Over the past five years, the gluten-free industry has gained impressive momentum. An increasing number of people are striving to follow a gluten-free diet for better health, including weight loss. Let us try to figure out what gluten is and what it is eaten with. Gluten is a special type of plant protein that is also often called gluten. It is found as a natural component of some cereals in wheat, rye, barley. Gluten can also be artificially added to other foods – bread, ice cream, sauces such as ketchup as a natural thickener. It is safe for a healthy person, but it plays an important negative role in the existence of celiac disease in humans. Celiac disease is a congenital, genetically determined disease of…

“This year’s theme involves discussions around healthcare delivery model changes and the focused consumer experience,” said Jodie Braner, Summit Chair and Senior Consultant, Human Capital Benefits at Willis Towers Watson. “We will be asking questions such as “How are healthcare organizations thinking about practicing medicine? How are we using the data and tools to connect the dots between the clinician, consumer and payor? Is consumerism shifting the healthcare delivery? Are we at the tipping point of healthcare technology innovation with consumer empowerment? These and other issues are at the forefront of healthcare and will drive the Summit’s discussion.” Robert Hendricks, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer at McKesson Technology Solutions, said, “Healthcare reform has forever changed the way we do business and as it…

Written by Matt Gove Chief Consumer Officer at Piedmont Healthcare | December 10, 2015 Healthcare is the ultimate consumer business, yet hospitals don’t typically act with the consumer – the patient – in mind. In fact, very little of what they do aligns with what their customers actually want. That’s because healthcare systems today are primarily built around how doctors practice medicine. Patients, however, now expect…

According to venture capital firm Rock Health, “Funding of digital health companies in 2015 is closely mirroring 2014’s record-breaking year, with funding surpassing $2B through the first half.” At this year’s Health IT Leadership Summit in Atlanta, executives from a group of fast-growth, venture-backed health IT companies spoke about…

ATLANTA (Oct. 28, 2015) – Steve Posnack, Director, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), will join an impressive lineup of speakers at this year’s Health IT Leadership Summit Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel. Posnack is responsible for leading ONC’s HIT Certification Program, Standards and Interoperability Framework and advising the National Coordinator for Health IT on all matters related to health IT standards and technology. Prior to serving in this role, Posnack headed ONC’s Federal Policy Division within the Office of Policy and Planning from 2010 to 2014. In this capacity, Posnack led ONC’s regulatory affairs, legislative analysis, and several federal policy development and coordination activities. “We are thrilled to have Steve Posnack as a keynote speaker this year,”…

ATLANTA (Oct. 15, 2015) – In a consumer-driven healthcare market, providers must begin to think of themselves as retailers, offering mobile payment options and cost-effective services, says John Bardis, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of MedAssets and keynote speaker for this year’s Health IT Leadership Summit. With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, Bardis will share these insights and more at Atlanta’s leading healthcare IT conference that draws hundreds of professionals from across the healthcare continuum. This year’s Health IT Leadership Summit will be held Tuesday, November 3 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, 2450 Cobb Pkwy SE, Atlanta. “As the ‘nation’s health IT capital,’ the Summit draws the best and brightest minds to Atlanta, coming together in an effort to improve healthcare through differentiating…

Interview with John Bardis, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, MedAssets, Inc. ATLANTA (September 8, 2015) — Intro: John Bardis founded MedAssets in June 1999 and served as its chairman and chief executive officer since its inception in August 1999 until his retirement in February 2015. He also served as president of the company since its inception until December 2014. Today, as a consultant and trusted advisor, Bardis works closely with the company’s executive team and remains engaged in valued client relationships, and in communicating the company’s unique value proposition as a performance improvement company to healthcare organizations. What does MedAssets do? We are an Alpharetta-based healthcare performance improvement company focused on helping providers realize financial and operational gains so that they can sustainably serve the needs…

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Gwinnett Medical Center, Northside Hospital, and Grady Join Health IT Leadership Summit as Sponsors Atlanta (Sept. 6, 2016) – The Health IT Leadership Summit announced today that four major healthcare systems have signed on as sponsors: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), Gwinnett Medical Center, Northside Hospital, and Grady. The Health IT Leadership Summit will be held on Wed., Dec. 7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre, bringing together leaders from across the healthcare continuum to discuss how the industry can drive innovations that enable better healthcare delivery at lower costs to more people. The four leading health systems recognize that Atlanta is a major health IT capital and that technology plays a crucial role in today’s healthcare environment. “Participation in the Health…

ATLANTA (September 8, 2015) — What do Greenway, CardioMEMS and Pursuant have in common? They were all past winners of the Intel Innovation Award, Georgia’s premiere health information technology award recognizing companies that develop leading-edge technology and unique approaches to improving health and healthcare delivery processes. “The Intel Innovation Award recognizes large and small companies, universities, hospitals and physician practices that are using technology to innovate and improve patient care and outcomes,” said Turner Taliaferro Smith, Health IT Leadership Summit chairman. “There is a lot of talent in Atlanta and we’re looking to promote and recognize that.” After interviews and research, a designated committee makes their final decision based upon factors such as magnitude of the benefits, current and future impact, quality of care and…

By Turner Taliaferro Smith, III, Psy.D., Vice President, Business Development, TeleHealth Solutions The secret is out. Georgia has become a hotbed for health IT (HIT) companies, both veteran and startup. Georgia holds down the nation’s top spot with more than 225 HIT companies, nine of which have cumulative revenues of close to $5 billion. There are several reasons why. Metro Atlanta ranks in the top five U.S. markets for total bandwidth and fiber access and two of the country’s largest fiber routes – north/south and east/west – cross in metro Atlanta. The region’s powerful technology grid will sustain health IT business expansion for decades to come. Rapid job growth is another important factor. The growth in Georgia health IT is something for job seekers to…