NextGen UGM 2019: Reliving the Magic

UGM 2019 captured the imagination and inspired at America’s top vacation destination in November. 

NextGen Healthcare hosted nearly 3,000 clients, industry leaders and software experts for three days at their User Group Meeting in Orlando to demonstrate how its software helps healthcare providers create healthier outcomes and communities. This year’s event dazzled with an opening general session the combined humor, optimism and excitement to reinforce the company’s mission of empowering the transformation of ambulatory care. 

In his keynote address, NexGen Healthcare’s President and CEO Rusty Frantz painted the future of healthcare as an “inter-connected ecosystem held together by practitioners and providers dedicated to providing a 360-degree approach to patient care.” The opening session highlighted the industry’s evolution—from treating patients’ individual conditions in isolation to treating the entire patient. 

In a compelling look at the opioid crisis in America translated through acting, an opioid-addicted father and husband shared how he became addicted after being prescribed painkillers after a fall from scaffolding at work. His doctor, wife and employer also gave their moving perspectives as they watched the addict change and his health decline. NextGen Healthcare speakers, Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Robert Murry, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Betty Rabinowitz and Senior Solutions Director Muhammed Chebli demonstrated how NextGen’s fully-integrated platform works together in treating the whole patient for life-changing outcomes. Using the platform, the construction worker’s primary care physician was able to view his entire record, including visits with and prescriptions written by other doctors. This 360-view enabled the doctor to address his concerns with the patient, refer him into behavioral health therapy that same day, and prevent a potentially disastrous outcome.  

Following that stage presentation, The Three Doctors told their inspirational story of meeting as teenage boys growing up in an impoverished New Jersey neighborhood and locking arms in a pact to overcome the odds to graduate high school, then graduate college and ultimately become doctors. Dr. Sampson Davis, Dr. Rameck Hunt and Dr. George Jenkins each shared his individual experience and struggles and explained how their pledge to each other shaped their lives and helped them grow as men and friends. 

“No matter what you’re going through, the possibilities are still endless. You can do whatever it is you put your mind to as long as you have hope and faith,” Dr. Hunt said. 

After the opening general session, attendees dispersed to a wide assortment of role-based breakout sessions, user group meetings and live interviews. Enthusiasm about the transformation of ambulatory care filled the conference halls of the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel. Crowds packed the Expo Hall for impromptu demonstrations of new and existing products and the Learning Lab for one-on-one sessions with experts.

In the afternoon of day one, NextGen Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Betty Rabinowitz hosted the Executive Healthcare Summit for C-level executives where hot topics such as Payor: Friend or Foe, Is Cybersecurity Keeping You Up at Night? and Government and Industry Regulatory Update: What You Need to Know to Stay Compliant and How it Affects Your Practice were discussed by expert panels. In closing, Retired NFL football player and Coach Bill Curry inspired the audience to overcome obstacles with his presentation, “The Pain and Power of Discipline and Regret.” 

Attendees chose from nearly 200 breakout sessions, many of which offered CME/CNE credit. This year, attendees chose learning tracks based on their professional interests and needs. The tracks included: practice owners/executives, providers and clinical staff, practice and office managers, and technical professionals.

For the Client Event, UGM attendees enjoyed exclusive use of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It was highly touted as the best conference client event ever.  

Staying in step with an evolving healthcare market

The theme of the conference, Transforming Healthcare Together, was reflected in every session and every conversation. Because we have this shared mission, the respect, collaboration and caring among attendees was palpable.

“High quality healthcare means putting the right actions in front of the right people at the right time for patients as well as providers. Creating a great experience drives patient engagement, and when patients are engaged, they’re healthier,” Frantz said. “Identifying patients with the greatest needs and proactively allocating workforce to them is more efficient and effective to the complete care model. Integrated solutions drive outcomes in many different dimensions, locally and nationally. NextGen Healthcare is committed to be a leading innovator in solving some of the largest epidemics facing our country—the opioid epidemic—using these developments in technology.”

“You can expect more innovations from us, continuing to work to bring great solutions to the challenges and opportunities you have in front of you,” Frantz shared. “We’re really helping you to focus on your patients while we focus on you, our clients.”

On closing day, NextGen Healthcare announced an agreement to acquire Medfusion, a leading patient experience platform provider, to ensure our clients are prepared to meet the following market trends:

1. As patients assume increased financial responsibility for their healthcare, they are more actively involved in making choices based on both cost and quality
2. High quality healthcare depends on improved access to care and information
3. Patient experience drives patient engagement which is key to improving health outcomes

 UGM 2020 Announced

Amid all the buzz, the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, another client favorite, was announced as the location for the UGM 2020.The conference will be held from November 8-11, 2020. We hope you’ll join us and take part in the transformation of ambulatory care.