Welcome to our Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundup. Each week, we’ll be providing a look back at the articles we posted and why they’re important to the healthcare IT community. We hope this gives you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed during the week.
Two Big Announcements at eClinicalWorks National Conference. The cloud-based EHR vendor’s v12 release is coming soon, and at this year’s user conference CEO Girish Navani announced multiple new eCW features that had the audience gasping with excitement. John Lynn’s report from the event covered all the main points from the CEO’s keynote. Read more…
Usability and Patient Safety Go Hand in Hand. While attending the eCW user conference, John also reflected on how poor EHR usability can have an adverse effect on patient safety. A bad UI can leave physicians distracted and frustrated, which takes theis attention away from the patient in the room and can lead to errors in documentation or prescribing. Read more…
A Healthcare Security Reality Check. Cynergistek founder Mac McMillan has retired, but he’s still sharing cybersecurity wisdom. John reported from Health Connect Partners Las Vegas, where McMillan offered some sobering reflections on the state of cybersecurity in healthcare: Most hospitals are flying blind, focusing on the wrong threats, and facing a host of emerging challenges. Read more…
For Medical Practice Leaders, Revenue and Workforce Are Top of Mind. At MGMA’s 2022 Medical Practice Excellence: Leaders Conference, it was clear that providers face financial and operational pressure from staffing costs and their impact on revenue. Colin Hung saw firsthand why this issue has been so hard to address – but also saw hope in the potential for transformation powered by technology. Read more…
Reducing Drug Overdoses By Assessing Emerging Threats. In the latest CIO Podcast, John spoke with Millennium Health’s Dave Henderson, who explained how the company’s Emerging Threat Intelligence program informs efforts to combat drug overdoses at the community and government level. Read more…
Lifting the Mental Stress of Chronic Illnesses Management. Living with a chronic condition can be like scrolling Netflix – there are so many decisions to make that patients with diabetes rarely know where to start. John talked to Heather Hormel at United Regional Health Care System and Marian Lowe at CCS about the benefits of personalized care management for diabetes. Read more…
Healthcare Benefits From a Variety of Voices. Patients from underrepresented populations are more likely to trust providers with a diverse staff. That’s why it’s so important for organizations across the healthcare ecosystem to bring together a multitude of voices, hc1’s Lori Smith said. Read more…
The Benefits of Automating Provider-Patient Relationships. Today’s providers face increased competition, but many providers can’t hire the staff they need to offer the convenience that patients want. Keona Health’s Stephen Dean suggested that automation can be the answer: Automated scheduling, messaging, symptom triage, and other processes help touch more patients in less time. Read more…
Interoperability’s Role in Value-Based Drug Pricing. The ability to share data among EHR systems is critical for value-based drug contracts, according to Lyfegen’s Girisha Fernando. Interop will make it possible to follow patients’ progress as they move among providers and payers and ensure that clinical outcomes meet all stakeholders’ expectations. Read more…
Featured Health IT Job: Information Technology Manager at Salinas, California-based Natividad, posted to Healthcare IT Central.
Funding and M&A Activity:
- FOLX Health raised $30M in Series B funding to advance its efforts to provide digital health to the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Global EHR, ERP, and RCM service provider Nordic Consulting acquired Hygeian, which serves the United Kingdom and Middle East.
- Patient engagement platform PatientPoint acquired Rendia, which offers engagement and educational tools to eye care providers.
- Consultancy CTG acquired Eleviant Tech to strengthen its offerings in AI, machine learning, and automation.
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out our latest Healthcare IT Today Weekly Roundups.
