Bernie Monegain

Research team finds patterns of symptoms that might be caused by an underlying genetic variant.

The UPMC executive is leading more than a few cutting-edge projects at the health system.

J. Stephen Jones succeeds CEO J. Knox Singleton who held the position for 35 years.

Mayo Clinic and IBM Watson Health have announced the results of a cutting-edge project putting the supercomputer to work for patient matching: Watson brought in more patients than before to participate in recent breast cancer clinical trials. Only 5 percent of patients with cancers participate in clinical trials nationwide, according to Mayo Clinic officials, who noted that that low enrollment makes for many clinical trials that are slow to finish or not completed. That delays advances in research and results in less access to better therapies. [Also: Next-up for EHRs: Vendors adding artificial intelligence into the workflow] What’s more, matching and enrolling patients in appropriate trials has proven to be a time-consuming, manual process. “Novel solutions are necessary to address this unmet clinical need, advance cancer research and treatments, and, in turn, improve the health outcomes of patients,” Tufia Haddad, MD, a Mayo Clinic oncologist, said in a statement. Watson for Clinical Trials Matching is programmed to accurately and consistently match patients to clinical trials for which they might be eligible, so that healthcare providers and patients can consider appropriate trials as part of a care plan. Mayo Clinic implemented the system in July 2016 in its ambulatory practice for patients with breast cancer. In the 11 months after implementation, there was about an 80 percent increase in enrollment to Mayo’s systemic therapy clinical trials for breast cancer. Also, the time to screen an individual patient for clinical trial matches was lower when compared with traditional manual methods. “This has enabled all patients to be screened for all available clinical trial opportunities,” Haddad noted. Based on the initial testing phase, Mayo and IBM agreed to continue developing the system to include trials for other types of cancer and aspects of cancer care beyond medical therapies, such as surgery, radiation and supportive care. Watson is programmed to support clinical trial matching for breast, lung and gastrointestinal cancers, and training on trials for additional cancer types is underway. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

In his first State of the Clinic, Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic, MD, called on the health system’s 57,000 employees around the world to focus on caring: “how we care for patients, care for each other, care for the organization, and care for our communities,” he urged. Mihaljevic succeeded Toby Cosgrove, MD, who held the top executive position for more than 12 years. Mihaljevic joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a cardiothoracic surgeon, served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2015 and took over the post here in the U.S. on January 1, 2018. In his speech, Mihaljevic called on staff to continue to improve healthcare by best using new technologies, notably artificial intelligence and the latest in data analytics as well as digital platforms. [Also: With patient experience, 'We need to dream bigger,' Cleveland Clinic leader says] Mihaljevic also revealed new initiatives for 2018, including efforts to improve patient safety and reduce caregiver and physician burnout. Cleveland Clinic reduced readmissions, improved care coordination, and increased hand-washing among caregivers in 2017. “We have a right to be proud of our work in patient experience,” he said. “It is inseparable from quality. But we need to go further.” He said Cleveland Clinic would continue to bolster its culture of safety, become an ultra-high reliability organization, and he promised to set bold goals, particularly regarding hospital-acquired infections and serious safety events. [Also: Cleveland Clinic's remote revenue cycle program saves money and makes employees more productive] A recent survey within the Cleveland Clinic, for instance, found that more than one in three physicians met the criteria for burnout. “We are here for patients first,” Mihaljevic said. “But we can’t succeed unless we take care of ourselves.” To that end, he announced that Cleveland Clinic has established the new Office of Caregiver Experience to address wellness, burnout and career development. Mihaljevic also praised Cosgrove’s achievements and his legacy. Today, Cosgrove has a new title: Executive Advisor and former CEO and President. He has been with the Cleveland Clinic for more than 40 years – as cardiac surgeon, department chair and ultimately CEO. Under Cosgrove’s leadership Cleveland Clinic saw increases in revenue, patient volume, research funding and community benefit. Mihaljevic delivered the State of the Clinic speech late last month. Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

New suite brings tools designed for doctors, clinicians and hospital managers, the company said.

Spyglass survey uncovers varying degrees of understanding which tools can be used for early warning and predictive indicators to prevent adverse health events.

From Eric Schmidt’s “Dr. Liz” idea to influential women being recognized, women in health IT were in full force at the conference.

Alluceo provides team-based mental health tools and services to sync patients and care teams.

From bad software to better cloud services to a platform that fosters an ecosystem of internal and external innovation, the EHR executive explains what’s next.