Reduce IT Complexity and Improve Utilizations through Convergence

Traditional IT  operations have been historically difficult to manage and maintain. Typically viewed as an infrastructure-centric center that includes maintenance costs and complicated applications. Digital Health Space envisions the electronic  health record that enables work flow  by focusing on services that improves productivity. IT should be elastic, nimble, modular, integrated, streamlined, high-quality, automated and software-defined.

Health care providers,  hospitals, and other support personel are faced at times with overwhelming advances in technology.

WEBINAR  (on demand)

This webinar has been approved by HIMSS for up to 1 contact hour of continuing education credit toward renewal of the CPHIMS credential.

Health care personel tasked with evaluating and selecting solutions must critically evaluate software that minimally disrupts established workflow. Ethnology requires further project management for modifying established workflow for change if it is determined the new application is cost-effective and improves efficiency in the long run. Disruption may decrease efficiency for three to six months depending on it's compmlexity and learning curve.

Unfortunately deficits in software do not become apparent until after implementation. Contract negotiations must include provision for software modifications (patches) and the limitations imposed by vendors. 

The Internet of Things may also provide links from the EHR or other applications as an add-on

Digital Health...What is?

What is it ?

Digital health has grown from using a simple electronic health care record into a complex set of uses.

How Millenials are re-shaping digital health. This demographic began learning how to code in elementary school. By the time they reach high school or college they are competent in many forms of digital communications.  Many are very familiar with design of computers and their use for many tasks. All have taken examinations using computer testing methods.  Millenials use computers and software just as my generation previously learned to write with a #2 Yellow pencil and a legal size pad. If a #2 Pencil was not available, the fall back was a 

Bic pen 

or a PaperMate pen

Today's millenial physicians use smartphones, tablet pc and in the near future will be using wearables and speech driven input or output. Efficiency has become as important as quality for many reasons.

In Medical School and while training,  millenials used EHRs and became famiiar with health information exchanges.

During the past decade physicians and health personell had to be trained on the job. Now they are enrolled in courses such as the UC San Diego Course on Essentials of HIE.

Those who were early adopters of HIT will bear testimony to the difficulties using immature systems which actually decreased efficiency.

Ten or more years ago there were few physicians using electronic health record systems. The number has grown exponentially in the past five years (2010-2015), fueled by federal incentive dollars. The same applies to Health Information Exchanges.

Constructing Health Information Exchanges was difficult. There were few, if any models. HIEs required legal means for sharing private and confidential patient information.

In California several organizations have grown from a mish-mash of early committees, outlined here .

Health Information exchanges are now performing essential infrastructure activity, without which quality metrics, outcome studies, and administration of accountable care organizations could not take place. Nevertheless it will take time for the system to become integrated and build health community trust.

HIEs have yet to be formally evaluated nor determining "best of breed".  There are as yet many unanswered questions.

RAND: Systematic Review of Health Information Exchange

A Call To Action for a Nationwide Interoperable Health IT Infrastructure

The 'system' is still evolving, in some cases using trial and error planning.

In our next post we will discuss mobile health, telemedicine, remote monitoring and the anticipated role of the FDA and the FTC. The Federal Trade Commission pre-empted the FDA by sanctioning and filing a cease and desist order against fraudulent claims by 'MELAPP", a smartphone app claimed to be able to identify malignant melanomas.

Phil Bauman whose blog is  

                                 Health Is Social

                      Infusing Social Media into Healthcare

Awesome Referral Trick Using Facebook and DoctorBase

Feb 24

The only way we've seen Facebook consistently work for practices is through an automated integration with your existing practice management & survey software - meaning your patient reviews don't just appear on the web - they appear automatically on Facebook as well.


Through this software based methodology, each positive patient review generated through DoctorBase has the potential to reach approximately 600 of your patient's friends and family members through their News Feed. It's an incredibly exciting way to replace your simple Facebook Fan Page with something that actually works.
We're releasing a much more advanced version of this feature soon, and a much deeper level of integration into Facebook next week. You can setup a time to go over how this would work for your practice - the consultation is absolutely free.

Click Here to Setup a Consultation Time Convenient for You

"Many thanks to all at DoctorBase, a necessary component of today's world of social media and internet presence. It has been a great addition to our group." Dr. Henry Mentz, MD, FACS

This email was sent to gmlevinmd@gmail.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may unsubscribe at any time.

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The Internet of Things-The Reality of Connected Health Care

Health Care is connected. 

How will IoT be able to increase the efficiency of the system benefiting both practitioner and patient alike?

Health Information Exchange, Portals, eRX, Mobile Health Apps, Health Insurance Portals, Secure email, Telemedicine, Webinars and the Cloud  During the past decade siloes of information have diminished substantially.

PROS:

While interconnectivity can be a good thing there are some precautionary tales to tell.

CONS:

Privacy, and security are at risk from cyber-sleuths who attempt to financially gain by accessing data-bases such as health insurance records, EHRs, Health Information Exchanges, and government data bases to retrieve personal information such as social security numbers, driver's license numbers and other data to be used and or sold. Criminal enterprises exist with the sole purpose of stealing digital data to be sold to other parties. Many physicians are reluctant to use cloud technology for storing patient records, however this is becoming more commonplace, as it decreases capital investment and the need for onsite software upgrades.

The 2015 HIPAA Toolkit and Customizable Compliance Plan aids in minimizing these risks.

"The Internet of Things, the idea that everything will someday be totally connected, is no longer a Jetson’s era fantasy. It’s becoming closer to a reality in healthcare."

We’ve discussed IoT in healthcare and what its impact could be, but what would that look like? How can healthcare be ready for this total connectivity? Most importantly, how will IoT be able to increase the efficiency of the system benefiting both practitioner and patient alike?

Forbes discusses how IoT will be able to increase efficiency in healthcare in multiple ways

For example, some hospitals have begun to use smart beds, alerting nurses when patients are trying to get up, or the bed itself can help patients get up using varying pressure and support. Devices can even help patients once they leave the hospital like smart pill bottles that know when a prescription needs to be refilled or a patient hasn’t take their medicine."

"Greater connectivity will become apparent with these new devices, but how can these technologies be incorporated into everyday practices? Take for example Google Glass. Pierre Theodore, MD talks about the possibilities that Google Glass can provide for the doctor as opposed to the consumer. "

Remote monitoring promises to be valuable as a data collection source for patients during everyday activities. These metrics will be transmited to the cloud or directly to a provider's EHR for analysis.

Wearables offer self monitoring of fitness, blood pressure, pulse and other metrics for preventive health care. The addition of cell and internet connectivity brings these metrics to the provider. AliveCor offers a smartphone ECG real-time measurement device.

A series of white papers and e-Books are available, as well as Webinars, Stages of Meaningful Use and MU News

About the Author: Kelley Sullivan currently resides in the Boston area and is a health IT blogger at DICOM Grid. This article was originally published on DICOM Grid and is republished here with permission.

Health Care Social Media in Academia

In 2010 few in academia or clinical medicine appreciated how social media would evolve, and contribute to the spread of knowledge and analytics.

Today many institutions have established formal social media departments. The Mayo Clinic was one of the first institutions to offer a social media residency program.  Lee Aase is a pioneer in this effort, offering a social media residency program which offers a formal course catalog and learning modules.

Many #hcsm efforts are those of private individuals who develop their own private network of healthcare social media enthusiasts. What began for some as a hobby has evolved into formal analytics and networks. The introduction of computer algorithms has expanded the social media niche into a rich testbed for studies of population health as well as disease.

Symplur Signals offers a launching point about health care social media analytics and Symplur hashtags is the ontologic equivalent to Webster's dictionary. Symplur also categorizes hashtags for tweetchats , conferences, diseases, ontologies, and a summary page. 

In addition to private social networks the true power of social media is in the proliferation of platforms such as twitter, facebook, google plus, rss feeds, blogger, wordpress.  The ease with which anyone can publish is a double edged sword. Twitter, facebook, google plus, linkedin, offer their own search capabilities and at times bypass google search, focusing on relevant health sites.

A relevant question is,

 Which social media platform should you use?"

Hospitals, Clinics, Universities all have their own Facebook page, Google plus page, Twitter, and a presence on other social media platforms.

The USC Digital Scholar Training Initiative offers courses in 

Using Social Media Data to Gain Insights into Community Trends

Calif. Bill Aims To Limit Which Rx Drugs Are Listed in High-Cost Tiers

by:  California Healthline, Thursday, February 19, 2015

California lawmakers are considering a bill (AB 339) that aims to keep prescription drug costs down by limiting which medications insurers can include in the highest-cost drug tier, Capital Public Radio's "KXJZ News" reports.

Details of Bill

AB 339, by Assembly member Richard Gordon (D-Los Altos), would prevent insurers from placing all of the prescription drugs to treat a certain condition in the highest-cost tier of a drug formulary.

According to Gordon, insurers often place high-cost medications into such specialty tiers, which forces patients to pay a larger share of the prescription drug's price. For example, Gordon explained that if "all of the HIV drugs are in a very expensive top-tier category, that would appear to be discriminatory" (Bartolone, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 2/18).

In addition, the bill would require:

• All health plans offered, renewed or amended after Jan. 1, 2016, that cover outpatient prescription drugs to offer coverage for medically necessary medications that do not have a therapeutic equivalent; and
• The California Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance to define by Jan. 1, 2017, a "specialty prescription drug" category that would be subject to limitations (AB 339, 2/13).

Health Insurer Reaction

Nicole Kasabian Evans with the California Association of Health Plans said the bill could be misleading, noting that patients pay higher shares of specialty drugs because they often are very expensive.

She said, "Bills like this give a false sense that drug costs are going to be reduced, when in reality costs are just shifted from your out-of-pocket costs to premiums."

Health insurers also contend that out-of-pocket costs already are capped under the Affordable Care Act. They say a better way to address high prescription drug costs would be to have drugmakers be more transparent about how prices are set

("KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 2/18).

Source: California Healthline, Thursday, February 19, 2015

Keyboard....Get Rid of It

Just as EHRs begin to comply with meaningful use and  ICD-10 codes, think "touch".

Next-generation desktops point to a touch-driven future

Perhaps not as 'sexy' or exciting as the screens Tom Cruise used to manipulate objects in Mission Impossible, the next generation of commercial desktops will follow suit along with their current offspring of mobile apps on tablets and smartphones. In fact the touch screen may allow form factors that are unique, attached to or built into a variety of office furniture (desks, walls, and doors).

HP's Sprout and Dell's conceptual Smart Desk show how touch-driven work surfaces can breathe new life into the desktop form factor.

What is in your future?

Desktop PC shipments have certainly declined in recent years, as sales of portable computers have taken off:

A recent desktop PC evolution, following Apple's lead with the iMac, is the all-in-one (AIO) computer: all the major Windows PC manufacturers (Lenovo, HP, Dell) now offer big-screen AIO systems -- some of them touch-enabled. However, navigating a desktop OS on a big vertically oriented touchscreen is a recipe for 'gorilla arm', which is why the most recent developments, spearheaded by HP, seek to blend the best of the desktop experience with the best of the tablet experience, with some intriguing extras thrown in.

HP Sprout

HP''s Sprout is an 'immersive computing' platform that's the first product to emerge from the company's Blended Reality ecosystem, which will in due course also include MultiJet Fusion 3D printers.

Dell Smart Desk

Dell unveiled its conceptual Smart Desk in November last year. Yet to appear as a finished product, the Smart Desk couples a large (5K) screen PC with a horizontal touch-sensitive work surface that can be driven by fingers, stylus or other 'totems' such as a ruler or a compass-like circular object for use with Google Maps. To exploit the work surface/PC platform, Dell talks of "plug-ins to key ISV applications" (Dell's promotional image clearly shows Adobe Photoshop. 

Take all of this and add Windows 10 ....  

Windows 10: What we know and what we think we know (courtesy of cnet.com)

Windows 10 Video

Built-in or Bolted-on ICD-10: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?

What You Need to Know about the Different Solutions for ICD-10

The bottom line

Diagnostic codes will rise from 13,000 to more than 68,000 – a nearly 425% increase.

The Biggest Challenge DoctorsWill Face

Built-in or Bolted-on ICD-10: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter? What You Need to Know about the Different Solutions for ICD-10.

Most doctors, if not their office managers, are aware of the impending chage i medical diagnositc coes that will take effect. Medical pratices will have a massive adjustmet beginning on October 1, 2015 with the introduction of the 10th revision of the Internationnal Statistical Classification of Diseas (ICD 10), a medical classificatin list by the World Health Orgaizati (WHO). Proper knowldedge and use of the codes in billig for services will determine if doctors ge paid.


The problem that most EHR  vendors have is that they don't have the EHR data recorded in a way that that they could create an  algorithm to identify a specific ICD-10 code.

Many of today's current generation of EHRs billing codes generate effortlessly right along with examination notes. Converting from a numeric five digit to a seven digit alpha-numeric code will be a major change for billing accurately.  The new system uses codes for L or R or bilateral diagnoses, instead of modifiers.

Providers should not panic, nor underestimate the nature of the change.  Some experts advise to plan on securing loans to help finance the transition and to cover monetary losses due to the conversion process.  Staff planning and training are essential.

Many EHR vendors say their systems are EHR ready, but this may only be mapping or translation tools rather than an integrated coding system.

Summary:

Just having 68,000 codes in your EMR system to choose from in long lists isn't a time-saving or cost-effective option.  For efficiency, billing codes should generate effortlessly right alog with with your exam notes. Your EMR must be built around ICD-10--it should be it's native tongue', and not have ICD-10 conversion bolted on.

ref:

GE recalls 10,000+ MRI systems after FDA deems them potentially deadly, citing poor training

The FDA just deemed all GE Healthcare ($GE) MRIs with superconducting magnets potentially deadly by classifying the recall of nearly 13,000 of the imaging systems into the most serious Class I category. This means there is a reasonable probability that the device "will cause serious adverse health consequences or death."

The recall covers about 25 different MRIs, including several versions of the Signa brand and three versions of the Discovery brand. The notice posted on the FDA website on Feb. 18 also contains the affected lot and serial numbers, as well as the system ID.

The Discovery MR750 is one of several GE MRI systems being recalled.--Courtesy of GE

FDA RECALL NOTICE:

The notice includes these instructions and test procedures

GE Healthcare sent an "Urgent Medical Device Correction" letter GEHC Ref# 60876 dated January 6, 2015 to affected consignees. The letter was addressed to Hospital Administrators / Risk Managers, Radiology Department Managers, & Radiologists. The letter described the Safety Issue, Safety Instructions, Affected Product Details, Product Correction & Contact Information. Customers were instructed to do the following: As a preventative measure, confirm that MRU is connected to the magnet by performing the following four step test on the MRU. 1. Verify the green CHARGER POWER LED is lit. 2. Depress and hold the TEST BATTERY switch for 15 seconds. The green BATTERY TEST LED should light and remain lit while the TEST BATTERY switch is depressed. 3. Place the TEST HEATER toggle switch in the A position. The green HEATER TEST LED should light. If it does not light, depress TEST HEATER LED switch to verify that the LED is functioning. 4. Place the TEST HEATER toggle switch in the B position. Green HEATER TEST LED should light. If it does not light, depress TEST HEATER LED switch to verify that the LED is functioning. If the MRU test does not perform as described in each of the 4 steps above, GEHC strongly recommends that you stop using the system, and immediately call your GEHC representative. Customers with questions may contact their local service representative. For questions regarding this recall call 262-513-4122.

Digital  Health Space is carrying this announcement as an urgent medical device safety warning.  Further questions should be addressed to your local provider(s)

FDA medical safety alerts can be found 

The Democratization of Health Care and The Future of Medicine

There are several medical bloggers I follow faithfully using their RSS feeds.  ScienceRoll, written by Berci Mesko M.D. who considers himself an expert on the future of medicine, or at least has a comprehension of what has and what will happen with technology in medicine. It is an excellent source and stimulates my appetite for what is coming to us all.

In addition to technological advances, providers and patients alike  have advanced, some due to  technology, but also a new attitude for both parties. Some of it is fueled by the internet.  As the internet content  has evolved it eases the physician workload by the ability to outsource some education, and training to the patient and/or their family. The time saving is unmeasurable, and must be included in the increased efficiency of physicians, spending less time in order to see more patients with decreasing reimbursement. It is especially helpful for chronic medical conditions where patients and fa   v milies can read assigned article by their physicians.

Many patients and families have formed advocacy groups and social media communities focused on specific ailments, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and other maladies that are less prevalent. These sites are often more beneficial to patients than seeing their physician once they are diagnosed. Patients often provide information amongst themselves that physicians do not address due to time constraints, or just plain ignorance in terms of daily living.  A patient or family can Google the disease, or search on  Facebook and/or Google + for Crohn's Disease (example) and quickly develop a contact with a fellow patient who may have more experience due to age, and/or family history.

In a recent post on Health Train Express  about where patients go on the internet to find health care information there are many different credible sources.

Patient centered medicine and patients such as ePatientDave harmonize with provider to improve patient care. Dave deBronkhart has his own story of medical misadventures. He tells a tale of poor communications leading to anxiety and apprehension, in addition to a possibly fatal illness.

Then there is Regina Holliday whose Medical Advocacy Blog and the Walking Gallery present an artist's view of health care. She is often in the back of the room painting what she sees at the medical conference

A Boost for Mobile Health

Parallel 6 Appoints David Lee Scher, M.D., Pioneer in Digital Health Technology, as its Chief Medical Advisor to Scientific Advisory Board - 


Parallel 6, an enterprise mobile technology company, has appointed David Lee Scher, M.D. as the Chief Medical Advisor of Parallel 6's Scientific Advisory Board. As a practicing cardiac electrophysiologist for more than 25 years and an experienced clinical trial investigator, his expertise makes him a knowledgeable resource to Parallel 6's Clinical Reach, an end-to-end technology solution for clinical trial recruitment and retention. His dedication to merge healthcare and technology is recognized worldwide as he travels globally to speak about the necessity of mobile health technologies, as outlined in his blog 'Five Reasons Why Mobile Technology Needs Clinical Trials.' - 



This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit - See more at:

The use of mobile health apps has not accelerated as quickly as industry pundits predict.

Mobile health apps can be classified as

1. Consumer oriented for accumulating data for evaluation of fitness,reporting on exercise routines. These are wearable devices and do not communicate activities in real time.
2. Patient portals for clinics, hospitals, and to give patients access to laboratory results, imaging reports, messaging, appointments
3. EHR mobile applications to add mobile functionality for providers, and hospitals
4. Provider oriented

Consumer oriented mobile health apps are readily available for download at the iTunes store for iOS ( Apple products, ie iPad, iPhone, iMac and Macbook.) 

Many are also available on the Google Chrome Store

Mobile apps span a wide range of health functions. While many mobile apps carry minimal risk, those that can pose a greater risk to patients will require FDA review.

Please visit the mobile medical apps example page for a list of examples of mobile medical apps that have been cleared or approved by the FDA. Visit the Examples of MMAs the FDA regulates webpage for a more detailed list of examples of mobile apps that would require FDA review.

Mobile apps for which the FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion

For many mobile apps that meet the regulatory definition of a “device” but pose minimal risk to patients and consumers, the FDA will exercise enforcement discretions and will not expect manufacturers to submit premarket review applications or to register and list their apps with the FDA. This includes mobile medical apps that:

• Help patients/users self-manage their disease or condition without providing specific treatment suggestions;
• Provide patients with simple tools to organize and track their health information;
• Provide easy access to information related to health conditions or treatments;
• Help patients document, show or communicate potential medical conditions to health care providers;
• Automate simple tasks for health care providers; or
• Enable patients or providers to interact with Personal Health Records (PHR) or Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.

For a more detailed list of examples of these types of mobile medical apps that do not require FDA review, please visit the webpage Examples of Mobile Apps for which the FDA will exercise enforcement discretion.

The FDA issued guidance for FDA drug and device staff. (pdf download)

Mobile Medical Application (Mobile Medical App) For purposes of this guidance, a “mobile medical app” is a mobile app that meets the definition of device in section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) - 7 - 4 ; and either is intended: · to be used as an accessory to a regulated medical device; or · to transform a mobile platform into a regulated medical device.

Keeping Up with Progress in Mobile Medical Apps

 Get Consumer Updates by E-mail

IT (including HIT) will increase in 2015,2015

Health Train Express will be covering new facts and newsworthy articles in health care.  Link to us using RSS, Like us on Facebook, follow us on Facebook, Google, and #healthtrain on twitter, or subscribe on one of our web pages.

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Reading Between the Lines: The President's Budget Proposal

By Drew Doggett

Top Line: IT Spending What You Heard: Federal IT spending will tick up to $86.4 billion this year, a 3 percent increase from 2014. 

What it Means: The increase pales in comparison to the 7 percent average from 2001-2009. The Obama administration says it’s due to greater technological efficiencies, National Journal reports.

Average IT spending growth has been down 1.5 percent since 2010, and Obama’s request is coming in high in hopes of ensuring he gets at least as much in 2016. Look for Congress to appropriate less than the president’s request, but more than the ceiling allowed by the four-year-old budget law.

Instead of just spending more, the administration’s goal is to cut out unnecessary technology spending. That’s what’s driving programs like PortfolioStat, which former Acting Federal CIO Lisa Schlosser says has saved agencies $2.7 billion to date. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been pressing agencies to use less expensive technologies to gain the same level of service, writes David Stegon atFedTech. What’s saved can then be plowed back into mission-critical needs. And not all agencies are treated equally. See the chart below.

Expand U.S. Digital Service

What it Means: Obama now believes the USDS, conceived a year ago, can graduate from its startup phase and roll out across government. The aim is to bring proven private sector expertise to federal IT challenges. The USDS is run by Google veteran Mikey Dickerson, who revamped the Healthcare.gov site, and is now training his eyes on the VA IT systems and others. This will not impact EHR, or HIX. Funding for those was through the HITECH ACT, which incentivized capital investment in the private sector for it's implementation.

Cyber Sharing
What You Heard: The budget calls for $227 million to build a Civilian Cyber Campus to “better share information on cyber threats and incidents with those being targeted, improve the ability to share evidence of cyber-crimes with other nations, and maintain efforts to increase the Nation's cyber workforce.”

What it Means: After recent high-profile hacks, the proposal aims to protect the privacy and security of Americans by requiring companies to comply with strict guidelines for sharing customer information, such as removing unnecessary and liable personal information used purely for advertisers. The administration also wants to increase data transparency between the private and public sectors, if a breach were to occur.

Previously, a company could suffer a breach and not report it to the government. Soon it could be law. The proposals also enhance collaboration between agencies so relevant data can be shared at a faster pace.

Cyber Defense

What You Heard: The request illustrates a focus on open government data as a catalyst for the private sector. It provides $16 million for E-government initiatives in GSA’s Federal Citizen Services Fund, supporting important IT investments such as open data and digital government initiatives.

What it Means: A federal data-breach notification would raise awareness about the issue at companies by making it a bigger part of company policy,” said Tony Cole, VP and global government CTO with security firm FireEye. However, only 31 percent of companies surveyed by a PricewaterhouseCoopers study had a mobile security strategy and many feel that such proposals are just lip service. Cybersecurity appreciation is needed at both the executive and employee level of all corporations.

Compared to the period 2006-2009 overall HIT spending is down, and it will rise again in 2015 to level off in 2016. This reflect technology implementation at a rapid rate earlier.

Blueprint Health Reveals 7th Class of Digital Health Startups

2013-2014 has been a banner year for digital health startups.  Many belong to TechStars’ Global Accelerator Network. Today’s addition of seven companies brings the accelerator’s total to 60 digital health with more than 140 entrepreneurs in Blueprint’s alumni community. Blueprint Health, a NYC based mentor-focused health technology accelerator has revealed its Winter 2015 Accelerator class (seventh class) of seven digital health startups to its portfolio.

Observation indicates the trend will continue as many investors see digital health as the golden goose of startup opportunities.  Today’s addition of seven companies brings the accelerator’s total to 60 digital health with more than 140 entrepreneurs in Blueprint’s alumni community. 

To date, 85% of Blueprint’s companies are still in operation and 85% of those companies are generating revenue.  Blueprint also supports the largest structured mentor network in the digital health space, with almost 200 senior level health executives providing mentorship and support to companies in the portfolio. 

From Signifikance, a data driven company that identifies clinically actionable genetic mutations for cancer to Moving Analytics, a telehealth platform for home-based cardiac rehab, Blueprint Health’s seventh class is focused building problem-solving B2B healthcare solutions.  .

Rock Health, another conglomerate has been in operation for several years. Digital health funding surpassed $4.1B in 2014 according to the recent Digital Health Funding: Year in Review 2014 Report by Rock Health. (Report download here).

Rock Health SlideShares

Watch the archived webinar  

The report found digital health funding in 2014 surpassed $4.1B, nearly the total of all three prior years combined, and representing 124% year over year (YoY) growth. 258 companies received funding with an average deal size of $14.1M, an increase of nearly 40% YoY. 

Rockhealth Slide Shares

The New Currency for Health is Data. 

The conversion from conventional volume based reimbursement (fee-for-service) to a system based on good outcomes, fewer readmissions and quality ranking is in the early stage of formation. Nirvana will not appear quickly, as no one as yet has identified what to measure. Proponents are pointing to several metrics to accomplish this transformation using catalytic innovation. The disruptive technology of EHR, HIX, mHealth and wearable monitoring will  fuel this change.  Look for a gradual parallel system of fee-for-service and the new method.

Several additonal steps are necessary, one possibility is  the Accountable Care Organization.  ACOs are experiencing fitful starts with some organizations starting and then abandoning the expensive transition in organizational culture, and the investment in digital technology.  One of these is the federally funded Pioneer ACO.

Once the new metric is established the ACO may be the vehicle for adoption. It is complicated. ACOs are predicted to foster competition in cost and quality of care. Cost is  easy to measure, however no one can say how to measure quality of care. Is it outcomes, fewer complications, shorter stays, consumer satisfaction, and/or accessibility ? Possibly all of the above.