Rimidi, a cloud-based software platform, announced the launch of its patient-reported outcomes survey app to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Currently, the app is in expedited beta testing by select U.S. health systems operating in the regions at the greatest risk of Coronavirus outbreak. Rimidi anticipates general availability of the app before the end of March 2020.
Ide
“One of the greatest challenges in China and across other countries that faced early COVID-19 outbreaks has been hospital-based transmission,” said Lucienne Ide, MD, PhD, founder of Rimidi. “With the app, we can help keep potentially infectious individuals from exposing other patients or staff in the healthcare system in waiting rooms, emergency rooms, or triage before they are identified and separated.”
Combatting Coronavirus Spread via Advanced EHR-integrated Technology
Along with their text message appointment reminder, patients are sent a brief COVID-19 screening survey inquiring about current symptoms and recent travel. Integrated within the electronic health record (EHR), patient responses are easily captured and analyzed by clinical teams. The survey respondents demonstrating potential risk of COVID-19 exposure, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines, are immediately notified with the appropriate next steps of care and treatment options, while the healthcare system is confidentially made aware of the at-risk patient.
Ultimately, the simplicity and accessibility of Rimidi’s screening app will help minimize the spread and impact of COVID-19 in healthcare settings by reducing the number of undiagnosed patients interacting with patients seeking standard care. It will also limit exposure of healthcare staff to potentially infectious patients in settings that are not adequately prepared.
Dr. Ide added, “The need for such a screening app was advocated for in a JAMA article following the Ebola outbreak in 2014. Today, the potential COVID-19 public health emergency reinforces the healthcare industry’s need for interoperability and stronger data-sharing rules to ease the flow of information, which enables rapid deployment of a single application across multiple EHR platforms.”
Rimidi remains in close coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will incorporate new evidence and its evolving guidance into the screening app as it emerges. This may include ongoing remote monitoring and self-reporting by patients in quarantine, among other features.
For more information and to be notified when the app is widely available for healthcare systems, please visit rimidi.com/covid19.
The past decade of healthcare delivery has been dominated by the electronic health record (EHR), which has consumed vast hospital budgets and executive mindshare.
However, 35 percent of hospital executives say if they could go back in time, they would choose a different EHR vendor, and 56 percent say they seek out other health IT vendors to fulfill their needs rather than wait for their EMR to provide a tool.
These findings emerge in the Hospital Technology Forecast 2020, a new market report from Sage Growth Partners (SGP), a Baltimore-based healthcare research, strategy, and marketing firm.
Based on a survey of 100 hospital C-suite leaders conducted to gauge hospitals’ top health IT needs, challenges, and priorities, key findings from the market survey include:
Pessimism about EHR capabilities are pervasive; EHR loyalty is weak:
More than a quarter (27 percent) of respondents believe their EHR will fail to meet their future needs. COOs are the most pessimistic (67 percent) followed by CEOs (37 percent), and CFOs (34 percent).
If an organization’s EHR does not provide a tool they need, the majority (56 percent) of respondents say they seek out another vendor. Only 30 percent wait for the capability to be added to the EHR, and 14 percent say they create their own in-house solution.
The top three reasons executives look outside the EHR for an IT solution are: patient safety is jeopardized (No. 1), an outside solution promises greater ROI (No. 2), and an outside solution promises greater quality (No. 3).
Investment outside the EHR is already widespread, especially in non-clinical areas:
The top areas where hospitals have already invested in an IT solution outside of their EHR include data/analytics (73 percent), cybersecurity (70 percent), revenue cycle management (48 percent) and patient engagement (43 percent).
Of the health IT segments that hospitals have invested in, the areas of greatest return on investment include revenue cycle management and data/analytics (tied at No. 1), cybersecurity (No. 2), and operational efficiency (No. 3).
Over the next one to two years, hospitals’ top areas of health IT investment will include data/analytics (No. 1), operational efficiency (No. 2), patient engagement (No. 3), and revenue cycle (No. 4).
When asked to select the top digital health priority for their organization, most respondents (36 percent) selected patient self-scheduling. Just over a quarter (28 percent) selected care coordination; fewer selected patient access to clinical and financial records (15 percent), remote patient monitoring (12 percent), or disease management (nine percent).
With limited budget and attention, hospital leaders may choose the path of least resistance:
Sixty percent of C-suite leaders said only up to three percent of net patient revenue will be budgeted for new IT investments. Only four percent of C-suite leaders said more than five percent of net revenue will go toward new IT investments.
More than a quarter (28 percent) of survey respondents reported that vendors reach out to them daily, and another thirty percent field weekly inquiries.
A quarter of survey respondents said their EHR vendor offers rebates and incentives for adopting tools within the EHR. Of those respondents, 70 percent said this increases the likelihood that they would choose the EHR solution over a best-of-breed solution outside the EHR.
But executives expect any solution provider to keep up with interoperability requirements:
When asked how the recent CMS and ONC proposed rules on interoperability have affected IT investment plans, 48 percent said they simply expect their current vendors to provide solutions that meet the new rule requirements.
About one in five (22 percent) plan to hold off on investment decisions until they know more about the new rules, and 16 percent plan to accelerate investment. Only 13 percent reported already being in compliance with the new rules.
“The movement for new, better, and more appropriate digital solutions is underway,” says Dan D’Orazio, SGP’s CEO. “This is driven by fatigue and frustration around EHRs, as well as the many striking studies that show poorly performing EHRs can negatively impact patient safety. While hospitals were willing to put up with poor workflows in the EHR, they aren’t willing to compromise on safety, quality, or ROI. Healthcare is about to enter a new decade of digital innovation, and we will continue to see IT vendors and outside players like Amazon, Walmart, and CVS, disrupt EMRs and traditional care models.”
Connected Nation (CN), through its state program Connected Nation Michigan (CN Michigan), released a study that examines the use and perceptions of telehealth in rural areas with a focus on Michigan counties.
Researchers found, among other things, the highest ratios in the country of patients per doctor, a lower-than-average life expectancy, and a higher-than-average number of preventable hospital stays in rural states with restrictive telehealth policies.
Ferree
“This study demonstrates why connecting rural America is critical,” said Tom Ferree, chairman & CEO, CN. “Connected Nation has worked for nearly two decades to identify innovative solutions for connecting every community, and in that time, we’ve seen firsthand that having access to high-speed internet impacts everything from the economy to educating our children. Now we have real data that shows it can also impact healthcare—and even life expectancies—among families and individuals in our rural communities and small towns through telehealth applications and programs.”
The more than six-month-long study was done in partnership with AARP and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Find the full report at http://bit.ly/2ThWBPX. The study looks at the opportunities and reasons for expanding telehealth as well as the obstacles for rural areas.
“Many older adults in Michigan, especially those who live in rural areas, do not have access to high-speed internet, and that’s a quality-of-life issue for them,” said Paula D. Cunningham, State Director of AARP Michigan. “That means they can’t take advantage of advances in telemedicine that at the very least could save them long trips to the doctor, and at the most could be lifesaving.”
“Our nonprofit has long been focused on connecting more families and communities to high-speed internet,” said Eric Frederick, executive director, CN Michigan. “In recent years, we’ve seen more talk about the ways telehealth could help fill the void in rural areas where there may not be hospitals or doctors for hundreds of miles. But, as we looked around for more detailed information on telehealth in Michigan, we soon learned there were a lot of unanswered questions at the intersection of telehealth and the digital divide that we decided to set out and answer—from how state policies impact the use of technology to whether people or providers even understand the many ways it can be used.”
CN Michigan’s researchers took a three-pronged approach to examine those issues. First, they reviewed the current telehealth policies in all 50 states to identify counties ripe for leveraging the benefits of telehealth. As part of this analysis, CN Michigan compared each county’s access to primary care physicians and health outcomes to determine how big of a role telehealth policies and the Digital Divide play in these metrics.
Second, the team conducted telephone surveys of 2,001 adult heads of households in five rural Michigan counties: Gladwin, Sanilac, Roscommon, Osceola, and Dickinson.
“We chose these five counties because they represent a cross-section of rural portions of the state,” said Chris McGovern, Director, Research Development, Connected Nation (CN). “They were selected due to their differences and representative nature in terms of geography, employment, and the prominence of non-related healthcare provision networks in each county. We focused our questions on current telehealth usage, savings experienced from accessing online healthcare, interest in future use of telehealth services, and barriers that prevent individuals from using the technology.”
The third facet of this study focused on healthcare providers. CN Michigan conducted extended interviews and focus groups with healthcare networks, including doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and others within the five counties identified for telephone surveys. Healthcare networks in these groups ranged from just beginning to experiment with telehealth to those with established and award-winning telehealth programs.
“Although our focus was primarily on the impact in rural Michigan, this data can help inform the development of telehealth services elsewhere and provide a starting point for additional studies in regions across the United States,” said Frederick. “Our hope is to build upon what we’ve learned in this study and help more people in both rural and urban areas save time and money through telehealth applications and expanding broadband access. Most importantly, we hope it will lead to innovations that can improve the quality of life for all Americans—no matter where they live.”
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took additional actions to ensure America’s patients, healthcare facilities and clinical laboratories are prepared to respond to the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
CMS has developed a second Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code that can be used by laboratories to bill for certain COVID-19 diagnostic tests to help increase testing and track new cases.
In addition, CMS released new fact sheets that explain Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Individual and Small Group Market Private Insurance coverage for services to help patients prepare as well.
“CMS continues to leverage every tool at our disposal in responding to COVID-19,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Our new code will help encourage doctors and laboratories to use these essential tests for patients who need them. At the same time, we are providing critical information to our 130 million beneficiaries, many of whom are understandably wondering what will be covered when it comes to this virus. CMS will continue to devote every available resource to this effort, as we cooperate with other government agencies to keep the American people safe.”
HCPCS is a standardized coding system that Medicare and other health insurers use to submit claims for services provided to patients. Last month, CMS developed the first HCPCS code (U0001) to bill for tests and track new cases of the virus.
This code is used specifically for CDC testing laboratories to test patients for SARS-CoV-2. The second HCPCS billing code (U0002) announced today allows laboratories to bill for non-CDC laboratory tests for SARS-CoV-2/2019-nCoV (COVID-19).
On February 29, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new, streamlined policy for certain laboratories to develop their own validated COVID-19 diagnostics. This second HCPCS code may be used for tests developed by these additional laboratories when submitting claims to Medicare or health insurers. CMS expects that having specific codes for these tests will encourage testing and improve tracking.
The Medicare claims processing systems will be able to accept these codes starting on April 1, 2020, for dates of service on or after February 4, 2020. Local Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) are responsible for developing the payment amount for claims they receive for these newly created HCPCS codes in their respective jurisdictions until Medicare establishes national payment rates.
Laboratories may seek guidance from their MAC on payment for these tests prior to billing for them. As with other laboratory tests, there is generally no beneficiary cost sharing under Original Medicare.
To ensure the public has clear information on coverage and benefits under CMS programs, the agency also released three fact sheets that cover diagnostic laboratory tests, immunizations and vaccines, telemedicine, drugs, and cost-sharing policies.
Medicare Fact Sheet Highlights: In addition to the diagnostic tests described above, Medicare covers all medically necessary hospitalizations, as well as brief “virtual check-ins,” which allows patients and their doctors to connect by phone or video chat.
Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Fact Sheet Highlights: Testing and diagnostic services are commonly covered services, and laboratory and x-ray services are a mandatory benefit covered and reimbursed in all states. States are required to provide both inpatient and outpatient hospital services to beneficiaries. All states provide coverage of hospital care for children and pregnant women enrolled in CHIP. Specific questions on covered benefits should be directed to the respective state Medicaid and CHIP agency.
Individual and Small Group Market Insurance Coverage: Existing federal rules governing health insurance coverage, including with respect to viral infections, apply to the diagnosis and treatment of with Coronavirus (COVID-19). This includes plans purchased through HealthCare.gov. Patients should contact their insurer to determine specific benefits and coverage policies. Benefit and coverage details may vary by state and by plan. States may choose to work with plans and issuers to determine the coverage and cost-sharing parameters for COVID-19 related diagnoses, treatments, equipment, telehealth and home health services, and other related costs.
Summary of CMS Public Health Action on COVID-19 to date:
On Mar. 4, 2020, CMS issued a call to action to healthcare providers nationwide to ensure they are implementing longstanding infection control procedures and issued important guidance to help State Survey Agencies and Accrediting Organizations prioritize their inspections of healthcare facilities to focus exclusively on issues related to infection control and other serious health and safety threats. For more information on CMS actions to prepare for and respond to COVID-19, visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-actions-address-spread-coronavirus
“We recognize all the hard work that so many have put into preparing for their presentations and panels that accompany every HIMSS conference,” said Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS. “Based on evaluation of evolving circumstances and coordination with an external advisory panel of medical professionals to support evidence-based decision making, it is clear that it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando next week.”
The advisory panel recognized that industry understanding of the potential reach of the virus has changed significantly in the last 24 hours, which has made it impossible to accurately assess risk. Additionally, there are concerns about disproportionate risk to the healthcare system given the unique medical profile of Global Conference attendees and the consequences of potentially displacing healthcare workers during a critical time, as well as stressing the local health systems were there to be an adverse event.
This will be the first time in 58 years the event has been cancelled, but it is now clear that cancellation is unavoidable in order to meet HIMSS’ obligation to protect the health and safety of the global HIMSS community, employees and local residents, as well as for the healthcare providers tasked with keeping our U.S. and global communities healthy.
HIMSS20 exhibitors and attendees will be contacted with further information regarding booth contracts and registrations. Please contact exhibitors@himss.org for immediate booth concerns. Any further updates regarding HIMSS20 will be published on himssconference.org.
Adoption of digital health tools has grown significantly among all physicians since 2016 when the American Medical Association (AMA) first benchmarked the integration of emerging health technology into clinical practice. New AMA research released today shows more physicians than ever recognize digital health tools as an advantage for driving improved efficiency and safety in healthcare.
“The rise of the digital-native physician will have a profound impact on healthcare and patient outcomes, and will place digital health technologies under pressure to perform according to higher expectations,” said AMA board chair Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H. “The AMA survey provides deep insight into the emerging requirements that physicians expect from digital technologies and sets an industry guidepost for understanding what a growing number of physicians require to adopt new technology.”
The AMA Digital Health Research investigates shifts in physician adoption of digital health tools during the last three years, along with current attitudes and expectations among physicians. The research examines seven categories of digital health tools that engage patients for clinical purposes, interpret and use clinical data, and manage outcomes and other measures of care quality.According to the AMA survey, adoption trends in the following seven categories are helping to propel the digital transformation of healthcare.
Tele-visits/virtual visits – Physician adoption doubled from 14% in 2016 to 28% in 2019, the largest growth among the digital health tool categories. This category includes audio/video connections used to see patients remotely.
Remote monitoring and management for improved care – Physician adoption jumped from 13% in 2016 to 22% in 2019. This category includes mobile applications and devices for use by chronic disease patients for daily measurement of vital signs, such as weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, etc. Readings are visible to patients and transmitted to the physician’s office. Alerts are generated as appropriate for missing or out of range readings.
Remote monitoring for efficiency – Physician adoption modestly grew from 12% in 2016 to 16% in 2019. This category includes smart versions of common clinical devices such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and scales that automatically enter readings in the patient medical record.
Clinical decision support – Physician adoption climbed from 28% in 2016 to 37% in 2019. This category includes modules used in conjunction with the EHR, or mobile applications integrated with an EHR, that highlight potentially significant changes in patient data, such as weight gain/loss, change in blood chemistry, etc.
Patient engagement – Physician adoption rose from 26% in 2016 to 32% in 2019. This category includes solutions to promote patient wellness and active participation in their care for chronic diseases, such as adherence to treatment regimens.
Point of care/workflow enhancement – Physician adoption modestly increased from 42% in 2016 to 47% in 2019. This category includes communication and sharing of electronic clinical data to consult with specialists, make referrals and/or transitions of care.
Consumer access to clinical data – Physician adoption rose from 53% in 2016 to 58% in 2019, the highest adoption rate among the digital health tool categories. This category includes secure access allowing patients to view clinical information such as routine lab results, receive appointment reminders and treatment prompts, and to ask for prescription refills, appointments and to speak with their physician.
While all digital health tools have seen increases in physician adoption since 2016, the biggest growth in adoption was among digital tools in the categories of tele-visits/virtual visits and remote monitoring for improved patient care. Driving this adoption is a significant increase in the importance physicians place in providing remote care to patients. To speed implementation of remote patient monitoring, the AMA’s Digital Health Implementation Playbook packages the key steps, best practices and resources to help physicians extend care beyond the exam room.
Improved efficiency and increased patient safety remain the most important factors driving physician interest in digital health tools, although addressing patient adherence, convenience and physician burnout have increased in importance as factors driving physician interest.
Liability coverage remains the most important requirement for physician adoption of digital health tools, and this requirement has significantly increased in importance during the last three years. Electronic medical record (EHR) integration and data privacy rounded out the three most important physician requirements for digital health tools. There was a notable increase in the importance of peer review validation as a physician requirement for digital health tools.
For the first time, the AMA research surveyed physicians about their awareness and current usage of emerging technologies, such as augmented intelligence, blockchain and precision medicine. While levels of awareness greatly exceed adoption rates, more than one-third of physicians intended to adopt emerging technologies within the year. Interest is highest for use with chronic care patients.
The AMA is dedicated to shaping a future when digital health tools are evidence based, validated, interoperable, and actionable. Through its ongoing work, the AMA is committed to ensuring physicians play a greater role in leading trustworthy and equitable tech-enabled innovation that enhances patient care, shapes a better healthcare system, and improves the health of the nation. Through our research, collaborations, advocacy and leadership, the AMA is working to make the patient?physician relationship more valued than paperwork, preventive care the focus of the future, technology an asset and not a burden, and physician burnout a thing of the past. Continue Reading
More than 50 organizations – from major tech giants to startups and healthcare industry leaders – convened by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) have developed the first-ever ANSI-accredited standard for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. This standard, part of CTA’s new initiative on AI, is the first in a series that will set a foundation for implementing medical and healthcare solutions built on AI.
Shapiro
“This standard creates a firm base for the growing use of AI in our healthcare—technology that will better diagnose diseases, monitor patients’ recoveries and help us all live healthier lives,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “This is a major first step – convening some of the biggest players in the digital health world – to help create a more efficient healthcare system and offer value-based healthcare to Americans.”
AI-related terms are used in different ways, leading to confusion – especially in the healthcare industry, including telehealth and remote patient monitoring. To address this problem, CTA announced the working group with 30 members less than a year ago, which now includes a wide range of decision makers from 52 organizations and member companies to develop a standard built on consensus.
The standard – 11 definitions and characteristics – provides a framework for better understanding AI technologies and common terminology so consumers, tech companies and care providers can better communicate, develop and use AI-based healthcare technologies.
A broader AI committee at CTA also published an ANSI-accredited standard that addresses the pervasiveness of AI-enabled technology across the entire consumer technology industry. The standard defines over 30 terms including machine learning, model bias, artificial neural network and trustworthiness.
“So far, common terminology has defined the intent of use — and that’s one of the most significant challenges in developing standard application of AI,” said Rene Quashie, vice president of policy and regulatory affairs, digital health, CTA. “As health systems and providers use AI tools such as machine learning to diagnose, treat and manage disease, there’s an urgent need to understand and agree on AI concepts for consistent use. This standard does exactly that.”
As the healthcare system deals with clinician shortages, an aging population and the persistence of chronic diseases in the US, technologically driven solutions, such as AI, will increasingly be used to meet clinician and patient needs, the group notes.
Xealth announced recent survey findings that examine the digital health expectations of new or expectant mothers compared to the services received from healthcare providers. The last few years have seen a movement towards offering patients a more consumer-friendly experience, with significant investments made in digital health. This new experience can assist with patient engagement, treatment compliance and patient retention.
According to the Project Beyond survey[1], commissioned by Xealth in partnership with Sid Lee and conducted among nearly 1,000 U.S. women who are new or expectant mothers, a majority (53%) who are familiar with digital health see online information as a key factor in choosing a hospital. Key findings include:
Digital tools rated most important to patients: online access to medical records (61%), online payment tools (57%), online scheduling (52%) and electronic refill of prescriptions (51%);
Digital tools most offered by hospitals: online payment tools (45%), online access to medical records (39%), online education and information (31%), and online scheduling (29%);
The widest gaps exist related to electronic refill of prescriptions (51% find this important vs. 23% actually can), online scheduling (52% vs. 29%), and price transparency (30% vs. 8%); and
Comments about what hospitals can do to improve the digital health experience involved providing greater convenience, creating patient communities, improving education and increasing transparency.
Other notable findings:
Nearly half of respondants (47%) expect some form of digital interaction with their doctor; and
Nearly 30% of respondants answered “I don’t know” when asked what the definition of digital health.
“We’re interested in how specific communities are engaging with digital health tools and how those tools impact their health experiences and choices,” said John Breen, executive director of health strategy at Sid Lee. “This survey captured the perspective of new or expectant mothers, most of whom belong to the digital native Millennial and Generation Z cohorts. As they look to manage growing families and aging parents, their expectations for a digital health experience will only continue to rise.”
Access Sid Lee’s full report and infographic here.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Sid Lee on behalf of Xealth from February 04-11, 2020 among 932 adults ages 18 and older who are new or expecting moms. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
[1] Survey conducted online within the United States by Sid Lee on behalf of Xealth from February 04-11, 2020 among 932 adults ages 18 and older who are new or expecting mothers. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took additional actions to ensure America’s patients, healthcare facilities and clinical laboratories are prepared to respond to the 2019-Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
