Literature Review

Enclara Pharmacia announces patient record integration with FireNote Hospice EMR NCN - Nebraska News Channel; Business Wire Press Release; 1/21/25 Enclara Pharmacia, ... [a national] pharmacy solutions provider for the hospice and palliative care sectors, announces the launch of a new interface with FireNoteTM, an innovative hospice electronic medical record (EMR) platform. This integration enables patient demographics and medications to flow seamlessly from FireNote to Enclara’s E3 ProTM medication management system. The new software interface enables timely admissions and medication access for patients while reducing the administrative burden on nurses, a key priority for both Enclara and FireNote.“ 

Whom should we regard as responsible for health record inaccuracies that hinder population-based fact finding?AMA Journal of Ethics; Kathleen M. Akgün, MD, MS; Shelli L. Feder, PhD, APRN; 1/25EHR [electronic health record] use has revolutionized health information collection and analysis. This growth has led to opportunities to generate important reports about the health of hundreds of millions of people practically in real time. Steadfast commitment to high-quality data collection and reporting is necessary for all parties along the pathway of data generation: from EHR developers, programmers, and vendors to patients, clinicians, and epidemiologists. Pulling back the curtain on how each of these groups generate and interact with EHR data is imperative to assure measurement of accurate population-level health outcomes.

ASTP Rule codifies requirements for TEFCA-Qualified health information networks McDermott Will & Emery, Washington, DC; by James A. Cannatti III, Jennifer S. Geetter, and Nathan Gray; 1/15/25 On December 16, 2024, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the NationaTl Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP) published the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) final rule in the Federal Register as part of its continued focus on improving information sharing among healthcare stakeholders. Rather than codifying comprehensive substantive and procedural requirements for entities participating in TEFCA, the final rule provides a flexible framework establishing how such decisions will be made in current and future subregulatory documents. 

How CommonSpirit Health doubled AI deployment in '24Becker's Hospital Review; by Giles Bruce; 12/31/24Many of the largest U.S. health systems increasingly pivoted toward artificial intelligence in 2024 for tasks such as clinical documentation and physician inbox management. Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, with more than 140 hospitals across the country, was no exception.Publisher's note: Hospice implications for 2025...?

How healthcare AI is meeting the hype at UW HealthBecker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 12/6/24Ambient clinical documentation will be commonplace in healthcare three years from now, according to Chero Goswami, chief information and digital officer at Madison, Wis.-based UW Health... What is the IT project you're most excited about at your health system? I would say the stuff we're doing with ambient listening, which most others in the industry are doing as well, which is allowing providers and other members of the care team to spend more time in direct patient care, and not typing up notes, with AI capturing everything in the background and then creating a summary note, or a clinical note. It returns the clinicians to clinical practice, rather than making them glorified typists. And it also leads to a better patient experience, because the patient is very much aware that the clinician is looking at them eye to eye and having a conversation, versus looking at a keyboard. And it reduces cognitive burden. The physicians aren't completing the note at 8 o'clock at night, but doing it in real time at the clinic.

Things CIOs and CTOs need to do differently in 2025 Information Week; by Lisa Morgan; 12/18/24 As CIOs and CTOs head into a new year, they always have priorities. Greater agility is a key theme in 2025. ... “Keep ahead or at least on top of the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics skills that are needed. Acquire talent and develop that talent so your company remains competitive,” says [Loren Margolis, faculty, Stony Brook University]. “Find ways to use [AI and analytics] to become even more agile so you remain competitive. Also embrace them as opportunities to train and develop your workforce. Make sure your organization is a place where great tech talent can come to develop and use their skills.” The following are some other priorities for 2025:

Kno2 and Pennant announce strategic partnership to revolutionize patient care through QHIN services GlobeNewswire - Kno2, Boise, ID; by Kno2; 12/17/24 Kno2, [a company of] healthcare communication, announced today a partnership with The Pennant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: PNTG) to drive automation and innovation to deliver patient care in the home. Under the partnership, Pennant Group, a holding company of affiliated home health, hospice and senior living companies, will join Kno2’s Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN).

Top places to work in IT: 17 health systems rank in 2025 Becker's Health IT; by Laura Dyrda; 12/10/24 Computerworld published a list of the top places to work in IT for 2025, including several prominent health systems. Foundry, the publisher for Computerworld, examined several companies across the size spectrum on their commitment to in-house IT talent, training, technical and soft skills, as well as culture, diversity and satisfaction. The publication reported 79% of companies surveyed increased the number of IT employees in the last three years, and around half plan to continue growing their IT teams next year. The health systems and provider organizations ranked include:

Dallas’ Analog Informatics emerges from stealth to modernize patient engagement in over 150 languages Dallas Innovates, Dallas, TX; by Lance Murray; 12/4/24 AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools. CEO Philip Lieberman created the platform based on his experiences in caring for his hospitalized mother-in-law during the COVID pandemic. ... Shocked that he knew “more about his Amazon packages” than the state of his loved one, Lieberman vowed to use the experience and resources he’d gained from the previous multinational companies he created “to bring compassionate yet automated continuous communication to every patient and their families.” ... AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools.  ... AIC said its platform “bridges the communication gap” between healthcare providers and patients, offering continuous automated logistical support in more than 150 languages. 

Creach Family Holdings announces acquisition of HealthRev Partners EIN Presswire, Stuart, FL; by Careficient, Inc.; 12/3/24 Creach Family Holdings announces acquisition of HealthRev Partners Expanding Healthcare Technology Solutions for Home Health and Hospice Providers. Creach Family Holdings, a privately held investment firm focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services, announces the acquisition of HealthRev Partners, a provider of technology-driven revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions serving the home health and hospice market. This acquisition complements Creach Family Holdings’ portfolio, including Careficient, a leading electronic medical record (EMR) provider for home health and hospice agencies. By combining HealthRev Partners’ RCM expertise with Careficient’s EMR platform, Creach Family Holdings aims to provide an integrated suite of solutions that streamline operations, optimize revenue cycles, and improve patient care. 

Nursing homes must break cycle of patient rehospitalization Special to the USA TODAY Network, republished by The Record, Bergen County; by Mary Holden Jones; 11/28/24 One of the most severe issues facing long-term care patients is rehospitalization. Over 20% of nursing home residents are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, a cycle that often worsens health outcomes and creates significant emotional, financial and logistical burdens for families, caregivers and the health care system. ... While hospital stays are sometimes necessary, they create added risks of infections and the constant back and forth can add to confusion and cognitive decline — both of which further reduce quality of life and prolong recovery times. ... The emotional toll on families is equally significant. ... Fortunately, many rehospitalizations are preventable with more proactive, coordinated care. Technology-driven health care solutions offer a promising way to monitor patients’ health in real time, alerting caregivers and health care providers to early signs of trouble before a minor issue becomes a major problem.

Aged care nursing in the digital future Atlassian Jira, Australia; by Flinders University; 11/27/24 The results call for nurses to be included when digital innovations are in development, so they can actively shape their implementation and ensure high-quality, compassionate care for residents in their final stages of life. "In Australia and around the world, we have seen a significant increase in digital technologies in the health care sector," says study lead author Dr. Priyanka Vandersman, a Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University's Research Center for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD).  "In aged care, these digital approaches can include helping with care planning and assisting with managing medication, but we need to ensure that nurses are equipped with the digital skills needed to use these tools effectively, while continuing to provide high quality, person-centered care."

WellSky acquires leading durable/home medical equipment software provider Bonafide, enhancing home care solutions Healthcare IT Today; by Healthcare IT News; 11/12/24 WellSky, a leading health and community care technology company, announced today that it has acquired Bonafide, an enterprise software solution for durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) companies. With the addition of Bonafide, WellSky expands its footprint in DME/HME and will serve more providers with an integrated software platform that allows them to run their businesses compliantly, efficiently, and profitably. DME/HME is a rapidly growing segment in the healthcare industry, driven by the increasing demand for patient-centered care in the home. Bonafide has built a fully integrated enterprise workflow management platform that combines billing, revenue cycle management, resupply, supply chain, inventory management, mobile delivery, and more to help DME/HME providers accelerate growth. The company serves 200 clients, including some of the largest and fastest-growing DME/HME providers.