Myra Davis

This is an interesting article because EHR companies, like Epic and Oracle's Cerner, have made siloing data a major part of their business model. Overall, I like EPIC’s ability to review records from other EPIC shops. It also has a nod to interoperability with its “Care Everywhere“ feature. However, this is often a disorganized and outdated collection of information. Using it requires a ninja level of both tech expertise and medical knowledge possessed mainly by younger physicians and chief residents. I am a fan (and advisor) of companies like Zus Health focused on user-friendly, comprehensive, and up-to-date interoperable health care data tools.

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Oracle Health announced plans to launch a next-generation EHR platform in 2025, incorporating advanced cloud and AI capabilities. This new EHR will feature Oracle's clinical AI agent, voice-activated navigation, and Health Data Intelligence, which integrates patient data from over 300 sources to enhance clinical workflows and improve patient outcomes. The platform aims to replace traditional EHRs, which often dictate rigid workflows, with a more dynamic system that allows for personalized care plans. Oracle Health emphasizes that the new EHR is a complete reinvention rather than an upgrade of the previous Cerner system. Additionally, Oracle plans to become a Qualified Health Information Network to facilitate standardized data sharing across the healthcare ecosystem. Executives at Oracle also unveiled new cloud applications to improve patient management and streamline front-office operations, reinforcing the company's commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility and data utility while addressing interoperability challenges in the industry.

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As 2024 concludes, healthcare leaders have gained critical insights amidst rapid advancements and challenges. Here's a glimpse of the year's key lessons: 🔍 Data as a Strategic Ally: Harnessing real-time analytics transforms operations and patient care. 💻 Telehealth’s New Era: Virtual care isn't just an option—it's expected. 🩺 Workforce Resilience: Supporting staff well-being is pivotal for quality care. 💡 Personalized Patient-Centered Care: Building trust through tailored approaches ensures loyalty and satisfaction. 📜 Adapting to Regulations: Proactive compliance safeguards growth and quality. 🚀 Tech Integration: Innovations like AI show promise but demand careful execution. 💰 Value-Based Care's Rise: Aligning rewards with patient outcomes reshapes operations. As we step into 2025, the focus remains on resilience, innovation, and care. These takeaways set the stage for a robust and adaptable future. What 2024 lessons resonate most with your healthcare journey? Let’s connect and discuss! #HealthcareLeadership #InnovationInCare #2024Lessons #FutureOfHealthcare

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Here’s your recap of last week’s health IT news 🗞️ 👇 🖊️ AI Ambient Scribes • CHRISTUS Health + Abridge: The 15,000 provider Texas health system adopted the ambient scribe enterprise-wide.    • Tampa General Hospital + Nuance Communications DAX Copilot: Over 500 providers at the health system will begin utilizing the AI ambient scribe.    • Texas Oncology + DeepScribe: The statewide oncology practice adopted the AI ambient medical scribe. (ed. note: scribes continue to be hot!) ☎️ AI Contact Center • Clearstep: The AI conversational chat vendor launched a new feature allowing patients to self-schedule specialist visits. 📊 Data & Analytics • InterSystems + CLEAR: The cloud-based patient data service is integrating the identity technology to expedite access to patient records.    • WakeMed + Bamboo Health: The health system is adopting the data interoperability and encounter notification service. 🥼 Clinical Decision Support • University Hospitals + Aidoc: The Cleveland-based health system is implementing the AI clinical decision support platform across 13 of its hospitals and additional outpatient locations. 🧑‍💻 Virtual and At-Home Care • University of South Carolina School of Medicine + Rimidi: The hospital group and an affiliated multispecialty clinic are adopting the remote patient monitoring platform to reduce complications from postpartum hypertension.    • Mount Sinai Health System + HealthSnap: The medical center announced a new remote patient monitoring and chronic care management program in partnership with the virtual care management platform.    • Wheel: The telehealth company released a new AI-driven virtual care platform designed to enhance the patient experience and offer resources to help partners scale their virtual care services. 💬 Patient Engagement • CipherHealth: The patient engagement solution focused on patient rounding released a new AI summary tool.    • DexCare: The care orchestration platform completed a $75M series C funding round 🩼 Durable Medical Equipment • Better Health: The medical device and peer support network completed a $14M funding round. 🧠 Food for Thought: • Silicon Valley Bank released an interesting report on the state of investment in AI in healthcare, including stats on AI usage at healthcare organizations and the impact of leveraging AI on startup valuation. https://lnkd.in/em7AfivT    • The journal Critical Care Medicine published an editorial on an “in clinico” evaluation of a machine learning-based early warning system to predict in-hospital deterioration. We found it to be an interesting look at the actual impact of a model’s deployment on care processes and patient outcomes in a critical care setting. https://lnkd.in/eQhZbVKu

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Predictions for the Healthcare Analytics Space in 2025 Increased Integration Across Data Ecosystems As value-based care models continue to expand, seamless data integration across clinical, claims, and social determinants of health (SDOH) sources will become critical. Organizations will prioritize interoperability through networks like QHINs, Carequality, and CommonWell to create a unified patient view. Interoperability Will Become Non-Negotiable Regulatory and operational pressures will force healthcare organizations to embrace true interoperability, with frameworks like TEFCA, QHINs, and platforms like Carequality/CommonWell gaining momentum. Seamless data exchange will shift from a competitive edge to a baseline requirement. Shift from Retrospective to Predictive Analytics Organizations will move away from merely reporting past events and toward anticipating future risks, costs, and care needs. Predictive models will guide both operational efficiencies and patient care interventions. Demand for Transparent ROI Healthcare organizations will increasingly demand clear ROI from analytics investments, driven by financial pressures and accountability in value-based contracts. Solutions must demonstrate tangible outcomes like cost savings, care improvements, and enhanced risk stratification. Rise of Decentralized and Multi-Tenant Data Repositories As data ownership and governance become central, healthcare providers will adopt multi-tenant architectures to securely store and access aggregated data while maintaining control over proprietary information. AI and Machine Learning in Care Pathways(*) The use of AI to identify care gaps, optimize workflows, and automate routine tasks will grow exponentially. Providers will seek analytics solutions incorporating explainable AI to maintain trust and compliance. (*) Steep adoption curve Focus on SDOH for Equitable Healthcare Delivery Payers and providers will deepen their focus on SDOH to address health inequities. Analytics platforms will need to integrate SDOH data into actionable strategies for population health management. Emergence of Modular and Workflow-Specific Tools Comprehensive dashboards will give way to modular, workflow-specific tools that empower users to interact directly with data. These tools will emphasize usability and decision-making at the point of need. Partnerships Over Proprietary Solutions Collaboration between analytics providers and adjacent industries (e.g., tech, pharma, and public health) will drive innovation and adoption. Open ecosystems will gain traction over closed, proprietary platforms.

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AI’s Impact on CDI A recent ACDIS Survey of ACDIS members gauging impact of AI on CDI processes and the CDI profession revealed some interesting points and sentiments towards AI. The most common impacts from the implementation of CDI technology are increases in remote work and in productivity (cited by 67% each), followed by identifying “low-hanging fruit” queries (65%) and improving documentation issues with high-volume DRG groups (54%). Additional responses appear in Table 4 below. Remote work is not conducive to effectively providing sustainable measurable physician documentation educational training. One-on-One training or small group training is most effective in ultimately changing overall physician behavioral patterns of documentation. Often, the best form of training is small bit size nuggets provided in a quick conversation specific to a case on the floor. Productivity is not a valid and reliable measure of CDI performance. The mere fact that the CDIS reviewed a record does not necessarily equate to achieved improvement/integrity of the record. Identifying low hanging fruit diagnoses through queries implies CDI has room for improvement in physician documentation education through reinforcement that improves physician's muscle memory of better documentation practices. Electronic querying serves to mechanize the query process and is no substitute for physician documentation training and knowledge sharing. Physicians do not want more queries, they prefer to document right the first time versus more repetitive transactional reactive queries. AI definitely can assist and serve as an effective tool in CDI activity. However, it must be considered as a tool and not a crutch. There simply is no substitute for good old fashioned CDI boots on the ground, helping physicians achieve clinical documentation excellence through documentation training with reinforcement and guidance. AI is the panacea for improving documentation. #AI, #documentationimprovment, #notapanacea

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Giving up your weekend for work can be a tough balance, but today I have the opportunity to join many others at the Home Healthcare, Hospice, and Information Technology Conference (prior to National Association for Home Care & Hospice Annual conference). Discussing the evolving role of predictive risk models and data, we are reminded of the critical importance of these tools in advancing care at home. Jingjing Shang, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor of Nursing at Columbia University, emphasized how predictive models are enhancing infection prevention efforts and overall care quality. She also provided valuable insights into the clinician’s perspective on these advancements. Another key discussion focused on sepsis survivors and the challenges in identifying and delivering timely care to this vulnerable population. Consistency in data gathering stood out as a pivotal factor for making meaningful progress in this area. Kathryn H. Bowles shed light on an exciting development—the successful petition for the 2025 ICD-10 code, z51.a, which will allow for the documentation of sepsis in home care. While this is a significant step forward, it left me wondering: how can we intervene earlier? How do we engage this population in preventive home care before infections occur, becoming active participants in their care to reduce costs and, more importantly, improve quality of life? Prevention and early intervention need to be central to our efforts. #careathome #homecare #hospice #homehealth #infection #predictive

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Epic Systems’ recent move to back the TEFCA medical records exchange is interesting. On the surface, it’s all about creating a seamless flow of patient data across hospitals, QHINs, and all relevant stakeholders. But let’s be real—data is the oil of the new economy, and interoperability is the pipeline that delivers this precious resource to all the right stakeholders. By aligning with TEFCA, Epic might just be positioning itself as the refinery. All in all, this is a welcoming move by Epic Systems—especially if it really is as straightforward as they make it sound. But given the lack of details, one has to wonder if there are any hidden catches. After all, when it comes to something as valuable as healthcare data, it’s wise to look out for the fine print. Let’s hope this is genuinely about improving patient care. https://lnkd.in/gDdDCcmj

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Somewhat predictably, the headlines of Epic's UGM were mostly focused on AI. In my mind, the ones to focus on got buried as footnotes. Products leveraging Epic's position as the dominant inpatient EHR and selling differentiated products as a wedge into new markets (mostly under Health Grid) should frighten other healthcare vendors more than the AI arms race (which they'll largely win as the default option): - Payer Platform: A Health Grid product for payers. This was decently well covered, but that's because it's a mature product at this point. A lot of outlets covered it as if it was net new, but it was launched in 2019. The most noteworthy piece is Judy's quote saying they’re investigating submitting claims directly through Epic so you don’t need a clearinghouse - this represents a threat to clearinghouses and could represent the expansion from Payer Platform as a beachhead to attack incumbent SaaS, claims processing systems. - Epic Aura (labs): This is a Health Grid product for labs. This was launched previously. I don't see any announcements, but this is a beachhead for Epic to sell to labs that have or built their own LIS, allowing them to eventually replace it over time (or at least have all major labs as customers). This threatens existing LISes even more than Epic's LIS product, Beaker. They also announced a planned Blood Bank module, which increases their appeal as an all-encompassing LIS in this push. - Epic Aura (medical devices): A new sub-category of Aura (and Health Grid) for expanding into medical devices. I was waiting to see if they'd launch a separate category for medical devices or reuse Aura. First devices are cardiac arrhythmia and CGM. This threatens businesses like Redox to some degree. - Per Healthcare IT today, "Judy said they’re working on better surgical device manufacture planning leveraging the Epic schedule." This sounds like further expansion of Aura/Health Grid to surgical supply manufacturers. - I was surprised to not hear any updates about Discovery, Epic's Health Grid program for pharma. I'm curious what shape that will take. - I thought the use of the state of Washington + the Garden Plot model is a smart distribution play. Garden Plot has existed since at least 2022, but using a state for distribution to get to new markets that Epic struggles to sell to (small clinics, behavioral health clinics, correctional medical facilities and tribal facilities) is again another example of their expansionary mode. Health Grid products will be more impactful than the Vendor Services rat races or AI wars. It's worth paying attention to and taking advantage of: https://lnkd.in/gimisDzZ

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EHRs were meant to revolutionize healthcare—but instead, costs are soaring, clinician burnout is at an all-time high, and patient outcomes remain stagnant. Can AI save the day? 🤔 The healthcare industry is at a crossroads. EHRs have fallen short of their promise to improve care: - Administrative costs are skyrocketing. - Clinicians are drowning in poor system designs. - Despite mountains of data, U.S. life expectancy is declining. The future of healthcare depends on smarter, more human-centered tools. Learn more about how Oracle Health is leading the charge here: https://lnkd.in/gjhmFvmB What’s your vision for the future of EHRs? Let’s start the conversation. 👇

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Exciting! ChristianaCare is transitioning to Epic, and as health systems embrace advanced tools, whether executives choose to move from Cerner Corporation to Epic or vice versa, I urge them to prioritize data and AI usability. A Deloitte survey emphasizes that healthcare leaders must focus on data, governance, patients (customers), and care staff to successfully implement generative AI. Data considerations, including availability, reliability, and quality, are critical, with quality being the most challenging to validate. My suggestion is to involve AI partners in these conversations to ensure EHR systems meet market and patient demands. Don't fall behind; your competitors are already doing it, and your patients expect it! Let's make it happen!" Cohere https://lnkd.in/eAGcmGV3 #healthinnovations #AIinHealthcare #EHRTransition #DataGovernance #GenerativeAI #HealthcareInnovation #PatientExperience #CompetitiveAdvantage #AICollaboration #EHRUsability #DataQuality

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💡Interesting recent stat from Beckers! A consistent (3% to 5%) margin of revenue opportunity is lost due to the complexity of documenting and coding for complex inpatient cases. This uncaptured revenue is significant to a hospital's bottom line, with a 5% loss in a mid-size hospital potentially equaling $22 million to $38 million in lost revenue annually‼️ MDaudit can help with our Hospital and Coder audit workflows. Check out this short demo!

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🏥✨ For many years, technology investments made by health organizations were rarely a driving force behind strategic #transactions. Explore in my latest article with Sam Prescott how #generativeAI has changed the game for Health CIOs. A must-read for leaders at the forefront of change! https://lnkd.in/gRWmi5AH

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Key Strategic Insights = A Successful OP CDI Program The challenge of value-based care starts with a collaborative approach, when launching an Outpatient Clinical Documentation Integrity (OP CDI) program. Here are some key strategic insights to success: 1. Engage with Population Health Understand Pain Points: Begin by understanding the specific challenges faced. This fosters collaboration. Tailored Questions: Use customized questions to facilitate productive discussions and ensure alignment with needs. 2. Effective Software Implementation Manage Patient (Pt.) Volumes: Implement software solutions to efficiently handle pt. volumes. OP CDI Calculator: Utilize a calculator to determine Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) needs. Data Analytics and Reporting: Emphasize the importance of continuous improvement via data analytics. 3. Workflow Creation Establish Robust Workflows: Create strong workflows before integrating reviewers. 4. Collaboration & Communication Promote Strong Collaboration: Encourage robust communication between key stakeholders. Leverage Software: Use technology to reduce physician burnout & streamline communication. 5. Patient-Centered Approach Address social determinants of health (SDOH) & ensure accurate documentation of conditions and care plans. Patient Outcomes: Keep patient care at the center of all doc. & workflow processes. 6. Regulatory Compliance Adhere to Guidelines: Follow regulatory requirements such as CMS guidelines on Hierarchical Condition Categories (HCC) coding to avoid penalties and enhance credibility. 7. Measurable Outcomes Set Clear Goals: Aim for measurable outcomes like improved HCC recapture rates, enhanced RAF scores, better HEDIS measures, and addressing SDOH needs. 8. Stakeholder Engagement Involve All Stakeholders: Ensure that executives, clinicians, and other relevant parties are involved in planning and implementation process. Success Stories Recently, I helped several CDI directors validate their cases for OP CDI programs within Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). By engaging with population health leadership, we identified key issues such as RAF gaps and HEDIS measures, and tailored processes to address them. For instance, a CDI director I guided successfully identified HCC and HEDIS recapture as their biggest pain points. With strategic solutions in place, they are now ready to implement the project for the 2025 budget yr., aiming to improve their HCC recapture rate by 20%, leveraging data analytics for outcomes and improvement needs. Benefits of Implementing These Strategies Align Risk Stratification: Properly align risk stratification with chronic conditions and healthcare needs. Quality Measures: Improve quality measures and address SDOH. Collaborative Team: Ensure success with a collaborative team supported by technology. Overall, these strategic actions will enhance patient care and operational efficiency. #Healthcare #Leadership #CDI #PatientCare #ValueBasedCare #HealthcareInnovation

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Thank you to our wonderful participants this afternoon in the HCT Consulting Group Healthcare Transformation Executive Roundtable. Brian D. Washburn, DHA, MHA, FACHE, FACMPE, CHFP, PMP Chris Saxman Elizabeth Crawford Restat Elya Prystowsky, MS, PhD Mark Korth. I was encouraged by several insights from this amazing group: 👉 #Transformation - we know it when we see it! 👉 #Valuebasedcare - we know it when we don't! 👉 #Valuebasedcare means different things to #patients and #providers but we should not lose sight that like or not, we have to play by the language and definitions being proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 👉 #Transformation towards #VBC should be keeping healthcare simple, local and well-coordinated - what 99% of people are trying to do today. Organizing to stop the despicable 1% is adding 30% of costs to everyone - especially #ruralhealth 👉 #EMR Transformation has put some hospitals out of business and in some communities, when the hospital closes, the whole community shuts down 👉 #Transformation this group sees on the horizon includes demand for change only intensifying, doing more with fewer providers, addressing #documentation challenges, #AI should focus on removing the hassle of the little things 👉 MAJOR RISK AHEAD - Will #transformation defined by CMS + #BigTech lead to a loss of simplifying the provider-patient experience? Will documentation to meet #VBC demands only escalate due to the 'potential' of what technology offers? And therefore, will health disparities only expand due to the inability of #ruralhealth to keep up? Ultimately - will we eventually have to unwind many of the current technology investments to one day return to a simpler provider-to-patient connection? Thanks again to our amazing participants. DM me if you'd like to be on our roster to participate in the next one!

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Great Post Bob ... I have said a few times... "The role of Supply Chain in healthcare is evolving significantly, shifting from a transactional role to a strategic function with a direct impact on financial performance. Supply Chain now has a presence at the C-level, underscoring its importance in driving margins and supporting sustainable financial models. By adopting a holistic approach to expense management and overseeing all non-labor spending, Supply Chain leaders can create substantial value.And its not all created equal. Exmaple: reducing costs by just 5% can yield the same profit impact as increasing revenue by 100%, highlighting the efficiency of cost management over revenue initiatives in improving profitability. This transformation aligns closely with strategic imperatives around delivering higher value with fewer resources, supporting revenue generation, and enhancing competitive advantage. Moving towards clinically integrated, population health-focused, and value-based contracting models is critical for the future."

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An interesting article that highlights the importance of aligning strategies with value-based care #VBC goals to enhance patient outcomes and operational efficiency. One critical aspect is #datadrivencare management. Utilizing analytics platforms to aggregate and analyze data from sources like electronic health records #EHRs allows for population health analysis, risk stratification, and tracking quality metrics, all of which contribute to improving care quality. Additionally, placing proactive #preventivecare at the center of your strategy is essential. Implementing wellness visits, chronic disease management, and timely immunizations can boost overall health while reducing long-term costs. Another vital factor is enhancing #carecoordination. Developing care transition protocols, streamlining provider communication, and creating multidisciplinary care teams help ensure a seamless patient journey and better outcomes. Furthermore, increasing #patientengagement and education plays a crucial role. Addressing #socialdeterminants of health is also key. Screening for social challenges, building a community resource database, and ensuring proper referrals and follow-ups are necessary steps to support overall patient well-being. Finally, building #partnerships and aligning incentives with payers, community organizations, and technology vendors is essential. Collaborative efforts to align goals, share data, and explore innovative solutions lead to better patient care and organizational performance. By integrating these strategies into your healthcare business approach, you can effectively align with VBC goals and enhance #patientcare. #healthcarestrategy #resourceoptimization #performanceincentives #stafftraining #healthcareinnovation #hbr #leadership #strategy #lifelonglearner #digitaltransformation #innovations

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The highest increase since 2012 highlights the pressing need for further action to curb increases in medical cost trend. Insurers should prepare for tougher contract negotiations as providers strive to enhance their financial standing and offset stagnant Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.

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Latest thoughts on clinical decision support systems and clinical practice guidelines. This is personal to me because of an acute injury I had, and the care I received was vastly different from 2 health systems. Thoughts? #CDSS #CIO #HealthIT #Leadership

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