News 1/22/20

Top News

Gentem raises $3.7 million in a seed funding round that will help the company scale its RCM technology for physician practices. The startup hopes to stand out from competitors by offering customers up-front payments. The company’s six employees come from Stanford, Facebook, and JPMorgan.

HIStalk Practice Musings

Readers celebrate Library Shelfie Day, created by the New York Public Library in 2014 to encourage book lovers to share selfies of themselves in front of library shelves – public or personal. Email me your #shelfies and I’ll share with our readers. Perhaps we can inspire each other to check out new authors and ways of organizing our favorite books.

I came across this sweet story of a curbside library while digging through the #LibraryShelfieDay tweet stream.

Webinars

January 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 ET. “State of the Health IT Industry 2020.” Sponsor: Medicomp Systems. Presenters from Medicomp Systems: Dave Lareau, CEO; Jay Anders, MD, MS, chief medical officer; Dan Gainer, CTO; Toni Laracuente, CNO. Despite widespread adoption of EHRs, healthcare professionals struggle with several unresolved systemic challenges, including the lack of EHR usability, limited interoperability between disparate systems, new quality reporting initiatives that create administrative burdens, and escalating levels of physician burnout. Join the webinar to learn how enterprises can address current industry roadblocks with existing market solutions and fix health IT’s biggest challenges.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

ENT and Allergy Associates opens the new headquarters of Quality Medical Management Services USA, an affiliated company launched last year to offer consulting and business support services to physician practices. The 40,000 square-foot space in Tarrytown, NY will be home to QMMS leadership and 300 ENT employees.

Medical marketing software and services vendor DoctorLogic raises $7 million in a Series A round led by Unbundled Capital.

Announcements and Implementations

R1 RCM announces GA of RCM software and services for large independent practices and hospital-owned medical groups.

Check-in kiosk company Clearwave develops tablet-based capabilities.

Government and Politics

ONC updates its Health IT Playbook for small practices to include sections on reducing health IT burden and better understanding how APIs can improve health information exchange and interoperability. The playbook also includes an updated security risk assessment tool.

Telemedicine

The Louisiana Primary Care Association selects Certintell Telehealth as the telemedicine vendor for the state’s 38 FQHCs.

CurieMD launches in California to offer menopausal women access to virtual care and prescription drug delivery services.

Other

A Contemporary Pediatrics survey of over 14,000 physicians finds EHRs and reimbursement to be top practice drawbacks. Between 60% and 69% said they have seen workloads and stress levels increase, placing blame on increased administrative work, burdensome technology, and higher patient volumes.

Sponsor Updates

Blog Posts

• Teledentistry: Expanding Access to Dental Care (EClinicalWorks)
• Telemedicine is leading all other initiatives in private practice (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

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News 1/20/20

Top News

Former Outcome Health analysts Kathryn Choi and Oliver Han change their pleas to guilty of charges related to felony conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both have agreed to work with government prosecutors, presumably in return for reduced sentences. Choi and Han reported to VP Ashik Desai, who has also pled guilty, during their time at the company. Outcome Health co-founders Rishi Shah and Shradha Agarwal pled not guilty to similar charges last month.

Webinars

January 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 ET. “State of the Health IT Industry 2020.” Sponsor: Medicomp Systems. Presenters from Medicomp Systems: Dave Lareau, CEO; Jay Anders, MD, MS, chief medical officer; Dan Gainer, CTO; Toni Laracuente, CNO. Despite widespread adoption of EHRs, healthcare professionals struggle with several unresolved systemic challenges, including the lack of EHR usability, limited interoperability between disparate systems, new quality reporting initiatives that create administrative burdens, and escalating levels of physician burnout. Join the webinar to learn how enterprises can address current industry roadblocks with existing market solutions and fix health IT’s biggest challenges.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Timothy Wong, MD assures the local paper that business at his relatively new, flat-fee “micro-practice” in Philadelphia has been steady enough. Since opening the two-room IHealth Clinic, Wong has seen 1,000 patients; on a peak day, he can see as many as 24 – traffic he attributes to local news coverage, Facebook mentions, and favorable reviews. He doesn’t always meet his daily goal of 20 patients – a fluctuation that he admits is a little stressful. He remains optimistic that word of mouth among un- and underinsured will spread, adding that it typically takes at least two years for a practice to gain solid footing within a community: “I’m 95% sure we’re going to attain financial sustainability.”

People

Mental and behavioral health software vendor Therapy Brands promotes Darcy Barrett to VP of customer support experience.

Announcements and Implementations

Carolina Arthritis Center (NC) implements TSI Healthcare’s practice management and EHR software for rheumatology.

Other

I somehow missed this last month: Demetrio Aguila III, MD has launched a program within his practice, Healing Hands of Nebraska, that allows patients to pay for their care by volunteering at one of the practice’s partner organizations. “For years,” Aguilar says, “I had been doing surgery for patients and taking care of their health problems, taking care of their medical problems, and then I would find out months later, sometimes years later, in fixing their medical problem I had caused or contributed to their financial ruin. I need to be able to look myself in the mirror at night and know that I’m taking good care of my patients.”

Sponsor Updates

• Nordic staff volunteer at The River Food Pantry.

Blog Posts

• Why Choosing the Right EHR Helps Practice Growth (EClinicalWorks)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 1/15/20

Top News

ONC publishes a draft of its “2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan” for public comment. The 28-page plan is organized around four goals:

• Promoting health and wellness.
• Enhancing care delivery and experience.
• Building a secure, data-driven ecosystem to accelerate research and innovation.
• Connecting stakeholders and their data through interoperability.

Public comments, which are due March 18, will help shape government efforts to improve patient access to data via smartphones, develop new API-based business models, and better enable data-sharing practices across federal agencies, while hopefully inspiring similar progress in the private sector.

Webinars

January 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 ET. “State of the Health IT Industry 2020.” Sponsor: Medicomp Systems. Presenters from Medicomp Systems: Dave Lareau, CEO; Jay Anders, MD, MS, chief medical officer; Dan Gainer, CTO; James Aita, MBA, director of strategy and business development. Despite widespread adoption of EHRs, healthcare professionals struggle with several unresolved systemic challenges, including the lack of EHR usability, limited interoperability between disparate systems, new quality reporting initiatives that create administrative burdens, and escalating levels of physician burnout. Join the webinar to learn how enterprises can address current industry roadblocks with existing market solutions and fix health IT’s biggest challenges.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Fellow Health Partners acquires New York-based competitor Billing Services for an undisclosed amount.

Carbon Health opens a new primary and urgent care clinic in Pasadena, bringing its total to 14 since launching three years ago. The San Francisco-based company is one of a handful attempting to break the primary care mold by touting easy access and high-tech offerings like messaging, virtual care, and handy apps. Kindbody, VillageMD, Parsley Health, and higher-profile One Medical have all made similar expansion announcements in the last several months.

Announcements and Implementations

Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates implements InteliChart’s Healthy Outcomes patient-engagement software.

The American Medical Association adds access to RedCrow’s healthcare investment community to its Web-based Physician Innovation Network. The RedCrow Hub will connect physicians with entrepreneurs looking for feedback on their products and services.

Government and Politics

The Johnson County health department announces it will connect to the relatively new Wyoming Frontier Information System, an HIE powered by Health Catalyst and managed by the Wyoming Department of Health.

Other

WebMD adds a prescription savings tool for consumers to its website, a move that will no doubt give incumbent GoodRx a run for its money. (A search for “Tamiflu” shows that I would pay about $10 more at my preferred pharmacy with a WebMDRx coupon than with one from GoodRx.) The tool is powered by technology from RxSense-owned SingleCare.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 1/13/20

Top News

Tech-heavy women’s healthcare company Advantia Health (VA) raises $45 million from BlueMountain Capital Management.

Advantia will use the funding to hire more providers; expand its technology offerings, which already include an app with messaging, scheduling, and telemedicine capabilities; and build a flagship practice that integrates Ob/Gyn, primary, and mental healthcare with other health services in Washington, DC.

The company acquired maternal and pediatric telemedicine company Pacify last year.

HIStalk Practice Musings

I’ve finished my first book of the new year: Charlotte Brontë’s “Villette” was at times sluggish, and thus always perfect bedtime reading. The story of the Bronte family is a tragedy unto itself. If you’re in the mood for such a read, I suggest “The Brontës: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of a Literary Family.”

If you’re looking to brush up on your leadership skills before the new year gets too far gone, check out the seven books listed in this article, and/or “Leadership & Life Hacks: Insights from a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur & Executive” by Surgical Solutions CEO Alyssa Rapp.

HIStalk Practice Announcements and Requests

Mr. H is looking for a founding sponsor to take the place of a vendor that held the high-profile spot for 13 years. Contact Lorre to take their permanent #1 spot on the page next to Medicomp.

Webinars

January 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 ET. “State of the Health IT Industry 2020.” Sponsor: Medicomp Systems. Presenters from Medicomp Systems: Dave Lareau, CEO; Jay Anders, MD, MS, chief medical officer; Dan Gainer, CTO; James Aita, MBA, director of strategy and business development. Despite widespread adoption of EHRs, healthcare professionals struggle with several unresolved systemic challenges, including the lack of EHR usability, limited interoperability between disparate systems, new quality reporting initiatives that create administrative burdens, and escalating levels of physician burnout. Join the webinar to learn how enterprises can address current industry roadblocks with existing market solutions and fix health IT’s biggest challenges.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

Acquisitions, Funding, Business, and Stock

Well Health Technologies begins trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company operates 20 clinics and provides EHR software to nearly 1,000 clinics in Canada.

Boca Raton, FL-based practice management company Unified Women’s Healthcare acquires Lucina Health, an analytics company specializing in predicting adverse outcomes during pregnancy.

BrainCheck relocates to larger office space in Houston following an $8 million Series A funding round last fall. The company has developed cognitive assessment software to help PCPs diagnose conditions like dementia.

EHR, practice management, and RCM vendor DrChrono raises $20 million from Orix Growth Capital.

Announcements and Implementations

ChenMed implements patient feedback software and analytics from Medallia.

Cerner will implement HealthTap’s virtual primary care service at its on-site health centers.

People

As part of its sale to MTBC, CareCloud CEO Ken Comée will step down, and CFO Noel Marsden will become division president.

Government and Politics

HHS awards the US Virgin Islands $15 million to set up a health information exchange for Medicaid beneficiaries, and to continue to promote the use of certified EHRs.

A call center employee in New Orleans admits to stealing the personal data of 8,000 Healthcare.gov customers and then using that information to open credit cards and apply for loans. He faces up to five years in prison.

Other

Fast Company profiles Binah.ai, an Israeli-based company that made waves at CES with technology that can detect heart rate and stress levels over video. While the company’s software has garnered interest from law enforcement agencies, a spokesperson has stressed that its greatest potential is in telemedicine and hospital intake procedures.

Digital health entrepreneur Elizabeth Tikoyan develops Riley, an app that connects people with similar health conditions. She named the app after a patient she met while volunteering at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. Tikoyan remembers that Riley, who had a compromised immune system, often had no other means of connecting with people than through technology.

Sponsor Updates

• Healthwise employees donate over 150 coats to City Light Home and Idaho Office for Refugees.

Blog Posts

• The State of Telehealth in 2020 (EClinicalWorks)
• MIPS Highlights for Year 4 (AdvancedMD)

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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News 1/8/20

Top News

Ambulatory-focused health IT and RCM vendor MTBC acquires Miami-based competitor CareCloud. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though MTBC touts the acquisition as its largest transaction to date. Its only other acquisition was medical billing and coding company MediGain in 2016.

Webinars

January 29 (Wednesday) 2:00 ET. “State of the Health IT Industry 2020.” Sponsor: Medicomp Systems. Presenters from Medicomp Systems: Dave Lareau, CEO; Jay Anders, MD, MS, chief medical officer; Dan Gainer, CTO; James Aita, MBA, director of strategy and business development. Despite widespread adoption of EHRs, healthcare professionals struggle with several unresolved systemic challenges, including the lack of EHR usability, limited interoperability between disparate systems, new quality reporting initiatives that create administrative burdens, and escalating levels of physician burnout. Join the webinar to learn how enterprises can address current industry roadblocks with existing market solutions and fix health IT’s biggest challenges.

Previous webinars are on our YouTube channel. Contact Lorre to present your own.

People

Former Athenahealth CMO Kevin Ban, MD takes on a similar role at Walgreens. Ban will be involved in helping to steer physical and digital healthcare services at the company, which announced several months ago that it will close 40% of its in-store clinics and that it is considering going private.

Employer-focused primary care company Proactive MD hires Jon Hernandez (Health Rosetta) as chief strategy officer.

Government and Politics

HHS will use de-identified data from drug testing company Millenium Health’s Emerging Threat Intelligence Program to monitor illicit drug use trends across the country. HHS will then equip local and state public health officials with the necessary resources to develop and implement drug-prevention programs in their communities.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine software development company EVisit raises $5.3 million.

A Philadelphia landlord will offer its tenants discounted telemedicine services from Teladoc. Shift Capital CEO Brian Murray believes the service goes beyond the typical tenant perk: “Ideally, this really helps the mother who has the minimum-wage hourly job, and allows her an opportunity to not have to take the day off from work to take [her kids] to the doctor. It doesn’t take dollars off her table, she doesn’t lose money off her paycheck. That could start a downward spiral.”

Other

Dr. Phil puts his eclectic LA mansion up for sale for $5.75 million. The home includes an art installation of melted guns, a giant staircase made of wooden vines, purple hanging egg chair, and lots of colorful velvets throughout. The talk show host and his son Jay helped to launch Doctor on Demand in 2012.

Contacts

Jenn, Mr. H, Lorre

More news: HIStalk.

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