INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Apptls
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Gloria Kosman
President/General Manager
Health Solutions Sector, Apptls
Gloria Kosman is the president and general manager of Apptis’ Health Solutions Sector. With over 20 years of experience providing health care solutions to the federal government, she has extensive knowledge of the MHS, VA and HHS operations and IT programs. She is responsible for worldwide contracts that support the military’s direct and purchased care systems.
Q: Can you describe Apptis’ successful 20- year track record as a federal contractor?
A: Apptis began its long history of serving the federal government in 1983 as an 8(a) IT products and network support services provider. Through client retention and strategic growth, today Apptis is considered an industry leader in providing innovative enterprise-wide IT solutions for the civilian, DoD, and intelligence communities. In 2005, FCW ranked Apptis as a top 20 federal contractor.
Last year, Apptis re-organized into business verticals to better leverage domain-specific technical and management knowledge. The Health Solutions sector provides technology, consulting, and services tailored to meet the needs of MHS and other federal health sector enterprises including the VA and HHS.
Q: How do Apptis’ customized offerings address the complex demands on the federal health sector?
A: Apptis has embraced the president’s challenge to provide most Americans with an electronic health record within the next ten years, to reduce patient care errors, and improve patient safety reporting. These goals cannot be met through technology alone. They require a proactive and integrated approach that leverages market intelligence, business acumen, technology assessment and product acquisition expertise to provide full life-cycle health care business solutions.
To meet this challenge, Apptis Health Solutions developed a robust full-service health IT systems and management consulting practice. We have expanded our offerings to include areas essential in helping our federal clients adapt to today’s demanding environment, including: program and project management, health care business intelligence and consulting, health care business operations and health care information technology.
Q: 2005 was a banner year for Apptis in military health. Could you highlight a few initiatives that you have championed?
A: Over the last year Apptis successfully completed a proof of concept for the Military Health System Patient Safety Reporting program using our SafeCare Safety Information System [SIS], which enables the study of errors and near misses, and identification of systemic error causes.
We developed and installed a performance management solution called the MHS Performance Management Display Tool that enables the collection and interpretation of data to enhance clinical and financial decision- making.
We support administrative and health information reporting for TRICARE’s Designated Provider Program, comprised of six independent healthcare provider systems with 93,000 enrollees.
Apptis also manages clinical and financial projects for the MHS, including TRICARE Pacific’s beneficiary support services, Air Force’s third party collection programs, and is conducting an MHS enterprise resource planning system upgrade.
As the prime IT contractor for the MHS Hub and Rack Shared Computing Infrastructure contract, we provide a standard enterprise-wide technology platform to support MHS applications to over 75 facilities around the world. We also provide 24-7 operations and maintenance support.
Q: How are you positioned for the future?
A: Apptis is a Diamond Member of the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society [HIMSS]. As an industry leader, we intend to help focus attention on patient safety reporting and performance measurement, improved management and business intelligence as essential, synergistic components of successful integrated healthcare delivery. We are committed to sharing this approach and supporting best practices with current clients as well as other federal health care agencies.
To meet growing demand for our expertise, we have bolstered our clinical staff, adding to our workforce of over 350 professionals. Equally as important, we have assembled a team of select partners to enable us to meet specialized requirements or unexpected surges in demand.
Q: What makes Apptis unique?
A: Apptis Health Solutions offers a rare combination of technical knowledge and domain business intelligence. Together these qualities amplify results and drive success for each of our clients. For this reason, Apptis is uniquely positioned as the smart partner-of-choice for federal health sector organizations that want targeted outcomes that can transform performance. Apptis seeks opportunity, will accept the challenge, and is committed to deliver value that will earn clients for life. ♦