Client News: New President & CEO Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Robert L. Walker
President & CEO, TSRHC

Robert “Bob” L. Walker, has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  Walker brings extensive expertise to his new role, having joined the administrative staff at TSRHC in 1979 and serving for 23 years as the day-to-operations leader. He will provide a seamless transition in the management of the hospital to ensure that the highest quality of medical care is provided to patients.View press release here.

[Source: Press Release - Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children]

Press Release: Bay Area Hospital Selects Enterprise Scheduling, Consumer Portal and Fax Order Management Solution from Unibased Systems Architecture

Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. (Unibased) announced today that Bay Area Hospital (BAH) in Coos Bay, Oregon, has signed an agreement to expand the use of the ForSite2020® application suite to include ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS) for enterprise scheduling and access management, ForSite2020® Consumer Access & Scheduling for Healthcare (CASH) consumer portal for patient self-scheduling, and the ForSite2020® Fax Order Collection Utilization & Storage (FOCUS) fax management solution addressing faxed physician orders. BAH selected Unibased after conducting an extensive evaluation process to find the best solution available to facilitate enterprise scheduling and access management across a major outpatient service expansion as well as set the stage for enabling patient self-scheduling via the Internet for streamlined coordination of care and enhanced interoperability.

Key factors in the Bay Area Hospital decision included the advanced capabilities offered by the more mature Unibased web portals as well as the availability of  the integrated ForSite2020® FOCUS module that will allow BAH to initiate the patient scheduling process upon receipt of faxed physician orders. Scheduling through ForSite2020® FOCUS also automatically attaches the physician order to the pre-registration associated with the scheduled event, eliminating the current need for staff in the service-performing departments to manage, track and store paper faxes. BAH has been successfully using ForSite2020® periOperative Resource Management System (ORMS) for surgery management since July 2011; and this solution expansion will now provide coordinated scheduling for all patient services and departments along with surgeries that were already being scheduled in ForSite2020® ORMS. This will streamline the scheduling of pre-surgical diagnostic procedures, such as radiology, and ensure that they have been completed prior to the day of surgery, and efficiently coordinate follow-up care and post-discharge activities.

Brenda Curtner, BAH Director, Clinical Informatics, stated, “BAH is undertaking a major outpatient service expansion so we decided that this is the right time to expand our scheduling capabilities as well, enabling total outpatient service and surgical procedure coordination for our patients and physician offices.  We believe Unibased has the tools we need, and can help us achieve this in a short timeframe while we continue with other projects that are already underway.”  Bob Adams, Director, Information Services added, “We are excited about enhancing our relationship with Unibased and expanding our use of ForSite2020® to include the #1 ranked enterprise scheduling system.” 

"Bay Area Hospital has done a tremendous job of taking full advantage of the capabilities in the ForSite2020® ORMS surgery management solution and Unibased is looking forward to assisting BAH in doing the same with the rest of the ForSite2020® application suite,” stated Phil Amelung, Principal Consultant with Unibased. “Bay Area Hospital’s decision to move forward with Unibased not only reflects their desire to acquire the most functional solution available but is also a testament to the close partnership we have built based on trust and top notch service as well as the tight integration we have achieved with Siemens MedSeries4®.”

Download Full Press Release Here [PDF]

Client News: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System Merge to Form Kentucky's Largest Health System

[Source: Press Release - Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare]

(LOUISVILLE, KY) Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System today announced a merger of the two organizations forming KentuckyOne Health. KentuckyOne Health, the state’s largest health system, was effective retroactively to January 1, 2012. Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE, has been named president and chief executive officer of the new organization. She is a nationally recognized health care leader and former executive at Ascension Health and Catholic Health Initiatives.

Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE

Press Release: Unibased Systems Architecture Achieves "Best in KLAS" for 9 Consecutive Years

According to the annual year-end "Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services" report published on December 15, 2011 by KLAS Enterprises, LLC., Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc (Unibased) received the "Best in KLAS"¹ Award for the market segment of Enterprise Scheduling for the 9th consecutive year, reflecting outstanding product quality, system reliability and support, and unmatched client satisfaction. Unibased, within the KLAS evaluation metric of “Full Disclosure” meaning that consultants had access to all Unibased clients for interview purposes, had the highest Product Quality Rating of 8.5 out of 9.0, far outweighing any of its competitors. The runner-up, Epic Cadence, had a quality score of 8.1. 100% of Unibased clients indicated that they would buy again as compared to the runner-up, only 97%. Besides Epic Cadence, the other competitors were: Cerner Scheduling Management, McKesson Pathways Healthcare Scheduling, QuadraMed Enterprise Scheduling and SCI Solutions Schedule Maximizer. Siemens Soarian Scheduling did not have enough evaluations to be ranked, and StatSchedules StatScheduler was not ranked because it is a regional solution.

The "Best in KLAS"¹ Awards report also singled out 16 vendors as having excelled in their respective market segments, some vendors having multiple segments. Of the vendors and products recognized, Unibased had the highest product score of 92.2 for its ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS).

Larry Covington, Unibased President & CEO, expressed gratefulness to Unibased's clients for their kindness and loyalty. Covington added, "This is no time to rest on our laurels. We recognize that improvements must be made and we are working on that in several areas. We will continue to provide 3 major product feature upgrade releases annually. Our markets of access management and surgery systems are demanding products and services that improve our clients’ quality and coordination of care, consumer relations and competitiveness, productivity and bottom line. Our product in the KLAS market segment of Enterprise Scheduling imbeds an integrated surgery management system, physician and consumer portals, a multi-facility EMPI, registration and admission, inpatient census, order management, analytics, fax management, security and privacy, resource management and utilization reporting, physician order tracking, and of course, enterprise scheduling. We were the first vendor in our market segment to be certified for Meaningful Use, and all new releases will be certified as well. The most significant component within our array of modules associated with ForSite2020® RMS is a massive library of interfacing and file conversion software, providing optimal interoperability and the ability to easily work and integrate with other vendors. This is one of the reasons we can respond quickly to the unique needs of our clients, and a critical component for Accountable Care Organizations."

“Since 1998, KLAS has been committed to helping healthcare providers make decisions based on candid peer feedback,” says Adam Gale, KLAS president. “Best in KLAS rankings mark those vendors who best keep their promises in their market segments for offering a combination of superior products, strong service and high customer value. We hope these ratings continue to help providers find transparency from their vendors in making purchasing decisions.”

¹ 2003 - 2011 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services, December 2011. © 2011 KLAS Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. www.KLASresearch.com

View/Download PDF of Full Press Release Here.

Client News: Robert L. Walker, Executive V.P. & Administrator of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children Elected to Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees

[Source: Press Release - Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children]

Robert L. Walker, FACHE, executive vice president and administrator of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, has been elected to the Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees. He will take office on Jan. 1 for a three-year term.

Hospitals; Ten-Step Plan for Increasing Service Income and Ensuring Quality Outcomes

1. Market and promote service availabilities to physicians and consumers.
2. Expeditiously collect the physician orders and patient diagnosis, and convert orders to facility procedures.
3. Identify and confirm the patient, guarantor, insurance plan(s) and eligibility, including medical necessity when applicable.
4. Ensure proper service, service(s) sequence through clinical review of patient's history, linking to pre-service testing when warranted.
5. Arrange payment program with patient/guarantor and insurance plans.
6. Solicit patient preferences and special needs related to times, locations, transportation, and caregivers.
7. Schedule and coordinate applicable resources for services, special needs, preferences, and set up patient reminder program.
8. Expeditiously deliver services.
9. Arrange for follow-up services prior to discharge.
10. Monitor and manage process activities, including automatic priority-driven alerts.

Client News: Casas Named Chief Nursing Officer at ETMC Henderson

Miguel Casas, MBA, MSN, RN, has been named chief nursing officer at East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Henderson.  Casas will assume his duties on Nov. 14. In his new position, he will oversee all nursing staff, coordinate care among all hospital departments and ensure compliance with all federal and state regulations, among other duties.

Casas most recently served as nurse manager for the ETMC Specialty Hospital in Tyler, a 36-bed facility offering long-term, acute care for patients with complex medical conditions. Prior to joining ETMC in 2005, he served in clinical positions in the oncology and emergency departments at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler and in the intensive care unit at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler. He served in the United States Air Force from 1989 to 1996.

Casas recently earned dual master’s degrees in nursing and business administration from the University of Texas at Tyler, where he previously earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing.

“We are excited to have Mr. Casas join our team at ETMC Henderson,” said Administrator Mark Leitner. “His nursing and management experience across a variety of clinical areas, coupled with his education, will make him a tremendous asset to our hospital and community.”

Visit ETMC online at: http://www.etmc.org/

Happy Veterans Day!

Today we honor the courage & sacrifice of our U.S. military veterans and their families!

Client News: East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System Goes Mobile with iTriage

Source: ETMC Press Release

East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System has expanded its presence in the growing mobile market through a partnership with iTriage® -- a consumer healthcare application that gives users on-the-go access to medical information and providers. 

Mobile users have quick and easy access to symptoms, diseases and hospital information. iTriage is available as a free download through the app stores for iPhone® and Android® mobile devices, and any Internet-enabled device at http://www.itriagehealth.com/. 

According to the most recent Nielsen statistics, 40 percent of mobile consumers in the U.S. now own a smartphone, with 50 percent adoption predicted by the end of 2011. 

This growing trend has led ETMC to reach out to mobile users in the community by providing convenient access to information about its facilities and services. 

Schumacher Group, the nation’s third largest emergency and hospital medicine management firm, is partnering with ETMC to bring iTriage to ETMC hospitals throughout the region. This state-of-the art technology gives East Texas residents the resources to learn more about a specific medical condition and make the most informed decision about where to seek treatment. iTriage lets users: 

• Research medical symptoms 
• Learn about possible causes and treatment options 
• Obtain medication information for treatment of a specific condition 
• Find detailed ETMC information like services, specialties, hours of operation and turn-by-turn directions 

“Our partnership with iTriage allows us to provide more information about the services we offer throughout East Texas and helps our patients make informed decisions about where to seek attention for their medical needs,” said Art Chance, vice president of operations for ETMC. “We are proud to offer the latest technology to our community, which reinforces our commitment to enhancing the patient experience.” 

“ETMC’s decision to partner with iTriage speaks directly to their belief in providing cutting-edge medical care through advanced technology,” said Peter Hudson, MD, iTriage co-founder. “At iTriage, we are leading the way in creating new opportunities for healthcare providers to engage with patients by using integrated mobile technology, and we look forward to working with this experienced hospital to increase patient engagement.” 

About iTriage, LLC 
Headquartered in Denver, CO and co-founded by two emergency physicians, iTriage offers a unique Symptom-to-Provider™ pathway that empowers patients to make better healthcare decisions. iTriage helps people answer the two most common medical questions: “What condition could I have?” and “Where should I go for treatment?” 

Millions of consumers around the globe have downloaded iTriage on their mobile devices and thousands of healthcare providers use iTriage to reach and communicate critical facility and service information to patients. 

For more information, please visit www.iTriageHealth.com.  

ACO UPDATE: Final ACO Regs Include Bigger Bonuses

Source: ModernHealthcare.com
Written by: Melanie Evans

Medicare accountable care organizations could see larger bonuses and face fewer quality measures under rules issued by the CMS.

In final rules for Medicare accountable care organizations (PDF), published today, the CMS said it would no longer require all ACOs to face potential penalties, and it increased possible bonuses. The final rule also proposed half the number of quality measures included in draft rules released last March. Under accountable care, healthcare providers that reach quality and cost-saving targets are eligible to share in the savings.

Federal officials, speaking to reporters after the rules were released, stressed the changes were a response to the crush of comments on draft rules. CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick described the volume of replies as a “mountain” of comments.

Hospitals and physician groups largely rejected draft proposals as too risky and too demanding. High-profile physician groups that tested an early model of accountable care declared the draft rules unworkable in a letter that said none would participate without significant changes.

The CMS also proposed an advanced-payment program for small physician-owned and rural hospitals that lack capital to start an accountable care group. Under the program, up to 50 small ACOs will quality for upfront payments that will be paid back as providers reduce Medicare costs. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will award up to $170 million under the program.

Agreements for Medicare ACOs and the advanced payment program will begin next year on two dates: April 1 and July 1.

Under the Medicare accountable care final rules, the CMS would monitor quality performance using 33 measures instead of the 65 measures proposed in March.

As proposed in March, ACOs may choose one of two incentive options under the final rule. However, providers no longer face possible penalties under both options. Previously, providers that failed to achieve quality and savings targets could be at risk for penalties either for one year or three years, depending on the option. The CMS eliminated the possible one-year penalty under the final rules.

The CMS also increased the amount of bonuses that providers may earn. Now, once providers clear a savings target, the CMS agreed to share savings earned from the outset. Previously, providers were eligible to share savings after the first 2% in cost-reductions.

The CMS also relaxed one major capital-intensive requirement. Primary-care providers in accountable care organizations no longer face a requirement that at least half must have earned “meaningful use” designation by the second year.

The CMS also removed from the final rule some quality measures tied to electronic health records. One measure of EHR use remained, but somewhat altered: percentage of primary-care physicians who qualify for electronic health record incentive programs. The CMS said the measure will be weighted higher than quality measures.

Patients will no longer be assigned to accountable care organizations retrospectively, the CMS said. Medicare enrollees will be assigned to ACOs prospectively, every three months, but the CMS will review assignments at the end of each year.