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Check out our latest healthcare IT news and press releases.

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Finding your way in the world of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems can be challenging, especially when it comes to implementation and optimization. With the right consulting firm, however, you can ensure a smooth transition and maximize the benefits of your EHR system.
Gain a look at the current electronic health record landscape from Joncé Smith from Stoltenberg Consulting – with some best practices for new version upgrades, perspective on enhanced functionalities and tips for staff training to optimize workflows.
Listen to HIMSSCast's podcast interview with Joncé Smith, VP of RCM at Stoltenberg, for tips on assessing a hospital EHR's current state, applying new version upgrade best practices, enhancing EHR functionality, and training staff on optimal EHR utilization.
Event Marketer Magazine breaks down their list of the top booth designs from the HIMSS24 conference.
Event Marketer Magazine highlights some of the most interesting sights from the exhibitor hall at HIMSS24.

March 15, 2024
Best of HIMSS24

See This Week Health's recap of the best in show from the HIMSS24 Annual Conference exhibitor show floor.
CIO Dive cites the Health IT Industry Outlook Report for data on AI interest and growth.
HealthLeaders discusses financial expectations and challenges for healthcare organizations throughout the next year, including industry hot topic focuses surveyed by Stoltenberg.
Modern Healthcare covers the 10 biggest areas of healthcare finance trends for 2024, including trends from Stoltenberg's Health IT Industry Outlook Report.
See Healthcare NOW Radio's roundup of the best pieces from January from the Answers Media Network, including Stoltenberg's recent piece on HIT staffing strategies.
Within this byline for Health IT Answers, Stoltenberg discusses how health IT executives are considering new ways to leverage technologies to meet evolving patient, provider, and staff demands.
Gozio Health focuses on a key finding from Stoltenberg's HIT Industry Outlook Report, analyzing how CIOs report are doubling down on existing investments in EHRs to solve problems, like staffing and patient expectations concerns.
Constrained budgets and competition for non-clinical roles compounded hospitals' financial challenges in 2023. As such, Health Catalyst discusses how healthcare executives are actively addressing ongoing workforce challenges and budget shortfalls, as reducing labor costs and the need for information technology and data experts is expected to remain a top priority in the new year.
EMR Finder breaks down the top health IT trends of 2024 for readers, including vendors, healthcare organizations, and providers. Citing Stoltenberg research, the trends report discusses what will dominate the healthcare IT landscape while improving patient care and streamlining workflows.

December 31, 2023
Information Blocking

Stoltenberg's Health IT Industry Outlook Report findings are highlighted within EHR Intelligence's Information Blocking news segment.
EHR Intelligence cites Stoltenberg in its considerations of how Artificial intelligence (AI) technology could help drive semantic interoperability across the health IT landscape for improved care coordination.
RAMA On Healthcare share's EHR Intelligence's piece on AI in healthcare, with findings from Stoltenberg Consulting.
Within Electronic Health Reporter, Stoltenberg discusses how hospitals and health systems must address operational barriers and process inefficiencies before jumping the gun on AI initiatives. Finding the proper balance between workforce optimization and automation is key in developing a successful IT support framework.
Featuring Stoltenberg's piece, Technolynx overviews the increasing prominence of AI and ML applications in the healthcare sector, highlighting their role in improving patient outcomes, streamlining operations, and enhancing decision-making processes.
CHIME Foundation News: Stoltenberg scholarship program helps advance health tech leaders through CHIME continuing education
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, today named Eric Gasser, vice president and chief information officer (CIO) at Wooster Community Hospital in Wooster, Ohio, as the recipient of the 2023 Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for healthcare technology leadership continuing education.
See CHIME Media's debrief of the recently released 2023 Health IT Industry Outlook Report https://ow.ly/ciSm50QbPwJ, which features feedback from hospital CIOs – all members of CHIME.
Becker's Hospital Review assesses Stoltenberg's study, highlighting talent strain as the biggest challenge for health system CIOs for the fourth straight year.
Stoltenberg's Health IT Industry Outlook Survey findings were highlighted within the HIStalk Daily News Update: AI News
Healthcare IT Today includes stat call outs from the Health IT Industry Outlook Report in weekly highlights for its Healthcare IT Today Bonus Features roundup of interesting stories, product announcements, new hires, partnerships, research studies, awards, sales, and more
Becker's Health IT discusses how hospital and health system CIOs are most focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning and their potential to reshape the industry, according to the Health IT Industry Outlook Report.
CHIME Foundation News: 2023 state of the health IT industry report released by Stoltenberg Consulting
Healthcare Dive shares its takeaways from the 2023 Health IT Industry Outlook Report on AI adoption and advancing technology's operational burden on IT teams
Stoltenberg's annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey outlines the biggest health tech trends and priorities for the year. The 2023 report highlights how hospital IT executives are continuing a four-year focus on talent, striving to meet evolving technology demands through workforce optimization.
Learn how to strategize flexible yet reliable EHR support programs to alleviate IT cost and workflow burdens amidst pandemic recovery.
Stoltenberg Consulting VP of Revenue Cycle Management Joncé Smith has been selected as a Lifetime Achievement honoree within Consulting Magazine's 2023 Women Leaders in Technology.
PITTSBURGH, November 3, 2022 — Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, today named Melissa Jost, who serves as both the Director of Informatics and Director of Clinician Health and Wellbeing at UC Davis Health, as the recipient of the 2022 Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) education.
Flywire breaks down considerations for eliciting the full value from the EHR system, sharing discussions from both Becker's Hospital Review and Stoltenberg Consulting.
Medigy discusses how in order to balance daily operational support responsibilities, hospital IT departments are utilizing flexible staffing programs, according to Stoltenberg Consulting CIO survey research.
HIT Consultant provides a deep dive and analysis of the 2022 Health IT Industry Outlook Report results, discussing how healthcare CIOs are turning to flexible staffing programs to address resource gaps and IT catch-up projects.
Stoltenberg's Health IT Industry Outlook Survey outlines the biggest health tech trends and priorities. Featuring insights from hospital and health system CIOs, the 10th edition reveals the top hospital operational burdens, spending priorities, additional support requests, mission critical events and end-user frustrations related to IT.
Healthcare IT Today features results from the 10th annual Health IT Industry Outlook Report in its bonus features news roundup, focusing on hospital IT operational and financial burdens.
Chief Healthcare Executive dives into data points from the 2022 Health IT Industry Outlook Survey, honing in on IT staffing pressures
Becker's Health IT gives a quick rundown of the CIO feedback from the 2022 Health IT Industry Outlook, focusing on hospitals' top operational burdens related to IT.
Listen to the 88th episode of the Healthcare IT Today podcast, discussing EHR optimization, what it looks like today, and who the industry players are in optimization work. John and Colin talk about how Stoltenberg Consulting incorporate optimization tactics directly into the end-user support side of the EHR system.
More healthcare providers are leaning on patient engagement technologies to support self-management and better outcomes. But as the industry becomes more high-tech, digital health literacy becomes a greater threat to health equity. Citing Stoltenberg's research insights, Patient Engagement HIT discusses consequences of low digital health literacy and how to utilize the right patient engagement technology.
Citing Stoltenberg findings, Get Well Network highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has propelled consumer expectations within healthcare to elevate patient engagement.
Nurses play a critical role in healthcare delivery as one of the most trusted professionals in the field. See Health Tech Magazine's piece on nursing trends to watch in the coming year, featuring insight from the 9th annual HIT Industry Outlook Report.
Caregility, a company dedicated to connecting care for patients everywhere, and Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced a new partnership that will assist healthcare organizations with the onboarding of patient portal and virtual visit solutions by offering 24/7x365 clinically consultative technical support for hospital end users and patients alike.
Caregility and Stoltenberg Consulting's new partnership aims to alleviate demands made on healthcare provider organization technical staff and IT help desks in supporting the Caregility virtual care platform.
Healthcare executives are planning for a future that revolves around delivering care to patients where they are in their daily lives, rather than expecting patients to visit a clinic or a physician's office. But while the technology might be there, a host of challenges still stand in the way of this vision becoming mainstream.
Pulling in Stoltenberg Consulting survey findings, Medigy shares how clinical IT leaders are feeling intense pressure to not only unify care coordination, but also to optimize digital health expansion amid the COVID-19 financial aftermath.
Healthcare Innovation cites Health IT Industry Outlook Report takeaways within its piece on digital health investments, leveraging AI, and the significance of figuring out how to improve the patient experience.
Healthcare organizations are investing in health IT resources and EHR optimization after a year of COVID-19 financial turbulence. See EHR Intelligence's assessment of the 9th annual Health IT Industry Outlook survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc.
Across the industry, healthcare IT departments are feeling intense pressure to not only unify care coordination but also optimize digital health expansion amid the COVID-19 financial aftermath. See Medigy's take on the HIT Industry Outlook Report.
The COVID-19 pandemic jumpstarted the nation's move to virtual healthcare while also raising expectations for what these digital health experiences should be like. See Medical Economic's response to what the Health IT Industry Outlook Report identified as top health system CIO priorities and pain points.
Across the industry, healthcare IT departments are feeling intense pressure to not only unify care coordination, but also optimize digital health expansion amid the COVID-19 financial aftermath. Read Healthcare Innovation's, recap of the 2021 HIT Industry Outlook Report conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting.
Stoltenberg Consulting annual's Healthcare IT Outlook survey concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has rearranged CIO priorities. Healthcare Dive assesses how the pandemic has "raised the bar for the digital health experiences."
Patient engagement is the top priority for healthcare CIOs as patients expect more convenience in healthcare, according to a May 19 report by health IT consulting firm Stoltenberg Consulting. Check out Becker's take on the industry report.
The pandemic has shifted healthcare CIOs' focus to increased patient engagement, according to a recent report from Stoltenberg Consulting, a health IT consulting firm. See Healthcare Exec Intelligence's quick report recap.
The focus on patient engagement technology this year is a shift for CIOs, who previously identified artificial intelligence as top-of-mind, according to recent report from Stoltenberg Consulting, a health IT consulting firm. See Patient Engagement HIT's year-over-year report analysis.
See the ninth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey report and analysis from Stoltenberg Consulting, a long-time CHIME Foundation Firm, covering hospital and health system CIOs' financial recovery goals, IT support strains, and top focuses for the year.
PITTSBURGH, May 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the ninth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 59% of healthcare chief information officers (CIOs) identified "getting the most out of existing IT purchases, like the EHR system" as the biggest financial goal for the year. Learn about direct CHIME Member CIO insights on how peer healthcare organizations are retooling their technology investments to overcome continued pandemic turbulence.
See Healthcare IT Today's breakdown of top items healthcare CIOs should be thinking about right now and practical steps to achieving them in this roundup from CHIME21 Spring Forum.
Stoltenberg Consulting is among a select group of CHIME Foundation firms participating in the CHIME21 Spring Conference Education Foundation Trail, setting aside donations to CHIME member professional develop opportunities in honor of conference suite visitors.
According to Definitive Healthcare's 2020 Healthcare Trends Survey, hospital revenue losses stand as the biggest trend for the next year. As the country moves into the next phase of the pandemic, with so much volatility, it has been hard for facilities to solidify financial footing. As a continuation from our previous post, utilize these five additional steps for healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) improvement during COVID-19, starting with regulatory considerations.
Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Erin Osbourn is the 2020 recipient of the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for secondary education through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). Osbourn serves as the CIO and CISO of the New York Hotel Trades Council & The Hotel Association of New York City Employee Benefit Funds. The non-profit organization provides the health plan and ambulatory health care services for the hotel workers of New York City.
New research from a consulting organization suggests that while new technologies beckon and COVID continues to disrupt operations, healthcare leaders remain focused on the problems they've struggled with for many years.
An industry outlook survey explores CIOs' top priorities and concerns as the tumultuous year comes to a close.

Many hospital and health system CIOs say they expect to spend the rest of the year trying to maximize data analytics programs and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, while scrambling to secure qualified IT resources and satisfy end-users who are frustrated with workflow inefficiencies. These findings are part of Stoltenberg Consulting's 8th Annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey, which was just recently released.
PITTSBURGH, September 23, 2020 — In the eighth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 42 percent of healthcare industry respondents identified "retaining and budgeting for qualified IT resources" as the biggest operational burden, followed by "IT service failures (i.e., system downtimes or cybersecurity hits)" at 24%, and "provider burnout or inefficiency from EHR frustration" at 21%. This resource strain emerges with COVID-19's financial impact, as most healthcare facilities have slashed IT budgets, directly impacting system and user support span. Amplifying the concern, the survey found that one-third of healthcare organizations feel unprepared for the COVID-19 financial aftermath.
Balancing the constant pandemic anxiety with economic concerns, remote work transitions, workforce turbulence, and family responsibilities including child care and schooling needs has been a major undertaking. To help gain a sense of self back in your hectic life, see the following five self-care tips to manage your strained work-life balance.
The number of people working in business consulting in the US has grown since 2015, with over 684,000 management consultants. DesignRush shared the top business consulting firms that drive value for organizations.
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ Published via Yahoo Finance

DesignRush, a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies, shared the top business consulting firms that drive value for organizations and the top workflow automation software that they use.
When physicians call Stoltenberg's 2020 Best in KLAS Tier 1+ Service Desk, they connect with clinically consultative health systems analysts. To provide a deeper lens into an analyst on the other side of the call line, we sat down with one of our Senior Epic Clinical Nurse Analysts for a one-on-one interview.
Sheri Stoltenberg, CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting shares about how mentorship has played a critical role in how her company has created the 2020 Best in KLAS remote IT support team for hospitals and other healthcare organizations. This much needed service has proven to be incredibly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See five tactics to help optimize technology investments to meet the evolving expectations of both end-users and patients.
As the country adjusts to life with more lenient social gathering restrictions, healthcare facilities grapple with balancing preparations for a potential COVID-19 second wave and getting operations back on track. What can healthcare leaders do to boost finances? Today, let's address five realistic steps for revenue cycle management (RCM) improvement during this next stage of the pandemic.
With essentially all non-emergency patient care visits and procedures previously stopped across the country as a precaution to limit the spread of the virus, healthcare facilities are now in dire need of cash flow. That sudden drastic drop of high-payout surgeries leaves many organizations drowning. As hospitals across the country grapple with the grim financial forecast ahead, let's discuss the post-COVID RCM strategy for cash-strapped facilities, starting with claims coding and submission. This is part II of the two-part series.
Part I of this two-part series addresses IT's role in patient care support during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with the crisis command center.

March 19, 2020
A Letter from Our CEO

Our healthcare providers are the lifeline for our country right now. We stand dedicated to helping strained healthcare facilities during this critical time. Click to see the full letter from our CEO. Together, we will get through this.
BURLINGTON, Mass. and PITTSBURGH, Feb. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dimensional Insight®, maker of Diver Platform, and Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, today announced a new partnership to provide healthcare organizations with a whole new level of IT service desk performance visibility and accountability. This strategic alliance brings together the #1 ranked, 2020 Best in KLAS vendors for healthcare business intelligence/analytics and partial IT outsourcing, combining a high level of customer trust and satisfaction in their products and services.
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced today it has been named 2020 Best in KLAS for Partial IT Outsourcing for the innovative FlexSourcing program. The honor marks four total Best in KLAS awards for Stoltenberg, including three-time recognition for Partial IT Outsourcing*
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - With the new year, healthcare c-suite members are taking a critical look at upcoming market movement to maintain a holistic view of their organizations' needs. As healthcare leaders look to stabilize their IT strategies and drive meaningful patient outcomes and operational efficiency, they should assess these five c-suite hot-button topics in the next year.

January 5, 2020
Switching EHRs

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, driven by a variety of clinical and regulatory forces, many provider organizations, are wondering if it's time to move to a new EHR. In a recent survey, Reaction Data reported that 39 percent of their provider respondents said their organizations were considering making a switch.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - IT organizations that recognize the vital role service desks play are more prepared to address the needs and challenges of their hospital staff
When a service desk's analytical data is correctly interpreted in combination with operational statuses, hospital management can pinpoint where inefficiencies hide. When health IT leaders look at service desk interrelated measurements in unison, they can truly understand where success and opportunity lie to improve EHR system utilization and the user experience.
Stoltenberg announced today that Anna Pannier is the 2019 recipient of the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for secondary education through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). Pannier is the senior director of Ascension Technologies, supporting Ascension Saint Thomas in Middle Tennessee.
Each week, the healthcare industry braces for yet another cybersecurity breach, putting both healthcare organizations and their patients at risk. While hospitals arm themselves with internal security protocols, those steps require continual understanding and practice from facility employees. To help with training and retention, see three ways to improve healthcare employee cybersecurity compliance.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Leveraging advanced healthcare data analytics was rated as a top 10 leadership priority for the next year to improve patient outcomes, reduce both clinician and business office administrative burdens, and support value-based care initiatives balancing patient, provider and payer needs. While the possibilities are exciting in theory, oftentimes, healthcare organizations are not sure how to practically apply data analytics for meaningful change and measurement. To aid leadership strategies, check out four ways to leverage data analytics within health IT.
It's hard to believe that National Health IT Week (NHIT Week) 2019 is already here. Over the past year, we've seen advancements in real-life application of healthcare artificial intelligence, reductions in physician reporting requirements, progress against information blocking, and efforts to lift the ban on a national patient ID. These are just a few examples of positive steps for the future of healthcare, prompted by everyday EHR and health IT users. As we celebrate these industry-wide achievements, let's not forget our individual contributions.
With a jampacked fall conference season here for the healthcare and health IT industries, it's time to brush up on networking best practices to make lasting positive impressions amidst a sea of competitive professionals. To help, check out four health tech networking mistakes to avoid.

September 5, 2019
Recapping UGM 2019

With a decked out campus and Epic staff including CEO Judy Faulkner dressed in 70's attire, Epic celebrated its 40th anniversary with the Summer of '79 UGM theme. The conference looked back on the tech giant's humble beginnings, while strategizing the future of healthcare. Today, we're breaking down five key takeaways from the groovy week in Verona for health IT leaders.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - The EHR market is set to grow to $39.7 billion by 2022. As patients and providers alike push for better access to data for informed care management and decision-making, healthcare organizations are making significant investments in their EHR systems for cohesive care coordination in the transition to value-based care.
Check out HFMA's Voices in Healthcare Finance podcast episode for EHR system upgrade best practices from Stoltenberg, spanning team composition, IT governance, and upgrade priorities.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Finding the balance between an elevated patient experience and competitive operations is daunting. The following are three considerations for IT staffing support's role in achieving these dual objectives.
Gearing up for the fall conference season, health IT leaders have some travel ahead for upcoming events like Epic UGM and CHIME Fall Forum. But with work travel, comes some serious cybersecurity concerns accessing Wi-Fi. Whether logging in within a hotel lobby, coffeeshop or airport, know your risks.
Healthcare executives can maintain relevance while taking great strides to stay ahead of competition if you stay focused on these 16 concepts.
In today's era of healthcare reform, organizations face many unique competitive and strategic challenges. Healthcare reform requires leaders to improve access to care and increase the quality and safety of care, while decreasing the cost associated with care delivery — all while thoroughly documenting the improvement.
Attending an EHR user group meeting for the first time is an exciting opportunity. Realistically though, many overburdened health IT professionals can't find the time to plan out conference strategy, while others are tasked with maintaining department operations remotely while juggling session attendance. Your time is limited, so check out this quick list of tips to maximize user group meeting attendance.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - According to the 2019 Health IT Industry Outlook Survey from Stoltenberg Consulting, a majority of health IT leaders (42 percent) rated "updating technology to improve the patient experience" as the top organizational goal for the year, followed by "measuring improvement in patient care" at 33 percent. With value-based care pressures in full force, patient engagement moves far beyond an initial visit towards an interactive picture of care. Often overlooked, the hospital help desk can shed light on three areas of IT challenges that trickle down into potential lost revenue and the patient experience.
Fun Fact: Did you know that July 30 is International Day of Friendship? The United Nations proclaimed the International Day of Friendship in 2011 with the idea that friendship among organizations, cultures and individuals can inspire peace and build bridges between communities. The day recognizes friendship as a valuable sentiment that promotes dialogue and mutual understanding. Within the proclamation, resolution A/RES/65/275 places specific emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.
In their next steps for patient matching, AHIMA and CHIME hosted a briefing for members of Congress to encourage support of last month's House amendment to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2020. The Foster-Kelly amendment to H.R. 2740 calls for overturning a 20-year prohibition of using federal funding for a unique patient identifier. The change aims to curb medical errors, patient safety risks and unnecessary costs to heath systems by accurately identifying patients and matching them to their electronic health records. Without the lift, HIT industry leaders assert that full interoperability of patient data cannot occur.
With Amazon Prime Day here extending into tomorrow, many staff may fall victim to the increased likelihood of malicious cyber threats. Make sure you and your staff stay weary of these indicators.
There is no better time for the health IT community to come together under one umbrella to raise national awareness of the benefits information technology can bring to the U.S. health system. See the full list of National Health IT partners.
To help healthcare providers stay on the defense, we've compiled a two-part series on cyberattack preparedness. Part I covered common personnel targets, emerging attack tactics like smishing, how to report an attack, and a recap of current industry breaches. Now, part II sheds light on four additional HIT security insights for healthcare leaders.
This past month has been busy with regional HIMSS events across the country. The Stoltenberg team took part in several, and today we'll be recapping the 2019 HIMSS Montana Spring Conference.

Hosted in Missoula, the two-day HIMSS Montana Spring Conference aligned with the theme "Transforming Health," focusing on digital transformation progress amidst value-based care demands. Major topics included streamlining data sharing through HIEs, ease of patient access to data, and the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for health and wellness.
When healthcare leaders maximize their help desk to deliver EHR-specific education and issue resolution, they ensure more satisfied end-users, streamlined workflow and stronger IT alignment across the organization. To meet evolving value-based care and consumer-driven expectations, consider these four tips to modernize the traditional help desk.
Today's clinician must have a whole new level of expertise that goes far beyond medicine. Clinicians must now be well-versed in technologies, such as AI, data analytics, wearables and IoT, as well as numerous other complex solutions. The growing role of technology is driven by economic pressures to reduce cost while increasing quality, managing the complexity of patients with chronic diseases and the need to collaborate across providers, payers and patients within electronic health record (EHR) systems that may still be working out their kinks.
In its fourth annual recognition program for 2019, Health Data Management is recognizing 50 of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT. The awards are made in three categories—CIOs/HIT executives at provider organizations, thought leaders and HIT vendor executives.
Health Data Management has named 50 women to this year's list of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT.

This is the fourth year that HDM has sponsored its program to recognize the top women in healthcare IT leadership positions across the country.
NEW YORK, May 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The management consulting industry is worth $250 billion, helping businesses refine their operations, hone marketing, improve HR, and more. This external support empowers businesses to expand more efficiently, leading to better brand growth and longevity.
NEW YORK, May 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The management consulting industry is worth $250 billion, helping businesses refine their operations, hone marketing, improve HR, and more. This external support empowers businesses to expand more efficiently, leading to better brand growth and longevity.
Each week, several new reports emerge of significant healthcare facility and patient data exposures due to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. To help providers stay on the defense, we’ve compiled a two-part series on cyber attack preparedness.
In the fast-paced healthcare IT consulting industry, your résumé is the first impression for recruiters or hiring managers. Since hiring firms and health systems look at mounds of résumés each day, the first impression is vital. To stand out, use these seven tips for healthcare IT analyst résumés.
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality ( @AHRQNews) "Patient experience encompasses the range of interactions that patients have with the health care system, including their care from health plans, and from doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals, physician practices, and other health care facilities." How can understanding patient experience improve and advance patient-centered care? What aspects of health care delivery fall under the umbrella of patient experience? We will explore answers to these questions and all of the ins and outs of patient experience in this series.
From data analytics and infrastructure to patient-facing mobile solutions, IT — with the right strategy in place — can optimize satisfaction.

Optimizing patient satisfaction and care encounters continues to be a priority for healthcare providers in their technology deployment. New research conducted at HIMSS19 in Orlando, Fla., by Stoltenberg Consulting, for instance, finds that 42 percent of more than 100 health IT leaders surveyed called "updating technology to improve the patient experience" their primary goal in 2019.
Ramping up value-based care initiatives and improving the patient experience are top priorities for health IT leaders in 2019, a recent survey found.

At the same time, IT executives say they are facing significant technology and operational hurdles to advance these initiatives. Half of the executives surveyed cited the ongoing lack of system interoperability as the biggest challenge.
In the seventh annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 42 percent of health IT leaders rate updating technology to improve the patient experience as the top objective for 2019, followed by measuring improvement in patient care (33 percent).
March 25, 2019 - Lack of healthcare interoperability is the biggest operational burden for healthcare organizations in 2019, according to a Stoltenberg Consulting survey of more than 300 health IT professionals who attended the 2019 HIMSS conference.
The Health Information Technology (IT) Industry Outlook survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting revealed that the most important objective of health IT leaders in 2019 is updating technology to improve the patient experience.
Health IT leaders rate updating technology to improve the patient experience as their top objective for 2019, according to the seventh annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc.

For this year's survey, more than 300 healthcare professionals participated, representing a spectrum of provider facilities including health systems, standalone hospitals, physician practices and other ambulatory care facilities. Clinical IT professionals led survey participation (38 percent), while executive/C-suite leaders followed closely behind (36 percent).
PITTSBURGH, March 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the seventh annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 42 percent of health IT leaders rate updating technology to improve the patient experience as the top objective for 2019, followed by measuring improvement in patient care (33 percent).
In the seventh annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. , 42 percent of health IT leaders rate updating technology to improve the patient experience as the top objective for 2019, followed by measuring improvement in patient care (33 percent).
The industry push for value-based care calls for the perfect marriage of care quality improvement and delivery cost containment, but many healthcare financial leaders and providers are unsure of how to approach this balance. With the pressure to improve clinical and financial performance, healthcare leaders need to optimize their technology investments to meet the evolving expectations of both end users and patients. The following five tactics establish better clinical-financial alignment for a more efficient electronic health record (EHR) system.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - The 2019 HIMSS Annual Conference may be over, but that doesn't mean an end to the pressing challenges and trends discussed at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center. More than 42,500 people attended the conference — the majority of whom were C-suite executives and HIT professionals taking full advantage of the healthcare IT industry's largest opportunity for networking, product promotions, continuing education and major announcements.
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Whether at an outpatient clinic within a health system or a private physician's office, patient engagement leading up to healthcare appointments is vital for the revenue cycle optimization process. Simple, yet overlooked steps can save significant follow-up time for business office staff and streamline revenue collection. Consider the following three front-end tips:

Februrary 28, 2019
The Best Booths at HIMSS19

HIMSS was quite the whirlwind week — we thought you might like a break from all of the recaps, implications, and announcements that are flying around.

Instead, let's indulge in a bit of #HIMSS19 fun: Here are some of our favorite companies from this year's show in Orlando.
The following four topics stood out as major conversation pieces at the HIMSS19 Annual Conference in Orlando. With significant industry announcements revealed around them, these trends are sure to stay in headlines throughout the rest of the year.
We like to regularly feature a healthcare IT job that might be of interest to readers. Today, we're featuring the Clincial Informatics Nurse – Soarian Clinicals position that was recently posted on Healthcare IT Central. This position was posted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. and is in the Western US.
Can you believe that HIMSS19 in Orlando is just one week away? Get ready for the biggest health IT event of the year, filled with extensive engaging content, leadership insight and plenty of walking. In our last piece, we highlighted several key education opportunities to add to your event agenda. Now, let's focus on HIMSS survival tips during the hectic conference.
HIMSS19 Annual Conference is quickly approaching as the biggest industry event of the year. Gear up for this whirlwind health IT experience in the sunshine state, and start your conference preparation with these quick tips.
In recent years, value-based care has inundated health care providers with an onslaught of technology reporting burdens to tackle amid daily patient care. According to a recent Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association study, physicians who reported insufficient time for EHR documentation increased the odds of burnout by 2.8 times. Likewise, physicians who reported they spent a moderately high or excessive amount of time documenting at home had 1.9 times the odds of burnout compared with those who reported minimal EHR use at home.
Recently, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) filed a 22-page year-end report to Congress to summarize national trends in health information exchange. To help maximize health IT and accelerate value-based care, the report identified six barriers to health data exchange plaguing the industry. Today, we've summarized this lengthy report for you, highlighting the six interoperability barriers.
For resource-strapped healthcare organizations, just ten more minutes from front-end registration staff can save several business office follow-up hours, obtaining authorization numbers and resubmitting claims. To save unnecessary wasted time, consider the following three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the patient registration process.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - The new year is fast approaching, and practices must keep pace with evolving Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) policies. With the new final reporting rule, it is often difficult to balance optimizing the revenue cycle while monitoring impacts on performance scores and operational workflows.
Who doesn't love fun special holidays to celebrate this season? Believe it or not, December 18 marks National Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day. While the video above shows how Buddy would answer a call, today instead, HIT leaders can utilize the following three end-user communication tactics for hospital EHR service desks.
According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 70 percent of EHR users report that HIT-related stress leads to clinician burnout. EHR data entry burden significantly impedes daily direct patient interaction. If clinicians experience lackluster service or poor issue resolution with the HIT service desk, clinician burnout can expand, hindering patient care quality and efficiency. To combat this mounting concern, apply the following three service desk staffing tips to your hospital's IT department strategy.
Community and small hospitals, along with physician practices, struggle with multitasking business office and revenue cycle management (RCM) responsibilities. To help these short-staffed organizations without additional resource strain, utilize these four tips for RCM success.

Alleviate pressure on your team. Smooth claims submission while cutting staff time with these four tips for revenue cycle management for small healthcare organizations.

November 20, 2018
Thankful Thoughts

During this time of year, Stoltenberg Consulting celebrates the things we are thankful for, including our clients who are like family to us, the opportunity to make a difference in healthcare, and our supportive families and friends.

This week, our executive team members have been taking some time to reflect on their blessings. A few have shared their personal thoughts. As you reflect on the past year, what are you most thankful for this holiday season?
Healthcare professionals today face numerous competing daily tasks beyond patient care appointments. With the constant strain, healthcare facilities struggle with knowing if they are using their electronic health records (EHRs) to the full potential. To alleviate the confusion and optimize your EHR for combined clinical decision making and operational effectiveness, use the following seven tips
As 2018 nears a close, clinicians should look ahead at evolving Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) policies. With the new Quality Payment Program (QPP) Year 3 final rule just announced, check out the six tips for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) reporting requirements.
PITTSBURGH, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. , a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Elizabeth Hunkeler, former CIO of Dayton Children's Hospital, is the 2018 recipient the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for secondary education through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums.

Hunkeler is the tenth scholarship recipient from the Stoltenberg Future Fund program since its inception in 2009. Stoltenberg Consulting pledged a total of $50,000 to the CHIME Education Foundation over a span of 25 years.
Former Dayton Children's CIO earns Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for CHIME Forums

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. , a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Elizabeth Hunkeler, former CIO of Dayton Children's Hospital, is the 2018 recipient the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for secondary education through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums.

Hunkeler is the tenth scholarship recipient from the Stoltenberg Future Fund program since its inception in 2009. Stoltenberg Consulting pledged a total of $50,000 to the CHIME Education Foundation over a span of 25 years.
Former Dayton Children's CIO earns Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for CHIME Forums

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 30, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. , a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Elizabeth Hunkeler, former CIO of Dayton Children's Hospital, is the 2018 recipient the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship for secondary education through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums.

Hunkeler is the tenth scholarship recipient from the Stoltenberg Future Fund program since its inception in 2009. Stoltenberg Consulting pledged a total of $50,000 to the CHIME Education Foundation over a span of 25 years.
Each year the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums provide meaningful educational programming along with face-to-face industry collaboration and professional development for healthcare IT executives to improve quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of healthcare through evolving technologies.
It's hard to believe that National Health IT Week (NHIT Week) 2018 is already here. As demand for great value in value-based care rises, new regulation changes drive the industry forward in hopes of less burden on providers and more meaningful care experiences. While there's still some ways to go, recent positive change include less burdensome rules for the Physician Fee Schedule for 2019, the proposed 2019 Quality Payment Program and streamlined Evaluation and Management (E&M) codes.
For ASCs struggling to manage their information technology (IT) whle maintaining cyber security and compliance, partnering with a managed services provider (MSP) might provide needed relief.
Malicious cyber threats and hacking techniques are constantly evolving with the healthcare industry as a lucrative target. Arm your healthcare organization and its patient data, by strategically addressing these three common cybersecurity flaws.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Remote work, flex scheduling, short-term staffing options, and a long-term strategic outlook can help healthcare organizations flourish in the competition to fill specialized positions.
For most healthcare organizations today, buying a new unified EHR system serves as their most significant purchase. Already overwhelmed by reporting pressures and data entry, end users do not want the hassle of transitioning systems only to jump ship from the EHR system a few years later. Careful vendor contract negotiation is vital for long-term system utilization and ROI for a coordinated care effort across the continuum. To assist this substantial process, here are three tips for vendor success.
Recently, the 2018 UGM conference hosted over 10,000 attendees at the Epic headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin. Yet, amidst competing projects, optimizations and upgrades, many hospital leaders could not attend the full vendor conference. For those who could not attend or are simply looking for a quick recap for their IT teams, check out four conference themes.
Choosing a population health management company requires organizations to clearly define their goals and thoroughly research the health IT market.

Population health management is quickly becoming a critical competency for healthcare organizations large and small.
As an increasing number of patients converges with decreasing reimbursement rates, pressure is rising in the healthcare industry, particularly in the area of claims management, according to Jacqueline LaPointe at RevCycleIntelligence. This is big news, because this is a market that is expected to reach $13.93 billion by 2023.
Attending an EHR user group meeting for the first time is an exciting opportunity. Realistically though, many overburdened health IT professionals can't find the time to plan out conference strategy, while others are tasked with maintaining department operations remotely while juggling session attendance. Your time is limited, so check out this quick list of tips to maximize user group meeting attendance.
The EHR market is set to grow to $39.7 billion by 2022. As patients and providers alike push for better access to data for informed care management and decision-making, healthcare organizations are making significant investments in their EHR systems for cohesive care coordination in the transition to value-based care.

If you are like many leading health IT professionals today, your organization has made a multi-million-dollar purchase of a new Epic EHR system. Now what? After months, and possibly years, of planning for your new Epic system, some of the biggest issues IT end users face are the first Epic ambulatory visits. Why? As with anything new, the system is a major change for your providers and staff. It will take time for them to learn the new system functionality and workflow while developing muscle memory to navigate through seamlessly.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Short-staffed in IT and the business office, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and other providers often seek ways to increase profitability without disrupting workflow or adding resource hours. Part one of this revenue cycle management (RCM) series focused on pre-registration, medical necessity checks, appointment call abandon rate, aged accounts receivable (A/R) and charge description master review as areas to recoup lost dollars. Part two will shed light on five additional tactics to recover revenue.
Innovations in the emerging business model, in the health care delivery, has generated significant amount of benefits to all the stakeholders, including end users and patients. Clinical computer systems are now being used to reduce clinical errors, and is said to be an emerging practice by physicians all over the world. Two major types of medical software that are used are electronic medical record (EMR) and practice management software (PMS's)
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Amidst an ever-changing reimbursement landscape, today's ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are unsure how to improve their revenue cycle performance and increase profitability without affecting vital aspects like daily workflow. With an emphasis on insightful reporting to gain an edge, part one of this two-part series highlights five tips to optimize revenue cycle management (RCM) and increase profitability without sacrificing quality or time of other departments.
Insights Care covers Stoltenberg Consulting's founding story, success over the years in health IT, advice for provider practice management and future perspective of the industry.
Healthcare is in the midst of legislative and regulatory change; however the need to get better health outcomes is not a trend but the new reality. To be successful, healthcare organizations need to make the critical move to taking on risk and ultimately manage the health of populations. Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare technology consulting firm, solves bigger business problems than just implementing software. They understand the process not just the system. Stoltenberg's healthcare IT consulting team provides strategic, comprehensive, tailor-made guidance and on-site support to maximize your systems, applying application and process redesign expertise. They are flexible, results-based contracts focus on the client and several organizational goals – providing maximum productivity to increase revenue and improve patient care.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Last year, many medical groups struggled to understand the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and its implications for clinicians and their practices' operational effectiveness. With Year 2's data collection period in progress, healthcare providers should tackle 2018 reporting for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) by considering changes from Year 1, as well as crafting new strategies to maximize reimbursement.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Last year, many medical groups struggled to understand the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) and its implications for clinicians and their practices' operational effectiveness. With Year 2's data collection period in progress, healthcare providers should tackle 2018 reporting for the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) by considering changes from Year 1, as well as crafting new strategies to maximize reimbursement.
ADA — Three Ohio Northern University alumni were recently recognized by the ONU Alumni Association during the Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Rick Keyes, Randall Myers and Sheri Stoltenberg were recognized for demonstrating loyalty to ONU, their community and profession.
Ohio Northern University's Alumni Association presented Distinguished Alumni Awards during a recent event on campus. The awards recognize alumni who have demonstrated loyalty to their alma mater, community and profession.

Rick Keyes, Randall Myers and Sheri Stoltenberg were recognized.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - As hospitals merge, acquire new providers, and navigate the changing payer landscape, revenue cycle management is increasingly challenging for health systems.

A recent HIMSS Analytics survey found that more than 76% percent of health systems found denials to be their biggest revenue cycle challenge with revenue integrity (36.8%) and patient pay (34.2%) following. With competing pressures, it's easy for the healthcare C-suite to get caught up in the complexities of the revenue cycle and miss the big picture. To ensure financial success, consider these five tips for effective revenue cycle and business office management.
For the third year, Health Data Management is recognizing 50 of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT. The awards are broken into three categories-CIOs/HIT executives at provider organizations, thought leaders and HIT vendor executives. The following is the list of thought leaders.
Health Data Management is announcing the 50 women selected for its 2018 Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT recognition program.

Those selected for the awards fall into three categories: CIOs/HIT executives, thought leaders and HIT vendor executives. Honorees were selected from a field of candidates who were nominated by HIT executives in the industry or by HDM's editors.
As the healthcare industry propels the transition to value-based care forward, discrepancies in technology advancement deter progress.

Of the widespread roadblocks to health information technology (HIT) advancement, physician burnout and reporting burden glaringly remain. According to an American Medical Association (AMA) study, physician spend at least 44 percent of their time on clerical and documentation tasks with 86 minutes every day, after hours, on electronic health records (EHRs). Many clinicians feel reporting regulations have shifted their roles from patient care to data entry and are urging faster industry resolution. As clinicians and health IT leaders speak out to better define the value in the full scope of value-based care, consider these four areas of progress.
Consumers embrace AI in healthcare, a new CMS rule allows payers to better manage their Medicare Advantage members, and more.
IT departments face myriad challenges: multiple competing projects, mounting deadlines, surging stress, and an industrywide lack of qualified IT staffing. A help desk team dedicated to responding to end-user requests may help alleviate some department difficulties.

Knowledgeable, qualified help desk support can quickly resolve IT issues so that overburdened clinicians can dedicate more time to patient care. To ensure the help desk strategy will be cost-effective, organizations should address considerations regarding the help desk support team's qualifications and the extent to which the team can generate meaningful savings.
In a recent survey, health IT leaders identified measuring improvement in patient care quality as one of their top business objectives in 2018, followed by identifying areas of cost reduction. However, the survey also revealed that healthcare organization leaders continue to struggle with aligning reporting priorities with practices.
Approximately one-third of surveyed health IT leaders said EHR implementation support and clinical application is the top outsourcing request.

EHR adoption is a mainstay in nearly every healthcare provider in the US, but organizations are most likely to seek outsourcing options for EHR implementation support, according to a recent Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. report.
With true implementation beyond a system go live, optimizing IT/EHR performance (32 percent) and overcoming IT staff shortages (31 percent) were cited almost equally as the most significant challenges in 2018, according to the sixth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc. The report reveals 40 percent of health IT leaders rated measuring improvement in patient care quality as the top business objective in 2018, followed by identifying areas of cost reduction (32 percent).
HIMSS 2018 Survey Report
Forty percent of health IT leaders cited improving patient care quality measurement as their top business objective this year, but 40% also reported not feeling prepared for year two of the updated Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act rule, according to a Stoltenberg Consulting survey. The poll also showed that IT and EHR performance optimization were cited as the greatest challenges, and artificial intelligence is the biggest health IT industry topic this year.
Health IT leaders are keeping improvements to measuring patient care quality top of mind in 2018, according to the sixth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey by Stoltenberg Consulting.

More than 300 healthcare leaders in practice management, project management, director and c-suite roles at various provider facilities - including health systems, standalone hospitals, physician practices and other ambulatory care facilities - took part in the survey at the 2018 Health Information and Management Systems Society conference in Las Vegas.
PITTSBURGH, April 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the sixth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, 40 percent of health IT leaders rated measuring improvement in patient care quality as the top business objective in 2018, followed by identifying areas of cost reduction (32 percent).
Becker's Healthcare is pleased to release the "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare | 2018" list, which highlights hospitals, health systems and healthcare companies that promote diversity within the workforce, employee engagement and professional growth.

The organizations featured on this list offer benefits and opportunities for employees to build successful careers above and beyond the average healthcare provider or company; they encourage professional development and promote leadership from within. Many members of the list offer unique wellness and personal benefits to ensure employees strike a positive work/life balance as well as employee recognition programs to highlight their accomplishments.
Clinically focused EHR technical support is an often-overlooked necessity for health systems in the evolving value-based care landscape. IT help desks are crucial to value-based care revenue models simply because they help providers be more productive, reduce costly errors and can improve the patient experience. In fact, 85 percent of clinicians' patient care delivery is impeded by subpar tech support, while 89 percent of physicians and 77 percent of nurses feel more loyal to an organization when advanced tech support delivers a high-quality end-user experience.
How healthcare organizations are putting opioid monitoring and prevention tactics into place through their EHRs to improve cost and dispensing patterns.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Today, there are more than 600,000 consultants in the United States, which will grow as more young professionals launch their careers. Millennials now serve as the single largest generation in the workforce, with more than 92 million in the world born between 1980 and 2000. Courtesy of low start-up costs to enter the consulting market, little overhead expenses for the firm and lower entry-leve pay expenses, employers are attracted to this travel-ready generation to expand their consulting firms. As consulting verticals change, however, what are some other reasons employers should take the chance on these less experienced hires?
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - March 13, 2018 - Now that providers have near universally adopted EHR systems across the country, what is the next frontier for healthcare technology? Based on some recently launched tools, health IT researchers and vendors are focused on health-data monitoring, health data access, and clinical decision-making as the industry catches up with consumerism. As such, these five initiatives serve as must-watch health IT developments, starting with Apple's iPhone patient health information access.

March 9, 2018
HIMSS18 Show Floor

Sync Media Network - HIMSS18 Conference & Exhibition: Stoltenberg consulting and Medical Devices
#healthITchicks - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced today it has been named Best in KLAS for Partial IT Outsourcing in the 2018 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report.

KLAS is a healthcare technology research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of software, services and medical equipment vendors. Through KLAS' research, Stoltenberg Consulting ranked #1 2018 Best in KLAS in Partial IT Outsourcing with a score of 91.7 out of 100.
Creating an information technology budget for the laboratory may seem like a fairly straightforward, if painstaking, exercise. But a number of factors that can affect the laboratory's bottom line are frequently overlooked during the budgeting process, according to two health care consultants who spoke with CAP TODAY.

It's a given that budgeting should begin with establishing a baseline of technology assets, including people, equipment, licenses, and contractual obligations, but labs should pay particular attention to their lab information system and software interfaces, says Dick Taylor, MD, chief medical officer of MedSys Group and chief medical informatics officer of Geisinger Health System. "Interfaces are the lifeblood of the lab," he adds. "The questions you should be asking are, Which ones do you have, and which do you not have that you and your customers want? And, are you budgeted to manage the support and maintenance of those interfaces over time?" Equally important is updating the costs as technology assets are added and retired, Dr. Taylor maintains. "It costs to have an IT asset, but it also costs to retire it, because you may have to migrate data or change workflows. You may have a replacement, but that replacement may not work exactly the same way."
CHIME - PITTSBURGH, Jan. 30, 2018 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced today it has been named Best in KLAS for Partial IT Outsourcing in the 2018 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report.

KLAS is a healthcare technology research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of software, services and medical equipment vendors. Through KLAS' research, Stoltenberg Consulting ranked #1 2018 Best in KLAS in Partial IT Outsourcing with a score of 91.7 out of 100.
GLOBE NEWSWIRE - PITTSBURGH, Jan. 30, 2018 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced today it has been named Best in KLAS for Partial IT Outsourcing in the 2018 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report.

KLAS is a healthcare technology research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of software, services and medical equipment vendors. Through KLAS' research, Stoltenberg Consulting ranked #1 2018 Best in KLAS in Partial IT Outsourcing with a score of 91.7 out of 100.

January 19, 2018
Six recent RCM tips

Here are six revenue cycle management tips from industry experts, published by Becker's Hospital Review so far in 2018.
Final performance categories under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act's Merit-based Incentive Payment System should be a key focus for hospital revenue cycle leaders going into the New Year, according to Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting.

"Starting in 2018, the MIPS final performance categories will shift not only in weight, but also some of the categories will require additional reporting data than was previously expected. The weight for each performance category will be: Quality (50 percent), Improvement Activities (15 percent), Advancing CARE Information (25 percent) and Cost (10 percent)".
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Life provides challenges and ongoing opportunities for growth. When faced with obstacles, we have the opportunity to forge our own unique path, which leads us to who we are today. Looking back on my health IT entrepreneurial journey, my success was propelled through my experiences with transformational leadership and the individual path I chose.
It's hard to believe we're already well into the latter half of the first Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) reporting year. With the clock ticking, pressure continues to mount for physician organizations to close the inaugural year with strong momentum before 2018. Although CMS recently proposed several changes that may make Year 2 of the MACRA Quality Payment Program (QPP) less challenging for some providers, it could be more demanding for other organizations.
PITTSBURGH, October 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Julie McGuire, Director of Clinical Enterprise Systems at Texas Children's Hospital, is the 2017 recipient the Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship. The scholarship is applied toward secondary education earned at College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums ...
Eligible clinicians can prevent a Merit-Based Incentive Payment System penalty in 2017 by selecting the right measures and engaging their vendors and physicians.

Medicare providers who qualify to participate in MACRA's Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) face up to a 4 percent incentive payment or penalty based on their performance in 2017.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Improving relationships with EHR vendors is essential to the long-term value that the technology will provide a practice.

Across the country, the healthcare industry has nearly reached full transition from paper documentation to electronic health records (EHRs). Thanks to the push from government initiatives, by 2025, the global EHR market will reach a reported $33 billion.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - In 2017 there is a huge degree of uncertainty amid major healthcare industry changes. In particular, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) holds several options for Medicare physician payment paths as healthcare providers interpret implications and exemption possibilities. To help you better understand MACRA, we've outlined the program's tracks.
As patients take on more out-of-pocket costs, and patient satisfaction continues to influence the financial health of hospitals, revenue cycle management has become increasingly important to organizations.

Amid these and other changes, many revenue cycle professionals have offered thought-provoking insights.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - In today's fast-moving healthcare IT sector, there are more opportunities than ever for passionate, dedicated leaders, so it may be surprising to know that women only hold 25 percent of today's computing jobs. And, once women are in IT jobs, their longevity is limited, with women's quit rate in high tech being double that of men. So, how can women gain a foothold in this rapidly changing landscape?
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - There are more than 83 million Americans in the millennial generation-those born between 1982 and 2000-who now also comprise more than one-quarter of the US population. By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce. That means HIM employers need to embrace the preferences and goals of this tech-savvy generation to advance the future of HIT.

Millennials are unlike any generation employers have encountered before. By adapting to millennials' nontraditional work philosophy and aspirations, HIM leaders can engage and mentor this influential generation. Here are five tips to help enrich the careers of your millennial employees and improve your team's performance.
Only 29 percent of today's hospitals have fully staffed IT departments even though EHR optimizations or new implementations remain the second-highest priority for these organizations for the next 12 months, according to the latest HIMSS leadership survey.

Considering that more than 80 percent of healthcare leaders expressed difficulty finding qualified healthcare IT staff and support, making high-priority EHR projects come to fruition may pose a challenge. However, even short-staffed organizations of all sizes can experience EHR implementation and go-live success with the right planning, stakeholder involvement and third-party support.
Healthcare providers should do everything they can to prepare for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, even if they may be exempt from 2018 Quality Payment Program reporting, according to Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Bethel Park, Pa.-based Stoltenberg Consulting.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Regardless of size, all healthcare organizations' business offices need to eventually undergo change.

Effective business office transformation, however, requires a multi-faceted claims management strategy. Essential to this process is zeroing in on key performance indicators (KPIs) that will drive operational improvements. By tailoring a cohesive improvement plan focused on these KPIs and earning buy-in from business office staff, hospitals and other healthcare organizations can turn the claims management processes around while better supporting the needs of the revenue cycle team.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - As patient expectations evolve, today's healthcare providers must also adjust in order to meet consumer demands along with government mandates and reimbursement requirements. Yet still, many clinicians struggle with providing desired patient care experiences while being overwhelmed with electronic health record (EHR) use.

It's common to blame technology when we fail patients in any way. However, as we look deeper at the challenges of healthcare delivery in the United States, this begs the question: Are we, as an industry, wrongly pointing the finger at technology? Put another way, is technology really to blame for our lack of meeting patient expectations?
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - As the healthcare industry becomes more competitive in the push toward value-based care, providers are turning to telehealth for expanded patient-care opportunities. Through the consideration of the legislative progress, technology use and successful case studies surrounding this care-delivery option, we gain a deeper understanding of emerging opportunities for providers. Moving forward, healthcare providers who understand the potential of telehealth, as well as the direction of the marketplace, will have a key advantage.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - In the transition to value-based care, healthcare providers are feeling heightened pressure to comply with burdensome health IT reporting requirements for MACRA's Quality Payment Program (QPP). Fortunately, for providers across the country who have expressed concerns with the burden, reporting stresses may soon lessen. After engaging more than 100 stakeholder organizations and with feedback from more than 47,000 professionals, CMS has proposed major changes for QPP Year 2 to ease participation.
Finding doctors still in private practice is getting harder.

From the way they get paid, to reporting procedures and outcomes, especially for Medicare, more physicians are opting out of running a private family practice to join larger organizations that take care of administrative burdens.
Within the transition to EHR systems, IT staff have to support legacy applications while working through new technology - all while facilitating end-user adoption and understanding. Yet while healthcare IT help desks face a daunting combination of responsibilities, most don't operate to their full potential. To stay on top of industry regulations and competing projects, today's hospital IT help desks must eliminate the ticket-taker mentality to proactively address the following challenges.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Are you overwhelmed by the detailed requirements of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)? If yes, your practice is not alone.

According to Pa.-based Stoltenberg Consulting's fifth-annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey, 64 percent of providers say they feel "unprepared" or "very unprepared" for managing and executing MACRA initiatives.
From new cybersecurity threats to government mandates and reimbursement program adjustments, health IT is constantly evolving. Occupying a position that's full of competing projects and high budget scrutiny for electronic health record (EHR) overhauls, today's hospital CIOs work hard to keep up in the transition to value-based care.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Although older generations grew up with different defining cultural events and economic standards, they can relate to the core motivation to want to lay a career foundation. So, what can employers do to eliminate this generational gap? Consider these five steps to improve employee understanding and motivation, inspired by direct feedback from our Millennial workers.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Healthcare organizations that prepare for changes under MACRA regulations with finance's key role in mind will find themselves in a better position to succeed as the program evolves.
MACRA regulations, which was passed with bipartisan support in Congress, launched its first reporting period in January 2017 in which eligible Medicare clinicians will be reporting to a Quality Payment Program (QPP) that determines a physician's reimbursement based on the high quality, efficient care they provide that's supported by technology.

Part Two of this article explores the operational and reputational implications of MIPS reporting and the technology investments that will be vital to success.
Hospital claim denials management best practices include creating several KPIs, implementing the right health IT systems, and engaging clinical staff.
Numerous industry surveys have highlighted that U.S. physicians, by and large, remain unprepared for managing and executing Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) initiatives.

Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., also is not surprised by news about physicians' lack of preparedness for MACRA. "I think a lot of people felt that a program of this magnitude, size and complexity would ultimately be delayed, but it was not, so I think that has caught people pretty unprepared. And, this program is replacing three of the previous physician reimbursement incentive programs, yet it's so unlike the pieces and parts of those programs, so I think there's a very large education curve that's going to have to take place."
Written by Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - As first-year reporting for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) pushes on, healthcare organizations feel understaffed when it comes to health IT. Many are struggling to figure out how to align with the Act's Quality Payment Program (QPP), which streamlines and increases provider accountability for quality outcomes and cost reduction.

As many have learned already, success under the program will take far more than just passive submission of claims data. It will take coordination between IT and other departments, as well as a comprehensive understanding of the long-term goals ...
First-time user group meeting attendees should expect to experience live product demonstrations, in addition they'll be given opportunities to provide user feedback, and given a vendor campus tour (if the meeting is onsite). Other benefits of attending your EHR vendor's user group meeting include updates from the vendor's leadership team on its market share, business success, software updates, customization opportunities, user case studies, and interoperability updates ...
Congratulations to the 2017 Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT

Health Data Management has selected 75 of the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT. The awards are broken into three categories: Hospital CIOs & IT Executives, HIT Thought Leaders, and HIT Vendor Executives. What follows is the complete list of honorees. Join us in Boston on May 17 to honor all 75 of these industry leading women.

You can find us under HIT Thought Leaders ...
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management, Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Entering 2017 brought a huge degree of uncertainty amid major healthcare industry changes. In particular, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) holds several options for Medicare physician payment paths as healthcare providers interpret implications and exemption possibilities.

MACRA replaces the old sustainable growth-rate (SGR) formula for physician payment, shifting focus from the fee-for-service model to value-based care. Physicians must now pick from one of two reimbursement tracks: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs) ...
Small and rural healthcare providers face many challenges in implementing healthcare IT solutions. They're hindered by staffing and financial limitations - the lack of budget prevents many small providers from transitioning between EHR vendors or bringing in outside resources; practices struggle to move beyond inefficient workflows and processes. And it's harder to get rural patients engaged, compared with their metropolitan area counterparts ...
PITTSBURGH, March 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the fifth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, more than half of healthcare providers (64 percent) reported being "unprepared" or "very unprepared" for managing and executing Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) initiatives. The survey arises as the healthcare industry approaches the end of the first quarter in the first-ever MACRA reporting year ...
Sarah Elkins, For The Record - On December 13, 2016, after nearly two years of congressional work, then President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law. The act, which garnered overwhelming bipartisan support, is touted by many as the most important piece of legislation to come out of Congress in 2016. Indeed, it seems nearly everyone is happy with its passage ...
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Information governance touches on many of the requirements for MACRA reporting.

HIM and applied information governance (IG) hold significant roles in the transition to value-based care, especially now that 2017 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) reporting has begun ...
February 8, 2017 - Having a better understanding of the challenges associated with the transition to value-based care will help these small and rural providers in 2017.

While healthcare providers are reaping major benefits from technology such as EHR systems, the new year is also bringing significant attention to the technology-related challenges faced by smaller, rural and often more isolated, healthcare providers in the midst of the national shift toward value-based care ...
February 2, 2017 - Organizational buy-in and technology support key to successful systems implementations.
Three key pieces of advice for practices that are heading into negotiations on pricing with their EHR vendor ...
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - IG must align with the business strategy to maximize value and mitigate risks from information across its life cycle.

Information governance (IG) is not a new concept to the financial world, but IG initiatives are still experiencing slow adoption across the healthcare industry. In an American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) survey of more than 1,200 participants, 32% of healthcare organizations had not yet made progress with IG, while 24% deemed IG as not a priority ...
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - The Project ECHO Act plans to bring much-needed resources to rural health providers by using telehealth to connect them with their peers.

As we leave 2016 behind and celebrate the New Year, we are seeing continued progress for telehealth and rural health initiatives.

One of the biggest milestones is Congress' passing of the bipartisan, bicameral bill S. 2873 (the counterpart to H.R. 5395), the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act, which extends Project ECHO nationwide.
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder & CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - With today's healthcare dollars being pulled several different ways, the decision to implement new EHR technology requires large-scale thinking - it isn't a decision that will, or should, happen overnight.

Healthcare leaders must consider the overall enterprise budget and if their existing EHR system could achieve better results with additional optimization. On the other hand, they must also be willing to admit if their system's fragmentation is beyond repair and will only cost them more in the long run as the industry moves toward greater interoperability and value-based care.
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Insights from business intelligence tools, combined with a strong understanding of key performance indicators, can help to improve healthcare revenue cycle management.

The healthcare industry's transition to value-based care does not end with clinical patient care. The shift also extends into healthcare providers' revenue cycle management processes. For effective claims management within the new care landscape, organizations can and should utilize key performance indicators (KPIs) with insights from business intelligence (BI) tools to identify potential improvement areas for operational change ...
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Data analytics, governance, and business intelligence tools are key aspects of ensuring a seamless, effective healthcare claims management cycle.

Effective claims management requires healthcare organizations to deploy a multi-faceted strategy that relies on data analytics and includes many phases of the revenue cycle, beginning when the patient schedules an appointment. The focus cannot simply be on claims ...
If you're focused primarily on the technical aspects of your EHR deployment, you're neglecting one key component: That's training your physicians to document care in the EHR. ...
Your practice is taking on an EHR implementation. This likely means you're looking to add to your team to ensure the new system is functioning on-time and on-budget - and that your clinicians are trained to document care ...
October 12, 2016 - Becker's Hospital Review - These 17 women are transforming the healthcare industry with technologies designed to enhance efficiency, quality and access of care ...
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - How leveraging information technology can improve outcomes across the healthcare continuum.

As the U.S. healthcare system moves toward value-based care, providers are tasked with striking the difficult balance between delivering effective healthcare while managing costs. With most EHR system implementations and clinical optimizations well under way, healthcare providers now have information at their fingertips to optimize healthcare delivery ...
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - EHR adoption, regulatory compliance, and population health management are uniquely challenging for rural healthcare providers, who often lack the resources to succeed with reform initiatives.

Rural and small hospitals often face a lack of resources, limited budgets and competition from larger healthcare organizations and accountable care organizations. These organizations also endure pressure to electronically modernize services for patient communities who otherwise would have to travel extensively to receive care ...
U.S. hospitals and ambulatory care providers added 43,000 jobs in July. This continues a run of healthcare job growth that has seen 928,000 new jobs since Jan. 2014, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. With this explosion in new hires comes onboarding challenges, including improving IT and EHR end-user knowledge and utilization ...
Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today the go-live of its Epic help desk for EHR support help desk for Hartford HealthCare (HHC).
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management - For the second year in a row, the annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey, designed to highlight industry trends and pain points, revealed that data analytics tops the list of challenges for health IT professionals (chief information officers, chief medical information officers, IT directors and consultants.) In fact, thirty-three percent of respondents identified data analytics and business intelligence as the hottest topic for 2016 ...
Patient engagement isn't easy, especially when so much of doctors' time is taken up inputting patient information into the EHR. Yet, patient engagement can be well worth it because it ensures better care follow-up, medication adherence, patient education, and consumer loyalty toward the practice, according to Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. ...
Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - Interoperability is key to broadening patient health data access, but the industry still faces significant obstacles that prevent the free flow of information.

Vice President Joe Biden may not be the most likely champion for improving healthcare data interoperability, but that was exactly the topic of his speech at this May's seventh annual Health Datapalooza, a public-private conference focusing on health data management ...
Joncé Smith, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management at Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. - When it comes to healthcare big data analytics, there's no substitute for having a solid plan and some expert help to rely upon.

Last month, the results of the fourth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey were released, shedding light on 2016 industry trends and pain points expressed by chief information officers, chief medical information officers, IT directors and consultants ...
PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwired - March 24, 2016) - In the fourth annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, for the second year in a row, a majority of respondents (33 percent) pointed to data analytics and business intelligence as the biggest topic in health IT. However, most (37 percent) said their organizations' data analytics programs are well underway but lack resources to complete requested initiatives. The survey was conducted at the 2016 Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference held recently in Las Vegas ...
Mark Lauteren, University of South Alabama Medical Center and Joncé Smith, from Stoltenberg Consulting discuss how they formed a partnership to achieve goals, and provide tips on what provider organizations should look for in an IT consulting firm ...
Ohio Northern University's Dicke College of Business Administration will present "Transformational Leadership: How to Identify Your Strengths," a lecture by Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., as part of the Carroll V. Lovett Distinguished Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23rd 2016, in the university's Dicke Forum.

The event is free ...
Providers must continue to employ meaningful big data analytics strategies to convert electronic health record information into actionable insights.

Healthcare providers, however, are flooded with big data each day from their EHR systems and are struggling to turn that information into actionable guidance ...
In today's era of healthcare reform, organizations face many unique financial and strategic challenges. Healthcare reform requires leaders to improve access to care and increase the quality and safety of care, while decreasing the cost associated with delivery of care ...
PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwired - February 25, 2016) - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, today announced the start of its Fourth Annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey, which it will conduct and center around the upcoming Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 1-3 ...
Whether you have attended your EHR vendor's user group meeting for years or it's the first time you have convinced your manager to let you attend, you can always learn something new to bring back to your practice ...
The EHR is the lifeblood of your practice. Some physicians are annoyed about the number of radio buttons they need to click as they're documenting a patient encounter. Others are perplexed by the number of options in a drop-down list. And team members who have to generate reports may complain about how long it takes to crunch the data. Getting your EHR vendor to implement your product feedback is no easy feat, but it's well worth the time and effort ...
Training physicians on your new EHR is no easy feat. No one likes change - and it's particularly difficult when that change has an impact on physicians' daily workflow ...
Physician owners and practice administrators have to pay attention to the agreements they sign with their EHR vendor. Here are four pieces of advice when faced with a contract ...
For small community hospitals or physician offices starting their EHR system implementations, or for those struggling with a current system, executing a proper implementation go-live can be a puzzle. Health information technology (HIT) projects are often very complicated, complex projects that span multiple divisions throughout a hospital or health system ...
PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwired - October 13, 2015) - Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Dan Thelen, IT director and CIO of Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir, North Carolina, is the recipient of a $2,000 Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship. The scholarship is applied toward secondary education earned at College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forums ...
PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwired - August 25, 2015) - Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that it has been named #1 in Partial IT Outsourcing (PITO) in the KLAS Research IT Outsourcing 2015 Report ...
PITTSBURGH, June 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology (HIT) consulting firm, today announced the celebration of its 20-year anniversary and over 250 healthcare organizations served throughout the U.S., since its inception in 1995 ...
PITTSBURGH, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a premier healthcare information technology consulting firm, today announced its partnership with leading visual analytics vendor Qlik ® to help healthcare clients best utilize their data to drive down costs and improve patient care ...
PITTSBURGH, April 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In the third annual Health IT Industry Outlook Survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology (HIT) consulting firm, a majority of respondents (41 percent) pointed to data analytics and business intelligence as the biggest topic in health IT for 2015. However, most (51 percent) showed confusion toward what healthcare data to actually collect and how much. The survey was conducted at the 2015 Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference held recently in Chicago, Illinois ...
PITTSBURGH, January 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that it has been named Best in KLAS for both Clinical Implementation Supportive and IT Outsourcing (Partial) in the 2014 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report ...
PITTSBURGH, December 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Danny Kelley, director of information systems at White River Health System in Batesville, Arkansas, is the recipient of a $2,000 Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship. The scholarship is applied towards secondary education earned at the annual College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) CIO Forum ...
NEW YORK,NY--(Marketwired - November 18, 2014) - Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 73,000 customers, and Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading information technology services provider for the healthcare industry, today announced a newly formed alliance partnership focused on Infor Business Intelligence (BI). As part of the Infor Partner Network (IPN), Stoltenberg will provide implementation services, integration and project management support for Infor healthcare customers across the U.S. With nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, Stoltenberg consultants are well equipped to help organizations successfully bridge the gap between the business and clinical aspects of healthcare utilizing the latest industry-specific applications from Infor ...
PITTSBURGH, August 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, was recognized for the seventh year as one of America's fastest growing private companies on the annual Inc. 500/5000 list. Stoltenberg ranked 3,576. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy - America's independent entrepreneurs ...
PITTSBURGH, July 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare information technology (HIT) consulting firm, today announced thirteen consultants having graduated from its Consultant Development Program to date. The program, designed to provide hospitals with first-time, certified consultants, continues to deliver cost-effective results to the company's hospital customers. The consultants in the program, titled Consultant I's, undergo rigorous training and work closely with Stoltenberg's team of experienced consultants on projects ...
BETHEL PARK July 3, 2014 -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. has been selected for the 2014 Best of Bethel Park Award in the Computer Integrated Systems Design category by the Bethel Park Award Program ...
Stoltenberg Consulting CEO Sheri Stoltenberg and Stoltenberg Soarian Financials Practice Director Joncé Smith discuss big trends for health IT in 2014 in this recorded interview with Healthcare Insider. Topics included are big data versus smart data, physician engagement in data discussion, the impact of ICD-10 on hospital data, and the Stoltenberg #WhatIf4HIT campaign ...
What are the barriers holding organizations back from achieving Meaningful Use? The majority of responses to our survey conducted at HIMSS14 indicated the biggest barrier as a lack of resources (50%) while other responses noted restricted timeframes (23%), lack of buy-in from the organization (15%) and competing IT projects (12%) ...
Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. grew to 1691668 Web Traffic Rank in April 2014 ...
PITTSBURGH, March 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent survey conducted by Stoltenberg Consulting Inc., a leading healthcare information technology (HIT) consulting firm, a majority of respondents (70 percent) noted that, while their organizations have met meaningful use requirements, they have not been able to maximize the full potential of meaningful use. The survey was conducted at the 2014 Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference held recently in Orlando, Florida ...
March 17, 2014 CHIME CIO Connection -- Please see page 58 for the article "Preparing for ICD-10 Transition and Then Some" ...
PITTSBURGH, February 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new issue brief that explores the risks to healthcare organizations of an underperforming help desk function along with the benefits of help desk outsourcing is now available from Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare information technology (HIT) consulting firm ...
PITTSBURGH, February 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that they were named the category leader in Staff Augmentation services in the 2013 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report. KLAS is a research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting the performance of health care vendors. Stoltenberg Consulting ranked no. 1 in its segment for the second consecutive year in the annual Best in KLAS: Software and Services report. Stoltenberg was also ranked among the top ten firms in the Clinical Implementation Supportive category for the company's expertise in Cerner, Epic and Siemens services ...
PITTSBURGH, February 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, today announced a new campaign designed to promote the company's capabilities in HIT consulting. The "What if For Health IT" campaign poses a series of questions that address ideal scenarios to solving IT problems that ultimately lead to increased productivity and financial performance, and improved care. The company will showcase the campaign at the upcoming Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference in Orlando, Florida, February 23-27 ...
PITTSBURGH, December 19, 2013 /HIMSSwire/ -- The ICD-10 deadline is less than a year away. That means organizations need to prepare for the transition - and then some, according to Joncé Smith, Soarian Financials Practice Director at Stoltenberg Consulting, a Pittsburgh based health IT consulting firm ...
PITTSBURGH, October 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine ranked Stoltenberg Consulting No. 2117 on its seventh annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. As a six-time honoree, Stoltenberg has earned its place in the Inc. 5000 Honor Roll. The list represents a comprehensive look at a significant segment of the economy-America's independent entrepreneurs. Stoltenberg Consulting joins LivingSocial, Edible Arrangements, CDW and Lifelock, among other prominent brands featured on this year's list ...
PITTSBURGH, October 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, announced today that David Broyhill, CIO of Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the recipient of a $2,500 Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship. The scholarship is applied towards secondary education earned at the annual College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Fall CIO Forum in Scottsdale, Arizona ...
PITTSBURGH, August 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As today's healthcare organizations question whether electronic medical records (EMR) and the digitization of clinical information will support their strategic imperatives and fulfill clinical, financial and operational goals, a new issue brief available from leading healthcare IT consulting firm Stoltenberg Consulting offers methods to set aside doubts and work constructively towards successful EMR utilization ...
August 6, 2013 HIMSSwire - With meaningful use, ICD-10 and the transition to value-based purchasing all screaming for attention, healthcare providers simply can't afford to put information technology initiatives on hold. Yet, that is precisely what many healthcare organizations are doing, according to a recent survey ...
July 1, 2013 HIMSSwire - The ability to recruit and retain information technology talent has turned into a bear of a problem for healthcare organizations across the country. In fact, for the second year in a row, staffing has been cited as the key barrier to being able to implement information technology by respondents who participated in the 24th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, which was released in March of 2013 ...
PITTSBURGH, June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, recently participated in a critique of the capstone projects for senior business students at Ohio Northern University as the culmination of a year-long partnership with the university. The capstone projects addressed current industry issues and provided students with the opportunity to gain a hands-on understanding of healthcare IT and business fundamentals ...
PITTSBURGH, April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ Health IT (HIT) will most likely achieve its most significant improvements over the next 12 months by meeting meaningful use, according to a survey conducted among HIT senior management and executives by Stoltenberg Consulting at the recent HIMSS13 conference in New Orleans, LA ...
PITTSBURGH, February 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, will highlight its community and rural hospital IT support model, "ACHIEVE", at the HIMSS13 Annual Conference & Exhibition, March 3-7, in New Orleans, booth #4227 ...
Pittsburgh, PA, February 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, has officially launched its Help Desk Service Line, a live, 24/7 IT support service providing targeted electronic medical records (EMR) troubleshooting ...
PITTSBURGH, February 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that it was named the leader in the Staff Augmentation category by the 2012 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services report. Stoltenberg was also recognized in the IT Outsourcing (Partial) category. KLAS, a research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of health care vendors, ranked Stoltenberg Consulting no. 1 in its segment ...
Pittsburgh, PA, January 9, 2013 - A new issue brief published today by Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, offers guidance, insight and strategies to help rural and community hospitals develop an effective plan of action that unites IT departments, internal administration and clinical providers in successfully meeting Meaningful Use (MU) requirements ...
PITTSBURGH, October 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, announced today that Stephen Stewart, CHCIO, CIO at Henry County Health Center in Mount Pleasant, Iowa., a 25-bed critical access hospital, is the recipient of a $2,000 Stoltenberg Future Fund scholarship ...
August 31, 2012 - Becker's Hospital Review - With the release of the stage 2 meaningful use final rule, there is a lot of focus on meeting meaningful use - both stage 1 and stage 2. While some hospitals may begin to focus on stage 2 now, other hospitals and providers still need to attest to stage 1. According to Elizabeth Holland, director of health information technology initiatives for the office of e-health standards and services under CMS, the challenge going forward is to not lose sight of stage 1 ...
Provided by Becker's Hospital Review
PITTSBURGH, August 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, launched today a new program designed to help community and rural hospitals meet meaningful use (MU) requirements and optimize their clinical information systems by providing expertise and strategic solutions tailored to their specific needs ...
July 17, 2012 - Becker's Hospital Review - In order to qualify for payment incentives from CMS, hospitals and healthcare organizations need to plan ahead with short- and long-term actions, according to the "Preparing for Meaningful Healthcare Change: Meeting Stage 2 Meaningful Use Requirements" report by Stoltenberg Consulting, a healthcare information technology consulting firm ...
Provided by Becker's Hospital Review
PITTSBURGH, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, today announced the availability of a new issue brief urging hospitals to prepare for Stage 2 Meaningful Use (MU) requirements by embracing the substantial differences between Stage 1 and Stage 2.  "Preparing for Meaningful Healthcare Change: Meeting Stage 2 Meaningful Use Requirements" offers guidance, insight and strategies to help hospitals qualify for payment incentives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) while achieving the required results dictated by trends and regulations in accountable, value-based care and population health management ...
June 24, 2012 - IT Business Edge - The job postings for health informatics grew by 36 percent from 2007 to 2011, compared with a 9 percent growth in all health care postings, and 6 percent increase in all U.S. jobs, according to a study by Credentials that Work, an initiative that uses labor-market data to help colleges align their offerings with real jobs ...
PITTSBURGH, May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, is working with UMass Memorial Health Care to participate in the preparation and implementation of its enterprise-wide electronic medical record (EMR), Siemens Soarian, which went live in January. Since its consultants began working at the Worcester, MA- based UMass Memorial, Stoltenberg has placed several clinical and financial consultants there who have led or assisted in developing and carrying out strategies to ensure the successful EMR deployment ...
PITTSBURGH, May 30, 2012 - Pittsburgh-based Stoltenberg Consulting has found a way to put more health IT experts in the field with a new Consultant Development Program ...
PITTSBURGH, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Consultants from Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, are helping Community Health Network, Central Indiana's leader in access to innovative and compassionate healthcare services, implement its enterprise-wide EHR (electronic health record) from Epic. Stoltenberg, an innovative healthcare consulting group, began working with Community in September 2011 and has several consultants undertaking project management, as well as augmenting and mentoring the network's staff, to ensure the successful deployment of its new EHR ...
Pittsburgh, PA, May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, today officially launched its Consultant Development Program, designed to provide expertly trained and vendor-educated Consultant I members to help address hospitals' growing challenge of resource shortages ...
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) February 16, 2012 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, is collaborating with New York State's University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) to participate in the preparation and implementation of its Epic-based, enterprise-wide electronic health record (EHR) ...
Pittsburgh, PA, February 14, 2012 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, will highlight its strategic approach to addressing and overcoming obstacles in EMR implementation, including the introduction of a Consultant Development Program ...
Knowing what to look for in a strong IT consultant is half the battle, but being able to convey your own organization's needs are equally as important in order to achieve the desired results ...
- By Sheri Stoltenberg, Founder and CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA, November 7, 2011 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, was recently awarded the 2011 Best of Bethel Park Award in the Computer Integrated Systems Design category by the USCA for the third year in a row ...
Pittsburgh, PA, October 27, 2011 - Stoltenberg Future Fund Scholarship awards Fernando Martinez, CIO of Jackson Health System, $2,000 towards attendance at CHIME Fall CIO Forum 2011 ...
Pittsburgh, PA, October 19, 2011 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare IT consulting firm, will lead a focus group on October 27 during next week's CHIME11 Fall CIO Forum in San Antonio, Tex., to discuss the increasing shortage of healthcare IT professionals and explore what hospitals can do to remain competitive for IT resources ...
Pittsburgh, PA, December 1, 2010 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare industry information technology consulting firm, announced today that Shane Pilcher, FHIMSS, Vice President of Government Service for the company, has been appointed to the HIMSS 2011 Public Policy Committee ...
Pittsburgh, PA, September 28, 2010 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare industry information technology consulting firm, has been named to Inc. Magazine's annual Inc. 5000 list for the third time. Boasting a three year sales growth of 48 percent ...
Pittsburgh, PA, June 1, 2010 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare industry information technology consulting firm, today announced that it has been enlisted by Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana to assist with its long-term strategic plan ...
Pittsburgh, PA, December 16, 2009 - Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc., a leading healthcare industry information technology consulting firm, announced today that its Founder and CEO, Sheri Stoltenberg, has donated $50,000 to the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Education Foundation ...

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