Population Health

In response to Cerner missing projected revenues, financial analysts said the market for other technologies is heating up and can increase deal sizes.

Optum has partnered with Medecision and TriZetto to deliver a new platform for Medicaid Management Information Systems that brings features specifically for population health management. Called Optum Medicaid Management Services (OMMS), the new platform is available via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) and business process-as-a-service (BPaaS) model that incorporates Aerial, Medecision’s population health management tools, and TriZetto’s broad Medicaid claims and administrative platform named Facets. The Optum solution provides states with business services, such as Medicaid fee-for-service claims processing, care provider enrollment, call center activities and operations reporting; analytics and data warehousing services that can use data to help states identify needs across their population, focus resources accordingly to improve outcomes, and measure the performance of care providers, health plans and new state-managed programs to improve care; and health services such as wellness and care management programs to improve the health of Medicaid fee-for-service recipients. The companies said states that purchase services instead of setting systems requirements can benefit with shortened IT implementation period with less cost and reduced risk; more choices from proven commercial solutions; improved administrative operations; and access to new technologies and cloud-based approaches that help agencies operate more flexibly. Optum estimates that its SaaS approach could cut by as much as half the timeframe for new MMIS implementations, thereby significantly reducing the time and cost of implementation, and containing operational costs in both the short and long term. Traditionally, MMIS systems – which process Medicaid fee-for-service claims and managed care encounters, and provide reporting on the program – are formally certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Such certification enables states to access enhanced matching federal funds at the rate of 90 percent for design, development and implementation, and 75 percent for operational expenses. The companies said that in conjunction with the launch of OMMS Optum has received certification from CMS as a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO)” entity, a designation that enables it to perform quality improvement initiatives, and review cases and analyze patterns of care related to quality measures and medical necessity. The QIO-like designation allows states to receive 75 percent federal matching funds when Optum performs these services. “The Optum solution is analogous to states purchasing the electricity they need rather than building the entire power plant,” Optum executive vice president Steve Larsen said in a statement. “Our state Medicaid clients have told us that traditional MMIS program administration approaches – now more than three decades old – needed upgrading to reflect the fast-paced environment and their broadened responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act.” Twitter: @HealthITNews Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook and LinkedIn

While accurate data on deaths associated with medical errors is lacking, it is estimated that between 210,000 and 400,000 people in the U.S. die every year because of medical errors, making medical errors the third biggest cause of death in the country after heart disease and cancer, a new study found. While human error can never be completely eliminated, better measurement of medical errors can mitigate the frequency, visibility and consequences of such errors, the study said. To remedy the problem of human error, hospitals should properly investigate patient deaths for potential contribution of error, and should include additional information on death certificates, according to “Medical error—The third leading cause of death in the U.S.,” a report from research firm The BMJ. Martin Makary and Michael Daniel at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore noted that U.S. death certificates have no place for acknowledging medical error, and the academics call for better reporting to help understand the scale of the medical errors problem and how to tackle it, the BMJ report said. Currently, death certification depends on assigning an International Classification of Disease (ICD) code to the cause of death; thus, causes of death not associated with an ICD code, such as human and system factors, are not captured. As a result, accurate data on deaths associated with medical errors is lacking. Using studies from 1999 onward, and extrapolating to the total number of U.S. hospital admissions in 2013, Makary and Daniel calculated a mean rate of death from medical errors of 251,454 a year, the study said. They acknowledge that human error is inevitable, but say “although we cannot eliminate human error, we can better measure the problem to design safer systems mitigating its frequency, visibility and consequences,” according to the study. The Johns Hopkins experts believe strategies to reduce death from medical care should include three steps: Making errors more visible when they occur so their effects can be intercepted; having remedies at hand to rescue patients; and making errors less frequent by following principles that take human limitations into account, the study reported. For instance, instead of simply requiring cause of death, they suggest that death certificates could contain an extra field asking whether a preventable complication stemming from the patient’s medical care contributed to the death. Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com

IBM is making quantum computing available to the public, providing access to a platform from any desktop or mobile device via the IBM Cloud. It has implications for healthcare, where another supercomputer, IBMWatson, is already at work helping researchers and clinicians eradicate cancer, making sure the world’s population gets better sleep and sorting big data to boost genomics work and precision medicine. With IBM Quantum Experience, the new cloud-based platform unveiled today, users can create algorithms and run experiments, learn about quantum computing through tutorials and simulations and get inspired by the potential of a quantum computer. The goal, say IBM executives, is to make it easier for researchers and the scientific community to accelerate innovations. [See also: IBM Watson teams up with American Cancer Society to pit cognitive computing against cancer.] Today’s announcement comes days after Big Blue launched on April 29, secure blockchain services for healthcare, government and financial services on the IBM Cloud. Blockchain is the technology underpinning bitcoin, but IBM executives and others note that blockchain is much broader than bitcoin. "Clients tell us that one of the inhibitors of the adoption of blockchain is the concern about security," Jerry Cuomo, vice president, Blockchain, IBM, said in a statement. "While there’s a sense of urgency to pioneer blockchain for business, most organizations need help to define the ideal cloud environment that enables blockchain networks to run securely in the cloud." [See also: IBM Watson takes analytics prowess overseas: Supercomputer to work on big data and genomics in Italy.] Blockchain becomes more attractive wrapped in the new security framework IBM introduced on April 29 along with new blockchain services IBM’s quantum processor, IBM Quantum Experience, is housed at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. A universal quantum computer can be programmed to perform any computing task and will be exponentially faster than classical computers for a number of important applications for science and business, according to IBM executives. “Quantum computing is becoming a reality and it will extend computation far beyond what is imaginable with today's computers," said Arvind Krishna, senior vice president and director, IBM Research, said in a statement. "This moment represents the birth of quantum cloud computing. By giving hands-on access to IBM's experimental quantum systems, the IBM Quantum Experience will make it easier for researchers and the scientific community to accelerate innovations in the quantum field, and help discover new applications for this technology." Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com      

McKesson and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona are partnering to create a new service that helps physician practices that may not be part of a value-based network take on risk as traditional accountable care organizations do. The service, dubbed ACO Partner, is not an accountable care organization. But don't call it a product either, said John Wallace, ACO Partner's new president and chief operating officer. Wallace is McKesson's national vice president and general manager of accountable care services. "It's more of support structure," Wallace said, for the physician practices and providers that need help making the transition to performance reimbursement. It works like this: Physicians and providers sign a shared savings contract with a health plan participating within ACO Partner. Through the services provided, the practice reduces its expenses in medical claims in general, and a percentage of that savings goes back to the provider and insurer, according to Wallace. There is no cost to practices, so they share in the savings without risking payment cuts. "We're making the bet to say, 'Let's do it for them.' We're taking on the responsibility of analytics," Wallace said. So far, only Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona has signed on. [See also: McKesson launches venture capital fund.] ACO Partner in marketed to independent physicians who may not have the resources to transition to value-based care, and also to ACOs and clinically integrated networks that may need help accelerating the transition to getting paid for high quality and cost effective healthcare. "Better benefits for lower costs," Wallace said. "It allows them to take more market share, to compete at a higher level." McKesson provides the technology infrastructure and the analytics to support payers as they collaborate with the provider networks. ACO Partner claims to help physicians with the practical components of value-based care, including disease management, care management, population health management and patient engagement. Providers and payers contracting with ACO Partner have access to  strategic management, analytics, population health, technology, network development, physician engagement and care management services. "A lot of ACOs are making heavy investments in services and technology without a clear roadmap for success," Wallace said. A year from now, Wallace wants ACO Partner to have three to five health plans participating in state of Arizona. Beyond Arizona, he envisions the model in multiple other states. For patients, the new entity is intended to strengthen outcomes while helping reduce out-of-pocket expenses, Wallace said. "Providers love it because they have a better patient experience," Wallace said. "Plans love it because they're seeing a higher quality of care delivered. And it extends to a more efficient cost structure." Twitter: @SusanJMorse

As physicians study the Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models outlined in the newly proposed MACRA rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released its finalized Quality Measure Development Plan in support of the new payment structure.

In response to the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan, Google.org, the company's charitable arm, is donating $250,000 to provide technical resources to help resolve the water issues now and in the future.

UMMC CHIO John Showalter, MD, describes what associative data lakes, honest brokers and more mean to becoming a learning health system.

The health system’s CIO said implementing the platform will enable it to improve care while reducing cost and risk.

Population health IT developer Caradigm named its new CEO on Thursday, promoting its chief technology officer Neal Singh to the executive role.