News 12/14/22

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Researchers find that primary care telehealth patients enrolled in a telehealth patient navigator pilot program were more likely to attend their virtual consults than patients not in the program. Navigators were tasked with calling patients the day before appointments to remind them of their consult, offer technical assistance, and answer questions. The 12-week program saw a return on investment of $11,387.

HIStalk Practice Musings

While Dr. Jayne contemplates her 2023 conference travel schedule, I am looking ahead to what the new year will offer in terms of must-read books. BookBub.com, my favorite recommendation site, has plenty of lists based on a reader’s selected preferences. While not necessarily new year releases, I’m looking forward to checking out Jim Gaffigan’s “Food: A Love Story,” “The Darling Girl: A Novel of Peter Pan” by Liz Michalski, and “Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-Earth” by John Garth. (I’m still on a Tolkien kick, deep in the second book of the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, a mid-80s fantasy series written by Tolkien editor Guy Gavriel Kay.)

Tufts Medical Director Peter Neumann’s list of best books read in 2022 also has me looking back to some of my favorite reads from the past year. His include “Breath from Salt” Bijal P. Trivedi: “The next time I am asked my views on how health technology assessments might consider ‘patient-centered’ metrics,” he writes, ‘I will suggest that the inquirer read Bijal Trivedi’s book about the development of therapies for cystic fibrosis.’

Mine include “Burning Bright” by Tracey Chevalier, “Katherine” by Anya Seton, and “Russian Winter” by Daphne Kalotay. I’d love to hear what readers have loved and are looking forward to reading. Email me with your suggestions. Happy holidays and see you next year!

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Announcements and Implementations

Leyden Family Service & Mental Health Center (IL) selects EnSoftek’s DrCloudEHR.

American Endovascular & Amputation Prevention implements EClinicalWorks across its facilities in Ohio, New York, and New Jersey.

Research and Innovation

After analyzing 35 million specialty telemedicine visits conducted over a two-year period, Epic researchers determine that the majority did not require an in-person follow-up visit within the next three months. Of those that did, the appointments typically focused on additional, rather than duplicative, care.

Other

A cow smashes through the glass doors of Orange Family Physicians (VA) after jumping (escaping?) off a trailer en route to a local cattle company. Local cow catchers were able to lasso the animal inside the office and bring it safely outside.

Pediatrics West and Allergy West notify patients of an October 17 data breach that impacted some of their IT systems and may have exposed patient data.

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Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 12/12/22

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Tech-enabled healthcare provider Juno Medical raises $12 million in a Series A round, enabling it to expand beyond New York City into Atlanta, Tulsa, and Los Angeles. The round was co-led by Next Ventures and Serena [Williams] Ventures.

Juno offers, through its in-person and virtual services, primary and urgent care, pediatrics, and women’s healthcare. It offers membership plans, in addition to accepting various forms of insurance.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Commons Clinic raises $11 million in seed funding. The company is building a network of specialty physician practices that it will equip with integrated virtual care services. It is initially focusing on musculoskeletal care. CEO Nick Aubin plans to expand into cardiology, urology, gastroenterology, and surgical gynecology as the company builds out an ambulatory network in five to eight markets within the next 10 years.

People

Scan Group names Emily Cook (Alternate Solutions Health Network) CEO of Welcome Health, its virtual and in-home primary care practice for seniors.

Rob Posner (Pediatric Associates) joins AbsoluteCare as CTO.

Kidney care provider Panoramic Health names Sampath Narayanan (Everside Health) CIO, Michael Holland (InnovaCare Health) chief development officer, and Kimberly Shreve (Collective Health) chief compliance and privacy officer.

Government and Politics

In Canada, the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association seeks an explanation from government officials as to why private telemedicine company Fonemed is being paid more than double what it pays family physicians for in-person appointments. The association says that the current five-year contract between Fonemed and the province pays the company between $82 and $92 for virtual consults with nurse practitioners. Family physicians are typically paid $37 for in-person visits and $47 for a virtual care visits, with virtual consults capped at 40 per day. Nearly 25% of the province’s 525,000 residents are without a family doctor. Provincial officials have said Fonemed’s rates/payments reflect overall costs that include overhead, infrastructure and technology costs, staff education, and other services including a 24-hour mental health crisis line and a virtual dietary service.

A judge sentences Shawna Edwards to one year in prison and restitution of $16,000 for embezzling $35,000 in patient co-pays and cash payments from her medical practice employer over a two-year period.

Research and Innovation

A survey of just over 1,000 patients finds that – surprise, surprise – the top complaint of patients seen in person is the amount of time spent waiting to be seen. Getting to and scheduling appointments weren’t far behind. Sixty-four percent of patients say they’ve put off going to the doctor just to avoid the above hassles. In light of these statistics, opting for a telemedicine appointment might seem like the easier route to take, and yet they have their own sets of challenges: Patients have also felt frustrated when trying to schedule virtual consults and when attempting to meet their technological requirements.

Other

Watson Family Medicine (KY) exceeds expectations with its first Toys for Tots toy drive, collecting more than three bins full of items. Andrea Watson, MD started the practice eight months ago: “The patients, the community, the Marine Corps, we’ve all joined forces to make this happen. I couldn’t be happier.”

A local website profiles the ways in which senior-focused primary care provider Oak Street Health ensures its tech team sees first-hand how the company’s homegrown Canopy practice management software impacts patients. “The expectation is that the engineering team’s job is to sit and look at code,” says Director of Engineering Geoff Niehaus. “That’s how you lose touch with the mission, so I appreciate that we make opportunities — even with remote workers — to visit clinics and see the impact our software has on folks using it.”

The Rhode Island Department of Health announces that a data breach may have exposed the PHI of 9,000 people. The breach occurred when a staff member accidentally included a link to a spreadsheet in emails sent between July 28 and October 30.

Sponsor Updates

• TigerConnect publishes a new e-book, “When Every Second Matters: Guide to Speeding Critical Response Workflows.”
• Healthwise wins seven digital health awards from the Health Information Resource Center for its medical illustrations and health education videos.

Blog Posts

• Best Software Integrations for Clinical Communication (PerfectServe)
• To Charge or Not to Charge (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 12/7/22

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Advance Care Medical employees in Clarksville, TN voluntarily close the clinic after corporate owner Healthcare Solutions Management Group stopped paying them on October 1. HSMG has attributed the delay in payments to “corporate finance restructuring,” though it has sent employees partial payments through Zelle and Cash App over the last week.

The clinic’s water and power have also been intermittently shut off due to lack of funds. Staff say that while they still come into the office several hours a week to process medication refill requests, they can’t access the clinic’s EHR because the bill for its service has also not been paid.

HSMG Chairman and Interim CEO/CFO Justin Smith told one employee via text, “I can’t ask anyone to stay or even believe in us anymore. Things haven’t gone our way. And it’s not fault of yours! You guys’ rock. We messed up.”

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Kidney care management company Interwell Health launches managed services for nephrology practices that include payer analytics, practice review, debt cost insights, and expense control.

Government and Politics

CMS publishes a proposed rule that would require some payers to implement digital prior authorization processes, shorten the time frame to reply to PA requests, and establish payer-to-payer data exchange, among several other requirements. CMS estimates that these policies would save physician practices and hospitals over $15 billion over a 10-year period.

Research and Innovation

A Wolters Kluwer Heath survey of 1,006 consumers finds that 61% foresee receiving primary care services at retail clinics and pharmacies rather than primary care practices. More than half would seek care from a pharmacist if it was less expensive than seeing a traditional provider.

Other

Looking for the perfect gift for the physician in your life? Check out these “10 Can’t Miss Doctor Gifts Worth Giving (or Having.” Should you opt for the mug above, I highly recommend filling it with Marylee’s peppermint mocha, courtesy of CoverMyMeds resident barista Marylee Dunbar. And don’t skimp on the whip cream! (I recently discovered peppermint-flavored whipped cream at my local big box retailer.)

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic releases a new episode of its DocTalk series.

Blog Posts

• Review Your Healthcare Business Credit Card This Holiday Season (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 12/5/22

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Direct-to-consumer telemedicine company Thirty Madison will expand into sleep care with the launch of a new brand dubbed River. Similar to competitors Hims and Hers Health, the company offers online consults and prescription delivery for conditions including hair loss, sexual and reproductive health, skin conditions, allergies, and migraines. It has raised $210 million since launching in 2017.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

People

Hims and Hers Health hires former Cleveland Clinic executive Scott Knoer (Knoer Enterprises) as its first Chief Pharmacy and Innovation Officer.

Announcements and Implementations

Community Technology Cooperative wraps up its year-long implementation of Epic at 10 FQHCs in Massachusetts. Two more clinics will go live on Epic with help from CTC in 2023.

Morris Heights Health Center *NY) will use The Garage’s Bridge population health management software.

Other

The local news profiles Greg Ciliberti, MD a semi-retired primary care physician who substitutes in his local public school system and donates his earnings back to the classroom. He is currently subbing for (and donating paychecks to) a teacher who will be out for several weeks recovering from a car accident. “I’d love the kids to know that there are adults who they’ve never met before who actually care about them and their futures,” he says. “That would be something I would love to see.”

Sponsor Updates

• TigerConnect appoints former Cooper University Health Care CEO Adrienne Kirby to its board.
• Healthwise announces that it has been recognized by Avia Connect as a top company in patient education.

Blog Posts

• CIO Guide to EHR Integration (TigerConnect)
• 5 keys to a healthy Community Connect host-affiliate partnership (Nordic)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 11/30/22

Top News

NextGen Healthcare acquires practice-focused health IT reseller TSI Healthcare for $68 million.

NextGen President and CEO David Sides says the deal will enhance the company’s offerings in rheumatology, pulmonology, and cardiology.

Webinars

None scheduled soon. Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Therapy Brands acquires The Echo Group, a behavioral health EHR vendor based in New Hampshire. Therapy Brands offers EHR, practice management, billing, and data software for mental and behavioral health, applied behavior analysis, and various therapies. Private equity firm KKR acquired a majority interest in Therapy Brands in 2021 for a reported $1.25 billion. Jeff Shoreman (Magnitude Software) joined the company as CEO in August.

Announcements and Implementations

US Radiology Specialists implements Health Logix’s intake, engagement, and workflow automation software across its network of outpatient imaging centers in 14 states.

Senior focused-primary care group Matter Health (TN) adopts Ursa Health’s analytics software. Matter raised $35 million in a Series A funding round earlier this year.

PathfinderHealth, an ACO affiliated with Northern Arizona Healthcare, will leverage services from Equality Health, including access to technology, to enhance the value-based care programs of its primary care practices in Arizona.

Emergence Health will implement VisualDx’s clinical decision support software at its ClearChoiceMD and CareWell urgent care practices in New England.

Government and Politics

Lindsay Clark, MD pleads guilty to receiving and delivering to patients misbranded injectable drugs and devices for cosmetic procedures. She also concealed from patients the fact that certain drugs and devices were not approved by the FDA. Patients paid her practice over $1 million for these non-FDA-approved, misbranded products.

Other

Stony Brook Primary Care (NY) sees its patient satisfaction scores increase from 60% to 90% with the addition of a waiting room concierge service. Distinct from front desk staff, the concierge sits at a desk in the waiting room so as to easily be available to patients who need assistance of any kind. The concierge is responsible for keeping patients updated on how far a physician may be running behind, notifying them verbally at 15 minutes and giving them the option to reschedule at 30 minutes. The practice has also installed a notification board with similar information so that waiting patients are always aware of their doctor’s availability.

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic publishes a video titled “The Download – Harnessing Data and Analytics to Freeze the Squeeze.”

Blog Posts

• Shortening the long road to reimbursement (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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