February 13, 2017
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For more than a decade, Healthcare Informatics has honored those at the forefront of healthcare IT innovation with its Innovator Awards Program. As read in our January issue this year , the Healthcare Informatics Innovator Awards Program again recognized leadership teams from patient care organizations that have effectively deployed information technology in order to improve clinical, administrative, financial, or organizational performance. The Program also distinguishes vendor solution providers that have helped their clients shine in enhancing clinician workflow, exchanging data, or cutting down costs. Indeed, this year the Innovator Awards program included two tracks for innovation recognition—one for healthcare provider organizations and one for technology solution providers, allowing both sides of the health IT spectrum to submit their examples of transformation. All vendor submissions were given to a selection of Healthcare Informatics expert editorial board members for careful review. The list of all provider and vendor winners in this year’s program could be seen right here . Over the next few days, Healthcare Informatics will give readers the stories of the four vendor winners in the three above-mentioned categories. These technology solution providers are truly blazing the trail for innovation in the health IT vendor market, and we are proud to honor those whose combination of expertise and innovation are shaping the future of healthcare systems. The 2017 co-winner in the category of Clinician Workflow is Skywriter MD, a Westminster, Colo.-based company that offers a real-time virtual medical scribe service. President and CEO of Skywriter MD, Tracy Rue, spoke with Healthcare Informatics about how technology can lead to provider burn-out—and why virtual scribes can not only assist with improving care but also lowering patient costs. Tell me about Skywriter MD’s vision for clinician workflow in healthcare. Tracy Rue:  Skywriter MD was born to assist providers—not only to document encounters but also to do all the work that’s required to keep up with the demands of electronic health records (EHRs). It’s a solution that takes the “doc” out of documentation, so to speak. And in doing so, it increases efficiencies and access to care but also betters that provider’s lifestyle. Skywriter MD takes them away from having to be data entry clerks—and also takes the computer away from between them and their patients. To that end, our vision is to make the workflow more efficient. Having a virtual scribe allows providers to reduce the number of strokes and clicks required across the work day. Studies currently show that physicians are pounding on a keyboard 30 to 50 percent of their working time, depending on their specialty. Is that really the best use of their time? By providing a virtual medical scribe, we can save a physician at a minimum two to three minutes per encounter—which adds up to 60 to 90 minutes of workload per day. The provider then has that time to spend more time with patients as needed and to better their lifestyle by allowing them to go home by 6:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 p.m. each night. It allows physicians to increase access to care all while reducing their work demand—and it takes the computer out from between them and their patients. How do you see the competitive marketplace in the clinician workflow area? This is definitely a market that is growing rapidly. Everyone is looking for a solution to help deal with documentation, whether you are a physician in a private practice or a large health system. EHRs are great but they do add quite a few pain points to providers. Let’s face it: a physician really only has three choices about when to document an encounter. The first is during the patient visit. And no one likes that—not the patient, not the provider, and most healthcare organizations don’t like it either. So then physicians could document in between patient visits. But that, of course, decreases the efficiency of the practice. If the provider is spending five to ten minutes in between appointments, that provider is decreasing the access to care. The third option is doing documentation after hours. And this is when a lot of physicians do it. They document their entire day at 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. before they go home. Trying to remember everything that happened or inputting all the things from their notes in structured form—well, it’s something that wears on them over time. It not only interferes with their family life but it also starts to interfere with their love of practice as well. So what Skywriter does is make it easier for providers to document. It could be as simple as going through their inbox and pointing and clicking to create the necessary action items. And what we see is a huge return on investment but in terms of provider satisfaction—they can go home and see their family at a reasonable hour—but we also see that ROI in terms of time saved and increased patient satisfaction. To what do you attribute Skywriter MD’s success? Skywriter MD was conceived by physicians for physicians. Our goal is to transform patient care, provider lifestyle, and, of course, the financials. And our success comes from our physician focus. We want to help providers so they can, in turn, do the best job and really focus on the patient—not a computer screen. Pages

The 2017 Healthcare Informatics Innovator Awards: Innovation in Clinician Workflow Co-Winner: Skywriter MD

Contract Expected to Improve Physician Efficiency and Increase Revenue
WESTMINSTER, CO--(Marketwired - November 18, 2015) - Skywriter MD , which provides physicians with real-time, virtual Electronic Health Record (EHR) assistance, has been awarded a contract by Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group . As part of their engagement, Skywriter MD will improve provider efficiency by eliminating the EHR documentation burden, thereby improving patient throughput, increasing capacity for more patient visits per day, and delivering a measurable return on investment. Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group is expected to be live with its first three (3) providers by early-December. "We are ecstatic about the Skywriter MD service because it's a win-win for both our physicians and support staff. First, physicians will be able to focus their attention on the patient rather than the EMR, which will improve their job satisfaction; in addition, they will eliminate after-hours documentation, which has become the norm for many of our physicians. Second, they will be able to reclaim quality time with the patient. And third, physicians will benefit from improved patient satisfaction through more timely and focused care," said Kyle Nelson, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group. "I'm looking forward to more complete and consistent documentation across providers, with an accurate representation of the care we provide in the office setting. We also believe that we can add at least 2-3 visits per provider per day based on the time that Skywriter MD will save each physician, which will translate into significant revenue for our practice," he continued. Skywriter MD's unique and proprietary software provides on-screen and audio collaboration, assisting physicians in navigating the EHR and recording data during the patient encounter, which increases the accuracy and safety of documentation and prescriptions. Teams of centralized, virtual and truly real-time Skywriters provide assistance to multiple providers across the nation. A proprietary software platform provides secure access to any EHR – there is no need for expensive interfaces. Without the encumbrances of EHR documentation, physicians are able to focus on patient interaction and practice medicine at their own pace. "We are very pleased to have added a second major orthopedic group in Colorado to our customer base, and proud to be making such a difference in healthcare. Skywriter MD partners have realized great value in terms of improved documentation quality, simplified coding and billing, and happier patients," said Tracy Rue, President and Chief Executive Officer of Skywriter MD. "We are fundamentally improving the lives of physicians by helping them focus their time on patients rather than the computer, which is why they went into medicine in the first place. "
About Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group
Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group is the largest orthopedic practice in Southern Colorado and has been providing care to the Colorado Springs community and Pikes Peak region for more than 50 years. All orthopedic physicians are board-certified and fellowship trained in the orthopedic sub-specialties of sports medicine; spine; trauma; total joint replacement of the hip, knee, and shoulder; foot and ankle; hand and upper extremity; hip and knee; and pediatric surgery. Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group is committed to providing our patients with the highest level of clinical care and customer service. For more information, visit www.csog.net . About Skywriter MD
Skywriter MD provides real-time, virtual EHR assistance (Skywriters) to help physicians increase the amount of time they may spend with patients while decreasing their heavy documentation burden. Using Skywriter MD's unique and proprietary software that provides on-screen and audio collaboration, Skywriters navigate the EHR, enter discrete data into the EHR's progress notes and H&Ps, execute tasks and write orders as directed. Enhanced provider efficiency fosters greater patient throughput while improving the care experience. A revolutionary approach to scribe services removes their invasive and obstructive presence from the room, while delivering exceptional service and a strong return on investment, and improving the quality of documentation. For more information, visit www.skywritermd.com . Contact Information

Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group Selects Skywriter MD to Provide Virtual EMR Assistance for Providers

Expansion of Skywriter Services to Inpatient Setting on the Horizon
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO--(Marketwired - September 29, 2015) - Skywriter MD , which provides physicians with real-time, virtual EHR assistance, today announced the successful implementation of its solution at Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center (Panorama) in Golden, CO. Preliminary results indicate a significant decrease in the amount of time Panorama physicians spend documenting in the Electronic Health Record (EHR), which has increased their ability to focus on patients. As a result, providers are able to see more patients each day, patients are anecdotally reporting greater satisfaction with their care, and physicians are pleased to have eliminated post-shift documentation. "Panorama prides itself on its innovative approach to care, and we are extremely excited about introducing Skywriter MD's solution to our practice. The results generated to date are fantastic, and we foresee significant value as we roll out the service to other providers in our group, and to the inpatient setting," said Dr. Bharat Desai, Orthopedic Surgeon. "We pride ourselves as being on the cutting edge of technology, but we realize the challenges that EMRs have created as well. We have finally found a partner that is helping us preserve both our ability to practice personalized medicine, as well as to capture high quality and structured electronic data. "
"Skywriter MD has provided that missing link needed to integrate EHRs into the healthcare arena. EHRs work great for data management, but the actual entry of data significantly increases the physician workload, forcing them to spend more time typing notes than interacting with patients. Moreover, the computer interface in the exam room affects a physician's ability to connect with patients on a personal level," said Lance Goudzwaard, MSHA, FACMPE, Chief Operating Officer. "By improving the provider's workflow, Skywriter MD is helping us reallocate support staff to achieve greater efficiency. Additionally, the service has enabled us to execute time-sensitive tasks first, such as writing prescriptions, to eliminate bottlenecks and expedite patient movement through the clinic. Since all interactions are recorded, Skywriters can complete any unfinished documentation after the visit is over. In the meantime, the physician can move on to their next patient and select another available Skywriter to manage the next encounter. "
Skywriter MD's unique and proprietary software provides on-screen and audio collaboration, assisting physicians in navigating the EHR and recording data during the patient encounter, which increases the accuracy and safety of documentation and prescriptions. Teams of centralized, virtual and truly real-time Skywriters provide assistance to multiple providers across the nation. A proprietary software platform provides secure access to any EHR -- there is no need for expensive interfaces. Without the encumbrances of EHR documentation, physicians are able to focus on patient interaction and practice medicine at their own pace. "We're very excited about several key advantages that we have in the marketplace," said Michael Figueroa, MD, Chief Medical Information Technology Officer of Skywriter MD. "First, physicians are viewing the real-time data entry, which decreases errors and increases security. Second, and probably most importantly, we use audio recordings that allow the Skywriter to slow down or rewind a live session and ensure that they capture all data; in the traditional scribe model, the physician must repeat themselves and wait for the scribe to catch up, which erodes productivity. With Skywriter MD, the physician can move on to the next patient and select another available Skywriter from their team -- no waiting for the scribe to finish a note! And third, we provide a full-service subscription model, or an option that allows organizations to deliver a scribe service using in-house talent. "
Skywriter MD will be exhibiting at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2015 (@AmCollSurgeons ), October 5-7 in Chicago, IL, and the Medical Group Management Association Annual Conference ( @MGMA ), October 11-14 in Nashville, TN. Those planning to attend these conferences are encouraged to stop by the Skywriter MD booth (#1358 and #2506, respectively) to learn more. About Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center
Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center has been a trusted provider of orthopedic care in metro Denver for more than 70 years. As one of the largest orthopedic and spine surgeon groups in the United States, they specialize in joint replacement, spine, sports medicine, hand, foot and ankle and orthopedic trauma. For more information, visit www.panoramaortho.com . About Skywriter MD
Skywriter MD provides real-time, virtual EHR assistance (Skywriters) to help physicians increase the amount of time they may spend with patients while decreasing their heavy documentation burden. Using Skywriter MD's unique and proprietary software that provides on-screen and audio collaboration, Skywriters navigate the EHR, enter discrete data into the EHR's progress notes and H&Ps, execute tasks and write orders as directed. Enhanced provider efficiency fosters greater patient throughput while improving the care experience. A revolutionary approach to scribe services removes their invasive and obstructive presence from the room, while delivering exceptional service and a strong return on investment, and improving the quality of documentation. For more information, visit www.skywritermd.com . Contact Information

Skywriter MD Announces Successful Implementation at Panorama Orthopedic & Spine Center

Medical Scribes and Electronic Health Records
GENBAND ,      a leading developer of real time communications software solutions and 2015      CNBC Disruptor 50 , today announced that Skywriter      MD , which provides real-time, virtual scribe services, has      selected its Kandy™ communications platform to help physicians across the country improve      the patient care experience. Kandy, which launched in September 2014, is      powering Skywriter MD’s revolutionary technology by providing physicians      with real time, virtual Electronic Health Record ( EHR ) assistance      services with the ability to see and select an available Skywriter      (virtual scribe), on-screen and voice collaboration , client side voice      recording and replay, and rich messaging. Skywriter MD is a proprietary,      cloud-based software platform that provides access to EHRs without the      need for expensive, resource intensive interfaces. Through Skywriter MD’s intuitive onscreen multimedia collaboration      services, dedicated teams of centralized, virtual scribes assist      multiple physicians across the country with their EHR navigation and      documentation needs. These collaboration services are powered by Kandy’s      Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), which allow the Skywriters to      virtually be at the physician’s side, gathering information for review,      documenting the physician’s assessment and plan, enabling verbal      clarification, supporting question and answer, and the ability to      receive confirmation of completed activities. Physicians can securely      screen-share EHRs and speak with certified remote healthcare Skywriters      that enter patients’ medical information, including diagnostics and      prescriptions. “Giving physicians the ability to focus on patient care without having      to worry about required medical record documentation is a real      breakthrough in the healthcare industry,” said Tracy Rue, Founder and      Chief Executive Officer of Skywriter MD. “Kandy offers us a powerful,      real time communications solution that allows us to improve the quality      of EHR documentation in a non-invasive or obstructive manner, while      dramatically increasing the accuracy and safety of documentation and      prescriptions.”
“Skywriter MD is transforming the role of traditional medical scribes by      delivering real time virtual connectivity in a mode that best fits the      physician’s needs,” said Paul Pluschkell, Executive Vice President of      Strategy and Cloud Services for GENBAND and Kandy Founder. “Kandy      provides Skywriter MD the ability to securely embed flexible API-based      real time communications capabilities directly into their innovative      technology based on leading industry standards, while giving physicians      significantly more time for personalized patient interaction.”
Key Takeaways:
Skywriter MD has selected GENBAND’s Kandy communications platform to        provide real time communications capabilities for its innovative        virtual medical scribe technology. Kandy provides Skywriter MD the ability to offer physicians real time        access to virtual scribe services via on-screen and voice        collaboration, client side voice recording and replay, and rich        messaging. Kandy is GENBAND’s market-leading cloud communications platform that        allows anyone to embed contextual real time communications        capabilities directly into business applications in minutes. About Skywriter MD
Skywriter MD is a real-time, true, virtual medical scribe service      provider dedicated to helping physicians increase the amount of time      they may spend with patients while decreasing their heavy documentation      burden. Enhanced provider efficiency fosters greater patient throughput      while improving the care experience. A revolutionary approach to scribe      services removes their invasive and obstructive presence from the room,      while delivering exceptional service and a strong return on investment,      and improving the quality of documentation. For more information, visit www.skywritermd.com . About Kandy
GENBAND’s Kandy communications Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is a real      time software development platform built from GENBAND’s core      communications, presence, security and real time technologies. Kandy      enables service providers, enterprises, software vendors, systems      integrators, partners and developers to enrich their applications and      services with real time contextual communications, providing a more      engaging user experience. With Kandy, companies of all sizes and types      can quickly embed real time communications capabilities into their      existing applications and business processes. For more information visit kandy.io . About GENBAND
GENBAND, a 2015      CNBC Disruptor 50 , is a global leader in real      time communications software solutions for service providers,      enterprises, independent software vendors, systems integrators and      developers in over 80 countries. The company’s Network Modernization, Unified      Communications , Mobility and Embedded Communications solutions enable its customers to quickly capitalize on growing market      segments and introduce differentiating products, applications and      services. GENBAND’s market-leading solutions, which are deployable in      the network, on premise or through the cloud, help its customers connect      people to each other and address the growing demands of today’s      consumers and businesses for real time communications wherever they      happen to be. To learn more visit www.genband.com . GENBAND, the GENBAND logo and icon and Kandy are trademarks of GENBAND. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150916005167/en/
GENBAND

Skywriter MD Selects Kandys Real Time Communications Capabilities to Power Breakthrough Virtual Medical Scribe Service

Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group provides orthopedic care, specializing in various services within the healthcare sector. The group offers orthopedic services such as spine, foot & ankle, hand & upper extremity, sports medicine, total joint replacement, and treatment for work-related injuries. They also provide ancillary services including physical and occupational therapy, MRI, x-ray, ambulatory surgery, and orthotics and prosthetics. It was founded in 1994 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Colorado Springs Orthopedic Group

Skywriter MD. 's unique and proprietary software provides on-screen and audio collaboration , assisting physicians in navigating the Electronic Health Record and recording data during the patient encounter , which increases the accuracy and safety of documentation and prescriptions .

Santa Rosa Consulting

Sandlot Solutions

Mediware Information Systems

SciHealth

The digital health collection includes vendors developing software, platforms, sensor & robotic hardware, health data infrastructure, and tech-enabled services in healthcare. The list excludes pureplay pharma/biopharma, sequencing instruments, gene editing, and assistive tech.

Digital Health

SkyWriter MD provides virtual medical scribe services within the healthcare sector. The company offers a software as a service platform that manages electronic medical records (EMR), allowing healthcare providers to prioritize patient care. SkyWriter MD's services aim to improve medical documentation and healthcare productivity. SkyWriter MD was formerly known as Accredited Members Acquisition Corp. It was founded in 2014 and is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Date	Round	Amount	Investors	Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model.	Revenue	Sources
3/16/2022	Unattributed - IV	$1.05M	Undisclosed Investors	$XXM	0 FY undefined	2
10/5/2015	Unattributed - III	$XXM	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	10
8/28/2015	Unattributed - II	$XXM	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	10
3/18/2015	Unattributed	$XXM	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	10

Date	3/16/2022	10/5/2015	8/28/2015	3/18/2015
Round	Unattributed - IV	Unattributed - III	Unattributed - II	Unattributed
Amount	$1.05M	$XXM	$XXM	$XXM
Investors	Undisclosed Investors	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Valuation	$XXM	$XXM	$XXM	$XXM
Revenue	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined
Sources	2	10	10	10

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SkyWriter MD

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