Financial News
Congratulations to Health Catalyst!
Our IPO is a celebration of our commitment to being the catalyst for massive measurable, data-informed healthcare improvement. Read more about that day: https://t.co/A96bkNpRBt pic.twitter.com/wsoizGzLbv
— Health Catalyst (@HealthCatalyst) July 25, 2019
EQT and CPPIB to acquire a majority equity stake in Waystar in transaction valued at $2.7 billion
The EQT VIII Fund (@eqt) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board announced a definitive agreement to acquire a majority equity stake in Waystar, a provider of revenue cycle technology, from Bain Capital Private Equity. Under the terms of the agreement, which values Waystar at $2.7 billion, Bain Capital will retain a minority stake in the Company.
Product News
Accelerating Innovation in Science
NIH is taking steps to promote the use of FHIR in its funded clinical research to facilitate data access and promote interoperability of research data while protecting patient privacy and ensuring consistency with informed consent. Clem McDonald, MD, Chief Health Data Standards Officer at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at NIH, announced two notices issued by NIH regarding FHIR at the Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference held at the White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC.
The CARIN Blue Button® data model and draft implementation guide
At the Blue Button Developers Conference, CARIN Blue Button® (@carinalliance) data model and draft implementation guide was released. The CARIN Blue Button® draft implementation guide includes more than 240 claim data elements that have been agreed on by multiple regional and national health plans. These data elements are included in what they are calling the common payer consumer data set or CPCDS. They have taken these data elements and mapped them to HL7® FHIR® resources to better assist health plans implement the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access proposed rule.
careMESH Announces the First National Provider Directory Built Entirely to the HL7® FHIR® Standard
careMESH (@careMESHinc) announced the launch of the country’s first National Provider Directory based entirely on the HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) R4 standard. HL7 is a not-for-profit organization focused on developing consensus standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information that supports clinical practice and the management and delivery of healthcare.
MedEvolve Introduces New AI-Driven Workflow Automation Solution for Revenue Cycle Management Teams
MedEvolve, Inc. (@MedEvolve), a national provider of data-driven solutions that provide transparency, automation and accountability for physician practices, announced the availability of MedEvolve RCM Workflow. The solution leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to help providers automate and optimize cash collection, increase staff productivity and accountability and reduce cost to collect.
Flatirons Digital Innovations Introduces Flatirons Digital Hub for Healthcare
Flatirons Digital Innovations Inc., FDI (@FlatironsDI), a content services consultant and system integrator, announced the availability of Flatirons Digital Hub for Healthcare. The new clinical informatics solution moves patient information from aging or redundant electronic health record (EHR) systems to a consolidated repository, providing secure and efficient access to legacy EHR data from a single location. By making all EHR data easily available to clinicians, healthcare information management (HIM) staff, and revenue cycle management teams―regardless of the original system―Flatirons Digital Hub for Healthcare helps improve patient care and optimize business operations.
Rhapsody Releases First Update to Flagship Interoperability Platform
Rhapsody (@RhapsodyHealth), a healthcare data interoperability company, announced the release of Rhapsody 6.5 – an enhanced and expanded update to the company’s flagship product. This signifies the company’s first product release not only since its divestiture from Orion Health in October 2018, but also since completing its merger with Corepoint Health earlier this month.
Contract News
Ardent Health Services Expands Its Use of Knowledge Analyzer
Zynx Health (@zynxhealth), a provider of evidence- and experience-based clinical improvement solutions since 1996, announced that long-time client Ardent Health Services is expanding its agreement for use of Zynx’s Knowledge Analyzer™ knowledge management solution. The Nashville, Tennessee-based health system, which operates 30 hospitals and other medical facilities across six states, plans to expand its use of Zynx Knowledge Analyzer from simply uncovering gaps in its evidence-based content to ensuring its quality initiatives are being addressed.
Collaboration News
Microsoft, Amazon, other tech giants forge ahead on healthcare data sharing pledge
Tech giants Microsoft, Amazon, Google, IBM, Oracle, and Salesforce renewed their commitment from last August to healthcare data sharing standards with a new joint statement that highlighted the past year’s progress. They also put their weight behind a regulatory effort to update rules governing health data by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Konica Minolta and Shimadzu Join Forces to Bring Dynamic Digital Radiography to the US Digital Radiography Market
Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas, Inc. (@KonicaMinoltaMI), a medical imaging systems and healthcare IT company, along with Shimadzu Medical Systems USA announced a collaborative agreement that will accelerate the commercialization of Dynamic Digital Radiography (DDR) in the US healthcare market. Konica Minolta, Inc. and Shimadzu Corporation collaborated on the development of DDR incorporating Konica Minolta’s new advanced image processing and Shimadzu’s RADspeed Pro radiographic imaging system. The companies will co-market the DDR technology in the US market. DDR is an enhanced X-ray technology that enables clinicians to analyze and quantify the dynamic interaction of anatomical structures with physiological changes over time to enhance diagnostic capability and efficacy.
MobileSmith Health and Hardtner Medical Center Team-Up on Development of Mobile App to Engage Rural Area Patient Population
MobileSmith Health (@TheMobileSmith), a leader in the digital health and mobile development sector that is reshaping traditional healthcare, announced the collaboration with Hardtner Medical Center on the release of a patient portal app – Hardtner Access. The Louisiana-based medical center turned to MobileSmith Health to develop its first app with the goal of increasing patient portal usage among its rural area patient population.
Leading Prenatal App Babyscripts Teams Up with Atrium Health
Babyscripts (@Babyscripts), the leading virtual care platform for managing obstetrics, announced that they are teaming up with Atrium Health, one of the nation’s most highly integrated not-for-profit healthcare systems based in Charlotte, N.C. The collaboration provides pregnant patients who receive care at Atrium Health access to the Babyscripts app during the entirety of their prenatal journey and beyond.
Cerner Leads New Era of Health Care Innovation
Cerner Corporation (@cerner) announced a multi-faceted, strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, to accelerate health care innovation across the globe. As part of this agreement, Cerner is naming AWS its preferred cloud provider. This expanded relationship is expected to power enhanced clinical experiences, increase efficiencies by lowering operational burdens for health care organizations and accelerate Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and other cutting-edge innovations thereby advancing better patient health outcomes.
Cerner and Lumeris Will Launch Offering to Reduce Complexities for Health Systems Delivering Value-Based Care
Cerner, a health care technology company, and Lumeris (@lumeris), a health plan and value-based care managed services operator, announced a 10-year relationship aimed at eliminating inefficiencies in the current health care system. Under the relationship, the parties will launch a new offering, Maestro Advantage, for value-based arrangements, including Medicare Advantage (MA) and provider-sponsored health plans (PSHPs). It combines Cerner and Lumeris technology and services to streamline redundant processes that burden the patient and provider, including lengthy claims processing and reimbursement cycles, and obstacles to sharing data and records. Maestro Advantage is designed to help health systems succeed with MA, and other value-based arrangements by improving the quality of outcomes and physician-patient encounters.
Beazley and PeriGen to Collaborate on Patient Safety Programs Addressing Obstetric Safety
PeriGen (@PeriGen), a company developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems for obstetrics, has partnered with specialist insurer Beazley to offer its safety-based obstetric program to Beazley’s healthcare clients in the United States.