Technology

Improving Practice Communications with Providers, Payers and Patients

Lindy Benton, CEO of MEA|NEA, a provider of electronic attachment solutions, health information exchange and secure, HIPAA-compliant cloud storage that is used by more than 45,000 medical and dental practices joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care & Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Lindy Benton discuss the following:Can you discuss MEA|NEA a bit? How does the organization serve those in healthcare, and what are the benefits of health systems working with you? Likewise, how do your solutions improve the patient experience, or help make their experiences with healthcare better?MEA|NEA has a strong background serving the dental community. Tell me about that and how this has helped you better serve medical practices and hospitals.You say that electronic data and data exchange is more secure than paper charts and files. Even with all of the press we hear about data breaches, you claim electronic records are still far more secure than paper. Can you tell me why you feel this way and provide some justification for your thinking?Tell me more about your business lines. For example, MEA|NEA is primarily an electronic attachment solution provider, but is emerging into new markets. Can you discuss your evolution as an organization and how that might mirror the opportunities you currently see throughout healthcare? How are you evolving from a product perspective and how are they helping the healthcare sector?What are some of the most pressing issues to come in the next 12 to 18 months and how are you helping address them?
Duration: 20:15
Lindy Benton has worked in the Healthcare Information Technology field for more than 20 years and is currently the CEO of EA Holdings, which includes MEA and NEA. Before joining MEA|NEA, Lindy served as divisional executive at The Sage Group, managing a $350 million division with 1,400 employees.
Prior to Sage, Lindy worked at Cerner Corporation for 15 years. She held various leadership positions, wherein she achieved double digit revenue growth while building high performing teams that were consistently recognized year after year with Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Previously, she worked at Digital Equipment Corporation as the division manager responsible for healthcare business in the Southeast. Lindy serves on advisory boards for several health IT and capital investment companies, working with executive teams to drive both acquisition and organic growth strategies in North American and global markets.
Lindy is a member of the Foundation Board for Florida Hospital for Children and serves on executive councils for several health related committees and industry associations. She is also an active member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Lindy holds a Master of Science degree from Florida State University with extended post graduate work in Measurement and Statistics.

Website: www.nea-fast.com

Palmetto Health Breast Center, offering ultrasound breast screening to their patients

Dr. Shawn Conwell, the Professional Director of Palmetto Health Breast Center in Richland, South Carolina and a Partner at Pitts Radiology joins eHealth Radio and the Cancer Prevention and Technology Channels. Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Dr. Shawn Conwell discuss the following:What convinced you to offer ultrasound breast screening to your patients and describe the patient type who should have this examination?What is the SonoCiné AWBUS™ technology and why did you choose to offer this breast screening examination?  How is ultrasound different than mammography and why not use ultrasound on all women instead of mammography? Why don’t all breast facilities offer this type of screening for their dense breasted patients?I understand that there are Breast Density Information Laws that are forcing imaging facilities to tell women if they have dense breast tissue.  Are they working and how do you feel about this?Tell us about the new insurance codes for ultrasound breast screening. What does this mean for dense breasted women and the facilities who offer this supplemental screening?What is your advice to women for protecting their breast health?
Duration: 15:39
Dr. W. Shawn Conwell is the Professional Director of Palmetto Health Breast Center in Richland, South Carolina and a Partner at Pitts Radiology. For over 15 years, Dr. Conwell has been helping to empower patients to get control of their health and no various medical screening options that are available to them. He is a highly coveted ‘Breast Specialist’ who graduated from Medicine College of Georgia School Of Medicine, Augusta Georgia and a residency training of Diagnostic Radiology at Metrohealth Medicine Center. He also has completed extensive post graduate training work at Women’s Imaging Fellowship, Magee Women’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve and MetroHealth Medical.
Dr. Conwell belongs to the following professional societies: American College of Radiology, Society of Breast Imaging, American Roentgen Ray Society, Radiological Society of North America and American Association for Women Radiologists. He has received numerous awards including the 2005 American College of Radiology Moorefield Fellow for Economics and Health Policy, the 2004 Resident of the Year and the 2000 Humanism in Medicine Award; Awarded by the Health Care Foundation of New Jersey. 

Websites: www.palmettohealth.org | www.sonocine.com

GPB Capital Holdings makes an investment in ITelagen

John O’Keefe, CEO of ITelagen,
the “One-Stop Shop” for IT and EHR infrastructure, all for a flat monthly subscription fee once again joins eHealth Radio and the HealthCare and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest John O’Keefe discuss the following:At the beginning of February, we saw a press release regarding GPB Capital Holdings investing in ITelagen.  What led to the investment and what benefits/value does ITelagen anticipate from this new investment?What can existing and future ITelagen clients expect from this investment?What should prospects now be on the lookout for from ITelagen?What does this new partnership mean for ITelagen and your mark on the industry?What new products or services are you focusing on in 2015? What value would these bring to the industry?What new tips can you offer our listens today about Healthcare IT?
Duration: 8:22
As ITelagen’s founder and lead visionary, Mr. O'Keefe brings over 13
years of technology and help desk automation experience to the company.
Mr. O’Keefe began his career as a technical analyst for one of New
York’s leading technology groups. It was here that he provided strategic
marketing advice to companies such as Novell, Intel and IBM, assisting
them with new product offerings and positioning. In 1996, responding to
his vision of help desk support automation, Mr. O'Keefe founded Fine
Point Technologies where he served as CEO/CTO for 9 years and designed
help desk automation systems for the world’s leading service providers
including Verizon, Earthlink and Telmex. Mr. O’Keefe defied the dot-com
odds and grew the company past the post dot-com era to a profitable
organization with offices and customer’s worldwide.
Again in 2005, leveraging his expertise in help desk support
automation technologies, Mr. O’Keefe exited Fine Point Technologies and
founded ITelagen, a flat-rate IT service that leverages support
automation to prevent problems before they can occur.
Having three patents-pending in various support automation
technologies, Mr. O’Keefe has been featured on CNN, CNET and in numerous
magazines and is recognized as an industry leader in help desk
automation. Mr. O'Keefe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and
Structural Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo
and is a New York State licensed EIT. He serves as the Chairman on
ITelagen’s Board of Directors and an advisor to the Board of Fine Point
Technologies, Inc.

Website: www.itelagen.com

The Case for Any Access: How Technology Can Improve Healthcare Communication

Ed Simcox, Healthcare Practice Leader for Logicalis Healthcare Solutions, a division of Logicalis US, an international IT solutions and managed services provider joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care & Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Ed Simcox discuss the following:Almost all hospitals and health systems have rolled out electronic medical record systems and many have taken advantage of the government’s Meaningful Use program. Going into 2015, what is the next step for CIOs looking to leverage their investments in these systems and gain more adoption in their organizations?So, even though EMRs have been widely rolled out in the U.S., internal adoption and clinician satisfaction have been spotty due to a lack of modern end-user computing technologies?What are the critical success factors for enabling this mobile access?So digging into these four components, what does BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) really mean and why is it important?You mentioned virtual desktop infrastructure as the second component for enabling better access to EMRs (Electronic Medical Records). How does VDI support any access?You also mention single sign-on. Why is SSO (Single Sign On) important?So you have talked about bring your own device, virtual desktops, and single sign-on; for organizations that have not implemented these things, this could look daunting, correct?
Duration: 13:21
Ed Simcox is Logicalis' Healthcare Practice Leader, responsible for
driving healthcare strategy and solutions for Logicalis US. The position is a natural fit for Ed who has a long history in the healthcare vertical. For Logicalis, Ed develops the healthcare business plan, strategy and solution portfolio in the U.S., works with Logicalis' sales teams to engage with healthcare clients in a consulting capacity, and acts as a featured speaker at healthcare events and user group meetings.
Prior to joining Logicalis, Ed worked as the director of healthcare strategy and offer development for AT&T's For Health healthcare product team, the first team at AT&T dedicated to telehealth, mhealth, and other market-leading solutions. Prior to joining AT&T, Ed served as the director of information services and director of enterprise technology planning at Indiana University Health (formerly Clarian Health); during this time, Ed was awarded ComputerWorld's Laureate medal and IU Health received Hospitals and Health Networks' "Most Wired Hospital" award based on Ed's work with emerging technologies in healthcare. An attorney, Ed has also served as the president and CEO of an independent IT and technology-law consulting
firm.
Ed's additional accomplishments include being published in Healthcare Executive Insight magazine, being both a presenter and Board member for the American Telemedicine Association, a member of the Gartner Emerging Technology Council, a HIMSS presenter and member, and a speaker at an MIT Enterprise Forum held at Harvard Medical School.

Website: www.us.logicalis.com/healthcare-it

SonoCiné AWBUS Technology, detecting and diagnosing breast cancer in dense-breasted women

Dr. Kevin Kelly, one of the country's leading authorities on breast cancer detection and Co-Founder of SonoCiné, Inc. joins eHealth Radio and the Cancer Prevention & Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Kevin Kelly discuss the following:Describe to our listeners what SonoCiné AWBUS is and what does AWBUS stand for?What makes SonoCiné AWBUS™ technology different?How does it work?I understand this exam is for women with dense breast tissue. What is the difference between dense-breast tissue and fatty-breast tissue?Recently it seems there has been states passing a law that are Dense Breast Tissue notification laws. What are those laws and how do they impact what your team is trying to do? Do you see ultrasound one day replacing mammography? Why has every doctor not adopted the technology yet? Where can women go to get more information or to find a doctor that performs the SonoCiné exam? 
Duration: 17:05
Dr. Kevin M. Kelly is Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of SonoCiné, Inc. He is also Medical Director of the Breast Ultrasound Center in Pasadena, CA.
Dr. Kelly is one of the country's leading authorities on breast cancer detection in women with dense-breast tissue and women with implants. He was Director of Breast Imaging at the Huntington Memorial Hospital and the Huntington Hill Breast Center, Pasadena, CA for 20 years before opening a private practice in Pasadena, CA.   His breakthrough clinical study on breast cancer detection using ultrasound in radiographically dense breasts was published in 2009 in European Radiology (one of the most prestigious radiology journals in the world).  This pivotal work has since been cited in more than 100 other scientific publications around the world.
Dr. Kelly's lifelong commitment to early breast cancer detection began with clinical research into the limitations of mammography in detecting and diagnosing breast cancer in dense-breasted women.  In 1997, he co-founded SonoCiné, Inc., to develop and clinically validate what is now known as the SonoCiné AWBUS™ technology.  Working with other leading breast imaging radiologists, more than 6,000 clinical results demonstrated a 100% increase in detection (over mammography) of invasive cancers smaller than 1cm in diameter.  With this success, he moved to launch SonoCiné, Inc.
Dr. Kelly earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Georgetown University.  He completed his Medical Degree, internship and first two years of residency at St. Louis University and the St. Louis University Service of St. Louis City Hospital.  He was the Leo G. Rigler Center Research Fellow at UCLA from 1973 to 1974 and finished his final year of residency at the Wadsworth Veterans Administration Hospital in Los Angeles.
In addition to his many professional credentials in the field of radiology, Dr. Kelly was also a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service.

Website: www.sonocine.com

Save time and reduce medical errors in emergencies with CareMonkey

Troy Westley, CEO and Founder at CareMonkey, an award winning health, safety and risk management system joins eHealth Radio and the Health Care & Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Troy Westley discuss the following:How is CareMonkey helping reduce time wasted in medical emergencies?What is the biggest problem that CareMonkey solves?So what is the real value to the customer?Is it secure?In conclusion…any closing thoughts?
Duration: 7:04
CareMonkey is an IT startup company based in Melbourne, Australia. Its team of ten is headed by co-founders Troy Westley and Martin Howell. Troy has extensive experience in enterprise software with companies including Oracle, Salesforce.com and Google. Martin is a very successful entrepreneur having co-founded a number of successful start-ups including realestate.com.au.
CareMonkey has already received industry accolades for its innovative approach, winning Australia's best start-up idea at the 2014 StartupSmart awards, and the national winner of the $50,000 IT Invention Test.  It has also received iAwards recognition, in 2013 as the Victorian winner for the most innovative health solution, and in 2014 as a Merit recipient in the ‘health’ and ‘start up’ categories.

Website: www.caremonkey.com

The Medical Memory, a tablet-based service for video recording doctor-patient consultations

Dr. Randall Porter, Neurosurgeon with Barrow Neurological Institute and Founder of The Medical Memory, a tablet-based service for video recording doctor-patient consultations joins eHealth Radio and the Neurology and Brain Health Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Randall Porter discuss the following:Dr. Porter, you are a neurosurgeon based in Phoenix, Arizona and we are discussing a product you developed ----The Medical Memory.  Apparently patients often fail to understand, misinterpret or forget what was communicated during a doctor’s appointment.  Are there specific reasons for this?So you developed The Medical Memory as a  means to recall the conversation and diagnosis in a medical appointment. Please explain how The Medical Memory works and the benefit.Is The Medical Memory useful for patients and physicians in ALL medical appointments?Has there been a concern about doctor-patient confidentiality with The Medical Memory?You are currently utilizing The Medical Memory at Barrow Neurological Institute and a couple of other medical facilities. Are you having success introducing The Medical Memory across the country?
Duration: 10:27
A tablet-based service, The Medical Memory by ClarIT-MD™, utilizes a video camera positioned in the examining room to record discussions, imaging, and demonstrations ensuring that the shared information is commemorated for personal recall as well as sharable with family and loved ones.
For those patients who choose to utilize The Medical Memory service, a small video camera in the examination room records the session with the doctor including imagery and demonstrations. After the visit, the patient receives an e-mail with a link to a secure webpage containing the videos that can be viewed from any device with internet capability. The patient can then review the session and if desired, share with family members through the provided link.
In 2008, local neurosurgeon with Barrow Neurological Institute, Dr. Randall Porter, started conception on The Medical Memory. Although he knew his patients were intently listening to the information he was providing, he knew that many were not comprehending all the facts during an initial visit and that surprisingly two people in the examining room will not decipher the information in the same manner. This is particularly true in situations in which the information imparted is of a very serious nature and perhaps life threatening. Dr. Porter was intent on creating a state-of-the-art product that also upholds the doctor-patient confidentiality relationship.
“I view The Medical Memory as a trail blazer in the field of medicine and patient care,” says Dr. Randall Porter. “As a neurosurgeon, I understand how important it is for patients to fully comprehend their diagnosis and prognosis. Technology has made it possible for physicians to offer a secure, nonintrusive, and easy-to-use application to recall precisely what was communicated which in many cases benefits an entire family.”
About Dr. Randall W. Porter, Neurosurgeon
Dr. Randall W. Porter is a neurosurgeon practicing with Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.  He is Director of the Interdisciplinary Skull Base Program; Co-Director of CyberKnife; and Co-Director of the Acoustic Neuroma Center.
Dr. Porter grew up in a suburb of Chicago - Barrington, Illinois. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and completed his medical studies at Rush Medical College in Chicago. He was a member and president of Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical school honor society. Dr. Porter is the associate editor of Skull Base Surgery, and has been invited to review numerous articles for the scientific literature. He has published over 50 peer reviewed papers and over 20 chapters in major medical textbooks, and has spoken at more than 100 professional meetings. He was named a Top Doc by his peers in Phoenix Magazine in June 2007 and was selected by the BNI residents as Teacher of the Year in 2005.
Among Dr. Porter’s professional accomplishments are the following:Performed the first auditory brainstem implant in the state of Arizona.Performed the first CyberKnife in ArizonaPerformed the first extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) at BNIPerformed the first fully endoscopic microvascular decompression (for trigeminal neuralgia) in ArizonaPerformed the first minimally invasive pedicle screw case at BNI
Dr. Porter is a family man who enjoys biblical studies. He is a member of the Moon Valley Bible Church. For leisure Dr. Porter is an avid golfer and likes to attend his children’s activities, such as Little League baseball games and dance competitions. He has 3 children, and a beautiful wife from Dallas, Texas.

Website: www.themedicalmemory.com

Review Concierge, helping doctors protect their public images online

David Engel is the co-founder of Review Concierge, an online review management company that helps doctors protect their public images online joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest David Engel discuss the following: You mentioned in your recent Electronic Health Reporter article that online reviews are the new incarnation of patient feedback. Can you tell us a little more about that?Can you tell us about the trends that are making online reviews take the place of the paper feedback form?Healthcare organizations already have their hands full. Do they really need to stop and invent new processes to get online reviews or can they somehow dovetail this effort into existing processes?What are some of the best practices that you use when responding to reviews? Namely when the review is negative.How can healthcare leaders begin to put a strategy in place to manage their online reviews?
TIP: Develop a culture of “feedback.” Having a transparent, nondefensive attitude is the first step in developing a culture of feedback.
I was talking with the leader of an orthopedic surgery practice. And he had such a great attitude about reviews. He said he welcomes both good and bad reviews. His staff knows that whatever they do is going to be reflected online. That keeps everyone on their toes to deliver the best experience to patients.
Culture is easiest to change when it starts from the top down. Even if you're not at the top of the organization you can start leading by example by regularly asking your patience for their feedback. You'll be pleasantly surprised by how happy patients are to provide it and how useful it can be for spreading positive word of mouth about your practice.
Duration: 16:41
David Engel is the co-founder of Review Concierge. He started Review Concierge in 2012 to help doctors defend their reputations online. David has helped the company create a wealth of knowledge around using review websites like Yelp to improve a medical practice’s image on the internet. The company serves doctors in nearly every state in the US.
David’s entrepreneurial experience goes back to 2008 when he started his first digital marketing agency. Since then, he has been recognized as a leader in Salesforce.com design. He has been quoted for his expertise in interactive and mobile marketing in numerous media outlets, including Media Post, About.com, Businessweek, LA Times, and the San Diego Union Tribune. He lives in San Diego, CA where he enjoys sunbathing, hiking and taking long walks on the beach while talking on his cellphone.

Website: reviewconcierge.com

CodeBaby, Engaging Customers When It Matters Most

Dennis McGuire, CEO of CodeBaby, where they make decision support tools and 3D intelligent virtual assistants that empower and help consumers manage and make informed healthcare, insurance, and employee benefits decisions for themselves and their families again joins eHealth Radio and the Healthcare and Technology Channels.
Dennis discusses how an online/mobile strategy within the healthcare and health insurance space can be tailored to meet the customer where they are based on usage trends, demographics, and content.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dennis McGuire discuss the following: As we have now entered the second ACA open enrollment period, what has been the trend progression and what do you see evolving over the next few months or even years? So what does CodeBaby do specifically in these digital channels? What is a typical funnel approach like?  How does this funnel approach work in a mobile environment? Is it any different? Can you share with us any use case or user feedback from engaging with avatars and tools as people enrolled in health insurance?
Duration: 13:11
Dennis McGuire possesses over 25 years of experience developing innovative solutions for marketing, sales, and customer care organizations across multiple industries.
His recent career history includes serving as VP of Star B2B, a start-up venture within the Omnicom family of agencies, where he was responsible for strategy development and operational execution, EVP at Protocol Marketing where he headed the company’s B2B agency services group, and founding partner and President of Saligent Inc., which was acquired by Protocol Marketing in 2000.
In addition to his accomplishments in the agency and high-tech space, Dennis has experience within the CRM and customer contact center industries where he gained expertise in multi-channel marketing, resource optimization, revenue growth, customer lifetime value optimization, and strategic account management.
His combined career tracks give him a unique perspective on the rapidly growing customer experience management marketplace and the importance of improving the online self-service experience across all industries in order to maintain and increase brand loyalty and revenue growth.
He is consistently sought for insight on the trends, benefits, and uses of virtual assistants within the healthcare, self-service, and eCommerce space by major publications and analysts such as Employee Benefit News, MedCity News, CRM Magazine, Forrester Research, Gartner Research, and IDC among others.

Website: www.codebaby.com

AffordAScan.com, giving patients high quality scans at an affordable price

Harsh Singh, co-founder of Afford A Scan, a website that empowers health care consumers to find high quality scans at an affordable price. People can search for radiologists in their area, research their background, compare prices and book an appointment all on one central website.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Harsh Singh discuss the following: The idea behind Afford a Scan is pretty interesting. Can you tell us a bit about the company's background and what you do?So, how does it work?How does this benefit health care consumers?On average, how much can a person or family save on health care costs using Afford A Scan?Do you think Afford a Scan and other companies that aid in transparent health care costs and consumerism can change the way our country provides health to its citizens?
Duration: 14:39
AffordAScan.com is a specialized Radiology Marketplace where imaging facilities compete for consumers by offering value. The consumers instantly view prices, compare quality and book an appointment online across facilities. Imaging facilities win by filling the available time slots, complying with price transparency regulations and increasing overall revenue. Consumers benefit from transparency and competition driving better value.
Their mission is to create an easy to use, HIPAA compliant and secure online e-commerce platform for diagnostic imaging services.Why AffordAScan.com? Diagnostic Imaging services accounts for 5-10% of the overall healthcare spend in U.S – a staggering ~$140 billion dollars a year. Research indicates that there is significant – up to 200-500% price variation across imaging facilities for similar quality scans in the same geographical area. This price variation exists for both cash and insurance negotiated rates. Patients are sharing higher cost burden for their own healthcare with the increased utilization of high deductible plans like CDHP. Patients are now demanding greater price and quality transparency – no less a revolution compared to how healthcare services were utilized in the past.
Yet current and popular cost transparency tools are unable to satisfy the needs of the patients. In Healthcare, it has never been just about costs – it is always about Value - Quality and Costs. We need answers to – Where is a high quality MRI machine available? Do they have a Radiologist or a technician providing the service? I am claustrophobic – do they have an Open MRI? How does the quality of an MRI or CT scan affect me?
Beyond transparent prices, answering those questions requires an online Marketplace dedicated to Radiology. AffordAScan.com helps facilities highlight strengths, make available the unfilled slots while attracting new insurance, Medicare and cash patients by offering online scheduling. AffordAScan.com also helps facilities comply with state healthcare transparency legislation requiring price and quality transparency to consumers.
We promote locally at large employers, payors while reaching to consumers across the region using Offline and Internet and Social Marketing.AffordAScan.com is built by a team with experience in building world’s largest e-commerce marketplaces along with deep healthcare expertise.

Website: AffordAScan.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/AffordAScan
Twitter: @AffordAScan