Bonus Features – June 18, 2023 – 68% of health systems lack the staff to handle another health crisis, 46% of Americans are using consumer health tech, and more

Brian Eastwood

Welcome to the weekly edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features. This article will be a weekly roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more. Because there’s so much happening out there in healthcare IT we aren’t able to cover in our full articles, we still want to make sure you’re informed of all the latest news, announcements, and stories happening to help you better do your job.

Reports

More than two-thirds of health systems lack the nursing staff to handle a large-scale health crisis, according to an Incredible Health survey. A staggering 94% of executives said the nurse shortage at their organization is critical, in part because 53% of nurses have less than five years of experience.

Nearly half (46%) of Americans are using consumer health tech such as smartwatches and medical-grade health monitors, according to survey data from AnalyticsIQ. Black and Latino groups had the highest utilization of all ethnicities surveyed, while Gen X consumers had the highest usage of any age group.

A survey by Brightside Health found that 78% of people receiving mental health treatment prefer online therapy to in-person appointments or have no preference about where they receive care.

The latest Syntellis Performance Trends report showed hospital margins in the black – barely – for the second consecutive month. But the gains may be short-lived, as labor expenses as well as charity care cases both continue to rise.

Partnerships

• Physician enablement software vendor Pearl Health is partnering with Story Health, a specialty care provider, to deliver value-based cardiology care.
• OutCare Health is teaming with Pear Suite to connect patients with LGBTQ+ affirming providers, community health resources, support groups, and more.
• Medical device security vendor MedCrypt is partnering with Stratigos to provide specialized penetration tests for medical device.

Products

• Payment analytics company Clarify Health launched updates to Clarify Advance that reward PCPs for making referrals to high-quality specialists.
• 3-D printing company FormLabs introduced two new medical-grade materials for dental forms and surgical instruments, respectively.
• New York HIE entity Hixny updated its snapshot application to help providers screen patients for SDOH.
• STAT Health emerged from stealth and launched an in-ear wearable to measure blood flow to the head and monitor symptoms such as dizziness and fainting.
• XRHealth received a U.S. patent for closed loop biofeedback in virtual reality and augmented reality for physical therapy.
• The Kalderos Drug Discount Management platform identified nearly $1 billion in inaccurate Medicaid drug rebates from 2016 to early 2023.

Sales

• MedStar Health chose Luna as the technology provider for its new Physical Therapy at Home program.
• Iowa-based Captive Health selected KeyCare to provide 24/7 access to virtual care for its covered members.
• Texas-based behavioral health practice Life is a Journey selected eClinicalWorks EHR.
• Florida-based ACO REACH ilumed selected Spatially Health to identify SDOH needs and recommend solutions.
• Iowa-based Western Home Communities & Fortified Life chose Electronic Caregiver as the technology behind its Virtual Caregiver program.

People

• Kidney care management company Interwell Health named Daymon Smith as Chief Product and Technology Officer.
• Diabetes virtual care management company Podimetrics announced Barbara Greising as Chief Commercial Officer.
• Automation software maker Holon Solutions named Jeff Peterson as Chief Financial Officer.
• Patient experience platform WUWTA announced Jonathan Sachs as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 5.
• Stroke recovery technology vendor Kandu Health made three executive appointments: Kirsten Carroll as CEO, Stefan Heuser as CFO, and Clayton Duncan as Senior Vice President of Commercialization.
• HIE organization San Diego Health Connect named Laura Young as Executive Director.
• Consumer engagement company Carenet Health hired Holly McCann as Executive VP of Sales.
• Care utilization platform vendor Loyal named Matt Gove as Senior Advisor.
• Payment solution provider Alivia Analytics named Bill Lucia to its Board of Directors; he’s the former CEO of HMS Holdings.

If you have news that you’d like us to consider for a future edition of Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features, please submit them on this page. Please include any relevant links and let us know if news is under embargo. Note that submissions received after the close of business on Thursday may not be included in Bonus Features until the following week.