Lirio Recognized by Inc. Magazine, Launches Diabetes Solution
Tennessee-based Lirio, with offices in Knoxville and Nashville, has been named to Inc. magazine's annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2021. The start-up, whose Precision Nudging™ solution improves health outcomes through AI-powered behavior change, is one of 429 honorees out of thousands of nominations.
In June, the company announced the launch of a new Precision Nudging™ solution to help people with diabetes receive recommended healthcare. Co-developed with Bon Secours Mercy Health in Cincinnati, the solution is designed to close gaps in diabetes care.
This new Lirio solution includes more than 500 tailored behavioral interventions to promote diabetes care utilization and over 300 interventions to promote digital engagement between care appointments. Lirio's behavior change AI platform is designed to match the right intervention to the right person at the right time to close gaps in care and foster continued digital connectivity for messaging providers, viewing lab results, managing medications, and scheduling care appointments.
Vanderbilt Programs Named HIMSS Approved Education Partners
Vanderbilt's Master of Science in Applied Clinical Informatics (MSACI) was recently named an approved education partner (AEP) by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Additionally, Vanderbilt's Department of Biomedical Informatics and School of Nursing also received HIMSS AEP approval.
Change Healthcare Enhances Self-Service Resources
Change Healthcare has announced an expansion of the self-service resources it offers developers to use application programming interfaces (APIs) at scale to bring new healthcare innovations to market. Additionally, this enhanced experience enables payers to have an easy-to-integrate solution that helps comply with the pending CMS Interoperability Rule which goes into effect on July 1, 2021.
The Change Healthcare Marketplace now provides developers access to a portfolio of over 70 clinical, financial, operational, and patient experience API products that power over half a billion healthcare transactions annually. Now, to speed their time to market and improve their ability to scale, developers have self-service access to extensive technical documentation and tutorials, can try out APIs in a robust testing and implementation sandbox, and can engage with other developers via the Change Healthcare Developer Community.
Payers, providers, and healthcare technology vendors agree that APIs are mission-critical to their business strategies. But many lag behind in their consumption and development of APIs, according to a recent research study commissioned by Change Healthcare and conducted by ENGINE Insights. These enhancements will help healthcare stakeholders accelerate and scale their use of this transformative technology to deliver a better digital healthcare consumer experience and address future connectivity needs.
Michael Seestedt
HealthTrust Appoints Seestedt CIO
In June, HealthTrust announced Michael Seestedt would become the company's next chief information officer. For the past seven years, he has served as CIO for HealthTrust Workforce Solutions (HWS). Company officials said in his In his elevated role, he will focus on leading the HealthTrust Supply Chain technology and Shared Services agendas, as well as continuing to oversee technology at HealthTrust Workforce Solutions.
Seestedt has nearly 20 years of technology expertise and was responsible for revamping HWS' suite of technologies, successfully positioning the company's platforms to scale on pace with expanding business, directed an enterprise software implementation and oversaw deployment of scheduling technology used in more than 200 hospitals. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his MBA from the University of Florida.
BCBST Names Khan CIO
Nasir Khan
Beginning last month, health insurance industry veteran Nasir Khan stepped into the role of senior vice president and chief information officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
In his new role, Khan is leading the employee teams responsible for securing and protecting the integrity and performance of BlueCross technical support functions including cybersecurity, application development, and infrastructure and operations. He also supports development and delivery of business-focused technologies and provides strategic counsel.
Khan comes to BlueCross from a post as SVP and CIO at Maryland-based Consortium Health Plans. His prior experience also includes more than 15 years in tech roles at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where he ultimately rose to the position of VP and chief technology officer. Khan earned an Executive MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and received his undergraduate and Master of Science degrees from the University of Karachi and Quaid-I-Azam University, respectively, in Pakistan.
Women Who Tech Launches Grant Programs to Fund Women-Led Health Startups
In late June, Women Who Tech, one of the largest nonprofit organizations that funds and showcases women-led ventures, launched its first worldwide FemTech and HealthTech Grants Challenge to help close the funding gap for women-led startups and accelerate innovation to address pressing global healthcare issues.
To help fund the future of innovation - by women for women - while spurring more cutting-edge advancements, Women Who Tech is deploying capital and resources to FemTech and HealthTech startups working to champion greater healthcare access on a global scale, bolstering the medical tech ecosystems, and bringing more effective digital health solutions and technologies to market.
Five early-stage women-led startups with a focus on FemTech and/or HealthTech will be selected to compete for $20,000 in equity-free grant funding. The W Fund, SteelSky Ventures, Citrine Angels, and others will also be evaluating the startups for further investment.
Women-led startups experience persistent and significant barriers raising investment from VC firms. "Only 3 percent of total healthtech funding went to FemTech startups in 2020 - a hugely missed opportunity given that global healthcare spending is predicted to reach over $10 trillion by 2022," said Allyson Kapin, founder of Women Who Tech. "Within FemTech alone, the market will scale to $1.07 trillion by 2026 - now is not the time for VCs to overlook diverse innovation that's right in front of them."
Full criteria and submission details can be found on the website at womenwhotech.com. Applications close July 18, 2021, 11:59 p.m. PDT.
AMA: Equity Must Be Baked Into Expansion of Telehealth
Last month, the American Medical Association (AMA) approved policy intended to help close the digital divide in access to telehealth services. The new policy will help ensure that minority communities, individuals residing in underserved rural and urban areas, older adults, and individuals with disabilities can reap the benefits and promise of telehealth.
At the Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, physicians, residents, and medical students adopted policy to promote initiatives to strengthen digital literacy, emphasizing programs designed with and for historically minoritized and marginalized populations.
"It is essential for physicians to serve as leading partners in efforts to improve access to telehealth services in historically marginalized and minoritized communities. More of our patients used telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we should take advantage of this opportunity to ensure all our patients are able to benefit from being able to access and use telehealth services - regardless of their background or geographic location," said David H. Aizuss, MD, a member of the AMA Board of Trustees.
The new policy calls for expanding physician practice eligibility for programs that assist in the purchase of services and equipment to provide telehealth services. In addition, the policy recognizes that all health care stakeholders must be involved in the effort to make telehealth available to everyone. In partnership with diverse patient populations, hospitals, health systems and health plans need to launch interventions aimed at improving telehealth access, including leading outreach campaigns. To spread the benefits of telehealth, the AMA will support efforts to design telehealth solutions to accommodate those with difficulty accessing technology - including seniors, vision-impaired patients and individuals with disabilities.
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