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Category Archives: pressroom

TPG Implements Brand New Neuroscience Program into 120 Districts in Just 7 Months

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As both an investment and advisory firm, The Pincomb Group (TPG) plays a variety of roles in each of their portfolio companies. These roles range from attending a simple monthly board meeting with the leadership team to the full scale development and management of sales teams and product development teams.

In January of 2014 TPG launched – from scratch – the educational sales team for one of their portfolio companies, C8 Sciences.  Seven months later they successfully implemented the cutting edge cognitive cross-training program into over 120 districts in the US and Canada.

How did TPG take a new company and implement a brand new product into 120 new school districts in just 7 months? A combination of existing relationships, lazer focused sales and digital marketing strategy, and heavy reliance on data driven market intelligence allowed us to accomplish what most would consider impossible.

If you have a new product or innovative idea that needs implementation into the education or healthcare market let us know. We would be glad to help!  Click here to send us an email and learn more.

Activate Improves Executive Function & Learning in Elementary School Children

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ACTIVATE_LOGO_Education

Activate by C8 Sciences is a unique program designed to improve Executive Function (EF).

The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University recently issued a working paper on EF stating: “…we aren’t born with the skills that enable us to control impulses, make plans, and stay focused….These skills develop through practice and are strengthened by the experiences through which they are applied and honed….Providing the support that children need to build these skills…is one of society’s most important responsibilities.”

Fairfax Virginia Public Schools have made development of EF skills a primary, multi-year education goal of the system, both because of their importance for learning in school and for success in life after graduation. By improving EF skills such as attention and self-regulation in children with problems in these areas, Activate aims to help these children get more out of school and at the same time to improve the classroom learning environment for all children.

Developers at C8 Sciences were very pleased to see the Activate program implemented in over 100 schools this year, from Florida, to Virginia, New York, New Mexico, Texas, Alaska and Hawaii. Some implementations started in late Spring as warm ups for the Fall, and some were for small numbers of children with special education needs. There were, however, several larger implementations in general classrooms in schools covering the full socioeconomic spectrum, and one full implementation with special needs students. In all, the program saw highly significant improvements on “gold-standard” tests of EF. Data on standardized school-administered tests of math and reading were available from one of these four implementations, and these showed truly remarkable effects of Activate.

Download the Activate Test Results for School Year 2013 (PDF) to view the impact of Activate on learning and EF skills in elementary school children.

EDUCAUSE Start-Up Alley & Game Changers Business Competition

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EDUCAUSE 2014

Pincomb was recently named as one of the Judges at EDUCAUSE Start-Up Alley and Game Changers Business Competition which will take place on September 29- October 2nd in Orlando Florida.   EDUCAUSE is the leading international technology conference focused on higher education.  With over 300 sessions and more than 500 speakers-60+ webcasts and 18 exclusive online sessions provided virtually-the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference presents a robust, community-generated program that explores today’s toughest IT issues facing higher education and convenes some of the brightest minds in the community.

Recognizing the tremendous growth in the number of technology startups in the higher education community, Educause introduced Start-Up Alley in 2010. According to the research and data analytics firm, CB Insights, there appears to be a growing appetite for education investments by the venture capital community:  Education technology investments reached $1.25 billion in 2013 – topping $1 billion for the second year in a row. That trend continues in 2014 as 103 education technology venture and equity transactions were executed during the first quarter, totaling more than $559 million.

After a rigorous selection process, only 27 companies will be chosen to participate in the fourth annual Start-Up Alley this year. Companies that secure a space in Start-Up Alley will be eligible to vie for one of 12 slots in the second Educause Game Changers Business Competition, also taking place during the association’s annual conference. Introduced in 2012, the competition provides up-and-coming technology companies a spotlight session in front of an expert panel of venture capitalists, investors, and education technology leaders. Presenting companies will be judged on how they identified a higher education IT issue or challenge, and how well technology was applied to address this issue. Winners will receive a cash prize from Start-Up Alley sponsor  Higher One, as well as marketing resources from Educause. To learn more about EDUCAUSE Start-Up Alley and Game Changers Business Competition click here.

Need Capital or National Exposure for Your EdTech Company?

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SXSWedu

We are honored to announce that Myron Pincomb has been named to the Board of Directors for SXSWedu.  SXSWedu is a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals that includes SXSW Music, Film and Interactive; SXSW Eco and SXSW V2V. Internationally recognized as the convergence gathering for the creative arts, SXSWedu extends SXSW’s support for the art of engagement beyond musicians, filmmakers and new media innovators to include society’s true rock stars: educators!

The annual SXSWedu® Conference & Festival fosters innovation in learning by hosting a diverse and energetic community of stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds in education. The four-day event affords registrants open access to engaging sessions, interactive workshops, hands on learning experiences, cinematic portrayals, early stage startups and a host of networking opportunities. By providing a platform for collaboration, SXSWedu works to promote creativity and social change.

Driven by the mashup of education stakeholders at SXSWedu, LAUNCHedu® has become an exciting destination to preview what’s next and new in learning. The fourth annual LAUNCHedu startup competition will take place March 9-12, 2015 in Austin, Texas.

The LAUNCHedu Application is now open. Early-stage startups seeking feedback, investment, strategic partnerships and exposure are invited to apply online to have their company considered for the 2015 competition. The promising startups that are selected as finalists in the competition will present their early stage business concepts before a panel of industry experts, early adopters and educators, as well as a live audience at SXSWedu.  Applications for the 2015 session will be accepted until November 7, 2014.

To view the application and apply please click here.

Download the LAUNCHedu Info sheet to see the 2015 LAUNCHedu eligibility requirements and learn more about the competition.

Are You Facing a Face-To-Face Challenge?

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forcura logoWithout a doubt, one of the most talked about topics in the homecare and hospice has been the Face-To-Face encounter. After becoming a required document effective January 1, 2011 it has put a significant amount of pressure on organizations to attain these documents timely and correctly. Without any change in other documentation requirements (i.e. 485s and Orders) additional stress is being placed on the team members who are responsible for curating, delivering, and ultimately receiving these documents. As resources continue to be stretched, many agencies are looking for methods to improve processes around these tasks. Below are 5 actions you can take to improve your results today.

  1. Simplify the Document: Try not to over complicate the form and be sure the physician knows exactly what areas of the form they need to complete. Highlighting those areas with an asterisks (*) or bolding the text of the areas needing completion is an excellent way to draw attention. Ensure your form has a professional, clean look that includes your agency’s logo.
  2. Define Processes & Training: Taking time to detail out processes and documenting training are critical to identifying potential areas for improvement.
  3. Determine KRAs (Key Results Areas): KRAs measure the results which team members are held accountable for. Metrics will allow team members know how well they are performing and also are a great tool for upper management to measure the performance of the business.
  4. Gather Feedback: What are your team members saying? Why are your documents being rejected? What is the feedback you’re receiving from your doctors? This information can be extremely valuable to better understand what it takes to have these documents completed timely and accurately.
  5. Utilize Technology: Systems that offer automation of the processing of these documents are valuable tools. They often include reporting of KRAs, tracking of documents, and enable organizations to unify processes easily across multiple locations.

Despite no standard form for the Face-to-Face encounter or explicit guidelines as to how these should be completed from CMS, taking steps to improve your processes around these documents can have a drastic impact on your rejections and bottom line. What tools or processes do you have in place to help ensure timeliness and accuracy of your Face-to-Face encounters?

Strategic Partnership Provides Opportunity in Online Education

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CEUCEU Outlet was founded in 1999 and pioneered many of the first home study courses with a focus on both mental health and medical occupations.  Based in Olathe KS, CEU’s goal is to provide professionals the tools they need to be more effective in the workplace as well as help inspire, motivate, and create passion.  Each course has been reviewed for compliance either by the IBCCES and/or state licensing boards to ensure that they are both current and relevant.

In September 2013, The Pincomb Group invested in CEU Outlet to help drive growth and position the company to compete on a national scale. “Since September we have seen exponential growth in online traffic and conversions.  The visitor rate rose 85.1% in the month of October from a year earlier.”  Said, Lyndsey Herrman, the CEO.  “We partnered with The Pincomb Group for an Education Edge as they have proven success in that area.”  The strategic relationship also helped increase revenue in October by over 60% for an all-time record!

Through the partnership with TPG and subsequent growth, CEU Outlet has been able to add additional training material to their comprehensive catalog.  In November, CEU added 2 new courses to help medical professionals with the updated Fifth Edition, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  The “Competent Diagnosing DSM5,” is an easy to read guide that organizes information in the aid of accurate diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders.  Additionally, the “Family Diagnosing and Violence,” course provides the identification factors and behavioral patterns that increase risk of violence and helps identify treatment interventions to target or eliminate aggressive behaviors.

The continued interest of professionals earning CE credits from the convenience of their home has helped CEU become a leader in the growing e-learning indusrty.   According to the Global Industry Analysts, Inc. “the world e-learning industry is expected to exceed $107 billion by 2015.”    Online learning is now a mainstream avenue for professionals and corporations to conduct training because of its reduced operational costs, flexibility, and simplicity.   Also, according to WR Hambrecht, “e-learning has also been proven to increase knowledge retention by 25-60%.”   CEU Outlet is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of professionals in this growing market and has a solid history of providing access to these valuable educational resources.

Forcura: Reducing Your Document Turnaround Time

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Forcura

 

 

One of the biggest challenges faced by home health and hospice agencies is getting signed orders returned in a timely manner. Any delay results in a postponement of payment that can harm your organization. With average turnaround times ranging from 14 days to over 90 days a large amount unpaid care can be trapped in your current processes.

Here are a few ways to reduce document turnaround time and receive them back faster:

1. Improve Your Tracking Process
Review how your facility is keeping up with outstanding documents. Is it a completely manual procedure? Entering data into a spreadsheet takes time and accuracy is dependent solely on the employee handling this process. If the procedure is neglected, the turnaround time can extend and be much more difficult to review outstanding documentation. Investing in a program that automatically tracks what is faxed without any additional information having to be manually entered can greatly benefit an organization. Automatic systems, like Forcura, eliminate the possibility of human error while providing a comprehensive overview of documentation.

2. Package Your Documents Professionally
Whether your documents are clean and easy to read is another contributing factor to how timely the document is returned. Because of their busy schedules, physicians cannot and will not devote a large amount of time to documents that are hard to understand or read. The less complicated and more professionally presented document, the quicker it will be returned. Users of Forcura have reported quicker turnaround time in conjunction with the barcode that is placed on the top of the form. The barcode contributes to an overall professional appearance and shows the physician that the document is being tracked and expected back quickly.

3. Consider Your Delivery System
It is also important to consider how the documents are traveling to your sources. Is it by fax, mail, portal or hand delivery? Many sources have their preferred method of receiving orders, and it is important to abide by their preference within reason.  Find a system that can offer the sources options on how the document is sent. With Forcura, documents can be tracked and sent through our system and will arrive on the physician’s fax machine. When they fax back, it will be automatically routed into our system. A single-login portal is also available to physicians who are technologically forward thinkers and wish for all of their post-acute providers to be on one network.

You’ve completed the leg work by receiving the referral from the source, do not lose the source’s business by not being flexible in communication. At the same time don’t allow your business to suffer the costly delay of dropping the bill to the insurance companies when it can easily be avoided.

 

iLs in the News

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The patent-pending multi-sensory program was recently featured on Washington DC, Channel 5 FOX News.  iLs equipment uses sound therapy and combines psychoacoustics with visual and balance activities in order to help with conditions including: autism, hyper-sensitivities, language and auditory processing difficulties, as well as stress.

IBCCES Autism Certificate Is Meeting the Rising Needs in Health Care and Schools

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In today’s world of health, autism certificates are becoming a high demand.  Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a health care and education topic that is garnering a lot of attention these days, and for good reason. The IBCCES Autism Certificate is earned by professionals who work with this rising population.  The world is seeing a growing demand for autism professionals that are trained to care for those with Autism.  We now know from experts such as Stephen Shore, that the brain functions differently yet has the ability to excel.

Applicants can now submit their university autism classes or autism conference hours they have attended.  This is the most affordable option that will fit anyone’s budget.  Successful applicants are issued a credential number that is valid for two years. International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) has two levels of autism certification that each requires 14 professional development hours in autism.

–  Autism Certificate (AC) is a non-degree credential designed for paraprofessionals, classroom teachers and other support staff dedicated to understanding students with autism.
–  Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) requires a master’s degree and two years experience working with an individual with autism.

Autism Certificate Standards Include:
1. Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics
2. Continuing Education/Professional Development
3. Renewal Process for Re-Certification

“For us, these programs are opportunities to not only help the autism professionals career success, but to help them meet the needs of school compliance as well as demonstrate areas of specialty to those eligible to bill Medicaid” stated Lyndsey Herrman, CEO of IBCCES.

 

The Board of Directors
Ed Steinberg, Ph.D., Former Colorado State Director of Special Education
Bruce Wexler, M.D., Yale School of Medicine
Kevin Custer, Board of Directors, Autism Society of America
Myron Pincomb, Board of Directors, Florida Task Force Education 
Lyndsey Herrman, State Licensing and CE Compliance

 
About IBCCES (International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards):
IBCCES, is the largest independent credentialing and continuing education organizations with a focus in special needs and human services. The IBCCES is the accrediting body for the Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) and the Autism Certificate (AC) programs. Our certification programs recognize professionals in the field of Autism who have met predetermined standards in their training, experience and performance.  CAS and AC professionals live and work in the U.S. and more than 40 countries around the world.

Xcel Testing Solutions Partners with NAIFA

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Xcel Testing Solutions has partnered with the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) of Jacksonville  to provide online insurance pre-licensing education for its member agents and agencies. NAIFA is one of the nation’s oldest and largest associations representing the interests of insurance and financial professionals.  ” We are very excited about our partnership with NAIFA – Jacksonville, with our corporate offices located in Jacksonville it was important that we have a strong working relationship with the local insurance and financial professionals.” said Xcel President and CEO, Greg Sinner

Xcel Testing Solutions is a leading national provider of online insurance education.  Xcel Testing Solutions utilizes the latest in web design technology and mobile applications. The content and course design was created by industry leading experts in the field of e-learning and online education.  From the user interface to the HD video instruction, rich online content, interactive assessments, engaging multimedia content and customized learning paths, Xcel Testing Solutions delivers an online learning experience that is a first of its kind in the industry.

To register for a course on their revolutionary Preparing People to Pass Platform click here.