Re: Walmart Health: Just had a great dental visit this morning, which was preceded by helpful reminders from Epic, and…
News 1/3/12
ZirMed will offer its RCM solutions to the outpatient surgery and ambulatory care provider customers of AmkaiSolutions.
The 21 providers at Rockford Orthopedic (IL) receive checks totaling $378,000 from CMS for their meaningful use of eClinicalWorks EHR.
ManagementPlus donates $140,000 in software to the People’s Health Clinic (UT), giving providers access to its EHR 5.0 software.
Emdeon appoints Rich Amico VP of information technology and IT principal for its Institutional Provider Services unit. He was previously SVP of business technology for Healthways.
EMR/PM provider CareCloud hires pediatrician Juan J. Reyes, MD, MBA as director of clinical technologies.
ProHealth Care (WI) will add several hundred physicians to its Epic system by the end of 2012 as part of a lease program for area independent physicians.
Solid advice for practices considering a cloud-base system: include both pre- and post-implementation expenses when calculating the total cost of ownership. Some extras to consider include implementation and consulting fees, Internet connectivity, network requirements, ongoing maintenance, technical support, conversion fees, and replacement costs for outdated hardware.
I am back from that slower-paced part of the world that Mr. H labeled the “Land Without Broadband.” After the first day in the 3G-less world, I gave up on everything but the most basic e-mail and quit trying to scour the Internet for HIT news. Instead, I read a couple of books, got a little sunshine, and drank a bit of wine (ok, more than a bit, but that’s what vacations are for, right?) I’m happy to be back at it and contemplating what 2012 will bring. My insights for HIT in the New Year are not particularly unique, but I predict we’ll continue to see practices merge with larger practices or health systems as providers look for ways to reduce overhead and align themselves in preparation for ACOs and similar care models. Also, as smaller practices disappear, so will several of the smaller niche vendors who realize that the continued development of their product is economically unfeasible in light of shrinking customer bases and new government requirements. Finally, more cash-strapped providers will embrace cloud-based, hosted, and/or “free” EMRs in hopes of achieving Meaningful Use objectives.
The other big New Year’s tradition is, of course, resolutions. Many of mine are the same as last year, including 1) lose five pounds, 2) exercise at least three times a week, and 3) eat healthily. I’m thinking this should be the year I add, “keep off the five pounds all year long,” but then I might be forced to give up my secret indulgence: dark chocolate espresso beans.
