Practice Fusion
{{Short description|Electronic health record company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Practice Fusion, Inc.
| logo = Practice Fusion logo 2014.png
| type = Subsidiary
| industry=Healthcare Information Technology
| products=Electronic health records, Personal health record, Patient portals, Data analysis, Health care analytics
| foundation = 2005
| location_city = San Francisco, CA
| location_country = US
| key_people = Ryan Howard, Founder, Former CEO until 2015
Tom Langan, CEO
Alan Wong, Co-Founder
Jonathan Malek, Co-Founder & CTO
Matthew Douglass, Co-Founder{{cite web | title=Practice Fusion's Executive Team | url=http://practicefusion.com/pages/executive_team.html | access-date=2010-03-15 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306044408/http://practicefusion.com/pages/executive_team.html | archive-date=2010-03-06 | url-status=dead }}
| parent = Allscripts (2018–present)
| homepage = [http://www.practicefusion.com/ www.practicefusion.com/]
}}
Practice Fusion is a web-based electronic health record (EHR) company based in San Francisco, CA. The company was founded in 2005 by Ryan Howard and acquired by Allscripts in 2018.
In 2014, Practice Fusion was the largest cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) platform for doctors and patients,.{{Cite web|last=Glatter|first=Robert|date=29 June 2015|title=Why Practice Fusion Is The Dominant Player In Cloud-Based Electronic Health Records|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2015/06/29/why-practice-fusion-is-the-dominant-player-in-cloud-based-electronic-health-records/|access-date=2020-09-22|website=Forbes|language=en}} Practice Fusion is used by more than 112,000 monthly active healthcare professionals with over 100 million patient records under management. In 2014, Practice Fusion's EHR facilitated over 56 million patient visits (approximately 6% of all ambulatory visits in the US) and was the fastest growing EHR in the US.
In 2015, Howard left the company{{cite web |title=Behind the Practice Fusion CEO Switch |url=https://fortune.com/2015/08/19/behind-the-practice-fusion-ceo-switch/|website=Fortune |access-date=8 August 2015}} and Tom Langan became interim CEO.{{Cite web|date=2015-11-12|title=Practice Fusion Announces Appointment of Tom Langan as Permanent CEO|url=https://www.practicefusion.com/practice-fusion-announces-appointment-tom-langan-permanent-ceo/|access-date=2020-12-10|website=Practice Fusion|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Andersen|first=Ted|date=28 January 2020|title=S.F.-based Practice Fusion Inc. admits to opioid kickback scheme|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2020/01/28/s-f-based-practice-fusion-inc-admits-to-opioid.html|website=San Francisco Business Times}} Under Langan's leadership, the company contributed to the opioid epidemic in the United States by engaging in a kickback scheme to increase the volume of opioid prescriptions amidst its clients and their respective patients.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/28/opioid-kickback-software/ |title=A tech company gave doctors free software — rigged to encourage them to prescribe opioids, prosecutors say |first=Antonia Noori|last=Farzan|authorlink=Antonia Noori Farzan|date=2020-01-28 |newspaper=Washington Post}} The company has been charged a $145 million fine, the largest criminal fine in Vermont's history. In June 2018 the company transitioned over to a paid subscription based system.{{cite web|url=https://ehrintelligence.com/news/practice-fusion-no-longer-offering-free-ehr-system-software|title=Practice Fusion No Longer Offering Free EHR System Software|last=EHRIntelligence|date=23 February 2018|website=EHRIntelligence}} Practice Fusion is available to users in the USA only.
History
Practice Fusion is an electronic health record (EHR) company, founded in 2005 by Ryan Howard, Alan Wong, Jonathan Malek, and Matthew Douglass. The first version of the product was launched in 2007 and initially gained little traction in the tough economy.{{cite news |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle | title=Meet the Boss: Ryan Howard, CEO of Practice Fusion | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/29/BUCT1KJH5C.DTL | date= 2011-09-30 | author= Herel, Suzanne | access-date=2012-04-11}}
The company began to grow in 2009, when the EHR and customer support were made free of charge.{{cite news | work=Xconomy |title=Practice Fusion Bids for Dominance in the Doctor's Office with a Free, Ad-Supported Electronic Health Record System| url=http://www.xconomy.com/san-francisco/2011/11/10/practice-fusion-bids-for-dominance-in-the-doctors-office-with-a-free-ad-supported-electronic-health-record-system/3/ | date= 2011-11-10 | author= Roush, Wade | access-date=2012-04-11}} In May 2009, Band of Angels and Felicis Ventures became the first major investors in the company, followed by Salesforce.com in June, Morgenthaler Ventures in December 2010,{{cite news |publisher=The Wall Street Journal | title=Start-Ups Cash Cash as Funds Trickle Back| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303410404575151871554316884
| date= 2010-04-01 | author= Dougherty, Conor | author2= Tam, Pui-Wing | name-list-style= amp | access-date=2012-04-11}} and Founders Fund in April 2011. The company closed a $70 million Series D round of financing led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in September 2013, followed by a $15 million Series D extension in December 2013 led by Qualcomm Ventures, bringing total funding to date to $149 million.{{cite web|last=Empson|first=Rip|date=9 December 2013|title=Practice Fusion Adds Another $15M From Qualcomm To Help Fuel Growth, Acquisitions & Mobile Push|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/09/practice-fusion-adds-another-15m-from-qualcomm-to-help-fuel-growth-acquisitions-mobile-push/|website=TechCrunch}}
In June 2011, the product achieved Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Meaningful Use Certification. From 2011 to 2013, it was named the No. 1 EMR for customer satisfaction among primary care providers in addition to being named No. 1 for e-prescribing client satisfaction and helping doctors achieve Meaningful Use by Brown-Wilson's Black Book Rankings.{{cite web | title= Report: Practice Fusion Voted No. 1 Overall EHR in "Year of the EHR Switch" | url= http://www.practicefusion.com/pages/pr/brown-wilson-ranks-practice-fusion-top-in-ehr-replacement.html | access-date= 2013-11-06 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131022210217/https://www.practicefusion.com/pages/pr/brown-wilson-ranks-practice-fusion-top-in-ehr-replacement.html | archive-date= 2013-10-22 | url-status= dead }}{{cite web | title= 2012 Black Book Rankings Top EHR & EMR Vendors: E-Prescribing | url= http://www.blackbookrankings.com/healthcare/rankings-ambulatory-physician-emr.php | access-date= 2012-04-12 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120419161434/http://www.blackbookrankings.com/healthcare/rankings-ambulatory-physician-emr.php | archive-date= 2012-04-19 | url-status= dead }} In September 2013, KLAS Reports named it the No. 1 EHR system for value among ambulatory professionals.{{Cite web|date=2013-09-04|title=2013 Ambulatory EMR Performance (1-10 Physicians) The Quest for Value Amid Rising Expectations - KLAS Report|url=https://klasresearch.com/report/2013-ambulatory-emr-performance-1-10-physicians/859|access-date=2020-01-28|website=KLAS}}
In 2015, Howard left the company and Practice Fusion was starting to look for a buyer. In 2016, an IPO valued the company at up to $1.5 billion.{{Cite news |last=Farr |first=Christina |date=2018-01-23 |title=Employees at Practice Fusion expected IPO riches, but got nothing as execs pocketed millions |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/practice-fusion-workers-got-nothing-in-deal-as-execs-made-millions.html |access-date=2020-01-28 |language=en}}
In the fall of 2016, under Tom Langan's leadership, the company accepted remuneration from a "major" manufacturer of opioids, referred to as "Pharma Co. X" in exchange for clinical decision support, to prompt doctors to take certain clinical actions in order to increase prescriptions of extended-release opioids.{{Cite news |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vtd.31249/gov.uscourts.vtd.31249.1.0.pdf |title=UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs PRACTICE FUSION, INC., Defendant. |date=2020-01-27 |work=UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF VERMONT |publisher=courtlistener.com }}
Practice Fusion was sold to Allscripts for $100 million in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Sweeney |first=Evan |date=2018-01-25 |title=Allscripts offered to buy Practice Fusion for $250M. A DOJ investigation changed everything {{!}} Fierce Healthcare |url=https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/ehr/practice-fusion-allscripts-doj-investigation-ehr-certification-merger-acquisition |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.fiercehealthcare.com |language=en}}
In January 2020, the company (as a subsidiary of Allscripts) admitted in court to have accepted $1 million in kickbacks by "Pharma Co. X" in return for a deferred prosecution agreement. Practice Fusion was fined $145 million for the misconduct by the Department of Justice for the District of Vermont.{{Cite web|url=https://ehrintelligence.com/news/practice-fusion-fined-145m-for-opioid-prescribing-kickback-scheme|title=Practice Fusion Fined $145M for Opioid Prescribing Kickback Scheme|last=EHRIntelligence|date=2020-01-28|website=EHRIntelligence|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-22}} In the DOJ investigation, Langan and Loomis are identified as the primary operates in the scheme.
Services
The Software as a service startup has been providing physicians and medical professionals with advertising-supported electronic health records and medical practice management technology which included charting, scheduling, e-prescribing (eRx), medical billing,{{cite news |title=Medical site is on a mission to set records |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/03/16/BUG9OOM1FJ1.DTL&feed=rss.business |author=Colliver, Victoria |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2007-03-16 |access-date=2009-07-06}} laboratory and imaging center integrations,{{cite web | title=HISTalk News 3/22/2012 | url=http://www.histalkpractice.com/2012/03/22/news-32212/ }} referral letters, Meaningful Use certification, training, support and a personal health record for patients.
= Products (2013) =
- Practice Fusion: Web-based electronic health record (EHR) software for physicians and medical professionals. The EHR system includes medical charting, e-prescribing, clinical decision support advisories, online booking and scheduling, online referrals, and messaging. Its lab, imaging, and billing modules integrate with a network of third-party laboratories, medical imaging centers, and medical billing services.{{Cite web |title=Practice Fusion EHR - Smart, Easy-to-Use EHR System |url=https://veradigm.com/practice-fusion-ehr/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=veradigm.com}} All offerings are HIPAA-compliant.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}}
- Patient Fusion: Personal health record (PHR) system that gives patients access to their prescriptions, diagnoses and test results. Records update as physicians adds information to their patients’ charts. Consumers can search physicians by location and specialty, and request an appointment online.{{Cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/22/practice-fusion-continues-to-reach-beyond-digital-health-records-adds-free-expense-tracking-to-new-booking-engine/ |title=Practice Fusion Continues To Reach Beyond Digital Health Records, Adds Free Expense Tracking To New Booking Engine |date=2013-05-22 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US |access-date=2020-01-28}}
- Insight by Practice Fusion: An analytic product based on the Practice Fusion dataset of 81 million patient records. Real-time data provides perspective on clinical trends{{cite web | title = Practice Fusion pulls back the curtain on its electronic health data – for a fee | date=4 June 2013 | url=http://gigaom.com/2013/06/04/practice-fusion-pulls-back-the-curtain-on-its-electronic-health-data-for-a-fee/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20131203172516/http://gigaom.com/2013/06/04/practice-fusion-pulls-back-the-curtain-on-its-electronic-health-data-for-a-fee/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 3, 2013 }} and helps with population health management and clinical decision support.{{Cite web |last=Pennic |first=Fred |date=2014-05-21 |title=Practice Fusion Launches Insight, the Largest Real-Time Healthcare Database |url=https://hitconsultant.net/2014/05/21/practice-fusion-launches-insight-real-time-healthcare-database/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=hitconsultant.net |language=en-US}}