HealtheFirst today announced that Dr. Tim Stark has been selected as a new board member to join its leadership team.  For more than 20 years Dr. Stark has worked as a practitioner, educator, director, and developer of university undergrad and post-graduate educational programs across the specialties of Sports Chiropractic and Physical Rehabilitation.  He is completing his tenth year as the Chair of the Education Commission for the FICS and was recently awarded the American Chiropractic Association Academician of the Year and the American Chiropractic Association Sports Council Sports Chiropractor of the Year.

“I am honored to be a member of HealtheFirst’s board.  It is a privilege to be part of an organization that delivers high quality services and innovative solutions to great clients,” said Dr. Stark.  “This is an organization led by a great purpose – to make a positive, long-term impact that matters to everyone that HealtheFirst touches. I will do my best to support our leaders and team to make case management and business processes better using HealtheFirst’s high quality technology.”

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Stark on our team. His business ownership and development skills along with global experiences in education leadership and healthcare delivery are phenomenal.  Global connections and industry leadership in innovating chiropractic education and services delivery make Tim the perfect addition to our board at HealtheFirst,” said CEO Steve Clute.

Launched in late 2017, HealtheFirst is a fast-growing leader in business process and case management software, services, and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

An essential part of successful case management is identifying patient risk, especially those with high risk, and then to engage them in a suitable management program. To achieve this, however, health systems need to stop relying solely on claims-data as that provides a partial and incomplete picture of patients.

Instead, other sources of data such as clinical data, pharmaceutical data, and social determinants of health such as homelessness, abuse, lack of insurance, and lack of access to routine care are important factors to consider. The industry is adopting this approach and working to create and support each individual user appropriately.

This fundamental shift from simple descriptive analysis to real-time and predictive understanding and perception is a fundamental driver to keeping costs low and to ensure that resources are spent in the best and most efficient way possible.

Companies who have not made the switch to intelligent and technology-driven management and execution models may think that the cost is too high, or the operating solutions are too complicated for their team members. This is because it is important to create a very precision-based model that can track and manage all of the resources, services, and data points of each individual patient in order to efficiently deliver timely and effective care at the best cost.

To top that there is a colossal amount of data to be stored, used, delivered, considered, and shared from and to many different sources – some are part of medical records while others require the engagement of team members, administration, other companies, and patient caregivers.  All this action and information needs to be HIPAA compliant, shared, and stored in a confidential and safe manner.

As the trend of using technology to manage all business processes inside case management agencies increases, more firms are now implementing the software and interfaces to help create a sound and reliable means to operate efficiently with financial effectiveness.  With HealtheFirst, processes are customized and data is used to allow for seamless integration and application of the requirements for positive service and financial outcomes. HealtheFirst reduces the cost of using a bunch of separate services as well as manual workload by providing an interface that allows the entire company to operate smoothly and generate positive results for all stakeholders.

Jason is the current Chief Nursing Officer for Mayo Clinic Health System – Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, WI. He has had a broad and successful career in healthcare, including the Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for the Mayo Clinic enterprise, as well as administrative leadership for areas including pediatrics, trauma, radiology, intensive care, and emergency services. Dr. Fratzke has led and partnered on many key strategic priorities and initiatives during his tenure. As a leader in nursing, Dr. Fratzke takes pride in mentoring and developing both nurse leaders and nurses engaged in direct care to measure, assess, and improve client outcomes for the future.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Jason’s caliber and experience step up to assist HealtheFirst in moving forward as a leading Case Management and Business Process technology leader,” said Steve Clute, CEO. “We are at a critical time and want insightful support and leadership knowledge to successfully implement our strategy in leading case management companies who seek heightened efficiency and outcomes at lower costs of time and money.  Jason is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution.”

Fratzke said, “I am honored and excited to support HealtheFirst. I believe HealtheFirst really matters – especially in the world of case management where so much is new and changing at this time.”

HealtheFirst is proud to announce that its CEO has appointed Mark Setterstrom as board member.

“During this time of transformation and change, there is serious need for diversified thought and engagement for leadership of HealtheFirst.” said Steve Clute, HealtheFirst’s Founder and Member of the Board of Directors. “Mark is a proven leader with fluent engineering skills, business vision and ability to bring people together. His vision for how technology can and will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what HealtheFirst wants as the company enters this new chapter of expanded product innovation and growth. His mastery of Strategic Management coupled with the discipline and competitiveness learned in the NFL are strengths we need at HealtheFirst.”

Mark commented, “HealtheFirst is a rare healthcare company focused on a light and nimble operating structure filled with intelligence and ability to revolutionize business process through its unique and adaptive SaaS technology.  The opportunity ahead for HealtheFirst is vast, but to seize it, we must focus clearly, move fast and be willing and able to transform.”

“Mark is clearly a great person to support HealtheFirst, and he is a perfect fit with the rest of our Board,” Clute said.

Launched in late 2017, HealtheFirst is a fast-growing leader in business process and case management software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For most of his adult life, David recalls experiencing random bouts of a racing heart.  However, it wasn’t until his late forties did he discover that the irregular activity in his chest was actually atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm).  Although various treatment methods helped at first, his heart condition was never fully reversed. Because of this, David’s primary care physician explained that he could be at the risk of a stroke.  He was then placed on anticoagulants (blood thinners) in order to prevent the possibility of blood clots forming in his heart.  

At its essence, health care is all about delivering the best possible outcomes for patients. Superior care is essential to success – no ifs, ands, or buts, about it. The challenge is that improving care can be expensive and many health care providers overlook the fact that failure to do so can lead to costly repercussions.

Did you know that stolen medical data is extremely valuable on the black market? Cybercriminals across the globe have seen the demand for this enticing commodity and have reaped the benefits of their lawless actions. 

Managing a patient’s transition from one area of care to another, known as Transitional Care-Case Management is a critical feature of improving healthcare outcomes. The process aims to identify and overcome obstacles that may hinder successful transitions while working to fill in any gaps that would otherwise be seen in a patient’s care. The overarching goal is to provide a patient with an easy transition that’s not only efficient but also reduces costs by lowering rates of readmission.

Health care providers understand that excessive hospital readmission rates pose a direct threat to patient outcomes. On top of this, high rates also inflict problems to a hospital’s financial well-being, particularly in a value-based reimbursement environment.

HIPAA is based on the concept of “Administrative Simplification,” or the pursuit of the most effective and efficient use of modern information technology. Handheld computers, the Internet, e-mail communication, and the use of personal computers enable users to store nearly limitless amounts of data, perform timely searches and reporting, and distribute large quantities of information to a wide audience in practically no time.

Continue reading HIPAA and Healthcare, Will They Ever Get Along?