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.
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/understanding-ehr-documentation-assistants-voice-assistants
Understanding EHR Documentation Assistants, Voice Assistants
Health
systems across the country are integrating EHR documentation assistants to
boost EHR documentation and mitigate clinician burnout.
By Christopher Jason
May 14, 2021
- EHR documentation was originally devised to record clinical information
as provider notes in real-time during a consultation, evaluation, imaging, or
treatment, ultimately to share patient data between providers.
Although the
shift from paper to digital EHR documentation produced useful and legible
notes, it is a primary cause of clinician
burden, due to information overload and more extensive amounts of text that
are not always relevant to patient care.
Extensive EHR
use and documentation pressure can lead clinicians to carve out a strict weekly
routine.
“Certain
times during the evenings or on the weekends, I make sure I spend a couple of
hours prepping for the week to make sure my inbox is cleared out, all my
refills are done, all my results are reviewed, patient charts are completed
prior to their office visit, and ensuring I get my notes done within 24 to 48 hours,”
Neesha Patel, MD, Cooper University Healthcare, said in an interview
with EHRIntelligence.
-----
https://www.zdnet.com/article/phishing-ransomware-web-app-attacks-dominate-data-breaches-in-2021-says-verizon-business-dbir/
Phishing, ransomware, web app attacks dominate data breaches in 2021, says
Verizon Business DBIR
The report
highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic move to the cloud and remote work opened
up a few avenues for cybercrime.
By Larry Dignan for
Between the Lines | May 13, 2021
-- 04:01 GMT (14:01 AEST) | Topic: Security
Web
applications represented 39% of all data breaches in the last year with
phishing attacks jumping 11% and ransomware up 6% from a year ago, according to
the Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report.
The report,
based on 5,358 breaches from 83 contributors around the world, highlights how
the COVID-19 pandemic move to the cloud and remote work opened up a few avenues
for cybercrime.
Verizon
Business found that 61% of all breaches involved credential data. Consistent
with previous years, human negligence was the biggest threat to security.
Each industry
in the DBIR had its own security nuances. For instance, 83% of data compromised
in the financial and insurance industry was personal data, said Verizon
Business. Healthcare was plagued by the misdelivery of electronic or paper
documents. In the public sector, social engineering was the technique of
choice.
By
region, Asia Pacific breaches typically were caused by financial motivations
and phishing. In EMEA, web application attacks, system intrusion, and social
engineering were the norm.
-----
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01253-y
TECHNOLOGY
FEATURE
10 May 2021
Smartphone science: apps test and track infectious diseases
The
prevalence, power and portability of smartphones make them valuable tools for
pathogen monitoring and citizen science.
·
Sandeep
Ravindran
Debojyoti
Chakraborty took just a few months to develop a COVID-19 diagnostic test that
worked in his lab; the challenge was to optimize it for the field.
Based
on the gene-editing technology CRISPR, the test produces a band on a paper
strip if viral RNA is present. But Chakraborty, who heads an RNA biology group
at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi, says he and
his colleagues couldn’t always agree on whether a faint band counted as a
positive signal. What they needed was an objective — and, ideally, portable —
quantification tool. Then Chakraborty realized he already had one: his
smartphone.
The
researchers developed an app to photograph the paper strip, identify and
quantify bands using machine learning, and export the results to the cloud.
Called TOPSE1,
their app laid the foundation for a test that has now been approved by the
Drugs Controller General of India. “You can actually do this test in local
pathology labs in places that are resource-limited,” Chakraborty says. “Perhaps
one day it can be done even at home.”
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/ireland-s-health-service-hit-significant-ransomware-attack
Ireland’s health service hit by “significant ransomware attack”
Healthcare IT
systems have been shut down as precaution.
By Tammy Lovell
May 14, 2021
10:00 AM
Ireland’s
health service IT system has been shut down as a precautionary measure,
following a cyber attack today.
The
Health Service Executive (HSE) believes the attack is by international
criminals attempting to extort money, although no demand has yet been received.
HSE
confirmed there had been “a significant ransomware attack on the HSE IT
systems” and it had closed down systems “to protect them from this attack and
to allow us fully assess the situation with our own security partners.”
Irish
health minister Stephen Donnelly said the attack was having “a severe impact”
on health and social care services, but emergency services and the National
Ambulance Service were still in operation.
WHY IT
MATTERS
Ransomware
is a malicious software that encrypts files on a computer system.
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/hies-information-blocking-common-for-ehr-vendors-not-health-orgs
HIEs: Information Blocking Common for EHR Vendors, Not Health Orgs
EHR
vendors were 25 percent more likely to participate in practices that entail
information blocking compared to health systems, a survey found.
By Hannah Nelson
May 13, 2021
- To give insight into how policy makers can drive adherence to the ONC’s
new information blocking rule, the agency released a statement
highlighting January survey
data that reveals information blocking practices are more common among EHR
vendors than health systems.
The survey,
published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, was
based on responses from 89 health information exchanges (HIE).
More than
half of the respondents (55 percent) reported that EHR vendors engage in
practices that may involve information blocking. In contrast, 30 percent of
HIEs reported that health systems engage in practices that may include
information blocking.
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/best-practices-to-mitigate-ehr-clinical-decision-alert-fatigue
Best Practices to Mitigate EHR Clinical Decision Alert Fatigue
Healthcare
organizations across the country are finding creative ways to reduce EHR
clinical decision alert fatigue through optimization and teamwork.
By Christopher Jason
May 13, 2021
- EHR alerts serve a significant purpose, but they can also result in EHR
clinical decision alert fatigue, clinician burnout, or even frustration.
EHR alerts
permit clinicians to access real-time patient data, ideally resulting in
enhanced patient safety and medication accuracy. Alerts can also notify
clinicians about potential adverse drug interactions.
According
to Stanford University health IT professionals, EHR alerts are a vital part
of EHRs that are “not merely the use of technology; it is using technology to
find meaningful information to make clinical decisions and provide the best
possible patient care.”
Although a
clinician’s first instinct might be to close the alert to limit frustration,
healthcare organizations attempt to limit alert quantity and improve alert
quality to boost clinician satisfaction.
Optimizing
or Eradicating Low-Value Alerts
Clinician
burnout and EHR fatigue caused by alerts have been an issue for clinicians
struggling with EHR usability overload.
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/kaiser-permanente-mayo-clinic-to-expand-home-based-connected-health-program
Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic to Expand Home-Based Connected Health
Program
The two
health systems are investing $100 million to scale up a connected health
program that uses telehealth, mHealth and home health services to manage care
for acute care patients at home.
By Eric Wicklund
May 13, 2021
- Kaiser Permanente and the Mayo Clinic are planning to expand a
relatively new care model that combines telehealth, mHealth and in-person
visits to treat acute care patients in their own homes rather than the
hospital.
The two
health systems have announced a $100 million investment in Medically Home, a
Boston-based company that has been working with, among others, the Massachusetts
General Hospital Cancer Center, Adventist Health and UNC Health on acute care
at home programs The investment will help the Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente
scale up the connected health platform in their regions.
“Patients
expect and deserve high-quality care and excellent outcomes in a convenient and
comfortable setting, even when faced with complex medical
challenges,” Mayo Clinic President and CEO Gianrico Farrugia, MD, said
in a press release that accompanied an hour-long virtual press briefing
this week. “Our partnership with Kaiser Permanente and Medically Home will
create the next generation of patient-centric, compassionate health care that
seamlessly integrates advanced technology with clinical expertise. By bringing
best-in-class clinicians and services to patients in their homes, we’ll be able
to provide more people with individualized care that’s tailored to meet their
specific needs.”
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/vendor-survey-ids-challenges-for-remote-patient-monitoring-programs
Vendor Survey IDs Challenges for Remote Patient Monitoring Programs
A survey
of cardiac remote patient monitoring programs by Vector Remote Care finds that
many aren't optimizing their platforms to get all the clinical and financial
benefits they should be getting.
By Eric Wicklund
May 12, 2021
- A vendor-initiated study on remote patient monitoring programs that
address patients with cardiac disease finds that many are missing out on
important clinical and financial benefits.
Conducted by
RPM vendor Vector Remote Care, the survey of more than 110 healthcare providers
specializing in cardiology found that roughly 43 percent of physicians are only
using RPM platforms for 20 percent or less of their patients. The findings
suggest that providers don’t yet have the resources to expand their platforms
or they aren’t yet sure how to run the program properly.
“These
numbers are not surprising, as RCM is still relatively new,” Kristin Stitt,
DNP, APRN, the company’s chief clinical officer, said
in a press release. “Strong satisfaction with a program that has low
connection rates indicates that many practices focus on getting the devices up
and running, but are not fully aware of what is possible when you design your
program around patient care.”
The study
offers an early look at the potential and challenges of a fast-growing
connected health service, due in part to the coronavirus pandemic. Faced with
reducing in-person care and isolating both patients and providers to reduce the
chance of infection, health systems are launching RPM programs to push as much
care as they can into the home.
-----
https://healthitsecurity.com/news/external-threat-actors-outpace-insiders-in-healthcare-data-breaches
External Threat Actors Outpace Insiders in Healthcare Data Breaches
For the
second consecutive year, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)
found external threat actors were behind more healthcare data breaches than
insider errors.
By Jessica Davis
May 13, 2021
- For the second consecutive year, external threat actors caused the
majority of healthcare data breaches in 2020, compared to just 39 percent
caused by insiders, either inadvertently or intentionally, according to the latest
Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR).
In total,
data show 61 percent of global security incidents in 2020 were caused by
outside actors, such as hacking and other nefarious activities.
“When you
read the contents of the report, it is tempting to think that a vast array of
threats demands a sweeping and revolutionary solution,” Alex Pinto, the
report’s lead author said in a statement. “However, the reality is far more
straightforward.”
“The truth is
that, whilst organizations should prepare to deal with exceptional
circumstances, the foundation of their defences should be built on strong
fundamentals - addressing and mitigating the threats most pertinent to them,”
he continued.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/onc-announces-launch-health-interoperability-outcomes-2030-initiative
ONC announces launch of Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030 initiative
The Office of
the National Coordinator for Health IT is soliciting public feedback about
longer-term health interoperability outcomes.
By Kat Jercich
May 13, 2021
11:16 AM
The
U.S. Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT announced the launch of
its Health Interoperability Outcomes 2030 effort, aimed at building on current
interoperability efforts and working toward longer-term strategies.
"Throughout
my tenure at ONC, different policy, technology, and legislative moments along
with ample public feedback have shaped our actions," wrote Deputy National
Coordinator Steve Posnack in a blog post accompanying the announcement.
"Yet,
there always comes a time to ask, 'What’s next? What are we driving toward? How
do we turn actions into outcomes?' Now's that time," Posnack continued.
WHY IT
MATTERS
As
Posnack pointed out, a number of policies have shaped the ONC's actions over
the past decade – most recently the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, which
shaped regulations around information blocking and interoperability that took effect
this April.
-----
https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2021/05/13/report-on-covid-19s-impact-on-medical-practices/
Report on COVID-19’s Impact on Medical Practices
May 13, 2021
John Lynn
If
you know anything about the MGMA
organization, they’re probably most well known for all the data they have
around medical practices. Whether you’re looking for Provider
Compensation Data, Medical Practice Claims and A/R data, or basically any data
needed about medical practices, MGMA is the place to go. Given this, it was
no surprise that MGMA would come out with their “Quantifying
COVID-19: Measuring the Pandemic’s Impact on Medical Practices”
report. The report is available as part of their MGMA DataDrive for those
interested in purchasing the full report.
We
got a look at the report and wanted to share some of the highlights. In
fact, MGMA did a recent webinar
sharing insights from the report and here were 6 key takeaways from the
presentation:
1.
Patients came back for care in summer 2020 after safety worries, deferred
visits
2.
The recovery was short-lived due to the fall 2020 COVID-19 surge
3.
Telehealth surged, then ebbed, then grew again with new waves of COVID-19
4.
Slow periods for productivity were opportunities to catch up on collections
5.
Supply costs were up dramatically, but cuts elsewhere lowered overall spending
6.
Staffing struggles persist due to quarantine, childcare and a tight labor
market
-----
https://healthitanalytics.com/news/precision-medicine-therapy-restores-immune-function-in-children
Precision Medicine Therapy Restores Immune Function in Children
Researchers
used a precision medicine approach to cure children of a disease that leaves
them without immune function.
By Jessica Kent
May 11, 2021
- A precision medicine therapy developed
by researchers at UCLA and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London
restored immune function in more than 95 percent of pediatric patients.
Using the
experimental approach, the team successfully treated 48 of 50 children born
with a deadly and inherited disorder that keeps them from having a functioning
immune system.
Severe
combined immunodeficiency due to adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA-SCID) is
caused by mutations in the ADA gene that creates the enzyme adenosine
deaminase. This enzyme is essential for a functioning immune system.
Children with
the condition can develop serious, life-threatening infections from doing
day-to-day activities, like going to school or seeing friends. If left
untreated, the condition can be fatal within the first two years of life.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/queen-s-speech-promises-government-will-lay-foundations-more-integrated-health-and-care
Queen's speech promises Government will 'lay foundations' for a more
integrated health and care system
Health think
tanks have criticised the plans for failing to address social care reform.
By Tammy Lovell
May 12, 2021
10:41 AM
The
Queen's Speech to officially reopen Parliament promised legislation to empower
the NHS to innovate and embrace technology.
In
the speech to the House of Lords yesterday, she delivered the government’s
plans for a pandemic recovery that would beat COVID-19 and back the NHS.
“My
ministers will bring forward legislation to empower the NHS to innovate and
embrace technology. Patients will receive more tailored and preventative care,
closer to home,” Her Majesty said.
A
background briefing on the speech to Parliament the Queen
said the Health and Care Bill will “lay new foundations for a more integrated
and efficient health and care system”, enabling staff to focus on delivering
the best possible treatment and care for their patients and giving the NHS and
local authorities tools to “level up health and care across England”.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/nursing-execs-dish-digital-health-tools-theyve-found-most-useful-during-pandemic
Nursing execs dish on the digital health tools they've found most useful
during the pandemic
On
International Nurses Day, RNs from around the country say telehealth, mobile
apps and, yes, electronic health records have been integral to providing
seamless patient care at their organizations.
Kat Jercich
May 12, 2021
In
a recent study, researchers associated more favorable electronic health record
usability scores with lower odds of burnout among nurses.
Unfortunately,
that study also found that nurses scored their EHR usability at an
F – which seems to bode ill for workplace satisfaction in an already
stressful environment.
Still,
it's not all bad news: Nursing executives from hospitals around the country
told Healthcare
IT News that they've come to rely on a large range of digital
health tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, they say, they'll continue to
use some of that software in a post-pandemic world.
Multiple
execs pointed to telehealth as a major game-changer for patient care.
"Having
the ability to safely connect and communicate enabled clinic visits to continue
despite the pandemic," said Ellen Hansen, chief nursing and clinical
services officer at Children’s of Mississippi, part of the University of
Mississippi Medical Center.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/telehealth-good-fit-many-oncology-services-says-cancer-institute-cmo
Telehealth Good Fit for Many Oncology Services, Says Cancer Institute CMO
Analysis
| By Christopher
Cheney | May 12, 2021
Karmanos
Cancer Institute CMO George Yoo is bullish on the future of telehealth in
oncology care.
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
·
For newly diagnosed oncology patients,
telehealth is an excellent tool for second opinions.
·
For return oncology patients, telehealth is
appropriate to review test results.
·
Telehealth is appropriate for oncology surgery
consults, radiation consults, and genetic consultation.
Telehealth is
well-suited to providing a range of services for oncology patients, the chief
medical officer of the Karmanos
Cancer Institute says.
Telehealth
has expanded exponentially during the coronavirus pandemic. However, in the
long term, there is uncertainty about the future of telehealth, including
whether government and commercial payers will continue to reimburse telehealth
visits at rates comparable to in-person visits and which specialties will
remain committed to utilizing telehealth.
Karmanos,
which is part of Grand Blanc, Michigan–based McLaren Health Care, has 15
locations across Michigan. Karmanos CMO George Yoo, MD, is bullish on the
future of telehealth in oncology care.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/improving-communication-technology
Improving Communication With Technology
Analysis
| By PSQH |
May 12, 2021
Can the
right tools solve tech-enabled communication challenges?
This article
was originally published March 12, 2021 on PSQH by Megan Headley
Clear
communication—with patients and colleagues—is a critical component of effective
healthcare. Yet the sheer amount of information to communicate, not to mention
distractions that derail effective discussions, can make achieving this clarity
challenging.
Eliminating
the technology that has complicated patient care is not an option, so health
systems are searching for strategic technology deployments to address some of
the challenges that have emerged. The results aim to bring physicians, nursing
staff, and patients back into the realm of more meaningful interaction.
Less note-taking drives stronger patient interactions
Too
much screen time has made it more difficult for providers to connect with
patients. According to a 2005 evaluation of
the impact of exam room computers on communication between clinicians and
patients, these computers can monopolize the clinician’s attention, to the
detriment of their conversation with the patient.
Rather
than removing the exam room computers, Rush University Medical
Center invested in a technology solution to combat this problem.
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/directtrust-promotes-over-170m-direct-secure-messages-in-2021-q1
DirectTrust Promotes Over 170M Direct Secure Messages in 2021 Q1
The health
data exchange has streamlined over 2.3 billion direct secure messages since it
started tracking the statistic in 2014.
By Christopher Jason
May 11, 2021
- DirectTrust has announced
it facilitated over 170 million direct secure messages within its network
during the 2021 first quarter.
The 172.5
million
direct secure messages are a 21 percent increase compared to the same time
in 2020. The nonprofit network reached nearly 2.3 billion total direct exchange
transactions since it began tracking the statistic in 2014.
“We’re delighted
to see the continued steady growth in Direct Secure Messaging following a hit
to use during the early days of the pandemic,” Scott Stuewe, President and CEO
of DirectTrust, said in a statement.
“Direct
continues to be a reliable means for ensuring safe and secure transport of
health information, and its consistent use—now averaging 57+ million per
month—confirms our position that interoperability of electronic health
information is here and will continue to gain traction as a cost-effective
means of improving the coordination of patient care.”
-----
https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/new-study-shows-mhealth-games-help-children-with-autism-and-their-parents
New Study Shows mHealth Games Help Children With Autism - And Their
Parents
The
program coordinated by Magellan Health and Mightier, a spinoff from Boston
Children's and Harvard medical School, finds that mHealth games boost behavioral
health outcomes in kids and reduce stress in their parents.
By Eric Wicklund
May 11, 2021
- A recent pilot program has found that an mHealth game platform tailored
for children with Autism not only improves behavioral health outcomes – it also
reduces stress in parents.
The
long-awaited results are from a program launched in 2020 by Mightier, a
Boston-based connected health company spun out of Boston Children’s Hospital
and Harvard Medical School, and Arizona-based managed care company Magellan
Healthcare. They point to a potentially promising future for mHealth games in
helping healthcare providers and families improve care management and outcomes
in the home.
“It is
important to understand families as a whole, and to not only look at children’s
symptoms when deploying an intervention,” Matthew Miller, senior vice president
of behavioral health for Magellan Healthcare, said in a press release issued
today. “Families using Mightier reported decreased stress, an increase in
confidence, and an increase in access to resources relative to control – gains
that point to improvements for the child as well as higher functionality for
parents and families.”
According to the study, which
involved 36 families divided into two groups, more than 80 percent of the
children who played the games in conjunction with applied behavioral analysis
(ABA) treatment saw an improvement in their behavioral health, according to
their parents, while 55 percent of children who used only ABA treatment saw an
improvement.
------
https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20210505/while-empowering-patients-oncology-open-notes-may-add-to-physician-workload
May 10, 2021
While empowering patients, oncology open notes may add to physician
workload
Beyond
its principal mission of saving lives and avoiding harm, a major priority of
modern medicine is to promote patient autonomy and engagement.
In
recent years, a focus on patient empowerment has led to a push for greater
transparency between patients and their providers.
To
that end, a provision added to the 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress
in 2016, allows patients access to all information in their electronic health
records without delay. The information available to patients under the
Interoperability and Information Blocking Rule includes physician notes about
the patient encounter, providing so-called “open notes.”
Although
many institutions have offered open notes for years, the federal rule did not
take effect until April.
“Even
before open notes, patients could go through the medical records department and
access their records, but this makes the access open,” Narek
Shaverdian, MD, radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center, told HemOnc Today. “So, now the patient doesn’t need
to make a request; they don’t have to wait. It facilitates the transfer of
information so that there’s no longer a wall between the patient and their
records.”
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/the-interoperability-infrastructure-passed-the-covid-19-test
The Interoperability Infrastructure Passed the COVID-19 Test
A
digitized healthcare and interoperability infrastructure was put to the test
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Christopher Jason
May 10, 2021
- When a healthcare crisis hits, scientists try to figure out the what,
why, and who of the crisis, and during COVID-19, that search coincided with
significant disruption, according to Tom Skelton, chief executive officer of
Surescripts.
“During the
pandemic, we saw disruption to the roles that clinicians were playing,” Skelton
said in an interview with EHRIntelligence. “We saw disruptions to the nature of
the patient makeup that health systems were responsible for. We saw changes in
care venues; offices were no longer able to see patients, so everything became
telehealth. All of that together created a significant demand for information.”
Interoperability
has always been a significant focus for the healthcare sector, and COVID-19
found a way to accelerate patient data exchange and interoperability. Whether
it was at a major health system, a clinic, a field hospital, or in a special
suite where clinicians provided telehealth, clinicians could access patient information.
“Interoperability
took pressure off of patients to deliver some of that information,” Skelton
added. “Overall, we saw some great stuff and it shows in some of the numbers
that Surescripts reported. We saw an increase in the number of clinicians
looking for patients records and we found 400 million links to clinical
documents that were very important to the care cycle.”
-----
https://ehrintelligence.com/news/how-to-integrate-a-patient-decision-aid-into-an-ehr-system
How to Integrate a Patient Decision Aid into an EHR System
A patient
decision aid EHR integration took a team of researchers 18 months to complete.
By Christopher Jason
May 10, 2021
- Integrating a patient decision aid (PDA) into the EHR is a six-step,
18-month process that requires support from a clinical champion, guidance from
an experienced health IT professional, and a willing EHR vendor team, according
to a study published in JMIR
Publications.
A PDA
provides evidence-based information in simple, digestible language to enable shared
decision-making between patients and clinicians.
Although PDAs
can enhance patient care, EHR
integration remains a significant hurdle. Integrating outside tools into
the EHR is complex and security concerns are a significant challenge, the study
authors noted.
This latest
study detailed the process for implementing a patient
decision aid into the EHR. The research team said the EHR integration was a
six-step process.
-----
https://healthitanalytics.com/news/machine-learning-gauges-unconsciousness-under-anesthesia
Machine Learning Gauges Unconsciousness Under Anesthesia
A machine
learning tool can accurately assess unconsciousness in patients under
anesthesia.
By Jessica Kent
May 10, 2021
- Machine learning can measure unconsciousness in patients under
anesthesia, allowing anesthesiologists to optimize drug doses, according to a study
published in PLOS One.
Anesthetic
drugs act on the brain but most anesthesiologists rely on heart rate,
respiratory rate, and movement to infer whether surgery patients remain
unconscious to the desired degree.
A team from
MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) showed that a machine learning
approach, attuned to the kind of anesthetic being used, can yield algorithms
that evaluate unconsciousness in patients based on brain activity with high
accuracy and reliability.
“One
of the things that is foremost in the minds of anesthesiologists is 'Do I have
somebody who is lying in front of me who may be conscious and I don't realize
it?'” said
senior author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor in The Picower
Institute for Learning and Memory and the Institute for Medical Engineering and
Science at MIT, and an anesthesiologist at MGH.
-----
https://patientengagementhit.com/news/social-determinants-of-health-hampered-covid-19-prevention-habits
Social Determinants of Health Hampered COVID-19 Prevention Habits
Patients
who face social determinants of health are less likely to take part in COVID-19
mitigation strategies, heightening health disparities.
By Hannah Nelson
May 07, 2021
- Social determinants of health were strongly associated with whether or
not an individual with heart disease adopted measures to prevent the spread of
COVID-19, according to a study
that draws attention to health disparities.
The study,
presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific
Session, is based on a survey that examined COVID-19 preventive habits among
more than 25,000 adults through the lens of sociodemographic factors. Researchers
analyzed survey responses from just over 2,000 individuals who reported a
history of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.
“Unless we
look at COVID-19 through the lens of social determinants of health, we may not
optimize our yield from interventions, and we might not be reaching the group
of individuals who need these interventions the most,” Kobina Hagan, MD, a
postdoctoral fellow at Houston Methodist Research Institute and the study's
lead author, said in a press
release.
The
researchers grouped the survey respondents who had heart disease into risk
quartiles based on social
determinants of health such as income, financial security, employment,
education, health insurance status, food insecurity, and neighborhood quality.
-----
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payer/covid-has-only-made-loneliness-worse-among-series-here-s-how-anthem-tackling-issue
COVID-19 has only made loneliness worse among seniors. Here's how Anthem
is tackling this issue
by Paige Minemyer
May 10, 2021
3:20pm
COVID-19 has
only worsened social isolation, but Anthem is addressing senior's loneliness
through a "wrap-around" program that encourages them to reach out.
Through
Member Connect, seniors are assigned a social care partner, who assists with
connecting them to community services to address their social needs. They
also have a phone pal, a volunteer Anthem associate who reaches out to them
weekly.
Many members
(78%) said they either agreed or strongly agreed that participating in the
program led to more meaningful connections with people. In addition, 66% said
they are happy or very happy when taking into account all facets of their life
in the past seven days.
Robin Caruso,
chief togetherness officer at Anthem's CareMore Health, told Fierce Healthcare
that the phone pals become a critical bridge to necessary services, such as
exercise or behavioral health, that the member might otherwise avoid.
-----
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/here-s-how-consensus-plans-to-attack-interoperability-opportunity-as-a-new-public-company
Here's how Consensus plans to 'attack' the interoperability opportunity as
a new public company
by Heather Landi
May 6, 2021
3:55pm
A company
primarily known in the healthcare industry for its cloud fax business is aiming
to tackle the broader interoperability market.
J2 Global, a
conglomerate of media and information services, recently announced plans
to split into two businesses, spinning off its internet fax business as a
new company called Consensus. The bulk of the company, in media and e-commerce,
will remain J2.
The spinoff
is expected to take effect by the third quarter of this year.
As
a new publicly traded company, Consensus
will consist of J2's cloud fax business, including the eFax business, and
related brands, with a focus on healthcare, which is expected to have $333
million to $342 million in revenue in 2021.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/reported-ransomware-attack-leads-weeks-aprima-ehr-outages
Reported ransomware attack leads to weeks of Aprima EHR outages
Some
customers describe being unable to access their clinic schedules, chart notes,
refill requests or incoming test results, among other issues.
By Kat Jercich
May 07, 2021 02:47
PM
A
reported ransomware attack on the CompuGroup Medical data center partner,
MedNetwoRX, has impeded some customers' access to their Aprima electronic
health record systems for more than two weeks.
According
to emails forwarded to Healthcare IT News, the disruption began on
April 22 – and some hosted Aprima clients are still waiting for service to be
restored as of Friday.
"The
outage has been tremendously disruptful to our ability to properly care for our
patients," said Dr. Christopher Fox, a Colorado-based endocrinologist.
Fox's
clinic, the Alpine Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, is
an Aprima EHR client.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/telehealth-2050-future-design-virtual-care-technology
Telehealth 2050: The future design of virtual care technology
In the
future, your doctor will shower with you! Well, not exactly. But here's what
one telemedicine expert has to say about the coming evolution of remote care.
By Bill Siwicki
May 10, 2021
11:56 AM
Miles
Romney, cofounder and chief technology officer at telehealth company eVisit,
paints a vivid, sci-fi-seeming picture of what virtual care will look like in
the year 2050.
He
starts by describing a hypothetical person's morning shower.
The
shower stall will be outfitted with a high-tech system, says Romney. Aided by
an ocular or neurological implant interface, the system takes a full-body CT
scan, while myriad instruments gently check various personal health metrics and
vitals, cataloging and sending those details to a care team.
The
person's daily data is analyzed in real time by artificial intelligence and
validated by providers. A transdermal infuser then delivers a personalized
cocktail of exactly what's needed – vitamins, relaxants, pain relievers, beta
blockers, anxiolytics, TNF inhibitors. The shower begins and as hot water hits,
one already feels the positive effects.
Romney
spoke with Healthcare
IT News about what he sees as the future of telehealth – when
virtual care will no longer be virtual care, it will just be care.
-----
https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/mass-general-brigham-and-future-ai-radiology
Mass General Brigham and the future of AI in radiology
The health
system's chief data science officer explains how artificial intelligence will
assist radiologists – and how it will lead to better patient outcomes.
By Bill Siwicki
May 10, 2021
11:41 AM
Artificial
intelligence is making fast progress in the field of radiology. Clinical
adoption of AI by radiologists has gone from none to 30% from 2015 to 2020,
according to a study by the American College of Radiology.
At
the high-profile health system Mass General Brigham, clinicians and IT
professionals are working together to advance the use of AI and machine
learning in radiology. They're making great strides in making the practice of
radiology better for radiologists and health outcomes better for patients.
Dr.
Keith Dreyer is chief data science officer and vice chairman of radiology at
the Mass General Brigham health system. He also is associate professor of
radiology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the American College of
Radiology Board of Directors.
Healthcare
IT News interviewed Dreyer to learn about all the progress being
made with AI in radiology at Mass General Brigham and to see how AI will
change the practice of radiology in the U.S. in the years to come.
-----
https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/telehealth/study-projects-telemedicine-save-healthcare-industry-21b-globally-2025
Study Projects Telemedicine to Save Healthcare Industry $21B Globally by
2025
Analysis
| By John Commins |
May 10, 2021
However,
the savings would be limited to developed nations where access to required
devices and Internet connectivity is prevalent.
KEY
TAKEAWAYS
·
The Juniper report, Telemedicine: Emerging
Technologies, Regional Readiness & Market Forecasts 2021‑2025, says that
teleconsultations will be a key driver of savings for the healthcare sector.
·
The report notes that there were more than 280
million teleconsultations performed in 2019. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic,
that number shot up to 348 million in 2020.
·
Juniper projects that third party healthcare
service developers will play a critical crucial in accelerating the use of
emerging telemedicine services.
·
A potential damper on the boom, at least in the
United States, could be the hefty investment needed to integrate telemedicine
services and mandates for data protection under HIPAA.
A new study
by Juniper Research projects that telemedicine will save the
healthcare industry $21 billion in costs by 2025, up from $11 billion in 2021,
and a growth rate of more than 80% in the next four years.
-----
https://histalk2.com/2021/05/07/weekender-5-7-21/
Weekly News Recap
- Walmart announces that it will
acquire telehealth provider MeMD.
- Cerner begins an external search to
replace Chairman and CEO Brent Shafer, who will leave the company.
- Systems at Scripps Health remain
down from a ransomware attack.
- R1 RCM will acquire VisitPay for
$300 million in casb.
- Connecticut launches a statewide
HIE.
- CareCloud agrees to pay $3.8 million
to settle federal charges that it paid kickbacks to customers who
recommended its EHR to prospects.
- Ascension Technologies files
paperwork indicating that it will lay off 651 IT employees in the fall as
it outsources their jobs.
-----
Enjoy!
David.
