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Censinet Appoints Healthcare Finance Veteran Shawn Burke as Chief Financial Officer
Former RStudio and Imprivata Executive to Scale Finance Team and Help Accelerate the Company’s Record Annual Growth
Boston, MA – April 28, 2022 – Censinet, the leading provider of healthcare IT risk solutions, today announced that Shawn Burke has joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer. Most recently, Burke was VP, Finance at RStudio and led the finance organization through a period of significant growth and transformation. Previously, Burke was VP, Corporate Controller at Imprivata where he led Imprivata through its successful IPO and subsequent sale to Thoma Bravo. At Censinet, he will oversee all aspects of the Company’s finance strategy and operations.
“Shawn brings deep financial experience in both building successful platforms and technology businesses, and the healthcare industry,” said Ed Gaudet, CEO and Founder at Censinet. “I’m equally excited about Shawn’s passion for building extraordinary teams and iconic cultures, and look forward to his leadership and overall contribution to Censinet.”
Burke has more than 25 years of corporate finance experience in both private and public technology and healthcare companies. He has deep expertise across accounting and finance, combined with significant experience in raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, and ERP implementations. Burke also held finance management positions at Myomo, Inc., Axcelis Technologies, Cisco Systems, Starent Networks, NxStage Medical, and ViaCell. He earned his B.S.B.A in Accounting from Merrimack College and is a Certified Management Accountant.
“I’ve had the good fortune to work with innovative companies in the healthcare industry and across the technology sector. Censinet, with its best-in-class Censinet RiskOps™ platform and collaborative risk network, captures both,” said Shawn Burke, CFO of Censinet. “After a record year, the Company is accelerating its expansion efforts, driving the need for enhanced capabilities that allow us to better serve our expanding base of healthcare providers, healthcare vendors, partners, and – most importantly – our customers.”
To learn more about Shawn Burke and other members of the Censinet leadership team, please visit www.censinet.com/about/leadership-team.
About Censinet
Censinet, based in Boston, MA, enables healthcare organizations to take the risk out of their business with Censinet RiskOps™, the first and only cloud-based exchange that integrates and consolidates enterprise risk management and operations capabilities across critical clinical and business areas. Censinet RiskOps builds upon the Company’s foundational success with third-party risk management (TPRM) for healthcare. Censinet transforms healthcare risk by increasing productivity and operational effectiveness while eliminating risks to care delivery, data privacy, and patient safety. Find out more about Censinet and its RiskOps platform at censinet.com.
Contact:
Rob Ciampa
Censinet
(617) 286-6785
Posted 4.28.2022 -
Impact Advisors Hires Bruce (Skip) Lemon to Lead IT Advisory Services
Seasoned industry leader to join senior leadership team
CHICAGO (April 27, 2022) — Impact Advisors, a leading healthcare consultancy providing strategy, operations, revenue cycle and technology services, announced that Bruce (Skip) Lemon has joined its senior leadership team as a vice president. He will be leading the firm’s IT advisory services practice including IT planning and value optimization, enterprise analytics and technology services.
“We are excited to have Skip join our senior leadership team,” said Pete Smith, managing partner and founder of Impact Advisors. “Skip is a leader in the industry when it comes to client delivery and management, and he will be a great asset to our team as we continue to grow and expand our services. In addition, his focus on career development and culture makes him a great fit for our organization.”
Lemon has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry and has a track record of success consulting with some of the nation’s most prestigious healthcare systems. He started his career at Arthur Andersen/Accenture and has been a leader at First Consulting Group, Stockamp & Associates and most recently, Huron Consulting. Lemon has experience leading large regional teams and expertise in strategic planning, information technology, performance improvement, program management, and practice/P&L leadership.
Lemon has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame. Throughout his career, he has been active in several professional organizations including the Healthcare Financial Management Association, Health Information Management Systems Society, Health Management Academy, Scottsdale Institute, and the CFO Roundtable. Lemon is an active member of the Board of Directors of the Detroit Golf Club (DGC), most recently serving as President. DGC is the host site of the Rocket Mortgage Classic PGA Tour event, which raises millions for local charitable causes in the city of Detroit.
About Impact Advisors
Impact Advisors is a nationally recognized healthcare management consulting and technology services firm that is solving some of the toughest challenges in the industry by delivering strategic advisory, technology implementation and operational improvement services. Our comprehensive
suite of strategic planning, 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 information technology experience. The firm has earned several prestigious industry and workplace awards including Best in KLAS® for 15 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.
Media Contact:
Karli Smith
Chartwell Agency
815-282-9976
Posted 4.27.2022 -
PRESS GANEY ADVANCES TECHNOLOGY VIA ACQUISITION OF FORSTA, A GLOBAL LEADER IN MARKET RESEARCH, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Forsta, a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Voice of the Customer, will gain scale and investment to further accelerate product innovation
BOSTON AND LONDON (April 27, 2022) — Press Ganey, renowned leader in patient, member, employee and consumer experience across the healthcare ecosystem, announced it has completed its acquisition of Forsta, a leading global provider of market research, customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) technology. The closing is effective as of April 26, 2022.
As industry-recognized leaders, with Press Ganey recently selected Best in KLAS for Patient Experience Improvement and Forsta named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Voice of the Customer, the combined companies will power the future of research and experience technology.
“Together, Press Ganey and Forsta offer our clients the data connectivity, accelerated analytics, DEI expertise and deeply segmented insights that companies need to deliver frictionless experiences and truly drive transformation,” said Patrick T. Ryan, chairman and chief executive officer, Press Ganey. “With Forsta, we expand into new geographies and industries, with highly complementary market research, CX and EX technology that will coordinate seamlessly with our existing healthcare solutions.”
“Press Ganey is expediting Forsta’s mission to reinvent the global insights industry. With this investment, we will be able to greatly accelerate innovation so our customers can deliver better insights, faster and at scale,” said Kyle Ferguson, chief executive officer, Forsta. “There is tremendous opportunity from the convergence of our resources, and we have no plans to slow down.”
Acquisition Highlights
Fast-tracked Product Innovation. Press Ganey’s investment will advance Forsta’s product innovation at an accelerated pace, especially in the high-demand areas of artificial intelligence (AI), data visualization and qualitative research.
Marketplace Expansion. Forsta’s global presence and extensive network will propel Press Ganey’s international healthcare growth ambitions while also expanding the company into new verticals, such as retail, financial services and consumer goods.
Unparalleled Insights. Both companies are proven changemakers and bring proprietary research and thought leadership to deliver key insights that tackle essential issues, like barriers to human-centered data, employee burnout and advancing health equity.
Healthcare Sector Disruption. Backed by blue-chip consulting, unparalleled experience measurement expertise and proprietary analytics to help drive improvement, Press Ganey will offer breakthrough advancements to the evolving healthcare marketplace. A new suite of purpose-built for healthcare, self-service solutions are immediately available, like digital communities, virtual focus groups, crowdsourcing and more.
Exceptional Human Capital. Two empowered, elite workforces will come together around aligned missions and pursuits to seamlessly turn data into meaningful insights that drive impact.
The joint company will continue to be led by Ryan as chairman and CEO, and Ferguson will remain at the helm of Forsta as CEO. Combined, the organization’s 3,000+ employees now serve thousands of customers, including Fortune 500 companies and top healthcare systems, throughout the North America, EMEA (Europe-Middle East-Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) regions.
About Press Ganey
Press Ganey invented the healthcare performance improvement movement over 35 years ago. Today it offers an integrated suite of solutions that address safety, clinical excellence, patient experience and workforce engagement. The company works with more than 41,000 healthcare facilities in its mission to reduce patient suffering and enhance caregiver resilience to improve the overall safety, quality and experience of care.
About Forsta
Forsta powers an Experience and Research Technology Platform that gathers and analyzes data, and translates the findings into shareable actions to inform decision-making and drive growth. Forsta’s technology, combined with its team of expert consultants, helps organizations better understand the full Human Experiences (HX) of their audiences.
Media Contacts:
Ty Fiesel (MP&F for Press Ganey)
+16152594000
Diandra Binney (Peppercomm for Forsta)
Posted 4.27.2022 -
Press Ganey Announces Plans to Acquire Forsta — A Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Voice Of The Customer — To Accelerate Innovation in the Global Healthcare Experience Industry
BOSTON, LONDON AND OSLO, NORWAY (FEBRUARY 7, 2022) — Press Ganey, a renowned leader in patient, member, employee and consumer experience across the healthcare ecosystem, today announced its plans to acquire Forsta, an industry-leading global provider of customer experience and market research technology. Forsta is named a Leader in the 2021 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Voice of the Customer. The transaction is expected to close in the first or second calendar quarter of 2022, and is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
“This alliance propels Press Ganey into a new future. Our unparalleled excellence in healthcare consulting, and proprietary data and analytics, will soon be infused with even more innovation and speed by Forsta’s world-class experience and research technology platform,” said Patrick T. Ryan, Chairman and CEO, Press Ganey. “I’m beyond thrilled to welcome Forsta to the Press Ganey family. This is a huge leap forward in helping our customers to do their jobs better every day.”
This pairing drives Press Ganey forward on its path to integrating human-centric, cutting-edge technology into its renowned thought leadership and management expertise in healthcare. Press Ganey’s clients will have access to an even more powerful suite of customer experience (CX), employee experience (EX), and Market Research (MR) technology options on Forsta’s comprehensive platform. Forsta also brings extensive knowledge across a number of industry verticals, such as retail, financial services, travel and hospitality, technology, entertainment and consumer goods. The company works with world-leading brands, including Avon, Best Buy, Canon, eBay, Heathrow Airport and Mars, Inc.
For Forsta, teaming up with healthcare performance advancement pioneer Press Ganey brings new access to investment, growth opportunities and deep consulting and change management experience across the complex healthcare ecosystem. Press Ganey gives Forsta the resources to continue to innovate, at an accelerated pace. And Press Ganey’s gold standard CX and EX capabilities in healthcare will equip Forsta with decades of expertise in this vertical.
“Press Ganey was the first company to truly recognize and respond to the importance of Patient Experience, and the company continues to lead innovation in the field. I’m excited to join forces with such a forward-thinking, highly respected company, and eager for the benefits this investment will bring to our customers,” said Kyle Ferguson, CEO, Forsta.
Combined, Press Ganey and Forsta serve the experience and insights needs of millions of organizations:
● 100% of U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital and Best Children’s Hospital Honor Roll recipients use Press Ganey.
● Press Ganey manages approximately 476 million patient engagements every year.
● Forsta’s HX (Human Experience) platform serves over 5,000 customers in more than 100 countries around the world.
● Forsta supports 9 of the top 10 Market Research Agencies globally.
“This move is the culmination of Press Ganey’s investments to not just be leaders in the healthcare industry, but to lead in experience technology, too. Forsta’s HX platform will allow Press Ganey to make a quantum leap in our technology solutions for our clients,” said Darren Dworkin, Chief Strategy Officer, Press Ganey. “Together, the next generation of patient and customer experience will be better, deeper and truly human-centric.”
About Press Ganey
Press Ganey invented the healthcare performance improvement movement over 35 years ago. Today it offers an integrated suite of solutions that address safety, clinical excellence, patient experience and workforce engagement. The company works with more than 41,000 healthcare facilities in its mission to reduce patient suffering and enhance caregiver resilience to improve the overall safety, quality and experience of care.About Forsta
Forsta is an Experience and Research Technology Platform that gathers and analyzes data, and translates the findings into shareable actions to inform decision-making and drive growth. Forsta’s technology is designed to discover, analyze and share smart insights packed with real action potential, and help organizations better understand the full Human Experiences of their audiences.Media Contacts:
Press Ganey
Ty Fiesel (MP&F)
[email protected]
+1 615 259 4000Forsta – US
Theresa Tepper
Global Director of Communications
[email protected]Forsta – EU & UK
Sallyanne Heywood
[email protected]
+44 7884 187 074Posted 4.26.2022 -
DrFirst Pharmacy Solution Earns Edison Award for Excellence in Commercial Technology, Consumer Safety
Annual Awards Recognize Breakthrough Innovations in Product Development
Rockville, MD, April 25, 2022 – DrFirst’s SmartSuite for Pharmacy has earned a prestigious Bronze Edison Award in the Commercial Technology, Consumer Safety Category, honoring the solution’s innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve safety for patients and efficiency for pharmacies. The Edison Awards is a global leader in recognizing and honoring the best in innovation and excellence in the development of new products and services to create a positive impact on the world.
“Being recognized with an Edison Award is one of the highest accolades a company can receive for innovation in product development and business,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president at DrFirst. “We deeply appreciate this recognition for SmartSuite for Pharmacy, which also highlights the dangers posed by medication errors and the need to provide more accurate, efficient technology solutions to hard-working pharmacists.”
SmartSuite for Pharmacy cleans and accurately translates medication data between incompatible systems, which saves time and can help reduce adverse drug events—the cause of more than 100,000 deaths per year.
“The Edison Awards is delighted to recognize DrFirst for its innovation and positive impact on patients and health systems throughout the U.S. with SmartSuite for Pharmacy,” said Frank Bonafila, executive director of Edison Awards.
This year’s Edison Awards finalists were chosen by senior business executives and academics from across the globe, whose votes acknowledge excellence in meeting the award criteria. The awards are named for Thomas Alva Edison, whose extraordinary contributions garnered 1,093 U.S. patents, pioneered multiple industries, and made him a household name worldwide. The 2022 Edison Awards were celebrated April 20 to 22, 2022, in Fort Myers, Florida, at an event hosted by award-winning science and technology journalist Miles O’Brien of PBS NewsHour.
SmartSuite for Pharmacy is an AI-powered solution that cross-links an electronic prescription from a provider’s EHR to an actual product on the shelf at the receiving pharmacy. It also translates abbreviated medication directions from the electronic prescription into the specific “short codes” used by the receiving pharmacy. Finally, SmartSuite for Pharmacy codifies allergy data for safety checks within the pharmacy workflow.
About The Edison Awards
The Edison Awards is an annual competition designed to honor excellence in new product and service development, marketing, human-centered design and innovation. Winners represent “game changing” products, services and excellence and leadership in innovation around four criteria: Concept, Value, Delivery and Impact. Started in 1987, The Awards are named after inventor Thomas A. Edison and symbolize the persistence and excellence in innovation personified by him.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 faced in healthcare. We unite the Healthiverse—the interconnected healthcare universe—by providing 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. DrFirst solutions are used by nearly 325,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 120,000 prescribers, 70,000 pharmacies, 280 HIS/EHRs, and 1,500 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.DrFirst.com and follow @DrFirst.Posted 4.26.2022 -
CTG Partners with VCU Health System to Support System-Wide Epic Deployment
Provides Critical Legacy Application and Readiness Support; Delivers Epic Go-Live Training and At-the-Elbow Assistance for Over 16,000 End Users
Buffalo, New York, March 1, 2022– CTG (NASDAQ: CTG), a leading provider of digital IT solutions in North America and Western Europe, today announced the successful collaboration with VCU Health System during their Epic go-live in December 2021. Throughout the engagement, CTG provided solutions for legacy applications, critical go-live readiness activities, end-user training, workflow optimization, and in-person end-user application support for the VCU Health enterprise.
On December 1, 2021, VCU Health announced its plans for enterprise-wide deployment of Epic, an electronic health record (EHR), to provide patient-centered care and a fully connected network across the enterprise by improving patient and clinician communications and care decisions.
Early in the organization’s Epic implementation planning process, CTG was engaged to support critical legacy applications to allow internal health system resources to focus on Epic planning and application training. VCU Health then engaged CTG for activation and training support solutions.
In preparation for the activation, CTG collaborated with the health system on activities related to training, virtual and onsite support levels and logistics, and inpatient and ambulatory technical readiness—all critical to ensuring adequate training, staffing, and technical preparation for go-live.
“CTG was an important partner during our Epic go-live,” says Sharon Gibbs, Senior Director of EHR Operations at VCU Health. “CTG was able to pivot quickly to address changing training, readiness, and go-live needs.”
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic meant that VCU Health had to weigh the pros and cons of providing offsite, in-person, and virtual training. The organization elected to deliver training in a hybrid model in which end users would assemble at offsite locations that accommodated safe social distancing. Attendees then logged into virtual training sessions delivered by the CTG Training team.
CTG’s more than 140 Epic-Certified or Credentialed Trainers assisted with curriculum development, prepared and updated training content, supported the Epic Specialists Training Specialists (STS) Training Program, helped develop User Setting Lab content, and trained providers on how to personalize the new system. CTG’s team trained approximately 16,000 health system end users throughout the engagement. To ensure the organization’s staff had a positive experience, CTG provided more than 50 onsite support staff to manage the logistics of the hybrid learning environment and provide a seamless user experience.
VCU Health elected to have in-person, At-the-Elbow (ATE) support to supplement their team during the go-live to ensure adoption and build confidence in the new system. CTG collaborated with health system leadership to conduct a thorough Activation Site Assessment (Assessment) to determine the necessary go-live support levels, including reviewing all hospitals and ambulatory sites. This Assessment was instrumental in determining the required number of people with Epic application support skills to ensure health system staff could use their new EHR system without affecting patient care.
CTG’s Assessment methodology considered every area in which clinicians work and resulted in heat maps for hundreds of sites, which were then mapped to lodging areas and driving routes to ensure the large support teams were always where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. As VCU Health’s needs changed during the go-live, CTG responded and adjusted the plan to provide support and solutions as required.
Finally, the organization looked to CTG for additional technical readiness activity support. Teams of more than 150 experienced CTG consultants worked closely with team members to identify, extract, and load critical ambulatory and inpatient data into the new system.
“VCU Health is known for offering the highest-quality care, and COVID-19 added additional complexity to this critical project. When cases increased in their community, their clinical staff had to focus first on their primary mission—patient care,” said Tanya Johnson, CTG’s Managing Director, Healthcare Solutions. “Together, we quickly developed a response to their changing needs and expanded our go-live team to help ensure the Epic Super User support levels necessary for a successful deployment.”
Due to the large number of end users and the significant geographic area VCU Health supports, CTG provided nearly 1,200 activation team members for the go-live who supported more than 16,000 end users across five hospitals and multiple ambulatory centers throughout eastern and central Virginia. Deploying a team of this magnitude required constant, complex staffing and logistics management.
“CTG’s seasoned project management team and technology tools allowed us to expand our team to meet evolving training and go-live needs while continuing to follow strict COVID-19 safety protocols,” said Ms. Johnson.
On Saturday, December 4, 2021, VCU Health successfully went live on Epic across all hospitals and clinics, except VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital and its Warsaw location, which will follow in March 2022.
Currently, a small number of CTG training and go-live staff continue to support end-user training and workflow optimization in high-complexity areas. CTG will also return to support the go-live for VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. In addition, VCU Health has also recently chosen CTG as their Managed Services partner for MyChart and Epic Level 1.5 support solutions.
About VCU Health
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a major urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. The VCU Health brand represents the VCU health sciences academic programs, the VCU Massey Cancer Center, and the VCU Health System, which comprises VCU Medical Center (the only academic medical center in central Virginia), Community Memorial Hospital, Tappahannock Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, and MCV Physicians.
About CTG
CTG is a leading provider of digital transformation solutions and services that accelerate clients’ project momentum and achievement of their desired IT and business outcomes. We have earned a reputation as a faster and more reliable, results-driven partner focused on improved data-driven decision-making, meaningful business performance improvements, new and enhanced customer experiences, and continuous innovation. CTG has operations in North America, South America, Western Europe, and India. The Company regularly posts news and other important information online at www.ctg.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company’s current expectations as to future growth, financial outlook, business strategy, and performance expectations for 2021 and beyond and statements related to cost control, new business opportunities, financial performance, market demand, and other attributes of the Company, which are protected as forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Generally, the words “anticipates”, “believes”, “expects”, “plans”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “should”, “seeks”, “estimates”, “project”, “predict”, “potential”, “currently”, “continue”, “intends”, “outlook”, and other similar words identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon the Company’s current expectations and assumptions, a review of industry reports, current business conditions in the areas where the Company does business, feedback from existing and potential new clients, a review of current and proposed legislation and governmental regulations that may affect the Company and/or its clients, and other future events or circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from the outlook guidance, expectations, and other forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors and risks, including among others, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the regulatory, social and business responses thereto on the Company’s business, operations, employees, contractors and clients, the availability to the Company of qualified professional staff, domestic and foreign industry competition for clients and talent, increased bargaining power of large clients, the Company’s ability to protect confidential client data, the partial or complete loss of the revenue the Company generates from International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), the ability to integrate businesses when acquired and retain their clients while achieving cost reduction targets, the uncertainty of clients’ implementations of cost reduction projects, the effect of healthcare reform and initiatives, the mix of work between solutions and staffing, currency exchange risks, risks associated with operating in foreign jurisdictions, renegotiations, nullification, or breaches of contracts with clients, vendors, subcontractors or other parties, the change in valuation of capitalized software balances, the impact of current and future laws and government regulation, as well as repeal or modification of such, affecting the information technology (IT) solutions and staffing industry, taxes and the Company’s operations in particular, industry and economic conditions, including fluctuations in demand for IT services, consolidation among the Company’s competitors or clients, the need to supplement or change our IT services in response to new offerings in the industry or changes in client requirements for IT products and solutions, actions of activist shareholders, and other factors that involve risk and uncertainty including those listed in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s disclosures set forth in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, including the uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections and other reports, including but not limited to subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, that may be filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission and may be obtained through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this release.
CTG Investors:
John Laubacker
Chief Financial Officer
[email protected]
+1 716 888 3641CTG Media:
Amanda LeBlanc
Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President, Global Marketing
[email protected]
+1 225 772 8865Posted 4.18.2022 -
Howard Brown Health, OCHIN and Pivot Point Consulting Collaborate on Epic Electronic Health Record Implementation
Chicago-based LGBTQ-health and social services agency implements new EHR to support expanding service and patient needs
NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — 2022 #2 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company, has been selected by Howard Brown Health, one of the nation’s largest healthcare and social services provider for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals, to provide project management, resourcing and advisory services for their OCHIN Epic EHR implementation.
Founded as a single clinic in 1974, Howard Brown Health now operates 12 clinics and 8 COVID-19 community support stations throughout Chicago. In addition to providing health services to members of the LGBTQ+ community, the agency has continued to expand services such as mental wellness, dental care and holistic services for survivors of sexual assault, while integrating these new services into its primary care-centered model.
“We are excited to enter into this new relationship with OCHIN and Pivot Point Consulting to allow us to offer a robust connection between our clinical services and our patients,” said Lauren Sullivan, CMIO, Howard Brown Health. “Pivot Point’s deep expertise in Epic and track record of delivering successful implementations, as well as OCHIN’s proven Epic EHR will allow us to realize immediate value from our technology and data.”
As Pivot Point continues to expand on the support provided to OCHIN and its members, Rachel Marano, Pivot Point Consulting Managing Partner, reflects, “We are proud to partner with OCHIN and its members nationwide to successfully plan and implement the Epic EHR. It is gratifying and rewarding to serve agencies in my hometown, like Howard Brown Health, with its mission of being agents of change for individual well-being and community health equity.”
To learn more, visit pivotpointconsulting.com.
About Howard Brown Health
Howard Brown Health was founded in 1974 and is now one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) organizations, with 12 sites across Chicagoland. The agency serves more than 40,000 adults and youth in its diverse health and social service delivery system focused around seven major programmatic divisions: primary medical care, behavioral health, research, HIV/STI prevention, youth services, elder services, and community initiatives.About Pivot Point Consulting
In 2022, Pivot Point Consulting, is ranked as the #2 Best in KLAS: Overall IT Services Firm, by KLAS (after being 2020 #1 Best in KLAS Overall IT Services Firm) and it is also ranked #2 in Partial IT Outsourcing.Pivot Point Consulting enables healthcare organizations to realize the most value from their technology and resources through EHR, ERP, Strategy, Virtual Care, Data & Analytics, Cybersecurity, Service Desk, Application Support and Revenue Cycle Management services. Our experts deliver consulting, managed services and talent solutions to providers, payers, life sciences and technology organizations.
For more information, visit us at pivotpointconsulting.com.
Media Contact:
Kim Warth, Amendola Communications, [email protected]SOURCE Pivot Point Consulting
Posted 4.13.2022 -
Why Is This Still a Thing? Half of Consumers Have Abandoned a Prescription at the Pharmacy Because of Cost
Survey Highlights the Need for Increased Adoption of Price Transparency and Comparison Tools
ROCKVILLE, Md., April 12, 2022 – Even with the availability of price transparency tools, many patients are still left in the dark about prescription costs, with half of consumers abandoning needed medications at the pharmacy, according to a recent consumer survey sponsored by health technology pioneer DrFirst.
“This is a danger zone for public health,” said Colin Banas, MD, MHA, chief medical officer for DrFirst. “For some patients, especially those with chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, prescription abandonment can lead to serious health problems and hospital readmissions.”
Cost-related non-adherence could become a leading cause of death in the U.S. by 2030, surpassing diabetes, influenza, pneumonia, and kidney disease, according to a study by the nonprofit West Health Policy Center and Xcenda. To better understand the issue, DrFirst surveyed 200 American consumers about their experiences with prescriptions and price transparency.
The survey found that:
- Nearly half of consumers (43%) say their doctors did not discuss prescription costs within the last 12 months
- Half (49.5%) say they have abandoned a prescription at the pharmacy within the past few years because it was too expensive
- Almost a quarter (24%) say they’ve stopped prescribed therapy because they could no longer afford it
- One in every 10 consumers (11%) report taking less than the prescribed amount to save money
“Sticker shock continues to be a barrier to medication adherence, and there is simply no reason for it,” said Banas. “Patients shouldn’t ever be surprised by the cost of medication at the pharmacy counter. Price transparency tools available today allow prescribers to see their patients’ copay information in real time to discuss medication costs and possible alternatives.”
In addition, patients say they appreciate texts that share cost and savings information to help avoid surprises. Participants rank getting information about their out-of-pocket costs as most valuable (41%), followed by general information about the medication (23%), digital coupons that reduce costs (18.5%), and the cost of a prescription if they do not use insurance (18%).
“Medication adherence is a shared responsibility between healthcare providers and patients, so providers need to understand out-of-pocket costs as well as the costs of alternative therapies so they can have meaningful discussions with patients and make informed prescribing decisions,” said Dr. Banas. “And patients should have access to copay information for their prescriptions regardless of whether their provider discusses it with them.”
Dr. Banas noted that DrFirst makes benefit and cost information available to providers and patients. myBenefitCheck gives clinicians in-workflow insights into prescription costs during an office or telehealth visit, based on patients’ health insurance, to help choose medications patients can afford and increase the likelihood that patients adhere to their drug therapies. DrFirst was the first in the industry to provide price transparency to healthcare providers in the electronic prescribing workflow and has processed more than 185 million transactions to date. RxInform helps reduce prescription abandonment by providing patients with copay information, educational videos, and coupons through secure texts sent automatically when electronic prescriptions are on their way to the pharmacy, which has earned over 90% patient satisfaction rates.
Methodology
Among the 200 consumers participating in the online survey, 52.5% were male and 47.5% were female. The largest age group represented was 25-34 (28.5%), followed by 35-44 (27.5%), and over age 54 (17%).
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 faced in healthcare. We unite the Healthiverse—the interconnected healthcare universe—by providing 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. DrFirst solutions are used by nearly 325,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 120,000 prescribers, 70,000 pharmacies, 280 HIS/EHRs, and 1,500 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.DrFirst.com and follow @DrFirst.
DrFirst Media Contact
Katlyn Nesvold
Amendola Communications
715-559-0046
[email protected]Posted 4.13.2022 -
Imprivata Acquires SecureLink to Deliver the Only Single-Vendor Platform to Manage and Secure All Enterprise and Third-Party Digital Identities
Imprivata will unlock further value for customers by unifying, integrating, and automating digital identity to enable autonomous identity systems
WALTHAM, Mass. (April 11, 2022) — Imprivata, the digital identity company for mission- and life-critical industries, today announced it has closed its acquisition of SecureLink, the leader in critical access management with elite patient privacy monitoring. The acquisition uniquely addresses the rapidly growing need for a single source to enable and protect all digital identities, spanning enterprise to third parties.
According to CISA, stolen credentials are one of the primary attack vectors for gaining illegal access into networks, including access from supply chains and third-party vendors. In fact, third-party vendors account for 51% of data breaches. Together with SecureLink, Imprivata can now secure everyone and everything with frictionless access to on-premises and cloud applications, virtual desktops, shared mobile and medical devices, and workstations.
“If organizations are serious about securing third party identities and access, they need solutions specifically designed for the challenge,” said Gus Malezis, CEO of Imprivata. “SecureLink uniquely addresses these critical, but often overlooked and vulnerable points of access, and we’re thrilled to offer our customers the leading solution to this challenge.
Healthcare and other mission-critical organizations are facing significant pressure to secure their workflows against the constant threat of cyberattacks. The companies’ combined data science capabilities will give customers new tools to automate identity systems, unlocking significant operational efficiencies and preventing security threats before they happen.
Patrick Tickle, CEO of SecureLink, said, “The importance of protecting digital identities has never been greater. The combined organization creates a holistic set of capabilities that enable the secure and efficient use of digital identities, while providing visibility and control of how they are used.”
For 20 years, Imprivata has built its technology to ensure security and efficiency coexist, protecting critical data and applications without operational disruption. To support this important mission, the company developed its Digital Identity Framework which arms organizations with tools to improve cybersecurity while eliminating barriers to access during trusted digital identity events. This acquisition is another step closer to accomplishing that goal.
For more information about Imprivata’s acquisition of SecureLink, visit www.imprivata.com/securelink.
About Imprivata
Imprivata is the digital identity company for mission- and life-critical industries, redefining how organizations solve complex workflow, security, and compliance challenges with solutions that protect critical data and applications without workflow disruption. Its platform of interoperable identity, authentication, and access management solutions enable organizations in over 45 countries to fully manage and secure all enterprise and third-party digital identities by establishing trust between people, technology, and information. For more information, visit www.imprivata.com.
About SecureLink
SecureLink is the industry leader in critical access management, empowering organizations to secure access to their most valuable assets, including networks, systems, and data. By leveraging Zero Trust principles, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, SecureLink provides comprehensive security solutions to govern, control, monitor, and audit the most critical and highest risk access points. Organizations across multiple industries — including healthcare, manufacturing, government, legal, and gaming — trust SecureLink to secure all forms of critical access, from remote access for third parties to access to critical infrastructure, regulated information, IT, and OT. For more information visit: www.securelink.com
Posted 4.11.2022 -
DrFirst Medication Management Solution Now Available In AllScripts App Expo
Rockville, MD, April 5, 2022 – MedHx from DrFirst is now available on the Allscripts App Expo. MedHx enables users of Allscripts Sunrise™ EHR access to complete, clean, and consumable medication history data in the EHR workflow. This supports accurate medication reconciliation and informs clinical decision-making to prevent adverse drug events and reduce readmissions.
Hospitals and health systems have long struggled with medication reconciliation, which is a critical patient safety process and is recommended at every transition of care, such as a patient being admitted or discharged from a hospital. Gaps in medication history can delay optimal treatment, put patients at risk of adverse drug events, and contribute to higher readmission rates. Accurate medication reconciliation is a National Patient Safety Goal of The Joint Commission.
“With MedHx integrated with Allscripts Sunrise EHR, clinicians have access to accurate and comprehensive medication information without multiple clicks or manual entry of data,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst, noting that clinicians can save as much as 80% of the time they currently spend researching a patient’s medication history, which may include interviewing patients and calling local pharmacies and primary care providers, and then importing that data into the patient chart.
MedHx is a cloud-based platform that solves problems that have previously challenged the accuracy and usability of medication history as it is imported into hospital and health system EHRs. This data often arrives as free text from sources that use different terminology and with critical pieces of information missing. These discrepancies slow the medication documentation and reconciliation process, often requiring clinicians to enter data manually, which opens the door for avoidable errors that could lead to adverse drug events. As a result of DrFirst’s patented SmartSig AI technology, MedHx makes data consumable in a hospital or health system’s EHR by:
- Converting up to 98% of drugs to be actionable within a hospital’s system despite various naming conventions in different drug databases
- Translating up to 96% of free-text prescription instructions into a hospital’s preferred terminology
- Reducing data gaps by inferring missing information when safe based on context
MedHx uses a rolling 12 months of aggregated, interoperable, medication history data from pharmacy fill and pharmacy benefit managers from Surescripts, as well as other sources, which include data from DrFirst e-prescribing solutions, patients, independently hosted payer records, and community pharmacies.
The Allscripts Developer Program (ADP) offers both proprietary and FHIR® enabled APIs to connect third-party applications, devices, and other innovative healthcare technologies with Allscripts products. Find more information about MedHx on the Allscripts App Expo.
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 faced in healthcare. We unite the Healthiverse—the interconnected healthcare universe—by providing 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. DrFirst solutions are used by nearly 325,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 120,000 prescribers, 70,000 pharmacies, 280 HIS/EHRs, and 1,500 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit www.DrFirst.com and follow @DrFirst.
Media Contact:
Katlyn Nesvold, Amendola Communications for DrFirst
715-559-0046
[email protected]Posted 4.5.2022 -
Censinet to Present Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Practices with Industry Leaders to Address Elevated Worldwide Threat Levels Against Providers and Vendors
Recent Warnings by the White House and the American Hospital Association Underscore the Immediate Need for HICP to Rapidly Address Organizational Cybersecurity Preparedness
Boston, MA – March 31, 2022 – Censinet, a leading provider of risk management solutions for healthcare, today announced a critical webinar that explains how Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) can be used to identify and mitigate the elevated threat levels resulting from international events. The live webinar will be Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET. Erik Decker, Chief Information Security Officer at Intermountain Healthcare, Co-Lead of the 405(d) Task Group, and Chair of the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council Cyber Security Working Group, and Chris Logan, Censinet Chief Security Officer, former healthcare CISO and board member of The Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security, will present the importance of HICP. The registration link is censinet.com/hicp-webinar.
Censinet recently announced full support for HICP in its Censinet RiskOps™ platform earlier this month. The publication of the HHS 405(d) Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) in 2019 outlined a healthcare-specific approach to cybersecurity. Created in partnership with public and private organizations across the healthcare industry, HICP provides “practical, understandable, implementable, industry-led, and consensus-based voluntary cybersecurity guidelines to cost-effectively reduce cybersecurity risks” for “health care organizations of varying sizes.”
Last week, the White House issued a statement urging organizations to harden their cyber defenses immediately. Following that announcement, the American Hospital Association (AHA) issued a dire warning about the significant threat to the nation’s hospitals. Addressing this elevated risk level, the AHA recently selected Censinet as an AHA Preferred Cybersecurity Provider for two critical risk management categories in healthcare: Cyber Firm Risk Management and Information Governance; and Cyber Risk Assessments, Privacy, and HIPAA Compliance. Following a strict evaluation and due diligence process, the AHA selected Censinet RiskOps as a preferred solution for both service categories to help hospitals and health systems as they develop and implement their cyber security strategies.
“Our recent launch of Censinet RiskOps for HICP was met with immediate industry acceptance across both our customer base and with prospects also evaluating Censinet for third-party risk management, medical device protection, supply chain cybersecurity, and IRB safeguards,” stated Ed Gaudet, CEO and Founder of Censinet. “The unprecedented worldwide events and warnings by government agencies and private associations require an actionable response mechanism framework to counter that risk. HICP and the continued work of the HHS 405(d) Task Group is now more important than ever, and Censinet is honored to be a Task Group member.”
For more information on how healthcare organizations can reduce and avoid the impact of risk, please visit censinet.com/HICP. To learn more about HICP and Censinet RiskOps for HICP, please join us for this important webinar on April 6, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET: censinet.com/hicp-webinar.
About Censinet
Censinet, based in Boston, MA, enables healthcare organizations to take the risk out of their business with Censinet RiskOps™, the first and only cloud-based exchange that integrates and consolidates enterprise risk management and operations capabilities across critical clinical and business areas. RiskOps builds upon the Company’s foundational success with third-party risk management (TPRM) for healthcare. Censinet transforms healthcare risk by increasing productivity and operational effectiveness while eliminating risks to care delivery, data privacy, and patient safety. Find out more about Censinet and its RiskOps platform at censinet.com.
Contacts:
Rob Ciampa
Censinet
(617) 286-6785
Posted 4.1.2022