HIMSS21 Day 3: Avera Health Strives to Improve Precision Oncology Care

August 12, 2021 - Companies and vendors announced new partnerships and offerings that aim to benefit both patients and providers on the third day of the HIMSS Global Health Conference.

FHIR API Offers Free Testing for CMS Rule Compliance

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) platform 1upHealth has announced that it will offer free baseline testing to health plans to see if they are complying with CMS’ Interoperability and Patient Access final rule.

The Patient Access rule requires government-regulated health plans like Medicare and Medicaid to maintain an application programming interface (API) that allows patients to access their claims and clinical data using a third-party app.

“Every one of 1upHealth’s customers went live with the required APIs by July 1,” Ricky Sahu, founder and chief executive officer of 1upHealth, said in the press release. “Unfortunately, many health plans are still struggling with the implementation of FHIR APIs since this is all new to them.”

The FHIR platform’s service will test the connectivity between a health plan’s API and its third-party application to ensure it is meeting CMS’ requirements. READ MORE

Avera Health Partnership Seeks to Improve Cancer Care

Health system Avera Health is partnering with patient-centered health intelligence company Sema4 to improve precision oncology care. Sema4’s platform aims to organize and integrate genomic data that will further cancer research and care at Avera Health’s 300 locations.

“Sema4 will deliver predictive disease network models and clinically actionable insights, empowering Avera Health’s providers to further improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer for their patients,” stated the press release.

The partnership will also give Avera Health easier access to patients’ clinical data, allow them to view patient treatment history, and improve their ability to match patients to clinical trials. READ MORE

Nordic Consulting Partners With Fortified Health Security

Global health and technology consulting company Nordic Consulting has partnered with healthcare cybersecurity company Fortified Health Security. The two companies will work together to provide security advisory services, managed cybersecurity programs, incident response services, and threat intelligence for their clients.

“The Nordic and Fortified partnership will deliver an approach to combating cyber threats which takes into consideration all of the nuances surrounding healthcare such as sensitive clinical infrastructure and data, regulatory requirements, and cyber-resourcing challenges,” Dan Dodson, chief executive officer of Fortified Health Security, said in the press release.

The partnership will combine business objectives and security risk management to help healthcare organizations address and combat cyber threats. READ MORE

Cloud Technology Aims to Improve Patient Experience

Technology company Avaya introduced its new portfolio of solutions for healthcare at the HIMSS conference. Avaya OneCloud Solutions is designed to improve patient experience and increase efficiency for the more than 3,000 healthcare institutions that Avaya serves.

The portfolio will help health systems personalize and coordinate care plans, improve patient outcomes, assist with pandemic management solutions, and more.

“A care team’s ability to communicate with patients along their health journey is vital to the mission of supporting care plans and reducing readmissions,” Jim Rogers, senior director of healthcare practice at Avaya, said in the press release. “By connecting people, resources, data, and solutions, customers can optimize operations and reduce risk while increasing operational efficiency and profitability.” READ MORE

Population Health Collaboration Helps Predict Genetic Risk

Lightbeam Health Solutions, a population health management company, is partnering with Ambry Genetics, a Konica Minolta Precision Medicine company, to help healthcare organizations predict common cancer and chronic condition risks in patient populations.

Over one million Americans receive cancer diagnoses every year and this partnership seeks to reduce this number by providing tools that providers can use for early detection and prevention.

“We believe this partnership with Ambry Genetics will positively impact lives with its ability to indicate whether a person is high-risk for cancer or other diseases,” Pat Cline, chief executive officer of Lightbeam stated in the press release. In combination with our industry-lead analytics platform, Ambry’s genetic data further enhances how Lightbeam clients can improve quality, reduce costs, and positively impact outcomes for the populations they serve.” READ MORE