Mission Statement: All men at one time or another find themselves contemplating how they might turn their thoughts into a business, or make their avocation their vocation, or their passion their profession. Artisan HealthCare is founded on seeking ways to make intelligent ideas reality. Artisan HealthCare innovates & has crafted a better way for specialized clinicians to practice medicine, engage their patients and deliver better quality care.
Obesity Statistics Below are public health agencies and organizations monitoring and researching the epidemic of obesity and related diseases. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s top agency that works to prevent and control disease including obesity. On its website, the CDC has the latest statistics on obesity trends among adults, children and adolescents in the United States. It also provides a state-by-state breakdown of Obesity’s economic impact on the U.S. health care system as well as an interactive map illustrating the growth of obesity in the U.S. since 1985. Weight-control Information NetworkWeight-control Information Network (WIN) is a national information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – the primary organization for research on obesity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). WIN provides up-to-date, science-based information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues, including statistical information on the prevalence of obesity as well as the latest figures on the economic costs of the disease.National Center for Health StatisticsThe National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is the United States’ principal health statistics agency. A part of the CDC, NCHS collects and produces data related to obesity, and its website lists recent studies that include data on the connection between sleep and obesity, the prevalence of obesity among adults and among children and adolescents. NCHS also has a statistics section on Obesity and Overweight conditions.World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization (WHO) is working to prevent and monitor the global epidemic of overweight and obesity. WHO’s website has the most recent statistics and facts regarding the global spread of obesity. Their site also has a database that provides the BMI for each country around the world and a link to WHO’s latest studies and publications on obesity and related chronic diseases.The Hormone FoundationThe Hormone Foundation is the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society. The Foundation's website provides information about emerging hormone-related endocrine system diseases, including obesity.American Obesity AssociationThe American Obesity Association (AOA) is one of the nation's premier public policy advocates for combating and curing obesity. AOA's website is filled with the latest data and figures on a myriad of obesity-related topics, including obesity trends in the U.S., morbid obesity, and statistics regarding obesity in minority populations and women. The AOA also has information about consumer protection issues and health effects related to obesity.International Obesity TaskforceThe International Obesity Taskforce (ITF) is the research and advocacy arm of the International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) – an umbrella organization for national obesity associations which represent 56 countries around the world. IOTF's website provides statistical data on the global study of obesity, including information on global obesity prevalence in adults and global childhood obesity.
With over 220,000 bariatric surgical procedures performed in the US in 2008, doctors and patients need to know if the procedures are safe and effective. A federally-funded, multicenter consortium was created to answer that question. Approximately 15 million people in the US are morbidly obese with a body mass index (BMI) of over 40. Sixty-four percent of Americans are overweight or obese. More than 25 percent of adults are considered obese (BMI greater than 30). Obesity leads to a myriad of diseases and complications. Increasingly doctors and patients have been turning to bariatric surgical procedures (various surgical procedures to shrink or bypass the stomach to reduce food intake) to improve diabetes and life expectancy and reduce cancer rates and coronary artery disease. Do the short-term and long-term benefits outweigh the risks of surgery? The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) funded a study called Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS). This study involved a clinical consortium that was awarded $3 million dollars a year for five years starting in 2003. The consortium includes University of Washington /Virginia Mason, Oregon Health and Science University/Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, Sacramento Bariatric, Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Columbia/Cornell University Medical Center/ Valley Hospital, NIDDK, and East Carolina University.
Bariatric Informatics: Automating the clinical & business operations including integration of associated & satellite clinical information systems. Supports the bariatric practice end-to-end as well as complex integrated delivery networks, and surgery centers. Promotes remote leveraging of web-based applications by the clinician as well as their patient population. Subscription based, so operational cost can be incremental rather than a large initial investment. Access and services associated with the pre and post surgical requirements for patients means that the PHR and EMR share relevant clinical information, allowing collaborative communications for colleagues and patients.
Artisan HealthCare’s trinity of applications / solutions and services: PAN / PHR for pre-surgical navigation & medical necessity guidance, EMR for clinical connectivity (integration) and compliance as well as PHR+ for post-surgical management, wellness and outcomes measurement.Artisan HealthCare’s (AH) EMR & PHR solution that has been developed and is being adapted by a European 3rd party development partner. AH’s solution portfolio will focus on the fastest growing market in HealthCare: Bariatric Medicine. AH is an independent HCIT marketing organization capable of managing, selling, distributing, implementing, outsourcing & supporting Bariatric sites. AH will be comprised of a HealthCare IT solution group (Vermeer EMR / vEMR), a billing / credentialed management team for consulting & outsourced management of bariatric services & centers. Future co-development will include templates for bariatric medicine related clinical disciplines; endoscopy (complete), general surgery, chiropractic, dietary / nutrition, exercise physiology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, exercise physiology, occupational therapy & sleep disorder clinics.
BOLD™ Surgical Review Corporation expects more than 100,000 patients to be entered annually into its Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database™ (BOLD™), thus making it the largest bariatric surgery database registry in the world. Each participant in the BSCOE program is required to submit detailed patient information on every patient that has bariatric surgery. Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database (BOLD™)BOLD is an efficient, user-friendly, Internet-based patient outcomes tracking and reporting database that is IRB approved and fully compliant with HIPAAA and other patient privacy requirements. Click here to view an online presentation of BOLD. Purpose of BOLDBOLD captures real-time information on each patient during pre-, intra- and all postoperative visits. BOLD also obtains information on intraoperative, pre- and post-discharge adverse events. BOLD captures detailed information regarding each patient’s co-morbidities before and after surgery using a severity scale. Users of BOLD have access to all of their information at no additional charge and will be able to compare their results against national aggregates. BOLD provides the ability to establish criteria for best practices. BOLD has three primary goals:To offer Centers a real-time tool to monitor their compliance with the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence (BSCOE) requirements.To provide SRC with credible data that can be used to demonstrate to consumers, employers, medical professionals and payors of the value and efficacy of bariatric surgery. Clinical series, although helpful, represent only selective data. Claims data collected by payors is often inaccurate due to the nature of billing codes. To collect the information needed to improve patient outcomes. The data will guide surgeons in choosing the right operation for patients. BOLD is a unique platform for evidence-based medicine, tracking complications and improvement or resolution of co-morbidities longitudinally in an effort to develop risk stratification guidelines that will promote improved patient care and outcomes.BOLD Design The development of BOLD was guided by SRC's Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and began during the fourth quarter of 2005. All software development was performed by SRC. Efforts were made to keep data elements and data definitions common with the NIH Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) program and other national databases. Initial data elements were posted for review and comment by all BSCOE program applicants. Beta testing was done by SRC's Bariatric Surgery Review Committee and RAC. Access to BOLD As of February 1, 2008, all Provisional Status designees are required to participate in BOLD and compliance is required within 90 days of the Provisional Status designation. After receiving BOLD access, Provisional Status designees must begin entering all new bariatric surgery patients. BOLD compliance is required to be able to receive Full Approval designation as a BSCOE. Participants are required to enter their information in the BOLD format. Accuracy is required and the data is audited and verified. Inaccurate reporting can mean loss of BSCOE status. Interface with Third-party Software SRC developed an interface designed to import data from interested third-party software systems. Participants currently using a participating third-party software system may transmit their data directly into BOLD to minimize or eliminate duplicate data entry. SRC has shared the data elements and integration instructions with several vendors and hospitals interested in developing an interface with BOLD. (Vendors are listed in order of interface completion date.) SRC is pleased to announce that the following vendors have been approved as a third-party provider source that will transmit outcomes data into BOLD. RemedyEHRExemplo MedicalPatientHub™Patient Relationship Management, LLCRaintree Systems, Inc./MDnetSolutions, LLCDigital BariatricsBariatric Office ProductsProNex, Inc.Healthwise Technologies, Inc.EZ Healthcare, Inc.TransMed NetworkOCERIS, Inc.CureTrac LLCBOLD Fees Effective February 18, 2008, SRC changed the fee structure for BOLD as follows:All surgical groups — Provisional Status and Full Approval designees — will pay a one-time BOLD activation fee of $875 with the submission of the BOLD Participation Agreement. Payments for the initial block of 100 patients from designees already signed up to use BOLD will be credited as the BOLD activation fee.Provisional Status Centers (hospitals and freestanding outpatient centers) will be billed an annual BOLD data submission fee of $875, regardless of the number of patients entered into BOLD.Fully Approved BSCOE Centers (hospitals and freestanding outpatient centers) designated before January 1, 2008, will be billed an annual BOLD data submission fee of $1,250 until they enter their renewal year, regardless of the number of patients entered into BOLD. Starting in 2008, Centers renewing their BSCOE designation will not be charged a separate BOLD fee as it is included in the annual BSCOE Participation Fee. BOLD does not require a software purchase. The fee specifically covers costs for program activation, data management, storage and security, as well as compilation, analysis, reporting and dissemination of data. These fees are charged even if a third-party software system is used to transmit data to BOLD. IRB ApprovalBOLD utilizes information on living patients from the preoperative stage through five years or more following surgery. It also asks for some information which is considered Protected Health Information under HIPAAA. For these reasons, the BOLD research study is considered human subject research and subject to various federal laws, including the requirement to receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. The University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB) at East Carolina University approved SRC’s IRB application, along with a short-form protocol and informed consent document. BOLD users will receive a package with the IRB approval letter, the approved patient informed consent form, study protocol and consent to have UMCIRB provide oversight for the BOLD research study. Institutions that are required or elect to have a local IRB provide oversight will be permitted to do so with appropriate documentation. IRB approval is required before users can enter data. Purpose of the BOLD Co-morbidity Scale The co-morbidity scale used in BOLD was created by the RAC and is based upon a schema originally published by noted bariatric surgeons, Bruce Wolfe, M.D. and Mohamed Ali, M.D., in consultation with others such as NIH/NIDDK/LABS co-investigators and representatives from national health plans. The co-morbidity scale provides a quantifiable measure of the effect of bariatric surgery on co-morbidities over time. The scale will be used to guide SRC in setting new standards for its BSCOE program. It will also be used to demonstrate the value and efficacy of bariatric surgery. Purpose of the Participation Agreement The Participant Agreement was prepared by legal counsel in consultation with other industry experts. The Agreement covers all areas and is intended to protect surgeons, hospitals and patients, as well as meet the various requirements of HIPAAA and privacy of human subjects. Once the agreement is completed, signed and returned to SRC (along with the other required documentation), users will be given access to BOLD. Future Changes to BOLD BOLD is expected to grow in a modular design with additional modules to enhance and supplement SRC’s research initiatives. While the current data collected in BOLD is required for all BSCOE participants, the supplemental data collected in the additional modules will be optional for Research Consortium participants. Constructive input from users is important to the continued evolution of BOLD. Suggestions for changes to improve BOLD are considered by SRC’s research staff and RAC. Your input is valuable. Please feel free to send comments or suggestions regarding BOLD to Support.
Their system is fairly simple, everyone is required to purchase insurance from highly-regulated private providers. They describe it as "private health insurance with social conditions". Insurers are tightly regulated for quality, provision of basic services, and to prevent discrimination, as they are required to accept everyone in their coverage area at a flat rate, no matter what their health status. To prevent loss of profitability from chronically-ill patients, they have a risk equalization system so that rather than losing profits from recruiting sicker patients, insurance companies are compensated for providing service to those patients who need it most. And if a citizen wants to change companies, or buy additional insurance they are free to. It's a system that encourages competition, but is regulated to prevent the companies from selecting only healthy patients, or otherwise abusing the system to prevent health care provision to sick people. The incentives are designed to provide excellent care to as many people as possible, cheaply and efficiently no matter what their health status, rather than the perverse US system in which the incentives are to deny care and only sign on the healthy. The government even runs a website allowing patients to comparison shop among the different insurance companies and hospitals based upon their ratings for quality, outcomes and performance indicators.
BOLD™ Surgical Review Corporation expects more than 100,000 patients to be entered annually into its Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database™ (BOLD™), thus making it the largest bariatric surgery database registry in the world. Each participant in the BSCOE program is required to submit detailed patient information on every patient that has bariatric surgery. Bariatric Outcomes Longitudinal Database (BOLD™)BOLD is an efficient, user-friendly, Internet-based patient outcomes tracking and reporting database that is IRB approved and fully compliant with HIPAAA and other patient privacy requirements. Click here to view an online presentation of BOLD. Purpose of BOLDBOLD captures real-time information on each patient during pre-, intra- and all postoperative visits. BOLD also obtains information on intra-operative, pre- and post-discharge adverse events. BOLD captures detailed information regarding each patient’s co-morbidities before and after surgery using a severity scale. Users of BOLD have access to all of their information at no additional charge and will be able to compare their results against national aggregates. BOLD provides the ability to establish criteria for best practices. BOLD has three primary goals:To offer Centers a real-time tool to monitor their compliance with the Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence (BSCOE) requirements.To provide SRC with credible data that can be used to demonstrate to consumers, employers, medical professionals and payors of the value and efficacy of bariatric surgery. Clinical series, although helpful, represent only selective data. Claims data collected by payors is often inaccurate due to the nature of billing codes. To collect the information needed to improve patient outcomes. The data will guide surgeons in choosing the right operation for patients. BOLD is a unique platform for evidence-based medicine, tracking complications and improvement or resolution of co-morbidities longitudinally in an effort to develop risk stratification guidelines that will promote improved patient care and outcomes.BOLD Design The development of BOLD was guided by SRC's Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and began during the fourth quarter of 2005. All software development was performed by SRC. Efforts were made to keep data elements and data definitions common with the NIH Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) program and other national databases. Initial data elements were posted for review and comment by all BSCOE program applicants. Beta testing was done by SRC's Bariatric Surgery Review Committee and RAC. Access to BOLD As of February 1, 2008, all Provisional Status designees are required to participate in BOLD and compliance is required within 90 days of the Provisional Status designation. After receiving BOLD access, Provisional Status designees must begin entering all new bariatric surgery patients. BOLD compliance is required to be able to receive Full Approval designation as a BSCOE. Participants are required to enter their information in the BOLD format. Accuracy is required and the data is audited and verified. Inaccurate reporting can mean loss of BSCOE status. Interface with Third-party Software SRC developed an interface designed to import data from interested third-party software systems. Participants currently using a participating third-party software system may transmit their data directly into BOLD to minimize or eliminate duplicate data entry. SRC has shared the data elements and integration instructions with several vendors and hospitals interested in developing an interface with BOLD. (Vendors are listed in order of interface completion date.) SRC is pleased to announce that the following vendors have been approved as a third-party provider source that will transmit outcomes data into BOLD. RemedyEHRExemplo MedicalPatientHub™Patient Relationship Management, LLCRaintree Systems, Inc./MDnetSolutions, LLCDigital BariatricsBariatric Office ProductsProNex, Inc.Healthwise Technologies, Inc.EZ Healthcare, Inc.TransMed NetworkOCERIS, Inc.CureTrac LLCBOLD Fees Effective February 18, 2008, SRC changed the fee structure for BOLD as follows:All surgical groups — Provisional Status and Full Approval designees — will pay a one-time BOLD activation fee of $875 with the submission of the BOLD Participation Agreement. Payments for the initial block of 100 patients from designees already signed up to use BOLD will be credited as the BOLD activation fee.Provisional Status Centers (hospitals and freestanding outpatient centers) will be billed an annual BOLD data submission fee of $875, regardless of the number of patients entered into BOLD.Fully Approved BSCOE Centers (hospitals and freestanding outpatient centers) designated before January 1, 2008, will be billed an annual BOLD data submission fee of $1,250 until they enter their renewal year, regardless of the number of patients entered into BOLD. Starting in 2008, Centers renewing their BSCOE designation will not be charged a separate BOLD fee as it is included in the annual BSCOE Participation Fee. BOLD does not require a software purchase. The fee specifically covers costs for program activation, data management, storage and security, as well as compilation, analysis, reporting and dissemination of data. These fees are charged even if a third-party software system is used to transmit data to BOLD. IRB ApprovalBOLD utilizes information on living patients from the preoperative stage through five years or more following surgery. It also asks for some information which is considered Protected Health Information under HIPAAA. For these reasons, the BOLD research study is considered human subject research and subject to various federal laws, including the requirement to receive Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. The University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB) at East Carolina University approved SRC’s IRB application, along with a short-form protocol and informed consent document. BOLD users will receive a package with the IRB approval letter, the approved patient informed consent form, study protocol and consent to have UMCIRB provide oversight for the BOLD research study. Institutions that are required or elect to have a local IRB provide oversight will be permitted to do so with appropriate documentation. IRB approval is required before users can enter data. Purpose of the BOLD Co-morbidity Scale The co-morbidity scale used in BOLD was created by the RAC and is based upon a schema originally published by noted bariatric surgeons, Bruce Wolfe, M.D. and Mohamed Ali, M.D., in consultation with others such as NIH/NIDDK/LABS co-investigators and representatives from national health plans. The co-morbidity scale provides a quantifiable measure of the effect of bariatric surgery on co-morbidities over time. The scale will be used to guide SRC in setting new standards for its BSCOE program. It will also be used to demonstrate the value and efficacy of bariatric surgery. Purpose of the Participation Agreement The Participant Agreement was prepared by legal counsel in consultation with other industry experts. The Agreement covers all areas and is intended to protect surgeons, hospitals and patients, as well as meet the various requirements of HIPAAA and privacy of human subjects. Once the agreement is completed, signed and returned to SRC (along with the other required documentation), users will be given access to BOLD. Future Changes to BOLD BOLD is expected to grow in a modular design with additional modules to enhance and supplement SRC’s research initiatives. While the current data collected in BOLD is required for all BSCOE participants, the supplemental data collected in the additional modules will be optional for Research Consortium participants. Constructive input from users is important to the continued evolution of BOLD. Suggestions for changes to improve BOLD are considered by SRC’s research staff and RAC. Your input is valuable. Please feel free to send comments or suggestions regarding BOLD to Support.
Financing bariatric surgery makes the treatment possible for the more than one-third of bariatric-eligible patients who are either uninsured or underinsured. But the wrong decisions could cause you to spend thousands more than necessary. This page will help you make sure that doesn't happen.Overview of who pays for bariatric surgery in the U.S.Tax considerationsPrivate insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and disability insurance8 bariatric surgery financing options without insurance (or if insurance won't cover some or all of the costs)BLISPayment Plan Through Your Bariatric SurgeonFriends & FamilySecured LoanRetirement Plan LoansPermanent Life Insurance LoansBrokers, Direct Lenders and Credit Cards (Unsecured Loans)One final worthy consideration
Weight loss (or “bariatric”) surgery: It’s one of the few procedures that is profitable for hospitals. Because it is elective surgery, hospitals have time to verify insurance coverage. And each patient can turn into an income stream, with extra surgeries such as the removal of excess folds of skin.Operating rooms are expensive to maintain, and hospitals often get stuck with the bill from uninsured patients. But weight loss surgery has been a boon to hospital finances, and most hospitals are jumping on the bandwagon.
Artisan HealthCare’s solution will focus on the fastest growing market in healthcare: Bariatric Medicine. AH will be an independent HealthCare Information Technology (HCIT) solution provider capable of marketing, selling, distributing, implementing, outsourcing a certified integrated EMR & PMS solution. The EMR solution that AH markets and distributes will be certified by the US Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT). ARRA HITECH Legislation: The certification program: Certification Commission for HealthCare Information Technology for HealthCare Information Technology (CCHIT) makes our solution eligible for funds granted by the American Reconstruction Recovery Act of 2009, under a provision called HITECH: Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health. Funds totaling more than $19.2 Billion have been allocated by the US government for EMR solutions that are certified. Additionally the AH solution suite will meet and exceed all ARRA HITECH “meaningful use” requirements, including the latest version of HIPAAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).
Patient Advocacy Navigation (PAN - Includes PHR, Telephone Call Center & Shares RDBMS with vEMR) Vermeer EMR (vEMR - Includes Clinical System with Clinical Connectivity “integration” as well as EMR+ for the business office applications) Personal Health & Wellness Record “PHR+” (PHR+ - Includes limited call center and PHR sharing RDBMS with vEMR or existing EMR for outcomes management & post-operative wellness programmes (referrals & condition management))
Bariatric practices and centers rely upon clinical and business data being managed, this can only be done in today’s competitive environment with patient communication enablement. This allows the record to be interactive, and resonates with real-time cooperation; the patient needs a relationship with their provider of care, and have few opportunities couple innovative services with informatics. Artisan HealthCare does exactly that, we merge the medical staff that supports the surgeon with what the surgeon needs, while supporting the theory that patients what to be involved in their care, and not just a passive participant. Empowering the clinician to practice medicine is not innovative, it is common sense!
On February 17, 2009 a $787 Billion, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of (ARRA) 2009 aka “the Stimulus Bill,” was signed into law by the US federal government. Included in this law is $19.2 Billion which is intended to be used to increase the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by physicians and hospitals; this portion of the bill is called, the “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act”, or HITECH Act. The US government believes in the benefits of using electronic health records and is ready to invest federal resources to proliferate its use. Title XIII in Division A, pages112 through 165 and Title IV in Division B, pages 353 through 398, cover the HITECH portion of this economic recovery act. The AH EMR solution will qualify for funds.
The differentiation is that both of our top competitors today focus on the features and functions of the EMR, rather than place an emphasis on medical necessity management and outcomes based measurement and consumer / patient involvement. The Artisan / Topicus difference is our approach to incorporate in a common shared database that provides a dynamic EMR application coupled with the consumer / patient access portal / Personal Health Record (PHR). This patient record allows Artisan Healthcare to interact with the patient by assisting their navigation of the difficult steps involved with medical necessity. This electronic component of our “Patient Navigation” has no competition in the US or international market TODAY: Nobody in the industry offers a Patient Advocacy Navigation service that guides patients through the nuances of medical necessity for the gastric bypass surgical procedure; the standard path to approval--- Endoscopy Procedure (Upper), Exercise Physiologist (3 – 6 MOs), Nutritionist Counseling (3 MOs), Patient Psychological Evaluation, Cardiology Assessment, Respiratory Therapy ABG , Sleep Study (Apnea) & Patient Physical (recommendation and referrals can also come from Endocrinologist – Diabetes of General Practitioner / Cardiologist Hypertension / Coronary Heart Disease). Secondarily Topicus has a patient health record (patient portal) that AH will re-sell to enhance management of the credential requirement of maintaining a patient post operative history for five fiscal years. TODAY, there is not a single solution that combines an EMR and PHR to record and manage the post operative attenuation of co-existing morbid conditions of a gastric bypass patient. The differentiation is clear; Patient Navigation and automation of the medical necessity stages prior to surgery are un-equaled. Second the competition does not provide an online mechanism to measure post operative morbid condition attenuation***. This service solution combination will provide new revenue for the Bariatric Surgeon & will improve the % of patients eligible for the surgical procedure, and can improve outcomes. Our wellness program is a post-operative tool where patient scan continue to communicate with their clinician coupled with several management programs; After Surgery Wellness Programme, Medical Condition Management & Interactive Scheduling Referral System (Insurance specific)***Patients that qualify for bariatric medicine procedures have to have a medical history or a proven medical necessity for the procedure i.e. “morbid co-existing conditions include: Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, Congestive Heart Failure, COPD, Hypertension.: The attenuation of many if not all of these conditions are common post operative, and the monitoring and status update of these pre-existing condition require a 5 year post management programme. Today this is done manually, the records are required to mitigate risk for patients, clinicians and are used as research for outcome qualitative and quantitative reporting. National Quality Measures Clearinghouse™ (NQMC) & Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
TODAY: Nobody in the industry offers a Patient Advocacy Navigation service that guides patients through the nuances of medical necessity for the gastric bypass surgical procedure; the standard path to approval--- Endoscopy Procedure (Upper), Exercise Physiologist (3 – 6 MOs), Nutritionist Counseling (3 MOs), Patient Psychological Evaluation, Cardiology Assessment, Respiratory Therapy ABG , Sleep Study (Apnea) & Patient Physical (recommendation and referrals can also come from Endocrinologist – Diabetes of General Practitioner / Cardiologist Hypertension / Coronary Heart Disease). Secondarily Topicus has a patient health record (patient portal) that AH will re-sell to enhance management of the credential requirement of maintaining a patient post operative history for five fiscal years. TODAY, there is not a single solution that combines an EMR and PHR to record and manage the post operative attenuation of co-existing morbid conditions of a gastric bypass patient. The differentiation is clear; Patient Navigation and automation of the medical necessity stages prior to surgery are un-equaled. Second the competition does not provide an online mechanism to measure post operative morbid condition attenuation***. This service solution combination will provide new revenue for the Bariatric Surgeon & will improve the % of patients eligible for the surgical procedure, and can improve outcomes. Our wellness program is a post-operative tool where patient scan continue to communicate with their clinician coupled with several management programs; After Surgery Wellness Programme, Medical Condition Management & Interactive Scheduling Referral System (Insurance specific)***Patients that qualify for bariatric medicine procedures have to have a medical history or a proven medical necessity for the procedure i.e. “morbid co-existing conditions include: Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, Congestive Heart Failure, COPD, Hypertension.: The attenuation of many if not all of these conditions are common post operative, and the monitoring and status update of these pre-existing condition require a 5 year post management programme. Today this is done manually, the records are required to mitigate risk for patients, clinicians and are used as research for outcome qualitative and quantitative reporting. National Quality Measures Clearinghouse™ (NQMC) & Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)
Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS)Prior to rounds how do you receive and collect patient information / status, by acuity?Can you access VSIO, Nurse charting , flowcharts, H&P as well as Round Reports from your home & office?How do you receive medication information?How do you manage Adverse Events?How can you access ancillary results from home & office?How do you manage surgery suite scheduling from home & office?Can you enter orders form the Hospital @ your home or office?Are you involved with a Clinical Effectiveness Data System (CEDS)
Rounds management incorporates in all of the data gathering needed for a comprehensive post surgical – recovery to floor – to discharge experience. The surgeon needs flexibility and they need relevant clinical data, even the most technologically advanced systems tend to believe in the “one size fits all approach” to medicine. Artisan HealthCare understands what the bariatric professional needs, and that is a personalized view with intelligent filtered data so they can assess and maintain quality as they ensure positive outcomes. Managing adverse events can be timely, and reviewing multiple high acuity patients each round can be exhausting, so we want to help with spreading those patients out across a tenable surgical schedule. Placing an emphasis on acuity and co-existing conditions to keep quality up while also pushing patients through the hoops necessary to discharge them with confidence. Managing the patient is more than re-assuring them it means crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s this affirms credentialing, and complies with Health Information Management (HIM) guidelines. Improving the delivery of care in our eyes means starting with the patients journey and assisting the surgeon along their acute experience as well; then we merge the two once again post-operative so outcomes and wellness can become as predictable as the sunset.
Differentiation is more than just marketing, and verbosity it is the quality of service and the ability to execute on a plan. Artisan HealthCare is adapting the best of Europe to compete in an environment in the US where competition is fierce but where focus and dedication to innovation is weak. We are innovators & purveyors of patient advocacy, and believe that clinicians should practice medicine, not administration! We have to enable both, so we decided to craft a foundation that supports a clinical as well as a patient friendly user experience. Our hopes are to realize that which many companies simply cannot change, and that is the nature of their technology. When you start with the end in mind you discover quickly that data is data but it still has to be orchestrated in an intelligent and logical manner. The challenge is not abstracting the information as much as validating the value of a flexible tool that can easily adopt to workflow and to proactive intervention. Clinicians want a smart case summary, so they can assess the situation quickly, and then interact with a system that will notify the care team to execute. Patients are no longer relegated to the sidelines, instead they are a component of care, and are responsible for the long term success of the surgical procedure. Therefore post-operative wellness & outcomes is as logical as patient advocacy during medical necessity for pre-surgery approval; and that is why we kept the same PHR for both, to provide a continuity of care, using an interactive navigation dashboard that allows patients to be involved with their process. Imagine the value of a patient that knew exactly where they are in the medical necessity process, what results they have available and when their claim will actually be submitted. Denial reduction starts with educating the patient, and slides with continuity to positive outcomes. We take continuity of care seriously, however we place an emphasis on the patient as the surgeon is an independent entity / professional that can serve multiple institutions and have to diversify their services to remain competitive and relevant in an ever-changing discipline. The patient however is the common denominator and is at the base of what allows good medicine to be practiced, we measure outcomes to ensure the success of future patients, why not invoke enthusiasm with ones patients instead of sending out a post card with a lab order for follow up procedures. Improving business throughput while balancing quality care adds value and equates to long term patient dedication.
Insurance / Business Capabilities:Pre-certificationAuthorization On-line adjudicationSecondary coverageDenials & Appeals Referrals Document scanning & routingMulti-media scanning, downloading & routingPre-RegistrationPre vs Post Surgery SchedulingE-mail & Telephone Notes / ChartingReminder Letters
Obesity & Associated Conditions Symposium 60th Anniversary Celebration!New Orleans, LouisianaNovember 10-14, 2010 Registration begins July 2010. The 27th Annual Meeting will be held at the Aria Hotel at CityCenter in Las Vegas, NV on June 21-26, 2010. Aria Hotel at CityCenter 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard Las Vegas, NV 89109 1-866-359-7757 www.arialasvegas.com
Patient Advocacy Navigation is the flagship for a sustainable service as the PHR compliments a call service designed to assist the patient through the arduous task of medical necessity. Receiving approval is easier said than done, after you have confirmed with a selected surgeon than your journey begins, what is self pay, what is covered, what procedures need to be scheduled, what is the prep, what consent forms are needed, directions, hours of operation, what comes next, where are the results, what is the status of my claim…. what can a patient do to be more proactive without taking up their own precious time? Artisan HealthCare’s PAN (Patient Advocacy Navigation) simplifies and refines the patients journey.Balancing what is needed with education, using an interactive ability (web-based PHR) to go through the process step by step is not only a differentiation in the market place it is a diamond in the rough. You know exactly where you are in the process, and understand what is covered and what is not. We provide an invaluable service to the surgeon assisting their patients through a myriad of scheduling challenges, and do not attempt to broker patients from one surgeon to the next, we are a service that allows differentiation, and personalization. Our efforts are about the patient experience, not selling bodies to a surgeon, we are a clinical marketing & scheduling organization that optimizes the patients movement from procedure to procedure. We then offer personalized service to assist the patient, we are there 7X24 because we understand that some of your best questions are not coming to mind between the hours of 9AM - 5PM, people are individuals & should be treated as such.
AHs Patient Advocate Navigation provides an evolutionary staple in the way bariatric medicine will be practiced in the future; consumer based approach - focus on the Patient {Navigation to guide patients through medical necessity}Consulting services provide patient advocacy styled medical necessity & partner with the bariatric professional to improve access to clinically relevant information as well as reporting capabilities to validate evidence & outcomes based medicine best PracticesProfessional, private and public services can be enhanced by having a team that is sensitive & understands how Bariatric medicine is practiced Medical claims processing outsourcing has become one of the most common medical outsourcing processes today; AH will engage, schedule, monitor & accept results putting together the claim with appropriate annotations to increase the likelihood of coverage & as a collateral affect will lower denials.
Patient Advocacy Navigation is an innovative service that will enhance the quality of the patients experience, lower calls to the bariatric practice, improve the number of patients being approved by insurance, and provides the patient with an up to date status of their journey through medical necessity. The patient needs an advocate & the Bariatric Surgeon needs to offer a service that differentiates and improves the quality and approval rate today!AH will Navigate the Patients through Medical Necessity. Adhering to referral & insurance protocols that complicate the quality of the patient experience.
Vermeer is a famous Dutch painter that innovated the way light and color interact, born in Delph, Netherlands his creativity and zeal for capturing life in a “real light” inspired our desire to adapt a European EMR to the US healthcare IT market. As an innovator in one of the most exciting clinical disciplines “Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery” we are honored to serve our clinicians and their patients. Chronic Disease Management is one of the most expensive challenges we have in global healthcare, The US invests over 72% of all Medicare and Medicaid funds to fight these diseases. In 2006 the US healthcare system listed Morbid Obesity as a chronic disease, the debilitative nature of the disease is increasingly becoming an obstacle in peoples lives. It effects the way people live their lives, how they interact with other people and even how they view themselves.Bariatric Medicine is a discipline that demands a special solution that emphasizes a patient focused end-to-end solution and still provide collaborative capabilities so the surgeon can interact and gather data wherever they choose. We have to meet HIPAA requirements but why not make data available where and when the surgeon needs it, why can’t we provide them with real-time up to date information on the degree of pain a patient might be in (how often they touch the pain button post recovery room), why can’t we filter data by a patients acuity level, why not modify an order within an existing protocol. Patients are individuals as are the surgeons, why not craft a solution that can allow them to practice medicine, and not be beholden to ancient technology. We are innovators, and that is why we took the time to survey the competitive landscape, understand the way surgeons practice medicine and actually empathize with the path the patients have to take pre and post-operative for documenting outcomes. The proliferation and sustainable value of a solution is interdependent upon the services offered, as the world of PHR’s and EMRs are not turn key. We see the light, perhaps not the way Vermeer did but we certainly can appreciate it!
Electronic Medical Record description and benefits…. The EMR is HealthCare information based on an individual patient. It is created, gathered, managed, and consulted by licensed clinicians & staff from a single organization. Therefore the EMR enables ubiquitous critical clinical data availability for the clinician to execute on their care plan, designed and crafted for a single patient population. BENEFITs Patient Safety, Compliance, Collaboration, Communication, Referrals & Clinician Awareness
EMR standards offer a variety of features and functions, however the key area for EMR capabilities in the arena of Bariatric Medicine is actually are catalyst functions provided by a bi-directional interfaces. Surgery Information Systems and the Hospital HIS / EHR & or Surgery Center systems offer a wide variety of departments, clinical disciplines and therapies. Practical functionality coupled with registration, results, order management, charting and round management can enhance the way medicine is practiced. The desire to view and interact with real-time results, surgery scheduling, resource allocations, nutrition / dietary, exercise, sleep study, endoscopy, radiology, cardiovascular, respiratory therapy, physical therapy & endocrinologist collaboration are key to making the patient as well as the surgeons experience an uneventful one. Data is data but where and how you apply that data is clinical informatics, and is exactly what an EMR was designed to do.
Bariatric Surgeons & Centers are losing money & potential patients from denied claims that would not be denied with a comprehensive EMR & PMS solution coupled with our Patient Advocate Navigation (PAN) service. Today Bariatric Surgeons are forced to use expensive resources to acquire missing clinical documentation, un-signed documentation, un-corrected errors & claims appeal processes. With a Bariatric customized solution the delivery of care is improved & reimbursement is optimized. Estimates show annual savings of $360,000 (US Only) for a single Bariatric surgeon Practice, when denials are lowered a mere 20%; a standard EMR/PMS solution today can attain up to 40% denial claim attenuation.
Artisan HealthCare will develop a predictive & quantitative decision support mechanism. That application will leverage the evidence /outcomes gathered from over 4K + gastric bypass patients. The patients characteristic, medical status, co-existing morbid condition(s), medication history, stages of chronic disease & health factor(s) will algorithm a qualitative assist programme. Now the Bariatric Clinician will have a predictive, rules based logic reporting & practice tool for their medical discipline that no HCIT vendor has available today. - Patent -
Our Personal Health Record (PHR) is a web-based personalized wellness application that functions to capture, organize & display clinical information for the patient. This helps patients as well as surgeons to keep track of data, such as medications, laboratory / radiology results, illnesses, surgeries, allergies, referrals, condition management & other information pertaining to the patient’s medical history.