Becker's Hospital Review

76 CIO / HEALTH IT Epic, Cerner dive further into precision medicine with new partnerships By Giles Bruce E pic and Cerner have inked two new partnerships to make genetic testing, precision medicine and genomic testing more easily accessible for patients. Cerner partnered with the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation, which provides the technology for Columbia-based University of Missouri Health Care's EHR system, and Foundation Medicine, which develops, manufactures and sells genomic profiling assays, to launch a fully automated genomic testing interface within its EHR system, according to a June 23 press release. The new interface allows clinicians to order tests and get patient results more quickly. "Our clinicians now have the ability to seamlessly integrate this new tool into our workflow," said Richard Hammer, MD, professor of pathology at the MU School of Medicine. "We can order the patient testing and receive the results within the EHR, and an email will notify us when the information is available. It speeds up the entire process and contributes to our core missions of patient safety and improving patient outcomes." Epic also partnered with a genetic testing and precision medicine company. Myriad Genetics will integrate its line of genetic testing into Epic's EHR system, according to a June 23 press release. The integration will allow providers to order Myriad's tests and review results directly within their Epic platform. Patients will also be able to access their Myriad test results and other health information directly within their Epic EHR portal. The integration is expected to go live later this year. n Optum's bet on virtual care, home health By Laura Dyrda O ptum doubled down on its virtual and home-based care strategy in March by combining with LHC Group, an in-home healthcare provider, in a $5.4 billion transaction. Virtual care Optum is working on making consumer transactions more convenient and accessi- ble to patients. "We know members need and expect time- ly information at their fingertips, and I'm pleased to report they are responding well to our digital offerings for everything from understanding their coverage to completing a virtual visit," said Dirk McMahon, pres- ident and COO of UnitedHealth Group, during the second quarter conference call July 15, as transcribed by Seeking Alpha. e company reported digital engagement is up 170 percent among Medicare patients over the last few years. UnitedHealthcare also added 80,000 people to its domestic commercial plans in the second quarter, and around 90 percent of the growth within individual and family plans included mem- bers choosing a plan with virtual visits. Virtual visits could also play a larger role in healthcare as financial pressures and in- flation drive people to low-cost options for care. Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said the current economic environ- ment could lead to more digital engagement and choice for virtual care. "at's why, as an organization, we have over the last two years really doubled down on our commitment to consumer strategy across the board," he said. "Core capability of this company going forward will be con- sumer capability, and that's an area where you will see us continue to talk about, invest in, build, innovate in, and we hope to really lead in, in terms of moving the consumer to the center of thinking in healthcare." UnitedHealthcare backs a personalized health plan administered by Bind that doesn't require a deductible or coinsurance. e plan focuses on members choosing their site of service to optimize cost and quality of care. Home health Days aer Optum announced plans to com- bine with LHC Group, CMS pitched plans to cut home health payments by $810 mil- lion next year, lowering pay rates 4.2 per- cent. e proposed rule put a permanent 5 percent cap on negative wage index changes for home health agencies and sought com- ment on telecommunications systems ser- vices. CMS has not indicated how it will treat telehealth services — both video visits and audio-only calls between patients and clinicians — aer the public health emer- gency declarations expire. CMS' actions have not deterred Optum's re- solve to move further into the home health and virtual care space, according to Mr. Witty. "We really believe that enhancing and building high-quality care provisions in the home is going to be a key feature of the fu- ture," said Mr. Witty. "e more that can be linked to other aspects of care, for example, physician clinics and virtual care, it's very much a central focus of our Optum Health development. e bringing together of LHC within the overall Optum organization is really important to us, and we're very com- mitted to that transaction." Mr. Witty said the company believes the quality of care delivered will improve when delivered in the home, and the strategy could contribute to improved value-based care delivery. He also mentioned that the incentive system for driving care to the right setting needs to be aligned with payers. "I hope very much over time that CMS and others continue to see the value of home care and that, in fact, the support is given and the signals are given to continue to in- crease the development of high-quality care in the home environment," he said. Much of the care delivered at home is essen- tial, Mr. Witty said, rather than elective. e company has a long history of delivering house calls for assessments and prevention, and Mr. Witty hopes the LHC transaction will extend home-based services. "We're optimistic about this," he said. "We hope very much that CMS and others will continue to send signals of support through the way in which they chose to invest in this arena, and we'll see how that plays out during the rest of the year." n

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