Michael Fishman, famous for playing Roseanne Barr's TV son, says one of the big reasons he and his estranged wife chose separation over divorce is simple -- he'd like to keep her on his health insurance plan as long as possible. The 'Conners'…
Reported by TMZ.com 3 hours ago.
'The Conners' Star Michael Fishman Chose Legal Separation Because of Health Insurance
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Suit alleges AC Transit discriminated against pregnant driver
A lawsuit against AC Transit alleges the company discriminated and retaliated against a female bus driver because she was pregnant. According to the complaint filed Friday, the transit district did not accommodate plaintiff Nikki McNaulty throughout two pregnancies. That included refusing to provide adequate lactation accommodations or modified work assignments, which McNaulty’s lawyers allege violates California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act. The class-action suit alleges AC Transit temporarily removed McNaulty from her health insurance and obstructed her efforts to obtain a desk job in retaliation for taking maternity leave.
Reported by SFGate 2 hours ago.
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ACA mandate gone, but a few states still require coverage
The mandate directing individuals to obtain health insurance or face tax penalties ends on Tuesday for most, but not all Americans. In Massachusetts, an individual mandate that has been on the books since 2006 will continue in the absence of the federal fines that had been in effect since 2014 under the Affordable Care Act but were eliminated as part of the Republican-backed tax reform law passed in 2017. Most residents of New Jersey and the District of Columbia must also be covered or incur fines in 2019 after lawmakers, fearing widespread disruption in health insurance markets and sharply higher premiums, enacted laws replacing the federal mandate. Vermont also approved an individual requirement that will take effect in 2020.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 4 hours ago.
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ACA mandate gone, but a few states still require coverage
The mandate directing individuals to obtain health insurance or face tax penalties ends on Tuesday for most, but not all Americans.
Reported by Delawareonline 3 hours ago.
Reported by Delawareonline 3 hours ago.
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Regulatory Compliance and Cybersecurity Specialist Will Protect Businesses in New York Tristate Area
Partners in Regulatory Compliance set to offer consultative cybersecurity services to NY area businesses highly impacted by complex data security and privacy regulations
MOUNT ARLINGTON, N.J. and NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Starting in 2019, Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC) will offer consultative risk management services and advise businesses on sophisticated technology solutions to ensure regulatory compliance, integrated with the best in cybersecurity defense platforms.
Built by the leadership team at Exigent Technologies, which has provided full-service IT consulting in the New York tristate area for more than 20 years, PIRC provides an innovative answer to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. Whether a business needs the full leadership of a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or help with a specific regulatory compliance matter, PIRC’s team of certified cybersecurity experts ensure a compliant, secure digital environment.
“As both digital attacks and regulatory demands grow exponentially, we’ve launched this highly specific practice to consult on innovative, sophisticated security and regulatory compliance protection for our clients, particularly those in high-risk verticals such as law, finance, healthcare, nonprofits and education,” explained Daniel Haurey, President of Exigent Technologies and a founding member of PIRC.
The need for companies in certain industries to guard against escalating digital attacks demands more specialized focus and expertise to deliver meaningful risk mitigation, he added. “For something this critical, you want a specialist. Companies entrusted with volumes of sensitive consumer data are facing exceedingly complex compliance controls, in addition to having a professional, ethical commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their customers. PIRC’s clear mission is to meet the needs of those clients.”
The PIRC team of certified cybersecurity consultants can provide exceptional levels of expertise regardless of a company’s current security stance. Plus, the team can work independently or side-by-side with a business’ existing IT department to enhance risk mitigation efforts.
In either role, PIRC offers a full range of solutions:· Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as-a-service enables full compliance and security leadership at a fraction of the cost of an in-house resource
· Internal and external penetration
· Web application penetration testing
· Policy development and management
· Risk assessments
· Cybersecurity assessments
· Cybersecurity education and awareness training in the NY area
Beyond its technical expertise, the PIRC team is well-versed in key regulatory compliance laws, including:
· Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
· DFARS
· DFS 23 NYCRR 500
· The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
· The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)/Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
· Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
While PIRC will stand alone as a compliance and cybersecurity business, the PIRC team will collaborate with Exigent’s technology specialists to offer fully integrated technology solutions to customers, accessing Exigent’s knowledge base when and where needed, and vice versa.
“It’s our responsibility to guide customers through today’s incredibly complex maze of cybersecurity and regulatory compliance,” explains Haurey. “With PIRC, we’re bringing the best team to bear on exploring, understanding and implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions built specifically for regulatory compliance demands in order to deliver exactly the protection our clients need.”
To learn more about PIRC, visit the new website at http://www.piregcompliance.com or email info(at)piregcompliance(dot)com.
About PIRC
Partners in Regulatory Compliance is a consulting firm that provides innovative answers to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. By addressing the full range of digital and human threats to create a compliant, secure environment, PIRC ensures customers are meeting their professional, ethical and legal commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their clients.
About Exigent Technologies
Exigent Technologies LLC is a full-service IT consulting firm that implements and maintains high-performance IT systems for small and medium-sized organizations in a wide range of industries. Established in 1997, Exigent brings proven experience and expertise to every engagement and differentiates itself on integrity, responsiveness and exceptional customer care. For more information about Exigent Technologies for small and midsize businesses, visit http://www.exigent.net or call (973) 770-0500. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
MOUNT ARLINGTON, N.J. and NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Starting in 2019, Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC) will offer consultative risk management services and advise businesses on sophisticated technology solutions to ensure regulatory compliance, integrated with the best in cybersecurity defense platforms.
Built by the leadership team at Exigent Technologies, which has provided full-service IT consulting in the New York tristate area for more than 20 years, PIRC provides an innovative answer to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. Whether a business needs the full leadership of a virtual Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or help with a specific regulatory compliance matter, PIRC’s team of certified cybersecurity experts ensure a compliant, secure digital environment.
“As both digital attacks and regulatory demands grow exponentially, we’ve launched this highly specific practice to consult on innovative, sophisticated security and regulatory compliance protection for our clients, particularly those in high-risk verticals such as law, finance, healthcare, nonprofits and education,” explained Daniel Haurey, President of Exigent Technologies and a founding member of PIRC.
The need for companies in certain industries to guard against escalating digital attacks demands more specialized focus and expertise to deliver meaningful risk mitigation, he added. “For something this critical, you want a specialist. Companies entrusted with volumes of sensitive consumer data are facing exceedingly complex compliance controls, in addition to having a professional, ethical commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their customers. PIRC’s clear mission is to meet the needs of those clients.”
The PIRC team of certified cybersecurity consultants can provide exceptional levels of expertise regardless of a company’s current security stance. Plus, the team can work independently or side-by-side with a business’ existing IT department to enhance risk mitigation efforts.
In either role, PIRC offers a full range of solutions:· Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as-a-service enables full compliance and security leadership at a fraction of the cost of an in-house resource
· Internal and external penetration
· Web application penetration testing
· Policy development and management
· Risk assessments
· Cybersecurity assessments
· Cybersecurity education and awareness training in the NY area
Beyond its technical expertise, the PIRC team is well-versed in key regulatory compliance laws, including:
· Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
· DFARS
· DFS 23 NYCRR 500
· The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
· The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)/Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
· Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
While PIRC will stand alone as a compliance and cybersecurity business, the PIRC team will collaborate with Exigent’s technology specialists to offer fully integrated technology solutions to customers, accessing Exigent’s knowledge base when and where needed, and vice versa.
“It’s our responsibility to guide customers through today’s incredibly complex maze of cybersecurity and regulatory compliance,” explains Haurey. “With PIRC, we’re bringing the best team to bear on exploring, understanding and implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions built specifically for regulatory compliance demands in order to deliver exactly the protection our clients need.”
To learn more about PIRC, visit the new website at http://www.piregcompliance.com or email info(at)piregcompliance(dot)com.
About PIRC
Partners in Regulatory Compliance is a consulting firm that provides innovative answers to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. By addressing the full range of digital and human threats to create a compliant, secure environment, PIRC ensures customers are meeting their professional, ethical and legal commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their clients.
About Exigent Technologies
Exigent Technologies LLC is a full-service IT consulting firm that implements and maintains high-performance IT systems for small and medium-sized organizations in a wide range of industries. Established in 1997, Exigent brings proven experience and expertise to every engagement and differentiates itself on integrity, responsiveness and exceptional customer care. For more information about Exigent Technologies for small and midsize businesses, visit http://www.exigent.net or call (973) 770-0500. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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Exigent Technologies Launches Regulatory Compliance & Cybersecurity Specialty Business
New consultative cybersecurity services firm to help businesses navigate complex data security and privacy regulations
MOUNT ARLINGTON, NJ and NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
The leadership of Exigent Technologies, a full-service IT consulting firm that delivers high-performance technology to small to mid-sized businesses in a wide range of industries, has launched a new business to address the complex need for risk management and cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. Starting in 2019, consulting firm Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC) will offer clients consultative risk management services and advise businesses on sophisticated technology solutions to ensure regulatory compliance, integrated with the best in cybersecurity defense platforms.
“For more than 20 years, as the trusted technology services firm in the New York tristate area, we’ve worked alongside our clients to protect their human and business assets. But, as both digital attacks and regulatory demands grow exponentially, we’ve seen the need for a specialized consultative business that focuses on innovative, sophisticated security and regulatory compliance protection for our region, particularly for businesses in high-risk verticals such as law, finance, nonprofits, healthcare and education,” explained Daniel Haurey, President of Exigent Technologies and a founding member of PIRC.
In addition to offering Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as-a-service, enabling full leadership at a fraction of the cost of an in-house resource, PIRC will focus on several key elements of regulatory compliance needed to address compliance controls, as well as supporting the professional and ethical commitment to protect the sensitive data businesses and nonprofits work with and store on behalf of their customers and stakeholders. Services include:
Internal and external penetration testing
Web application penetration testing
Policy development and management
Risk assessments
Cybersecurity assessments
Employee education and cybersecurity awareness training
Beyond its technical expertise, the PIRC team is well-versed in key regulatory compliance laws, including:
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
DFARS
DFS 23 NYCRR 500
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)/Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
The PIRC certified cybersecurity consulting team can provide exceptional levels of expertise regardless of a company’s current security stance. Plus, the team can work independently or side-by-side with a business’ existing IT department to enhance risk mitigation efforts.
While PIRC will stand alone as a consultative compliance and cybersecurity services business, it’s team will collaborate with Exigent’s existing staff to offer fully integrated technology solutions to customers, accessing Exigent’s knowledge base when and where needed, and vice versa.
“Our job is to be one step ahead of what our customers need, guiding them toward the right solutions for their business,” explains Haurey. “For Exigent, that may be enhancing your business efficiencies with cloud technology or building custom software applications. With PIRC, it means exploring, understanding and implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions built specifically for regulatory compliance demands in order to deliver exactly the protection our clients need.”
To learn more about PIRC, visit the new website at https://www.piregcompliance.com or email info@piregcompliance.com.
About Exigent Technologies
Exigent Technologies LLC is a full-service information technology consulting firm that implements and maintains high-performance IT systems for small and medium-sized organizations in a wide range of industries. Established in 1997, Exigent brings proven experience and expertise to every engagement and differentiates itself on integrity, responsiveness and exceptional customer care. For more information about Exigent Technologies for small and midsize businesses, visit https://www.exigent.net or call 973-770-0500.
About PIRC
Partners in Regulatory Compliance is a consulting firm that provides innovative answers to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. By addressing the full range of digital and human threats to create a compliant, secure environment, PIRC ensures customers are meeting their professional, ethical and legal commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their clients. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
MOUNT ARLINGTON, NJ and NEW YORK (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
The leadership of Exigent Technologies, a full-service IT consulting firm that delivers high-performance technology to small to mid-sized businesses in a wide range of industries, has launched a new business to address the complex need for risk management and cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. Starting in 2019, consulting firm Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC) will offer clients consultative risk management services and advise businesses on sophisticated technology solutions to ensure regulatory compliance, integrated with the best in cybersecurity defense platforms.
“For more than 20 years, as the trusted technology services firm in the New York tristate area, we’ve worked alongside our clients to protect their human and business assets. But, as both digital attacks and regulatory demands grow exponentially, we’ve seen the need for a specialized consultative business that focuses on innovative, sophisticated security and regulatory compliance protection for our region, particularly for businesses in high-risk verticals such as law, finance, nonprofits, healthcare and education,” explained Daniel Haurey, President of Exigent Technologies and a founding member of PIRC.
In addition to offering Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) as-a-service, enabling full leadership at a fraction of the cost of an in-house resource, PIRC will focus on several key elements of regulatory compliance needed to address compliance controls, as well as supporting the professional and ethical commitment to protect the sensitive data businesses and nonprofits work with and store on behalf of their customers and stakeholders. Services include:
Internal and external penetration testing
Web application penetration testing
Policy development and management
Risk assessments
Cybersecurity assessments
Employee education and cybersecurity awareness training
Beyond its technical expertise, the PIRC team is well-versed in key regulatory compliance laws, including:
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
DFARS
DFS 23 NYCRR 500
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA)/Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
The PIRC certified cybersecurity consulting team can provide exceptional levels of expertise regardless of a company’s current security stance. Plus, the team can work independently or side-by-side with a business’ existing IT department to enhance risk mitigation efforts.
While PIRC will stand alone as a consultative compliance and cybersecurity services business, it’s team will collaborate with Exigent’s existing staff to offer fully integrated technology solutions to customers, accessing Exigent’s knowledge base when and where needed, and vice versa.
“Our job is to be one step ahead of what our customers need, guiding them toward the right solutions for their business,” explains Haurey. “For Exigent, that may be enhancing your business efficiencies with cloud technology or building custom software applications. With PIRC, it means exploring, understanding and implementing cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions built specifically for regulatory compliance demands in order to deliver exactly the protection our clients need.”
To learn more about PIRC, visit the new website at https://www.piregcompliance.com or email info@piregcompliance.com.
About Exigent Technologies
Exigent Technologies LLC is a full-service information technology consulting firm that implements and maintains high-performance IT systems for small and medium-sized organizations in a wide range of industries. Established in 1997, Exigent brings proven experience and expertise to every engagement and differentiates itself on integrity, responsiveness and exceptional customer care. For more information about Exigent Technologies for small and midsize businesses, visit https://www.exigent.net or call 973-770-0500.
About PIRC
Partners in Regulatory Compliance is a consulting firm that provides innovative answers to the growing, complex need for cybersecurity in businesses facing strict regulatory compliance controls. By addressing the full range of digital and human threats to create a compliant, secure environment, PIRC ensures customers are meeting their professional, ethical and legal commitment to protect the sensitive data they work with and store on behalf of their clients. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.
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Latest 2018 ez1095 ACA Software From Halfpricesoft.com Offers Updated Import Feature
2018 ez1095 software has been updated with 2018 form compatibility in new import feature. Test drive for up to 30 days with no obligation or cost at halfpricesoft.com.
CHICAGO (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
ez1095 2018 (Affordable Care Act) software from Halfpricesoft.com has been updated to accommodate importing the 2018 forms more easily. New and seasoned customers will also appreciate the feature to print 1095C, 1094C, 1095B and 1094B forms on plain white paper. (This feature has been approved by the SSA).
“ez1095 2018 software has been released with a new import feature to accommodate 2018 ACA forms.” said Dr. Ge, the Founder of Halfpricesoft.com.
Developer’s released the latest ez1095 software to adhere to all of the requirements set by the government to file forms 1094 and 1095. ez1095 allows customers to set up company, add employees, add forms and print forms soon even in the trial version. This saves time for customers as once they purchase, they simply add the key to the trial version and all TRIAL watermarks are eliminated and forms are ready to be printed or efiled.
Potential customers can download and try this software at no obligation by visiting https://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp
The main features include, but are not limited to:· Print Form 1095 C: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Insurance
· Print Form 1094 C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns
· Fast data import feature
· Print ACA forms 1095 and 1094 on blank paper with inkjet or laser printer.
· Print unlimited number of 1095 and 1094 forms.
· Print Form 1095-B: Health Coverage
· Print Form 1094-B: Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Return
· Print recipient copies in PDF format.
· Support unlimited companies.
· Support unlimited number of recipients.
Priced at just $195, ($295 for efile version) this ACA forms filing software gives employers flexibility and ease of use. To learn more about ez1095 ACA software, customers can visit https://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp.
About halfpricesoft.com
Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, Accounting software, 1095 form software and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help small business owners simplify payroll processing and streamline business management. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
CHICAGO (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
ez1095 2018 (Affordable Care Act) software from Halfpricesoft.com has been updated to accommodate importing the 2018 forms more easily. New and seasoned customers will also appreciate the feature to print 1095C, 1094C, 1095B and 1094B forms on plain white paper. (This feature has been approved by the SSA).
“ez1095 2018 software has been released with a new import feature to accommodate 2018 ACA forms.” said Dr. Ge, the Founder of Halfpricesoft.com.
Developer’s released the latest ez1095 software to adhere to all of the requirements set by the government to file forms 1094 and 1095. ez1095 allows customers to set up company, add employees, add forms and print forms soon even in the trial version. This saves time for customers as once they purchase, they simply add the key to the trial version and all TRIAL watermarks are eliminated and forms are ready to be printed or efiled.
Potential customers can download and try this software at no obligation by visiting https://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp
The main features include, but are not limited to:· Print Form 1095 C: Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Insurance
· Print Form 1094 C: Transmittal of Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage Information Returns
· Fast data import feature
· Print ACA forms 1095 and 1094 on blank paper with inkjet or laser printer.
· Print unlimited number of 1095 and 1094 forms.
· Print Form 1095-B: Health Coverage
· Print Form 1094-B: Transmittal of Health Coverage Information Return
· Print recipient copies in PDF format.
· Support unlimited companies.
· Support unlimited number of recipients.
Priced at just $195, ($295 for efile version) this ACA forms filing software gives employers flexibility and ease of use. To learn more about ez1095 ACA software, customers can visit https://www.halfpricesoft.com/aca-1095/aca-1095-software.asp.
About halfpricesoft.com
Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software, including online and desktop payroll software, online employee attendance tracking software, accounting software, in-house business and personal check printing software, W2, software, 1099 software, Accounting software, 1095 form software and ezACH direct deposit software. Software from halfpricesoft.com is trusted by thousands of customers and will help small business owners simplify payroll processing and streamline business management. Reported by PRWeb 14 hours ago.
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Intalere Collaborates with SelectHealth® to Provide Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) Services
Intalere, the healthcare industry leader in delivering optimal cost, quality and clinical outcomes for healthcare provider supply chain needs, just announced a collaboration with SelectHealth to provide Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services to its members.
ST. LOUIS (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Intalere, the healthcare industry leader in delivering optimal cost, quality and clinical outcomes for healthcare provider supply chain needs, just announced a collaboration with SelectHealth to provide Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services to its members.
“SelectHealth Prescriptions® is a full-service PBM that offers transparent pricing, clinically based programs, and top-ranked customer service,” said Julius Heil, Intalere president and CEO. “A strong commitment to evidence-based pharmacy management allows them to control costs without compromising quality.” Suzette DiMascio, president and CEO of Intalere pharmacy partner CSI Specialty Group added, “We believe a critical component of managing drug costs and improving patient outcomes includes helping our health system clients develop customized PBM solutions that run parallel to a specialty pharmacy strategy.”
For more than 26 years, SelectHealth has developed a high quality, low cost model built around:· Total transparency.
· Industry-leading generic dispensing rates and programs.
· Evidence-based formularies.
· Superior specialty pharmacy pricing.
· Clinically based pharmacy edits.
· Proven prescription drug management programs.
· Top-ranked customer service.
Among the SelectHealth differentiators is their dedication to the concept of transparent pricing, which uses a pass-through pricing model to ensure that what customers pay for pharmaceuticals is exactly what SelectHealth pays. There are no hidden fees or marked up rates—all expenses are disclosed and pricing information is shared.
Patricia R. Richards, President and CEO of SelectHealth, said, “We are excited to expand proven pharmacy programs through other health systems. It’s an opportunity to share knowledge and best practices across the industry.”
Heil added, “The synergy of collaborating with another Intermountain company to help people live the healthiest lives possible is something we are very excited to bring to our customers and the marketplace in general.”
About SelectHealth
SelectHealth is a not-for-profit health plan that serves more than 850,000 members. Through a shared mission with Intermountain Healthcare of Helping People Live the Healthiest Lives Possible®, SelectHealth is committed to assuring access to high-value care, providing superior service, and supporting the health of the members and communities they serve.
In addition to medical plans, SelectHealth offers dental, vision, pharmacy benefit management, and life and disability coverage to its members. SelectHealth plans are available for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid enrollees, and they’re also a carrier for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) and the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Plan. Year-after-year, SelectHealth is rated as Utah’s top HMO plan by state and national organizations, receiving top scores in both member satisfaction and clinical performance. For details, visit selecthealth.org.
About Intalere
Intalere’s mission focuses on elevating the operational health of America’s healthcare providers by designing tailored, smart solutions that deliver optimal cost, quality, and clinical outcomes. Intalere strives to be the essential partner for operational excellence in healthcare through customized solutions that address customers’ individual needs. They assist customers in managing their entire spend, providing innovative technologies, products and services, and leveraging the best practices of a provider-led model. As Intalere draws on the power of our owner Intermountain Healthcare’s nationally recognized supply chain expertise and leadership in technology, process improvement, and evidence-based clinical and business best practices, Intalare is uniquely positioned to be the innovation leader in the healthcare industry. Visit intalere.com to learn more. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
ST. LOUIS (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Intalere, the healthcare industry leader in delivering optimal cost, quality and clinical outcomes for healthcare provider supply chain needs, just announced a collaboration with SelectHealth to provide Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) services to its members.
“SelectHealth Prescriptions® is a full-service PBM that offers transparent pricing, clinically based programs, and top-ranked customer service,” said Julius Heil, Intalere president and CEO. “A strong commitment to evidence-based pharmacy management allows them to control costs without compromising quality.” Suzette DiMascio, president and CEO of Intalere pharmacy partner CSI Specialty Group added, “We believe a critical component of managing drug costs and improving patient outcomes includes helping our health system clients develop customized PBM solutions that run parallel to a specialty pharmacy strategy.”
For more than 26 years, SelectHealth has developed a high quality, low cost model built around:· Total transparency.
· Industry-leading generic dispensing rates and programs.
· Evidence-based formularies.
· Superior specialty pharmacy pricing.
· Clinically based pharmacy edits.
· Proven prescription drug management programs.
· Top-ranked customer service.
Among the SelectHealth differentiators is their dedication to the concept of transparent pricing, which uses a pass-through pricing model to ensure that what customers pay for pharmaceuticals is exactly what SelectHealth pays. There are no hidden fees or marked up rates—all expenses are disclosed and pricing information is shared.
Patricia R. Richards, President and CEO of SelectHealth, said, “We are excited to expand proven pharmacy programs through other health systems. It’s an opportunity to share knowledge and best practices across the industry.”
Heil added, “The synergy of collaborating with another Intermountain company to help people live the healthiest lives possible is something we are very excited to bring to our customers and the marketplace in general.”
About SelectHealth
SelectHealth is a not-for-profit health plan that serves more than 850,000 members. Through a shared mission with Intermountain Healthcare of Helping People Live the Healthiest Lives Possible®, SelectHealth is committed to assuring access to high-value care, providing superior service, and supporting the health of the members and communities they serve.
In addition to medical plans, SelectHealth offers dental, vision, pharmacy benefit management, and life and disability coverage to its members. SelectHealth plans are available for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid enrollees, and they’re also a carrier for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) and the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Plan. Year-after-year, SelectHealth is rated as Utah’s top HMO plan by state and national organizations, receiving top scores in both member satisfaction and clinical performance. For details, visit selecthealth.org.
About Intalere
Intalere’s mission focuses on elevating the operational health of America’s healthcare providers by designing tailored, smart solutions that deliver optimal cost, quality, and clinical outcomes. Intalere strives to be the essential partner for operational excellence in healthcare through customized solutions that address customers’ individual needs. They assist customers in managing their entire spend, providing innovative technologies, products and services, and leveraging the best practices of a provider-led model. As Intalere draws on the power of our owner Intermountain Healthcare’s nationally recognized supply chain expertise and leadership in technology, process improvement, and evidence-based clinical and business best practices, Intalare is uniquely positioned to be the innovation leader in the healthcare industry. Visit intalere.com to learn more. Reported by PRWeb 9 hours ago.
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Southern Cross Health spikes Kiwi couple's insurance by $595
An Auckland couple has received a New Year's message that's left them fuming.The couple, who spoke to the Herald under the condition of anonymity, was notified on 1 January that their joint Southern Cross Health insurance policy...
Reported by New Zealand Herald 2 hours ago.
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Coterie Advisory Group and Lindsey Healthcare Holdings form Strategic Partnership
Founders seek to capitalize on decades of insurance expertise and industry relationships to build market-leading products and exclusive distribution channels.
PHOENIX (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Coterie Advisory Group, Inc (Coterie) and Lindsey Healthcare Holdings LLC (LHH) announced today the formation and launch of a new jointly held healthcare and insurance organization. The new company, doing business as Healthcare 212°, will focus on both consumer and agent needs by developing innovative healthcare solutions for multiple market segments.
Healthcare 212° is being led by industry veterans, David Lindsey, CEO of Lindsey Healthcare Holdings; along with Timothy Cook, former SVP of AXIS Insurance Company, and the Co-founders of Coterie Advisory Group, Ben Rozum and Aaron Cook. The partners have a combined entrepreneurial track-record of establishing high-value businesses which led to successful acquisitions by publicly traded companies and backing by private equity firms. With decades of industry experience and collective ingenuity to solve market problems, the partners believe that Healthcare 212° is well-positioned for explosive growth.
David Lindsey said, “I am extremely optimistic about the market opportunities that exist and continue to develop in healthcare. Consumers are struggling more than ever with choice and affordability while insurance agents are fighting for a sustainable career." Lindsey added, “I can’t think of a better time to be able to create and provide meaningful programs and I feel like we’ve put together a dream team to make it happen.”
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, the average monthly premium for an individual enrolled on an exchange plan has risen to $440 per month with an average deductible of $4,533. When surveyed, many Americans indicate that $200 per month (or less) is what they would define as affordable. As a result, 27.5 million Americans remain uninsured. With the individual mandate revoked and the recent Texas federal judge ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional, more opportunities will arise in the marketplace to provide alternative healthcare solutions. Healthcare 212° will capitalize on providing affordable options to individual consumers while relying on trusted insurance agents and brokers as distribution partners, made available through associations and employer groups.
According to Timothy Cook, "My partners and I have spent our careers focused on building businesses that provide affordable and alternative healthcare options in niche markets. I am excited to get back to my entrepreneurial roots and join David, Ben and Aaron to help set strategic direction and strategic business development for our new venture at Healthcare 212°." Cook continued, "Our existing partner relationships with carriers, vendors, and distributors will be imperative for our business growth while we also look to aggressively identify and establish new partner relationships."
Healthcare 212° is fully launched and rapidly establishing its footprint on a national basis. Their platform includes advanced technology and live support for agents to manage their client book of business and for consumers to manage their policies. To learn more, please go to http://www.healthcare212.com.
About Healthcare 212°
Water is hot at 211°, increase by one degree and it boils creating energy that can power change. Healthcare 212° is a team of insurance and benefits professionals serving agents and consumers. We are committed to solving healthcare challenges through innovation and affordable options - putting the "Power" to choose back in the hands of agents and consumers.
About Coterie Advisory Group, Inc.
Coterie Advisory Group. is a national, insurance program manager and marketing agency. Coterie Advisory Group specializes in product development and procurement, distribution channel alignment, and technology platforms for their proprietary benefit programs. The company provides consultative services and product solutions that are dedicated to helping consumers in the insurance and benefits industry--including the rising concerns of affordable health insurance. They target niche markets in the employer, association, student, affinity, and agent-driven marketplaces.
About Lindsey Healthcare Holdings, LLC.
Since 2005 Lindsey Healthcare Holdings has been providing quality, affordable benefits to self-employed professionals and independent contractors; business groups; and association groups. With more than 150,000 active policies in place, Lindsey Healthcare Holdings has been able to meet the needs of our rapidly expanding client base through strategic partnerships with top-rated insurance carriers and benefit providers that have created exclusive proprietary products and benefit plans designed to meet the needs of our clients. Reported by PRWeb 1 hour ago.
PHOENIX (PRWEB) January 02, 2019
Coterie Advisory Group, Inc (Coterie) and Lindsey Healthcare Holdings LLC (LHH) announced today the formation and launch of a new jointly held healthcare and insurance organization. The new company, doing business as Healthcare 212°, will focus on both consumer and agent needs by developing innovative healthcare solutions for multiple market segments.
Healthcare 212° is being led by industry veterans, David Lindsey, CEO of Lindsey Healthcare Holdings; along with Timothy Cook, former SVP of AXIS Insurance Company, and the Co-founders of Coterie Advisory Group, Ben Rozum and Aaron Cook. The partners have a combined entrepreneurial track-record of establishing high-value businesses which led to successful acquisitions by publicly traded companies and backing by private equity firms. With decades of industry experience and collective ingenuity to solve market problems, the partners believe that Healthcare 212° is well-positioned for explosive growth.
David Lindsey said, “I am extremely optimistic about the market opportunities that exist and continue to develop in healthcare. Consumers are struggling more than ever with choice and affordability while insurance agents are fighting for a sustainable career." Lindsey added, “I can’t think of a better time to be able to create and provide meaningful programs and I feel like we’ve put together a dream team to make it happen.”
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, the average monthly premium for an individual enrolled on an exchange plan has risen to $440 per month with an average deductible of $4,533. When surveyed, many Americans indicate that $200 per month (or less) is what they would define as affordable. As a result, 27.5 million Americans remain uninsured. With the individual mandate revoked and the recent Texas federal judge ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional, more opportunities will arise in the marketplace to provide alternative healthcare solutions. Healthcare 212° will capitalize on providing affordable options to individual consumers while relying on trusted insurance agents and brokers as distribution partners, made available through associations and employer groups.
According to Timothy Cook, "My partners and I have spent our careers focused on building businesses that provide affordable and alternative healthcare options in niche markets. I am excited to get back to my entrepreneurial roots and join David, Ben and Aaron to help set strategic direction and strategic business development for our new venture at Healthcare 212°." Cook continued, "Our existing partner relationships with carriers, vendors, and distributors will be imperative for our business growth while we also look to aggressively identify and establish new partner relationships."
Healthcare 212° is fully launched and rapidly establishing its footprint on a national basis. Their platform includes advanced technology and live support for agents to manage their client book of business and for consumers to manage their policies. To learn more, please go to http://www.healthcare212.com.
About Healthcare 212°
Water is hot at 211°, increase by one degree and it boils creating energy that can power change. Healthcare 212° is a team of insurance and benefits professionals serving agents and consumers. We are committed to solving healthcare challenges through innovation and affordable options - putting the "Power" to choose back in the hands of agents and consumers.
About Coterie Advisory Group, Inc.
Coterie Advisory Group. is a national, insurance program manager and marketing agency. Coterie Advisory Group specializes in product development and procurement, distribution channel alignment, and technology platforms for their proprietary benefit programs. The company provides consultative services and product solutions that are dedicated to helping consumers in the insurance and benefits industry--including the rising concerns of affordable health insurance. They target niche markets in the employer, association, student, affinity, and agent-driven marketplaces.
About Lindsey Healthcare Holdings, LLC.
Since 2005 Lindsey Healthcare Holdings has been providing quality, affordable benefits to self-employed professionals and independent contractors; business groups; and association groups. With more than 150,000 active policies in place, Lindsey Healthcare Holdings has been able to meet the needs of our rapidly expanding client base through strategic partnerships with top-rated insurance carriers and benefit providers that have created exclusive proprietary products and benefit plans designed to meet the needs of our clients. Reported by PRWeb 1 hour ago.
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Poverty, lack of health insurance among female health care workers
A new study finds that low wages and poor benefits leave many female health care workers living below the poverty line.
Reported by Science Daily 19 minutes ago.
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Study Details Poverty, Lack Of Health Insurance Among Female Health Care Workers
A study carried out by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania finds that low wages and poor benefits leave many female health care workers living below the poverty line. The report that will appear in the January issue of the American Journal of Public Health has been published online.
“Every day in the clinic and in the hospital, my colleagues who work in low-wage positions – as cleaners, dietary workers, medical assistants and nurse’s aides – make vital contributions to the care of our patients.” says Kathryn Himmelstein, MD, lead and corresponding author of the paper. “These workers should not have to go home to poverty or be unable to afford health care for themselves and their families.” A resident in the MGH Department of Medicine and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Himmelstein initiated the study as a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania.
The authors note that more Americans are employed in health care than in any other industry, and three quarters of them are women. Their analysis of data from the 2017 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that 18 percent of employed women responding to the 2017 survey and 23 percent of employed Black women work in health care, many of them in low-paying jobs.
Although the average hourly wage for female health care workers of more than $19/hour was higher than the average of around $16/hour for all other industries, it was almost 25 percent lower than the average for men working in health care. The data suggested that 34 percent of female health care workers, and nearly half of the Black and Latina women working in the health sector, earned less than $15/hour. While the largest number of health care workers making less than $15/hour were employed by hospitals, such workers made up a larger share of the total workforce in home health care and at nursing homes and other residential care facilities. Relatively few women and even fewer women of color worked as physicians or managers.
Projecting the survey’s results across the entire U.S. population suggests that 5 percent of all women health care workers – including 10.6 percent of Black and 8.6 percent of Latina women health care workers – live in poverty, the authors note. Overall, 1.7 million women health care workers and their children lived below the poverty line in 2017, accounting for nearly 5 percent of all people living in poverty in the U.S. The researchers also found surprisingly high numbers of the female health care workers surveyed lack health insurance. Overall, 7 percent – projected to represent more than 1 million women nationwide – were uninsured, including more than 10 percent of Black and Latina women employed in health care.
The researchers also projected the potential impact of raising the minimum wage to $15/hour, a policy already implemented in several cities and some medical centers. They found that adopting such a policy nationwide would decrease poverty rates among female health care workers by up to 50 percent, while increasing U.S. health care costs by less than 1.5 percent.
Himmelstein says, “Public health experts have been urging hospitals and other health care providers to focus on the ‘social determinants’ of ill-health, and these institutions should start by addressing their own employment practices. But we shouldn’t just leave that up to health care employers; lawmakers have a tremendous opportunity to lift millions of people out of poverty and promote racial and gender justice in health care employment by raising statutory minimum wages.”
Senior author Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, adds, “Wage inequality in the health care sector reflects what we are seeing in other sectors of the economy in the United States. In that spirit, these findings should inform active debates around the role of new policies – for example, raising minimum wages, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit or expanding access to higher education – that seek to address widening income inequality and diminishing opportunities for upward mobility.” Reported by Eurasia Review 11 minutes ago.
“Every day in the clinic and in the hospital, my colleagues who work in low-wage positions – as cleaners, dietary workers, medical assistants and nurse’s aides – make vital contributions to the care of our patients.” says Kathryn Himmelstein, MD, lead and corresponding author of the paper. “These workers should not have to go home to poverty or be unable to afford health care for themselves and their families.” A resident in the MGH Department of Medicine and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School, Himmelstein initiated the study as a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania.
The authors note that more Americans are employed in health care than in any other industry, and three quarters of them are women. Their analysis of data from the 2017 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that 18 percent of employed women responding to the 2017 survey and 23 percent of employed Black women work in health care, many of them in low-paying jobs.
Although the average hourly wage for female health care workers of more than $19/hour was higher than the average of around $16/hour for all other industries, it was almost 25 percent lower than the average for men working in health care. The data suggested that 34 percent of female health care workers, and nearly half of the Black and Latina women working in the health sector, earned less than $15/hour. While the largest number of health care workers making less than $15/hour were employed by hospitals, such workers made up a larger share of the total workforce in home health care and at nursing homes and other residential care facilities. Relatively few women and even fewer women of color worked as physicians or managers.
Projecting the survey’s results across the entire U.S. population suggests that 5 percent of all women health care workers – including 10.6 percent of Black and 8.6 percent of Latina women health care workers – live in poverty, the authors note. Overall, 1.7 million women health care workers and their children lived below the poverty line in 2017, accounting for nearly 5 percent of all people living in poverty in the U.S. The researchers also found surprisingly high numbers of the female health care workers surveyed lack health insurance. Overall, 7 percent – projected to represent more than 1 million women nationwide – were uninsured, including more than 10 percent of Black and Latina women employed in health care.
The researchers also projected the potential impact of raising the minimum wage to $15/hour, a policy already implemented in several cities and some medical centers. They found that adopting such a policy nationwide would decrease poverty rates among female health care workers by up to 50 percent, while increasing U.S. health care costs by less than 1.5 percent.
Himmelstein says, “Public health experts have been urging hospitals and other health care providers to focus on the ‘social determinants’ of ill-health, and these institutions should start by addressing their own employment practices. But we shouldn’t just leave that up to health care employers; lawmakers have a tremendous opportunity to lift millions of people out of poverty and promote racial and gender justice in health care employment by raising statutory minimum wages.”
Senior author Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, adds, “Wage inequality in the health care sector reflects what we are seeing in other sectors of the economy in the United States. In that spirit, these findings should inform active debates around the role of new policies – for example, raising minimum wages, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit or expanding access to higher education – that seek to address widening income inequality and diminishing opportunities for upward mobility.” Reported by Eurasia Review 11 minutes ago.
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Jvion Secures Significant Strategic Growth Investment to Expand Application of Its Healthcare AI and Prescriptive Analytics Platform
Investment will help meet surging healthcare demand for an AI-driven clinical decision support solution that improves patient outcomes, lowers the cost of care, and addresses challenges across various healthcare market segments.
ATLANTA (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
Jvion, the market leader in healthcare AI, announced today that it raised a significant growth equity investment led by JMI Equity (JMI)—a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Additional investors in the fundraise include Health Enterprise Partners (HEP) and Health Velocity Capital (HVC), two leading healthcare investment firms whose limited partner networks comprise some of the largest hospital systems and health plans in the country.
Jvion will use the funding to further establish its leadership position in healthcare AI – accelerating expansion across the provider market, driving application of the company’s AI platform to other segments including the payor and pharmaceutical markets, and fueling the company’s rapid pace of innovation to better serve its customers and constantly improve patient care.
“The need for effective enterprise AI specific to meeting the challenges in healthcare is only going to grow as unmet clinical demand and costs increase,” said Shantanu Nigam, CEO of Jvion. “Jvion’s prescriptive analytics approach is playing a key role in directing the right care to the right patients at the right time, leading to improved health outcomes and significant cost reductions for our customers. This financing and our partnership with JMI, HEP, and HVC will enable us to help more patients across more communities and better serve the complex, dynamic needs of the broader healthcare marketplace.”
Founded in 2011, Jvion has developed the Cognitive Clinical Success Machine — a unique approach to improving patient care that uses artificial intelligence to turn healthcare data into prescriptive clinical intelligence, reducing patient-level clinical variation and improving intervention effectiveness. Using complex mapping and advanced machine learning techniques, the machine fills the gap created by EHRs, data warehouses, and basic predictive analytics solutions by delivering on the promise of actionable insights that drive toward better patient outcomes. Jvion’s platform identifies specific patients on a risk trajectory, determines if that trajectory can be changed, and, if so, provides individualized patient-specific interventions that help improve outcomes.
“Jvion is taking a unique approach to solving a massive pain point in the healthcare ecosystem. We were impressed with the feedback from Jvion’s customers and partners, specifically around improving patient outcomes, reducing costs and addressing new challenges in the evolving value-based care world,” said Matt Emery, General Partner at JMI Equity, who has joined Jvion’s Board of Directors. Added Sureel Sheth, Principal at JMI who has also joined Jvion’s Board, “We look forward to helping Jvion scale to meet growing demand across the care continuum, build on the company’s history of success with some of the leading health systems in the country, and explore the application of its prescriptive analytics platform to new areas within the healthcare market.”
Raymond James served as the exclusive financial advisor to Jvion in the transaction.
About Jvion
Jvion delivers healthcare’s only Cognitive Clinical Success Machine. Using Eigen-based technology, the machine does what simple predictive analytics or machine learning models cannot. It goes beyond high-risk patient populations to identify those on a trajectory to becoming high risk. It determines the interventions that will more effectively reduce risk and enable clinical action. And it accelerates time to value by leveraging established patient-level intelligence to drive action across hospitals, populations, and patients. For more information, visit http://www.jvion.com.
About JMI Equity
JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in over 140 businesses in its target markets, successfully completed over 90 exits, and raised more than $4 billion of committed capital. JMI partners with exceptional management teams to help build their companies into industry leaders. For more information, visit http://www.jmi.com.
About Health Enterprise Partners
Health Enterprise Partners invests primarily in privately held, lower middle market companies in health care services and health care information technology. Central to HEP's strategy is its unique and extensive hospital system and health plan network, 36 members of which are investors in HEP's funds. HEP seeks to invest in companies that improve the quality of the patient experience, expand access, and reduce the cost of health care. For more information, please visit http://www.hepfund.com.
About Health Velocity Capital
Health Velocity Capital invests exclusively in innovative healthcare software and services companies. The firm’s partners have more than 50 collective years as investors, entrepreneurs and senior executives helping to build innovative companies that created important new healthcare markets and/or that became market leaders. In addition to investing on behalf of institutional investors, Health Velocity invests on behalf of a number of our nation’s largest and most influential healthcare organizations and many of their top executives who collectively represent organizations that provide health insurance to more than 140 million Americans, operate almost 300 hospitals, provide pharmacy and PBM services to more than 75% of all Americans, and provide software and services to every major hospital in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.healthvelocitycapital.com.
Media Contact for Jvion
Allison Kavanagh
Jvion, Inc.
allison.kavanagh@jvion.com
Media Contacts for JMI Equity
Chuck Dohrenwend or William Braun
Abernathy MacGregor
212-371-5999
cod@abmac.com / whb@abmac.com Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
ATLANTA (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
Jvion, the market leader in healthcare AI, announced today that it raised a significant growth equity investment led by JMI Equity (JMI)—a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Additional investors in the fundraise include Health Enterprise Partners (HEP) and Health Velocity Capital (HVC), two leading healthcare investment firms whose limited partner networks comprise some of the largest hospital systems and health plans in the country.
Jvion will use the funding to further establish its leadership position in healthcare AI – accelerating expansion across the provider market, driving application of the company’s AI platform to other segments including the payor and pharmaceutical markets, and fueling the company’s rapid pace of innovation to better serve its customers and constantly improve patient care.
“The need for effective enterprise AI specific to meeting the challenges in healthcare is only going to grow as unmet clinical demand and costs increase,” said Shantanu Nigam, CEO of Jvion. “Jvion’s prescriptive analytics approach is playing a key role in directing the right care to the right patients at the right time, leading to improved health outcomes and significant cost reductions for our customers. This financing and our partnership with JMI, HEP, and HVC will enable us to help more patients across more communities and better serve the complex, dynamic needs of the broader healthcare marketplace.”
Founded in 2011, Jvion has developed the Cognitive Clinical Success Machine — a unique approach to improving patient care that uses artificial intelligence to turn healthcare data into prescriptive clinical intelligence, reducing patient-level clinical variation and improving intervention effectiveness. Using complex mapping and advanced machine learning techniques, the machine fills the gap created by EHRs, data warehouses, and basic predictive analytics solutions by delivering on the promise of actionable insights that drive toward better patient outcomes. Jvion’s platform identifies specific patients on a risk trajectory, determines if that trajectory can be changed, and, if so, provides individualized patient-specific interventions that help improve outcomes.
“Jvion is taking a unique approach to solving a massive pain point in the healthcare ecosystem. We were impressed with the feedback from Jvion’s customers and partners, specifically around improving patient outcomes, reducing costs and addressing new challenges in the evolving value-based care world,” said Matt Emery, General Partner at JMI Equity, who has joined Jvion’s Board of Directors. Added Sureel Sheth, Principal at JMI who has also joined Jvion’s Board, “We look forward to helping Jvion scale to meet growing demand across the care continuum, build on the company’s history of success with some of the leading health systems in the country, and explore the application of its prescriptive analytics platform to new areas within the healthcare market.”
Raymond James served as the exclusive financial advisor to Jvion in the transaction.
About Jvion
Jvion delivers healthcare’s only Cognitive Clinical Success Machine. Using Eigen-based technology, the machine does what simple predictive analytics or machine learning models cannot. It goes beyond high-risk patient populations to identify those on a trajectory to becoming high risk. It determines the interventions that will more effectively reduce risk and enable clinical action. And it accelerates time to value by leveraging established patient-level intelligence to drive action across hospitals, populations, and patients. For more information, visit http://www.jvion.com.
About JMI Equity
JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in over 140 businesses in its target markets, successfully completed over 90 exits, and raised more than $4 billion of committed capital. JMI partners with exceptional management teams to help build their companies into industry leaders. For more information, visit http://www.jmi.com.
About Health Enterprise Partners
Health Enterprise Partners invests primarily in privately held, lower middle market companies in health care services and health care information technology. Central to HEP's strategy is its unique and extensive hospital system and health plan network, 36 members of which are investors in HEP's funds. HEP seeks to invest in companies that improve the quality of the patient experience, expand access, and reduce the cost of health care. For more information, please visit http://www.hepfund.com.
About Health Velocity Capital
Health Velocity Capital invests exclusively in innovative healthcare software and services companies. The firm’s partners have more than 50 collective years as investors, entrepreneurs and senior executives helping to build innovative companies that created important new healthcare markets and/or that became market leaders. In addition to investing on behalf of institutional investors, Health Velocity invests on behalf of a number of our nation’s largest and most influential healthcare organizations and many of their top executives who collectively represent organizations that provide health insurance to more than 140 million Americans, operate almost 300 hospitals, provide pharmacy and PBM services to more than 75% of all Americans, and provide software and services to every major hospital in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.healthvelocitycapital.com.
Media Contact for Jvion
Allison Kavanagh
Jvion, Inc.
allison.kavanagh@jvion.com
Media Contacts for JMI Equity
Chuck Dohrenwend or William Braun
Abernathy MacGregor
212-371-5999
cod@abmac.com / whb@abmac.com Reported by PRWeb 12 hours ago.
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OnPoint Warranty Solutions and Starr Insurance Companies Launch Warranty Products
Created to drive innovative service programs for consumer goods to market
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
OnPoint Warranty Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of service contract and manufacturer’s warranty programs, has finalized its business relationship with Starr Insurance Companies (Starr).
In this new relationship, Starr underwrites warranty services and contract products that are administered by OnPoint and sold through manufacturers, retailers, service provides and direct to consumer.
Chris Smith, CEO, OnPoint stated, “OnPoint is honored to now be counted among Starr Insurance Companies group of trusted service contract administrators. We believe that the consumer service paradigm has shifted, and have assembled technology, a network of service providers, and digital marketing tools to revolutionize how consumers purchase service contracts and the way service is fulfilled. We endeavor to treat every consumer like family, offering contract coverage and on-demand service for their entire connected household of products. We chose Starr because they believe in our strategy and are well placed to support our clients and consumers with the trust and speed that an A-rated insurer, such as Starr, can provide.”
About OnPoint Warranty Solutions
OnPoint was launched by customer experience experts with proven success helping global brands deliver underwriting, service contract and manufacturer warranty programs, service fulfillment, service administration technology and logistics, to drive the highest levels of consumer experience in the service industry. Building on the foundation of a connected, multinational service network, omni channel customer interactions and consumer-focused technology, OnPoint creates brand loyalty through service contract and service solutions designed to reduce risk, increase efficiency, delight consumers and improve our customer’s bottom line. For more information, visit our website: http://www.onpointwarranty.com
About Starr Insurance Companies
Starr Insurance Companies (or Starr) is a marketing name for the operating insurance and travel assistance companies and subsidiaries of Starr International Company, Inc. and for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Starr is a leading insurance and investment organization with a presence on six continents; through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products as well as a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance. Starr’s insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.K. each have an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent). Starr’s Lloyd’s syndicate has a Standard & Poor’s rating of “A+” (Strong). Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
OnPoint Warranty Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of service contract and manufacturer’s warranty programs, has finalized its business relationship with Starr Insurance Companies (Starr).
In this new relationship, Starr underwrites warranty services and contract products that are administered by OnPoint and sold through manufacturers, retailers, service provides and direct to consumer.
Chris Smith, CEO, OnPoint stated, “OnPoint is honored to now be counted among Starr Insurance Companies group of trusted service contract administrators. We believe that the consumer service paradigm has shifted, and have assembled technology, a network of service providers, and digital marketing tools to revolutionize how consumers purchase service contracts and the way service is fulfilled. We endeavor to treat every consumer like family, offering contract coverage and on-demand service for their entire connected household of products. We chose Starr because they believe in our strategy and are well placed to support our clients and consumers with the trust and speed that an A-rated insurer, such as Starr, can provide.”
About OnPoint Warranty Solutions
OnPoint was launched by customer experience experts with proven success helping global brands deliver underwriting, service contract and manufacturer warranty programs, service fulfillment, service administration technology and logistics, to drive the highest levels of consumer experience in the service industry. Building on the foundation of a connected, multinational service network, omni channel customer interactions and consumer-focused technology, OnPoint creates brand loyalty through service contract and service solutions designed to reduce risk, increase efficiency, delight consumers and improve our customer’s bottom line. For more information, visit our website: http://www.onpointwarranty.com
About Starr Insurance Companies
Starr Insurance Companies (or Starr) is a marketing name for the operating insurance and travel assistance companies and subsidiaries of Starr International Company, Inc. and for the investment business of C. V. Starr & Co., Inc. and its subsidiaries. Starr is a leading insurance and investment organization with a presence on six continents; through its operating insurance companies, Starr provides property, casualty, and accident and health insurance products as well as a range of specialty coverages including aviation, marine, energy and excess casualty insurance. Starr’s insurance company subsidiaries domiciled in the U.S., Bermuda, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and U.K. each have an A.M. Best rating of “A” (Excellent). Starr’s Lloyd’s syndicate has a Standard & Poor’s rating of “A+” (Strong). Reported by PRWeb 7 hours ago.
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Steward Home Care and Hospice Acquired by Dallas-Based AccentCare
AccentCare, Inc., a nationwide leader in post-acute healthcare, acquired Steward Home Care and Hospice, effective December 31, 2018.
DALLAS (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
AccentCare, Inc., a nationwide leader in post-acute healthcare, acquired Steward Home Care and Hospice, effective December 31, 2018.
Steward Home Care and Hospice is one of the largest post-acute care providers in its region, serving more than 14,000 patients annually across eight counties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. While under new ownership, Steward Home Care and Hospice will continue to serve as the exclusive preferred post-acute provider in Steward Health’s care services network and will also participate in Steward Health Choice’s accountable care organization (ACO), which covers over one million lives.
“AccentCare brings clinical and operational expertise and resources to Steward Home Care and Hospice that will benefit our patients and members in the communities we serve,” said Ruben Jose King-Shaw Jr., Chief Strategy Officer and President of Steward Health Care Network.
Acquiring Steward Home Care and Hospice expands AccentCare’s footprint to a 16-state reach and its delivery to over 110,000 patients and clients annually.
“I am excited for Steward Home Care and Hospice to join the AccentCare family and honored to serve the Steward Health Care system,” said AccentCare CEO Steve Rodgers. “We are impressed with the dedication of Steward’s employees, and I am confident the uniting of our two companies will deliver our collective best for patients and community healthcare partners.”
“Steward Health Care is proud of its services across the care continuum, including our home health and hospice divisions that provide valuable in-home care,” said Brian Swartz, President, Steward Home Care and Hospice. “We are delighted to join a post-acute care company of AccentCare’s caliber in quality and customer service.”
About AccentCare
AccentCare, Inc. is a nationwide leader in post-acute healthcare as well as specialized care management prior to acute episodes. Its wide variety of innovative services ranges from personal, non-medical care to skilled nursing, rehabilitative therapies, hospice, private duty, care management, and healthcare management services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, AccentCare has over 24,000 compassionate professionals in more than 190 locations, serving over 17,000 physicians and 2,000 facilities, regionally branded as AccentCare, AccentCare of New York, Accolade, Alliance For Health, Doctors’ Choice, Guardian Home Health & Hospice, Nurses Unlimited, Sta-Home, Steward Home Care and Hospice, and Texas Home Health.
In addition, the company has over 30 regional strategic partnerships with insurance companies, physician groups, and major health systems, including joint ventures branded as AccentCare Asante Home Health, AccentCare UCLA Health, AccentCare UC San Diego Health at Home, and Texas Home Health Group, a home healthcare affiliation with Baylor Scott & White Health.
AccentCare is committed to improving the quality of living for approximately 112,000 individuals each year. Its approach to care, including proprietary RightPath disease-specific programs, consistently exceeds the industry in avoidance of unplanned re-hospitalizations, faster starts of care, and quality performance. Among its distinctions, AccentCare has a 4.4-star quality rating for legacy home health agencies, many of which have earned the HomeCare Elite distinction. All legacy hospice locations are CHAP-accredited, many with advanced designations from the We Honor Veterans program.
About Steward Home Care and Hospice
Steward Home Care and Hospice was previously owned by Steward Health Care, the largest private for profit physician led health care network in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward operates 36 hospitals in the United States and the country of Malta that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The company employs approximately 40,000 healthcare professionals. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, over 7,900 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services.
The Steward Health Care Network includes five thousand physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters per year. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
DALLAS (PRWEB) January 03, 2019
AccentCare, Inc., a nationwide leader in post-acute healthcare, acquired Steward Home Care and Hospice, effective December 31, 2018.
Steward Home Care and Hospice is one of the largest post-acute care providers in its region, serving more than 14,000 patients annually across eight counties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. While under new ownership, Steward Home Care and Hospice will continue to serve as the exclusive preferred post-acute provider in Steward Health’s care services network and will also participate in Steward Health Choice’s accountable care organization (ACO), which covers over one million lives.
“AccentCare brings clinical and operational expertise and resources to Steward Home Care and Hospice that will benefit our patients and members in the communities we serve,” said Ruben Jose King-Shaw Jr., Chief Strategy Officer and President of Steward Health Care Network.
Acquiring Steward Home Care and Hospice expands AccentCare’s footprint to a 16-state reach and its delivery to over 110,000 patients and clients annually.
“I am excited for Steward Home Care and Hospice to join the AccentCare family and honored to serve the Steward Health Care system,” said AccentCare CEO Steve Rodgers. “We are impressed with the dedication of Steward’s employees, and I am confident the uniting of our two companies will deliver our collective best for patients and community healthcare partners.”
“Steward Health Care is proud of its services across the care continuum, including our home health and hospice divisions that provide valuable in-home care,” said Brian Swartz, President, Steward Home Care and Hospice. “We are delighted to join a post-acute care company of AccentCare’s caliber in quality and customer service.”
About AccentCare
AccentCare, Inc. is a nationwide leader in post-acute healthcare as well as specialized care management prior to acute episodes. Its wide variety of innovative services ranges from personal, non-medical care to skilled nursing, rehabilitative therapies, hospice, private duty, care management, and healthcare management services. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, AccentCare has over 24,000 compassionate professionals in more than 190 locations, serving over 17,000 physicians and 2,000 facilities, regionally branded as AccentCare, AccentCare of New York, Accolade, Alliance For Health, Doctors’ Choice, Guardian Home Health & Hospice, Nurses Unlimited, Sta-Home, Steward Home Care and Hospice, and Texas Home Health.
In addition, the company has over 30 regional strategic partnerships with insurance companies, physician groups, and major health systems, including joint ventures branded as AccentCare Asante Home Health, AccentCare UCLA Health, AccentCare UC San Diego Health at Home, and Texas Home Health Group, a home healthcare affiliation with Baylor Scott & White Health.
AccentCare is committed to improving the quality of living for approximately 112,000 individuals each year. Its approach to care, including proprietary RightPath disease-specific programs, consistently exceeds the industry in avoidance of unplanned re-hospitalizations, faster starts of care, and quality performance. Among its distinctions, AccentCare has a 4.4-star quality rating for legacy home health agencies, many of which have earned the HomeCare Elite distinction. All legacy hospice locations are CHAP-accredited, many with advanced designations from the We Honor Veterans program.
About Steward Home Care and Hospice
Steward Home Care and Hospice was previously owned by Steward Health Care, the largest private for profit physician led health care network in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward operates 36 hospitals in the United States and the country of Malta that regularly receive top awards for quality and safety. The company employs approximately 40,000 healthcare professionals. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, over 7,900 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services.
The Steward Health Care Network includes five thousand physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters per year. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. The Steward Hospital Group operates hospitals in Malta and nine states across the U.S., including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. Reported by PRWeb 6 hours ago.
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Sign-ups steady as health law case goes to appeals court
WASHINGTON (AP) — The government says 8.4 million Americans have signed up for coverage next year under the Obama health law, reflecting steady enrollment even as supporters of the law appeal a court ruling that declares it unconstitutional. Thursday's numbers underscore the unexpected staying power of "Obamacare," which President Donald Trump failed to repeal after promising a better health insurance plan in its place. The numbers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reflect the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. The final count will be higher, after major states like California and New York report.
Reported by SeattlePI.com 2 hours ago.
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United States: Health Insurer Agrees To Largest Settlement Of A Health Data Breach - Jones Day
On October 15, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") announced that a health insurance company agreed to pay $16 million
Reported by Mondaq 20 hours ago.
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One of the West's biggest cybersecurity vulnerabilities is our idiotic habit of sending servers full of sensitive information to foreign countries
· *Western companies routinely sell their old tech hardware to private companies in foreign countries, without wiping the sensitive data on them first.*· *A Business Insider source found a large database of the Dutch public health insurance system on old equipment abandoned after a hardware upgrade.*
· *He also found the codes for controlling the traffic lights in multiple Spanish cities. *
· *It's pointless worrying about hackers breaking into our systems if we're giving away data to anyone with a credit card in the hardware refurbishing business, the source says.*
Western companies routinely abandon confidential, sensitive, and personally identifying information to private companies in foreign countries when they upgrade their servers, workstations, and networking gear for new hardware, a source tells Business Insider.
The unprotected data is a goldmine for hackers.
The source, based in Romania, approached us after reading our December 22 article on whether hackers had the ability to take entire countries offline. The source runs an IT hardware refurbishment company that buys up old equipment from countries such as Spain, the Benelux area, and the UK, and sells it to customers who don't need top-spec equipment. Typically he is buying truckloads of old servers, "stuff that is past its prime or out of warranty, but it is still perfectly usable. The procedure is simple: hardware comes in, gets evaluated, fixed, wiped, sold," the source says.
The problem, our source says, is that even when the incoming hardware has been marked as being already wiped clean it often is not.
*A "mostly complete" directory of "passwords for a major European aerospace manufacturer"*
"Over the last 3 years I have found a lot of crazy things," the source says, including:
· A mostly complete database of the Dutch public health insurance system, with social security data, billing, addresses, medical histories. "Imagine the social engineering scams you could do with this data," the source says.
· Codes, software and procedures for the traffic lights and railway signalling "for a few major Spanish cities.""Imagine the potentially deadly effects of this getting where it shouldn’t," he adds.
· Customer credit card data including addresses and shopping habits for a major UK supermarket chain.
· And, alarmingly, "a mostly complete (and as far as I could tell, still up to date and functional) employee directory with access codes / badges / smartcards / passwords for a major European aerospace manufacturer."
Our source asked for anonymity because his company and its clients would be angered if their identities appeared in an article about lax security.
But two independent sources with industrial cybersecurity expertise — Nir Giller, the CTO of CyberX and Darktrace Director of Technology Andrew Tonschev — both confirmed to Business Insider that the Romanian source's scenario was both common and plausible.
*"Right now, I’m looking at the sensor listing, their IP’s and access data"*
"Even now, I am processing the remains of a server farm that until a month or so ago, was part of a power company in France," our source says. The buyer noted the ability of hackers to burn down factories simply by accessing unprotected systems which control things like temperature sensors that prevent equipment from burning out. "Guess what, data [from the French company] is still there," the source claims. "Right now, I’m looking at the sensor listing, their IP’s and access data. Obviously, I’m sanitizing everything before passing it on, but it never should have gotten into my hands in the first place."
The source says that sometimes the data he finds is so critical that he contacts the originating company to alert them to that they have a problem with security. "In most cases the reaction was one of disbelief, 'no, it cannot happen to us, we’re well protected!'"
*As more companies lease server space, fewer of them know what happens when those leases end*
The problem exists because of the way server space is discarded by large corporations. Few companies want the bother of maintaining their own server farms. So they lease space from specialists. At the end of a lease, companies can walk away from their contracts — leaving the servers with the vendor, which is supposed to carefully destroy the data. Alternatively, when older servers reach the end of their warranty they are replaced in "forklift" upgrades, en masse. In both cases, the disused servers are supposed to be wiped by certified experts using special software and approved processes. In reality, it's quicker to skip steps, or not do it properly, or let mistakes go. The result is that the original data is often accessible even when an old server has been certified clean.
"The West is failing at an institutional level to keep their critical data safe," the source says "No need for CSI-worthy hacking stories, just a credit card to buy up your used hardware – odds are the data will be still there, even if someone marked them as already wiped."
· Read more:
· Someone is trying to take entire countries offline and cybersecurity experts say 'it's a matter of time because it's really easy'
· The internet's worst-case scenario finally happened in real life: An entire country was taken offline, and no one knows why
· Putin might already have your Wi-Fi password
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: How Singapore solved garbage disposal Reported by Business Insider 5 hours ago.
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Inside Facebook's suicide algorithm: Here's how the company uses artificial intelligence to predict your mental state from your posts
· Facebook is scanning nearly every post on the platform in an attempt to assess suicide risk.· Facebook passes the information along to law enforcement for wellness checks.
· Privacy experts say Facebook's failure to get affirmative consent from users for the program presents privacy risks that could lead to exposure or worse.
In March 2017, Facebook launched an ambitious project to prevent suicide with artificial intelligence.
Following a string of suicides that were live-streamed on the platform, the effort to use an algorithm to detect signs of potential self-harm sought to proactively address a serious problem.
But over a year later, following a wave of privacy scandals that brought Facebook's data-use into question, the idea of Facebook creating and storing actionable mental health data without user-consent has numerous privacy experts worried about whether Facebook can be trusted to make and store inferences about the most intimate details of our minds.
*Facebook is creating new health information about users, but it isn't held to the same privacy standard as healthcare providers*
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The algorithm touches nearly every post on Facebook, rating each piece of content on a scale from zero to one, with one expressing the highest likelihood of "imminent harm," according to a Facebook representative.
That data creation process alone raises concern for Natasha Duarte, a policy analyst at the Center for Democracy and Technology.
"I think this should be considered sensitive health information," she said. "Anyone who is collecting this type of information or who is making these types of inferences about people should be considering it as sensitive health information and treating it really sensitively as such."
Data protection laws that govern health information in the US currently don't apply to the data that is created by Facebook's suicide prevention algorithm, according to Duarte. In the US, information about a person's health is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which mandates specific privacy protections, including encryption and sharing restrictions, when handling health records. But these rules only apply to organizations providing healthcare services such as hospitals and insurance companies.
Companies such as Facebook that are making inferences about a person's health from non-medical data sources are not subject to the same privacy requirements, and according to Facebook, they know as much and do not classify the information they make as sensitive health information.
Facebook hasn't been transparent about the privacy protocols surrounding the data around suicide that it creates. A Facebook representative told Business Insider that suicide risk scores that are too low to merit review or escalation are stored for 30 days before being deleted, but Facebook did not respond when asked how long and in what form data about higher suicide risk scores and subsequent interventions are stored.
Facebook would not elaborate on why data was being kept if no escalation was made.
*Could Facebook's next big data breach include your mental health data?*
The risks of storing such sensitive information is high without the proper protection and foresight, according to privacy experts.
The clearest risk is the information's susceptibility to a data breach.
"It’s not a question of if they get hacked, it’s a question of when," said Matthew Erickson of the consumer privacy group the Digital Privacy Alliance.
In September, Facebook revealed that a large-scale data breach had exposed the profiles of around 30 million people. For 400,000 of those, posts and photos were left open. Facebook would not comment on whether or not data from its suicide prevention algorithm had ever been the subject of a data breach.
Following the public airing of data from the hack of married dating site Ashley Madison, the risk of holding such sensitive information is clear, according to Erickson: "Will someone be able to Google your mental health information from Facebook the next time you go for a job interview?"
Dr. Dan Reidenberg, a nationally recognized suicide prevention expert who helped Facebook launch its suicide prevention program, acknowledged the risks of holding and creating such data, saying, "pick a company that hasn’t had a data breach anymore."
But Reidenberg said the danger lies more in stigma against mental health issues. Reidenberg argues that discrimination against mental illness is barred by the Americans with Disabilities Act, making the worst potential outcomes addressable in court.
*Who gets to see mental health information at Facebook*
Once a post is flagged for potential suicide risk, it's sent to Facebook's team of content moderators. Facebook would not go into specifics on the training content moderators receive around suicide but insist that they are trained to accurately screen posts for potential suicide risk.
In a Wall Street Journal review of Facebook's thousands of content moderators in 2017, they were described as mostly contract employees who experienced high turnover and little training on how to cope with disturbing content. Facebook says that the initial content moderation team receives training on "content that is potentially admissive to Suicide, self-mutilation & eating disorders" and "identification of potential credible/imminent suicide threat" that has been developed by suicide experts.
Facebook said that during this initial stage of review, names are not attached to the posts that are reviewed, but Duarte said that de-identification of social media posts can be difficult to achieve.
"It’s really hard effectively de-identify peoples' posts, there can be a lot of context in a message that people post on social media that reveals who there are even if their name isn't attached to it," he said.
If a post is flagged by an initial reviewer as containing information about a potential imminent risk, it is escalated to a team with more rapid response experience, according to Facebook, which said the specialized employees have backgrounds ranging from law enforcement to rape and suicide hotlines.
These more experienced employees have more access to information on the person whose post they're reviewing.
"I have encouraged Facebook to actually look at their profiles to look at a lot of different things around it to see if they can put it in context," Reidenberg said, insisting that adding context is one of the only ways to currently determine risk with accuracy at the moment. "The only way to get that is if we actually look at some of their history, and we look at some of their activities."
*Sometimes police get involved*
Once reviewed, two outreach actions can take place. Reviewers can either send the user suicide resource information or contact emergency responders.
"In the last year, we've helped first responders quickly reach around 3,500 people globally who needed help," wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post on the initiative.
Duarte says Facebook's surrender of user information to police represents the most critical privacy risk of the program.
"The biggest risk in my mind is a false positive that leads to unnecessary law enforcement contact," he said
Facebook has pointed out numerous successful interventions from its partnership with law enforcement, but in a recent report from The New York Times, one incident documented by police resulted in intervention with someone who said they weren't suicidal. The police took the person to a hospital for a mental health evaluation anyway. In another instance, police released personal information about person flagged for suicide risk by Facebook to The New York Times.
*Why Facebook's suicide algorithm is banned in the EU*
Facebook uses the suicide algorithm to scan posts in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic, but they don't scan posts in the European Union.
The prospect of using the algorithm in the EU was halted because of the area's special privacy protections under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which requires users give websites specific consent to collective sensitive information such as that pertaining to someone's mental health.
In the US, Facebook views its program as a matter of responsibility.
Reidenberg described the sacrifice of privacy as one that medical professionals routinely face.
"Health professionals make a critical professional decision if they're at risk and then they will initiate active rescue," Reidenberg said. "The technology companies, Facebook included, are no different than that they have to determine whether or not to activate law enforcement to save someone."
But Duarte said a critical difference exists between emergency professionals and tech companies.
"It's one of the big gaps that we have in privacy protections in the US, that sector by sector there's a lot of health information or pseudo health information that falls under the auspices of companies that aren't covered by HIPAA and there's also the issue information that is facially health information but is used to make inferences or health determinations that is currently not being treated with the sensitivity that we'd want for health information."
Privacy experts agreed that a better version of Facebook's program would require users to affirmatively opt-in, or at least provide a way for users to opt out of the program, but currently neither of those options are available.
Emily Cain, a Facebook policy communications representative, told INSIDER, "By using Facebook, you are opting into having your posts, comments, and videos (including FB Live) scanned for possible suicide risk."
*Experts agree that the suicide algorithm has potential for good*
Most experts in privacy and public health spoken to for this story agreed that Facebook's algorithm has the potential for good.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 800,000 people commit suicide every year, disproportionately affecting teens and vulnerable populations like LGBT and indigenous peoples.
Facebook said that in their calculation, the risk of invasion of privacy is worth it.
"When it comes to suicide prevention efforts, we strive to balance people's privacy and their safety," the company said in a statement. "While our efforts are not perfect, we have decided to err on the side of providing people who need help with resources as soon as possible. And we understand this is a sensitive issue so we have a number of privacy protections in place."
Kyle McGregor, Director of New York University School of Medicine's department of Pediatric Mental Health Ethics, agreed with the calculation, saying "suicidality in teens especially is a fixable problem and we as adults have every responsibility to make sure that kids can get over the hump of this prime developmental period and go onto live happy, healthy lives. If we have the possibility to prevent one or two more suicides accurately and effectively, that's worth it."
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the National Hopeline Network at 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433).
Have a tip? Email Benjamin Goggin at bgoggin@businessinsider.com or DM him on Twitter @BenjaminGoggin.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: How SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic plan on taking you to space Reported by Business Insider 1 hour ago.
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Oregon health insurance signups through federal website down
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Health insurance enrollment through a federal HealthCare.gov website has dropped for the first time in Oregon. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports about 148,000 Oregon residents signed up through the website to receive coverage this year. That is 8,000 fewer than the number enrolled last year. The administrator of Oregon’s Health Insurance Marketplace, […]
Reported by Seattle Times 3 hours ago.
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