Since its founding in 2015, CCS’s critical focus has been to help clients in health centers and private practices improve patient care, outcomes, and satisfaction. This focus also directly affects the providers’ bottom line as CMS and payors are tying reimbursement to improved outcomes and patient satisfaction scores.
According to Chronic Care Staffing COO, Connor Danielowski, the effects of improved patient satisfaction are numerous, but prime considerations include outcomes, costs, and overall improved patient well-being. “Studies show that patients who are more satisfied with their care are more likely to follow their treatment plans and have better overall outcomes. As for costs, satisfied patients are less likely to use unnecessary healthcare services, saving payors money. And finally, like every business or institution, payors want to be seen as driving value and clinical excellence. By tying reimbursement to patient satisfaction scores, they demonstrate to their beneficiaries that they are committed to providing quality care.”
AI Technology Benefits Clients
This innovative AI software is a robust platform that has been shown to improve patient satisfaction by leveraging features such as real-time agent coaching, which provides immediate feedback to CCS remote clinical staff during calls. This helps improve communication skills and resolve patient issues more effectively. Additionally, automated call scoring and analysis identifies areas where clinical staff can improve. This can help practices boost their overall customer service performance.
For Chronic Care Staffing president Cas Danielowski, the new AI software is the right tool at the right time. “In remote healthcare, patient satisfaction results from quick, reliable connections between clinicians and patients. It’s about delivering accurate information in a clear, constructive, and reassuring manner. With our AI solution, we now have faster call resolution times, real-time agent coaching, and automated call scoring and analysis. It’s one more tool Chronic Care Staffing can use to help medical practices ensure that their patients are receiving the best possible service.”
About Chronic Care Staffing
Chronic Care Staffing collaborates nationwide with clients ranging from small practices to large health systems. CCS is a sister company of Joint Commission-certified Millenia Medical Staffing and has access to a network of nurses across the United States. CCS is a clinically-based company that does not sell software – all our programs are designed to generate income for our clients without an upfront investment.
Innovative approach integrates genetic data to identify drug targets with high potential for clinical trial success
NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Driven by the need for a better way to prioritize targets for drug development, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has led the development of a novel “genetic priority score” (GPS) that will integrate various types of human genetic data into a single easy-to-interpret score.
The findings were described in the January 3 online issue of Nature Genetics [DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01609-2].
Studies have shown that drugs have an increased likelihood of success in clinical trials when the genes they target have been demonstrated to have genetic support. The new tool integrates multiple lines of genetic evidence to prioritize these drug targets.
The score measures the general ability of a gene to be targeted by drugs; genes with a high score in the new tool are more likely to succeed as a drug target. The score identifies both known drug gene targets as well as potential novel therapeutic targets.
“We built a genetic priority score that was inspired by the realization that diverse human genetic data provides insights into drug targets, yet there was an absence of a cohesive strategy for integrating these various data types into an easily interpretable score. So we developed a computational score to prioritize drug targets for enhanced drug discovery,” says Ron Do, PhD, senior study author and the Charles Bronfman Professor in Personalized Medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai. “Remarkably, several genes with high GPS were already known to be targeted by approved drugs, providing validation for the new tool.”
The GPS, with its potential to streamline target prioritization, is positioned to have a significant impact on drug development. It offers a valuable resource for researchers seeking to optimize the selection of drug gene targets for enhanced efficiency in the drug development process, say the investigators.
“The rising cost of developing therapeutics, in the billions, is primarily due to high clinical trial failures, underscoring inefficiencies in drug development pipelines. Improving early-stage target prioritization is critical. Studies consistently show that drug indications with human genetic support are more likely to succeed in trials and gain approval,” says study first author Áine Duffy, a PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Do.
The researchers are encouraged by the developments but emphasize this represents only a first step for prioritization and the need for careful follow-up and further investigation of gene targets with high scores. Next, the investigators plan to refine the model by incorporating additional genetic features and evaluating more sophisticated algorithms for constructing the GPS.
The paper is titled “Development of a human genetics-guided priority score for 19,365 genes and 399 drug indications.” Please see [DOI:10.1038/s41588-023-01609-2] to view competing interests.
The remaining authors, all with Icahn Mount Sinai except where indicated, are Ben Omega Petrazzini (Associate Bioinformatician); David Stein (PhD candidate); Joshua K. Park (MD/PhD candidate); Iain S. Forrest, PhD (and MD candidate); Kyle Gibson (MD candidate); Ha My Vy, PhD; Robert Chen Park (MD/PhD candidate); Carla Márquez-Luna, PhD; Matthew Mort, PhD (Cardiff University, UK); Marie Verbanck, PhD (Université Paris Cité and Icahn Mount Sinai); Avner Schlessinger, PhD; Yuval Itan, PhD; David N. Cooper, PhD (Cardiff University, UK), Ghislain Rocheleau, PhD; and Daniel M. Jordan, PhD.
The study was funded by the following: the NIH T32 Postdoctoral Research Award (5T32HL00782424); the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the NIH (R35-GM124836); the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the NIH (R01-HL139865) and (R01-HL155915); the French National Research Agency (ANR) (ANR-21-CE45-0023-01); the Leducq Foundation (21CVD01); The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and the Helmsley Foundation Award (2209-05535).
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the eight- member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population.
Ranked 14th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 44 academic departments and 36 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver diseases.
Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and Master’s degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,000 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 550 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System.
A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into healthcare products and services that benefit the public.
Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s programs.
Through the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.
Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Beth Israel; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
Ascent’s 100% Whey Protein Blend offers 25g of clean whey protein, zero artificial flavors and sweetners, and helps support muscle recovery post-workout. The Plant Protein offers 25g of organic plant-based protein, zero artificial flavors and sweeteners and tastes delicious whether it’s mixed in your morning smoothie or with just water in a post-workout shake.
“We’re excited to bring Ascent Protein on as our official Protein Powder Partner,” says Scott Brown, vice president of Fitness for Orangetheory. “This collaboration offers our domestic network of over 1,300 studios a great opportunity to provide their members with an essential tool for muscle growth, tissue repair and overall recovery. It perfectly aligns with our mission to support their journeys in living a longer, healthier life.”
Since launching in 2016, Ascent has quickly grown into a leading sports nutrition brand. Ascent offers a full line of products that support clean-eating, hard-working athletes dedicated to their nutritional goals. Ascent Protein is trusted by some of the world’s most dominant athletes, including All Pro running back, Tony Pollard, CrossFit Games Athletes, Brent Fikowski and Christine Kolenbrander and Team USA Weightlifting athletes CJ Cummings and Jourdan Delacruz.
Ascent’s protein powders can now be found at select Orangetheory Fitness studios nationwide. For more information on the partnership, please visit www.bit.ly/ascent_otf.
Ascent® was created to naturally improve athletic performance and is The Official Sponsor of Hard Work(R). Ascent launched in 2016 and has continued to bring innovative products to the market, while remaining committed to their high-quality standards and offering products with straight-forward ingredients. Aligning with the admirable qualities in the athletes that Ascent serves – going the extra mile, completing an extra set and never backing down from a challenge, Ascent pushes for high-quality results, knowing they do not come without hard work. For more information, visit www.ascentprotein.com.
About Orangetheory Fitness
Orangetheory® Fitness (orangetheory.com) is a heart rate-based group workout that combines science, technology and expert coaching to help members live a longer, more vibrant life. Orangetheory workouts are backed by science and designed to supercharge your metabolism and cardiorespiratory health for more results. The workouts utilize connected technology to track performance, so members can view their detailed results in real-time, and monitor progress over time. Each of the workouts is led by a certified coach to ensure members of all fitness and ability levels can be successful and continually challenge themselves. One of the world’s fastest-growing franchise companies, Orangetheory franchisees have opened more than 1,500 studios in all 50 U.S. states and 24 countries. Visit https://www.orangetheory.com/en-us/international-opportunities/ for global franchise opportunities.
Deters further stated ” It may be too late and I realize this press release is a last minute, 11th hour appeal to the SEC, to delay all bitcoin ETF approvals until after the Satoshi Nakamoto court ruling. JDASC was approved as a non-profit, public benefit corporation by California just over a week ago. Despite not having the JDASC website ready, I felt it was imperative to try and reach the SEC and voice JDASC consumer investor protection concerns.”
JDASC (Joint Digital Asset Standards Council) is a non-profit, public benefit, consumer protection California corporation recently formed to establish industry wide digital asset standards and consumer investor protections.
Jon Seale, CEO of Cardiac Solutions, said, “We are extremely proud to receive this award which highlights the strength of our partnership, the life-saving value that AED Sentinel brings to our customers, and the promising growth opportunities we foresee in the future. We eagerly look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.”
About Cardiac Solutions
Cardiac Solutions, a renowned provider of public access defibrillator programs, is dedicated to promoting the widespread use of defibrillation therapy to save lives during sudden cardiac arrest incidents in unconventional healthcare settings. With a holistic approach, Cardiac Solutions offers a wide range of AED program solutions, encompassing planning, design, implementation, administration, medical oversight, training, and management, all conveniently accessible through a single point of contact. For further information, please visit www.cardiac-solutions.net.
About Readiness Systems
Readiness Systems is the foremost authority in AED program readiness and compliance nationwide. The company’s comprehensive AED inspection system ensures that AEDs are always prepared, while its AED program policies equip organizations to handle sudden cardiac arrest emergencies and mitigate legal risks. Additionally, Readiness Systems’ regulatory compliance services assist organizations in understanding and adhering to AED law requirements. Readiness Systems also provides a variety of AED program compliance tools, such as the AED Program Best Practices Guide, national AED program design guidelines, and the AED Law Center.
Professional’s expansion and growth strategy continues with new state-of-the-art clinic in Brooklyn.
MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Professional Physical Therapy, a leading provider of outpatient physical therapy and rehabilitation services throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, announces the opening of a new state-of-the-art clinic in the heart of Dyker Heights, NY. This marks their third clinic opening in Brooklyn and their 34th clinic in New York City’s 5 boroughs.
The new clinic is located at 7424 13th Avenue at the corner of 13th Avenue and Bay Ridge Parkway, is just steps away from the famous Christmas lights. It was opened under Professional’s strategic partnership program that provides a unique affiliation solution to clinicians and leaders who are vested in ownership and operations.
The newest Physical Therapist Partner, Nicholas Garyfallos, MSPT is excited to open the new space in Dyker Heights and adds, “I decided to partner with Professional Physical Therapy because their commitment to providing world class patient care has made them the leaders in our profession. I am excited to finally bring this high level of patient care and satisfaction to the community I have been a part of since 1979.”
The clinic will be led by Lisa Picone, PT, DPT, LSVT, Clinical Director and says, “Professional Physical Therapy puts a great emphasis on education, patient satisfaction and care, while providing a great working environment. As Clinical Director, I am excited to bring what I have learned to serve the Dyker Heights community.”
Services at Professional Physical Therapy in the Dyker Heights clinic include:
Physical Therapy – Our physical therapists treat medical conditions that limit functional mobility and help develop a customized treatment plan to improve the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability.
Orthopedic Manual Therapy – Our orthopedic clinical specialists have advanced knowledge and rigorous training in orthopedic PT, the treatment of pain related to bones, joints, and muscles.
Lee Silverman Voice Technique (LSVT) – Our certified LSVT therapist is highly trained in this technique, designed to improve motor function and teach people with Parkinson’s Disease to move more normally.
Vestibular Therapy – We have specialists with extensive experience in treating your vestibular system that includes conditions like vertigo, imbalance, and vision disturbances.
Sports Therapy – We have sports specialists with extensive training and experience to help athletes gain strength and mobility for optimal performance and return to their sport.
Post Operative Therapy – We have therapists with advanced training in post-surgical rehabilitation designed to return patients to their activities as quickly and safely as possible.
Additionally, the Dyker Heights clinic:
Accepts most major insurance plans.
Offers convenient hours, including early mornings and late evenings.
Does not require a physician referral or prescription to start treatment.
Schedules each initial evaluation quickly, sometime the same or next day.
Provides ongoing patient education on diagnosis, treatment plans and prescribed home-exercise programs.
Professional Physical Therapy currently operates widely across five of the Northeast states. For more information and a list of all Professional Physical Therapy locations and services, please visit http://www.professionalpt.com
About Professional Physical Therapy Professional Physical Therapy was founded in 1999 and is an industry leader, providing private outpatient physical and hand therapy services throughout the Northeast. Our clinical team is comprised of multi-specialty Physical, Hand and Occupational Therapists who can treat a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and conditions with excellence. Today, Professional has grown to include over 200 facilities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
The U.S. laboratory testing market faces multiple challenges, including post-pandemic employee wage inflation, greater utilization management and claims denials by private payers, and persistent reimbursement pressure. Despite these challenges, the U.S. lab industry has demonstrated consistent growth.
“The adoption of new higher-priced PCR-based test panels for respiratory viruses, UTIs and STDs is helping to offset price and volume pressure on routine clinical lab tests,” according to Jondavid Klipp, President of Laboratory Economics. “Physician ordering patterns are moving from low-cost culture-based microbiology tests to higher-cost more-accurate PCR tests leading to 30+% annual growth in this market.”
The report includes:
More than 100 charts and graphs
U.S. lab market size and growth rates for 2012-2025
Estimates for market subsets like hospital-based labs, independent labs, and physician-office-based labs
In-depth analysis of the PCR-based testing market size, growth rate, and highest-volume laboratories
Top 50 hospital outreach labs by Medicare CLFS and PFS payments
Detailed reimbursement rate information from Medicare CLFS, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, etc.
Comprehensive lab M&A valuation metrics by revenue and EBITDA
Results from Laboratory Economics Clinical Lab Trends Surveys from 2014 through 2023
The biggest challenges and opportunities for labs
Laboratory companies highlighted include:
ACL Laboratories
ARUP Laboratories
Cleveland Clinic Laboratories
Exact Sciences
Fulgent Genetics
Labcorp
Mayo Clinic Laboratories
Myriad Genetics
NeoGenomics
Northwell Health Labs
OPKO/BioReference Labs
PathAI/Poplar Healthcare
PathGroup
Quest Diagnostics
Sonic Healthcare
Sonora Quest Laboratories
The U.S. Clinical Laboratory Industry: Forecast & Trends 2023-2025 is published by Laboratory Economics (www.laboratoryeconomics.com), an independent market research firm focused exclusively on the business of pathology and laboratory medicine. Report author Jondavid Klipp has been covering key business trends affecting clinical lab testing and anatomic pathology services for more than 25 years.
Researchers conducting clinical trials for rare diseases typically face two types of recruitment issues. The first one pertains to logistics and administration. Because about half of rare disease patients are children, getting them enrolled requires significant effort and collaboration with parents and caregivers. In addition to granting consent for a potentially life-changing treatment with uncertain outcomes, adults may need to take time off work, travel to clinical sites, or even relocate altogether. As patients are not assured of experiencing an improvement in their condition, they and their families may not always perceive participation in clinical trials as worth the effort.
The second recruitment problem pertains to ensuring ethnic diversity and inclusivity within the patient pool, as different groups can exhibit different reactions to the same treatment. Inclusive clinical trials are therefore most promising at generating universal, broadly applicable findings. However, industry sponsored clinical trials for rare diseases in the US fall short from meeting this standard—despite the country’s multiethnic composition. Caucasian males are currently overrepresented in rare disease patient pools, as women and ethnic minorities often encounter biases and barriers when enrolling in clinical trials at investigator sites.
“Logistics and the lack of ethnic representation are the main factors driving patient recruitment roadblocks in rare disease clinical trials,” says Dr. Rajasimha. “Biopharmaceutical companies and clinical trial investigators must get creative in enrolling and engaging participants in the context of these obstacles. They need to look beyond the US and EU for investigator sites for enrolling diverse patients.”
The promise of patient advocacy groups Patient advocacy groups (PAGs) have been traditionally called upon by clinical investigators to assist in the recruitment for rare disease clinical trials.
PAGs can facilitate connections between both parties, enabling researchers to access a broader patient pool. On the patients’ side, these groups, often comprising individuals with firsthand experiences, can help patients understand the importance of participating in clinical trials and contributing to the advancement of medical research. For instance, PAGs can organize community events and workshops, creating environments where patients feel comfortable discussing and considering clinical trial participation.
Beyond acting as intermediaries between researchers and patients, PAGs possess a distinct advantage over the former in the recruitment of clinical trial participants. PAGs excel in providing emotional support and guidance to patients, helping them cope with their disorder with a level of empathy that researchers cannot replicate. Such support can prove invaluable in assisting patients through periods of hardship, such as the phases of a clinical study. A PAG may be the difference between a participant continuing with a study or dropping out of it.
Finally, PAGs may include healthcare professionals and other specialists among their members. This collective expertise positions these groups to actively participate in the design and implementation of clinical trials, leading to more patient-friendly protocols. For example, PAGs can devise strategies to minimize clinic visits, improve communication channels between researchers and participants, and implement culturally sensitive procedures. By enhancing the appeal of clinical trials from a patient’s standpoint, PAGs provide yet another avenue for contributing to patient recruitment and retention.
According to a study conducted in genes research, 91% of PAGs surveyed have assisted in participant recruitment, and 56% contributed to study design.4
Three modern strategies to maximize engagement with patient advocacy groups While the idea of leveraging PAGs to bolster patient recruitment efforts is well understood, making the most out of this collaboration is more complicated. Cooperation between researchers and PAGs is commonplace, but the results have not always been satisfactory. Research indicates that only 68% of surveyed PAGs had a positive experience working with researchers during clinical trials; 12% regretted their experience altogether.5
“It is not uncommon for PAGs to distrust biopharmaceutical companies,” says Rajasimha. “The former’s prioritization of patient well-being and the latter’s focus on medical advancement can result in fundamentally divergent interests.”
Given that collaboration between these entities is necessary but challenging, researchers and the companies they work for should explore new approaches to foster trust with PAGs. Creative and attuned to emerging technological trends, these strategies should empower researchers to present their best selves when engaging with PAGs in the foreseeable future.
● Set up clinical trial sites abroad: Including investigator sites in multiple countries with known prevalence of the rare disease is one of the best ways to boost diversity of patients in a clinical trial but will require collaboration with international PAGs. Such trials not only have to be compliant with local regulations and can be potentially expensive, but they directly benefit more patients and help sponsor achieve their DEIA goals to satisfy regulatory expectations.
However, organizing clinical research in other countries is more than just showing commitment to foreign rare disease patients and their advocacy groups. By having access to ethnically diverse patient pools, multinational studies address the homogeneity issue prevalent within clinical trial cohorts in the US and/or EU.
A particularly suitable country for hosting clinical trial sites for US biopharmaceutical firms is India. Despite the country representing one-third of global rare disease cases and the Indian diaspora constituting a sizable proportion of the American population, participants of Indian origin accounted for merely 1% in US-based rare disease clinical trials.6
● Integrate new, AI-powered clinical management tools: Even when researchers and PAGs are committed to working together, engagement and communication can be problematic when both parties are collaborating from disparate geographical locations. Routine activities, including coordinating and hosting in-person meetings and events, documentation, and record-keeping, and ensuring PAGs are well-versed with the specifics of the clinical trial process, suddenly become veritable setbacks.
Modern clinical management tools, inspired by the popularity of remote patient access, can align researchers and PAGs more closely. Features such as omni-channel communication, eDocumentation, automated workflows, and process modularization effectively address most operational barriers while elevating the scalability of clinical trials to unprecedented levels.
A notable clinical management platform tailored for modern clinical trials, including for rare diseases, is the Jeeva eClinical SaaS system. Utilizing AI for automation, remote screening, and home-based trial participation, the software can play a crucial role in assisting researchers and PAGs with patient recruitment and engagement.
● Involve nonprofits: Nonprofits facilitate partnerships between industry and PAGs, amplifying impact and driving even more positive outcomes. Often situated at the center of the rare disease community, nonprofits comprehend the values and priorities of different PAGs and can advise researchers on approaching the latter effectively. Bringing a nonprofit onboard also adds legitimacy to the partnership, cultivating trust from both sides.
Nonprofits offer concrete resources that can aid engagement with PAGs as well. Grant programs allow PAGs to organize outreach campaigns and sustain prolonged recruitment drives for clinical trials. In the event a PAG encounters a knowledge gap hindering collaboration with investigators, a nonprofit can provide training through conferences, webinars, and workshops.
“A nonprofit organization I founded, the Indo US Organization for Rare Diseases (IndoUSrare), has a long history of bridging geographic silos and gaps between industry partners, researchers, and patient advocacy groups,” says Rajasimha, CEO. “A few months ago, we organized our inaugural Indo US Bridging RARE summit at George Mason University, where we flew in patient advocates and connected them with global experts.”
Together, these strategies should permit researchers to establish more fruitful relationships with PAGs. Conducting inclusive modern clinical trials with international sites signals dedication to the patients globally and expands the available patient pool for researchers. Adopting sophisticated clinical management tools solves important organizational and operational conundrums that arise during these unions. Serving as force multipliers, nonprofits can add considerable value to these endeavors as well.
Collaborate across borders with confidence Researchers’ struggle to recruit enough eligible patients within a limited time frame for clinical trials remains one of the greatest challenges blocking medical progress in this field. Engaging patient advocacy groups (PAGs) early on during the clinical trial process has demonstrated success in galvanizing timely patient recruitment and retention. Nonetheless, successful teamwork between researchers and PAGs is far from guaranteed—a troubling aspect given that rare diseases impact millions.
Perhaps sponsors of orphan drugs have much to gain by considering alternative frameworks of patient engagement in clinical trials. Establishing clinical trials in selected countries for the purposes of diversity and inclusion, integrating AI-powered modern clinical trial management platforms, and bringing in nonprofits as a third party are all part of winning strategies.
“For various reasons, including the political environment, the incentives for the biopharmaceutical industry to invest in rare disease research and orphan drug development are declining,” says Rajasimha. “Going forward, the quality of collaboration between industry, clinical researchers, and patient advocacy groups will play a magnified role; cross-border cooperation among all stakeholders will be essential.”
“We are excited to collaborate in the Bullpen with Dr. Rajasimha and team IndoUSrare during the 42nd annual JP Morgan Healthcare Investors Week Rare Disease event at the Golden Gate Yacht Club.” says Christiaan Engstrom, Founder of Bullpen.
About IndoUSrare: IndoUSrare is a humanitarian nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization based in the United States. Founder and Executive Chairman Dr. Harsha Rajasimha, who lost a child to a rare disease in 2012, has been a rare disease advocate for more than 10 years. To address the unmet needs of diverse patients with rare diseases globally, the leadership team comprised of experienced professionals from research, advocacy, regulatory, and drug development seeks to build cross-border collaborations connecting stakeholders of rare diseases in low- and middle-income regions such as India, with their counterparts and clinical researchers in the United States to improve the diversity of clinical trial participants, accelerate research and development, and improve equitable access to life-saving therapies to diverse populations of rare disease patients. Visit https://indousrare.org.
References: 1. NORD. “Rare Disease Database.” NORD, rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023. 2. NORD. “Rare Disease Day: Frequently Asked Questions.” NORD, rarediseases.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/RDD-FAQ-2019.pdf. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023. 3. Desai, Mira. “Recruitment and retention of participants in clinical studies: Critical issues and challenges.” Perspect Clin Res, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7342339/#ref7. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023. 4. Landy, David C. et al. “How disease advocacy organization participate in clinical research: a survey of genetic organizations.” Genetics in Medicine, sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1098360021041629. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023. 5. Ibid. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023. 6. Chakraborty, Monoswi et al. “Rare disease patients in India are rarely involved in international orphan drug trials.” PLOS Global Public Health, journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0000890. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023. 7. Ibid. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023.
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“We are thrilled to welcome Russell Henley to Team symplr,” said Kristin Russel, Chief Marketing Officer of symplr. “Henley’s attitude and character on and off the golf course are exemplary of everything we stand for at symplr—teamwork, determination, and results—the same traits that symplr prioritizes to provide healthcare organizations with better operations for better outcomes. I’m excited to cheer him on as one of our PGA TOUR Ambassadors.”
“I’m honored to partner with symplr as a PGA TOUR Ambassador,” said Henley. “symplr’s mission of optimizing healthcare operations so that doctors and nurses can spend more time and resources on providing the best possible patient care is something I care deeply about, as healthcare is something that affects all of us and our loved ones. I’m excited to see how our partnership continues to grow.”
symplr is offering increased engagement and collaboration with Team symplr golfers in 2024, with opportunities for employees and customers to support players at local tournaments. Team symplr was launched in January 2022.
About symplr symplr is a leader in enterprise healthcare operations software and services. For more than 30 years and with deployments in 9 of 10 U.S. hospitals, symplr has been committed to improving healthcare operations through its cloud-based solutions, driving better operations for better outcomes. Our provider data management; workforce management; compliance, quality, and safety; and contract, supplier, and spend management solutions improve the efficiency and efficacy of healthcare operations, enabling caregivers to quickly handle administrative tasks so they have more time to do what they do best: provide high-quality patient care. Learn how at symplr.
Media Contact Ashley Richardson, symplr, 617-275-6519, [email protected]
MeldRx allows apps to link to any external FHIR APIs in real time using SMART specifications. This capability allows healthcare organizations to get valuable tools into the hands of clinicians at the point of care much faster, helping to improve patient outcomes and in certain cases, potentially saving lives. MeldRx reduces EHR complexity and provides shared services for development, testing, integration, and compliance, thus streamlining the overall development and deployment process.
Other Darena Solutions’ accomplishments in 2023 include:
CONTINUED MARKET LEADERSHIP Darena’s MyMipsScore software continues to be one of the leading Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) solutions available. MyMipsScore has been a MIPS Qualified Registry for seven consecutive years, entrusted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with collecting MIPS data from eligible clinicians and submitting it to the federal agency.
FORGING A NEW PATH Darena forged an unprecedented partnership for SMART on FHIR and an AI-focused healthcare app certification program with the three ONC-authorized certifying bodies (ONC-ACBs), Drummond, Leidos, and SLI Compliance that would leverage Darena’s MeldRx platform.
EXPANDING IMPACT ON SPECIALTY EHRS Darena’s innovative technology and comprehensive services are now empowering an even broader spectrum of medical specialties. These include the critical fields of Behavioral Health, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, and Urology, as well as vital areas like Oncology, Dermatology, Podiatry, Wound Care, Radiology, Substance Abuse, Physical Therapy, Urgent Care, Internal Medicine, and Hospitalist services. This expansion underscores Darena’s commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery across diverse medical fields, reinforcing Darena’s position as a valued partner in the EHR industry.
LIGHTING THE WAY Darena has one of the largest listings of FHIR APIs, according to HealthIT.gov’s Lantern dashboard. Lantern is an FHIR API monitoring system created by ONC to track and publicly provide nationwide analytics about the availability and standardization of FHIR API service base URLs (“FHIR Endpoints”) deployed by healthcare organizations.
“This past year has been exciting at Darena Solutions and has set the stage for more growth and continued success in realizing our vision of improving healthcare by facilitating app development and information sharing among providers, payers, and patients,” said Pawan Jindal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Darena Solutions. “Our goal in 2024 is to build on this momentum as we work together toward a healthier tomorrow.”
COME SEE DARENA AT VIVE 2024 INTEROPNOW! Darena Solutions will be featured in InteropNow! Pavilion at ViVE 2024 in the Los Angeles Convention Center from Feb. 25-28. Darena team invites like-minded partners and clients to their booth to share their ideas and be a part of the conversation about shaping the future of healthcare.
ABOUT DARENA SOLUTIONS Darena Solutions delivers an ecosystem of FHIR® enabled interoperability, regulatory compliance, and analytics solutions to EHRs, providers, and payers. In addition to MeldRx, Darena Solutions provides regulatory solutions MyMipsScore™ and BlueButtonPRO. MyMipsScore is one of the leading solutions for MIPS that, as a CMS Qualified Registry, supports all eCQMs and registry measures. BlueButtonPRO was the nation’s first 2015 Edition ONC-certified FHIR API solution and has one of the largest listings of live FHIR APIs as per the HealthIT.gov Lantern Dashboard. By creating channels for data sharing between providers, payers, and patients, Darena enables healthcare organizations to achieve interoperability compliance and derive insights for prospective decision-making, resulting in better patient outcomes. Connect with us on LinkedIn and X.
