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Pivot Point Consulting Named 2020 #1 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm
NASHVILLE, TENN. JANUARY 31, 2020—Healthcare IT consulting leader Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company, announced today it has been named 2020 #1 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, marking the 5th year the firm has been recognized by KLAS.
Pivot Point Consulting has earned previous KLAS recognition including Top Three Best in KLAS for HIT Implementation and Support for four years running (2015/2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Highest Rated Vendor in KLAS Implementation Services in the Select Category (2017) and #1 in KLAS for Epic Consulting in the Select Category (2016).
Each year, KLAS publishes the Best in KLAS report ranking healthcare IT software and services vendors across numerous market segments. 2020 Best in KLAS is a recognition of outstanding efforts to help healthcare organizations in their quest to deliver quality patient care. The Best in KLAS designation is awarded only in those software and services market segments that have the broadest operational and clinical impact on healthcare organizations.
“Receiving this industry recognition is incredibly meaningful to our company,” said Rachel Marano, Pivot Point Consulting Managing Partner and Co-Founder. “Earning #1 Best in KLAS has been our goal since founding Pivot Point Consulting in 2011. This achievement recognizes our relentless drive to exceed expectations in providing excellent service, exceptional quality and outstanding value for our clients, partners and employees.”
The Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm ranking is reserved for firms that have at least three separate IT services that meet the minimum “KLAS Konfidence” level in three separate market segments. Ranking #1 on the list, Pivot Point Consulting received above average rankings in all six categories including culture, loyalty, operations, product, relationship and value. View the full report for 2020 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm rankings.
“Providers and payers demand better performance, usability and interoperability from their vendor partners every year,” said Adam Gale, President of KLAS. “Best in KLAS winners set the standard of excellence in their market segment. Earning a Best in KLAS award should both excite and humble the recipients. It serves as a signal to providers that they should expect only the best from the winning vendors.”
Pivot Point Consulting will be attending the Best in KLAS Awards Ceremony on March 9, 2020 in Orlando, Florida.
About KLAS
KLAS is a data-driven company on a mission to improve the world’s healthcare by enabling provider and payer voices to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals, KLAS collects insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver reports, trending data and statistical overviews. KLAS data is accurate, honest and impartial. The research directly reflects the voice of healthcare professionals and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. To learn more about KLAS and the insights we provide, visit KLAS Research.The company provides strategy and consulting services for providers, payers and life sciences organizations – with 450 employees serving 85+ clients across the United States. Pivot Point Consulting has earned many industry and workplace quality awards including: 2020 #1 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, Top Three Best in KLAS for HIT Implementation and Support for four years running (2015/2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Highest Rated Vendor in KLAS Implementation Services in the Select Category (2017) and #1 in KLAS for Epic Consulting in the Select Category (2016) and #9 in Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in 2016.
For more information about Pivot Point Consulting, visit Pivot Point Consulting. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Emily Brock
Marketing Specialist
Cell: 205.586.1366
Posted 1.31.2020 -
2020 Best in KLAS Report Ranks Protenus No. 1 in Patient Privacy Monitoring
Healthcare compliance analytics company achieves category leader recognition after nationwide survey of customers
BALTIMORE, January 31, 2020 (Newswire.com) –Protenus, the healthcare compliance analytics platform that protects patient privacy for the nation’s leading health systems, announces today that it has been ranked the leading provider in the Patient Privacy Monitoring category of the 2020 Best in KLAS: Software & Services Report. This is the second consecutive year Protenus has received this prestigious recognition.
Founded in 2014, Protenus uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze every action taking place inside a hospital’s EHR and ancillary systems. These advanced analytics proactively detect inappropriate accesses to patient data and provide health systems full insight into how health data is used throughout their organizations, often for the first time. AI-powered analytics allow healthcare privacy teams to ensure their patient data is safe, empowering them to focus on the true threats to their organization and patients.
Protenus was also ranked a top solution in patient privacy monitoring by Black Book and named a Gartner “Cool Vendor” in Healthcare Artificial Intelligence. Protenus received the 2019 Innovation of the Year in Data Security award by Healthcare Informatics and was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare in 2018 and 2019. Protenus co-founders, Nick Culbertson & Robert Lord, were named finalists for the 2019 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Mid-Atlantic region.
“Everybody that works at Protenus is deeply passionate about privacy. Even though my Protenus customer success team isn’t on-site with us, the team members have integrated into our workflow so well that we can’t help but think of them as part of our team. Protenus takes the time to follow up with clients to ensure their satisfaction. My organization puts the whole team through the wringer with our ideas and questions. Every time that we bring up a suggestion or demand something, the Protenus team accepts it so graciously. I can’t say enough nice things about Protenus.” – Manager, November 2019
KLAS Research is a healthcare IT data and insights company providing the industry with accurate, honest, and impartial research on the software and services used by providers and payers worldwide. KLAS partners with healthcare professionals to foster an atmosphere of transparency surrounding the state of healthcare and highlight the services and solutions that are having an impact.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from our customers and KLAS Research,” stated Nick Culbertson, Protenus CEO and Co-founder. “Our customers have always been our top priority and we are proud that our customers recognize the value we bring to their organization. We look forward to continuing to partner with them to better protect patient privacy and create new solutions in the field of healthcare compliance analytics.”
“Our team strives to exceed customer expectations while delivering technology that enables health systems to better protect their patient data,” stated Brit Keller, Protenus Chief Customer Officer. “Our customers are not only our partners in better protecting patient data but also leading the industry in innovation. We look forward to continuing to work with them to reduce organizational risk and ensure patient trust.”
To access and review the KLAS Patient Privacy Segment, please visit: https://klasresearch.com/best-in-klas-ranking/patient-privacy-monitoring/2020/246
About KLAS
KLAS is a data-driven company on a mission to improve the world’s healthcare by enabling provider and payer voices to be heard and counted. Working with thousands of healthcare professionals, KLAS collects insights on software, services and medical equipment to deliver reports, trending data and statistical overviews. KLAS data is accurate, honest and impartial. The research directly reflects the voice of healthcare professionals and acts as a catalyst for improving vendor performance. To learn more about KLAS and the insights we provide, visit www.KLASresearch.com
About Protenus
The Protenus healthcare compliance analytics platform uses artificial intelligence to audit every access to patient records for the nation’s leading health systems. Providing healthcare leaders full insight into how health data is being used, and alerting privacy, security and compliance teams to inappropriate activity, Protenus helps our partner hospitals make decisions about how to better protect their data, their patients, and their institutions. Learn more at Protenus.com and follow us on Twitter @Protenus.
Media Contact
Kira Caban
Director of Communications
[email protected]Posted 1.31.2020 -
Change Healthcare Study Reveals Impact of Payment Audits on Payer-Provider Relationships
E-book:
https://learn.changehealthcare.com/payment-accuracy/payment-integrity-program-ebook
Study finds audits process poses significant costs and administrative burden to providers and reveals opportunities for improvements to minimize abrasion, including pre-submission notification
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 27, 2020––Today Change Healthcare (Nasdaq: CHNG) published Payment Integrity Programs: A National Study on the Impact of DRG Audits on Provider Sentiment and Abrasion, a report on the impact payers’ audits of payments to providers have on their business relationship and providers’ finances. Conducted by Frost & Sullivan and commissioned by Change Healthcare, the study reveals these “payment integrity” audits can cost providers as much as $1 million in administrative costs annually and damage the relationships between healthcare providers and their payers. The good news: The research also found high provider satisfaction with novel methods some payers are using to reduce audit costs and the administrative burden for providers.
Among the findings: The process of ensuring that payments to providers are accurate is a costly proposition for providers. Payers or their third-party vendors routinely audit claims related to a hospital stay to ensure providers applied appropriate care, utilization, and billing codes to claims. But 8% of providers are spending upwards of $1 million dealing with post-payment audits each year. Another 10% spend between $500,000 and $1 million, and 46% spend $500,000 or less annually. More concerning: 4 out of 10 providers (37%) have no idea what the audit process is costing their organizations.
In addition to high administrative costs, nearly a third of providers (27%) report negative experiences related to audit programs. Fueling that negativity: A high number of requests for medical records, often used to validate accurate payment, was cited by 92% of respondents as a source of dissatisfaction. One quarter (24%) say they must respond to more than 500 to over 2,000 requests monthly. And 25% of larger providers consider the overall number of audits unreasonable.
On the upside: The research points to new ways payers can help providers reduce the time, cost, and discontent incurred by audits. Among them: “Pre-submission notification,” a process some payers are now using to alert providers of potential errors before the claim is submitted for payment, improves accuracy and reduces the potential for a post-payment audit. Nearly half of providers (43%) say this practice can help them reduce their organization’s administrative burden and associated costs.
“The message for payers is clear: Those that adopt innovative, provider-friendly techniques—such as pre-submission notifications—and deliver a positive experience in these areas can improve their relationships with providers, while still meeting their audit requirements,” said Dave Cardelle, RPh, vice president, Payment Integrity, at Change Healthcare. “You won’t find any disagreement among payers or providers that payment audits are tedious and expensive, but necessary. However, the challenge for payers is also the opportunity—to make something inherently objectionable to providers less intrusive and more cost-effective for both parties.”
Frost & Sullivan reached out to 1,100 short-term acute care hospitals in the U.S. via email and telephone for interviews. A national sample of senior-level decision makers from these organizations provided their opinions about payment integrity using a web-based interview methodology.
The full report, Payment Integrity Programs: A National Study on the Impact of DRG Audits on Provider Sentiment and Abrasion, is available for download now.
For more information on Change Healthcare, please visit our website, hear from our experts at Viewpoints; Follow us on Twitter; Like us on Facebook; Connect with us on LinkedIn; and Subscribe to us on Libsyn, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. And to learn how to manage healthcare costs with pre-submission claims adjustment, visit the Coding Advisor resource page.
About Change Healthcare
Change Healthcare (Nasdaq: CHNG) is a leading independent healthcare technology company that provides data and analytics-driven solutions to improve clinical, financial, and patient engagement outcomes in the U.S. healthcare system. We are a key catalyst of a value-based healthcare system, accelerating the journey toward improved lives and healthier communities. Learn more at changehealthcare.com.
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Posted 1.30.2020 -
Change Healthcare Study Reveals Impact of Payment Audits on Payer-Provider Relationships
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 27, 2020––Today Change Healthcare (Nasdaq: CHNG) published Payment Integrity Programs: A National Study on the Impact of DRG Audits on Provider Sentiment and Abrasion, a report on the impact payers’ audits of payments to providers have on their business relationship and providers’ finances. Conducted by Frost & Sullivan and commissioned by Change Healthcare, the study reveals these “payment integrity” audits can cost providers as much as $1 million in administrative costs annually and damage the relationships between healthcare providers and their payers. The good news: The research also found high provider satisfaction with novel methods some payers are using to reduce audit costs and the administrative burden for providers.
Among the findings: The process of ensuring that payments to providers are accurate is a costly proposition for providers. Payers or their third-party vendors routinely audit claims related to a hospital stay to ensure providers applied appropriate care, utilization, and billing codes to claims. But 8% of providers are spending upwards of $1 million dealing with post-payment audits each year. Another 10% spend between $500,000 and $1 million, and 46% spend $500,000 or less annually. More concerning: 4 out of 10 providers (37%) have no idea what the audit process is costing their organizations.
In addition to high administrative costs, nearly a third of providers (27%) report negative experiences related to audit programs. Fueling that negativity: A high number of requests for medical records, often used to validate accurate payment, was cited by 92% of respondents as a source of dissatisfaction. One quarter (24%) say they must respond to more than 500 to over 2,000 requests monthly. And 25% of larger providers consider the overall number of audits unreasonable.
On the upside: The research points to new ways payers can help providers reduce the time, cost, and discontent incurred by audits. Among them: “Pre-submission notification,” a process some payers are now using to alert providers of potential errors before the claim is submitted for payment, improves accuracy and reduces the potential for a post-payment audit. Nearly half of providers (43%) say this practice can help them reduce their organization’s administrative burden and associated costs.
“The message for payers is clear: Those that adopt innovative, provider-friendly techniques—such as pre-submission notifications—and deliver a positive experience in these areas can improve their relationships with providers, while still meeting their audit requirements,” said Dave Cardelle, RPh, vice president, Payment Integrity, at Change Healthcare. “You won’t find any disagreement among payers or providers that payment audits are tedious and expensive, but necessary. However, the challenge for payers is also the opportunity—to make something inherently objectionable to providers less intrusive and more cost-effective for both parties.”
Frost & Sullivan reached out to 1,100 short-term acute care hospitals in the U.S. via email and telephone for interviews. A national sample of senior-level decision makers from these organizations provided their opinions about payment integrity using a web-based interview methodology.
The full report, Payment Integrity Programs: A National Study on the Impact of DRG Audits on Provider Sentiment and Abrasion, is available for download now.
For more information on Change Healthcare, please visit our website, hear from our experts at Viewpoints; Follow us on Twitter; Like us on Facebook; Connect with us on LinkedIn; and Subscribe to us on Libsyn, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. And to learn how to manage healthcare costs with pre-submission claims adjustment, visit the Coding Advisor resource page.
About Change Healthcare
Change Healthcare (Nasdaq: CHNG) is a leading independent healthcare technology company that provides data and analytics-driven solutions to improve clinical, financial, and patient engagement outcomes in the U.S. healthcare system. We are a key catalyst of a value-based healthcare system, accelerating the journey toward improved lives and healthier communities. Learn more at changehealthcare.com.
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Posted 1.30.2020 -
Intermountain’s Marc Probst to Receive CIO of the Year Award from CHIME and HIMSS
ANN ARBOR, MI, Jan. 30, 2020 – For more than three decades, Marc Probst has been at the forefront of change in the healthcare IT industry. First as a partner with two large professional service organizations and later as CIO at Intermountain Healthcare, he has inspired those around him to think strategically and act boldly to improve health and care. When the federal government wanted a thought leader to help establish a policy framework, they selected Probst. When the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) was poised for significant transformation and growth, members chose Probst to provide the vision and guidance. A prominent advocate for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), he helped support the organization from its earliest days onward.
In recognition of his many contributions, CHIME and HIMSS today jointly named Probst the 2019 John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year. The award is given annually to a CIO who has shown significant leadership and commitment to the healthcare industry during his or her career. The recipient is selected jointly by the boards of CHIME and HIMSS.
“Marc has been a transformation leader blazing the trail in advancing technology to improve health and care,” said HIMSS President and CEO Hal Wolf. “His work exemplifies what it means to be a changemaker – an innovator who rigorously challenges the status quo and empowers others to follow suit in the journey to providing better health for everyone, everywhere.”
“Marc has contributed to our community in countless ways,” said CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell. “He has been instrumental in CHIME’s growth, domestically and internationally. Marc taught at our very first program in India and continues to be an ambassador for CHIME around the world. He piloted our first innovation initiative and helped make Intermountain the home for CHIME Innovation. The list goes on and on, and he has done this all while running a spectacular digital enterprise at Intermountain.”
Probst is CIO and vice president at Intermountain Healthcare, a not-for-profit health system based in Salt Lake City. He credits his participation with CHIME and HIMSS when he assumed his Intermountain CIO role for his success. “My HIMSS and CHIME memberships have been very valuable to me,” he said. “That education, those relationships, that support when things get really tough is invaluable.”
Probst currently is a member of the CHIME Innovation Advisory Board. He served as chair of the CHIME Board of Trustees in 2016, chair of the CHIME Foundation Board in 2017 and chair of CHIME’s Public Policy Steering Committee in 2017. As a member of the CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee, he has offered testimony on Capitol Hill, presented at several briefings in Washington, D.C, and represented the CHIME membership in numerous other ways. In 2009, he was appointed to serve on the Federal Health IT Policy Committee, which helped develop health IT policies for the federal government. His other honors include the Utah HIMSS Chapter’s 2019 Healthcare Tech Leader of the Year and CHIME’s 2018 Federal Public Policy Award for CIO Leadership.
He also is a popular faculty member at CHIME’s Healthcare CIO Boot Camps and international educational events. He has been instrumental in international outreach for both CHIME and Intermountain. “Having been to other countries and worked with healthcare leaders, particularly on the technology side, in these other countries, I know there is a boatload we can learn from each other,” he said.
Probst will be honored on March 9 at the 2020 CHIME-HIMSS CIO Forum in Orlando, Fla. The official awards presentation will take place March 11 as part of HIMSS20 in Orlando. The award is named for John E. Gall Jr., who pioneered implementation of the first fully integrated medical system in the world in El Camino Hospital in California in the 1960s.
More information about the 2020 CHIME-HIMSS CIO Forum is available here and about HIMSS20 here.
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 3,200 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.
About HIMSS
HIMSS is a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of the health ecosystem through information and technology. As a mission driven non-profit, HIMSS offers a unique depth and breadth of expertise in health innovation, public policy, workforce development, research and analytics to advise global leaders, stakeholders and influencers on best practices in health information and technology. Through our innovation engine, HIMSS delivers key insights, education and engaging events to healthcare providers, governments and market suppliers, ensuring they have the right information at the point of decision. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, HIMSS serves the global health information and technology communities with focused operations across North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Our members include more than 80,000 individuals, 480 provider organizations, 470 non-profit partners and 650 health services organizations. www.himss.org
Contact
Candace Stuart
Director of Communications and Public Relations, CHIME
734.665.0000
[email protected]Posted 1.30.2020 -
Divurgent Proud Member of The Arch Collaborative, a KLAS Initiative
As the leading firm providing a practical approach to physician efficiency with EHRs, membership to the Arch Collaborative further enhances the firm’s capabilities to develop effective solutions to mitigate the national challenge of Physician Burnout, a related concern to the efficiency of modern-day EHRs.
“Consistently, one of the top concerns we hear when providing guidance to Healthcare System’s Leadership is the use, non-use, and impact of use of EHRs. We’ve confidently stewarded many client partners to improved key metrics for effective use, but this partnership with KLAS allows us to truly focus on the triple aim of: increasing efficiency, increasing physician satisfaction, and decreasing burnout – all related, but also distinct concerns” said Shane Danaher, Chief Operating Officer at Divurgent.
Divurgent and KLAS have an established relationship, and membership in the Arch Collaborative further strengthens Divurgent’s commitment to be a part of KLAS’s work towards improving healthcare outcomes.
The Arch Collaborative has helped over 200 provider organizations gain insights and best practices related to physician and clinician satisfaction, an initiative that parallels Divurgent’s physician efficiency solutions.
“This partnership gives us an opportunity to improve the way that care is delivered through collaboration on efficiency-focused projects and information sharing. We are eager and excited to contribute to this important initiative,” said Steve Weichhand, Vice President of Growth and Customer Experience at Divurgent.
Divurgent looks forward to working with KLAS and participants of the Arch Collaborative to bring clarity and best practices to better leverage their EHR investments.
PRESS CONTACT:
Brittany Williams
Director, Marketing
[email protected]
804.712.1524
www.divurgent.comPosted 1.28.2020 -
PatientPing Adds CommonWell Health Alliance’s Executive Director to Lead Strategic Partnership Initiatives
Jitin Asnaani to Accelerate the Growth of PatientPing’s Care Collaboration Platform via Strategic Partnerships
Boston—January 28, 2020— PatientPing, the nation’s leading care collaboration platform, announced today that it has named the former Executive Director of CommonWell Health Alliance, Jitin Asnaani, as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Jitin will leverage his deep understanding and expertise of the healthcare interoperability environment to create an ecosystem of partners that builds upon PatientPing’s nationwide network of connected providers.
Jitin was the first Executive Director of CommonWell Health Alliance. He co-founded and led the alliance of 75+ health IT and healthcare organizations to build an innovative nationwide network for clinical data exchange. Under his leadership, the network grew from inception to 15,000+ live clinical facilities and saw 75M+ unique individuals enrolled. Prior to CommonWell, Jitin helped build athenahealth’s cloud-based interoperability platform and co-launched the Argonaut project.
“As an industry, we have an opportunity and an obligation to improve patient care through better collaboration and data exchange,” said Jay Desai, CEO of PatientPing. “At PatientPing, we are building a nationwide care collaboration network and an intuitive set of applications to do just that. Jitin is an incredible person, amazing talent, and with his experience in bringing together various stakeholders and creative thinking to solve really thorny interoperability challenges, he will accelerate the creation of an ecosystem of partners and apps around PatientPing’s care collaboration platform.”
“I have dedicated my health IT career to breaking down the information silos that exist in our health system today and the industry has come a long way along that journey,” said Jitin Asnaani, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, PatientPing. “As the health data landscape evolves from basic data sharing to enabling more valuable data-driven experiences, the next generation of interoperability solutions will create true workflow integration through which all providers and caregivers for a patient will communicate and coordinate with each other in real-time. I am really excited to join the PatientPing team and build a national care collaboration platform to bring that next generation of interoperability solutions to market.”
Previously, Jitin was an appointee at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), where he primarily focused on incubating and launching the Standards & Interoperability Framework. In addition, he co-led The Direct Project, served on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Nationwide Health Information Exchange, and provided technical expertise to the State HIE Program. Jitin has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering from MIT and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
About PatientPing
PatientPing is a Boston-based care collaboration platform that reduces the cost of healthcare and improves patient outcomes by seamlessly connecting providers to coordinate patient care. The platform enables providers to collaborate on shared patients through a comprehensive suite of solutions and allows provider organizations, health plans, governments, individuals and the organizations supporting them to leverage this real-time data to reach their shared goals of improving the efficiency of our healthcare system. PatientPing is recognized as a Higher Performing Emerging Healthcare IT company by KLAS® Research. For more information, please visit www.patientping.com.Posted 1.28.2020 -
CynergisTek CEO Emeritus Mac McMillan Receives 2020 Leadership Excellence Award from Baldrige Foundation
Cybersecurity Thought Leader Honored for Helping Organizations Across the Country Improve Their Security Posture
Austin, TX – January 28, 2020 – CynergisTek, Inc. (NYSE AMERICAN: CTEK), a leader in cybersecurity, privacy, and compliance, today announced that founder and CEO Emeritus Mac McMillan is the recipient of the 2020 Leadership Excellence Award in the cybersecurity sector from the Baldrige Foundation, the private-sector partner of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The award recognizes exemplary business leaders committed to the Foundation’s mission to support organizational performance excellence in the United States and around the world.
Baldrige recognized McMillan for his four decades of prominent leadership in the cybersecurity space in both the public and private sector. After retiring from the federal government, McMillan founded CynergisTek in 2004 to transform information security in healthcare, an extremely vulnerable and underprepared industry at that time. Under his fifteen years of leadership, the company became the industry’s preeminent security and privacy consulting firm and has steered over 1,000 healthcare organizations to adopt sound security practices. Throughout his career, McMillan has devoted significant time and resources to educating the next generation of cybersecurity advocates and experts through his involvement in organizations such as the College of Health Information Management Executives and the Air Force Association’s CyberPatriot Program. He also testified before the U.S. House Energy Subcommittee on Health in a 2016 hearing on the cybersecurity responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services.
“I am a huge proponent of implementing standards and using frameworks to guide the disciplined implementation of security programs, and I have utilized and helped others implement the control frameworks and guidelines developed by NIST for nearly three decades,” said McMillan. “To be recognized by the Baldrige Foundation, which has meant excellence in those organizations that have met its standard, is a great honor. No industry is more critical to our nation or needs the tools provided by the Baldrige Foundation and NIST more than healthcare.”
The Baldrige Foundation ensures the long-term financial growth and viability of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which aims to improve the competitiveness of U.S. organizations through education and the sharing of management best practices, principles, and strategies. Since 2016, Baldrige Foundation board members have bestowed the Awards for Leadership Excellence to visionaries who have provided exceptionally outstanding support to Baldrige and embody Foundation values including stewardship, accountability, trust, teamwork, and transparency.
“Each year we accept the nominations of many individuals working tirelessly to promote the Baldrige Framework and further the mission of the Foundation,” said Al Faber, President and CEO of the Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc., in a recent statement. “Through their efforts to grow the Baldrige community, they help thousands of organizations across the country to improve their performance. Baldrige makes health care safer and more accessible, education more effective, businesses more efficient and customer-focused, cyber systems more secure, governments more streamlined, and nonprofits more responsive,” said Faber. “These great leaders are helping to ensure the sustainability of Baldrige into the future.”
The award will be presented to McMillan during the Annual Baldrige Foundation Awards Ceremony held as part of the 32nd annual Quest for Excellence® conference on March 26, 2020, at the Gaylord National Harbor, National Harbor, MD.
About The Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Inc.
The Baldrige Foundation is the private-sector partner of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) in the National Institute of Standards and Technology within the Department of Commerce. Its mission is to ensure the long-term financial viability of BPEP and to support organizational performance excellence. To learn more about the Foundation, please contact Al Faber at (202) 559-9195 or [email protected]. The Baldrige Foundation is recognized as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Your contributions are tax deductible. Click here learn more about BPEP.
About CynergisTek, Inc.
CynergisTek is a top-ranked cybersecurity firm dedicated to serving the information assurance needs of the healthcare industry. CynergisTek offers specialized services and solutions to help organizations achieve privacy, security, and compliance goals. Since 2004, the company has served as a partner to hundreds of healthcare organizations and is dedicated to supporting and educating the industry by contributing to relevant industry associations. The company has been recognized by KLAS as a top performing firm in healthcare cybersecurity and was awarded the 2019 Top Healthcare Cybersecurity Consults in Black Book IT Advisory Outcomes Survey.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of CynergisTek that can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “may” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties relating to product/service development, long and uncertain sales cycles, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, market acceptance, future capital requirements, competition from other providers, the ability of our vendors to continue supplying the company with equipment, parts, supplies and services at comparable terms and prices and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. CynergisTek is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Investor Relations Contact:
CynergisTek, Inc.
Bryan Flynn
(949) 382-1419
Media Contact:
Aria Marketing
Danielle Johns
(617) 332-9999 x241
Posted 1.28.2020 -
HCTEC ANNOUNCES GO-LIVE OF 24/7 SUPPORT DESK SERVICES FOR UI HEALTH
Contract Drives Addition of Brentwood Service Center, 20 New Health IT Jobs
Jan.23, 2020 – BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – HCTec, which delivers healthcare IT workforce solutions to more than 250 health and hospital systems across the U.S., today announced the go-live of its Managed Services contract with UI Health, providing 24/7 full Support Desk services by the company’s highly trained help desk team out of its Hohenwald, Atlanta and newly added Brentwood service centers.
“With Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption nearing 100 percent among hospitals and physicians’ offices, the role of the Support Desk is mission-critical in ways it has never been before, and we’re honored to serve as the single point of contact for UI Health’s IT-related questions, incidents and requests,” said Rob Dreussi, HCTec Chief Information Officer.
A part of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), UI Health provides comprehensive care, education and research to the people of Illinois and beyond through a clinical enterprise that includes a 462-bed tertiary care hospital, 21 outpatient clinics and 11 Mile Square Health Center facilities. UI Health was recognized as a “Most Wired” healthcare organization for 2019 by the College of Healthcare Information Management (CHIME), its ninth consecutive year on the list.
“In HCTec, we have found a partner that clearly understands healthcare, has strong foundational processes and orientation towards the customer,” said Audrius Polikaitis, UI Health Chief Information Officer. “HCTec does a great job of representing us to our clients (the clinicians) and has already proven to be extremely competent, detail-driven and flexible.”
The Tier 1 go-live marks the continued expansion of HCTec’s footprint in an area of growing demand among hospitals and health systems nationwide. HCTec announced the addition of 100 jobs at its Hohenwald service center last Fall and expects to continue expanding in all three of its service centers in 2020. During an average month, the company’s Support Desk team professionally supports more than 60,000 EHR users and handles 3,000 service requests and 3,500 maintenance tasks. Its 24/7 Service Desk offerings include navigation, support and troubleshooting of EHR applications such as Epic, Cerner, Meditech and Allscripts to hospital staff, patients, physicians and clinicians.
About HCTec
Headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn., HCTec helps hospitals nationwide reduce operating costs, improve quality and optimize labor forces with highly specialized healthcare IT skills, staffing, project-based consulting and application-managed services support. Learn more at https://www.hctec.com
Contact:
Brenna Davis
Marketing Manager, HCTec
615-786-0733
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Posted 1.26.2020 -
DrFirst Survey Reveals that Consumers Still Struggle to Obtain Medical Records Electronically, Despite Widespread Availability of Online Solutions
ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Despite healthcare providers’ widespread adoption of web-based patient portals, about one-third of consumers report they have never used one to view their medical records, according to a recent survey conducted by DrFirst, a pioneer in technology, support, and services that connect people at touchpoints of patient care. Also, 41% of survey participants say they did not receive all the records they requested from their healthcare provider.
DrFirst’s findings are consistent with a 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which found that less than one-third of patients viewed an online medical record at least once in the past year. According to participants in the DrFirst survey, consumers gave the following reasons for not using patient portals to access their information:
- They did not know how (37%)
- Their providers didn’t have a portal (31%)
- They didn’t have time (18%)
- They found the process too confusing (14%)
Additional survey findings support the conclusion that current solutions are not providing patients and their families with satisfactory options for accessing and maintaining health records electronically. Only 59% of consumers say they’ve always been successful getting their requested medical records, either electronically or on paper. Just 19% report always being able to obtain documents in a digital format, while 81% report receiving records as a combination of paper and digital. Furthermore, among consumers that have received health records electronically, almost one-third of them print and keep a paper version rather than storing the documents on a computer or online.
Retrieving medical records is also crucial for people who are providing care for family members, which includes children and the elderly. More than 40 million people in the U.S. provide unpaid care to their adult children or aging parents, according to a report by the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. The report notes that two-thirds (63%) of these caregivers are communicating with healthcare professionals on behalf of the care recipients.
“Today’s solutions are not meeting the needs of many consumers and the family members they take care of,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “People need options that are easier to use, such as secure mobile apps, to keep track of their medical information, and to be fully engaged in their healthcare.”
Survey Details
Among the 200 consumers participating in the online survey, 44% were male and 56% were female. The largest age group represented was over age 54 (26.5%), followed by 25-34 (26%) and 35-44 (21.5%). Respondents were pre-selected for having requested medical records from a physician or hospital – for themselves or a family member.About DrFirst
Since 2000, DrFirst has pioneered healthcare technology solutions and consulting services that securely connect people at touchpoints of care to improve patient outcomes. We create unconventional solutions that solve care collaboration, medication management, price transparency, and adherence challenges in healthcare. We provide our clients with real-time access to the information they need, exactly when and how they need it – so patients get the best care possible. To learn more, visit DrFirst.com.DrFirst Media Contact
Michelle Ronan Noteboom
Amendola Communications
512-426-2870
[email protected]Posted 1.24.2020 -
2020: The Year of the 3.0 CIO
1.23.2020
By John Kravitz CHCIO, Chair, CHIME Board; Corporate CIO, Geisinger Health System
Welcome to 2020, the year of the 3.0 CIO.
As chair of the Board of Trustees, I am excited to outline initiatives CHIME will roll out this year to expand the knowledge of today’s senior IT executive and usher in transformative innovations. CHIME will turn to our peers, partners in industry and collaborators to educate members about platform technologies that will drive change in our industry. We have a wealth of resources at our fingertips to help us succeed, including incredible representation in the U.S. and internationally.
The three platforms we will concentrate on are digital strategy, telemedicine and cloud migration, which will provide members with a solid foundation to strategically guide their healthcare organizations into the future. Complementing these three pillars will be opportunities to build leadership skills that healthcare IT executives can use to motivate their teams and effectively communicate with senior leadership. We are calling this the 3.0 CIO, but it can be any healthcare IT executive who wants to revolutionize the business through technology.
Digital strategy will play a key role in the revolution. Members will have a chance to share how they have established and executed digital strategies that focus on the customer, making access to patient services easy, intuitive and frictionless. Other topics may include how a digital strategy impacts consumers and their communities and how to align the IT strategy with the business strategy. Telemedicine dovetails into digital strategy as a platform that reaches consumers in a new way and supports the business. This is especially important as healthcare transitions to a population health environment. And with the increasing emphasis on value-based care, migrating to a cloud environment may offer benefits like cost savings, agility and redundancy.
Together we will learn and teach each other, sharing our knowledge and wisdom to drive the business forward. Whether it is case studies, track session presentations, focus groups or other educational opportunities, CHIME will highlight technologies and processes that will revolutionize health and care. Our colleagues overseas are another great resource, offering innovative approaches for delivering efficient and cost-effective care. With 10 international chapters and growing, CHIME is well positioned to build a united 3.0 CIO powerhouse that sits at the center of a global, interconnected world. And most importantly, a 3.0 CIO powerhouse that makes people happy, healthy and well cared for wherever they live.
Posted 1.23.2020 -
A Step in the Right Direction for Those Who Value Patient Safety
1.23.2020
By Liz Johnson, MS, FAAN, FCHIME, LCHIME, FHIMSS, CHCIO, RN-BC, Retired CIOPatients die and suffer harm every day in our hospitals and health systems because of a longstanding ban that has haunted care in this country for decades. Although Congress allowed the ban to remain in place in the 2020 spending package, lawmakers also moved the needle by adding a directive to key agencies to explore methods that improve the identification of patients, which can include the evaluation of a patient identifier.
Here is the crux of the problem: We have no reliable way of verifying that the patient before our clinicians is the patient they see in their medical record. Language that has been inserted in appropriation bills since 1998 prevents the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from funding any effort to sincerely discuss how we can link patients to their records, let alone create and implement a unique patient identifier as was called for in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Here are some examples of the harm, distress and near misses resulting from patient misidentifications that CHIME members have shared:
- Two patients with the same name are on a wait list for a kidney transplant. Because of an identity mix-up, when a suitable donor kidney becomes available, the patient who is lower on the wait list gets the organ.
- A routine mammogram with a malignancy is misfiled under a deceased patient with the same name. The mistake is not discovered until a year later, when the patient shows up for her annual physical. At this point, the cancer has spread beyond treatment.
- A mother whose daughter has died from a pediatric cancer continues to get reminder calls for appointments for a child with the same name.
- An insurance company denies the claim for an emergency appendectomy, saying the procedure had already been done. It turns out the patient’s brother had used his insurance card.
- An unresponsive trauma victim is brought in who has the same first and last name as a patient with a Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Intubate order and records are pulled for the latter. Thanks to a fortuitous set of circumstances and quick-thinking staff, the discrepancy did not lead to denial of lifesaving care.
- Annie B. Smith gives birth to a healthy baby and is sent home, only to have Child Protective Services appear and take the baby away. One day earlier, Ann B. Smith had been treated in the ER for a cocaine overdose. Annie B. Smith is separated from her child for three weeks and the facility is sued because of the mix-up.
Those anecdotes are just the tip of the iceberg. In the 2016 National Patient Identification Report, 86% of nurses, physicians and IT professions said they had witnessed or heard of a medical error in their organization that resulted from misidentification. They estimated that 35% of denied claims were linked to inaccurate or incomplete patient information, at an average cost of $1.2 million a year.
In mid-December lawmakers unveiled proposals to fund the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2020. Among policy changes included in the spending package that would fund HHS was a new directive to HHS to “continue to provide technical assistance to private-sector-led initiatives to develop a coordinated national strategy that will promote patient safety by accurately identifying patients to their health information. Additionally, the agreement directs ONC (the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT), in coordination with other appropriate Federal agencies, to provide a report to the Committees one year after enactment of this Act studying the current technological and operational methods that improve identification of patients. The report shall evaluate the effectiveness of current methods and recommend actions that increase the likelihood of an accurate match of patients to their health care data. Such recommendations may or may not include a standard for a unique patient health identifier.” The directive was signed into law on Dec. 20.
CHIME has long advocated for a national patient identification system to protect patients from harms that occur through misidentifications. We commend Congress for recognizing this as a significant patient safety issue and for encouraging HHS to explore solutions. While this directive is a step in the right direction, our journey is not over. CHIME will continue to work with policymakers to find a safe, reliable and affordable way to link patients to their data. Each day without a solution is a day that puts countless patients at needless risk.
Editor’s note: This article was published previously in healthsystemCIO.com.
Posted 1.23.2020
