Health IT Briefing Oct. 8-12
Carequality Looking To Leverage FHIR
The interoperability framework is seeking input from both Carequality members and non-members to inform the development of a new FHIR Implementation Guide. Carequality intends to identify broad, nationwide FHIR implementation specifications that the Carequality Interoperability Framework could potentially help to govern and deploy using the FHIR specification.
Blockchain In Healthcare Still Faces Hurdles
According to a PwC Health Research Institute Survey, nearly have of executives report they plan to develop or adopt blockchain solutions. Despite security benefits, many are skeptical given lack of trust, knowledge, regulatory uncertainty, and interoperability.
Former GE Healthcare Value-Based Care Solutions Group Rebrands as Virence Health Technologies
The Value-Based Care Solutions Group, recently acquired by Veritas Capital from GE Healthcare, announced its rebranding to Virence Health Technologies. The Virence portfolio includes Revenue Cycle Management Solutions, Ambulatory Care Management Solutions, and Workforce Management Solutions.
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Leading Healthcare Organizations Push For New Records Request Process
A new digital health records request method, led by X4 Health, was released at the Biden Cancer Summit in D.C. on September 21st. The new tool, called the “Health Record Request Wizard”, simplifies and promotes the digital process of records requests. This new method is supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Fund and aims to help millions of patients & providers avoid timely efforts just to obtain medical records.
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Three Traits That Top Performing Practices All Have In Common
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) identified in a recent report the three things that better performing practices do to place themselves at the top of their industry. The three areas are culture, which includes making sure patient and provider satisfaction are always prioritized, strategic process, where organizations set strong goals and are always working towards them, and operations, which depends highly upon technology and streamlining through updated technology tools.
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Cybersecurity Will Remain A Top Challenge For Healthcare Executives In 2019
According to a new survey by the Healthcare Executive Group (HCEG), cybersecurity will be one of the top ten challenges facing healthcare executives next year. This is the fourth year in a row that cybersecurity has made it into the top ten challenges and, as healthcare becomes more and more interconnected, technology will need to consider these growing threats that may effect an even broader database.
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Data Breach Costs UMass Memorial $230,000
Healthcare still remains one of the most targeted industries of cyberattacks due to its valuable healthcare data. UMass has agreed to pay $230,000 after two separate data breaches exposed the PHI of more than 15,000 people. They are just a recent victim in a continued hunt by cyber terrorists on the healthcare industry and yet another strong reason why cybersecurity should remain a top priority.
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Interview Of UnitedHealthcare CEO Synonymized Digital Health With Health Care
Business Insider Intelligence spoke to UnitedHealthcare CEO Steve Nelson about the changes to the US healthcare industry and how UnitedHealthcare is keeping up. The interview states how they are attempting to adopt digital health as effectively as possible to keep up with the demands for it while also combatting rising challenges to a newer system that will continue to face changes through trial and error and ever evolving healthcare developments.
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Telehealth May Become The New Preferred Method of Patient Care
New research indicates that not only does telehealth keep healthcare costs down tremendously, but providers are also treating patients at the same level or even better than they do in person. A study done by Humana found that providers using telehealth for care were more attentive to patients and care methods, and were less quick to simply prescribe medicine and move on to the next patient. Telehealth visits also cost much less than in-person visits, keeping patients costs down while also saving providers valuable time.
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Watch Series 4 Receives First FDA Clearance For Apple
Apple is paving the way for more consumer medical gadgets as they received FDA clearance for both an atrial-fibrillation detecting algorithm and an ECG that will be built into the new watch. The FDA is eager to allow more technology manufacturers to enter the medical space while doctors warn that dependency on this technology from the user could raise unnecessary alarm. It will be up to doctors as to how they handle the information from this new technology as it comes up more in the patient care setting.
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Elliott Management Drops Out Of Athenahealth Race
Shares for Athenahealth dropped sharply after Elliott Management decided to rescind their bid to buyout Athenahealth. Elliott Management was originally willing to pay the full share price of $160 per share, or about $6.9 Billion, for the acquisition, but now it looks as though they will wait and possibly re-enter at a lower offering price.
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EHR Design & Interoperability Are Top Causes Of Physician Dissatisfaction
According to a September 2018 survey of Americas physicians by the Physicians Foundation, almost 78% of physicians are experiencing burnout and 40% surveyed identified EHR design & interoperability as the primary cause. Providers are seeing less patients and working fewer cases than ever before as paperwork and administrative duties take up most of their time. Providers are in desperate need of an effective EHR system that communicates with all of their software needs and makes their job easier, not harder.
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NextGen Aligns Investor-Facing And Commercial-Facing Identities
Clients have known them as NextGen Healthcare for nearly 20 years, but they were still listed and trading under the name Quality Care Systems, Inc. On September 10th, 2018, the company finally changed its official corporate name to Nextgen Healthcare, Inc. and will now be trading under their new symbol, “NXGN”.
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AHRQ Launches App Design Challenge
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is hoping to find an app that simplifies the process of collecting and sharing patient-reported data. The Step Up App Challenge is offering $250,000 to design, develop and test the best app idea submitted. The submission deadline for the first phase is September 24th, 2018.
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How Does Burnout Impact Patient Care Quality?
With a very high percentage of healthcare organizations being affected by burnout, the spillover affects on patient care need to be closely monitored. As providers encounter more stressors, studies have shown that their ability to provide quality care and time with patients decreases. It is crucial that organizations focus on providers well being and implement best practices to limit burnout and preserve care quality and patient experience.
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Economists Suggest Small Tweaks That Could Tame Healthcare Spending In The US
Healthcare in the United States costs close to double what it’s peer countries spend. Traditionally, we have looked at broad, big-picture fixes to lessen spending, but health economists suggest a bunch of smaller tweaks could be the more effective answer. By focusing on small changes that are more attainable, we may actually begin the transformation we are looking for.
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Five Ways To Improve Clinical Efficiency Through EHR Optimization Activities
One of the avoidable negative effects of EHR implementation is a decrease in clinical efficiency and provider satisfaction due to the burden of adapting to the new system. By initializing EHR optimization activities immediately after implementation, healthcare organizations can increase the effectiveness and usability of their new system and avoid costly discontent and delay in patient care.
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Artificial Intelligence Continues To Garner Attention As It Out-Predicts Medical Experts
A new study from the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center in London, showed that AI was better able to predict risk of death in patients with heart disease than medical professionals. They suggest that using machine learning to track and diagnose patients is just the next step in a more accurate mode than the computer based tools clinicians already use.
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