ONC Plans for the Future
The ONC releases an updated five-year strategic plan that stresses interoperability, patient engagement, and the expansion of IT across the care continuum. The document updates the previous strategic plan released in 2011that focused heavily on the Meaningful Use program. Maybe the ONC is not quite dead yet after all.
McKesson Ventures Into Startups
McKesson announces the creation of McKesson Ventures, a venture capital fund that will invest in early-stage and growth-stage healthcare companies attacking healthcare business challenges. Tom Rodgers, who was most recently with Cambia Health, was named managing director of the fund’s investment portfolio.
Stage 2 Attestations Still Lagging
Fewer than four percent of eligible physicians and 35 of hospitals have attested to Stage 2 Meaningful Use, according to the newly released numbers from CMS. The AMA, CHIME, HIMSS and MGMA quickly reiterated the call to shorten the reporting period for 2015 to 90 days. As of November, 2014 CMS has paid $16.6 billion in EHR incentives since the program’s inception.
The Doctor Will FaceTime You Now
Walgreens expands its health services offerings to include telehealth services through MDLIVE. The service is initially available only in California and Michigan, though Walgreens plans to roll out the consulting service to additional states and markets. Patients and doctors can connect by email, text, and video through a mobile app. Rite Aid and CVS offer similar services.
KLAS Examines Population Health Vendors
A KLAS report examining the population health performance market recognizes Phytel as the sole early leader for population health management solutions. Cerner, Epic, and NextGen were named emerging players among EMR vendors; other top vendors include Verisk Health, Wellcentive, Kryptic, and Optum.
Happtique Ending
SocialWellth, developer of a mobile health dashboard, acquires Happtique, creator of an app prescribing software. Happitique at one time offered a health app certification program but suspended the service a year ago after several of its certified apps were found to have security flaws.
Show Me The Money
Banner Health selects Craneware’s Chargemaster Corporate Toolkit to manage multiple chargekits across 25 facilities.
South Carolina’s Greenville Health System will implement Orion Health’s Healthier Populations Solutions for interoperability and care coordination.
Validic announces several new clients for its data aggregation platform including WebMD, Pfizer, UPMC, NexJ, and Medhost.
An SEC filing reveals that telemedicine provider MD Aigne has raised $400,000 on a $1 million equity and security offering.
Welch Allyn acquires HealthInterlink, provider of telehealth solution for remote patient monitoring.
Florida’s Health First selects PatientKeeper for professional charge capture, sign-out, and quality metrics reporting for its Health First Medical Group.
Paladina Health expands its partnership with eClinicalWorks to include eClinicalWorks Care Coordination Medical Record population health management platform.
Women’s Health USA selects the athenaOne suite of services for its 250 providers and athenaCollector and athenaCommunicator for its In Vitro Sciences business.
Pervasive Health, developer of the Apervita healthcare analytics platform, is raising $26 million according to an SEC filing. The company’s early customers include the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.
Predictive analytics developer Predilytics raises $8.9 million, according to an SEC filing. The filing indicates the equity investment round could grow to $10 million.
New Blood
SourceMedical names James M. Coffin, former worldwide VP/GM/global practice leader for Dell’s Healthcare and Life Sciences division, as CEO.
The consulting firm Medsys Group promotes Steven Heck from president to chairman of the board.
MedAssets names Michael P. Nolte, the former VP/GM of the American Services business for GE Healthcare IT, as EVP/COO. He replaces Rand A. Ballard, who will continue to serve as SVP and chief customer officer.
Michele “Mickey” McGlynn, Jeanette Polaschek, and Sal Volpe, MD are nominated to the HIMSS Nominating Committee.
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To use Telemedicine FaceTime, the qualifying healthcare provider provides both patient mobile or desktop. Must be
This is a great advance in services. This is a great idea for those who don’t have the time to sit waiting in the doctors surgery.
I think is a fantastic idea, especially for those who work un-godly hours who don’t have time to go to the doctor. Its convenient and easily accessible.
The ONC’s strategic plan mentions safety as it relates to improving health care quality, access, and experience. Specifically:
– promote the well-designed incorporation of usable electronic information, clinical quality measurement, safety and adverse event information, and clinical decision support into clinical workflow
– develop health IT solutions that allow federal regulatory agencies to receive and evaluate pharmaceutical, biologic, and medical product risks more efficiently and promote the safe use of these products
But what about safety, exactly?