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The uncertainty and risk created by pandemic-related disruptions in care have health plans in uncharted water when it comes to relying on claims data and utilization patterns to inform their risk models. But while these disruptions weakened the reliability of traditional risk models, they also created opportunities to deepen and enrich member data by leveraging consumer and other data related to social determinants of health (SDoH)that can deliver significant performance and accuracy benefits.

Expanding data sources and enhancing analytics capabilities allows health plans to develop the capacity for more precise, holistic member engagement while improving the most impactful health outcomes in individuals and populations. Doing so will help lift Star Ratings, improve care compliance, close gaps, enhance member satisfaction, reduce costs and drive profitability gains.

HIT Consultant»

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – September 2, 2021 – Two top data integrity powerhouses have joined forces to bring healthcare organizations an unmatched level of innovation and expertise to solve the industry’s toughest data integrity challenges. As part of Harris Healthcare’s Data Integrity Solutions (DIS) Business Unit, Just Associates, Inc., andQuadraMed^® Corporation are now partnered to deliver the advanced services and technology solutions needed to address the broad spectrum of challenges associated with patient matching and data integrity.

“Together, these highly experienced organizations will provide clients with best-in-class, industry-leading data integrity services and software that address key health information issues by reducing potential duplicate medical records and minimizing the ongoing cost of maintaining quality patient data,” said Lora Hefton, executive vice president, Harris’ DIS Business Unit.

CHICAGO – September 2, 2021 – The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Association announced the results of its annual Executive Committee elections for terms beginning July 1, 2021. The EHR Association is a trade association of nearly 30 companies that serve most of the nation’s hospitals and ambulatory care organizations using electronic health records (EHRs) and other health information and technology to deliver high quality, efficient care to their patients.

Hans Buitendijk, Director of Interoperability Strategy with the Cerner Corporation, continues as Chair of the Executive Committee, which establishes the Association’s guiding principles and develops and implements strategic plans. David Bucciferro, Senior Advisor at Foothold Technology, returns as Vice Chair.

MINNEAPOLIS — August 26, 2021 – Carrot Health, a leading provider of healthcare solutions powered by consumer and claims data, ranked among the top 400 fastest-growing private companies in its inaugural appearance on the 2021 Inc. 5000. The company revealed today that it ranked No. 311 on the annual list with a three-year revenue growth of 1481.5% – an announcement that comes on the heels of Carrot Health’s acquisition by Unite Us, the nation’s leading technology company connecting health and social care services.

“Our growth is a direct result of the shift in the nation’s focus toward creating health equity and improving equitable access to care, which reflects Carrot Health’s long-time mission to help shape a future without health disparities in which everyone nationwide is able to lead their healthiest lives,” said Kurt Waltenbaugh, CEO of Carrot Health. “To be recognized among the elite companies that make up the top 500 fastest-growing private companies is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the entire Carrot Health team.”

At the intersection of health tech and diagnostics, hc1's CEO Brad Bostic talked about the company's origins and how it works with medical laboratories, hospitals and health plans.

The trade association for electronic health record (EHR) companies is asking the government to postpone civil monetary penalties for EHR developers and health information networks and exchanges that run afoul of new information-blocking regulations. The group contends that the industry needs to become familiar with the requirements and figure out how to comply with them.

Officials of the Electronic Health Record Association (EHRA) revealed the request during a press conference at the Health Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) convention in Las Vegas this week

The healthcare industry will be discussing COVID-19 lessons learned for the foreseeable future. Yet one take-away stands out as a glaring issue that demands immediate attention: keeping critical patient and public health data locked away in disconnected databases and multiple data siloes is not only unsustainable, but potentially deadly.

From the point when COVID-19 arrived in the U.S., public health officials lacked critical information and proactive real-time insights into the ebb and flow of the virus — denying them the ability to mobilize highly effective localized responses.

(INDIANAPOLIS, July 13, 2021) --  hc1, the leader in critical insight, analytics, and solutions for precision health, today announced it will host the second annual Precision Health Virtual Summit, a free, two-day virtual event taking place Aug. 31- Sept. 1, 2021, in partnership with Becker’s Healthcare. The event will bring together healthcare leaders and experts to focus on implementing precision health practices into care delivery, bringing the benefits of precision health to all patients.

The 2021 Precision Health Virtual Summit serves to showcase how advances in data-driven care by Precision Health Insight Networks (PHINs) are reducing overwhelming complexity in our care delivery system. Historically, the information clinicians required to deliver personalized, precise care was locked away in disconnected databases, buried in medical journals and isolated in multiple patient data silos. PHINs enable healthcare providers to uncover actionable insights in real-time to identify the right testing and prescriptions for optimal outcomes at the lowest cost.

MINNEAPOLIS – July 1, 2021 – Carrot Health, a leading provider of healthcare solutions powered by consumer and claims data, has received the Fire Award from Minne Inno, which covers the Twin Cities’ burgeoning startup and technology communities. Honored in the high-tech category, Carrot Health was one of 50 companies from across Minnesota to be recognized in the 2021 awards.

“Recognition by Minne Inno with a Fire Award validates Carrot Health’s mission to help shape a future without health disparities in which everyone nationwide is able to lead their healthiest lives,” said Kurt Waltenbaugh, CEO of Carrot Health. “The state’s vibrant high-tech community is made up of some of the nation’s most innovative, leading edge companies, which makes this honor even more meaningful.”

Wellesley, MA — June 29, 2021 –– Hayes, makers of the industry’s leading integrated auditing, billing compliance and revenue integrity platform for the nation’s premier healthcare organizations, announced today that CTO Ritesh Ramesh was recognized by the Globee^® Awards as Chief Technology Officer of the Year in the 16^th Annual 2021 IT World Awards^®. Ramesh, who took top honors in the IT Software category, was recognized for his work leveraging augmented intelligence (AI) to transform both the company and its revenue integrity platform.

Typical attempts at defining, quantifying, and measuring social determinants of health (SDoH) are limited to geographic or population averages, which often mask individuals’ discrete and unique experiences. They can, therefore, lead organizations to implement costly and inefficient programs instead of addressing individuals’ actual barriers that represent the greatest potential for improving health outcomes and return on investment.

Recognizing this, the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) sought to gain a better understanding of the unique fingerprint of risk within its members’ patient populations—knowledge that would lead to more effective strategies for its members to address emergency department (ED) super-utilization and readmission rates with interventions that would produce the greatest return on investment.

For healthcare organizations to succeed in an era where they are expected to deliver optimal patient results at the lowest cost, they need to abandon traditional low-value care models, which are characterized by patient care that does not lead to better outcomes. This inefficient practice can be detrimental to patients and costs the healthcare industry more than $340 billion per year.

Understanding how this process occurs — and how to eliminate it — is the first step toward implementing a high-value care strategy that works proactively toward lowering costs and improving results. And the best place to start is the lab, where blood and test utilization are responsible for most of the waste and inefficiencies that reside across the healthcare industry.

Minority communities are incredibly diverse, particularly when looking at population mix and rural vs. urban areas. From different household makeups and risk factors to varying engagement preferences, that diversity also impacts health outcomes—a reality laid bare by COVID-19.

An analysis by Carrot Health found that rural communities bear the highest burden of COVID-19, while Black and Hispanic populations are the most adversely impacted by the virus.

MINNEAPOLIS – May 25, 2021 – Carrot Health, a leading provider of healthcare solutions powered by consumer and claims data, announced today that health plans utilizing its Carrot MarketView® platform realized a 2021 Medicare annual election period (AEP) growth rate twice that of their competition. This includes average member retention rates of more than 95% across all health plan customers and new member conversion rates 5.2 times higher when Carrot Health predictive modeling was used.

New Carrot Health customers were particularly successful, with 73% outperforming 2020 AEP. Collectively, new customers grew memberships by nearly 4% during 2021 AEP, following declines in 2020.

The pace of scientific advancement moves faster than ever, and today’s providers, by and large, are open to embracing new best practices and better approaches to medicine. When it comes to optimizing the bottom line, though, many physicians are hesitant to give up traditional manual approaches to revenue cycle management and embrace forward-thinking, data-driven revenue integrity models.

Yet, the stakes are higher than ever for taking a strategic approach to financial health. Today’s practices are facing some of the tightest operational margins in modern history, amid challenges brought on by COVID-19, a continuous decline in reimbursements, and the shift from traditional fee-for-service models to value-based care.