Multi-State Provider Group Selects Enterprise Cloud Computing Company for Anesthesia EMR

Nashville, TN and Knoxville, TN  (January 30, 2012) – Shareable Ink®, an enterprise cloud computing company that transforms paper documentation to structured data, and Resource Anesthesia, a multi-state turnkey anesthesia services provider that serves hospitals, surgery centers and specialty physician groups, announced today the deployment of Shareable Ink Anesthesia Suite.

Because of an increasingly competitive environment for hospital-based physician services, provider groups must demonstrate cost-effective, high-quality care to win and retain hospital contracts.  Resource Anesthesia selected Shareable Ink to achieve three important goals:

• Quality of Care: Providing objective measures of the group’s quality and efficiency to hospital partners and leveraging this empirical data to develop business with new hospitals

• Cost Control: Managing pharmacy costs through increased granularity of drug utilization in cases

• Accelerated Revenue Cycle: Driving up a higher first pass clean claims rate through improved documentation compliance at the point of care

Resource Anesthesia now captures data more efficiently to share with its hospital and surgery center partners, enhancing their ability to report on quality management initiatives, facility billing, and OR efficiency.

“Without changing our workflow, Shareable Ink allows us to easily deploy a solution that significantly improves provider performance and efficiency through objective analysis of case data,” said Phillip Haynie, CEO of Resource Anesthesia.  ”Electronic data automatically produced from the paper record also leads to improved revenue cycle management across the board and provides insightful information to stakeholders.”

Shareable Ink represents an innovative approach to electronic health records that captures structured and actionable data with no change in workflow for providers. Providers utilize Shareable Ink to document in their customary fashion, using natural input tools, such as digital pens and iPads, without compromising productivity.  Clinical and business rules embedded into familiar forms deliver feedback to the providers and help to ensure that records are complete and compliant.  The data is made available to other stakeholders in patient care and to offsite billing departments as soon as the case is completed.

“We are delighted to be selected by Resource Anesthesia,” commented Stephen S. Hau, President and CEO, Shareable Ink. “Our enterprise cloud computing approach allows us to deliver meaningful results to customers within a few weeks.”

About Shareable Ink

Shareable Ink helps healthcare organizations of all sizes transition to electronic health records without disruption to workflow or burdensome IT projects. Its enterprise cloud-based platform incorporates natural input tools, including iPads and digital pen and paper technology featuring Anoto functionality. The resulting structured and clinically-encoded output populates the EHR with discrete data, as if typed in directly. Built-in analytics give hospitals and practices insight into their operations — from a clinical, quality and efficiency standpoint — all previously inaccessible from traditional paper records. For additional information, visit www.shareableink.com.

About Resource Anesthesia

Resource Anesthesia is a multi-state company that provides centralized anesthesia management and support by establishing local teams who are active members of the community. Through these teams, anesthesia services are provided at community hospitals and surgery centers. The company assumes responsibilities such as recruitment, compliance, documentation monitoring and billing and collections. For further information, please visit http://www.resourceanesthesia.com.

The HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 award honors hospitals operating in a paperless environment and representing best practices in implementing EMR

HIMSS Analytics announced that Moanalua Medical Center, a Kaiser Permanente hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, has received its Stage 7 Award. The award represents attainment of the highest level on the Electronic Medical Records Adoption Model (EMRAM), which is used to track EMR progress at hospitals and health systems.

HIMSS Analytics developed the EMR Adoption Model in 2005 as a methodology for evaluating the progress and impact of electronic medical record systems for hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics™ Database. There are eight stages (0-7) that measure a hospital’s implementation and utilization of information technology applications. The final stage, Stage 7, represents an advanced patient record environment. The validation process to confirm a hospital has reached Stage 7 includes a site visit by an executive from HIMSS Analytics and former or current chief information officers to ensure an unbiased evaluation of the Stage 7 environments.

The hospital will be recognized at the 2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition on Feb. 21-24, 2012, in Las Vegas. As of December 2011, Moanalua Medical Center is the first hospital in the state of Hawaii, and one of only 65 U.S. facilities, or 1.2 percent, of the more than 5,000 U.S. hospitals in the HIMSS Analytics Database, to be awarded the HIMSS Analytics Stage 7 Award.

“Being the first and only hospital in Hawaii to achieve the highest level of recognition by HIMSS Analytics for our electronic medical records model is a testament to our physicians and staff at our Moanalua Medical Center and their dedication to providing the highest quality and safest care to our patients,” said Brian Yoshii, Kaiser Permanente’s Vice President, Information Technology. “Kaiser Permanente has been investing in interactive online systems to enhance service and convenience for our members for more than a decade. With one of the most robust and sophisticated EMR systems available anywhere, our patients benefit from proactive prevention measures and the coordination of care between our physicians.”

Kaiser Permanente’s web site – KP.org – embraces two fully integrated secure systems:  My Health Manager for member access and HealthConnect™ for internal management of members’ records. The two features provide members with the convenience of e-mailing their personal physician, accessing lab results, prescription refills and appointment scheduling.
In addition, the general public is encouraged to access health care information, hundreds of recipes, podcasts, health-related videos, interactive health tools and more through this paperless system. Kaiser Permanente is the exclusive provider of HealthConnect™, improving prevention and the coordination of care for members and enhancing the way physicians work together.

Through HealthConnect™ every entry in a member’s record is securely integrated into a single EMR that is accessible to the entire network of more than 450 physicians and thousands of clinical support staff. Specialists no longer have to wait for the delivery of paper-based records and test results, and under appropriate patient confidentiality safeguards, secure EMR allow health care providers in different locations to collaborate and coordinate care for their patients based on current, comprehensive clinical information. Reduced paperwork not only speeds access to care, but improves patient safety by eliminating the need for caregivers and pharmacists to decipher handwritten information on charts and prescriptions.

“Moanalua Medical Center has a superb disaster recovery and business continuity plan, one very well thought out and explained (during our discussions).  This is a very open group who demonstrated that they listen to the users’ needs and make adjustments accordingly to improve and enhance use of their health IT systems, “ said John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS Analytics. “The hospital’s CPOE and bar-coded medication administration all show superb acceptance and use by clinicians, as noted in the usage percentages.”

Visit the HIMSS Analytics Web site for more information on the Stage 7 award.  Find out more about HIMSS12.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has provided total health to the people of Hawaii for more than 50 years. Care for members is focused on their total health being guided by their personal physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Expert care and medical teams are supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Its physicians are members of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, the largest multi-specialty physician group practice in the state of Hawaii. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. Visit kp.org for additional information
About HIMSS Analytics

HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The company collects and analyzes healthcare data related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality data and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms.  Visit www.himssanalytics.org/ for more information.

Recognizing outstanding contributions to HIMSS and the healthcare industry, HIMSS named its 2011 award and scholarship recipients. The HIMSS Foundation and four HIMSS chapters provided nine scholarships to students enrolled in health IT and management systems degree programs.

“The HIMSS award recipients are individuals and organizations who have succeeded in ensuring high quality and consistent delivery of healthcare with the use of information technology. Congratulations to all of the award and scholarship recipients for their achievement and willingness to share their expertise with HIMSS and throughout the industry,” said JoAnn Klinedinst, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, PMP, Vice President, Professional Development, HIMSS.

Award winners are nominated in four award categories:  industry service, HIMSS service, publications and chapters. All award and scholarship recipients will be honored at the HIMSS Awards Banquet on Feb. 23, 2012, from 6:30 – 9 p.m. at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. During the2012 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased on the HIMSS12 website.

The 2011 HIMSS award and scholarship recipients appear below with a description of each award and scholarship on the HIMSS website.

2011 Award Recipients

CHIME-HIMSS John E. Gall Jr. /CIO of the Year Award   
Rick Schooler, MBA, FACHE, FCHIME

ACCE-HIMSS Excellence in Clinical Engineering and Information Technology Synergies Award
Paul Schluter, PhD

Board of Directors Service Award
Howard Burde, JD, FHIMSS
David Finn, CISA, CISM, CRISC
C. Martin Harris, MD, MBA, FHIMSS
Carol Selvey, MHSA, CPHIMS, FHIMSS

Book of the Year Award – The Health Information Exchange Formation Guide: The Authoritative Guide for Planning and Forming an HIE in Your State, Region, or Community
Laura Kolkman, RN, MS, BSN, FHIMSS
Bob Brown

Chapter of the Year – Large:
Southern California HIMSS Chapter

Chapter of the Year – Small:
North & Central Florida HIMSS Chapter

Chapter Leader of the Year Award
David Butler, BS, MBA, FHIMSS
Jon Melling, FHIMSS, UKCHIP, Level 3

Distinguished Fellows Service Award
Mimi Hassett, RN, MSN, FHIMSS

Founders Leadership Award
Martha Dameron, RN, MSN, FHIMSS

John A. Page Outstanding Service Award
Barbara Demster, MS, RHIA

Life Member Award
Edward H. Burnet, LHIMSS
William Delamar, LFHIMSS
Fred Green, LFHIMSS
Walt Menning, LFHIMSS
Kathryn Smith, LFHIMSS
Bill Vrooman, LHIMSS

Nursing Informatics Leadership Award
Carol Bickford, PhD, CPHIMS
Kathleen Smith, RN, FHIMSS

Physician IT Leadership Award
Russell Leftwich, MD, FAAAAI, FCCP

HIMSS Evelyn Award
June St. John, CTP

SHS-HIMSS Excellence in Healthcare Management Engineering/Process Improvement Award
James Benneyan, PhD, FHIMSS
Special Interest Group Leader of the Year
Jodi Bloom, RN, MBA
Tammy Grygar

2011 Scholarship Recipients

Healthcare Information Management Systems:
Undergraduate Scholarship
Roman Minyaylyuk
University of Illinois at Chicago

Master’s Scholarship
Justin St-Maurice
University of Victoria

PhD Scholarship
Aaron Baird, RN
Arizona State University

Richard P. Covert, PhD, FHIMSS Scholarship for Management Systems
Laura Sims
Georgia Institute of Technology

South Florida Chapter Scholarship
Mohammed Islam, MS
Nova Southeastern University

New England HIMSS Dvora Brodie Chapter Scholarship
Vlad Anthohi
Northeastern University

New York State Chapter Scholarships (2 awarded)
Rodney Harrington
Columbia University

and

Karthik Natajaran
New York University

Northern California Chapter Scholarship
Katherine Kim, MBA, MPH
Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, UC Davis

About HIMSS

HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 50 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations are headquartered in Chicago with additional offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. HIMSS represents more than 38,000 individual members, of which more than two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 540 corporate members and more than 120 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org.

On Wednesday digital office software pioneer and Long Beach-based Laserfiche CEO Nien-Ling Wacker will be sharing insight from 30 years of leadership in content management software in a simulcast of a keynote speech before 1,600 people attending Laserfiche Institute 2012. She will call on organizations to meet Information Age challenges by harnessing the power of their information.

·         View the press release below

·         Watch a Webcast of her live keynote; and

·         Visit the Press Room (TO GO LIVE 1/24)

IT leaders from USC, Avis Fleet Services, the NFL and more share knowledge and expertise

LONG BEACH, CA (Laserfiche)—January 25, 2012—Laserfiche today kicked off its “Empower 2012” Conference with a keynote speech from company Founder and CEO Nien-Ling Wacker on the importance of having an IT infrastructure that supports success in the Information Age. A record 1,600 attendees from the worldwide Laserfiche community are taking part in the event.

“With IDC predicting that the volume of digital data will nearly double in 2012, organizations today need an IT infrastructure designed to empower success in the information age,” said Wacker. “Laserfiche provides agile enterprise content management solutions that help organizations harness the power of their information for controlled, rapid change in today’s fast-paced information economy.”

The “Empower 2012” Conference, held at the Anaheim Marriott through January 27, features more than 150 educational sessions on everything from enterprise content mobility to cloud deployment strategies. IT leaders from Avis Fleet Services, Molina Healthcare and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, among others, will share their Laserfiche expertise during Success Story presentations.

Tomorrow’s keynote will feature Russell Kaurloto, Deputy CIO and Executive Director of Information Technology at the University of Southern California, and John Sifri, Information Technology Manager for the NFL’s Houston Texans.

Epson is the Premier sponsor for Empower 2012, HP is the Platinum Lab sponsor and Infolinx is the nametag sponsor. Exhibitors include Accuflex, Avolve Software, Cambridge Connections, Canon, Cities Digital, Datawatch, Dynamic Document Services, Ezescan, FabSoft, Fujitsu, Kodak, Lincware, LLC, Millennial Vision, Novusolutions, Panasonic, Plustek Technology Inc, Scanning America and United Micro Data.

To view Wacker’s keynote speech, visit: http://www.laserfiche.com/en-us/conference/webcast

About Laserfiche

Since 1987, Laserfiche has used its Run Smarter® philosophy to create simple and elegant enterprise content management (ECM) solutions. More than 30,000 organizations worldwide—including federal, state and local government agencies and Fortune 1000 companies—use Laserfiche® software to streamline document, records and business process management.

The Laserfiche ECM system is designed to give IT managers central control over their information infrastructure while still offering business units the flexibility to react quickly to changing conditions. The Laserfiche product suite is built on top of Microsoft® technologies to simplify system administration, supports the Microsoft SQL platform and features a seamless integration with Microsoft Office® applications and a two-way integration with SharePoint®.

Laserfiche distributes its software through a worldwide network of value-added resellers (VARs), who tailor solutions to clients’ individual needs. The Laserfiche VAR program has received the Five-Star Rating from Computer Reseller News/VARBusiness magazine.

Laserfiche®, Run Smarter® and Compulink® are registered trademarks of Compulink Management Center, Inc.

Practice Fusion issued its annual State of the Small Practice survey on January 24, 2012 at 9AM EST.

Here are some of the key findings:

• 45 percent of doctors report that their practice is doing better this year compared to last year while 14 percent report that their practice is doing worse and 33 percent report no change.
• In the 2011 State of the Small Practice Survey, only 26 percent reported that their practice was doing better than the year before, while 41 percent reported doing worse.
• 60 percent of small practices report that new technology has made things easier.
• 26 percent of practices use computers that are less than a year old. Thirty-eight percent report that the computers in their practice are over three years old, a major improvement from 73 percent the previous year. (Seven percent of practices have computers in the five to six-year-old range, down from 21 percent in 2011.)
• An overwhelming 89 percent of doctors report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career despite challenges, a 20 percent increase from the year before.
• Most practices ranked insurance and reimbursement as the top negative pressure (69 percent), followed by patient compliance issues (64 percent) and practice administration concerns (48 percent).
• Positive trends are led by advancements in medicine (68 percent), patient compliance (53 percent) and improvement in the healthcare workforce (51 percent).

Practice Fusion’s 2012 State of the Small Practice survey and infographic reveal 60 percent of small medical practices are helped by technology, while nearly half report improvements in their practice in the last year

SAN FRANCISCO – January 24, 2012 – Forty-five percent of doctors in small or medium-sized practices report that their practice is doing better this year compared to last according to a survey released today by Practice Fusion, the free, web-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) company. The second annual State of the Small Practice report also showed that technology has made things easier for over 60 percent of US medical providers in private practice. Administrative costs, insurance and reimbursement issues continue to be major burdens in a rapidly changing health care climate defined by government reform, technology mandates and an unfavorable nationwide economy.

Key Findings:

• 45 percent of doctors report that their practice is doing better this year compared to last year while 14 percent report that their practice is doing worse and 33 percent report no change.
• In the 2011 State of the Small Practice Survey, only 26 percent reported that their practice was doing better than the year before, while 41 percent reported doing worse.
• 60 percent of small practices report that new technology has made things easier.
• 26 percent of practices use computers that are less than a year old. Thirty-eight percent report that the computers in their practice are over three years old, a major improvement from 73 percent the previous year. (Seven percent of practices have computers in the five to six-year-old range, down from 21 percent in 2011.)
• An overwhelming 89 percent of doctors report being satisfied or extremely satisfied with their career despite challenges, a 20 percent increase from the year before.
• Most practices ranked insurance and reimbursement as the top negative pressure (69 percent), followed by patient compliance issues (64 percent) and practice administration concerns (48 percent).
• Positive trends are led by advancements in medicine (68 percent), patient compliance (53 percent) and improvement in the healthcare workforce (51 percent).

“We are witnessing a transformation in American medicine,” said Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion. “On the one hand, small practice doctors are struggling with rising costs and lower reimbursement rates. On the other hand, technologies such as Practice Fusion’s free EMR system are helping thousands of medical practices across the country to increase efficiency, eliminate paper charts, qualify for federal EMR incentives and provide top quality care to their communities.”

Practice Fusion’s EMR system provides charting, scheduling, e-prescribing, lab integrations and referral letters at zero cost to small and medium-sized ambulatory practices. View the 2011 State of the Small Practice infographic. Raw data from the 2011 and 2012 surveys is available for free upon request. Practice Fusion is also offering physician sources from across the country ready to talk about their own experiences managing a small practice.

The 2012 State of the Small Practice study was conducted by an internet survey with a national sample of 1,000 practices gathered through Practice Fusion’s platform. Medical providers were asked to provide responses to a series of multiple-choice survey questions based on last year’s data. In the previous year, the study was conducted on the MDLinx platform using a national sample of 100 small practice physicians using a series of open-ended questions. View results from the 2011 State of the Small Practice survey.

About Practice Fusion

Practice Fusion provides a free, web-based EMR  system to physicians. With charting, scheduling, e-prescribing (eRx), lab integrations, referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, unlimited support and a Personal Health Record for patients, Practice Fusion’s EMR addresses the complex needs of today’s healthcare providers and disrupts the health IT status quo. Practice Fusion is the fastest growing EMR community in the country with more than 130,000 users serving 30 million patients. The company closed a $23 million Series B round of financing led by Founders Fund in 2011. For more information about Practice Fusion, please visit practicefusion.com.

Collaboration Designed to Smooth Transition to ICD-10, Provide Coding Audits and Supply Credentialed, Back-Up Coding Staff

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – January 23, 2012 – TrustHCS℠, an HIM, coding, compliance and revenue cycle consultancy firm for health care providers, proudly announces that it will partner with Cerner (Nasdaq: CERN) to deliver integrated ICD-10 education services to the company’s clients and associates. The program, in partnership with the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), focuses on the educational needs of hospitals’ and physicians’ coders as they transition to ICD-10. TrustHCS is an AHIMA Corporate Solutions Partner and one of only two companies authorized to resell the AHIMA ICD-10 Fundamentals Program. The announcement was made by Torrey Barnhouse, chief executive officer, TrustHCS.

“The transition to ICD-10 coding has certainly been one of the lesser publicized aspects of health care regulation so far, though 2012 will be a very important year as we work with our clients to develop and execute strategies to ensure a smooth transition to the new system,” said Darren Nipper, learning results executive, with Cerner. “The ICD-10 knowledge and resources available to clients through our relationship with TrustHCS will be an essential component of developing effective clinician and coder training plans that will drive adoption of the new standards.”

In addition to ICD-10 training, the collaboration with TrustHCS gives Cerner clients access to credentialed coding auditors and clinical coding resources, both predicted to be in high demand throughout 2013.

Diebold wants to give you a sneak peek at its involvement at HIMSS. You may already know the global company for its ATM and security solutions; what you may not know is that it is applying its core competencies to advanced healthcare solutions, including an emerging self-service technology that enhances the patient experience through automation. Diebold’s patient self-service kiosk will be a key feature in the Interoperability Showcase, for attendees to experience firsthand and discover how self service can deliver a better, more efficient workflow in a healthcare organization.

Attendees have the opportunity to use Diebold’s self-service technology at the Interoperability Showcase™

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) will display its self-service kiosk, PACE (patient automated care experience), during the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) conference and HIMSS12 Interoperability Showcase™, Feb. 21-23 in Las Vegas.

In conjunction with Diebold’s self-service advancements, it has partnered with Health Information Today to reveal the latest findings about patients’ sentiments towards patient information privacy and security in the healthcare arena. According to this survey, more than 30 percent of the healthcare organizations surveyed classified their organization’s ability to comply with patient information privacy and security as “needs improvement, poor or failing.”

“Our research has found that successful implementation of self-service technology can enhance the patient care experience and decrease the operating costs of the healthcare facility,” said Mike Benol, vice president, business development, healthcare solutions, Diebold. “This is why we are educating healthcare organizations on how self service can complement traditional patient service technologies while increasing efficiency, protecting patient’s privacy and allowing staff members to focus on high quality interactions with patients.”

Diebold will display its PACE self-service registration kiosk in the Interoperability Showcase as part of the patient experience use case, allowing participants to see firsthand the ease of registering, obtaining insurance validation and collecting co-pays during check-in, prior to service. This efficient self-service process helps healthcare facilities reduce wait times and provides cost savings by expanding existing resources.

“As a leader in self-service technology, we understand the challenges of integrating new technologies,” Benol said. “This is why we worked with healthcare professionals to develop our model and determine best practices for implementation and adoption, which will lead to greater patient satisfaction.”

HIMSS Interoperability Showcase is held in collaboration with Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) and will be located at #11000 Hall G of the Venetian-Sands Expo Convention Center.

Diebold subject matter experts will be on hand at the Interoperability Showcase and at Diebold’s booth, #455, to discuss PACE and the company’s healthcare security and managed services offerings. All three PACE models will be featured in the booth, and healthcare security presentations will be given. Attendees can experience Diebold’s palm-vein reader firsthand and view a demonstration showing what the healthcare facility clerk sees when a patient uses PACE.

To learn more about PACE self-service registration kiosks, visit http://www.diebold.com/healthcare/pace.htm.

About Diebold

Diebold, Incorporated is a global leader in providing integrated self-service delivery and security systems and services. Diebold employs more than 16,000 associates with representation in nearly 90 countries worldwide and is headquartered in the Canton, Ohio region, USA. Diebold is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘DBD.’ For more information, visit the company’s website at www.diebold.com or follow the company on Twitter: http://twitter.com/diebold_inc.

News from Curaspan this morning, the company’s customer base grew 26% in 2010…they now work with more than 4,100 providers across the US.  Curaspan is a healthcare IT vendor focused on improving patient transitions from one level of care to the next (e.g. hospital to post-acute care).

Curaspan helped set the standard for the secure electronic exchange of clinical information more than a decade ago.  The connectivity they provide to hospitals and post-acute care providers is also a core competency for ACO’s and other emerging models of care – and with landmark reform legislation before the Supreme Court and Medicare reimbursement rates set to be tied to a hospital’s “quality of care,” 2012 promises to be a big year as well.

New hospital customers include: Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del.; Civista Medical Center in La Plata, Md.; Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, Ala.; Heartland Health in St. Joseph, Mo.; Health Quest in LaGrangeville, N.Y.; IASIS Healthcare in Franklin, Tenn.; Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Ky.; Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash.; Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y.; and University of New Mexico Hospitals in Albuquerque, N.M.

New post acute provider customers include: Critical Care Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accredo Health Group in Memphis; Avante Group in Hollywood, Fla.; LaVie Care Centers in Tampa, Fla.; National HealthCare Corporation in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Select Specialty Hospitals in Mechanicsburg, Penn.; and Skilled Healthcare in Foothill Ranch, Calif.

Expands National Footprint of SaaS Applications, Increases Staff to Meet Demand

NEWTON, Mass. — January 19, 2012 — Curaspan Health Group^®, the industry leader in building secure electronic patient-transition networks for hospitals, post-acute providers and payers to optimize patient care, is starting the new year with strong momentum from 2011. With more than 4,100 customers in 40 states plus the District of Columbia, the company’s customer base grew by 26 percent last year, according to Curaspan president and CEO Thomas R. Ferry.

“Providers increasingly recognize the need for technology that can break down the walls that exist between different departments, internally as well as externally,” said Ferry. “Our Synchronized Patient Management™ portfolio of applications enables them to take a holistic approach to patient care with everyone on the same platform, working together to drive toward the same outcomes.”

Curaspan debuted DischargeCentral^® last year, a major upgrade to eDischarge™ which revolutionized discharge planning more than 10 years ago. Built on a flexible new platform, DischargeCentral extends the capabilities of the discharge-planning software-as-a-service (SaaS) application for use in every level of care.

In addition to DischargeCentral for discharge planning, the Curaspan Synchronized Patient Management portfolio of applications includes RideCentral^® for non-emergent transport ordering and dispatch and ReferralCentral^® for referral management. Users experience unparalleled performance to transition patients efficiently from one level of care to another; in 2011, application uptime was 99.996 percent.

“Connectivity and good care transitions are fundamental to who we are and how we provide quality care, and Curaspan has helped support our success,” said Joe DiResta, director of business planning at SunBridge Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest nursing-home companies, headquartered in Irvine, Calif. “With ReferralCentral enabling the secure and timely transmission of patient data, we operate more efficiently and deepen our relationships with referring facilities.”

New Curaspan post-acute clients include Critical Care Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accredo Health Group in Memphis; Avante Group in Hollywood, Fla.; LaVie Care Centers in Tampa, Fla.; National HealthCare Corporation in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Select Specialty Hospitals in Mechanicsburg, Penn.; and Skilled Healthcare in Foothill Ranch, Calif.

“Curaspan provides a platform that allows for good clinical handoffs,” said Dawn Kowalski, operations manager at Riverside Health System in Newport News, Va. “This is a win-win for both the referring and receiving facilities and for the ultimate goal of excellent transitional care for our patients.” (See the Riverside case study.)

Among new Curaspan hospital clients are Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del.; Civista Medical Center in La Plata, Md.; Cullman Regional Medical Center in Cullman, Ala.; Heartland Health in St. Joseph, Mo.; Health Quest in LaGrangeville, N.Y.; IASIS Healthcare in Franklin, Tenn.; Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Ky.; Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash.; Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, N.Y.; and University of New Mexico Hospitals in Albuquerque, N.M.

To meet demand for its portfolio of applications and advisory services that help cut readmissions and LOS while increasing productivity, Curaspan grew its staff by 60 percent in 2011 and continues to recruit top-notch talent.

Founded in 1999, Curaspan set the standard for the secure transmission of clinical data about patients moving from one level of care to another. Among its customers are Johns Hopkins Health System, NewYork Presbyterian Hospital, Saint Thomas Health Services (part of Ascension Health), Vanguard Health Systems, Amedisys Home Health Services, American Medical Response, Gentiva Health Services, Golden LivingCenters and Life Care Centers of America.

About Curaspan Health Group

Curaspan Health Group builds secure electronic patient-transition networks for hospitals, post-acute providers and payers to optimize patient care. Curaspan software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications empower users with real-time, predictive decision-making data that enables all participants to continuously monitor care, improve communication and ensure compliance. This informatics exchange is integrated with the proprietary Curaspan Provider Data Bank™, the industry’s most comprehensive and up-to-date system of actionable patient-transition intelligence, and is complemented by the clinical process expertise of credentialed advisors. The Health Care Advisory Board and KLAS repeatedly have recognized Curaspan for its industry-leading software. Curaspan is headquartered in Newton, Mass. For more information please visit Curaspan.com.

Consult A Doctor, an innovator of telemedicine services and technology solutions, today announced the launch of FLUHOTLINE24/7, a resource that will connect people in all 50 states with board certified physicians that can diagnose, treat and prescribe medications, if appropriate, for the highly contagious flu virus via phone.

Here are some of the main highlights:
Industry Statistics
- According to a recent Center for Disease Control (CDC) announcement, more than 160 million cases of the flu are expected for the 2011-2012 flu season.
- In an average year, flu-related complications lead to over 200,000 hospitalizations, many of which are non-emergent and contribute to an overcrowded, wasteful healthcare system.

Consult A Doctor’s FLUHOTLINE24/7
- Consult A Doctor’s network of physicians use the most current clinical information and treatment guidelines from the CDC to answer any flu related questions and provide educational medical instruction and advice.
- A typical consultation with a Consult A Doctor physician via FLUHOTLINE24/7, either via a call to 1-855-DOC-4FLU or logging on to www.FLUHOTLINE247.com, takes just minutes and costs under $40, regardless of insurance status.
- Consult A Doctor also provides a web portal that grants patients and physicians access to a robust health library and other wellness tools.

Consult A Doctor Gives Patients Seeking Diagnosis and Treatment for Flu Symptoms Immediate Access to Physicians via Phone at Low Cost

Miami, FL., January 18, 2012 — The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced that it is expecting more than 160 million cases of the flu over the 2011-2012 flu season. In an average year, complications related to the flu lead to over 200,000 hospitalizations, many of which are non-emergent and contribute to an overcrowded, wasteful healthcare system. To help solve the problem of physician access, Consult A Doctor, an innovator of telemedicine services and technology solutions, today announced the launch of FLUHOTLINE24/7, a resource that will connect people in all 50 states with board certified physicians that can diagnose, treat and prescribe medications, if appropriate, for the highly contagious flu virus via phone.

Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms may call 1-855-DOC-4FLU or log on to www.FLUHOTLINE247.com and be connected with a certified physician in real-time, from anywhere, 24/7/365. A Consult A Doctor physician will conduct a brief consultation via phone. For patients that may need medication, a thorough medical intake will be performed and, if warranted, the doctor can provide a prescription for anti-viral or other indicated medications.

Consult A Doctor’s network of physicians use the most current clinical information and treatment guidelines from the CDC to answer any flu related questions and provide educational medical instruction and advice. A typical consultation with a Consult A Doctor physician via FLUHOTLINE24/7 takes just minutes and costs under $40, regardless of insurance status.

“Until now, concierge medicine has been something few people could obtain. When we are sick, we typically have to get in our cars and drive ourselves to our primary physician’s office – if we have one. If not, our options are quite limited and usually entail spending most of a day at the local ER, wasting time and spending hundreds of dollars,” said Wolf Shlagman, Founder and CEO of Consult A Doctor. “With telemedicine services, this entire process changes. Patients can obtain affordable, quality medical care without ever leaving their home. This is especially important when dealing with a pandemic like the flu as it insulates physicians, patients and the general public from exposure to germs.”

In addition to the FLUHOTLINE24/7 resource, Consult A Doctor also provides a web portal that grants patients and physicians access to a robust health library and other wellness tools. Using this web portal, visitors may schedule appointments, store and share Personal Health Records (PHRs) and consult with physicians regarding any non-emergency illness via secure email consultations.

“As a practicing physician, I have seen influenza season put a strain on time, energy and resources – not only in my own practice but also in urgent care clinics, ER departments and hospitals. Many times health problems are exacerbated by patients not seeking care in a timely manner, resulting in worsening illness and serious complications, including bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure and even death,” said Dr. Doug Smith, CMO of Consult A Doctor and Co-founder of MinuteClinic. “The ability to utilize telemedicine to provide earlier, more timely and more appropriate treatment allows clinicians and patients to reduce the duration and progression of the flu. Telemedicine also helps to identify those patients who are severely ill and direct them to other care settings, if needed, in an efficient and prompt manner.”

About Consult A Doctor

Consult A Doctor is the leading innovator of cloud-based telemedicine services and technology platform solutions empowering organizations to lower healthcare costs, provide revolutionary access and improve outcomes. With years of experience delivering direct-to-employer and consumer telemedicine services that offer convenient 24/7 access to doctor consultations by phone, email and video, Consult a Doctor has saved employers millions of dollars in unnecessary healthcare costs.  Its telemedicine network of U.S. board certified physicians in all 50 states has made it possible to give on-demand care, anytime, anywhere with access to medically-equivalent care in the lowest cost setting. Consult A Doctor is further transforming the economic equation of care by partnering with payers, providers and other organizations to deploy its telemedicine platform solution that grants its members and patients unmatched access to quality care, offers a new revenue source for providers, and lowers costs for health plans, employers and groups. For more information about Consult A Doctor, please visit www.consultadoctor.com, email telecare@consultadr.com or call 888-688-DOCTOR (3624).

CareCloud Charts comes fully loaded with everything required for doctors to take their offices completely paperless, including: medical charting, lab and diagnostic ordering/receiving, ePrescribing and medication management, clinical encounter documentation, patient education, medical document management and specialty-specific templates. Physicians are also able to demonstrate Meaningful Use, allowing eligible providers to receive the $44,000 Medicare or $63,750 Medicaid EHR incentive funding and avoid penalties.

Revolutionary EHR software delivers comprehensive and integrated clinical, financial and administrative management for physician practices

Miami, Florida – January 12, 2012 – Today, cloud-based healthcare solution provider CareCloud announced its official entrance into the electronic health record (EHR) market. CareCloud Charts’ breakthrough user interface is a revolutionary approach to maintaining and sharing patient medical information across the continuum of care while accelerating, rather than hindering, clinical workflow.

CareCloud Charts has already been awarded ambulatory certification (ONC-ATCB 2011/2012) as a Complete EHR by Drummond Group, an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB). Charts has also been certified by SureScripts, making it a fully-functional tool for ePrescribing on SureScripts’ nationwide network.

With the launch of the CareCloud Charts EHR, the company will further accelerate the rapid adoption of its web-based software and services, which already help thousands of physicians today streamline and consolidate the clinical, financial and administrative aspects of their business.

“Our primary mission has always been to simplify and streamline the entire healthcare experience. Rather than rushing to the market with an incomplete or ill-conceived electronic health record product, we decided to first invest in building a strong foundation that supports the entire revenue cycle. We then developed the clinical apps on top of that foundation,” said Albert Santalo, President and CEO of CareCloud. “Now, with the public availability of CareCloud Charts, physicians can actually look forward to using their EHR.”

“We’re obsessed with delivering an incredible software experience; that’s not something many other vendors can say,” Santalo continued. “Almost no other company has built a unified EHR and practice management solution from the ground up. The level of seamlessness and elegance we are achieving cannot be created through a merger of two companies and their respective product lines. By offering Charts as part of a comprehensive suite, we’re helping the entire staff pull together in one direction through one system, without needless steps in the process.”

CareCloud Charts comes fully loaded with everything required for doctors to take their offices completely paperless, including: medical charting, lab and diagnostic ordering/receiving, ePrescribing and medication management, clinical encounter documentation, patient education, medical document management and specialty-specific templates. Physicians are also able to demonstrate Meaningful Use, allowing eligible providers to receive the $44,000 Medicare or $63,750 Medicaid EHR incentive funding and avoid penalties.

Benefits of using CareCloud Charts:

•       Pure Cloud: CareCloud’s user-friendly platform delivers small to large physician practices secure 24/7/365 access to their entire business through any modern web browser, natively on a Mac or PC. CareCloud updates and improves its software regularly, but because it delivers Charts through the cloud in a single instance, all clients use the latest version and do not have to disrupt their operations to upgrade.

•       Fully Integrated: Physicians have enough challenges during their EHR vendor selection process to have to worry about integrating multiple systems just to get a simple claim out the door. CareCloud is a one-stop-shop for physicians looking to streamline their practice management and electronic records systems with minimal investment or disruption to the practice.

•       Unparalleled Usability: Charts’ design was guided by an intimate understanding of the patient encounter. CareCloud’s designers and developers spent countless hours working with physicians while they provided patient care within their practices, then focused on delivering a superior user experience that drives improved patient outcomes and reduced operating costs.

•       Safe & Secure: The Department of Health and Human Services concluded in a study that 63% of HIPAA security breaches were due to physical theft or loss of data. Web-based EHRs eliminate the most common security risks, since there are no physical files to be compromised. Physicians also enjoy advanced security features such as redundancy, constant backups, granular permissions and audit trails.

•       Constant evolution: Healthcare reform has spawned government mandates, new payment models and shifting patient expectations, all of which are taxing the existing technology infrastructure to its limit. Physicians are facing an evolving healthcare industry that demands their practice be adaptive and connected. Unlike legacy systems, CareCloud’s platform is designed to embrace change and evolve with the industry.

•       Built for a real-time world: Patients are surrounded by a myriad of sensors and smart devices, which monitor, measure and track all aspects of the human body. Today, very little, if any, of this valuable data is captured and aggregated into a single patient health record. CareCloud’s foundation utilizes an advanced cloud architecture, which can seamlessly capture unstructured health data. The company ultimately envisions developing this capability to provide a real-time portrait of each patient’s wellness.

“We have always strongly believed that a modern cloud-based platform is what will save the healthcare industry from arcane paper-based processes,” said CareCloud CEO Albert Santalo. “Unfortunately, with the median up-front EHR capital investment hovering around $30,000 per full-time physician, there’s no question that the market has failed to provide physicians with a sophisticated, cost-effective option. The fact that physicians have to even consider financing for an EHR system is just crazy – we’re here to change all that.”

CareCloud, which announced $20.1 million in Series A funding in September, provides medical practices with a powerful, secure cloud-based platform for practice management, electronic health records and revenue cycle management. The company’s solutions automate everything a successful, modern medical practice needs, like appointment scheduling, patient care, billing and accounts receivable management. Delivered in the cloud, data is more secure, less expensive and accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device (desktop, laptop, or tablet).

CareCloud Charts is available now. For more information, visit CareCloud.com.

About CareCloud

CareCloud’s mission is to revolutionize the healthcare experience through on-demand software and services. Leading the charge to bring cloud computing to the healthcare industry, CareCloud delivers an integrated suite to maximize physician practice performance that includes:

•       Charts — electronic health records software that seamlessly integrates into practice workflow
•       Central — a complete medical practice management system from scheduling to billing
•       Concierge — a comprehensive revenue cycle management solution for health care providers
•       Community — a secure patient and provider portal to increase communication and collaboration

CareCloud currently services more than 1,000 physicians and other healthcare providers throughout the United States and was named a winner of IBM’s SmartCamp Silicon Valley 2010 for its innovative new technology. For more information, visit CareCloud online at www.carecloud.com.