Under this program Lumetra will offer Priority Primary Care Providers (PPCPs) technical assistance with EHR adoption during the two year program across 8 counties surrounding the Bay Area. The geographic coverage area includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.

Beginning in 2011, participating healthcare providers will become eligible for meaningful use incentives from Medicare or Medi-Cal, ranging between $44,000 to $64,000 per provider. Lumetra offers services that help physician practices overcome the hurdles often met in selecting, implementing and using EHR systems.
In partnership with greater Bay Area Medical Societies and San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium, Lumetra will recruit and assist over 777 primary care providers who may be eligible for EHR technical assistance.

In making the announcement, the President of Lumetra Healthcare Solutions, John Weir, stated, “This opportunity to expand the use of our technical and clinical services within the primary care environment under the REC program, offers participating healthcare providers the ability to make use of proven tools and years of field experience as they enter the EHR arena. Technology offers tremendous potential to increase patient safety and vast improvements in communication between patients and their healthcare providers. We see the current environment as the perfect time to press forward with advancing healthcare technology use, based on alignment of adoption incentives and technology standards that can greatly change the practice of healthcare in the United States.”

The Lumetra LEC, led by S. Bre Jackson, has a unique national perspective and local expertise. It is committed to building connection and collaboration among the Bay Area region’s healthcare community, ensuring that individuals and organizations are connected to the right people, tools and resources to optimize success of Health IT and achievement of Meaningful Use of electronic health records.

Commenting on the project, Linda M. Sawyer, PhD, RN, Lumetra Healthcare Solutions’ CEO, said: “Congratulations to the team and our partners, B & F Consulting and Barbary Coast Consulting, for this significant win. Together, we will be assisting Laguna Honda Hospital as they prepare to move into their wonderful new state of the art facility that will provide the best care possible for their long-term care residents.”

She continued, “The Lumetra team will partner with Laguna Honda staff and the City Team in enhancing resident/patient-directed care by assessing their current care practices, comparing these to national best practices, and proposing a world class model of care and corresponding implementation plan. We will focus on three primary components: the model of care, process and operational practices, and organizational effectiveness. Laguna Honda wants to become a world-class example of how each resident/patient can achieve the highest quality of life, care, and independence in a community setting.”

Mivic Hirose, RN, MS, the Chief Executive Officer of Laguna Honda Hospital commented, “The Lumetra team takes us to a whole new level of excellence. Their model lets us apply a time-tested quality improvement program to our own 140-year tradition of service. In 2010 we will move 780 seniors and adults with disabilities into the most modern long-term care and rehabilitation center in the country. This is a critical moment for our organization, and Lumetra is helping us create a future of new possibilities.”

The City Controller’s Office, in partnership with Laguna Honda and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH), issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) earlier this year, seeking a contractor that could demonstrate experience in model of care and organizational effectiveness development in long-term and rehabilitative care settings. Lumetra Healthcare Solutions teamed with Barbary Coast Consulting and B & F Consulting in response to the RFP and was awarded the contract by the Office of the Controller for the City and County of San Francisco through a competitive procurement process earlier this year.

About Laguna Honda

Laguna Honda is an acute care skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation center. It is among the largest such facilities nationwide, representing one of the most extensive commitments to long-term care for a safety net population of any city or county in the country. It provides dementia and Alzheimer’s services, care for people with degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s, rehabilitation for the effects of stroke or traumatic brain injury, and the Bay Area’s only HIV/AIDS skilled nursing services.

About Lumetra Healthcare Solutions

Lumetra Healthcare Solutions solves healthcare business problems with an integrated clinical, analytical, and technological solution that reduces complexity and costs while improving patient outcomes. With over 25 years experience, the organization understands how to identify and solve problems at their root to implement lasting changes throughout the continuum of care.

About Barbary Coast Consulting

Barbary Coast Consulting is a full-service public affairs company based in San Francisco whose clients include for-profits, nonprofits, government agencies, educational institutions, utilities, and real estate interests.  Barbary Coast has expertise in communicating complex issues to stakeholders, decision-makers, elected officials, and members of the media. Past and current clients include the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the San Francisco Police Department, the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Nielsen Media Research, Sunset Scavenger Company, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

About B & F Consulting

Cathie Brady and Barbara Frank founded B&F Consulting, Inc. in 2004. Together they have over 60 years experience improving long-term care. Ms. Brady’s expertise is in organizational development and “high-performance leadership.” She has directed several senior service operations. Ms. Frank began her career with the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform where she facilitated national collaboration to develop and enact OBRA ’87. This landmark law put into federal statute the concept of “individualized care,” the regulatory underpinning for the growing “culture change” movement.

Clinical peer review is a critical review of an episode of care performed by a peer and/or group of peers. Lumetra’s contract calls upon the company to address these two objectives:

• To assess the accuracy and adequacy of clinical peer review conducted internally within a VHA Medical Center through an audit of randomly selected as well as high-risk cases
• To provide external expertise in order to conduct the primary clinical peer review of selected episodes of care, either upon request of a facility or for other special circumstances

Lumetra has an extensive and robust peer review network of physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals.

The VHA is the largest Federal provider of healthcare, with 152 medical centers and 732 associated outpatient clinics. The VHA’s clinical peer review program is a critical element of their quality management and demonstrates the agency’s continuing commitment to provide the highest possible healthcare quality to America’s veterans.

Queried as to how this major contract was won, Lumetra CEO Linda Sawyer, PhD, RN, stated: “Lumetra offered the VHA the best solution to meet the unique healthcare needs of our veteran population.”

Patricia Daniel, BSN, CPHQ, Lumetra Vice President added, “American veterans contend with a unique set of medical issues, when compared to other subsets of populations, such as Medicaid or Medicare recipients.”

“In addition,” she concluded, “because of our lengthy experience handling confidential medical records, we are able to meet the VHA’s confidentiality and security requirements. Moreover, the VHA’s use of electronic health records, resulting in online clinical record review, plays to our organization’s strengths.”

Lumetra is an independent consulting organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and integrity of healthcare. Lumetra is a leader in driving sustainable solutions for the business of healthcare, by integrating clinical, technology, and analytic expertise for our clients in the private and public sectors.

Lumetra offers competitive and generous reimbursement for case review. Through participation in Lumetra’s Peer Review Program, physicians are involved in the work of medical review: sharpening clinical skills through oversight of care by peers around the country and beyond. No liability or litigation is involved. According to Mousa Shamonki, MD, who practices obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA, “It is a pleasure to work with Lumetra. They make the process so, so easy for Physician Reviewers.”

Requirements for participation

• Active clinical practice (full-time or part-time)
• Hospital privileges
• Medical license
• Affiliation with an academic center
• Knowledge of Workers Compensation, disability insurance guidelines (optional)

Note: All reviews are time-sensitive, and – as such – require commitment to timeliness and timelines.

Contact Lumetra’s Associate Medical Director, Cynthia Hom, MD, at (415) 677-2171 or by e-mail at chom@lumetrasolutions.com for more information on joining Lumetra’s Medical Review Program.

Lumetra offers a competitive reimbursement for healthcare reviewers. By participating, physicians, dentists, and other healthcare professionals can stay involved by sharpening clinical skills through oversight of care by peers and healthcare organizations in California. On occasion, travel may be involved and require the commitment of several days to a project. For this reason, recently retired healthcare professionals are encouraged to apply. No liability or litigation is involved.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae to bmcdougall@lumetrasolutions.com, and write HEALTHCARE REVIEWER in the Subject line.

The contract runs for three years, and is valued at approximately $800,000.

“This is the kind of work we’ve been doing since we started out 24 years ago, reviewing clinical issues and problems brought to light by patient complaints,” says Chris Hottinger, Vice President of Business Development for Lumetra. “It’s nice to know we can benefit health care systems around the world with our expert clinical staff.”

The Health Authority—Abu Dhabi (HAAD) provides healthcare services to residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is also responsible for regulatory issues intended to ensure the healthcare provided at its 46 primary care centers and eight hospitals is of the highest quality.

The work Lumetra will do for HAAD includes performing independent clinical reviews of patient complaints with the goal of pointing out areas for system improvements. “This is an exciting project that enables Lumetra to help improve healthcare outside the boundaries of the U.S.,” says Lumetra CEO Jo Ellen Ross.

Lumetra is an independent consulting organization dedicated to improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and integrity of healthcare. Lumetra provides an array of professional services that include medical review, health information technology, quality evaluation and improvement, social marketing, communications, and data analysis to private and public entities. Nonprofit Lumetra works with healthcare providers to ensure that every person receives the right care, every time.