The Power of Real-Time Analytics at the Point of Care

Quest Diagnostics and Inovalon have partnered to create a real-time, on-demand patient analytics solution. Watch as leaders from both organizations talk about how this unique solution works in today’s healthcare environment and the impact Data Diagnostics is having on care delivery...

Spotlight

North Kansas City Hospital

North Kansas City hospital stands high on the hill of a 69-acre campus which consists of the Hospital, a 451- licensed bed, acute-care facility; the Pavilion encompassing patient rooms, outpatient services, Hospital staff and physician offices and a conference center; Health Center, the location for Home Health Services and Signature Psychiatric Health; two physician office buildings, known as Medical Plaza and Professional Building; and NorthCare Hospice House, the Northland's only hospice house.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

Boost Your Lab's Efficiency with LIMS Software

Article | August 16, 2023

Contents 1. Getting Started with LIMS Software 2. Benefits of Incorporating LIMS Software into Lab Management 3. LIMS Software Classification 4. Selecting the Right LIMS Software: A Comparison of Variants 5. How LIMS Software Revolutionized Laboratory Management 6. Future Scope 1. Getting Started with LIMS Software Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) software automates laboratory operations, improves productivity, and ensures the accuracy as well as reliability of laboratory data. It can be implemented in clinical laboratories, research & development labs, and environmental testing labs and tailored to meet specific needs. LIMS software seamlessly integrates with other laboratory systems, such as electronic lab notebooks and scientific data management systems. LIMS class software enables storing and managing all information in one place, improving day-to-day work. Yet, research reveals that still 40% of industry leaders 'had not embarked on applying digital to research and development or quality control labs'. (Source: Accenture) 2. Benefits of Incorporating LIMS Software into Lab Management By implementing LIMS software, laboratories can significantly reduce time spent locating samples and records, entering data, and generating reports. LIMS software also offers additional advantages when integrated into laboratory management, such as 1. Optimizing: LIMS automates laboratory processes, allowing for a paperless environment and increased productivity. It also ensures accurate test results by preventing the use of outdated instruments. 2. Automating: LIMS facilitates the input of essential sample information, including its source, date, time, and location of the collection as well as processing data. 3. Compliant: LIMS helps labs follow FDA regulations by creating an audit trail that tracks all activities, including record creation, modification, and deletion. It also enables electronic signatures to authenticate key activities and keep data secure and traceable. 4. Collaborative: LIMS streamlines inter-laboratory collaboration through the option to share data access. This allows lab technicians from disparate laboratories to be seamlessly assigned to different projects and obtain the required information without disruption. 5. Security: LIMS systems offer various mechanisms for managing user access, such as an in-built user management system with a unique username and password, integration with LDAP or Active Directory for user authentication, and access through an Identity Server. 3. LIMS Software Classification Laboratory Information Management System software can be classified based on several criteria, including functionality, deployment model, industry focus, and the laboratory's needs. Here is a list of critical features that can be considered while classifying LIMS software: 1. Functionality: Different LIMS software may have varying functionality, including sample tracking, data management, instrument integration, quality control, workflow management, and reporting. 2. Deployment Model: LIMS software can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. On-premises deployment means that the software is installed and run on the laboratory's own servers, while cloud-based deployment means that the software is hosted and maintained by a third-party provider. 3. Industry Focus: LIMS software can be designed for specific industries or applications, such as pharmaceutical research, clinical laboratories, food and beverage testing, environmental testing, and more. 4. Open-Source vs. Proprietary: LIMS software can also be classified as either open-source or proprietary. Open-source software is freely available and can be modified by users, while a company owns proprietary software and requires a license to use it. 5. Scalability: The size of the laboratory and the number of users accessing the LIMS software can also be a factor in classification. Some LIMS software may be more scalable, allowing for easy expansion as the laboratory grows. 6. Integration Capabilities: LIMS software can also be classified based on its ability to integrate with other software or instruments. Some LIMS software may be more flexible and have better integration capabilities than others, allowing for seamless data exchange between different systems. 4. Selecting the Right LIMS Software: A Comparison of Variants While selecting the most appropriate LIMS variant, the wide range of available options can pose a challenge for laboratory decision-makers. To aid in this selection process, a comprehensive comparative analysis of LIMS variants is presented below: 1. Lab managers can adopt an objective approach for evaluating and comparing different LIMS solutions by creating a grading rubric. This involves designing a table with separate columns for each LIMS vendor and rows listing the desired features as well as functionalities. To provide a more comprehensive evaluation, advanced rubrics may include rating each functionality on a particular LIMS using a scale of 1 to 5. 2. Next, it is crucial to review how LIMS solutions are structured and stored. This includes determining whether the solution is on-premise or cloud-based, either as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) or software-as-a-service (SaaS). For optimal flexibility in the laboratory's computing structure, choosing a vendor that offers LIMS as a comprehensive solution is advantageous. 3. Data access must be controlled by using unique user IDs and passwords. Furthermore, data security standards such as HIPAA compliance and SSL encryption will likely be mandatory across many laboratory industries. It is thus imperative to carefully consider and ensure the security features of any potential LIMS solution. 4. To assess the level of support that can be expected with a particular LIMS, one effective method is to directly inquire with the software vendor about outages, response time, and plans of action to address any glitches preemptively. Managing expectations around the LIMS requires asking about the frequency of LIMS updates, including how often the platform is updated, how updates are announced and deployed, and the expected duration of any update-related outages. 5. While selecting a LIMS solution, laboratories must establish a target go-live date, especially when implementing the system in response to, or preparation for, an audit. Software vendors should provide a deployment and implementation timeline, which can be used to compare with the laboratory's objectives and goals. This helps to ensure that the LIMS solution is implemented in a timely and efficient manner. 5. How LIMS Software Revolutionized Laboratory Management LIMS software has fundamentally revolutionized the laboratory management system in several ways. Before the advent of LIMS, laboratory operations were often paper-based and highly manual, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and inconsistencies. However, with the implementation of LIMS, laboratories have become more efficient, accurate, and compliant. LIMS has also improved laboratory productivity, allowing scientists to focus on higher-value tasks like data analysis and interpretation. It has enabled collaboration between different laboratories, facilitating communication and knowledge sharing between scientists, researchers, and analysts, and is also leading to more significant innovation and progress in the field of science and research. 6. Future Scope The future scope of Laboratory Information Management System software is promising as it continues to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of laboratory management. Potential developments include integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, cloud-based solutions for scalability and accessibility, IoT integration for automation and safety, enhanced data analytics for improved decision-making, and mobile applications for on-the-go access. Moreover, with SaaS LIMS, there are no license costs, minimal installation fees, and no need for in-house servers or databanks, resulting in reduced IT maintenance costs for hardware and software.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

4 trends that are shaping product management in health care

Article | September 7, 2023

“Health care is different, the data here is emotional! If you tell me you were buying a fishing rod online and were emotional about it, I’d say you are lying. But I do frequently see people helpless and confused when it comes to receiving health care, managing its costs, making sense of its data.”  - Senior Product Leader inOptum Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Yes, health care is different, and so is product management in it. This piece highlights the top 4 product management trends that are specific to health care and serve beyond being just a list of technologies making their way into health care. Health care consumerism Lance broke his ankle in a bicycle accident and is now in hospital waiting for surgery. Which of these words would describe him more aptly— a ‘patient’ or a ‘health care consumer’? The fact that Lance holds a high-deductible health plan, manages an interactive relationship with his primary doctor, keenly monitors his fitness through his smartwatch, and learns about healthier diet plans and recipes online — I can say he isn’t just receiving health care, but making active choices on how to pay for and manage his health. This choice and responsibility that people demand, is ‘health care consumerism’. This trend has been growing since 2015 when value-based care started picking up in the US. What does this imply for products/PMs? These are challenging and exciting times to be a product manager (PM) in health tech. This is because people are now demanding an experience equivalent to what they’re used to from other products in their lives, such as e-commerce, streaming platforms, and digital payments, to name a few. Any consumer-facing product (a mobile app, a web-based patient portal, a tech-enabled service) needs to meet high expectations. Flexible employer-sponsored health plans options, health reimbursement arrangements, price transparency products for drugs and medical expenses, remote health care services, and government's push to strengthen data and privacy rights — all point to opportunities for building innovative products with ‘health care consumerism’ as a key product philosophy. Wellness COVID-19 has tested health care systems to their limits. In most countries, these systems failed disastrously in providing adequate, timely medical assistance to many infected people. Prevention is of course better than cure, but people were now forced to learn it the hard way when cure became both inaccessible and uncertain. With lockdowns and social isolation, prevention, fitness, diet, and mental wellbeing all took center stage. Wellness means taking a ‘whole-person approach’ to health care — one where people recognize the need to improve and sustain health, not only when they are unwell, but also when they’re making health care decisions that concern their long-term physical and mental health. A McKinsey study notes that consumers look at wellness from 6 dimensions beyond sick-care— health, fitness, nutrition, appearance, sleep, and mindfulness. Most countries in the study show that wellness has gained priority by at least 35% in the last 2–3 years. And wellness services like nutritionists, care managers, fitness training, psychotherapy consultants contribute 30% of the overall wellness spend. So, what do health-tech PMs need to remember about wellness? The first principle is, “Move to care out of the hospital, and into people’s homes”. A patient discharged after knee surgery has high chance of getting readmitted if he/she has high risk of falling in his/her house, or is unable to afford post-discharge at-home care with a physiotherapist. This leads us PMs to build products that recognize every person’s social determinants of health and create support systems that consider care at the hospital and care at home as a continuum. The second principle is, “Don’t be limited by a narrow view of ‘what business we are in’, as wellness is broad, and as a health tech company, we are in health-care, not sick-care”. Wellness products and services include — fitness and nutrition apps, medical devices, telemedicine, sleep trackers, wellness-oriented apparel, beauty products, and meditation-oriented offerings, to name just a few. Recent regulations in many countries require health care providers to treat behavioural health services at par with treating for physical conditions, and this is just a start. Equitable AI Last month, WHO released a report titled “Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence for Health”. The report cautions researchers and health tech companies to never design AI algorithms with a single population in mind. One example I read was, “AI systems that are primarily trained on data collected from patients in high-income settings will not perform as effectively for individuals in low or middle-income communities.” During COVID-19, we came across countless studies that talked about the disproportionate impact on minorities in terms of infections, hospitalizations, and mortality. A student at MIT discovered that a popular out-of-the-box AI algorithm that projects patient mortality for those admitted in hospitals, makes significantly different predictions based on race — and this may have adversely moved hospital resources away from some patients who had higher risks of mortality. How should I think about health equity as an AI health-tech PM? Health equity means that everyone should have a fair chance at being healthy. As a PM, it’s my job to make sure that every AI-assisted feature in my product is crafted to be re-iterative and inclusive, to serve any community or subpopulation, and is validated across many geographies. To prevent any inequitable AI from getting shipped, it is important to ensure that the underlying AI model is transparent and intelligible. This means knowing what data goes into it, how it learns, which features does it weigh over others, and how does the model handles unique features that characterize minorities. Integrated and interoperable In every article that I read on topics such as digital platforms, SaaS, or connectivity with EMRs, I always find the words: ‘integrated’ and ‘interoperable’ therein. Most large and conventional health tech companies started by offering point-solutions that were often inextensible, monolithic, and worked with isolated on-prem servers and databases. To give a consistent user experience, leverage economies of scope, and scale products to meet other needs of their customers, started an exodus from fragmented point-solutions to interoperable, integrated solutions. The popularization of service-oriented architectures (SOAs) and cloud vendors like AWS, Azure, and GCP has also helped. The what and how of integrated-interoperable solutions for PMs: Integrated solutions (IS), as I see them, are of two kinds — one, in which as a health tech company, we help our customers (health systems, insurance companies, direct to consumers) accomplish not just one, but most/all tasks in a business process. For example, a B2B IS in value-based care contract management would mean that we help our customers and health systems by giving an end-to-end solution that helps them enter into, negotiate, plan for, manage, get payments for their value-based contracts with health plans. In the second type of IS, we offer products that can be easily customized to different types of customers. For example, a health management app that people can subscribe to for different programs such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol management, as needed. The app works with different datasets for these programs and uses different analyses and clinical repositories in its backend, but still delivers a consistent user experience across programs to a user who enrolled in multiple programs, say diabetes and weight management. ‘Interoperable’ simply means that one product should be able to talk to other products both in and out of the company. For example, if product-A can alert a doctor about any drug-drug interactions or allergies a patient might have, while she is writing prescriptions for the patient in product-B (an EMR), then product-A does talk to product-B, and hence, is interoperable. This trend is picking up further with the growth of IoT devices, and industry-wide participation in adopting common standards for data exchange. Conclusion Though the article derives much of its context from US health care, I have tried to keep a global lens while choosing these topics. For developing economies like India, digitization is the number one trend as much of the health system is still moving from manual records to digitally store patient and medical data in EMRs. The good news is that India is booming with health-tech innovation and that is where consumerism, wellness, and equitable AI make sense. Once companies develop enough point-solutions for different health system needs and use-cases, Indian health tech will see a move towards creating integrated, interoperable (IGIO) systems as well. There are some other trends such as — use of non-AI emerging tech such as Blockchain in health information management, cloud infrastructure for health tech innovation, big data and analytics to improve operational efficiency in areas such as claims management and compliance reporting, Agile product management for co-developing with and continuously delivering to clients etc. — but I see them either as too nascent, or too old to feature in this list. Finally, as a health tech product manager, you can use the following questions to assess your products against the above trends — (Consumerism) do the products that I manage, empower consumers with choice, information, and actionability? (Wellness) Does my product emphasize keeping them out-of-hospitals and healthy in the first place? (Equitable AI) Am I sure that my product doesn’t discriminate against individuals belonging to underserved populations? (IGIO) And finally, is my product scalable, integrated and interoperable to expand to a platform, in the true sense?

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Healthtech Security

Driving Down Drug Costs: How Real-Time Transparency in PBMs Can Make a Difference

Article | November 29, 2023

In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, transparency in pharmacy benefit management (PBM) has emerged as a critical issue. The discussion surrounding driving down prescription drug costs and increasing access to affordable medications has brought attention to the practices of PBMs. However, achieving true transparency requires more than just buzzwords; it necessitates access to real-time data that empowers consumers to make informed decisions about their healthcare. In this piece, we will explore the importance of real-time transparency in PBMs and highlight how Xevant, a leading platform, is revolutionizing the industry. The Current State of PBM Legislation With over 100 bills to reform PBM practices, legislative efforts are intensifying to address the business practices associated with PBMs. However, one common concern is the absence of language surrounding real-time automation in many of these bills. The lack of such provisions threatens to undermine the effectiveness of the proposed reforms. It is crucial to examine the available resources and insights to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. The current state of PBM legislation and the efforts to reform PBM practices highlight the pressing need for transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical industry. PBMs play a critical role in the drug pricing ecosystem. Still, concerns about “traditional” PBM business practices, such as lack of transparency and opaque rebate systems, have raised questions about their impact on drug prices and patient access to affordable medications. Xevant's Groundbreaking Solution Xevant, led by CEO Brandon Newman, stands at the forefront of the drive for transparency in PBM practices. As the only platform capable of providing PBMs and consumers with real-time, automated, and completely transparent data from the entire pharmacy benefits ecosystem, Xevant is poised to revolutionize the industry against the backdrop of the political landscape. The absence of language surrounding transparency and real-time automation in many proposed bills threatens the effectiveness of the reforms. Yet, innovative companies like Xevant are leading the charge for openness in PBM practices. Xevant's real-time data automation and optimization capabilities empower consumers with timely, comprehensive, and transparent information, enabling them to make informed decisions about their healthcare and potentially save money. With the potential passage of these bills, the pharmaceutical industry could see a shift towards greater accountability, fairer pricing practices, and improved access to affordable medications. The reforms could also create a more level playing field for generic drug manufacturers, fostering competition and lowering prices. Real-Time Data Automation and Optimization Newman emphasizes that transparency cannot be achieved without access to real-time data automation and optimization. This real-time, customized data enables individuals to compare prices, explore alternatives, and understand the specific cost components related to their medications. By bringing together various parts of lowering drug costs, such as drug rebates, 340B contracts, sell-side discounts, copay assistance, and employer negotiations, Xevant offers a solution that empowers consumers with the information they need when required. The Implications of Timely Access to Data The scarcity of timely access to data among many traditional PBMs is a significant challenge in achieving transparency in the pharmaceutical industry. These PBMs typically collect data annually, which leaves a substantial margin of error and can result in millions of dollars lost from consumers' pockets. In contrast, Xevant's capabilities offer a game-changing solution. With Xevant's platform, consumers gain immediate access to critical information regarding drug rebates, markups during spread pricing, competitive alternatives, and the vast landscape of the pharmaceutical ecosystem. Having these complete datasets available in real-time allows individuals to make informed decisions about their healthcare and potentially save lives. The significance of timely access to data cannot be overstated, as transparency becomes meaningful only when it happens in the present rather than months, or even a year, later than when the impact has already occurred. Navigating Proposed Legislation and Questionable Business Practices Another critical aspect of the PBM landscape that Xevant addresses is the moral implications associated with cost-sharing, clawbacks, spread pricing, and the pass-through of rebates. These practices have long been criticized for their opacity and their negative consequences on patients' access to affordable medications. Xevant's transparency-focused approach highlights these practices, allowing stakeholders to evaluate their ethical implications and work towards fairer alternatives. Xevant recognizes that proposed legislation may have potential cracks that allow for slip-through and the continuation of questionable business practices. Delayed and inaccurate reporting are loopholes that can hinder the effectiveness of reform efforts. By actively engaging with legislators and industry stakeholders, Xevant aims to identify these potential shortcomings and advocate for comprehensive robust legislation that leaves no room for exlploitation The Future of Healthcare and the Role of Real-Time Automation As the discussion surrounding PBM reform gains momentum, the future of healthcare in America hangs in the balance. Xevant sets a new standard for efficiency and consumer empowerment in healthcare decision-making by employing AI-driven technology. Xevant's visionary approach to real-time data automation and optimization paves the way for greater transparency and cost savings in the pharmaceutical industry. Wrapping Up Transparency in pharmacy benefit management is crucial to addressing the soaring costs of prescription drugs and enhancing access to affordable medications. Without access to real-time data and automation, the pursuit of transparency remains elusive. Xevant's groundbreaking platform solves this pressing challenge, enabling PBMs and consumers to access complete, transparent data in real-time. As legislative efforts progress, the need for real-time transparency becomes increasingly evident, and Xevant emerges as the leading legal solution for PBMs. When harnessing the power of real-time data automation, the vision of affordable healthcare can be transformed into a reality, benefiting individuals and the entire healthcare ecosystem.

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Healthcare Video Marketing: Strategies and Best Practices

Article | April 17, 2021

The healthcare industry is witnessing an unparalleled phase of expansion and vitality. It is a phase of radical revolution due to the wake of digital transformation. Digital transformation has opened up enormous unique opportunities that were unimaginable until a few years back. These digital trends are bringing companies and individuals together. Data is the starting point of the digital revolution. These data are then transformed into relationships. Today, including healthcare companies, the success of every company is at stake. In other words, it is how you communicate with customers that matters. This blog is all about healthcare digital communication, especially healthcare video marketing. We’ll start by looking at data that demonstrates the power and effectiveness of the video marketing medium. There is nothing equal to the power and efficacy of video marketing in our world today. Then, we’ll look at the video marketing best strategies, healthcare video marketing best practices, and successful examples for healthcare video marketing. There’s Nothing More Effective than Video Marketing Here are some numbers that alone demonstrate why video is the most effective marketing medium in the digital age: More than 5 billion videos are viewed on Youtube every day; 78% of online users watch at least one video every week. And 55% watch one every day; According to estimates by Cisco, by 2022, 82% of all internet traffic will be generated by video. This percentage was already 72.3% in 2017; When it comes to video, 55% of people pay more attention than any other type of content; when viewing a video, the average user retains 95% of the message it contains; this percentage goes down to 10% when we talk about the text; about 100 million hours of video watched every day on Facebook; 82% of registered Twitter users consume video content constantly; on Instagram, posts containing video record 38% higher engagement on average than posts containing images; 54% of consumers say they want to see more videos from the brands they follow and support. Such statistics are compelling for brands, and brands are taking notice. As a result, brands are moving to implement videos as much as possible in their marketing strategies, with excellent results. Two statistics below offer additional proof: 87% of marketing professionals use video in their strategy. 88% of marketers are satisfied with the ROI generated by video marketing campaigns. This collection of data proves one thing: video is the most effective tool for healthcare digital marketing. And this also applies to the Healthcare sector. It’s even more accurate for this sector, which is intimately involved with consumers as part of their daily lives. Thus, healthcare video marketing is much effective and should be included in your healthcare marketing plan. Strategies and Best Practices of Healthcare Video Marketing So, let’s take a closer look at how we can build a video marketing strategy in the Healthcare sector, the fundamental points that must be included, the best practices, and some examples of success. Start from education It is often said that we live in the information age. Today, as never before, we have access to all the information we could need in just a few seconds, maybe with just a few taps on our smartphone during a coffee break. Health information is undoubtedly among the most sought-after online. In Italy alone, web searches made on this topic are 4 billion per year, a constantly growing trend. The downside of all of this is the difficulty of finding your way around this mass of information, which is sometimes complex, misleading, or even untrue. That is why the first task of a company in the Healthcare sector is education. Education is not just a responsibility; and it’s also an opportunity. In this sense, healthcare videos marketing prove to be the best ally. Healthcare video marketing is a way to provide the consumer with an effortless way to have access to transparent, precise, and authoritative information from your brand. That can be the first step toward establishing a relationship of trust with your brand. Be clear, but also calm In this case, let’s start immediately with an exciting and practical example. Targeted toward their younger patients, Miami Children’s Hospital created a healthcare video marketing campaign that explains what happens before, during, and after heart surgery. Understandably, this is a sensitive topic. With this effort of healthcare video marketing, the Miami Children’s Hospital manages to achieve the complex objective of providing clear and authoritative information while at the same time reassuring the viewer. How? They make the healthcare video marketing campaign compelling, authoritative, and reassuring by showing the faces of its staff members, demonstrating their professionalism, the environment, the healthcare technologies used, and everything related to the surgery. In this way, the high level of preparation and humanity of the people involved stand out to the viewer. Learn to be engaging As we saw above, you have to know how to correctly inform and educate your audience using influential healthcare video marketing trends, all with a calm demeanor. However, it’s also true that success also depends on your ability to excite and involve the viewer for healthcare video marketing in the sector. In short, the keyword is ‘storytelling. An excellent example is the healthcare video marketing campaign carried out by the dental health department of Bupa UK and addressed to children (but applicable and reachable to adults as well). Through a great use of animations and storytelling, the brand uses the well-known story of the tooth fairy and associates it with childhood memories. This healthcare video marketing campaign has proven to be an excellent vehicle for establishing a truly intimate relationship with the viewer (and, not surprisingly, the video has exceeded 1.3 million views on YouTube). Another effective way to be direct and engaging is to use influencers in your healthcare video marketing campaigns. An exciting example is the Australian pole vaulter, Amanda Bisk, diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. On her Instagram channel, Bisk talks about her path to fight the disease through fitness, and she has quickly become one of the most famous figures in Healthcare on the platform. It’s important to note that today, more and more brands target top influencers and micro-influencers. Micro-influencers have a much smaller yet targeted and loyal following of fans. Therefore, their healthcare video marketing messages are perceived by the public as more authentic and personal. Personalization 94% of marketers believe that personalization is crucial for the future of the business in which it moves. But what do we mean when we talk about personalization? First of all, it’s not something new: knowing your audience has always been the best way to make a profit, calibrate your communication and your “tone of voice,” and increase engagement and loyalty. But what is the turning point of personalization today? It is a digital turning point. Today, we all leave traces online at every moment: geolocation, Google searches, preferences on social networks, apps (which in Healthcare are increasingly widespread), and so on. We are talking about a vast amount of data that benefits both companies and consumers from a win-win perspective. Therefore, it’s a matter of utilizing efficient systems to collect this data, dynamic systems designed with an omnichannel approach in mind. From the collection, the next step is to analyze and interpret this information. Then, you will want to divide your audience into many micro-targets with homogeneous and consistent characteristics to target with tailored communications and offers. In conclusion, these facts are all the more true in a sector like healthcare that impacts people’s daily lives. The best healthcare video marketing strategy for brands can only be to get closer and closer to customers. That is precisely where specialized companies like us, Media7, come into play. Through compelling B2B healthcare video marketing efforts, we create opportunities for interaction and the possibility to insert custom calls to action. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a video marketing strategy? Video marketing strategy is creating, curating, and utilizing videos for marketing products and services of companies to the targeted audience. Marketing teams design the strategy. The idea behind the strategy is to keep the audience engaged with the brand. Are videos effective for health tech marketing? Videos are much effective for health tech marketing as people prefer to watch things than reading. Also, people are likely to trust what they see than reading. Videos are the highly impactful medium of marketing for any domain of business, including healthcare. How to start with healthcare video marketing? The first step to healthcare video marketing is to define your video marketing strategy. Fix and analyze the target audience to understand the online behavior trends to get an idea about their video engagements and clicks on various social media channels.

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Spotlight

North Kansas City Hospital

North Kansas City hospital stands high on the hill of a 69-acre campus which consists of the Hospital, a 451- licensed bed, acute-care facility; the Pavilion encompassing patient rooms, outpatient services, Hospital staff and physician offices and a conference center; Health Center, the location for Home Health Services and Signature Psychiatric Health; two physician office buildings, known as Medical Plaza and Professional Building; and NorthCare Hospice House, the Northland's only hospice house.

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Digital Healthcare

Revibe Technologies Announces Clinical Development Updates for its Investigational FokusRx Prescription Digital Therapy for the Treatment of ADHD

Revibe technologies | February 09, 2022

Revibe technologies, a commercial-stage digital therapeutics company, announced today the positive results of their feasibility study examining the efficacy of FokusRx in school aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). FokusRx is an investigational SaMD (Software as a Medical Device) that has the potential to provide a new nonpharmacologic approach to treating attention, focus and hyperactivity deficits associated with ADHD, and other mental health conditions. ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed and increasingly prevalent mental health disorders in children and adolescents.Inthe United States, 6.1 million children aged 2-17 years have been diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately 50% of families stop using prescription drug treatments for ADHD within a year.Over 30% of parents refuse pharmacologic treatment for their children with ADHD. In this, single-arm multi-rater feasibility study, parents (n= 38) and teachers (n= 26) rated youth aged 8-12 years with a parent-reported diagnosis of ADHD. Youth were attending in-person classroom learning and not taking medication for their ADHD. The study included a number of outcome measures including the ADHD-RS-5 (Home and School versions), Conners 4 – short version, Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Form (WFIRS-P), and the Academic Performance Rating Scale (APRS). To be included in the analyses, youth had to have worn the Revibe Connect wearable device to school Monday to Friday for a at least three days per week or a minimum of 15 days total for a period of four weeks. "We are pleased that the feasibility study has proven to be a successful exercise that de-risks our upcoming randomized sham-controlled pivotal trial. The moderate to large effect sizes observed and change scores that exceed standards for minimally important (clinically significant) differences, provide encouraging preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy of our intervention", says Dr.Lindsay Ayearst, Chief Scientific Officer of Revibe. Revibe's Scientific and Medical Advisory Board member, Dr.Margaret Weiss, Director of Clinical Research in Child Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, stated, "These results are consistent across both symptoms and functioning, and across informants.They would translate into clinically significant change. Most impressive is the demonstration of an effect on academic performance." "The data from the classroom feasibility study suggests FokusRx can effectively and safely improve ADHD symptoms and functioning in school-aged children. It is our intention that FokusRx will provide kids and parents another option to help them succeed and reach their full potential. We are excited to begin designing our pivotal trial planned for the fall." Joseph Koziak, Chief Executive Officer of Revibe About FokusRx FokusRx is an investigational SaMD designed to provide a new nonpharmacologic approach to treating symptoms and impairment associated with ADHD. The FokusRx software is embedded within a dedicated smart watch to act as a digital therapeutic wearable. About Revibe Technologies Revibe Technologies is passionate about leveraging technology to help children and adults with focus and attention problems overcome obstacles in order to succeed in life. Revibe Technologies hopes to be a resource for students, parents, teachers, schools, and clinicians.

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Health Technology

Thea Health Partners with athenahealth’s Marketplace Program to Improve Provider Communications

Thea Health | November 19, 2021

Thea Health, a fast-growing medical communications provider, today announced a partnership with athenahealth, Inc. through the company’s Marketplace program. As part of the athenahealth® Marketplace, this newly integrated application is now available to athenahealth’s growing network of healthcare providers to improve communications between primary care physicians and local specialists. “Thea Health is focused on making it easier for providers to collaborate on their patients’ care. Our eConsult platform allows our growing network of primary care providers to seamlessly communicate with local specialists.Our platform reduces wait time for specialist expertise, improves local referral networks and, ultimately, saves patients money. Thea Health and athenahealth share a passion for moving toward a more connected and cost-effective healthcare system.” Harry Cooke, Founder of Thea Health Studies have shown eConsults resolve patient issues without an in-person appointment 54% of the time and reduce overall healthcare expenditures by $541 per patient. athenahealth is a network-enabled, results-oriented software and services company that offers medical record, revenue cycle, patient engagement, and care coordination services for ambulatory and hospital clients nationwide. The company’s vision is to build a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. As a Marketplace partner, Thea Health joins a community of innovative, like-minded healthcare professionals who are looking to bring best-in-class solutions to the athenahealth provider base. About Thea Health Thea Health's eConsult system allows primary care physicians to ask specialists questions and include relevant labs, images, and other clinical data ahead of a treatment decision while ensuring they are reimbursed by payers for their time. Thea Health provides a HIPAA-compliant platform that is easy to use and fits with existing physician workflows and integrates seamlessly with EMRs. This allows our providers to communicate securely, naturally, and efficiently, while getting reimbursed without doing any extra work. About athenahealth Marketplace The athenahealth Marketplace, the largest EHR app store, is where athenahealth customers find innovative healthcare IT solutions that extend athenahealth services and allow customers to create highly tailored user experiences. Customers use Marketplace partner solutions to boost practice efficiency, increase patient satisfaction, and engage patients in their own care. The Marketplace has more than 250 solutions across 60 categories that are seamlessly integrated with athenaOne, athenahealth’s network-enabled platform through which the company offers medical records, revenue cycle, patient engagement, and care coordination service offerings.

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Digital Healthcare

HealthEdge Brings Colorado Access Into a Modern, Integrated Core/Clinical Ecosystem to Streamline Key Health Plan Operations

HealthEdge Software | November 17, 2021

HealthEdge Software today said it is excited to upgrade long-time Altruista Health customer Colorado Access to a fully integrated ecosystem with the addition of HealthRules Payor®(HRP) to its operations via HealthEdge’s complementary Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) partner, UST HealthProof, a UST company. Colorado Access has relied on Altruista’s GuidingCare®care management platform to manage plan members for more than a decade, and is now poised for a major transformational effort to integrate the HealthEdge solution in core administrative processing. It will be one of the first health plans to adopt all three HealthEdge solution suites as it adopts Burgess Source®payment integrity software in 2022. “Colorado Access is one of the first of many health plans we expect to recognize the value of our fully integrated core/clinical solution going forward. The unique value proposition that comes with integrating a health plan’s three most important value streams is becoming more apparent every day as plans push forward with value-based care.” Steve Krupa, HealthEdge Chief Executive Officer HealthRules is the leading modern core administrative system for health plans driving more agility, efficiencies, compliance and innovation than any other solution on the market. The vision for an integrated payer “digital nervous system” became possible with the HealthEdge acquisitions last year of SaaS innovators, The Burgess Group and Altruista Health. Burgess offers a leading payment integrity solution for editing, pricing and modeling. Altruista leads the industry in utilization management, care management, population health, social determinants of health, provider collaboration, member engagement and predictive analytics. The new opportunity for Colorado Access came at contract renewal time for their incumbent provider of a core administrative processing system. The health plan found the prospect of moving to an integrated ecosystem intriguing. “When we learned about the acquisition of Altruista Health by HealthEdge at the end of 2020, we were excited,” said Paula Kautzmann, Chief Information Officer at Colorado Access. “This presented a great opportunity to explore what an integrated ecosystem could deliver for us, our members and providers.” “We serve our regional health plans with high quality, and our connected technology with the HealthEdge solution suite is a comprehensive yet cost-effective solution that reduces the need for customization and is proven to increase customer engagement and provider satisfaction,” said Raj Sundar, President, UST HealthProof. Colorado Access has used GuidingCare to close gaps in care, enhance quality and compliance, and automate clinical workflows on behalf of its 545,000 members since 2010. After a review, Colorado Access concluded they could achieve cost savings, better performance, streamlined operations and a better member experience in moving to an integrated model with HealthEdge. “We are really excited about the integration because it makes us more nimble,” said Kautzmann. “It gives us a way to leverage a 360-degree view of the member to more completely understand their needs and support them to optimal health. When our care management team see claims data in the care management environment, it gives them a chance to make preventive interventions that can improve a member’s health.” Kautzmann noted that there are cost savings and overall efficiencies with integration, including not having to maintain separate membership, provider and benefit systems. The payment integrity solution from Burgess also reduces the administrative burden associated with recovering provider overpayments. In an environment of rigorous public budgets, the new arrangement is a better deployment of resources. Colorado Access also opted to implement the new GuidingCare®Authorization Portal, which electronically streamlines the prior authorization process and eases the paper work burden between providers and the plan. Altruista introduced the Authorization Portal last year, generating sufficient utilization review data for one plan to actually reduce its list of services requiring preauthorization, reducing administrative burden and cost. Some 80 percent of services are auto-approved with the electronic tool, dramatically streamlining the process at the same time it aligns care with the world’s leading clinical guidelines. About Colorado Access As the largest and most experienced public sector health plan in the state, Colorado Access is a nonprofit organization that works beyond just navigating health services. The company focuses on meeting members’ unique needs by partnering with providers and community organizations to provide better personalized care through measurable results. Their broad and deep view of regional and local systems allows them to stay focused on our members’ care while collaborating on measurable and economically sustainable systems that serve them better. About HealthEdge HealthEdgeoffers the health insurance industry’s leading next-gen solution suit providing automation and seamless connectivity between all parts of a payer’s administrative and clinical systems. HealthEdge provides modern, disruptive healthcare IT solutions that health insurers use to leverage new business models, improve outcomes, drastically reduce administrative costs, and connect everyone in the healthcare delivery cycle. Its next-generation enterprise solution suite is built on modern, patented technology and is delivered to customers via the HealthEdge Cloud or onsite deployment. In 2020, funds managed by Blackstone became the majority owner. HealthEdge and its portfolio of mission-critical technology assets for payers, including Source®and GuidingCare®, are collectively driving a digital transformation in healthcare. About UST HealthProof UST HealthProof, a UST company, is on a mission to reduce administrative cost and play a role in shaping how the future of healthcare is delivered through consumer centricity. Our proven core admin solutions and business process-as-a-service (BPaaS) provide transparency, improve operational efficiency, break down operational barriers to scale and drive strategic growth.

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Digital Healthcare

Revibe Technologies Announces Clinical Development Updates for its Investigational FokusRx Prescription Digital Therapy for the Treatment of ADHD

Revibe technologies | February 09, 2022

Revibe technologies, a commercial-stage digital therapeutics company, announced today the positive results of their feasibility study examining the efficacy of FokusRx in school aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). FokusRx is an investigational SaMD (Software as a Medical Device) that has the potential to provide a new nonpharmacologic approach to treating attention, focus and hyperactivity deficits associated with ADHD, and other mental health conditions. ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed and increasingly prevalent mental health disorders in children and adolescents.Inthe United States, 6.1 million children aged 2-17 years have been diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately 50% of families stop using prescription drug treatments for ADHD within a year.Over 30% of parents refuse pharmacologic treatment for their children with ADHD. In this, single-arm multi-rater feasibility study, parents (n= 38) and teachers (n= 26) rated youth aged 8-12 years with a parent-reported diagnosis of ADHD. Youth were attending in-person classroom learning and not taking medication for their ADHD. The study included a number of outcome measures including the ADHD-RS-5 (Home and School versions), Conners 4 – short version, Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Form (WFIRS-P), and the Academic Performance Rating Scale (APRS). To be included in the analyses, youth had to have worn the Revibe Connect wearable device to school Monday to Friday for a at least three days per week or a minimum of 15 days total for a period of four weeks. "We are pleased that the feasibility study has proven to be a successful exercise that de-risks our upcoming randomized sham-controlled pivotal trial. The moderate to large effect sizes observed and change scores that exceed standards for minimally important (clinically significant) differences, provide encouraging preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy of our intervention", says Dr.Lindsay Ayearst, Chief Scientific Officer of Revibe. Revibe's Scientific and Medical Advisory Board member, Dr.Margaret Weiss, Director of Clinical Research in Child Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, stated, "These results are consistent across both symptoms and functioning, and across informants.They would translate into clinically significant change. Most impressive is the demonstration of an effect on academic performance." "The data from the classroom feasibility study suggests FokusRx can effectively and safely improve ADHD symptoms and functioning in school-aged children. It is our intention that FokusRx will provide kids and parents another option to help them succeed and reach their full potential. We are excited to begin designing our pivotal trial planned for the fall." Joseph Koziak, Chief Executive Officer of Revibe About FokusRx FokusRx is an investigational SaMD designed to provide a new nonpharmacologic approach to treating symptoms and impairment associated with ADHD. The FokusRx software is embedded within a dedicated smart watch to act as a digital therapeutic wearable. About Revibe Technologies Revibe Technologies is passionate about leveraging technology to help children and adults with focus and attention problems overcome obstacles in order to succeed in life. Revibe Technologies hopes to be a resource for students, parents, teachers, schools, and clinicians.

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Health Technology

Thea Health Partners with athenahealth’s Marketplace Program to Improve Provider Communications

Thea Health | November 19, 2021

Thea Health, a fast-growing medical communications provider, today announced a partnership with athenahealth, Inc. through the company’s Marketplace program. As part of the athenahealth® Marketplace, this newly integrated application is now available to athenahealth’s growing network of healthcare providers to improve communications between primary care physicians and local specialists. “Thea Health is focused on making it easier for providers to collaborate on their patients’ care. Our eConsult platform allows our growing network of primary care providers to seamlessly communicate with local specialists.Our platform reduces wait time for specialist expertise, improves local referral networks and, ultimately, saves patients money. Thea Health and athenahealth share a passion for moving toward a more connected and cost-effective healthcare system.” Harry Cooke, Founder of Thea Health Studies have shown eConsults resolve patient issues without an in-person appointment 54% of the time and reduce overall healthcare expenditures by $541 per patient. athenahealth is a network-enabled, results-oriented software and services company that offers medical record, revenue cycle, patient engagement, and care coordination services for ambulatory and hospital clients nationwide. The company’s vision is to build a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all. As a Marketplace partner, Thea Health joins a community of innovative, like-minded healthcare professionals who are looking to bring best-in-class solutions to the athenahealth provider base. About Thea Health Thea Health's eConsult system allows primary care physicians to ask specialists questions and include relevant labs, images, and other clinical data ahead of a treatment decision while ensuring they are reimbursed by payers for their time. Thea Health provides a HIPAA-compliant platform that is easy to use and fits with existing physician workflows and integrates seamlessly with EMRs. This allows our providers to communicate securely, naturally, and efficiently, while getting reimbursed without doing any extra work. About athenahealth Marketplace The athenahealth Marketplace, the largest EHR app store, is where athenahealth customers find innovative healthcare IT solutions that extend athenahealth services and allow customers to create highly tailored user experiences. Customers use Marketplace partner solutions to boost practice efficiency, increase patient satisfaction, and engage patients in their own care. The Marketplace has more than 250 solutions across 60 categories that are seamlessly integrated with athenaOne, athenahealth’s network-enabled platform through which the company offers medical records, revenue cycle, patient engagement, and care coordination service offerings.

Read More

Digital Healthcare

HealthEdge Brings Colorado Access Into a Modern, Integrated Core/Clinical Ecosystem to Streamline Key Health Plan Operations

HealthEdge Software | November 17, 2021

HealthEdge Software today said it is excited to upgrade long-time Altruista Health customer Colorado Access to a fully integrated ecosystem with the addition of HealthRules Payor®(HRP) to its operations via HealthEdge’s complementary Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) partner, UST HealthProof, a UST company. Colorado Access has relied on Altruista’s GuidingCare®care management platform to manage plan members for more than a decade, and is now poised for a major transformational effort to integrate the HealthEdge solution in core administrative processing. It will be one of the first health plans to adopt all three HealthEdge solution suites as it adopts Burgess Source®payment integrity software in 2022. “Colorado Access is one of the first of many health plans we expect to recognize the value of our fully integrated core/clinical solution going forward. The unique value proposition that comes with integrating a health plan’s three most important value streams is becoming more apparent every day as plans push forward with value-based care.” Steve Krupa, HealthEdge Chief Executive Officer HealthRules is the leading modern core administrative system for health plans driving more agility, efficiencies, compliance and innovation than any other solution on the market. The vision for an integrated payer “digital nervous system” became possible with the HealthEdge acquisitions last year of SaaS innovators, The Burgess Group and Altruista Health. Burgess offers a leading payment integrity solution for editing, pricing and modeling. Altruista leads the industry in utilization management, care management, population health, social determinants of health, provider collaboration, member engagement and predictive analytics. The new opportunity for Colorado Access came at contract renewal time for their incumbent provider of a core administrative processing system. The health plan found the prospect of moving to an integrated ecosystem intriguing. “When we learned about the acquisition of Altruista Health by HealthEdge at the end of 2020, we were excited,” said Paula Kautzmann, Chief Information Officer at Colorado Access. “This presented a great opportunity to explore what an integrated ecosystem could deliver for us, our members and providers.” “We serve our regional health plans with high quality, and our connected technology with the HealthEdge solution suite is a comprehensive yet cost-effective solution that reduces the need for customization and is proven to increase customer engagement and provider satisfaction,” said Raj Sundar, President, UST HealthProof. Colorado Access has used GuidingCare to close gaps in care, enhance quality and compliance, and automate clinical workflows on behalf of its 545,000 members since 2010. After a review, Colorado Access concluded they could achieve cost savings, better performance, streamlined operations and a better member experience in moving to an integrated model with HealthEdge. “We are really excited about the integration because it makes us more nimble,” said Kautzmann. “It gives us a way to leverage a 360-degree view of the member to more completely understand their needs and support them to optimal health. When our care management team see claims data in the care management environment, it gives them a chance to make preventive interventions that can improve a member’s health.” Kautzmann noted that there are cost savings and overall efficiencies with integration, including not having to maintain separate membership, provider and benefit systems. The payment integrity solution from Burgess also reduces the administrative burden associated with recovering provider overpayments. In an environment of rigorous public budgets, the new arrangement is a better deployment of resources. Colorado Access also opted to implement the new GuidingCare®Authorization Portal, which electronically streamlines the prior authorization process and eases the paper work burden between providers and the plan. Altruista introduced the Authorization Portal last year, generating sufficient utilization review data for one plan to actually reduce its list of services requiring preauthorization, reducing administrative burden and cost. Some 80 percent of services are auto-approved with the electronic tool, dramatically streamlining the process at the same time it aligns care with the world’s leading clinical guidelines. About Colorado Access As the largest and most experienced public sector health plan in the state, Colorado Access is a nonprofit organization that works beyond just navigating health services. The company focuses on meeting members’ unique needs by partnering with providers and community organizations to provide better personalized care through measurable results. Their broad and deep view of regional and local systems allows them to stay focused on our members’ care while collaborating on measurable and economically sustainable systems that serve them better. About HealthEdge HealthEdgeoffers the health insurance industry’s leading next-gen solution suit providing automation and seamless connectivity between all parts of a payer’s administrative and clinical systems. HealthEdge provides modern, disruptive healthcare IT solutions that health insurers use to leverage new business models, improve outcomes, drastically reduce administrative costs, and connect everyone in the healthcare delivery cycle. Its next-generation enterprise solution suite is built on modern, patented technology and is delivered to customers via the HealthEdge Cloud or onsite deployment. In 2020, funds managed by Blackstone became the majority owner. HealthEdge and its portfolio of mission-critical technology assets for payers, including Source®and GuidingCare®, are collectively driving a digital transformation in healthcare. About UST HealthProof UST HealthProof, a UST company, is on a mission to reduce administrative cost and play a role in shaping how the future of healthcare is delivered through consumer centricity. Our proven core admin solutions and business process-as-a-service (BPaaS) provide transparency, improve operational efficiency, break down operational barriers to scale and drive strategic growth.

Read More

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