Here are a few
I came across last week.
Note: Each
link is followed by a title and few paragraphs. For the full article click on
the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links
may require site registration or subscription payment.
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/ehr-notes-reveal-clinical-documentation-implicit-bias-concerns
EHR Notes Reveal Clinical Documentation Implicit Bias Concerns
Black
patients were twice as likely to be described negatively in their EHR notes,
drawing concerns for implicit bias in clinical documentation.
By Hannah Nelson
January 21,
2022 - Black patients were 2.54 times more likely to have at least one
negative descriptor in their EHR notes compared to White patients, according to
a study
published in Health Affairs that raises concerns about stigmatizing language in
clinical documentation and its potential to worsen racial health disparities.
Researchers
analyzed a sample of history and physical notes from 18,459 patients for
sentences containing a negative descriptor of the patient or the patient’s
behavior.
Negative
descriptors included “resistant” or “noncompliant.” The study authors said that
while these and similar descriptors are not explicitly stigmatizing terms, that
verbiage may convey a negative connotation in the context of describing a
patient.
The research
team noted that their findings are especially alarming because their analysis
was limited to the history and physical notes of patient EHRs, which are often
drawn upon and used by other providers.
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https://healthitanalytics.com/news/updated-diabetes-standards-target-improved-chronic-disease-management
Updated Diabetes Standards Target Improved Chronic
Disease Management
Two
diabetes organizations have updated national standards to address health
equality and improve care access to manage diabetes.
By Erin McNemar, MPA
January 21,
2022 - The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Association of
Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) announced new
updates to the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and
Support to address health equality and improve access to diabetes
support and services.
The update,
which includes some of the biggest changes since the National
Standards were introduced in 1984, will provide a renewed focus on
increasing and maintaining person-centered care and reducing administrative
burden.
“The newly
revised National Standards include revisions to help reduce administrative
burden for the diabetes care and education specialist while allowing for more
time and focus on providing person-centered education and care to the person
with diabetes,” ADCES Chief Science, Practice
and Education Officer Leslie Kolb, RN, BSN, MBA, said in a press release. “These changes address the evolving
current and future workforce and health care landscape.”
Diabetes
self-management education and support (DSMES) services provide those with
diabetes and caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and abilities crucial
for effective diabetes self-management.
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https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/asco-releases-standards-on-using-telehealth-for-cancer-care
ASCO Releases Standards on Using Telehealth for Cancer Care
When using
telehealth for cancer care, providers should conduct initial patient
assessments, provide education about the technology, and use virtual platforms
for clinical trials, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
By Victoria Bailey
January 21,
2022 - After conducting a systematic review of literature focusing on
telehealth use for cancer care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) has released
a series of standards and guidelines on employing virtual care in the oncology
setting.
As telehealth
use for cancer care increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, ASCO identified
the need for detailed oncology-based telehealth standards to ensure all
patients have equal access and are receiving quality care.
In addition
to offering standards that are specific to oncology care, ASCO’s standards
include endorsements of existing general guidelines from other telehealth
groups.
The first set
of standards focuses on patient selection and telehealth implementation
guidelines in oncology. According to ASCO, using telehealth is an acceptable
modality for the treatment or long-term management of cancer.
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https://healthtechmagazine.net/article/2022/01/3-takeaways-robust-digital-health-approach
3 Takeaways for a Robust Digital Health Approach
How can
organizations strengthen their digital health strategy beyond a health crisis?
by Mike Grisamore
January 14,
2021
When patient
consultant Stacy Hurt accompanied her son, who is nonambulatory and
immunosuppressed, to dozens of specialists in 2006, she hoped at least some of
the visits would take place virtually. But at the time, she was told it
couldn’t be done.
More
than a decade later, following the accelerated adoption of virtual care during
the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurt would like to see the momentum for
telehealth continue. “Just to know that we can have that option of
telehealth for routine test results or follow-up visits, it eases our minds a
lot,” she said during
a virtual HIMSS21 session last summer.
Healthcare
providers have made great strides in recent years toward better patient access,
improved
interoperability and stronger digital health offerings. The pandemic
accelerated many organizations’ virtual care programs, and though concerns about
reimbursements and federal oversight cloud a clear path toward a hybrid care
delivery model, organizations continue to sharpen their focus on digital health
investments.
To
ensure long-lasting digital health strategies, healthcare systems need to power
and protect their transformations. Modernized infrastructure, smarter virtual
care solutions and safe access to patient data are key elements for a digital
health approach that’s made to support the robust hybrid future of healthcare.
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https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/01/21/2022-predictions-for-healthcare-interoperability/
2022 Predictions for Healthcare Interoperability
January 21, 2022
John Lynn
As
we head into 2022, we asked the Healthcare IT Today community to share some
predictions for the new year. I always find it interesting to learn what
people think is coming down the road. Be sure to check out
all our Health IT Predictions.
If
it seems like we’ve been talking about interoperability forever, it’s because
we have. However, what people don’t realize is that it takes about a
decade for an interoperability standard to mature. We should fix that,
but it is what it is until we do. Plus, you have to remember that most
healthcare organizations didn’t want to share data. That seems to be
starting to change and that’s reflected in these interoperability predictions.
Here’s
a look at some of the 2022 healthcare interoperability predictions we received:
Scott
Stuewe, President and CEO at DirectTrust
Some assessments say EHR companies have stopped innovating – I think this is
part of the natural cycle where companies need to catch up on an accumulation
of regulatory requirements. The market is focused on finishing incomplete work
this year to comply with mandates in the last 3 years of rules from both the
ONC and CMS. For example, FHIR access for the required scope of the information
blocking rule is becoming broadly available in certified EHRs, but appropriate
security and identity assurance remains a work in process.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ibm-sell-watson-health-assets-francisco-partners
IBM to sell Watson Health assets to Francisco Partners
The deal with
the private equity firm is a "clear next step as IBM becomes even more
focused on our platform-based hybrid cloud and AI strategy," said a Big
Blue exec.
By Mike Miliard
January 21,
2022 10:24 AM
IBM
on Friday announced a deal with Bay Area-based Francisco Partners to sell off
healthcare data and analytics assets from its Watson Health business.
WHY IT
MATTERS
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the companies involved, but
Bloomberg reports the price tag was more than $1 billion. The parties say they expect to
close the sale in the second quarter of 2022.
With
the acquisition, the Francisco Partners will acquire "extensive and
diverse" datasets and technology products amassed and built by IBM and its
various healthcare acquisitions over the years, such as Clinical Development,
Health Insights, MarketScan, Micromedex, Social Program Management and other
imaging and radiology tools.
The
agreement will create a new standalone company that will continue serving existing
provider, imaging, life sciences, payer and other healthcare clients, according
to IBM and Francisco Partners.
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https://newsroom.ibm.com/2022-01-21-Francisco-Partners-to-Acquire-IBMs-Healthcare-Data-and-Analytics-Assets
Francisco Partners to Acquire IBM’s Healthcare Data and Analytics Assets
Upon close,
acquisition to position new standalone company for next phase of growth
Jan 21, 2022
Armonk,
NY and San Francisco, CA – January 21, 2022 – IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Francisco
Partners, a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with
technology businesses, today announced that the companies have signed a
definitive agreement under which Francisco Partners will acquire healthcare
data and analytics assets from IBM that are currently part of the Watson Health
business. The assets acquired by Francisco Partners include extensive and
diverse data sets and products, including Health Insights, MarketScan, Clinical
Development, Social Program Management, Micromedex, and imaging software
offerings.
The
transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year and is
subject to customary regulatory clearances. Financial terms of the transaction
were not disclosed.
“Today’s
agreement with Francisco Partners is a clear next step as IBM becomes even more
focused on our platform-based hybrid cloud and AI strategy,” said Tom
Rosamilia, Senior Vice President, IBM Software. “IBM remains committed to Watson,
our broader AI business, and to the clients and partners we support in
healthcare IT. Through this transaction, Francisco Partners acquires data and
analytics assets that will benefit from the enhanced investment and expertise
of a healthcare industry focused portfolio.”
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/dod-mhs-genesis-ehr-implementation-set-to-hit-halfway-mark-in-2022
DoD MHS GENESIS EHR Implementation Set to Hit Halfway Mark in 2022
DoD
officials said that the DHA plans to deploy the MHS GENESIS EHR implementation
at 54 military hospitals and clinics in 2022.
By Hannah Nelson
January 20,
2022 - The Department of Defense’s (DoD) EHR implementation, MHS GENESIS,
will be live in more than half of all military hospitals and clinics in 2022,
according to reporting
from the Fort Hood Sentinel.
MHS GENESIS
is the centerpiece of a larger transformation to standardize, integrate, and
manage health data across the DoD and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Lt. Gen.
Ronald Place, MD, director of the Defense Health Agency (DHA), highlighted the
implementation’s progress among the agency’s “top six points of pride” for
2021.
“I am
immensely proud of the collective work across the entire Military Health System
to continue deploying MHS GENESIS during the pandemic,” Place told the Fort
Hood Sentinel.
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/greater-medical-device-data-standards-needed-for-interoperability
Greater Medical Device Data Standards Needed for Interoperability
Researchers
called for the creation of a medical device data standards development
organization to support healthcare interoperability.
By Hannah Nelson
January 20,
2022 - The healthcare industry needs better data standards to support
medical device interoperability, according to an article
published in JAMA Health Forum.
The authors
noted that much of the existing infrastructure for healthcare interoperability
has focused on EHRs. ONC mandated the adoption of HL7 Fast Healthcare
Interoperability Resources (FHIR) in its implementation of the 21st Century
Cures Act, as did CMS in its interoperability rule.
However, the
authors said that FHIR does not address the need for medical device
interoperability. As clinicians continuously leverage medical devices, greater
data standards are needed to ensure this information can be exchanged
across the care continuum.
Medical
devices—in clinical settings and those worn by patients—are increasingly
network connected, the authors explained.
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https://patientengagementhit.com/news/social-determinants-of-health-limit-preventive-care-access
Social Determinants of Health Limit Preventive Care Access
The rate
of preventative cervical cancer screenings varied across social determinants
such as age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and insurance limiting
underserved groups' access to preventive care.
By Sarai Rodriguez
January 20,
2022 - According
to researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston,
underserved populations were the most likely to have an overdue cervical cancer
screening, underscoring social determinants of health (SDOH) impact on
preventive care access.
The JAMA
Network Open study explored the link between cervical cancer screening rates
and sociodemographic factors, including age, race and ethnicity, sexual
orientation, rurality of residence, and health insurance type.
Using data
from the US National Health Interview Survey, researchers analyzed 20,557 women
between the ages of 21 and 65.
Research
revealed that the rate of women without a timely cervical cancer increased
among all sociodemographic groups between 2015 and 2019, from 14.4 percent to
23.0 percent.
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https://healthitsecurity.com/news/cisa-every-organization-in-the-us-is-at-risk-from-cyber-threats
CISA: Every Organization in the US is at Risk From Cyber Threats
CISA
warned US organizations to remain vigilant and review guidance surrounding
Russian state-sponsored cyber threats.
By Jill McKeon
January 20,
2022 - “Every organization in the United States is at risk from cyber
threats that can disrupt essential services and potentially result in impacts
to public safety,” the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
warned in its latest CISA Insights report.
CISA
published the report in response to recent Russian cyberattacks aimed at public
and private entities in Ukraine. There have been reports of defaced Ukrainian
government websites and destructive malware aimed at private entities that
could result in disruptions to critical functions.
Specifically,
CISA warned of NotPetya and WannaCry ransomware, both of which have been
deployed in the past to cause significant harm to critical infrastructure.
Despite these
actions, a rare instance of US-Russian collaboration occurred in mid-January
when Russia’s
FSB intelligence agency detained 14 people in connection with the REvil
ransomware gang.
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https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/19/22891440/internet-connected-medical-devices-vulnerable
Half of internet-connected devices in hospitals are vulnerable to hacks,
report finds
IV pumps were the biggest risk
By Nicole Wetsman Jan 19, 2022, 3:53pm EST
Over
half of internet-connected devices used in hospitals have a vulnerability that
could put patient safety, confidential data, or the usability of a device at
risk, according to a new
report from the healthcare cybersecurity company Cynerio.
The
report analyzed data from over 10 million devices at over 300 hospitals and
health care facilities globally, which the company collected through connectors
attached to the devices as part of its security platform.
The
most common type of internet-connected device in hospitals was an infusion
pump. These devices can remotely connect to electronic medical records, pull
the correct dosage of a medication or other fluid, and dispense it to the
patient. Infusion pumps were also the devices most likely to have
vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers, the report found — 73
percent had a vulnerability. Experts worry that hacks into devices like these,
which are directly connected to patients, could be used to hurt or threaten to
hurt people directly. Someone could theoretically access those systems and
change the dosage of a medication, for example.
Other
common internet-connected devices are patient monitors, which can track things
like heart rate and breathing rate, and ultrasounds. Both of those types of
devices were in the top 10 list in terms of numbers of vulnerabilities.
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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ehrs/patients-who-are-black-unmarried-or-on-government-insurance-described-more-negatively-in-ehr-study-shows.html
Patients who are Black, unmarried or on government insurance described
more negatively in EHR, study shows
Katie Adams – 20 Jan 2022
The
language clinicians use in their EHR notes varies by patients' race, marital
status and type of insurance, according to a study published Jan. 19 in Health Affairs.
Researchers
from the University of Chicago analyzed 40,113 EHR notes recorded between
January 2019 and October 2020 for 18,459 adult patients. The research team searched
for sentences containing a negative descriptor for the patients' behavior, such
as "resistant" or "noncompliant."
The
study found Black patients were 2.54 times more likely to have one or more
negative descriptors in their EHR notes than white patients. It also found
patients who are unmarried or enrolled in a government insurance program had
higher likelihoods of negative descriptors than patients who were married or
enrolled in private or employer-based insurance plans.
The
researchers concluded that EHR notes written after the COVID-19 pandemic began
had fewer negative descriptors. They said the social pressures ignited during
summer 2020, when protests against institutionalized racism were prolific, may
have "sensitized providers to racism and increased empathy for the
experiences of racially minoritized communities," but added that more
research is needed.
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https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/fhir-to-play-crucial-role-in-long-term-tefca-strategy?id=129141
FHIR to play crucial role in long-term TEFCA strategy
While the
coding standard is still moving along a path to maturity, industry expects it
to be fully ready when timeline specifies its use.
Jan 20 2022
Diana
Manos
Healthcare
leaders weighed in optimistically on the newly released federal Trusted
Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, a plan to facilitate nationwide health
information-sharing that will rely heavily on HL7’s Fast Healthcare
Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard within three years.
Mandated by
the 21st Century Cures Act, the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement
(TEFCA), creates the baseline legal and technical requirements that will enable
secure digital health information exchange, leaning heavily on FHIR for data
exchange.
The set of
standards, including both a coding framework to automate information exchange,
as well as bundles of pre-accepted coding that facilitate “use cases” or types
of transactions, are in various stages of maturity and gaining widespread
acceptance and being universally applied.
ONC National
Coordinator Micky Tripathi said FHIR isn’t fully ready, but it will be by the
time TEFCA’s roadmap for its incremental adoption is achieved. “[It’s] not at a
point of maturity for network enablement,” he said at an event introducing
TEFCA. “But that said, there are a number of networks across the country that
are starting to either run pilots or actually starting to think about putting
(FHIR capabilities) into production that would help with the scalability of a
FHIR-based exchange.
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https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/onc-touts-dawn-of-new-era-of-interoperability-with-tefca?id=129143
ONC touts dawn of new era of interoperability with TEFCA
Release of
the final framework for the plan to facilitate health information exchange sets
timeline as well as a roadmap for achieving easier data accessibility.
Jan 20 2022
Diana
Manos
The Office of
the National Coordinator of Health IT released the final draft of requirements
for the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement this week, launching an
era many have waited for since the advent of electronic health records more
than 15 years ago.
TEFCA’s
purpose is to establish a universal floor of interoperability across the
country, according to ONC. It will establish the infrastructure and governance
needed for different networks to securely share basic clinical information with
each other and will enable patients to more easily access their health
information.
“Our goals
are pretty simple, and simple is hard,” said ONC National Coordinator Micky
Tripathi. ONC hopes its efforts with TEFCA strike a balance between “wanting to
have the opportunity to bring more order to the market, to allow it to continue
to progress and to serve the country, but not so much order that it suppresses
or is brittle to business and technical innovation,” he said.
TEFCA will
aim to establish something like a utility for health information
interoperability, with larger networks called Qualified Health Information
Networks (QHINs), signing legal contracts with ONC’s Recognized Coordinating
Entity, The Sequoia Project. QHINs will execute certain corresponding policies
within their own networks, reaching down the “last mile” to include smaller
entities. Ideally, every healthcare organization will participate, making it a
complete network of information. If organizations don’t join, it will lessen the
value of the premise TEFCA provides, experts say.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/it-love-it-gotta-have-it-health-economist-different-attitudes-toward-telemedicine
Like it, love it, gotta have it? A health economist on attitudes toward
telemedicine
Sanjula Jain,
chief research officer at Trilliant Health, says she believes some patients'
reasons for using – or not using – telehealth have been overlooked.
Kat Jercich
January 20,
2022
As
more data has emerged about telehealth after the initial spike in March 2020,
many industry-watchers, providers and patients are seeking to dig into who's
using virtual care – and who's eased off.
But
it's not just about the "who," notes Sanjula Jain, chief research
officer at the predictive analytics company Trilliant Health. It's about
the "why" and "how" too – why are some people sticking with
virtual care, and how are they choosing to engage with it?
"When
you put the payers together, about 15% of Americans used telehealth during the
peak of the pandemic," said Jain in a recent interview with Healthcare
IT News.
She
said 2020 was a year of "forced adoption" where telehealth was
concerned. Patients, out of fear of going to a doctor's office, opted for phone
or virtual visits where they could. Now, she said, "we're seeing that tapering."
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/why-voice-recognition-new-competitive-battleground-healthcares-digital-transformation
Why voice recognition is the new competitive battleground in healthcare's
digital transformation
As ambient
technologies improve, additional use cases to leverage voice will emerge – that
leaves us with the question of how patients and physicians are responding to
voice-enabled tools in their healthcare encounters.
By Paddy
Padmanabhan
January 20,
2022 12:24 PM
For
a while now, we have been watching how voice-recognition based artificial
intelligence tools can improve physician productivity, reduce burnout and
improve the quality of the patient experience.
In
addition, health systems have looked at voice-enabled transcriptions to
identify reimbursable conditions identified during the diagnosis while ensuring
that the diagnosis doesn't miss any critical health indicators.
It
is common knowledge that the most significant burden for many caregivers is
documenting and annotating clinical encounters in electronic health record
systems; Voice recognition is one of many tools that can alleviate the problem
and reduce clinician workloads today.
Voice-enabled
tools fall in the broad category of conversational AI, along with chatbots and
other productivity and automation tools. However, the maturity of the tools,
especially in a clinical context, is a long way off from the promise of the
technology.
Users
of the leading voice-recognition tools acknowledge that the technology delivers
better caregiver productivity. However, they also point out that ambient
artificial intelligence, or the underlying assumption about software that can
make sense of a conversation and provide clinical decision support in
real-time, is still very nascent.
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https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/01/20/use-of-voice-assistants-in-healthcare-shot-up-in-2021-but-does-that-matter/
Use of Voice Assistants In Healthcare Shot Up in 2021, But Does That
Matter?
January 20, 2022
Anne Zieger
Over
the past several years, healthcare organizations have been adopting voice
assistants and other conversational AI technologies. In fact, over the past few
years, the pace of adoption has gone from gradual to frenzied, according to new
research
from Voicebot.ai.
In
2019, Voicebot found that 7.5% of US adults had used a voice assistant for a
healthcare need. Last year, however, the number shut up to 21%, researchers
said. But another way, voice assistants were used in healthcare use cases by
just under 20 million US adults as of mid-2019, but by 2021 the user base had
shot up to 54.4 million.
During
the period between 2019 and 2021, the number of people interested in using such
tools climbed from just under 50% to 56%. Forces fueling levels of interest
include consumer interest in gathering information about illnesses (including
COVID-19), along with greater efforts by providers to offer voice-enabled
features.
Even
given how marked this jump in voice assistant usage is, my guess is that the
increase in use and development of new voice assistant tools would have
extended a great deal more if the pandemic hadn’t hit.
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/clinician-engagement-tailored-training-key-for-ehr-implementations
Clinician Engagement, Tailored Training Key for EHR Implementations
Clinician
engagement in the EHR implementation planning process may help optimize health
IT to meet end-user needs.
January 19,
2022 - Proactive leadership, clinician engagement, and workflow-specific
training are key to successful EHR implementations, according to a study
published in JAMIA.
Selecting a
new, presumably better EHR can help healthcare organizations keep up with
evolving EHR-related regulations and mitigate clinician burden, the authors
noted. However, ensuring the implementation is well-planned and informed by
clinicians is necessary for success, they said.
Proactive
leadership
The study
authors emphasized that organizational leaders must create a governance
structure that includes experts with operational and technical expertise to
oversee the EHR transition and intervene as issues arise.
Organizational
leaders should also ensure that clinicians are engaged in implementation
planning and EHR configuration, they said.
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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/onc-releases-us-core-data-for-interoperability-draft-version-3
ONC Releases US Core Data for Interoperability Draft Version 3
ONC added
data classes to US Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) Draft Version 3 that
aim to advance public health reporting and health equity.
By Hannah Nelson
January 19,
2022 - ONC has released
the United States Core Data for Interoperability Draft Version 3 (USCDI v3)
which includes new data classes that look to advance health equity and public
health data interoperability.
Draft USCDI
v3 will be open for public feedback until April 30, 2022. ONC plans to release
the final USCDI v3 in July 2022.
In
particular, ONC added two new data classes to USCDI v3: Health Status and
Health Insurance Information.
The new data
class Health Status is made up of four data elements: Disability Status, Mental
Function (which includes the more specific Cognitive Status), Functional
Status, and Pregnancy Status.
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https://healthitanalytics.com/news/industry-leaders-announceartificial-intelligence-coalition
Industry Leaders Announce Artificial Intelligence Coalition
In a
collaborative effort, US healthcare and life science leaders are
forming an AI coalition to advance innovation.
By Erin McNemar, MPA
January 19,
2022 - Leaders across healthcare, academia, and technology announced
the formation of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition
(AI3C).
The coalition
will collaborate with experts from the Brookings Institution, Cleveland
Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Microsoft, Novant Health, Plug
and Play, Providence, UC San Diego, and the University of
Virginia.
According to
the announcement, the coalition hopes to develop technology to
provide recommendations, tools, and best practices for AI in healthcare.
“The goal of
the newly created AI3C is to establish a pragmatic coalition with public and
private organizations to advance health by identifying and addressing
significant societal and industry barriers,” Microsoft’s Vice
President for the US Health & Life Sciences Organization, Patty Obermaier,
said in a press release.
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/doctors-outside-us-cannot-bill-medicare-for-telehealth-court-confirms
Doctors Outside US Cannot Bill Medicare for Telehealth, Court Confirms
RemoteICU,
a telehealth company that has been fighting a legal battle to enable its
physicians outside the U.S. to receive Medicare payments during the pandemic,
has lost its appeal.
By Anuja Vaidya
January 19,
2022 - A telehealth company's attempt to strike down a decision stating
that virtual care physicians who are outside of the U.S. are not eligible for
Medicare reimbursement was
dismissed by a federal appeals court Jan. 18.
The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that the
company did not provide a "concrete claim for payment" as required by
the Medicare Act. Instead, the company will have to rely on hospitals to
continue the fight for allowing Medicare reimbursement for telehealth visits
conducted by physicians located outside the country.
In April
2020, RemoteICU, a company providing remote specialist physician services to
health systems, sought to clarify whether the emergency rule allowing providers
to bill Medicare for critical care delivered via telehealth — enacted soon
after the public health emergency was declared — extended to physicians located
outside the U.S.
The company
contracts with around 60 intensive care physicians who live and work abroad but
were trained in the U.S. and hold U.S. board certifications and licenses,
according to the decision issued by the district court.
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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/theres-no-magic-bullet-enhance-cybersecurity-say-experts
There's no 'magic bullet' to enhance cybersecurity, say experts
In a preview
of their HIMSS22 session, panelists from the National Cybersecurity Center of
Excellence and affiliated federal agencies offer their perspectives on threat
landscapes.
By Kat Jercich
January 19,
2022 09:19 AM
Cybersecurity
has taken on increased importance in the healthcare industry, particularly as domestic and international incidents continue to dominate the headlines.
Amid
this dynamic environment, experts stress that an organization's defensive
strategy should be flexible and adaptable.
At
HIMSS22,
panelists from the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) and
affiliated federal agencies will offer their perspectives on the evolving
threat landscapes – and examine how various strategies can address cyber risk.
"Healthcare
continues to be plagued with cyber threats that include ransomware, malware and
phishing," observed Nakia Grayson, IT security specialist at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology.
-----
https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/ftc-to-have-oversight-over-third-party-apps-for-data-violations?id=129092
FTC to have oversight over third-party apps for data violations
Agency will
look for deceptive and unfair practices and privacy issues, but healthcare
organizations still bear education responsibilities.
Jan 18 2022
Fred
Bazzoli
The Federal
Trade Commission expects to play a role in looking for abuses posed by
third-party apps, which will have increasing access to patient data because of
recent federal regulations.
In the past,
the FTC has stepped in to address violations by companies that have
misrepresented data use in the past or been negligent in protecting patient
privacy, said Ryan Mehm, an attorney in the FTC’s Division of Privacy and
Identity Protection.
Speaking at a
symposium on security hosted last week by the Workgroup for Electronic Data
Interchange (WEDI), Mehm said the oversight of apps will be an extension of the
agency’s purview of health privacy work, especially as apps, enabled by
application programming interfaces, enable more patient health data to migrate
to settings not overseen by HIPAA.
However, the
FTC role will not involve deeming which apps have good or bad security
practices, and that will raise the ante for healthcare organizations to educate
consumers about scrutinizing how apps enable downstream use of their data.
-----
https://www.ecri.org/top-10-health-technology-hazards-2022-executive-brief
ECRI lists its “Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2022”:
- Cybersecurity incidents.
- Supply chain shortfalls.
- Infusion pumps that are damaged in
ways that may not be apparent.
- Emergency stockpile items that may
not be ready for use.
- Telehealth solutions that don’t meet
patient and provider needs, aren’t easy to use (especially for patients),
and create large volumes of irrelevant data.
- Syringe pumps that deliver incorrect
doses because of low-volume infusion rates.
- AI reconstruction of images from MRI
and CT that may be fooled by anatomic variation, patient movement, and
device malfunction.
- Insufficient cleaning and
disinfection of duodenoscopes.
- Misuse or mislabeling of disposable
isolation, surgical, and cover gowns.
- Wifi dropouts and dead zones that
circumvent safety features, interrupt workflow, and don’t allow critical
alerts to be delivered.
-----
https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/01/18/onc-completes-critical-21st-century-cures-act-requirement-publishes-trusted-exchange-framework-common-agreement-health-information-networks.html
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2022
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
media@hhs.gov
ONC Completes Critical 21st Century Cures Act Requirement, Publishes the
Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement for Health Information
Networks
The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator
for Health Information Technology (ONC) and its Recognized Coordinating Entity
(RCE), The Sequoia Project, Inc., today announced the publication of the
Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement (TEFCA). Entities will soon
be able to apply and be designated as Qualified Health Information Networks
(QHINs). QHINs will connect to one another and enable their participants to
engage in health information exchange across the country.
The
21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, calls for the development of a trusted
exchange framework and a common agreement. The Trusted Exchange Framework is a
set of non-binding but foundational principles for health information exchange,
and the Common Agreement is a contract that advances those principles. The Common
Agreement establishes the technical infrastructure model and governing approach
for different health information networks and their users to securely share
clinical information with each other – all under commonly agreed-to
rules-of-the-road.
The
Common Agreement supports multiple exchange purposes critical to improving
health care and has the potential to benefit a wide variety of health care
entities. This flexible structure allows stakeholders—such as health
information networks, ambulatory practices, hospitals, health centers, federal
government agencies, public health agencies, and payers—to benefit from TEFCA
through improved access to health information. Individuals will also be able to
benefit from TEFCA and seek access to their health information through entities
that offer individual access services.
------
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/onc-releases-tefca-interoperability-framework-for-data-exchange
ONC Releases TEFCA Interoperability Framework for Data Exchange
The TEFCA
interoperability framework is set to improve data exchange for enhanced
provider access to patient health information.
By Hannah Nelson
January 18,
2022 - ONC and its Recognized Coordinating Entity (RCE), The Sequoia
Project, Inc., have announced
the publication of the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement
(TEFCA) interoperability framework.
Entities will
soon be able to apply to be Qualified Health Information Networks (QHINs).
These networks will connect to one another to support health information
exchange nationwide.
The 21st
Century Cures Act calls for the development of a trusted exchange framework and
a common agreement. The Trusted Exchange Framework is a set of non-binding but
foundational health information exchange principles, while The Common Agreement
establishes the technical infrastructure and governing approach to support
data exchange.
The Common
Agreement’s flexible structure allows stakeholders—like health information
networks, ambulatory practices, hospitals, health centers, federal government
agencies, public health agencies, and payers—to benefit from the interoperability
framework through improved access to health information.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/even-using-same-ehr-vendor-doesnt-guarantee-interoperability
Even using the same EHR vendor doesn't guarantee interoperability
A new study
finds that only about two-thirds of data types will be "understood"
by a receiving site in the most favorable cases.
By Kat Jercich
January 18,
2022 03:24 PM
A
study recently published in the Journal of the American
Medical Informatics Association found that sites that use the same
electronic health record vendor are generally more interoperable than the ones
that don't.
But
interoperability is not guaranteed, said researchers.
"Two
sites that implement the same vendor product are more likely to be able to
share data," wrote the researchers. "However, interoperability is far
from perfect."
WHY IT
MATTERS
The
researchers sought to calculate what they called objective interoperability
scores using data from 68 real-world EHR implementations.
Although
the researchers did not name EHR vendors – in part to keep sites anonymous –
the sample included four of the seven most frequently implemented ones, they
said.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/hhs-dod-and-vendors-partner-critical-care-telehealth
HHS, DOD and vendors partner for critical care via telehealth
Across the
country, the organizations are relieving stressed-out critical care teams and
filling in where necessary to fight COVID-19. The telehealth system is ready
for other disasters, as well.
By Bill Siwicki
January 18,
2022 12:22 PM
Avel
eCARE, a telehealth network and virtual hospital, helped develop the federally
funded initiative known as the National Emergency Tele-Critical Care
Network and is now expanding its work with the Department of Health and
Human Services and the Department of Defense to provide critical care expertise
to hospitals and municipalities struggling with COVID-19 surges in the South.
Over
the past few months, the organizations have deployed telemedicine services to
support care in at least a half-a-dozen states, including Texas, Florida,
Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.
For
example, in Florida, Avel eCARE partnered with EMS workers to help get
Regeneron delivered to homebound patients. EMS workers administered the
treatment, then Avel eCARE clinicians provided remote monitoring to ensure the
patients received 60 minutes of observation, enabling EMS workers to respond to
others in need and distribute care faster on the ground.
As
part of the government-funded program, Avel eCARE also provided critical care
consulting to a small community hospital that was inundated with COVID-19
patients. They weren't staffed to treat patients who were so sick and didn't
have experience with ventilators.
-----
https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/01/18/the-health-systems-guide-to-cerner-in-2022/
The Health System’s Guide to Cerner in 2022
January 18, 2022
The
following is a guest article by Jenn Hamilton, MHA, RN, CPHIMS, VP of Clinical
Informatics at ReMedi Health
Solutions.
Disclaimer:
I love Cerner. Sure, there are other EHRs that offer value like E… never mind. I
won’t mention the other players in this battle for EHR glory. This is about
Cerner; the good, the bad and the possible. That’s the whole point here, as EHR
consultants, our focus is helping our clinicians provide the best care possible
with a software that streamlines their workflows and aids in intelligent
medical decision making. Beyond that, we help health systems make the most of
this significant investment in all phases of the software lifecycle from system
selection to the all-important optimization phase.
So,
let’s discuss Cerner. All of it. Starting with the positive.
And
be sure to download our full
guide to Cerner for an even deeper dive.
What
Cerner Does Well
Solutions
for specialties
Cerner
does a fantastic job providing solutions for specialties. Cerner has carefully
designed workflows that accommodate a wide array of medical specialties. These
workflows include streamlined orders tailored to the specialist and
documentation templates specific to their needs.
No
sponsor organization necessary
With
respect to the EHR ecosystem, Cerner makes it easy for organizations of all
sizes and capacity to have access to a premiere software vendor. From the
busy academic medical centers to the rural health clinic, Cerner has a model
configured to meet those needs, while subsequently gaining access to a robust
HIE. This means continuity of care for even the most remote patient
populations.
-----
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/politics/free-covid-tests-wbsite-beta-launched/index.html
Website to order free Covid-19 tests is up and running
By Kaitlan Collins, Maegan Vazquez and Tami Luhby, CNN
Updated 2317
GMT (0717 HKT) January 18, 2022
How to get
your at-home Covid-19 test for free 02:37
(CNN)The
federal government has quietly launched its website to sign up for free Covid-19 tests, allowing people to order a maximum of
four tests shipped directly to their household.
White House
press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Tuesday that the government website to
order free Covid-19 tests is up and running as part of a "beta phase"
ahead of the government website's formal rollout Wednesday morning.
"COVIDtests.gov is in the
beta phase right now, which is a standard part of the process typically as it's
being kind of tested in the early stages of being rolled out," Psaki told
reporters at the White House. "It will officially launch tomorrow
morning."
Given the
formal launch wasn't expected until Wednesday, a White House official said this
is only the beta phase to ensure the site works seamlessly.
-----
https://histalk2.com/2022/01/14/weekender-1-14-22/
Weekly News Recap
- Report says that a private equity
firm is close to acquiring urgent care EHR vendor Experity for $1.2
billion.
- Ambient patient-physician voice
scribing solution vendor DeepScribe raises $30 million.
- Data exchange platform vendor
Avaneer Health raises $50 million in seed funding.
- Hospital-at-home technology and
services vendor Medically Home raises $110 million.
- DexCare raises $50 million.
- HIMSS announces that masks will be
required throughout the HIMSS22 campus.
- PerfectServe acquires AnesthesiaGo.
- Transcarent raises $200 million in
Series C funding.
- Clinical collaboration platform
vendor TigerConnect raises $300 million in funding.
- Aledade acquires care planning
solutions vendor Iris Healthcare.
- R1 RCM signs an agreement to acquire
competitor Cloudmed for $4.1 billion.
- Qlik files for an IPO six years
after being taken private for $3 billion.
- Stryker will acquire Vocera for $3
billion.
-----
Enjoy!
David.