-
Associations Add 6 New Members to AEHIA, AEHIS and AEHIT Boards
1.23.2020
By Zach Donisch, Director, Membership Services
CHIME’s three associations welcomed six new board members this year. The boards’ duties include providing general guidance and direction on matters affecting the growth and development of their organizations.
Joining the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Applications (AEHIA) Board are:
- Lisa Flesher, senior director of clinical applications and physician EMR services at Children’s Health in Dallas
- Jason Ortiz, independent consultant, formerly at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego
- Jeff Wojtasik, director of Enterprise Information Management at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York in Buffalo.
Collectively, the three offer nearly 60 years of healthcare experience. Flesher’s career includes three years in revenue cycle management, five years managing a neurosciences division and 17 years in information technology. Ortiz has a 25-year career as a technology executive, serving in complex roles in healthcare leadership and innovation. Wojtasik has been involved in healthcare for the past eight years, including managing a development team for a medical device manufacturing company, working for a not-for-profit health insurance payer organization and most recently in his current role.
Joining the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS) Board are:
- Vikrant Arora, CISO at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City
- Jeff Bontsas, CISO and vice president of information security at Ascension Technologies in Troy, Mich.
Arora has more than 15 years of global experience developing enterprise security and risk management programs. As CISO at the Hospital for Special Surgery, he focuses on developing an enterprise security strategy while managing business risks from digital innovations and the internet of things. Bontsas has more than 28 years of experience in the IT industry, mostly devoted to information and cybersecurity. He has held several key positions since joining Ascension in 2001. Prior to becoming the first CISO for Ascension five years ago, he served as the national security director.
Joining the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Technology (AEHIT) Board is:
- Feroz Merchhiya, CIO at Houston Ophthalmology Associates in Baytown, Texas.
Merchhiya, a CHIME member, has 20 years of experience leading technology initiatives, including serving as the chief technology officer at various professional services organization, working with emerging technology firms and as a principal consultant with a top-tier technology consulting practice.
All board terms began on Jan. 1 and will continue through Dec. 31, 2022.
Posted 1.23.2020 -
Want to Steer Industry Trends? Consider Attending Spring Focus Groups
1.23.2020
By Michelle Patterson, VP, Operations
The CHIME Foundation will offer a variety of focus groups conducted by CHIME Foundation partners on March 10-12, after the CHIME HIMSS CIO Forum wraps up in Orlando, Fla. Focus groups give members a glimpse into industry trends and help shape the direction of future products and services.
Members can sign up for as many as 13 focus groups, which will be held in the Hyatt Regency Orlando. The CHIME Foundation is assigning focus groups now; if you are interested in participating you can sign up here. The focus groups are scheduled between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on March 10 and 11 and between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on March 12.
The CHIME Foundation team has developed detailed educational tools and best practices that assist focus group presenters in preparing engaging, interesting focus groups. Through webinars, online resources and one-on-one discussions, they are giving guidance on ways to maximize the focus group experience for both attendees and the firms. The goal is to design focus groups that allow members to share their insights and advice as informed customers; they are not meant to be sales pitches. Overall, CHIME members find the 90-minute sessions to be informative and an opportunity to learn from and network with colleagues.
Those who attend all 13 focus groups will receive honorariums totaling $2,300. The honorarium amounts are tiered, increasing with participation. See the chart at the end for amounts. We encourage members to share their full availability, before focus groups fill up. Other focus groups may be added as Foundation firms finalize their programs, too.
If you have questions, feel free to call 734-665-0000 or email [email protected].
Focus Groups Attended Honorarium Amount 1 $100 2 $200 3 $300 4 $400 5 $500 6 $700 7 $900 8 $1,200 9 $1,400 10 $1,600 11 $1,900 12 $2,100 13 $2,300 Posted 1.23.2020 -
CHIME Membership Demographics Update
CHIME provider membership has continued to grow steadily over the years, and we are excited to be standing at over 3,200 CHIME members as of January, 2020! Below we’ve shared some updated data with you that better defines our CHIME members.
More Foundation Insight:
Posted 1.22.2020 -
Benefits Utilization Strategy for 2020
1.21.2020
By Corporate Partner Services Team, CHIME Foundation
January is a time of renewal and resetting for many of us, both personally and professionally. Consider approaching your CHIME Foundation partnership in the same way in early 2020; an opportunity to re-energize.
Your CHIME Foundation benefits offer multiple points of in-person connection with CHIME members as well as numerous online opportunities for interaction, raising brand awareness in the industry and sharing thought leadership.
Planning ahead in January and February can set you up for optimal success in 2020. Identify your target audience in 2020 and consider finding a small group of CHIME members whom you’d like to build relationships with in the year ahead.
Let’s walk through an example of how you might lay out your year ahead and best put your CHIME Foundation benefits to use.
January-March
As HIMSS will be here before we know it, utilizing one of your online benefits ahead of HIMSS or directly after is a GREAT way to capitalize on the momentum around the event. If you plan early:
- Hold an online focus group in February—it’s an ideal way to garner input and insight from CHIME members, and to leverage your online presence to make new connections in person. Those 8-12 online focus group attendees become a group of folks to connect with on-site at HIMSS.
- Host a College LIVE in mid to late March allows you to benefit from the attention you gained at HIMSS and to highlight your company’s knowledge with CHIME members.
- For Standard– and Premier–tier members, you’ve got a great opportunity to connect with CHIME members in Foundation In-Person Focus Group(s) at HIMSS.
- Associate partners may hold an In-Person Focus Group as well, through sponsorship.
- Connect and hear from 8-12 CHIME members
March–June
Now that you and your team have had a chance to wind down from HIMSS, the spring season is an opportune time to think about your next big point of contact with CHIME members. This could include:
- Hold an Online Member Survey to collect data from CHIME members
- Online Member Surveys are held over a 1-2 month time span
- Share a short survey with members, gauging their needs, current realities, etc.
- This benefit is included for Standard/Premier members, Associates can run an a-la-carte survey
- Conduct an Online Focus Group or College LIVE webinar
- Submit your Track Session Proposal in March/April to considered for the Fall CIO Forum agenda
- Must include a CHIME member as a co-presenter
June–September
June through September is an ideal time to take the data you’ve collected from CHIME members (from Online Surveys, Online and In-Person Focus Groups, etc.) and make it work for you! We strongly suggest using your data to create:
- A short white paper, executive summary, even a one-pager on the insights you gained from CHIME members.
- This is a great way to get some extra mileage from your CHIME Foundation benefits. Share the finished piece with us and we can post it in CHIME’s KnowledgeHub for members to access.
September–November
Another invaluable opportunity to get in front of CHIME members and connect, this time ahead of the CHIME20 Fall CIO Forum.
- Hold an Online Focus Group and leverage your online presence to make new connections in person at the Fall CIO Forum.
- Hosting a College LIVE before the Fall CIO Forum allows you to highlight your company’s strongest areas of thought leadership with CHIME members in advance of the event.
- Another opportunity for Foundation In-Person Focus Group(s) at Fall CIO Forum.
- Connect and hear from 8-12 CHIME members
- For Standard/Premier–tier members (or Associates through sponsorship)
December
Take some time to reflect on your benefits usage and engagement with CHIME members in 2020.
- What worked well?
- What would you like to do better?
- What support can the CHIME Foundation team provide to make 2021 even more successful?
Inspired by the example above? Make sure to connect with your Account Director for next steps in developing your Benefits Engagement Strategy for 2020.
More Foundation Insight:
Posted 1.22.2020 -
What Health Systems Must Do to Accelerate Digital Transformation
1.22.2020
By Paddy Padmanabhan, CEO Damo Consulting Inc
As a foundation partner, we conducted a focus group discussion with 40 health system CIO’s who are also members of CHIME. Based on the study, we found that most CIO’s defined “digital” as a reimagining of business processes and patient experiences. Healthcare consumerism and the emergence of non-traditional players is a particularly important trend that requires health systems to reimagine the way care is delivered.
As Aaron Martin, Chief Digital Officer at Providence Health, says, “Our mission is to convert our patients from an offline to an online relationship.”
We also had the opportunity to organize a webinar with Cleveland Clinic, one of the top health systems in the country that has invested in developing an enterprise digital roadmap.
Based on all the above, we find that health systems must look at the following strategies to accelerate their digital transformation and avoid disruption to their businesses.
Ensure organizational readiness and senior management sponsorship
Our study with the CHIME CIOs indicates that the single most significant factor impacting digital strategy execution is organizational readiness — everything from board-level buy-in to funding challenges. Regardless, digital transformation must be a CEO-level priority before your enterprise can make progress. As non-traditional players like Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS make a bid for the primary care and urgent care experiences through user-friendly “digital front doors,” traditional healthcare enterprises must step up and offer more choices to healthcare consumers.
Develop an enterprise digital roadmap – involve everyone
Digital transformation is not just about patient apps or virtual visit platforms. It goes across the entire enterprise and necessarily includes caregiver enablement and improved efficiencies in administrative functions. Digital leaders must have a structured process to gather internal feedback and inputs (Voice of Customer) to build a roadmap for the future. If you are an enterprise CIO leading digital transformation, it is important to ensure that digital is not seen as an “IT initiative.”
Identify key technology partners
Healthcare is a team sport, and digital transformation requires tight collaboration between health systems and their technology partners. A challenge for many health systems is the lack of an organizational appetite to look beyond core EHR systems for enabling digital capabilities. However, EHR systems lack many of the advanced capabilities required to build digital experience platforms. Most of the digital health innovations today are emerging from non-EHR tech firms, including startups. While there isn’t one single “digital platform” out there, a handful of strategic partnerships, augmented by internal and external innovation, may be the path to successful transformation.
There is a feeling among smaller health systems that what works for a large and well-funded health system may not work for them. The issue of technical debt and the allocation of a significant portion of IT budgets to maintaining existing systems also weighs heavily on CIO’s. Health systems of all sizes need to be “bi-modal” and recognize that incremental progress is necessary to achieve digital transformation goals.
Health systems embarking on enterprise digital transformation initiatives must be cautious about launching digital health programs just for the sake of digitalizing patient or caregiver experiences. Digital is not a solution to every problem in health care delivery. Digital health interventions may not work for certain disease conditions or populations. As Karen Murphy, EVP and Chief Innovation Officer at Pennsylvania-based Geisinger Health System, says, “We need to be cautious in the use of technology so that we don’t end up increasing the total costs of care.” That would negate the goals of digital transformation in healthcare.
More Foundation Insight:
Posted 1.22.2020 -
Clearwater Continues Advancing Purpose-Built Software to Help Healthcare Organizations Respond Effectively to Mounting Cyber Risk
New Risk Response Optimizer Joins Patented
Component Expert System Among Innovations Offered in IRM|Analysis™NASHVILLE, TN (Jan. 14, 2020) – Clearwater today announced the addition of Risk Response Optimizer to the latest release of IRM|Analysis™, the Enterprise Cyber Risk Management Software (ECRMS) product specifically designed to help healthcare organizations identify, prioritize, and respond to risks on an enterprise scale, in accordance with the guidance and expectations of the Office for Civil Rights. The new feature is the latest innovation Clearwater has developed to enable hospitals and health systems and their business associates to identify and respond to risks and manage them more efficiently.
IRM|Analysis facilitates a consistent, information system-focused risk analysis, and as a result, provides information that is critical in driving effective risk management decision making. The software’s proprietary algorithms not only pinpoint an organization’s most highly-rated risks to its information systems, but through Risk Response Optimizer, will also characterize the most common control deficiencies contributing to those risks.
For resource-constrained hospitals and health systems that may be challenged to implement safeguards against cyberattacks that are growing in number and sophistication, Clearwater’s IRM|Analysis can improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of information security teams.
“As a SaaS-based product that allows healthcare organizations to effectively manage a constantly evolving risk landscape, IRM|Analysis drives informed security investment decisions, direct cost savings and value creation that is measurable and material,” said Clearwater CEO Steve Cagle. “From senior management to IT staff managing risk management tasks on a daily basis, the software streamlines and focuses resources and investments, enabling proactive and preventative cybersecurity programs with an attractive return on investment.”
The addition of Risk Response Optimizer follows the introduction of Component Expert System last year, another powerful feature embedded within IRM|Analysis that enables hospitals and health systems to complete the security risk analysis and risk management processes more efficiently across the enterprise by logically grouping similar information system components based on their properties and associated controls. The technology, for which Clearwater was awarded a patent in December, automatically identifies relevant risk scenarios, thereby facilitating a more efficient risk assessment and management process.
Clearwater’s consistent delivery of innovative solutions has enabled the company to earn the #1 rating for Risk Management and Compliance in Black Book Research’s survey of healthcare providers the past three years in a row.
About Clearwater
Clearwater is the leading provider of Enterprise Cyber Risk Management and HIPAA compliance software and consulting services 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 suite of IRM|Pro® software products and consulting services help healthcare organizations to avoid preventable breaches, protect patients and their data, and meet OCR’s expectations, while optimizing cybersecurity investments. More than 400 healthcare organizations, including 64 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 www.clearwatercompliance.com.
Posted 1.16.2020 -
QliqSOFT Announces Healthcare Chatbot that Solves Patient Engagement, Instantly.
Dallas, Texas – January 9, 2020 – QliqSOFT, specializing in secure, HIPAA-compliant clinical communication solutions, today announced the launch of its healthcare chatbot platform, Quincy. Quincy offers chatbot templates that address care-specific use cases that include pre-configured intents and dialogue flows or customized chatbots can be built to suit your unique needs. As a chatbot platform, Quincy enables healthcare providers to build and deploy HIPAA-compliant, AI-driven, conversational chatbots that help them put more care-related information in the hands of their patients, facilitate self-service, improve workflow, drive better outcomes, and reduce costs.
Qliqsoft’s conversational patient engagement platform provides patients care-related information via mobile texting and web-based messaging. Quincy chatbots are available 24-7 and Quincy is limitlessly scalable. Extending access to vital healthcare information, Quincy chatbots serve to communicate between patients and their care teams to improve responsiveness and service. Visit verification, emergency room patient concierge, discharge follow-up, appointment reminders, pre-visit documentation, directions to healthcare facilities, medication compliance, chronic care management, billing, and care education are just a few of the care-related communication activities that are personalized and automated with Quincy.
“We believe chatbots are the future for real patient engagement in 2020 and beyond. There are many, many applications that we see and our customers see,” says QliqSOFT Founder and CEO, Krishna Kurapati. “We built our chatbot platform to be used as a place for us and our customers to explore, learn, adapt, and improve; so that, together, we can solve the challenges of patient engagement,” says Kurapati. “Quincy chatbots securely utilize patient information to engage patients, meaningfully, via their smartphone. Quincy uses the SMS texting feature already built into smartphones, so the patient is not required to download an application. And, Quincy is HIPAA-compliant. Patient engagement must be secure.”
The continued growth of smartphones and mobile texting is no secret. Studies show that 81% of Americans have a smartphone and 62% of them use their smartphone to gather health-related information. 90% of physicians use their smartphone to view electronic health records, communicate with their team, and reference information. All of these numbers are growing and are expected to continue growing making smartphones combined with conversational chatbot mobile texting a very scalable and valuable clinical tool.
When combined with care campaigns meant to engage patients around specific conditions or treatment via mobile texting, Quincy’s real power is revealed. By incorporating specific care-related objectives with Quincy’s AI-driven, conversational platform, care teams are able to activate patients in their own healthcare to achieve better outcomes and reduced costs. For hospitals and
outpatient facilities, Quincy can engage with patients to manage intake and post-discharge activities. For post-acute facilities, Quincy proactively monitors patient health by soliciting vital patient data and providing care-related information. In the event a patient’s condition should indicate potential risk, Quincy can escalate the issue to a care team member. Private practice is able to provide after-hours access to care-related information, scheduling, and appointment reminders. Quincy enables pharmacies to improve medication compliance. In addition to Quincy’s limitless potential for improved patient experience, the platform offers solutions that improve workflows, call center efficiency, billing, revenue cycle management, and patient outcomes.
“We already know patients prefer communicating via mobile text messaging for many of their healthcare needs. Quincy’s scalable architecture embraces that preference to streamline patient engagement and reduce costs. But, Quincy goes a step further by engaging patients in conversations that achieve healthcare objectives,” says Kurapati. “Our goal isn’t to simply converse with patients; our goal is to help care teams engage their patients to improve patient experience, outcomes, and satisfaction.”
QliqSOFT’s Quincy Chatbot Platform is available to healthcare organizations, life science companies, payers, and medical device manufacturers that want to innovate value-based care by improving patient engagement, patient outcomes, and patient satisfaction. Please contact Qliqsoft to learn more regarding use cases for your client’s needs.
About QliqSOFT, Inc.
With its unique cloud pass-thru architecture, QliqSOFT’s Secure Texting, On-Call Scheduling, Patient Communication, and Clinical Collaboration solutions are trusted by over 1,000 Hospitals, Home Health, and Hospice Organizations to deliver HIPAA-compliant, reliable, and real-time communication between doctors, nurses, caregivers, and patients. To learn more, visit www.qliqsoft.com.
Media Contact: Ben Henson | Dir of Marketing | c: 770-688-4689 | e: [email protected]
Posted 1.9.2020 -
Impact Advisors Hires John Klare
Executive leader to direct firm’s Performance Excellence services
CHICAGO (Jan. 9, 2020) — Impact Advisors, a leading provider of clinical, revenue cycle and information technology services to the healthcare industry, announced that John Klare has joined its team to lead the Performance Excellence service line for the firm.
“We are elated to have John on our leadership team,” said Andy Smith, president and co-founder of Impact Advisors. “His experience and track record in the industry will position us to make an even bigger impact for our clients as they react to a rapidly changing environment. In addition, John’s passion for growing and developing top talent is a perfect match for our culture.”
Klare has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry with proven success at previous organizations where he has grown both service offerings and associates, creating high-performing practices. During his career, he has successfully helped organizations with provider business transformation, operations improvement and revenue cycle. In addition, he has an outstanding track record in new business development, new service line development and new client acquisition for complex consulting and business processing outsourcing contracts.
Impact Advisors’ Performance Excellence service line is an extension of its management consulting services and is designed to help clients improve their operating and financial performance through a balanced approach, including quality and service enhancements, revenue growth, and cost reduction, as well as provider and patient engagement. With this offering, Impact provides tech-enabled solutions to help clients create sustainable improvements with existing IT investments. In addition, Performance Excellence will allow the firm to leverage and integrate its full suite of services to provide a full continuum of value to its clients, helping them exceed their expectations.
Klare has a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Health Administration from the University of Chicago.
About Impact Advisors
Impact Advisors is a nationally recognized healthcare consulting firm that is solving some of the toughest challenges in the industry by delivering strategic advisory, technology implementation and performance improvement services. Our comprehensive suite of digital health, clinical optimization and revenue cycle services spans the lifecycle of our clients’ needs. Our experienced team has a powerful combination of clinical, revenue, operations, consulting and IT experience. The firm has earned a number of prestigious industry and workplace awards, including Best in KLAS® for 12 consecutive years, Healthcare Informatics HCI 100, Crain’s Chicago Business Fast Fifty, as well as “best place to work” awards from: Modern Healthcare, Consulting Magazine, Becker’s Hospital Review and Achievers. For more information about Impact Advisors, visit www.impact-advisors.com.
###
Karli Smith
Vice PresidentPosted 1.9.2020 -
A CMIO’s Take on 5G
Editor’s note: John S. Lee, MD, CMIO at Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare, participated in the first-ever CHIME Innovation 5G Executive Forum in December. Co-Developed by CHIME Innovation, AT&T Business and the HCI Group, a Tech Mahindra Company, the small cohort-based forum included 5G healthcare use cases, an immersive 5G experience, a potential 5G roadmap and more. He shares what he learned and the implications of 5G in this article.
The educational 5G series will continue in 2020 with a similar CHIME Innovation 5G Executive Forum on March 26-27 in Plano, Texas, and a new CHIME Innovation event, Impact of 5G in Health and Care, on May 5-6 in Atlanta.
1.9.2020
John S. Lee, MD, CMIO at Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare
I recently had the pleasure of attending a conference on 5G wireless technology co-developed by CHIME Innovation, AT&T Business and The HCI Group, a Tech Mahindra Company. The purpose of the gathering was to educate and facilitate innovation. Clearly, this CMIO needed some education. I admit that I really didn’t know what exactly is 5G.
I found out that 5G is not a single technology but rather a generational constellation of technologies. For instance, 5GE (E stands for evolution) sits on top of the current LTE platform and is, in fact, souped up 4G. It is faster than 4G but not really a generational leap in throughput. At the other extreme, millimeter wave signals can deliver gigabits per second data throughput. However, these short wavelengths prevent it from penetrating even minimal physical objects. In the middle is Sub-6, which refers to frequencies under 6GHz. These wavelengths are longer than millimeter waves, which allows the signal to penetrate solid objects and carry longer distances. The signal throughput does not compare to gigabit millimeter wave speeds but still is far faster than 4G. Broadly, in addition to speed orders of magnitude higher than 4G, 5G will reduce latency and improve signal reliability and security.
The question was posed why would we not use WiFi and, in particular, anticipate wide adoption of the new 802.11x WiFi 6 standard? The speeds that 802.11x will provide will be on par with 5G. However, WiFi has inherent instability and latency. The signal spikes that occur because of traffic that moves on and off the network create performance uncertainty.
On the other hand, 5G creates specific lanes upon which the signal is carried. Administrators can then dictate which lanes move faster or are prioritized. For instance, one could force the network to reserve 10 times the capacity for a robotic surgery application versus a channel that would be carrying ventilator data. In a sense, WiFi is like a 12-lane superhighway with varying types of traffic. 5G is a dedicated hyperloop carrying only a single type of vehicle.
Therefore, in many ways, I think 5G will not succeed 4G cellular, at least not in the way we currently conceptualize ubiquitous use of cellular phones. Instead, 5G’s high throughput, high security and high reliability can be considered more of a successor to wired ethernet with the added mobility and flexibility of a wireless infrastructure. As a CMIO, this helps me understand where I may be able to deploy WiFi 6 and 5G within my system. Both will be extremely useful for care delivery and infrastructure purposes.
Of course, outside the hospital, there will still be a demand for classic wide area cellular coverage with next generation speeds. Thus, we will probably need two strategies. The first will be on premise solution where high speed, volume and reliability are needed as a replacement for WiFi and wired connections. The second will be a wide area/off premise strategy where penetration and distance are as important as speed. 5G definitely has a place in this two-strategy approach.
The new wireless technology is impressive, but the ultimate goal is to get the signal on to fiber as soon as possible. If we keep this in mind and think about the characteristics and limitations of the various forms of 5G, we can start considering how we can use the technology. We can create wide areas of mobile coverage, but the highest speed millimeter wave signals need to be deployed strategically.
The gigabit speeds will allow for intense computing on edge. The combination of the cloud with edge computing then could disintermediate and further blur the lines between local computation and cloud-based computation. This concept then opens the possibility for high bandwidth, high demand computing without requiring providers on the clinical front lines to tether themselves to physical hardware.
For instance, one of the demonstrated applications was delivering care with augmented reality Magic Leap retinal displays. As advanced and light as these devices were, I still felt that they were clunky and not usable for long periods of time. However, it is possible that the computational burden and physical bulk could be off loaded to an edge architecture that could be connected to a lighter physical device. This edge device then could be connected to the larger network for less time-sensitive work.
Other potential use cases for 5G were explored:
- We will be able to download massive imaging files wirelessly to various care settings, no longer tethered by wired network cables.
- Training and simulations can be facilitated by augmented reality enhanced by massive multimedia applications.
- Remote robotic surgery could potentially be performed from across the continent or even across the world. (However, I personally feel that there will still be a need for a local human surgeon since we need to deal with the limitation of the speed of light. As anyone who has been on a WebEx knows, there is often a bit of a lag. As most surgeons know, having lag of milliseconds is unacceptable if a vessel is accidentally cut or the surgeon realizes that a strand of connective tissue that he or she was going to dissect was actually a nerve.)
These networks will facilitate placement of all sorts of sensors throughout the medical continuum to constantly feed a data beast and create insights to make medical care safer and more efficient, much as manufacturing and aerospace has used similar sensors to improve their efficiency and safety. The “sensor” that was most intriguing to me was the video as a sensor. As a physician and CMIO, I know that one of the biggest hurdles to improving our care systems is that so much of our processes require human abstraction and reporting. Cameras and microphones could detect hand washing compliance, interpersonal interactions, fall risk or a patient in pain, using AI algorithms. Yes, there is a creep factor, but perhaps we can take a cue from airport backscatter security devices that now only show blocky silhouettes to direct manual searches. 5G can be part of what makes this feasible.
Pamela Arora from Children’s Health in Dallas commented that it is important not only to have the right tool, right person and right time but also to deliver it to the right place. This is especially an issue for specialty pediatric care where there are very few specialists who cover an enormous geographic area. 5G technology creates the potential for distributing care efficiently across a large physical area. I recently read a piece where a small rural hospital closed to initial protestations of the community, but realized that they didn’t really need a hospital. Perhaps this wireless technology can help distribute care that would otherwise not be available and small communities won’t need to support the enormous fixed costs of a free-standing hospital. Could this model be the Netflix to the 20th Century Blockbuster hospital?
Ultimately, I don’t think we can predict the full impact of these new technologies. As an analogy, who could predict that, when smartphone technology appeared in 2007, it would result in Uber, mobile check-in for airlines and ubiquitous GPS with presentation of minute-to-minute graphical traffic? Then again, remember that Apple tried to introduce a similar concept in the Newton over 10 years before with miserable results. Even if 5G starts out as a Newton, I have no doubt that it will eventually completely revolutionize how we deliver medical care. I encourage you to prepare your organizations for this revolution!
More Inside CHIME:
Posted 1.9.2020 -
AEHIS Guidance Lists Recommended Controls to Mitigate Cyberattack Risks
1.9.2020
Zach Donisch, Director, Membership Services
On Jan. 2, the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center issued a bulletin to alert the healthcare sector of possible retaliation by Iran after the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was killed in a drone attack in Iraq. The bulletin noted that “(w)hile Iran has no history of directly targeting the healthcare sector, their targeted cyber operations have impacted healthcare organizations in the U.S. and abroad in prior incidents.”
AEHIS’ Incident Response Committee worked through the following weekend to research and write a guidance for healthcare information security and IT executives to help them mitigate the risk to their healthcare organizations if a cyberattack by a nation state occurs. AEHIS has made the guidance available to the public.
The guidance is not meant to serve as a comprehensive list of security controls. The authors recommend that hospitals and healthcare facilities that are not yet following industry best practices such as having a perimeter firewall, a spam filter or AV software first focus on bringing their organization up to the standard. Their guidance, “Healthcare Sector Preparations for the Threat of Nation State Sponsored Cyberattacks Against Critical infrastructure,” offers 17 recommended controls as a supplement to industry standards.
Recommendations like patching may serve as a reminder to stay up to date and take extra precautions to ensure all connected systems are properly patched for known vulnerabilities. They also suggest verifying disaster recovery and business continuity plans as well as backup systems to proactively identify and correct any problems in advance of a possible attack on critical infrastructure. The authors provide examples of deterrents, decoys, threat identification, malware detection and inventory management along with practices that can contain a breach and minimize damage.
CHIME and AEHIS thank the AEHIS Incident Response Committee for putting in many volunteer hours to help our sector better protect itself. We encourage members to review this resource and let their team members and colleagues know it is available for their use as well. The guidance is available on the AEHIS website at https://aehis.org/ciso-resources/or by clicking here.
More Inside CHIME:
Posted 1.9.2020 -
News of Note
1.9.2020
By Candace Stuart, Director, Communications & Public Relations
Opioid Task Force will host a webinar today: The Opioid Task Force will host a webinar titled “Atrium Health: Responding to the Opioid Crisis,” at noon today, Jan. 9. Anyone interested in the webinar can register here.
Deadline for spring forum scholarships is Friday: CHIME members have only a few days left to apply for scholarships worth $1,500 to attend the CHIME HIMSS CIO Forum on March 8-9 in Orlando, Fla. The application deadline is Friday, Jan. 10. Recipients will receive complimentary registration to the forum and may submit travel expenses for reimbursement with the remaining funds at the conclusion of the event. Applications are available here.
Podcast on managing third-party security risks: Erik Decker, AEHIS’s Health Information Security Innovator of the Year and chief information security and privacy officer at University of Chicago Medicine, offered advice on how to manage third-party security risks in this podcast and article on HealthcareInfoSecurity.
More Inside CHIME:
Posted 1.9.2020 -
Healthgrades Acquires Evariant
CREATES THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, END-TO-END CONSUMER AND PHYSICIAN
ENGAGEMENT PLATFORMDenver, Colo (Jan 7, 2020)—Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers,
physicians and health systems, today announced it has acquired Evariant, a leading healthcare
consumer and physician engagement company. With the combination of these two market leaders
and innovators, Healthgrades will offer the most comprehensive end-to-end engagement platform in
the healthcare industry, enhancing the company’s value proposition for its combined base of 2,000+
hospitals and life sciences customers.Healthgrades’ products and services enable physicians and health systems to optimize growth
through smarter consumer acquisition, patient retention and physician network utilization strategies.
The combined offering includes:• The most advanced healthcare customer relationship management (HCRM) solution;
• a leading physician relationship management (PRM) solution;
• an Engagement Center application that transforms call centers into profit centers;
• a web content management solution (CMS) supporting an integrated digital experience;
• a full-service healthcare marketing agency and strategic services arm focused on
accelerating ROI;
• and the most comprehensive consumer website to help educate consumers and connect
them with a physician.This integrated technology platform will leverage more than 30 years of experience with predictive
analytics and patient communications to engage consumers at every step of the patient journey,
redefining their relationships with healthcare providers in the digital age.Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Evariant shareholders will retain a minority stake in the
combined company and will have a representative on the Board of Directors. Healthgrades is a
Vestar Capital Partners portfolio company.“Following the successful integration of Influence Health, this acquisition further positions
Healthgrades to lead the industry in improving connections between consumers and providers
across multiple solutions and media channels,” said Rob Draughon, CEO, Healthgrades. “Since the
beginning of 2019, Healthgrades has significantly expanded its product suite, added exciting new
talent, and enhanced its ability to innovate, invest and grow. Our goal remains clear: to better inform
consumers along their health journey, powered by data and insights, improving the overall care
experience and ultimately driving improved health outcomes.“At Evariant, we have successfully partnered with health systems to achieve high-value service line
growth, extend patient lifetime value and improve network utilization and planning,” said Clay
Ritchey, CEO, Evariant. “We are excited to become a part of Healthgrades and look forward to the
significant opportunities ahead as the scale of our combined companies will fuel expansion of our
products, services and support resources to benefit our collective client base.”“Healthgrades is a pioneer in healthcare information, and with the addition of Evariant, the company
will become the most comprehensive healthcare communications platform in the industry,” said
Norm Alpert, chairman of Healthgrades and co-president of Vestar. “Merging the best features of
both companies creates an unrivaled solution set for health systems to engage with consumers,
patients, providers and other constituencies on a new level.”MTS Health Partners, L.P. acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal advisor
to Healthgrades. Piper Sandler served as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter LLP served as legal
advisor to Evariant. Financing for the transaction was provided by CRG, L.P. and CIBC Bank USA.ABOUT EVARIANT
Evariant, the healthcare consumer and physician engagement company, enables providers to
optimize growth through smarter patient acquisition and retention. Our customers achieve
indisputable value through high-value service line growth, improving provider network utilization and
planning, and extending patient lifetime value. The Evariant Patients for Life Platform™ delivers
actionable intelligence that enables healthcare providers to execute best next actions to find, guide
and keep patients for life. For more information, visit evariant.com.ABOUT HEALTHGRADES
Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering stronger and more meaningful connections between
patients and their healthcare providers. At Healthgrades, we help millions of consumers each month
find and schedule appointments with their provider of choice. With our scheduling solutions and
advanced analytics applications, we help our health system and life sciences clients cultivate new
patient relationships, improve patient access, and build customer loyalty. For more information, visit:
https://partners.healthgrades.com. At Healthgrades, better health gets a head start.ABOUT ABOUT VESTAR CAPITAL PARTNERS
Vestar Capital Partners is a leading U.S. middle-market private equity firm specializing in
management buyouts and growth capital investments. Vestar invests and collaborates with
incumbent management teams and private owners to build long-term enterprise value, with a focus
on Consumer, Healthcare, and Business Services. Since its founding in 1988, Vestar funds have
invested $8 billion in more than 80 companies – as well as more than 200 add-on acquisitions – with
a total value of approximately $50 billion. For more information on Vestar, please visit
www.vestarcapital.com.Posted 1.8.2020
