June, 2023

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15-Year Employee Privacy Breach Discovered by Metro Health System

HIPAA Journal

Metro Health System in Cleveland, OH, has discovered an employee has accessed patient records without a valid work reason. The unauthorized access was discovered on April 27, 2023, and the subsequent investigation confirmed that patient records had been accessed without authorization at various times over the past 15 years. The earliest incident occurred in 2008.

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HCA Healthcare accused of pushing patients toward end-of-life care to boost performance metrics

Fierce Healthcare

A pair of new reports released this week allege that HCA Healthcare policies are encouraging staff to transition more patients to palliative and end-of-life care, thereby increasing churn and boost | Two reports, one based on dozens of employee interviews and the other on policies and discharge statistics, paint a picture of internal policies encouraging transfers to boost quality metrics and free up hospital beds.

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‘Below the Belt’ Exposes the Silent Crisis of Endometriosis Care

Bill of Health

By Timothy Bonis Premiering tonight on PBS , the film Below the Belt sheds light on endometriosis by documenting four women’s experiences with the disease. Endometriosis is a silent crisis. One in ten women have it, yet, on average, people with the condition see seven doctors before they get diagnosed. Many experience severe pain, and the disease costs the American economy $80 billion annually in lost productivity, but the standard treatments are outdated and ineffectual.

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Survey: 1 in 3 patients comfortable with AI-led primary care

Healthcare It News

Nearly one-third (32%) of people already say they would be comfortable with artificial intelligence leading a primary care appointment, according to a new survey from Outbreaks Near Me – although fewer (25%) would be comfortable with AI-led therapy Twelve percent of adults in the U.S. say their healthcare providers currently use AI to help diagnose, treat or communicate with patients, but 66% expect AI to play a bigger role in healthcare in the next five years, the survey found.

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Bridging Innovation & Patient Care: The Growing Role of AI

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Co-founder & CEO at Tattva.Health

AI is transforming clinical trials—accelerating drug discovery, optimizing patient recruitment, and improving data analysis. But its impact goes far beyond research. As AI-driven innovation reshapes the clinical trial process, it’s also influencing broader healthcare trends, from personalized medicine to patient outcomes. Join this new webinar featuring Simran Kaur for an insightful discussion on what all of this means for the future of healthcare!

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New survey sheds light on providers' embrace of telemedicine

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

Eighty percent of providers using telehealth in Virginia have seen improvements in their patients’ continuity of care, and 87% feel confident in the quality of care they’re able to offer patients via telehealth, according to a new survey conducted by the Virginia Telehealth Network of more than 10,500 active license healthcare professionals throughout the state.

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Nevada Consumer Health Data Bill Signed into Law

HIPAA Journal

The governor of Nevada recently signed a new consumer health data privacy bill into law that strengthens consumer health data privacy and gives Nevada residents new rights over their health data. Senate Bill (SB) 370 was modeled on Washington’s recently enacted “My Health, My Data (MHMD) bill, although is less comprehensive in scope. The new law applies to entities that conduct business in Nevada or produce or provide products or services that are targeted at consumers in Nevada and, either alo

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5 healthcare consumer trends to prepare for

Healthcare Dive

What consumers expect from their healthcare experiences is quickly evolving. View the latest consumerism trends and insights and how they’re influencing healthcare.

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May 2023 Healthcare Data Breach Report

HIPAA Journal

May 2023 was a particularly bad month for healthcare data breaches. 75 data breaches of 500 or more healthcare records were reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in May. May – along with October 2022 – was the second-worst-ever month for healthcare data breaches, only beaten by the 95 breaches that were reported in September 2020.

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Connected Medical Devices—the Next Target for Ransomware Attacks

Healthcare IT Today

The following is a guest article by Ryan Witt, Healthcare Cybersecurity Leader at Proofpoint The Internet of Medical Things, or IoMT, is a deep web of interconnected devices that increasingly plays a vital role in care delivery. Unfortunately, these devices have also significantly enhanced healthcare’s cyber risk, and security researchers have raised alarms about the vulnerabilities of these devices for more than a decade.

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European Skew in Genetic Research Databases Won’t Abate Without More Concerted Effort

Bill of Health

By Robert I. Field, Anthony W. Orlando and Arnold J. Rosoff The “pangenome” project that is mapping the genetic sequences of 47 diverse human beings from around the world is a much-needed step forward for science and humanity. The lack of racial diversity in genetic databases used in research has been noted for some time, and it has raised growing concerns about the development of clinical applications based on research results.

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HIPAA Compliance 2025: Navigating Regulatory Changes & Industry Trends

Based on comprehensive survey data from diverse healthcare providers, the 2025 HIPAA Benchmark Report delivers actionable intelligence for modern compliance programs. This report examines how organizations are restructuring HIPAA Privacy Programs to address emerging regulatory requirements. Through analysis of staffing models, program operations, and breach management protocols, it provides a clear picture of current best practices.

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Why telehealth is so critical for marginalized patient populations

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

A 2019 survey by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation’s Office of Health Policy found that the highest rates of telehealth visits happened among people with Medicaid (29.3%) and Medicare (27.4%), Black individuals (26.8%), and those earning less than $25,000 (26.7%). With so many of the nation's underserved patients using telehealth services, practitioners and medical organizations must work to understand what these patients need in order to improve the quality of care.

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UNC Health's CIO talks generative AI work with Epic and Microsoft

Healthcare It News

Brent Lamm is CIO at UNC Health, based in Morrisville, North Carolina. He has quite the seat for the artificial intelligence explosion in healthcare – he's sitting right in the middle of it. Lamm and peers at Stanford, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of California at San Diego are part of a pilot project by electronic health records giant Epic, testing Epic's large language model AI capabilities to enhance the provider experience.

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Americans’ use of healthcare wearables expanding rapidly, survey says

Healthcare Dive

U.S. consumers doubled their use of wearables between 2020 and 2021, with smartwatches outpacing other devices.

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Healthcare Providers, Beware! Why Bad Bots Are A Cybersecurity Threat 

Electronic Health Reporter

This article is copyrighted strictly for Electronic Health Reporter. Illegal copying is prohibited. By Rob Falbo, vice president of healthcare solutions, Imperva. In most industries, an IT service outage can lead to lost revenue. In the healthcare industry, disruption of network or application services impacts critical patient care. […] The article Healthcare Providers, Beware!

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Simplify Screening for Excluded Providers

Every health care provider that accepts federal payments must screen for excluded providers. Use this sample Exclusion Screening Checklist and Compliance Policy to evaluate and improve your organization’s compliance with the law. Payments from Medicare, Medicaid, and TriCare trigger screening requirements that may extend to employees, contractors, volunteers, board members, and network providers.

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Not covering emerging Alzheimer's drugs could cost Medicare billions: study

Fierce Healthcare

Emerging Alzheimer’s disease medications come with high price tags, but researchers with the University of Chicago calculate that in the long run, it’s much less costly to cover these therapies for | Emerging Alzheimer’s medications come with high price tags, but researchers with the University of Chicago calculate that in the long run, it’s much less costly to cover these therapies for Medicare beneficiaries.

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Equitable and Ethical Access to Care: The Case of Pre-Hospital Blood Administration

Bill of Health

By Stephen Wood The State of Massachusetts is currently reviewing a new protocol for the pre-hospital (i.e., ambulance) administration of blood products to patients with acute hemorrhagic shock. In the pre-hospital setting, hemorrhagic shock, which is characterized by rapid blood loss that results in potentially fatal oxygen depletion of the vital organs, is traditionally managed by the administration of intravenous fluids.

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How RPM can solve many patient and provider problems in rural areas

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

Rural communities across the U.S. are facing an increasing healthcare crisis due to shortages in healthcare providers and facilities, especially as the nursing shortage continues throughout the country. One way people in these rural areas still can receive access to high-quality healthcare in a convenient and cost-effective way is through telemedicine and remote patient monitoring options.

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Talkdesk talks about the benefits of being an early adopter of ChatGPT

Healthcare It News

Before COVID-19, healthcare worker burnout had reached crisis levels , research from the National Academies of Medicine shows. More than 330,000 U.S. healthcare professionals left the industry in 2021, with many remaining workers considering leaving, reported commercial intelligence company Definitive Healthcare. For healthcare organizations, burnout leads to decreased productivity, with increased recruitment and training costs.

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Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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Nonprofit hospitals have decreased charity care spending even as operating profits, cash pools grow

Healthcare Dive

The new study is the latest in a string of research suggesting nonprofit hospitals’ balance sheets benefit from the latitude they have regarding charity care spending.

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TEFCA Real Talk

Healthcare IT Today

As someone who has covered the health IT industry for 17 years, I’m always fascinated when I see something really grab the attention of the health IT community. That’s a hard thing to do when there are so many people pining for attention. Certainly AI us currently doing that in health IT, but in the world of interoperability TEFCA and QHINs are grabbing all of the attention.

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Pharma giant Bayer moves deeper into digital health with new business unit

Fierce Healthcare

Pharma giant Bayer is launching a precision health unit as it ramps up its investment in consumer-facing digital health tools. | Pharma giant Bayer is launching a precision health unit as it ramps up its investment in consumer-facing digital health tools.

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Highlights from Petrie-Flom Center Discussion on Neuroscience and Cannabis

Bill of Health

By Minsoo Kwon The legalization of cannabis has raised ethical, regulatory, and scientific questions. Panelists discussed these topics during a recent webinar hosted by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics. This article highlights key points made during the conversation. First, Stephanie Tabashneck, Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience at the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Petrie-Flom Center, began by

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The Evolution of Communication in Healthcare Settings

Healthcare communication has evolved from handwritten notes and paper charts to digital tools like EHRs, telemedicine, and AI-powered platforms. This blog explores how these advancements improve patient outcomes, streamline care delivery, and enhance provider collaboration. Learn about the role of mobile health (mHealth) apps, secure messaging, and social media in bridging communication gaps.

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Generation Z is in mental health crisis – telehealth can help

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

It's a challenging time to be a young person. Study after study has shown that stressors such as social media, bullying, loneliness and the pandemic are causing and exacerbating a wide array of mental health challenges among high school and college kids. And healthcare resources are not always readily available to help them. Among some recent stats: There are never-before-seen levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts among teens, according to a report from the CDC. 71% of college student

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How heightening patient engagement can reap financial rewards

Healthcare It News

Patient engagement is a hot topic among healthcare provider organization executives. Especially as people have begun approaching providers more as consumers than patients, it is critical that providers be able to engage with their patients as effectively as possible. Florian Otto is CEO and cofounder of Cedar, vendor of a financial engagement platform.

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Healthcare costs will grow 7% next year, PwC finds

Healthcare Dive

Providers are expected to seek rate increases from payers as they struggle with labor costs, while health plans will face pressure from increased pharmaceutical expenses.

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The State of Healthcare in America, State-By-State

Health Populi

If you live in Massachusetts, Hawaii, and New Hampshire, you win a kind of state lottery for public health and well-being, based on this year’s read of the 2023 Scorecard on State Health System Performance from The Commonwealth Fund. Here’s a picture of the annual study’s top-line findings, a roster of the fifty U.S. states ranked by a mash-up of health system indicators.

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3 Reasons to Retire Pagers from Healthcare Settings

Let's discuss the trusty pager—an old favorite that’s losing its shine in hospitals and clinics. While once a staple in hospitals and clinics, pagers now present significant limitations that hinder rather than facilitate communication among healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are constantly on the move, and they need communication tools that can keep up with their fast-paced lives.

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Medicare to broaden coverage of Alzheimer’s drugs after full FDA approval, but with some restrictions

Fierce Healthcare

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outlined plans Thursday to broadly cover a new class of Alzheimer’s drugs once the medications get full approval from the Food and Drug Administration | CMS outlined plans Thursday to broadly cover a new class of Alzheimer’s drugs once the medications get full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

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FDA Solicits Feedback on the Use of AI and Machine Learning in Drug Development

Bill of Health

By Matthew Chun The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in fulfilling its task of ensuring that drugs are safe and effective, has recently turned its attention to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in drug development. On May 10, FDA published a discussion paper on this topic and requested feedback “to enhance mutual learning and to establish a dialogue with FDA stakeholders” and to “help inform the regulatory landscape in this area.&

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AI, licensing and remote prescribing among key issues facing telepsychiatry

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's stance on prescribing via telehealth has been evolving, with hints toward an appetite for lasting flexibilities. This, among other policy shifts, has a direct impact on healthcare provider organizations and telemedicine companies delivering care virtually. On another front, telepsychiatry keeps gaining ground in the post-public health emergency landscape.

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Ease of use is a must-have for effective digital experiences

Healthcare It News

Patient engagement tools have to be, well, engaging, say Mona Baset, VP of digital services for Intermountain Health, and Kyruus Chief Revenue Officer Brandon Spring.

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15 Modern Use Cases for Enterprise Business Intelligence

Large enterprises face unique challenges in optimizing their Business Intelligence (BI) output due to the sheer scale and complexity of their operations. Unlike smaller organizations, where basic BI features and simple dashboards might suffice, enterprises must manage vast amounts of data from diverse sources. What are the top modern BI use cases for enterprise businesses to help you get a leg up on the competition?