, Executive Director, Institute for Cybersecurity Workforce Development at Kennesaw State. “Extensive instruction coupled with the tools provided by Clearwater are preparing the next generation of the cyber workforce.”

    Clearwater’s IRM|Pro software enables faculty to expose students to enterprise-class, industry relevant risk analysis scenarios and drive home learning objectives in an experiential way. The software helps students apply proven NIST-based risk management methodologies to assessing risks associated with their assigned case study, and it serves as their guidepost throughout the semester with course deliverables aligned to the software’s workflow.

    “We include Clearwater’s IRM|Pro cyber risk management software in our curriculum because it is imperative that we are training our students to understand and implement a high-quality cyber risk management program,” said Jim Furstenberg, Assistant Professor of Information Security and Intelligence at Ferris State. “Clearwater saw an industry that wasn’t adopting the necessary practices and behaviors and created a software platform to help healthcare providers take a more advanced approach to cyber risk management. The ability to use the software to drive home lessons is priceless.”

    In addition to Clearwater’s support of the Kennesaw State and Ferris State programs, company founder and Executive Chairman Bob Chaput and Chief Risk Officer Jon Moore have recently joined the faculty for the professional certificate program, Leadership in Healthcare Privacy and Security Risk Management, being offered by The University of Texas’ (UT) McCombs School of Business.

    “While there’s a massive shortage of cybersecurity talent across all sectors, healthcare has been specifically challenged as one of our nation’s last industries to undergo significant digital transformation,” Chaput said.  “The UT curriculum is focused on risk-based cybersecurity strategy development and offers a significant opportunity to train individuals for many critical, non-technical Cyber Risk Management roles needed in healthcare.

    “The healthcare industry is facing a crisis,” he continued. “Ransomware and data breaches are hitting record levels this year without the talent to combat them.  Clearwater is proud to help these institutions address industry demands, provide guidance and supplement classroom instruction with valuable experience using its software.”

    Academic institutions that wish to inquire about using Clearwater software and experts as part of their programs are invited to contact the company’s head of Marketing, John Howlett, at [email protected].

    About Clearwater

    Clearwater is the leading provider of cyber risk management and HIPAA compliance solutions for the healthcare industry. Our solutions enable organizations to gain enterprise-wide visibility into cybersecurity risks and more effectively prioritize and manage them, ensuring compliance with industry regulations. Clearwater’s IRM|Pro® software and professional services help healthcare organizations to avoid preventable breaches, protect patients, and meet OCR’s expectations, while optimizing cybersecurity investments. More than 400 healthcare organizations, including 60 of the nation’s largest health systems and a large universe of business associates that serve the industry, trust Clearwater to meet their information security needs.  For more information about Clearwater, please visit clearwatercompliance.com.

     

    Media Contact

    Kriste Goad | [email protected] | (615) 440-9049

    Posted 9.22.2019

  • Aga Khan University Selects MEDITECH for International EHR Partnership

    Global pioneer in healthcare and research to deploy system across multiple countries.

    September 19, 2019 – MEDITECH has further extended its global presence by partnering with Aga Khan University, an international institution of distinction providing health services to millions of people in the developing world, to deploy Expanse, the company’s state-of-the-art, web-based Enterprise Health Record (EHR). The initial deployment will be at Aga Khan’s academic medical center and clinics in Nairobi, Kenya with a subsequent deployment in Karachi, Pakistan.

    “This is one of my proudest days at MEDITECH,” says Howard Messing, CEO. “It is truly an honor to partner with Aga Khan University, and to align ourselves with their commitment to providing quality healthcare to underserved populations, as well as to their deeper mission of advancing education, culture, and overall quality of life for their communities.”

    For over 60 years, Aga Khan University (AKU) has taken a broad, long-range, research-based approach to health that addresses chronic issues in poor communities. As its universities and teaching hospitals are located in the developing world, it conducts world-class research on the endemic and emerging health issues of these areas. Working with partners across the globe, its ultimate aim is to create efficient and appropriate health systems that raise the quality of life of populations in the developing world.

    “The benefits of an integrated EHR will be particularly significant in the countries we serve,” says AKU President Firoz Rasul. “The access to an abundance of data (AKU serves 2.2 million patients annually) will enable us to ask better questions and find better solutions to specific diseases and chronic issues in all the communities we serve. The information gained will be of value not only within our own healthcare system but also to the population of the region as a whole—and through our research, will inform health outcomes in related populations across the globe.”

    The installation will be a joint effort between MEDITECH and MEDITECH South Africa. “This is such an exciting opportunity and challenge for us,” says Charlotte Jackson, CEO of MEDITECH International, the international arm of MEDITECH. “We’ve seen firsthand what an integrated EHR can do in the developing world, we know what we achieved in Botswana, using technology to deliver population health concepts in a remote, underserved area. We can’t wait to start changing lives across the countries that Aga Khan serves.”

    Contacts
    Paul Berthiaume
    Senior Manager, Marketing Communications
    MEDITECH
    781-774-5742
    [email protected]

    Liz Carroll
    Manager, Public Relations and Media Relations
    MEDITECH
    781-774-3297
    [email protected]

    Posted 9.19.2019

  • CHIME Posts 2019 Most Wired’s Awards and Recognition List

     

    9.18.2019
    Michelle Patterson, VP, Operations
    Bill Spooner, Chair, Most Wired Governing Board

    This week CHIME posted online a list of participants in the Most Wired program who qualified for awards and recognition after the Most Wired team distributed benchmarking reports to all organizations that completed the survey. The list is available here.

    The Most Wired Governing Board incorporated an improved system that allows participating organizations to better benchmark their level of adoption and outcomes achieved. Every participant has been certified at a level from 1-10 that represents their respective achievements, allowing organizations to clearly benchmark against a defined worldwide industry standard. Those organizations that achieved Level 7-10 certification will be recognized at the 2019 CHIME Fall CIO Forum. Their organization’s name also will be published in the November issue of a Most Wired, Modern Healthcare Special Edition.

    Each 7-10 certification level carries a specific title. They are:

    • Level 10 – Superior Performance Excellence Award
    • Level 9 – Performance Excellence Award
    • Level 8 – Quality Award
    • Level 7 – Special Recognition

    This year we offered three surveys: domestic, ambulatory and international. A total of 16,138 organizations were represented this year, with much of the increase attributed to ambulatory participants. We are pleased to be able to expand participation to include organizations across the continuum of care; our goal is to continue to develop surveys each year to capture the entire healthcare journey.

    As we did last year, we will analyze the data and publish a free report highlighting national industry trends. The Most Wired Governing Board will hold a sunrise session at CHIME19 to discuss the findings. The report will be a resource for anyone who wants to know the current state of the industry, where we have improved and where we have gaps.

    Thank you to everyone who participated and for the support we have received from CHIME members and CHIME Foundation partners. We appreciate your commitment to driving excellence in our industry and for striving to improve health and care in your communities and globally.

    More Inside CHIME:

    Posted 9.19.2019

  • News of Note

    9.19.19
    By Candace Stuart, Director, Communications & Public Relations

    Voting is open for choosing the next 3 board members: The CHIME Board of Trustees will be filling three open positions with terms beginning in January 2020. Members can choose from six candidates who reflect the broad diversity and interests of the membership. Voting will remain open through Sept. 30. Learn more here. 

    CHIME VP to speak on a telemedicine panel: Leslie Krigstein, CHIME’s vice president of congressional affairs, will join a virtual panel of thought leaders at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Oct. 1, for a HealthcareNow Radio podcast on telemedicine. They will discuss legislation, reimbursement policies, barriers and the future of telemedicine. Register here.

    Deadline for CIO of the Year Award Nominations is Sept. 23: The deadline for submitting a colleague or yourself for the CHIME-HIMSS John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year Award is Sept. 23. Nominations are being accepted here.  

    More Inside CHIME:

    Posted 9.19.2019

  • Emerging Issues in Healthcare and Information Technology: The Third in a Series Highlighting Fall Forum Tracks

    9.19.19
    Steve Stanic, CHIME Planning Committee Chair, VP/CIO at Mississippi Baptist Health System

    The track sessions at the 2019 CHIME Fall Forum provide a rare opportunity to learn from our peers. This year CHIME will offer four tracks: Strategy & Leadership; Business & Care Transformation; Emerging Issues in Healthcare & Health Information Technology; and Clinical Informatics. Here is the program for Track C: Track A: Strategy & Leadership is available here and Track B: Business & Care Transformation is available here. 

     

    Monday, Nov. 4, 2:45-3:30 p.m. 

    The Cloud Security Platform: Activating Business Agility and Responsible Growth 

    Healthcare providers are seeking to touch more lives while reducing the cost of care. They must be ready to adapt their footprint, move into international markets, and accommodate an increasingly mobile and distributed workforce. Traditional security forces organizations into a difficult choice between capitalizing on opportunities for expansion and protecting the safety and privacy of their existing patients. Cleveland Clinic is attempting to eliminate the tension between value and risk, and position cybersecurity as a strategic business partner. By moving the security perimeter to the cloud, their program is accelerating time to value and preparing the clinic for the future of digital health. 

    Learning Objectives 

    • How Cleveland Clinic uses cloud security services to accelerate new hospital integrations and expansion while managing their risk profile
    • How to push the boundaries of security strategy where there is no pattern to follow and no consulting firm to do it for you
    • How to make innovative security changes responsibly to ensure continuity of care
    • How other parts of IT and the business are crucial to adapting security for the future of healthcare

    Julian Mihai, Deputy CISO, Cleveland Clinic 
    Vugar Zeynalov, CISO, Cleveland Clinic 

     

    Monday, Nov. 4, 4-4:45 p.m. 

    From Idea to Implementation: Launching AI Initiatives Successfully into Your Organization 

    Artificial intelligence (AI) holds tremendous promise for healthcare but moving from idea to implementation is far from easy. The reality is that the majority of AI projects end up failing today. In this discussion, presenters will explore the best practices and provide specific guidance on how to successfully implement AI projects within your organization. They will talk about designing your AI strategy, selecting the best projects, building successful multifunctional teams and delivering results. This talk is based on decades of experience and hundreds of implementations. 

    Learning Objectives 

    • Describe the best practices for successfully implementing AI projects
    • Explain how to choose the best AI projects to implement
    • Discuss how to build effective AI teams and deliver results

    Steve DeMuth, Chief Technology Officer, Mayo Clinic  
    Alex Ermolaev, Director of AI, Change Healthcare 

     

    Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2:45-3:30 p.m. 

    HSS’ Leading Response to the Opioid Epidemic and Technology’s Influence  

    This session will highlight the comprehensive approach Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) – the busiest orthopedic hospital in the U.S .– took to address the opioid epidemic and improve patient safety. It will also highlight the extensive role technology played in these efforts. These initiatives produced broad impacts on the culture of opioids at the institution. HSS aimed to reduce the volume of opioids prescribed, address prescribing variability, consistently identify and uniquely manage high-risk patients, educate prescribers and patients, and improve compliance with best practices. Results include a reduction of over 500,000 opioids prescribed at discharge since implementation of prescribing guidelines, a decrease in average monthly prescription volume of 27 percent for outlying prescribers, and standardization of best practice workflows and documentation. 

    Learning Objectives 

    • Learn how, as the country struggles to deal with an opioid epidemic, HSS is managing the unique challenge of keeping patients comfortable throughout the perioperative period, while at the same time, encouraging and employing safe and conservative opioid prescribing practices
    • Identify and implement a variety of programmatic best practices to systematically address the opioid epidemic and enhance patient safety and outcomes at the learner’s own institutions
    • Understand how to more effectively and creatively utilize a centralized EHR and other technologies as a vital part of a robust clinical and educational program addressing opioid culture and prescribing through tools such as order sets, smartphrases, etc.

    Steven Magid, MD, CMIO, Hospital for Special Surgery 
    Jamie Nelson, Senior Vice President and CIO, Hospital for Special Surgery  

     

    Tuesday, Nov. 5, 4-4:45 p.m. 

    Risk Never Sleeps: Managing Threats to Patient Care Through Third-Party Risk Management  

    In this session, the CEO and founder of Censinet will moderate a panel of CIOs from leading healthcare providers – Partners Health Care, Baystate Health and Cedars-Sinai Health System. The panel will feature discussions about the current third-party risk landscape and how it is impacting the healthcare industry. Panelists will provide real-world examples of how they engage with third-party vendors and speak to the current technologies that they have in place for managing vendor risk assessments. 

    Learning Objectives 

    • Best practices of and lessons learned from vendor risk management programs at the largest health systems in the U.S.
    • How to eliminate antiquated processes associated with vendor risk assessment and move to real-time and dynamic systems
    • How to make your third-party vendors part of the solution through recommended risk remediation plans and other best-in-class techniques

    Darren Dworkin, CIO, Cedars-Sinai Health System 
    Ed Gaudet, CEO and founder, Censinet 
    James Noga, Vice President and CIO, Partners Health Care 
    Joel Vengco, Senior Vice President and CIO, Baystate Health  

    Editor’s note: The 2019 CHIME Fall CIO Forum will be Nov. 3-6 in Phoenix. More information about the forum, including all track sessions, is available here. To register, go here.

    More Inside CHIME:

     

    Posted 9.19.2019

  • Cast Your Vote for One of the 2020 CHIME Foundation Board Candidates

    9.18.2019
    Barb Sivek, Chief Operating Officer, CHIME Foundation  

    The election process has begun, and Foundation firm members have the opportunity to cast their vote to fill the 2020 Board seat on the CHIME Foundation Board, which will be open on Jan. 1, 2020. The Foundation Board plays a significant role in guiding the strategic direction of the CHIME Foundation. A number of talented candidates were submitted for nomination and the final slate has been determined after a thorough review by the current CHIME Board. 

    CHIME Foundation representatives can review the background and platform statements of each candidate before casting their votes. Representatives must plan accordingly across their teams when casting their vote, as each firm is allowed only ONE vote. Voting closes Monday, Sept. 30, and can be made on the CHIME website, where more information on the candidates is listed. 

    The candidates will serve a four-year term. During that time, they will have multiple opportunities to represent the perspective of the CHIME Foundation at-large during strategic direction discussions as part of the CHIME Board monthly meetings. The CHIME Foundation Board meets quarterly and otherwise as needed.  As your Foundation representatives, the CHIME Foundation Board members bring the voice of the Foundation to important future direction conversations for CHIME and the CHIME Foundation. As such, we encourage you to carefully review the background and involvement of each of the candidates listed on the ballot below. 

    Here is the slate of candidates: 

    Carter Groome 
    CEO 
    First Health Advisory Solutions 
    Click here for more information. 
    Ajay Kapare 
    VP Marketing & Strategy 
    ELLKAY 
    Click here for more information.  
    Sean Kelly 
    CMO 
    Imprivata 
    Click here for more information.  

     

    More Foundation Insight:

    Posted 9.18.2019
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