Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.
News and Studies
HIMSS has released its 2022 Future of Healthcare Report, and survey results suggest that payers and providers look at big technology companies differently. While 40% of health system leaders report “high competition” with companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, the majority of payers see these companies as drivers of innovation over the next five years. However, the entities do tend to agree that personalized care and care coordination will have a positive outcome on both patient outcomes and clinician job satisfaction.
A survey of 5,000 clinicians conducted by experience management firm Qualtrics concluded that only half of nurses and physicians believe in the future of their organizations. Just over half of those surveyed indicated that they are able to meet their career goals in their current role. Additionally, only 55% of nurses said their managers care about their well-being, while just 35% of physicians believe that their organization is truly committed to pay-for-performance initiatives.
Research firm AVIA’s Digital Benchmarking Initiative report shows a significant gap between how many providers make digital tools available to patients compared to how many patients actually use them. According to the survey of 35 health systems, while 36% of appointment slots are available via online scheduling, only 6% of appointments were booked online. In addition, 60% of providers offer virtual visits, though just 8% of visits are conducted virtually.
Patient engagement vendor GetWell reported that patients diagnosed with COVID-19 using the company’s care management product had a 32% lower hospitalization rate. The study published by Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin also found that patients who were hospitalized has stays that 2.7 days shorter on average.
A study from musculoskeletal app maker Sword Health found that digital care programs for lower back pain can be linked to improved outcomes. Patients using digital tools to manage their condition reported reduced pain and disability, less anxiety and depression, and better productivity on the job.
Partnerships
- Voice-based mental health biomarker firm Ellipsis Health announced an integration with Ceras Health, which offers a clinical monitoring and health data analytics platform.
- Revenue cycle and managed services provider DeliverHealth has entered a joint research initiative with the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine to help connect physicians and patients with limited English proficiency.
- NexHealth and GoTo Connect partnered to develop NexHealth Talk, an online phone management system for dental practices.
Sales
- Addiction and mental health provider Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation chose the Xealth digital therapeutics platform and integrated it with its Oracle Cerner EHR, which has been in place since 2015.
- The Iowa Hospital Association selected PayZen as the patient finance platform of choice for its network of 17 health systems and 117 hospitals.
Products
- HIE vendor and Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services subsidiary Velatura Services was selected to participate in the Amazon Web Services Health Equity Initiative.
- Data matching vendor 4medica has added AI and machine learning capabilities to its cloud-based Data Quality Platform.
- Clinical program and medical supply provider CCS announced the expansion of its patient education, monitoring, and coaching services.
- Amwell behavioral health subsidiary SilverCloud announced that it has 1 million users on its platform.
- Medical coding automation company Fathom announced a 96.8% accuracy rate for evaluation and management codes.
People
- Pegasystems appointed Dr. Kikelomo (Dayo) Belizaire as Chief Medical Officer; she is the first person to hold the role for the automation platform provider.
- Social service platform Unite Us hired Raffaelle Breaks to serve as Chief Product Officer; she previously led digital transformation efforts at American Express.
- Health Payment Systems, Inc. (HPS) and PayMedix appointed Brian Marsella as President; he joins the firm from Cigna, where he was President of the insurer’s Midwest region.
- Clinical data platform MRO named Nathan Eastman as Chief Financial Officer.
- Advanced analytics vendor Advata announced two promotions: Corinne Stroum as Senior Vice President, Head of Product and Jamie Snell as Chief Customer Success Officer.
- Government service consultant Maximus named Jason Tone as Senior Vice President of Technology and Consulting Services for Healthcare.
If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo.
