HEALTH TECHNOLOGY
TELUS Health | September 02, 2022
TELUS Corporation announced the completion of the previously disclosed acquisition by way of a plan of arrangement of LifeWorks Inc.a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals – mental, physical, financial and social, solidifying TELUS Health as one of the largest companies providing digital-first health and wellness services and solutions that empower individuals to live their healthiest lives. TELUS Health is now positioned to support corporate clients across more than 160 countries and covering more than 50 million lives and growing worldwide.
“Today marks another exciting step in our TELUS Health journey, as we welcome the talented LifeWorks team, and the 36 million employees and family members of our business customers who they support, into our TELUS Health family,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. “As one of the largest health technology companies globally, our newly expanded TELUS Health organisation will provide employers across the globe with world-leading digital health and wellness solutions for their employees that are convenient, innovative and highly effective. Indeed, through the skill of our combined 10,000 team members and 30,000 independent health practitioners, and leveraging the combination of TELUS’ strong digital and data analytics capabilities with our client service excellence, we will dramatically improve remedial, preventative and mental health outcomes. In turn, this will support the well-being of over 50 million individuals and growing around the world. Importantly, LifeWorks’ domestic and global operations will be bolstered by our TELUS International team through their proven expertise in digital transformation and client service excellence. Moreover, we have an important opportunity to leverage our expansive TELUS and TELUS International footprint and client base spanning 32 countries, as well as the tremendous skill of our 70,000 international team members, to amplify the distribution reach, effectiveness and efficiency of our digital health services on a global basis. I look forward to the incredible opportunities before us to progress our goal of leveraging our globally leading technology, in combination with our social purpose-driven, client-centric culture and brand, to create better health experiences across the entire health and wellness ecosystem.”
TELUS Health’s Chief Operating Officer, Michael Dingle, will oversee the transition and lead the integration of LifeWorks into the TELUS Health family. Michael’s deep industry expertise and proven track record of creating team, client and shareholder value will ensure the smooth transition of LifeWorks team members and clients.
“TELUS Health and LifeWorks will work closely together to define the strategy and plan to thoughtfully integrate the teams with minimal disruption to internal and external stakeholders. We are excited to come together as one team as we begin this journey to raise the bar on employee health and wellness for organizations around the world.”
Michael Dingle
With the completion of the transaction, LifeWorks has become a wholly owned subsidiary of TELUS, and will continue to execute on its growth strategy, amplified by TELUS Health’s existing suite of advanced digital health technologies. LifeWorks brings world leading digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals – mental, physical, financial and social. Also a trusted leader in mental health and wellbeing, LifeWorks delivers a personalized continuum of care that helps clients improve the lives of their people and by doing so, improves their business. As a part of the TELUS family, and by combining strengths with TELUS Health, together all clients globally have an opportunity to improve the wellbeing of their people, improve workforce engagement and productivity, which in turn improves the performance of their organizations.
"We are excited to be joining the TELUS Health team to further advance our market-leading health and wellness offerings on a global scale to better serve our clients and their people," said Stephen Liptrap, President and CEO of LifeWorks. "Combining our international client relationships with TELUS' proven expertise in digital transformation and service excellence will unlock significant cross-selling opportunities and deliver value to all stakeholders."
About TELUS Corporation
TELUS is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $17 billion in annual revenue and 17 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. Our social purpose is to leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. The numerous, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years from independent, industry-leading network insight firms showcase the strength and speed of TELUS’ global-leading networks, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better.
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FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
Tebra | November 22, 2022
Tebra, a leader in practice growth technology and cloud-based clinical and financial software, announced that its Chief Technology Officer Kyle Ryan was named in the Healthcare Technology Report’s list of Top 25 Healthcare Technology CTOs of 2022. The annual list recognizes the most accomplished executives in healthcare technology who are leading teams in delivering cutting edge products that boost operations and improve efficiency for their customers.
The CTOs on this year’s list have a wide range of impressive backgrounds, but each is the driving force behind their company’s technology innovations, ensuring software functionality and effectiveness. Read the full report here.
“Kyle has been an integral part of the executive leadership team at Tebra and has built a strong partnership between product management and the technology team within the organization. He has vast knowledge about healthcare IT and how it applies to solving business problems and is keenly customer focused and is always taking time to understand customer needs at a deeper level. Kyle’s an outstanding ambassador for the company and prides himself on developing a healthy and high-performance culture.”
Dan Rodrigues, CEO of Tebra
Kyle is responsible for all areas of technology with a focus on the vision and strategy for Tebra’s suite of products and services. He believes that great products are created through a keen customer focus, groundbreaking ideas, precise engineering, and efficient execution.
“I am honored to be included in this list of prestigious technology leaders,” Kyle said. “This recognition also highlights the technology team’s passion for improving healthcare and the company’s mission of providing independent practices with digital tools and support to thrive in a new era of healthcare.”
About Tebra
In 2021, with a combined mission to unlock better healthcare, Kareo and PatientPop joined forces to form Tebra — the operating system for the connected practice of the future. With an all-in-one, purpose-built platform to drive practice success and modernize every step of the patient journey, Tebra provides digital tools and support to attract new patients, deliver modern care, get paid quickly, and operate efficiently.
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HEALTHTECH SECURITY
Zócalo Health | October 12, 2022
Zócalo Health, a Latino-founded healthcare service designed for Latino patients, announced the launch of its primary care memberships for residents across California and Texas. Starting members can access same day virtual care visits and care navigation services via Zócalo’s website, introducing the Latino community to an improved and long overdue healthcare experience built on trust, relationships, and culture.
Zócalo Health, which premiered as an invite-only service to select members earlier this summer, was founded by Erik Cardenas and Mariza Hardin to strengthen the health and wellbeing of the Latino community by eliminating barriers to high-quality healthcare services. This multi-state launch demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to delivering affordable and accessible primary care that blends tradition with innovation and prioritizes trusting relationships between providers and patients.
Members will have access to a range of services and care options that would typically be addressed in primary care including: mental health conditions, preventative and lifestyle needs, chronic disease management, urgent care, and other more specific health conditions. The Zócalo primary care model includes the use of community health workers (CHWs) – or as they’re known in the Latino community, promotores de salud. Research shows CHWs are crucial to helping health systems achieve their full potential, since they work to connect patients to local resources and care. At Zócalo, promotores work individually with members to coordinate their care across a team of physicians, nurses, and mental health therapists, as well as connect members to needed resources across the community.
Clinicians and promotores are hired from the communities they serve and can provide culturally competent care in both English and Spanish. By building care teams that come from and look like the communities they serve, the team is better able to foster a primary care relationship with patients. Once care has been established with Zócalo Health, members have 24/7 access to chat with their promotor de salud to receive individual guidance on personal health goals and needs.
“Today, I am immensely proud to open up Zócalo Health’s services to the community. As a kid, I remember the long waits in the community health clinic to see a doctor who often did not speak Spanish. I had to act as a translator for my mom about my own care and help her navigate next steps. I felt guilty that my mom had to take time off from work for my appointment and pay for any prescriptions or additional care needed. For my family, no work meant no pay, so a doctor’s visit was a heavy burden on everyone,” said Zócalo Health CEO Erik Cardenas. “As the landscape for healthcare delivery has changed with technology, our community continues to get left behind. The one-size-fits-all model for healthcare doesn’t work for everyone. I owe it to my parents and my family to do better. Zócalo Health is focused on giving our people a community built around their healthcare needs.”
Despite the major cultural impact the Latino population has had on the U.S., and their increased spending power year after year, the U.S. healthcare system has been slow to adapt its services to the needs of this community’s unique health and cultural needs. Latinos still experience disproportionate barriers to healthcare access, particularly in primary care, where the average wait time to see a doctor is 24 days. This long delay, combined with fewer in-person appointments, high-deductible plans, and high out-of-pocket fees, results in many Latino patients avoiding treatment, using informal networks (family/friends), or waiting for hours in expensive emergency rooms to seek care. In addition to the existing disparities in healthcare access, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic impact have exacerbated health inequities for the Latino community, particularly when it comes to accessing high-quality primary care and preventative services.
“I’ve always been community-oriented and my role as a promotora gives me the opportunity to help other Latinos manage their health and navigate a system that unfortunately has not adapted to our needs. “I’m so excited to be able to guide my community through what can often be a stressful experience in order to deliver personalized care management from someone who understands our culture and needs. Our Zócalo Health team is ready to advocate for our members and ultimately impact our community’s health, one person at a time.”
Zócalo Health promotora Caroline Carbajal
Zócalo Health’s membership and payment options are designed to make access to primary care easy and affordable for Latinos. Services are offered through monthly memberships, with pricing starting at $40 per month or at a discounted rate of $420 a year when paid upfront.
Patients in California and Texas can now purchase a membership and schedule same-day virtual appointments by visiting zocalo.health. Zócalo Health plans to expand to other states in 2022 and beyond.
About Zócalo Health
Zócalo Health is a Latino-founded healthcare service designed for the Latino patient. Our primary care model blends tradition with innovation and prioritizes trusting relationships between care teams and patients. Each member of Zócalo Health is paired with a promotor de salud (community health worker) to establish a relationship to better understand members’ goals and connect them to a Zócalo Health physician. Our team of physicians, hired from the community, focus on prevention, primary care, behavioral health, and traditional practices that work together to support our members’ wellness. Operating in the states of California and Texas, Zócalo Health offers affordable and convenient care memberships that provide same-day access to culturally-aligned providers.
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HEALTH TECHNOLOGY
PointClickCare | October 11, 2022
PointClickCare Technologies, a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real‐time insights announced the launch of its Virtual Health offering – an integrated telemedicine solution to the Skilled Nursing Facilities market. With the help of partner Sound Physicians, this technology is currently being implemented in more than half of the states across the U.S. Over the next two days at the AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo, PointClickCare will be showcasing the innovative ways providers can better achieve quality care and reach the full potential of virtual health in the post‐acute setting.
According to the Forrester U.S. Tech Outlook, 2022 Report, investment in virtual health, remote monitoring, and hospital-at-home, are spending priorities in 2022. Forrester analysts have confirmed that these technologies have the power to reduce the cost of administrative complexity, which is currently $265 billion.
Recent data from the US Department of Health & Human Services explains that the share of Medicare visits conducted through telehealth rose to 52.7 million in 2020, from approximately 840,000 in 2019. Knowing that telehealth has become an increasingly important, yet sometimes complicated component of healthcare, PointClickCare has developed an alternative to traditional telehealth by applying technological improvements to offer an integrated solution.
“Telehealth is no longer a futuristic concept in long-term care, it’s table stakes. Our customers continue to navigate between care settings and our team has sought to innovate and push the envelope on providing virtual care. We’re proud to announce this technology that has been specifically designed to meet the mission‐critical needs of post‐acute providers to improve clinical care and reduce healthcare costs, consistently driving down hospital readmissions by 30%.”
Travis Palmquist, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Senior Care at PointClickCare
With PointClickCare’s Virtual Health offering, providers can now
Improve patient care & staff satisfaction: By streamlining operations through a sophisticated level of integration into existing workflows, care teams have access to shared patient records, and can cut down on administrative tasks and can focus on what matters most – patient care.
Reduce healthcare service costs: With the ability to “treat in place,” facilities experience stabilized occupancy rates and can reduce the need for after-hours readmissions or emergency room department transfers, ultimately lowering overall costs.
“The ongoing staffing crisis has created a new level of pressure for our staff. With PointClickCare’s Virtual Health solution, our care teams can access an on-shift physician with just one click, streamlining operations and cutting down on a lot of the administrative burdens we are faced with, all while ensuring our patients are getting the best quality of care, any time,” said Kevin Baxter, Vice President of Operations at Health Services Management.
About PointClickCare
PointClickCare is a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to real‐time insights at any stage of a patient’s healthcare journey. PointClickCare’s single platform spans the care continuum, fostering proactive, holistic decision‐making and improved outcomes for all. Over 27,000 long‐term post‐acute care providers, and 2,700 hospitals use PointClickCare today, enabling care collaboration and value‐based care delivery for millions of lives across North America.
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