Healthcare and Hospice Software News | HEALTHCAREfirst news

HEALTHCAREfirst President & CEO invited to Participate in Strategic Planning Congress

Bobby Robertson has been invited to and will participate in the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (“NAHC”) 2010 Strategic Planning Congress. This Congress brings together the best minds in the home health and hospice industries. The event is being held at the Ritz Carleton in Key Biscayne, Florida on February 11-12, 2010.

“The Home Care and Hospice providers I’ve been privileged to work with over the last fifteen plus years, are the cornerstone of efficient and quality health care for our nation’s elderly population. It is my responsibility to make their concerns known, by working to influence the strategic direction of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice in its efforts with Congress. I look forward to contributing to the fight to protect the rights of our providers and their patients.”

firstCPO article in Home Health Line publication

HOME HEALTH LINE

June 15, 2009

Volume 34, Issue 23

New Web-based system offers hassle-free CPO payments

Physicians have a new incentive to claim CPO payments – and to refer to HHAs that help them.

It’s a software program that lets them review plans of care and any suggested amendments on a dedicated Web site while also keeping a running total of the minutes physician users spend on them.

Called firstCPO, the software is an easy solution to the Medicare requirement that practitioners seeking CPO reimbursement do 30 minutes per month of related oversight work to be eligible, says Bobby Robertson, CEO for HEALTHCAREfirst, the Ozark, Mo.-based company that developed the program.

The reaction from the first physicians that have been introduced to this has been “very enthusiastic,” says Teresa Henson, assistant administrator of Shepard’s Crook Nursing Agency, a 275-patient HHA in Pampa, Texas, one of the first users of firstCPO.

The program will mean even more local physicians seeking CPO payments, she predicts.

Interim HealthCare added a similar CPO tracking option last year to the Web-based information system it operates for some last 320 company and franchise-owner locations [HHL 3/23/09].

firstCPO to become available to all

HEALTHCAREfirst has made this program available without charge to either the physicians that
refer to the vendor’s approximately 400 HHA clients or to the client agencies themselves, Robertson says.

Starting this summer, however, the company expects to make the program available to all agencies. The charge for participating HHAs will be $2 to $3 per patient per month, though the service will continue to be free for doctors who use it, says CEO Robertson.

Recession triggers more CPO activity

Of the roughly 100 primary care practitioners referring to Shepard’s Crook Nursing Agency, some 75% already are filing for oversight dollars, or more than twice the percentage two years ago.

The increase largely reflects the loss of practice revenues precipitated by the recession, Henson
believes. Evidence of that is the physicians who hadn’t been submitting CPO claims but who recently have asked Shepard’s Crook for “15 months of paper” needed to support claims going back that far.

Henson hopes that firstCPO will help her agency avoid such requests in the future by making
communications with doctors more efficient. Advised by e-mail notices, practitioners will be able to review and sign off on care plans and other patient information within minutes of its posting on the HHA’s Web site, Henson notes.

Transmission of wound photos through firstCPO is
in the planning stage.

Physicians reluctant to embrace CPO

Responses to a recent HHL survey on care-plan oversight suggest agency marketers find slightly more than half the physician practices they call on unreceptive to seeking CPO payment.

Staff physicians at Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville, Ga., “were happy to jump on the CPO bandwagon” several years ago after Archbold’s home health unit, Archbold Health Services, began educating them about the reimbursement to be earned, says Carissa Hill, the agency’s community services coordinator. But in time the burden of the 30-minute requirement has reduced CPO filers to only “a handful” while nearly all continue to seek certification/recertification payments, which doesn’t have the same 30-minute requirement, Hill says.

One favorable sign in the survey responses is the
suggestion that Part B carriers are rejecting CPO
claims much less frequently than they once did.

– Burt Schorr [bschorr@decisionhealth.com]

Subscription information for Home Health Line is available at 877/602-3835 or customer@decisionhealth.com

CellTrak Partnership with HEALTHCAREfirst Brings Workflow Automation Live at Horizons Hospice

Schaumburg –Mar. 30, 2009 –CellTrak Technologies Inc, a leading provider of Home Care and Hospice Automation and Compliance solutions via cellular mobile and GPS technologies, announced that Horizons Hospice has successfully implemented CellTrak services at its two major service branch offices with a live interface between CellTrak Technologies and HEALTHCAREfirst.

“Adding CellTrak to the Horizons Hospice technological toolbox has not only helped to keep us on the cutting edge of hospice services, but has helped our bottom line as well. Utilizing CellTrak in conjunction with firstHOSPICE, from HEALTHCAREfirst, has enabled us to reduce costs by eliminating our reimbursing employees for the costs of their home Internet connections, dropping mileage expenditures, as well as reducing the number of computers in the field and the associated support costs. After getting past the initial learning curve, our employees find the system to be fairly easy to use as they become more accustomed to it”, said Christopher Stewart, Director of Information Technology at Horizons Hospice.

"We continue to see very high demand for our automated services spreading to all areas of hospice and home care agencies across the nation" said Dick Herrmann CEO of CellTrak. "CellTrak service streamlines all aspects of the staff workflow from time and attendance tracking to travel/mileage management, from elimination of paper care plan and visit note to full integration of the agency’s back-office. This is the way a business should be run with demonstrable efficiency and accountability.” Dick continued, “We are also very excited to bring live our product interface with our business partner HEALTHCAREfirst. We believe this opens a huge opportunity for both companies to work together and provide added values to HEALTHCAREfirst customer base”.

“Progressive hospice agencies across the nation, like Horizons Hospice, are utilizing firstHOSPICE to automate their back office operations and field staff, which allows them to spend more time on patient care and less time on everything else.” said Bobby Robertson, President & CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst. Mr. Robertson added, “The CellTrak and HEALTHCAREfirst partnership has strengthened the advantage our firstHOSPICE customers have over their competitors and we are anticipating continued strong demand and accelerated growth for both of our companies.”

About Horizons Hospice

Horizons Hospice, LLC is guided by a tradition of personal, clinical and technological excellence. We believe that serving patients in the community setting is the most important activity of the organization. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality of patient care with compassion and respect for each person. Horizons Hospice has primary offices in Altoona and Carnegie of Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit Horizons Hospice at http://horizonshospice.org.

About HEALTHCAREfirst

HEALTHCAREfirst has been providing software and services exclusively to the Home Care and Hospice industries since 1992. We are 100% dedicated to providing cutting edge technologies that improve business functions to Home Care and Hospice agencies across the country. HEALTHCAREfirst\\\'s mission is to provide our clients with the tools necessary to focus on what they do best; which is providing patient care. We will handle the burden of keeping up with technology in this dynamic environment while you focus on your patients.

About CellTrak Technologies

CellTrak Technologies is the leading provider of cellular solutions to the home health and hospice industry. The company provides a comprehensive suite of solutions for “point-of-care” documentation and visit compliance. More information about CellTrak and its products is available on the Company’s website at http://www.celltrakgps.com.

Strong Growth of HEALTHCAREfirst Leads to Investment by Riverside

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(September 2, 2008) – HEALTHCAREfirst, a homecare software solutions veteran that has paved the way for web-based software and services in the home health and hospice industry, looks to further expand its lead by selecting The Riverside Company as its growth partner.

The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm that specializes in buying profitable, well-managed small and medium sized businesses that are market leaders in their niche. In partnership with management, Riverside seeks to grow its portfolio companies through increased capital expenditures, product expansion, and strategic add-on acquisitions.

Founded in 1992, HCF has grown from offering one software solution for its customers into a company that offers an entire suite of complementary products and services, all directly accessible online on a 24 hour/seven day a week basis. The range of products and services are designed to allow home health agencies and hospices to manage the clinical and operational aspects of their businesses. The core products increase productivity and improve cash flow by:
•    maximizing reimbursements,
•    eliminating paperwork,
•    providing enhanced electronic tools to manage patients, personnel and payers,
•    simplifying the billing and coding process, and
•    eliminating errors.

“The Riverside team quickly recognized the growth potential at HEALTHCAREfirst,” said Loren Schlachet, Riverside Managing Partner. “In addition to the significant industry growth trend, we see great potential in marketing the complementary product extensions for the software. Riverside’s extensive experience in healthcare will assist the HEALTHCAREfirst management team to expand its product offerings and broaden its customer base. We also plan to find complementary add-on opportunities that improve HEALTHCAREfirst’s ability to serve customers.”

“I have personally invested in this growth along with The Riverside Company and will continue in my present position in order to be a part of this exciting time for HEALTHCAREfirst and our customers. Riverside will help us increase efficiencies in much the same way that we help our customers,” said HEALTHCAREfirst CEO Bobby Robertson. “We have differentiated ourselves by offering an integrated bundle of products and services, giving our customers the freedom to focus on patient care instead of paperwork. Similarly, Riverside offers us a broad range of business and industry expertise that will enable us to operate efficiently and focus on delivering even stronger competitive advantages for our customers.”

HEALTHCAREfirst, Inc. (www.healthcarefirst.com)
HEALTHCAREfirst has been providing software and services exclusively to the home care and hospice industries since 1992. The company is dedicated to providing cutting edge technologies that improve business functions to home care and hospice agencies across the United States. HEALTHCAREfirst was one of the first home care software vendors to recognize the industry's need for high quality software applications that are accessible over the worldwide web.

The Riverside Company (www.riversidecompany.com or www.riversideeurope.com)
The Riverside Company is the largest global private equity firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market (“SEMM”) and is one of the industry’s most experienced leveraged buyout investors. Riverside specializes in investing in premier SEMM companies (those valued up to $200 million) and partners with strong management teams to build companies through acquisitions and value-added growth. Since 1988, the firm has invested in 197 transactions with a total enterprise value of $4.4 billion. Its current portfolio is the U.S., Europe and Asia numbers 66 with combined annual sales of $3.2 billion, EBITDA of $517 million and more than 14,000 employees. Riverside offers the resources to complete acquisitions smoothly and in as little as 45 days - thanks to its sizeable pool of capital under management (more than $2 billion in nine funds), over 180 professionals in 17 offices (Amsterdam, Atlanta, Brussels, Budapest, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, Madrid, Munich, New York, Prague, San Francisco, Seoul, Stockholm, Tokyo and Warsaw), and long-standing relationships with partner lenders. Six of nine of the firm’s mature vintages are currently top quartile, and the firm’s investors include the world’s leading pension funds, endowments, funds-of-funds, insurance companies and banks.

HEALTHCAREfirst Receives INC 5000 Award

MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Hardy, 800-841-6095, Robert.Hardy@healthcarefirst.com

FIRST-EVER LIST OF THE 5,000 FASTEST-GROWING BUSINESSES
REPORTS TOTAL REVENUE OF $194.5 BILLION

HEALTHCAREfirst, Inc. Ranks No. 2,126 on the 2007 Inc. 5,000
With Three-Year Sales Growth of 168.3%

NEW YORK, August 23, 2007 – Inc. today ranked HEALTHCAREfirst, Inc. No. 2,126 on its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

“The Inc. 5,000 provides the most comprehensive look ever at the most important part of the economy – the entrepreneurial part,” said Inc. 5,000 Project Manager Jim Melloan. “The expansion of the list has allowed us to tell the stories of larger companies, older companies, and a wealth of companies in industries like Manufacturing and Construction that are underreported in the business media.

HEALTHCAREfirst develops, sells and supports web-based software and services for home health and hospice agencies nationwide. The company does not lock clients into long-term contracts or require them to make large upfront capital investments. This model seems to be disrupting the “old school” players in the home health and hospice I.T. marketplace and has landed HEALTHCAREfirst on the 2007 Inc. 5,000. “We recruited the top talent in the industry, we built our products with the newest technologies, and employees at all levels of our organization have a passion for taking care of our clients; this ultimately results in services that keep our clients miles ahead of their competitors,” says CEO Bobby Robertson.

The 2007 Inc. 5,000, as revealed online at www.inc.com, reported median revenue of $9.4 million and median three-year growth of 140 percent. Complete information on this year’s Inc. 5,000, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The list features a profile for each company, almost all of them written as a result of Inc. interviews with management. In addition, the list is searchable according to numerous criteria, including industry, city, state, region, and year founded.

Hottest Regions for Fastest-Growing Companies
Leading the list of the fastest-growing companies in the nation is the Midwest region with 1,046 of the fastest-growing companies, followed by the West with 884 companies. The Southeast comes in a close third, with 872 companies, followed by the Northeast with 782 companies, and the Mid-Atlantic region with 606 companies.

Hottest Industries for Fastest-Growing Businesses

The largest business category is Construction, with 561 of the fastest-growing companies in this category, followed by Manufacturing with 515 companies, IT services in third with 466 companies, Business Services with 377 companies and Advertising & Marketing with 349 companies round out the top five industries ranked on the 2007 Inc. 5,000.

Industries reporting the highest total revenue in 2006 are Construction ($27.1billion), Manufacturing ($18.6 billion), Health ($13.1 billion), Computers & Electronics ($12.7 billion), and Financial Services ($11.8 billion).

Methodology
The 2007 Inc. 5000 list measures revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. To qualify, companies had to be U.S.-based and privately held, independent – not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies – as of December 31, 2006, and have had at least $200,000 in revenue in 2003, and $2 million in 2006.

Companies can apply for next year’s Inc. 500 and Inc. 5,000 by registering with IncBizNet, the new social network for private companies that will launch this fall on Inc.com.

About Inc.com:
Inc.com, the Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs, delivers advice, tools, breaking news, and rich multi-media to help business owners and CEOs start, run, and grow their businesses more successfully. Information and advice covering virtually every business and management task, including marketing, sales, finding capital, managing people can be found at http://www.inc.com.

About HEALTHCAREfirst, Inc.:
HEALTHCAREfirst is the nation’s leader in on-demand home health and hospice information management and services. Built on a world class infrastructure, and delivered on the Internet, HEALTHCAREfirst works seamlessly to deliver enterprise organizations the ability to manage and share information to support timely decisions at the office, the patient’s bedside, or anywhere in between. Information regarding HEALTHCAREfirst can be found at http://www.healthcarefirst.com