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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

ApolloMed Upgrades Web Connection to Patients

Apollo Medical Holdings Inc. in Glendale has launched its latest version of its interactive software, Apollo Care Connect 4.0, which sent its stock up 24 percent following the announcement. ApolloMed is a population health management company that contracts with providers to improve patient health care while realizing cost savings. Its Care Connect platform allows patients’ health care providers to talk to each other, streamlines patient data from different facilities – such as hospitals and doctors’ offices – and sends reminders via text and email. In addition, it allows doctors and patients to input information and even does certain required reporting for the government or health plans on behalf of physicians. “The ability to individualize and manage a patient’s complex care plan in minutes, communicate in real time or to customize automated care, lab or behavioral alerts in a population are a few examples of how Apollo Care Connect differentiates itself from others,” said Dr. Diane Pham, Apollo Care Connect’s senior vice president of medical informatics. ApolloMed acquired the software from Wilmington, Del.-based Healarium Inc. in the beginning of 2016 and has been making improvements on the platform ever since. When ApolloMed purchased the technology, it had 30 digital care plan options and now has 70, said ApolloMed Chief Executive Dr. Warren Hosseinion. Data is extremely valuable to ApolloMed as it utilizes it on an individual basis to help each patient as well as on a collective level to assess trends and patterns to improve services. To do this, the company has built a command center at its 700 N. Brand Blvd. headquarters, which is able to extrapolate information from the more than 200,000 patients currently on the platform. One of the company’s largest clients on Care Connect is CareHere of Brentwood, Tenn. The health care services provider has approximately 55,000 patients in 23 states currently using the software, Hosseinion said. The cost of the platform is $10 per patient per year for most clients. “The next thing we are going to add is a telemedicine feature to put on our platform,” Hosseinion said. “We are strongly in telemedicine and really want to communicate directly with patients and families.” In December 2016, ApolloMed announced its pending merger with Alhambra-based management services organization Network Medical Management Inc. to expand the future company’s offerings, grow outside of California and uplist on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Amgen’s New Drug The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Amgen Inc.’s newest pharmaceutical to treat hyperparathyroidism associated with hemodialysis – the first marketable drug for this condition in 12 years. Parsabiv is for adult patients who have kidney disease, are on hemodialysis and have developed hyperparathyroidism. The condition can occur in response to declining kidney function, creating an excess of hormones which can lead to other health complications like bone thinning. “We are excited about today’s approval of Parsabiv in the U.S. and the opportunity to provide patients and health care providers with a novel option to help treat a complex disease that affects a significant number of patients on hemodialysis,” Dr. Sean Harper, Amgen’s vice president of research and development, said in a statement. “Parsabiv not only has demonstrated strong efficacy in clinical trials, it also fills an unmet need by putting the delivery of the therapy in the hands of the health care professional.” The Thousand Oaks biotech’s application for Parsabiv was originally denied by the FDA in August, but the company took the proper steps to resolve the issue. New Executives Antelope Valley Hospital has appointed Aya Smith as its new chief nursing officer and Paul Butler as its new chief information officer, effective immediately. Previously, Smith was house supervisor at the Lancaster hospital, and since December, has served as interim chief nursing officer. That same month, the hospital terminated its agreement with Alecto Healthcare Services, the Irvine management company that hired the hospital’s executive team. In light of that decision, current Chief Executive Michael Wall was brought on to lead the hospital in a new direction. “Aya continues to display the personal attributes and technical knowledge that make her promotion so natural,” Wall said in a statement. Butler, the new chief information officer, has more than 20 years of experience in health care and information technology and has worked with large health care companies such as Amgen Inc.; Health Net, which runs a significant portion of its operation in Woodland Hills; and Kaiser Permanente Inc. of Oakland. “Paul’s experience will be vital to helping AVH prepare for the future while serving the present needs of patients, employees and physicians,” Wall said in a statement. Staff Reporter Stephanie Henkel can be reached at (818) 316-3130 or [email protected].

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