Business Briefs: BlackTree Healthcare Enters Partnership with Online Educator

BlackTree Healthcare Partners with Relias Learning

A strategic partnership has been formed between BlackTree Healthcare Consulting and Relias Learning, which provides online training solutions for the health care market. The partnership will combine BlackTree’s knowledge in operational and clinical consulting solutions with Relias’ education platform to train and educate those in the post-acute health care industry, according to a press release.

“Being a Relias customer ourselves, we understand their value by offering customized training programs, and an education management platform that offers real-time reporting metrics,” Nick Seabrook, managing director at BlackTree, said in the press release. “These capabilities have enabled us to better manage our internal education efforts, and further support the development of our employees. We believe this will continue to have a significant impact at BlackTree.”

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The partnership will provide clients of BlackTree with discounts to access Relias’ online learning management software and classes they offer.

“As we continue to develop our products and services across the continuum of care, we’re excited to enter into this strategic partnership,” Mark Belles, COO of Relias Learning, said. “BlackTree’s consulting solutions complement our existing content and provide our post-acute care clients with a unique level of service.”

BrightStar Care Location Earns Dementia Certification 

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Provider of in-home care BrightStar Care Centerville/South Dayton, located in Ohio, recently received its certification in BrightStar Care Connections, which is a program focused on individualized dementia care.

“With the epidemic growth in Alzheimer’s and dementia, especially among our senior population, providing caregivers without disease-specific training to patients that need someone knowledgeable in this area was not acceptable, which is why we obtained certification in dementia care,” Patrick Luers, owner of BrightStar Care Centerville/South Dayton, said in a press release. “BrightStar provides a higher standard of care; it is our mission. Our caregivers must know how to provide specialized care for our clients.”

The program is the only dementia care program of its kind that provides dementia-specific care management and individualized consultation led by a registered nurse with special training in dementia.

Suncoast Hospice Forms Strategic Alliance With Tidewell

Suncoast Hospice, along with its parent organization Empath Health, and Tidewell Hospice and its parent organization, Stratum Health System, have partnered to form Pontus Health, Inc. Together, the new alliance will serve more than 16,000 patients  per year in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Pinellas and DeSoto counties in Florida.

“Tidewell Hospice is very excited to take a leadership role in transforming end-of-life care,” Tidewell President and CEO Gerry Redford said in a press release. “For more than 35 years, we have been at the forefront of providing hospice care. Now, as a founding member of this strategic alliance, we are positioned to address and advance the changes happening throughout the health care industry.”

Day-to-day operations of both Suncoast and Tidewell won’t be changed because of the partnership.

“Suncoast Hospice is thrilled to be working with Tidewell Hospice in the creation of this new strategic alliance,” Rafael Sciullo, president and CEO of Empath Health, said in the press release. “Bringing together two like-minded, community-focused organizations with similar values – and two of the oldest nonprofit hospices in the nation – to better serve patients and families is very exciting.”

Home Health Care Provider Implements Telehealth Platform

The home care segment of the largest health care provider in New York State, Northwell Health Home Care Network, has signed an agreement with Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) to provide a telehealth platform to patients that includes bluetooth-enabled tablets. These tablets can transmit the patients’ vital signs to their clinicians. The platform also has videoconferencing capabilities, according to a press release.

Northwell is among the first providers in the state to provide bluetooth-enabled telemonitoring capabilities.

“Telemonitoring is a wonderful tool to help reduce re-hospitalizations,” Diane Asquino, registered nurse at Northwell, said in the press release. “It engages the patient in managing their health by helping them to identify symptoms early. If they think something is wrong, they can notify their physicians immediately to reduce hospitalizations.”

Other capabilities included in the HRS system are digital weight monitors and a live-listening stethoscope that can assess patients’ heart and lung functions.

Reflexion Health to Offer In-Home Virtual Exercise Program

Digital health care company Reflexion Health, headquartered in San Diego, has entered into a partnership with Yale New Haven Hospital’s (YNHH) Center for Musculoskeletal Care (CMC). The partnership will allow Reflexion to provide in-home virtual exercise rehabilitation programs to patients in New England starting this month.

“By partnering with one of the most respected and technically advanced health care systems in New England, we are excited to help a growing population of patients who are planning for and recovering from joint replacement surgery,” Dr. Joseph Smith, president and CEO of Reflexion Health, said in a press release. “VERA’s ability to transform and personalize rehabilitation while increasing patient engagement and satisfaction is a great complement to traditional physical therapy.”

The main goal of the program is to help YNHH patients recover more easily and quickly from joint replacement surgery through a FDA-cleared Virtual Exercise Rehabilitation Assistant called VERA.

New Strategic Advisor Appointed to PreparedHealth

Chicago-based health care technology firm PreparedHealth has appointed Alan Weinstein as a strategic advisor to the company’s board. Weinstein is the founder of health care improvement company Premier Inc.

“We’re thrilled to have Alan join our team and guide our Board based on his decades of experience building and operating one of the largest and most successful hospital alliances in the U.S. Alan’s experience building win-win business models will help us accelerate the growth of PreparedHealth,” Ashish V. Shah, CEO of PreparedHealth, said in a press release.

Weinstein had a 35-year career in the health care sector at his company Premier, but since his retirement from the company he has spent time in advisor and board member roles throughout the industry.

“I’m honored to be working with PreparedHealth. They have a respectful and very entrepreneurial culture, are motivated to making a meaningful difference for patients and their families and have a significant amount of industry experience building innovative companies,” Weinstein said in the press release. “All of these traits coupled with a hard work ethic is an excellent predictor of success when you are looking at a new company. I believe they are on the leading edge of health care. Post-acute care is where a significant amount of health care industry innovation is going to take place, and their technology is paving new ground for payers, providers, patients, and families.”

Written by Alana Stramowski

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