Healthcare IT News - August 2007 - (Page 33)

www.HealthcareITNews.com vENdoRS Two days later, in a July 24 earnings announcement, Lawrie noted that healthcare revenues had declined over the past year from $600 million to $568 million, while profits dropped from $96 million to $86 million. “In healthcare performance remains poor,” he said, “and we’re taking action to address that.” Davenport, who joined Misys Healthcare this past February, said the company isn’t “troubled financially,” but has suffered from a lack of direction. August 2007 ■ Healthcare IT News 33 its clinical application capabilities for smaller physician practices. QuadraMed officials welcomed the deal as an important addition to their company’s product line. “Adding the CPR product to QuadraMed’s suite of healthcare solutions is a key step in our plan to accelerate QuadraMed’s growth while delivering on our care-based revenue cycle strategy,” QuadraMed CEO Keith Hagen said in a statement. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: MiSyS 0807 mIsys Continued from page 32 was performing poorly. In January, longtime healthcare CEO Tom Skelton resigned. Lawrie announced in March an ambitious three- to five-year plan to turn the healthcare unit around. The July 22 deals represent the first step in that plan, and were described by Lawrie as “disposals (that) rebalance our portfolio and enable us to accelerate execution of our strategy.” “We’re focusing on a segment which has tremendous growth ahead of it. aNd ouR StRENGth IS IN that aMBulatoRy MaRkEt SPacE.” – Vern Davenport “I think Misys last year lost its way,” he said, describing the company as a “product portfolio business run financially” that needs to instead be more market-driven. “Our issues weren’t in execution, but in strategy.” Davenport said both deals allow for Misys Healthcare to work with Vista and QuadraMed to promote and sell the Misys EMR solution. He said the company would likely enter into more partnerships in the future as it works to improve ● modElINg Continued from page 32 home healthcare agencies. Faced with expensive equipment, a shortage of skilled nurses and an increase in the elderly population, home healthcare providers “want to be sure you allocate the right resources,” said Jeneane Brian, clinical strategy executive for Misys Healthcare. “It’s been determined that (predictive modeling) is a statistically reliable tool … that can spot patterns.” According to Brian, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been collecting data on homebased healthcare patients since 1999, when it mandated that all certified home healthcare agencies fill out 100-page questionnaires for each patient. The alliance with OCS allows Misys access to that database of answers, and makes use of OCS’ analytical algorithms to determine when a new patient might be in need of care. Mary Oakes, director of sales and business strategy for OCS, said home healthcare agencies can use predictive modeling to identify patients who, according to trends of patients with similar symptoms, will most likely need more healthcare services in the near future. The Misys-OCS solution, she added, provides “predictive modeling at point-of-care real-time,” allowing home healthcare providers to act quickly and prevent future – and more costly – medical crises before they happen. Brian said predictive modeling can be used to chart 12 documented adverse outcomes in home healthcare. For now, Misys will focus on two outcomes – hospitalization and emergent care – but will eventually expand to other markers, like infections and vulnerability to pressure sores. Using OCS’ technology, Misys Homecare’s solution creates colorcoded risk assessments that are displayed in a portal for clinical managers, who then alert home healthcare providers. Under a three-year plan adopted by Misys, Brian said, the technology will expand to include clinical support messages, then eventually include a pre-populated care plan, offering guidance and tools that the particular agency defines as care standards. ■ More at HealthcareITNews.com e Connect: MoDeliNG 0807 Taking care of the little things makes all the difference. We connect more providers to more payers than anyone else. But what really sets us apart is all the little things we do for both that make the business of claims and payments so much more efficient. Discover how Emdeon is changing the business of healthcare. Visit www.emdeon.com today. Simplifying the Business of Healthcare ● e ● Connect: eMDeoN 0807 Patient Access Management • Claim Management • Remittance & Payment Distribution • Patient Billing & Payment http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7526 http://www.emdeon.com http://www.emdeon.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=7570 http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=7527

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare IT News - August 2007

Contents AHIC Redux IT Saving Lives IT, Wal-Mart Style OR Workflow Counting on Quality PHR Position Tapping Talent Slimming Down E-Prescribing Claims Processing

Healthcare IT News - August 2007

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