Sat.Jun 24, 2023 - Fri.Jun 30, 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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What is HIPAA Enforcement Discretion?

HIPAA Journal

HIPAA enforcement discretion occurs when the Secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS) announces the Department will exercise discretion in the enforcement of HIPAA Rules. The discretion can be temporary or permanent, region-specific or nationwide, or apply to some Rules but not others. Recent examples of when HIPAA enforcement discretion has been announced include: 2023 – Typhoon Mawar in Guam 2022 – Hurricane Ian in Florida and South Carolina 2022 – Kentucky Flooding Public Emergency 2021

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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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HFMA 2023: The Importance of Digitizing Requests

MRO Compliance

HFMA 2023: The Importance of Digitizing Requests The HFMA 2023 Annual Conference wrapped up earlier this week at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN. Our team attended insightful presentations and had meaningful one-on-one conversations with attendees, all centered around cost-effective health. A common theme among health systems in attendance was their continued struggle with razor-thin margins, increased regulatory requirements, and scalability, all while patient volumes increase in this pos

Hospitals 130
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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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DOJ charges dozens in multiple states for $2.5 billion healthcare fraud

Healthcare Dive

The multi-state bust that targeted 78 individuals represents “one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes ever prosecuted by the Justice Department,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

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More Trending

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Community Health Systems sued again over data breach affecting 1 million patients

Becker's Health IT

Lawsuit filed against Community Health Systems for data breach affecting 1 million patients. Plaintiff claims reckless disregard for data security and seeks damages and injunctive relief.

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Mobile voice recognition tech can help to safeguard mental health services

Digital Health News

Community mental health staff spend hours updating notes, often at the end of long shifts. Transforming information capture could reduce staff burnout and improve patient outcomes, writes Epro's Kat Hancock.

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Critical RCE Vulnerability Identified in Medtronic Paceart Optima System

HIPAA Journal

A critical vulnerability has been identified in the Medtronic Paceart Optima System, which is used to compile and manage patients’ cardiac data. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2023-31222 and is due to the deserialization of untrusted data. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 out of 10. The vulnerability affects all versions of Paceart Optima up to and including version 1.11 and can be exploited remotely by an unauthorized user by sending specially crafted message

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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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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?

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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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Health IT leaders can do better boosting access for underserved populations

Healthcare It News

Most in the healthcare industry would say provider organizations have an obligation to offer better care to underserved populations. The question is how. Dr. Graham Gardner is a cardiologist and CEO and cofounder of Kyruus, a patient scheduling and payments technology and services vendor. He has had a long career on the healthcare provider and healthcare information technology sides of the industry.

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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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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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From Diagnosis to Delivery: How AI is Revolutionizing the Patient Experience

Speaker: Simran Kaur, Founder & CEO at Tattva Health Inc.

The healthcare landscape is being revolutionized by AI and cutting-edge digital technologies, reshaping how patients receive care and interact with providers. In this webinar led by Simran Kaur, we will explore how AI-driven solutions are enhancing patient communication, improving care quality, and empowering preventive and predictive medicine. You'll also learn how AI is streamlining healthcare processes, helping providers offer more efficient, personalized care and enabling faster, data-driven

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SCOTUS affirmative action ruling sets back physician diversity efforts, healthcare groups say

Healthcare Dive

Industry groups and the HHS argued the ruling against race-conscious admissions policies could roll back gains in the number of minority physicians and ultimately hurt health outcomes.

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Walmart seeks to make HIV care accessible at retail locations

Healthcare It News

Walmart opened 70 new HIV-focused specialty pharmacies in Colorado, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Florida in June and plans to expand the service's focus in 2024 to include autoimmune conditions. WHY IT MATTERS Walmart announced Tuesday it has added its Specialty Pharmacies of the Community inside select retail locations, because one in three people living with HIV in the United States does not receive regular HIV treatment.

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Amazon Clinic may delay its nationwide telehealth launch

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

Amazon Clinic, with subscription-based telehealth services in 33 states, appears to be holding off on a promotional campaign announcing its nationwide expansion that was reportedly planned to launch today because of a letter asking about the telemedicine platform's patient privacy protections from Senators Peter Welch, D-Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts.

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California Enters Insulin Manufacturing: Can We Expect to See a California Effect?

Bill of Health

By Aparajita Lath For over 100 years, policy makers and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the U.S. have debated whether the government should produce drugs and biologics. Until now, private industry has largely won– but that may be changing, due to a recent California initiative. At the turn of the 20 th century, the unregulated U.S. biologics industry saw a series of tetanus contamination incidents.

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Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide

Managing HR tasks like payroll, compliance, and employee data can overwhelm small businesses. That’s where a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution comes in. Our eBook, Why Every Small Business Needs an HCM Solution: A Comprehensive Guide , shows how an HCM system automates tedious processes, ensuring your business stays compliant and efficient. You’ll learn how to simplify payroll, eliminate costly errors, and empower your employees with self-service tools.

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State legislatures around US grapple with how to handle nursing shortages

Healthcare Dive

At least 18 states have introduced or advanced safe staffing bills this year in an effort to reduce nurse burnout and improve the quality of patient care, but hospital groups are resisting.

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Project HOPE seeks help in boosting global health

Healthcare It News

The relief organization is on the lookout for innovative technologies to help its mission of saving lives and improving quality of life for populations in need, says Carolina Nelson, Project HOPE's LAC regional deputy director.

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TrueCare graduates half its home hypertension patients from RPM program, and counting

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

TrueCare is a community health center in the North San Diego and Riverside Counties area focused on providing quality healthcare to underserved communities. THE PROBLEM Because it is a community health center, it provides care to underserved communities, which often have a higher prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension, or high blood pressure. That increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the country.

Doctors 131
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Bioethics Experts vs Ordinary South Africans on the Governance of Human Genome Editing

Bill of Health

By Donrich Thaldar On the issue of human genome editing (HGE), attitudes between bioethics scholars and the general public diverge, as highlighted by my team’s findings from a recent deliberative public engagement study. In the study, which assessed views on heritable HGE among South Africans, participants adopted a pragmatic risk-benefit approach to specific applications of heritable HGE.

Bioethics 147
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Real-Life Examples of HIPAA Violations and How to Avoid Them

Speaker: Jack Clough, Chief Growth Officer

Download our 30-minute webinar where we delve into real-life examples of HIPAA violations and preventative measures every organization should know! You will learn: The critical factors that lead to HIPAA violations and how to identify them. Three compelling real-life cases of organizations that faced severe HIPAA penalties. Proven strategies to safeguard YOUR organization against HIPAA violations.

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Primary care compensation growth outpacing other specialties

Healthcare Dive

Primary care doctors have particularly benefited from CMS coding tweaks in 2021, according to a new survey. The gains could help narrow the compensation gap between primary care physicians and other specialties.

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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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UnitedHealthcare invests $5 billion in data and technology for virtual healthcare

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

UnitedHealthcare has adopted a $0 out-of-pocket expense benefit for virtual visits for eligible members enrolled in applicable fully insured employer-sponsored plans. The new coverage enhancement is designed to make remote urgent care more affordable and convenient, UHC said.

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FTC floats changes to merger review process that could slow down deal-approval timelines

Fierce Healthcare

Newly proposed changes to the Federal Trade Commission’s pre-merger notification requirements would give regulators more information to review during a deal’s initial waiting period—likely giving t | The federal regulator said its proposed updates would enable more efficient review of pending deals during the initial 30-day waiting period. As is, the changes are estimated to add, on average, more than 100 hours to companies' paperwork burden per filing.

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Best Practices to Streamline Compensation Management: A Foundation for Growth

Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson

Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.