Intermountain Healthcare and Sanford Health announced plans to merge.
Healthcare giant Intermountain and Sanford Health, a leader in rural healthcare, signed a letter of intent to develop a strategic partnership.
“Intermountain and Sanford have a shared vision of the future of healthcare and have the aligned values needed to better serve more communities across the nation,” said Marc Harrison, M.D., president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare in a statement. “This merger enables our organizations to move more quickly to further implement value-based strategies and realize economies of scale. Through coordinated care, increased use of telehealth and digital health services, we will make healthcare more affordable for our communities.”
As reported by FierceHealthcare Aug2020 and another POV from Politico. There is more background from EHR Intelligence. GovCon posted the SAM notice on Cerner booking an order (link is below). We could not locate the information that Politico got from the VA so at this point it is everybody saying it is back on track, but no official word from the VA.
The $16 billion effort aims to replace the VA’s pioneering medical recordkeeping software, called VistA, which still is much loved by many in the department. The Trump administration has touted the new EHR, developed by Cerner, as a necessary technology to provide unified recordkeeping with the Defense Department, so a servicemember is covered from enlistment past discharge.
– Following its third delay since November 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to resume the launch of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program in October 2020, according to POLITICO.
This comes even as EHRM interoperability is not functioning as intended, and a more extensive EHR version needed for larger health systems remains incomplete, according to POLITICO’s congressional sources. As a result, this may require further delays and a need for further resources.
In addition, a lack of key information from several future sites is impacting the department’s estimates for the cost of physical upgrades.
From August 10, 2020 – Following its third delay since November 2019, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is planning to resume the launch of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program in October 2020, according to POLITICO. This comes even as EHRM interoperability is not functioning as intended, and a more extensive EHR version needed for larger health systems remains incomplete, according to POLITICO’s congressional sources. As a result, this may require further delays and a need for further resources. In addition, a lack of key information from several future sites is impacting the department’s estimates for the cost of physical upgrades.”>GovCon Wire
Cerner’s (Nasdaq: CERN) government services business has received a potential $93.6M delivery order to help the Department of Veterans Affairs deploy modernized electronic health records systems at additional VA medical centers.
VA said in an award notice posted Monday on the beta SAM website that the order covers “wave three” EHR deployment at Anchorage VAMC in Alaska and Boise VAMC in Idaho.
VA responds to COVID-19 with schedule revisions to electronic health record implementation – After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) revised its previous schedule to convert facilities to its new electronic health record (EHR) capabilities with updated timelines for deployments in August in Columbus, Ohio, and October in Spokane, Washington. (8/7/20)
VA to award more than $400 million in grants to end Veteran homelessness – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it will begin awarding more than $400 million in grants under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program (SSVF) to 266 non-profit organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Oct. 1 of this year. (8/7/20)
VA, Elizabeth Dole Foundation to offer respite relief for Veteran caregivers – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in partnership with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation (EDF) today announced the launch of a new foundation program granting family caregivers access to no-cost, short-term aid to help those caring for wounded, ill or injured Veterans or service members in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. (8/5/20)
Nacogdoches (Texas) Memorial Hospital terminated a $20 million contract with Cerner this week, opting to instead remain using its current Cerner EHR rather than transitioning to the vendor’s Community Works platform.
The hospital had delayed finishing the new Cerner EHR system several times, most recently until this year or later, according to a July 29 Daily Sentinelreport. While Nacogdoches Memorial will not move forward with the new EHR system, it will continue using its Soarian EHR, which Cerner acquired as part of its Siemens Health Services acquisition in 2015.
Nacogdoches accrued about $20 million in debt from the Community Works contract, which it settled for a $1.01 million termination fee and paid an additional $2.07 million, according to the report.
Editors Note — since original article we received confirmation from Henry Ford that indeed these are NOT retinal temperature detectors but in fact Infrared.
From Detroit Free Press July 2020 — This article appeared on measures at Henry Ford hospital. We’re guessing they meant IR temperature scanning though they also mention retinal scans. It’s a little surprising to see IR solution in a hospital like this so we have sent an inquiry into the hospital program administrator as well as the author of the article to get more information about the specific solution.
The article includes a photo of the unit but it doesn’t delineate the actual solution.
Excerpt
Its Innovation Institute worked with NuVision Technology to begin last week a pilot program testing 10 digital health screening kiosks, according to Lisa Prasad, vice president and chief innovation officer for the Henry Ford Health System, and Thomas Eisenmann, director of patient access, technology and experience.
The no-touch screening monitors can take a person’s temperature using retina scans IR and allow people to answer health questions about whether they have COVID-19 symptoms.
The idea is to cut down on the number of medical staff the hospital system needs to do health screenings at the entrances of its buildings so they can return to caring for sick patients.
“In this time of social distancing, and avoiding large crowds, we said, ‘How can we create a screening process that is contact-less?’ ” Riley said, demonstrating how it works.
From TechCrunch July 2020 — Amazon this morning announced a partnership with Crossover Health to build worker healthcare facilities near its fulfillment centers. The plan is still in a pilot phase, as the e-commerce giant employs the services of Crossover, which builds clinics for corporate clients. The startup has built such facilities for Apple and Facebook, and was even rumored to be a potential target for an Apple acquisition a few years back.
Amazon’s first such Neighborhood Health Centerhas opened in Texas’s Dallas-Fort Worth, potentially serving up to 20,000 employees, half of whom work for Amazon operations. The company says it plans to open 20 such centers in five cities for the initial phase, bringing the total potential coverage up to 115,000. The other cities are: Phoenix, Louisville, Detroit and California’s San Bernardino-Moreno Valley. If things go well, more locations will be added.
Healthcare kiosks Frank Mayer, as news reports detail the impact COVID-19 will have on our population and the healthcare system that serves it, many medical facilities have put systems in place to streamline services and keep frontline workers safe. Once the pandemic ends, these same procedures will remain, with clinics and hospitals looking to invest in strategies to maintain efficiency and facilitate patient and employee health.
Emergent technology like healthcare kiosks will be especially important to care providers moving forward, helping to restructure patient check-in, keep staff protected from communicable diseases, and offer easy telehealth options to less critical cases.
Healthcare kiosks Frank Mayer streamline patient check-in
Simplifying processes continues to be an essential focus for the healthcare system, with facilities relying on websites to distribute information and nurse lines to vet cases that need to be seen immediately. These same types of efficiencies can be carried out in waiting rooms.
Offering patient check-in kiosks gives people control over their own registration process, ensuring less errors in recorded personal information and providing easy means to apply copays or pay bills at the kiosk. Streamlining these procedures frees front desk staff from data entry and allows them to focus on other tasks like scheduling or answering questions.
Delegating more control over the check-in process to the patient ensures hospital or clinic staff can concentrate on what’s most important – providing top medical care.
Minimize human-to-human contact with medical kiosks
The extensive spread of the novel coronavirus has spurred significant conversations about keeping public-facing employees safe in a variety of industries. This issue is especially vital in the healthcare industry where essential front desk staff are tasked with checking in potentially ill patients.
This greater awareness of human-to-human contact will live on with new measures to safeguard employees. Medical check-in kiosks can provide an important solution to the goal of maintaining proper social distance.
When patients can check in at a self-service kiosk, counter staff no longer risk being exposed to germs from sick individuals. Additionally, healthcare kiosks are easily disinfected. Staff can be tasked with cleaning the units, or kiosks can be outfitted with special attachments to hold sanitizing wipes or gel for patients.
Expect a solid future for telemedicine kiosks
As hospitals and clinics concentrate on keeping non-emergent illnesses out of facilities in order to make room for more critical cases, the use of telehealth options has increased.
With that, people are gaining a greater comfort level using alternative healthcare methods to communicate with a physician. In the future, telehealth kiosks placed in private areas of locations like pharmacies, schools, big box stores, and large businesses will not only provide access to medical care, but can be outfitted with special tools to help doctors retrieve necessary information like body temperature and blood pressure.
Telemedicine healthcare kiosks can also provide convenience to places with immune-compromised or elderly individuals like group homes and assisted living care facilities. These telehealth kiosks can provide on-site care easily and efficiently, reducing the need to risk exposure at a clinic or make travel arrangements for seniors to visit the doctor.
Conclusion
The pandemic has been a catalyst for innovative healthcare solutions to keep operations moving efficiently while ensuring safety is a top priority. When communities begin to emerge from the shadows again, expect beneficial technologies like patient check-in kiosks and telemedicine options to be a new expectation in the future of healthcare.
Congress took steps to quickly expand access to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Now 30 senators are calling for those changes to become permanent.
Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote a letter (PDF) urging Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and minority leader Charles Schumer, D-New York, to support expanding access to telehealth services on a permanent basis so that it remains an option for Medicare beneficiaries both now and after the pandemic.
“Doing so would assure patients that their care will not be interrupted when the pandemic ends. It would also provide certainty to health care providers that the costs to prepare for and use telehealth would be a sound long-term investment,” Schatz wrote in the letter, which was co-signed by a bipartisan group of senators including Commerce Chair Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi; Mark Warner, D-Virginia; Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.
Excerpt from MobiHealth News May 2020 — Announcement of new funding for Higi and their blood pressure self-check machines. Installed in thousands of locations. With new legislation on telemedicine its a pretty good guess that the Higi station will evolve from a relatively singular purpose to a multi-functional health station. Scheduling vaccine comes to mind…Editors
Higi, the maker of health kiosks found in retail pharmacies and groceries, has raised $30 million in a new funding round led by symptom-check chatbot service Babylon Health. The raise also included participation from Higi’s prior backers, including 7Wire Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Jumpstart Capital, Rush University Medical Center for Health and William Wrigley Jr.
WHAT THEY DO
Higi’s health kiosks are equipped to administer quick tests for blood pressure, pulse, weight and BMI. The free-to-use Smart Health Stations are self-service, deployed in retail businesses and feed consumers a breadth of digital content focused on health-condition prevention and management. The kiosks will also provide consumers personalized recommendations for nearby health services.
According to the company, more than 10,000 these kiosks have so far been used by 62 million people, and are located within five miles of 73% of the U.S. population.
Kaiser Permanente Playbook Guidelines for Return to Work
May 2020 Kaiser Permanente has released 98 page playbook on how they recommend getting back to work with your employees and guests. You can visit their link here.
Keeping your workforce safe being the key point.
This playbook is meant to offer useful tools for you and your
leadership teams to make your workplaces as safe as possible
and support your employees in the best way possible. It includes:
A framework outlining the various dimensions of health to consider
as your employees start returning to work in this “next normal”
post–COVID-19 era
Guidance, recommendations, and curated tools and resources on
how to safely restart work, according to the dimensions of health
outlined in the framework.
Information on our clinical services and resources available to your
employees who are Kaiser Permanente members.
We’ll continue to evolve this content as guidance and circumstances
change. For additional questions, please contact your Kaiser
Permanente account manager.
The COVID-19 pandemic is taking its toll on an unlikely mark: the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ new electronic health record system.
VA officials told congressional leaders last month that the system’s initial rollout, already delayed once this year, will be suspended indefinitely during the pandemic to let health care professionals focus on patient care.
According to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, work will continue behind the scenes on the $16 billion project, but the department won’t burden staff members with a new system during the national emergency.
“Our priority is the care of veterans and providing surge capabilities for civilian health care systems. Our clinical personnel and medical resources are focused on caring for veterans and addressing the current pandemic,” Wilkie wrote in an April 3 letter to legislators who oversee VA policy and appropriations.
In February, the VA announced a delay in initial deployment of the system, created by Cerner Corp., scheduled for March at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. Officials said the wait was necessary to make sure the system works within the VA’s information technology framework and employees were trained to use it.
