Quote Of The Year

Timeless Quotes - Sadly The Late Paul Shetler - "Its not Your Health Record it's a Government Record Of Your Health Information"

or

H. L. Mencken - "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong."

Saturday, June 04, 2022

Weekly Overseas Health IT Links – 4th June, 2022.

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://www.digitalhealth.net/2022/05/looking-beyond-job-titles-in-the-world-of-data-digital-and-clinical-informatics/

Looking beyond job titles in the world of data, digital and clinical informatics

Digital Health CCIO Advisory Panel and Network members, Ramandeep Kaur and Ronke Adejolu discuss the impact numerous titles are creating in the data, digital and clinical informatics field.

DHI Newsteam – 26 May,2022

It’s hard not to notice the emergence and flurry of job titles (CCIO, CNIO, CAHPIO, CPIO, CMIO, CXIO, CDIO, CIO, CSIO and CHCIO) under the umbrella of data, digital and clinical informatics in the last few years.

While CIO, CNIO and CCIO job titles have been the front runners for a few years in the data, digital and informatics world, the variety of roles is expanding rapidly, and it is vital that we keep up. More importantly we must ensure job titles are a true reflection of the skills, knowledge, expertise and experience required to meet the demands, provision and delivery of health and care required across systems and for the 21st century.

Informaticians often ask for advice on how to further their careers from others in the industry and the myriad of titles no doubt makes this for an interesting conversation.

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https://www.digitalhealth.net/2022/05/online-sexual-health-service-rated-outstanding-by-cqc/

Online sexual health service rated outstanding by CQC

An online sexual health service has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with its focus on innovation and digital technology highlighted in the report.

Cora Lydon 23 May, 2022

SH:24 was rated as outstanding overall by the CQC following its first inspection earlier this year. The service also achieved ‘outstanding’ for being safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and being well-led.

The inspection praised the service’s contribution to innovation, improvement and increased access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, marking it as outstanding.

In addition, the CQC report noted that in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sexual health service significantly scaled up its online contraceptive services to reduce the need for in-person clinics.

It also used technology innovatively to ensure that patients had 24/7 access to treatment, support and care. The service’s online resources ensured patients could access information when needed and were supported in making positive choices about their lives.

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https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/senate-ransomware-cisa/624369/

Feds remain in the dark as ransomware disclosure lags

The government’s lack of ransomware data makes it more difficult to prevent, mitigate and recover from attacks, said Sen. Gary Peters, D-MI.

Published May 25, 2022

 David Jones Reporter

Dive Brief:

  • Sen. Gary Peters, D-MI, urged the Biden administration to implement a cyber incident reporting mandate, after the Senate Homeland Security committee issued a report Tuesday showing the vast majority of ransomware attacks and crypto-based payments continue to go unreported. 
  • Peters said the federal government lacks comprehensive data on ransomware attacks, making it more difficult to prevent, mitigate and recover from malicious attacks against critical infrastructure, which has skyrocketed in recent years. 
  • Congress in March passed the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, which requires critical infrastructure providers to report substantial cyberattacks as well as ransomware payments to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).  

Dive Insight:

Peters in July 2021 launched an investigation into the role cryptocurrencies play in ransomware. The probe was announced after a series of devastating ransomware attacks on key industries, including the May 2021 attack on Colonial Pipeline, followed weeks later by a ransomware attack on meat supplier JBS USA and the July ransomware attack against IT monitoring firm Kaseya

The attacks demonstrated the potential impacts of such malign activity on national security, giving rise to a series of Biden administration measures to crack down on ransomware. 

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2022/05/24/telehealths-newest-frontier-emergency-medicine/?sh=453fc0f561cb

Telehealth’s Newest Frontier: Emergency Medicine

Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D.

May 24, 2022,09:18pm EDT

Telehealth has been a prominent buzzword for the last few years. With the emergence of Covid-19 and a newfound respect for remote healthcare services, telehealth/telemedicine have been a large focus of healthcare organizations and physicians alike. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides a broad definition: “Telehealth — sometimes called telemedicine — lets your doctor provide care for you without an in-person office visit. Telehealth is done primarily online with internet access on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.”

Within the realm of this definition, telehealth doesn’t exactly sound like something that the practice of emergency medicine (EM) would embrace, given that the very nature of EM entails high acuity, critical care. Despite this paradox, however, EM as a specialty is slowly adapting in order to better utilize this transformative technology.

In fact, there are a variety of different telehealth modalities slowly being introduced into the world of EM. HHS breaks it into five different potential categories of use:

  • Tele-Triage: using telehealth modalities to determine the acuity of a patient’s injuries and the care and resources required
  • Tele-Emergency Care: “Tele-emergency medicine connects providers at a central hub emergency department to providers and patients at spoke hospitals (often small, remote, or rural) through video or similar telehealth technology.”
  • Virtual Rounds: monitoring emergency department patients remotely, reducing the number of physical providers and physicians needed on-site
  • E-Consults: providers and physicians can seek consultations or specialty management for patients
  • Telehealth for Follow-Up Care: “Telehealth technology can also be used to provide follow-up care for patients who were triaged but not sent to the emergency department, or for patients after they are discharged from the emergency department.”

https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/telehealth-widely-used-by-allergy-immunology-providers

Telehealth Widely Used by Allergy, Immunology Providers

An AMA survey shows that 92 percent of allergy and immunology providers used a telehealth modality for care delivery in 2021.

By Mark Melchionna

May 24, 2022 - A survey conducted by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows that telehealth is popular among allergy and immunology providers, most of whom prefer live audio-visual modalities for visits.

The survey polled 2,232 providers, 136 of whom specialized in allergy and immunology. The survey was conducted in 2021.

Researchers found that 92 percent of allergists and immunologists used telehealth. A vast majority (97 percent) used audio-visual platforms, while 59 percent used audio-only, and 16 percent used asynchronous telehealth modalities.

Researchers surmised that those who did not use more advanced telehealth platforms faced issues relating to access to technology and digital literacy.

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https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/05/27/downstream-impacts-of-ehr-optimization/

Downstream Impacts of EHR Optimization

May 27, 2022

John Lynn

Yesterday we shared 6 EHR optimization tips with you.  Today, we’re going to look at the ecosystem of technology that interacts with the EHR and makes the EHR experience better (or worse if done wrong).  It’s easy to talk about optimizing the EHR as just configuring the EHR setting and workflows, but EHR software these days now integrates with often hundreds of other systems.  If we’re going to optimize the EHR experience, we’re going to have to integrate the right add-on products and make sure those integrations are done the right way.

Here are just a few examples members of the Healthcare IT Today community shared with us when it comes to the downstream impacts of EHR optimization and the need to properly integrate with other solutions.

Dr. Kikelomo (Dayo) Belizaire, Chief Medical Officer at Pegasystems
When EHRs are not optimized, siloes ensue and breakdown in communication across staff and providers occur, which in turn results in a fractured health ecosystem that culminates in poor patient outcomes. Additionally, an arduous and cumbersome EHR can exacerbate time pressures and inefficiencies that result in both staff and physician burnout. More administrative work takes the focus away from care delivery and can cause gaps in care. Patient safety is of the utmost importance but is at risk when providers are bogged down by inefficient EHRs.

Jon-Michael Smith, Head of Healthcare & Life Science Analytics – Data Integration at Qlik
At the end of the day through a bit of common sense, one can make the case that only through proper EHR optimization can health systems use their data accurately. Most of what hospitals are calling EMR optimization isn’t really optimization in the dictionary sense: most hospitals are actually doing remediation of technical flaws not fixed in the initial implementation and defining and rolling out deeper clinical content to deliver actionable data insights. So, improved information technology in the healthcare digital care community is critical for healthcare data integrity and all of the clinical analytics, population health management, and personalized care activities that should all flow together.

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https://healthitanalytics.com/news/data-sharing-knowledge-gaps-widespread-among-patients

Data Sharing Knowledge Gaps Widespread Among Patients

A new survey has identified significant knowledge gaps among patients about the types of healthcare data collected and how they are shared, used, and protected.

By Shania Kennedy

May 26, 2022 - Only about half of respondents (52 percent) identified health information as part of the personal data collected and shared in clinical settings, indicating significant knowledge gaps among patients about healthcare data collection, use, and security.

The Health Care Data Sharing Survey, commissioned and published by Chicago-based clinical data management company Q-Centrix, was conducted in December 2021 with a sample size of 1,191 people.

Fifty-three percent of respondents were female, and 47 percent were male. Respondents fell into four age groups: 18-29 (21 percent), 30-44 (27 percent), 45-60 (29 percent), and over 60 (23 percent). Respondents were also split based on household income: $49,999 or less (41 percent), $50,000-$99,999 (34 percent), and $100,000 or more (25 percent).

When asked what types of personal data are collected and shared in clinical settings, 87 percent of respondents chose personal information, such as name, address, and phone number. Seventy-four percent chose demographic data, and 73 percent selected location tracking data. Sixty-eight percent responded that information about their interests was being collected. But, only 52 percent selected health information.

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https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hc3-highlights-tactics-techniques-of-four-major-russian-cyber-organizations

HC3 Highlights Tactics, Techniques of Four Major Russian Cyber Organizations

HC3 provided notes on the tactics, techniques, and procedures of four major cyber organizations linked to the Russian Intelligence Services.

By Jill McKeon

May 26, 2022 - The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) issued a brief outlining the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of four major cyber organizations linked to the Russian Intelligence Services.

The Russian Intelligence Services are comprised of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU).

As previously reported, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked widespread cyber concerns for US critical infrastructure. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have also released numerous warnings about Russian state-sponsored cyber operations.

Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) showed a significant uptick in healthcare cyberattacks. The report noted that “heightened geopolitical tensions are also driving increased sophistication, visibility, and awareness around nation-state affiliated cyberattacks.”

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https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/qualified-health-information-network-qhin-application-process-details-released?id=130244

Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN) application process details released

The Sequoia Project has released new details on the process and requirements for becoming a Qualified Health Information Network (QHIN), inching forward toward launching the QHIN application process later this year.

May 20 2022


Marla Durben Hirsch


The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) made the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement available in January this year. The Sequoia Project was selected to serve as the recognized coordinating entity (RCE) to support the implementation of TEFCA. created to facilitate nationwide interoperability as required under the 21st Century Cures Act to, TEFCA calls for forming QHINs to facilitate nationwide data exchange among a wide variety of organizations in an effort to improve care.

The effort will establish a universal policy and technical floor for nationwide interoperability to simplify connectivity and enable individuals to more easily obtain their healthcare information. The QHINs are expected to be the backbone of interoperability, connecting to each other and to their participants and subparticipants.

The Sequoia Project on May 16 released drafts of:

A QHIN onboarding and designation standard operation procedure.

A QHIN application.

An SOP on the types of entities that can be a participant or subparticipant in a QHIN.

Sequoia will accept comments on the drafts through June 15.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/northern-ireland-implement-fully-integrated-electronic-health-and-care-record

Northern Ireland to implement fully integrated electronic health and care record

The digital transformation programme will connect acute physical, mental health, community care and social services.

By Tammy Lovell

May 26, 2022 02:46 AM

Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI) is working with healthcare technology specialist, Tegria, and digital health consultancy, Cloud21 to support its national digital transformation programme. 

The organisations will help to deliver Northern Ireland’s Encompass programme – a decade long initiative to implement a fully integrated electronic health and care record across acute physical, mental health, community care and social services.

Under the agreement, Tegria and Cloud21, will provide strategic guidance, programme readiness and electronic patient record (EPR) implementation expertise.

WHY IT MATTERS

Northern Ireland is set to become the first UK country to integrate a fully integrated electronic health and care record across all care settings.

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https://www.healthcareittoday.com/2022/05/26/6-ehr-optimization-tips/

6 EHR Optimization Tips

May 26, 2022

John Lynn

One thing I’ve learned in 16 years writing about health IT and particularly focused on EMR (now EHR if you prefer), is that the EHR still impacts so many things in the life of a clinician.  Yes, hospitals and health systems have 1000s of health IT solutions that they have to manage, upgrade, secure, etc.  However, the EHR is still the center of most doctors and nurses lives.  How well it’s implemented (or how poorly) has a massive impact on the experience doctors and nurses have throughout the day.

With this in mind, we wanted to focus this month on EHR optimization and how healthcare organizations should be approaching optimizing their EHR.  The challenge with the topic is that it’s often very unique to a specific healthcare organization.  However, we got a number of responses from people sharing what they think is required to optimize your EHR use.  Here’s a look at some of the ideas people shared:

Paul Brient, SVP and Chief Product Officer at athenahealth
Historically, the approach has been to create a standard workflow in an EHR and then teach physicians how to change their practice to mesh with that workflow. With modern technologies, we can make the EHR work the way a given physician thinks and practices.

Gidi Stein, Co-Founder and CEO at MedAware
EMR optimization includes buckets: 1) Workflow efficiency – is working with an EMR improves work efficiency? Or makes it more cumbersome? Most EMRs fail this. 2) Data integrity – can I trust the data that exists in my EMR? Are the problem list and medication list correct and up to date? Is the patient’s weight accurate? Again – most EMRs fail this. 3) Upgrade compatibility – is patient care compromised following EMR upgrades? Is workflow efficiency or data integrity negatively impacted by EMR upgrades?

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/health-systems-are-moving-beyond-video-visit

Health Systems Are Moving Beyond the Video Visit

Analysis  |  By Eric Wicklund  |   May 24, 2022

Propelled by more engaged consumers and available digital health devices, healthcare providers are taking that next step and replicating the physical exam at home.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         As the nation moves beyond the pandemic, healthcare organizations are looking beyond video-based telehealth encounters and using new devices that offer more opportunities for collaboration between patient and provider.

·         An increase in digital health devices coming onto the market aim to replicate the physical exam, with tools and capabilities to measure a variety of physiological touchpoints, including vital signs and activities.

·         Healthcare organizations are integrating this technology into their remote patient monitoring and direct-to-consumer programs to improve engagement and outcomes, and are hoping to collect the data needed to convince payers to make this a standard of care.

Healthcare organizations are starting to look beyond the video visit to connect with patients at home, with new programs that pull in smart devices, wearables, and other digital health technology to make the experience more than just a video chat.

At MemorialCare, a health system in southern California, administrators have expanded their Virtual Urgent Care platform to include technology that allows patients to conduct guided physicals at home. In a partnership with New York-based TytoCare, the health system is sending handheld examination kits that allow users to conduct examinations of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and lungs, and measures, among other things, heart rate and temperature.

"We can actually allow a physical exam to take place in the patient's home," says Mark Schafer, MD, CEO of the MemorialCare Medical Foundation, which comprises more than 300 primary care physicians and 2,000 specialists.

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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/ehr-documentation-using-virtual-scribes-boosts-clinician-satisfaction

EHR Documentation Using Virtual Scribes Boosts Clinician Satisfaction

The use of virtual scribes has accelerated since the onset of COVID-19 to address EHR documentation burden and improve clinician satisfaction.

By Hannah Nelson

May 25, 2022 - Healthcare organizations that have leveraged virtual scribes reported decreased EHR documentation time and improved clinician satisfaction, according to a KLAS report.

Virtual scribes are remote human scribes who communicate with clinicians via a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or another two-way communication device. Scribes enter clinical notes, update charts, clarify information, and make suggestions to physicians.

Since the onset of COVID-19, the adoption of virtual scribing services has grown among healthcare organizations to ease documentation burdens and limit the number of staff members present during patient examinations.

The KLAS report outlines client experiences with two frequently used virtual scribe vendors: ScribeEMR and AQuity Solutions.

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https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/24/health-data-privacy-patients-records/

Top privacy researchers urge the health care industry to safeguard patient data

By Megan Molteni May 24, 2022

Patient data might be the biggest business you’ve never heard of.

As a STAT investigation published Monday revealed, data brokers are quietly trafficking in Americans’ health information — often without their knowledge or consent, and beyond the reach of federal health privacy laws. This market in medical records has become highly lucrative  — $13.5 billion annually —  thanks to advances in artificial intelligence that enable the slicing, dicing, and cross-referencing of that data in powerful new ways.

But the building of these algorithms often sidelines patient privacy. And researchers who’ve been tracking these erosive effects say it’s time to reform how health data is governed and give patients back control of their information.

“Privacy is an elusive concept, but the potential harms when it’s taken away or when it’s lost — those are critically important to understand,” Eric Perakslis, chief science and digital officer of the Duke Clinical Research Institute said Tuesday at the 2022 STAT Health Tech Summit in San Francisco. “And if we can’t figure out privacy in some way with a law we should be figuring out what those harms are and making them illegal.”

One of the most frequent harms he and other researchers have chronicled: Patients being denied care or insurance coverage based on information payers drew from their social media activities after combining datasets to re-identify them. “We hear those stories all the time,” he said. “Data re-identification isn’t illegal. And there’s lots of things like that I wouldn’t even call loopholes. Loopholes imply something’s working. They’re just the truth of the ecosystem.”

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https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/974420

What Will It Take to Cure EHR Note Bloat?

Melissa Walton-Shirley, MD

May 24, 2022

I recently returned to hospital-based cardiology because I missed patient contact and the camaraderie of colleagues. What I didn't miss was all the typing. Not a day goes by when I do not curse Epic, MEDITECH, Athenahealth, Cerner, and any and all electronic health record (EHR) platforms.

I remember how efficient my day used to be, when I could quickly dictate a note, spend more time with patients, and get home to my family. For those of us in hospital-based medicine, there is no help in sight, but help did come for my friends in office-based medicine in January 2021. However, despite changes in the Evaluation & Management (E/M) coding requirements, many doctors remain chained to their laptops typing the equivalent of War and Peace.

Reams of lab results, orders, and imaging reports are still lobbed into office notes when just a mention would suffice. This "note bloat" drives a large portion of physician burnout at a cost of hundreds of lives and $1.7 billion annually.

Some hire scribes to handle the documentation burden, but that's like prescribing a drug to treat the side effects of another. So who should be held accountable and who can help us?

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https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/surgeon-general-advisory-sounds-warning-healthcare-worker-burnout-resignation

2022

Surgeon General advisory sounds warning on healthcare worker burnout, resignation

A new advisory suggests healthcare organizations reduce administrative burdens and address workers' mental health needs.

Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor

With a projected shortage of nearly 140,000 physicians by 2033, and a shortage of three million lower-wage healthcare workers in the next five years, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has sounded the alarm on the country's ongoing healthcare burnout crisis.

Health workers – including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, and nurse aides – have long faced systemic challenges in the healthcare system, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. That, according to Murthy, is leading to crisis levels of burnout.

The pandemic, of course, only made things worse, prompting Murthy to issue an advisory for addressing health worker burnout that includes recommendations such as reducing administrative burdens, being more responsible to workers' needs and eliminating punitive policies for seeking mental health and substance use disorder care.

Specifically, Murthy advised that hospitals and health systems should listen to workers and seek their involvement to improve workflows and organizational culture. On the mental health front he called for ensuring on-demand counseling and increased accessibility to after-work care.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/new-york-state-office-aging-deploys-ai-robots-companions-older-adults

New York State Office for the Aging deploys AI robots as companions for older adults

The U.S. Surgeon General declared social isolation to be a "global epidemic." The office hopes these companions can help care for seniors.

By Bill Siwicki

May 25, 2022 12:18 PM

Building on its effort to battle social isolation and support aging in place, the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is delivering voice-operated smart technology to the homes of more than 800 older adults.

NYSOFA is working with local offices for the aging and partners to identify older adults who would most benefit from the technology: ElliQ by Intuition Robotics, which is described by the company as a proactive and empathetic care companion.

ElliQ is designed to foster independence and provide support for older adults through daily check-ins, assistance with wellness goals and physical activities, connection to family and friends, and other functions, using voice commands or on-screen instructions.

The technology recently launched commercially after years of pilots and early production deployments. Users have an average of 20 daily interactions. ElliQ is made specifically for older adults to support independence at home. While other technologies are reactive to commands, ElliQ proactively suggests activities and initiates conversations, building context through artificial intelligence to inform follow-up conversations that create a sense of relationship with the AI, the company explained.

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/commonspirit-health-uses-analytics-technology-optimize-or

CommonSpirit Health Uses Analytics Technology to Optimize the OR

Analysis  |  By Scott Mace  |   May 25, 2022

The health system's new platform replaces manual processes to maximize staffed OR utilization and improve a hospital's bottom line.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         CommonSpirit Health is using technology that allows the health system to maximize use of its ORs, reducing wasted time and resources and improving efficiency and profits.

·         The technology, developed by LeanTaaS, enables marketing teams to reach out to area surgeons to fill vacant staffed ORs.

·         The health system plans to expand that platform to more hospitals across the country by the end of 2022.

A major rollout of technology designed to optimize operating room use is helping drive profits at one of the nation's largest health systems.

The technology, developed by LeanTaaS, replaces manual systems with AI-based automation at Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, which operates 142 hospitals in 21 states. It targets workflows by providing real-time access to OR availability and scheduling, allowing schedulers and staff to manage OR use more efficiently, reduce potential transcription errors and ease stress for both providers and patients.

Dignity Health, which merged with Catholic Health Initiatives to form CommonSpirit Health, reports that 36 of its hospitals have used the technology and saw an additional contribution margin of 14.5 times the return on investment from May 2019 to December 2020, compared to previous year-over-year measurements.

The driving force behind this deployment is Brian Dawson, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR, CSSM, system vice president of perioperative services. He came to CommonSpirit Health after stints at Sutter Health and Keck Medicine of USC, as well as serving as executive assistant to and chief of staff for the surgeon general of the US Navy.

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/finance/get-data-security-funding-right

Get Data Security Funding Right

Analysis  |  By David Weldon  |   May 25, 2022

Hospitals must weigh several factors, including staff needs and overall risk appetite.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         Hospitals typically spend 5%–15% of an IT budget on information security

·         Regulatory compliance issues determine where security investments must be made

·         The need to hire new security leaders is a quick way to push security budgets to new heights

The healthcare sector continues to be a favorite target for cybercriminals, who place great value on patient data. Information about a person's identity, medical conditions, treatments, and procedures enable threat actors to attempt all sorts of fraud, including fake medical billings and insurance claims.

The dark web, the global underground marketplace for stolen data, is rife with the sale of personally identifiable information (PII) and medical information. There are a host of compliance regulations that hospitals and healthcare systems must meet to protect data privacy.

This places pressure on hospitals to get their information security funding right. But paying for information security is like buying insurance. You need it, but you don't want to overspend on it. The challenge for hospitals is knowing how much security spending is enough and where it should be invested. To get to the heart of those questions, HealthLeaders spoke to several experts about their security spending strategies.

The percentage of IT budgets typically spent on security

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/pharma/growing-partnerships-digital-health-companies-signal-shift-strategy

Growing Partnerships With Digital Health Companies Signal Shift in Strategy

Analysis  |  By Robin Robinson  |   May 25, 2022

Sanofi and Leaps by Bayer are just two pharmaceutical companies using digital technologies to reach stakeholders more effectively.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         Investment in digital health companies jumped 79% in 2021

·         Digital health is earning a permanent position in pharma business models

·         Sanofi is one of the companies adopting digital health as a strategy

·         Positive outcomes will spur more growth in three to five years

This spring ushered in a swell of partnerships between pharma and digital health companies that flag a growing trend in healthcare. This much needed move to digital has been spurred by the increasing number of health consumers who want an Amazon-like experience, combined with the forces of the COVID-19 pandemic that required pharma to rapidly adopt digital technology.

"The pandemic pushed both digital health and telehealth forward by 15 years in a matter of three weeks," says Rick Anderson, president and general manager of North America at DarioHealth.

According to a CBI Insights report of 2021 digital health investment activity, funding grew 79% year over year to reach a record of $57.2 billion. Experts claim these investments will only continue to grow. "There are more and more opportunities for collaboration, and I expect that will accelerate over the next three to five years," Anderson adds. "We're definitely going to see more and more of those kinds of partnerships as people try and leverage those different worlds."

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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/directtrust-gains-ansi-approval-for-adt-event-notifications-data-standard

DirectTrust Gains ANSI Approval for ADT Event Notifications Data Standard

The event notifications data standard aims to help healthcare organizations comply with the new CMS rule on ADT notifications.

By Hannah Nelson

May 24, 2022 - DirectTrust announced that the Event Notifications via the Direct Standard has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as a national data standard.

DirectTrust developed Event Notifications via the Direct Standard to improve communication between hospitals and care teams and address the new CMS rule on Admissions, Discharges, and Transfers (ADT) notifications that went into place on May 1, 2021.

A DirectTrust consensus created an implementation guide that outlines how hospitals and health systems can use Direct Secure Messaging to send ADT notifications. The guide also highlights how primary care teams can prepare to handle inbound messages.

“We are excited ANSI has recognized Event Notifications via the Direct Standard as a national standard,” Scott Stuewe, DirectTrust president and CEO, said in a public statement.

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https://patientengagementhit.com/news/chime-wedi-launch-patient-education-campaign-on-health-data-sharing

CHIME, WEDI Launch Patient Education Campaign on Health Data Sharing

The initiative will include a 5-step checklist to increase patient education about health data sharing, helping patients protect their health information while using third-party apps.

By Sarai Rodriguez

May 24, 2022 - The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) have launched the “THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK” campaign to enhance patient education about health data sharing.

As part of the 21st Century Cures Act, the federal government has mandated that all healthcare providers offer patients immediate access to their digital records and clinical notes.

As more patients use third-party apps to access their health information, the need to ensure the privacy and security of this data has grown with it, the press release stated. Yet, most of these apps are not bound by any current privacy and security requirements.

Often, patients may not realize that once their health information is transmitted to a third-party app, it is no longer protected by HIPAA. The security of their health information is largely up to individual companies, WEDI stated.

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https://ehrintelligence.com/features/how-a-national-patient-id-standard-could-boost-population-health

How a National Patient ID Standard Could Boost Population Health

Patient ID Now coalition members noted that a national patient ID standard could enhance population health through improved patient matching.

May 23, 2022 - A national patient health identifier standard is integral to supporting direct patient care, value-based care, and population health initiatives through enhanced patient matching, according to members of the Patient ID Now coalition.

Earlier this month, over 100 members of Patient ID Now sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees calling to remove a funding ban for a national patient health identifier standard.

Patient ID Now is a coalition of healthcare organizations committed to advancing a national strategy to address patient identification. Founding members of the coalition are the American College of Surgeons, AHIMA, CHIME, HMMS, Intermountain Healthcare, and Premier Healthcare Alliance.

The letter noted that outdated rider language in Section 510 of the Fiscal Year 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations bill prohibits HHS from spending federal dollars to adopt a national unique patient identifier standard.

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https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/study-teletherapy-program-reduces-ocd-symptoms

Study: Teletherapy program reduces OCD symptoms

Researchers found a 43.4% mean reduction in patient-rated obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

By Emily Olsen

May 23, 2022 01:28 pm

A teletherapy program reduced symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, and most patients maintained improvements up to a year later, according to a study published in JMIR

The treatment, from digital mental health company NOCD, included twice-weekly video appointments that used exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy for three weeks. Patients then underwent six weeks of weekly half-hour video check-ins. Researchers followed up with the patients three, six, nine and twelve months after the therapy program. 

The study found a 43.4% mean reduction in patient-rated obsessive-compulsive symptoms as well as a 44.2% mean reduction in depression, a 47.8% mean reduction in anxiety and a 37.3% mean reduction in stress symptoms. Of the more than 3,500 patients included in the study, more than 1,600 participated in follow-up surveys.

The study's authors were employed by NOCD or reported they had received payments from NOCD while conducting the study.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/himss-welcomes-plans-emram-stage-5-become-nhs-baseline

HIMSS welcomes plans for EMRAM Stage 5 to become NHS baseline

NHS England will prioritise the least digitally mature trusts for investment.

By Tammy Lovell

May 24, 2022 12:11 PM

HIMSS has welcomed plans for NHS trusts to receive national investment to help them achieve EMRAM Stage 5 or above.

Under the new plans, NHS England (NHSE) will prioritise the least digitally mature NHS trusts for future investment funding in electronic patient record systems (EPRs), according to Digital Health News.

It reports that trusts have been divided into four groups ranging from the lowest Group 0 (which have no EPR) to Group 3 (equivalent to EMRAM Stage 5).

Around 25 trusts in Group 0 will receive funding to help them implement EPRs. Meanwhile, a further 45 trusts will be brought up to the common baseline of Stage 5 on the HIMSS EMRAM, or Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, which measures the adoption and maturity of a health facility’s inpatient EPR capabilities from 0 to 7.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/telemedicine-answer-physician-burnout-and-staffing-shortages

Is telemedicine an answer to physician burnout and staffing shortages?

A physician who works full time via telehealth – and in brick-and-mortar ERs on the side – discusses the benefits to herself and the industry.

Bill Siwicki

May 24, 2022

With the huge initial swell in the use of virtual care in the rearview mirror, many industry experts – from health plans to big tech and practicing clinicians – are considering whether a doubling down on telehealth is just what the doctor ordered for the future of patient care.

Many clinicians are hungry for new opportunities that allow them to continue to serve patients without dealing with long-standing administrative burdens and the aftermath of burnout from COVID-19 in their hospitals, health systems and doctor's offices.

With too many clinicians continuing to stress that they've lost passion in their careers and considering quitting their jobs altogether, experts say change is needed. The healthcare industry can't afford to lose these highly skilled clinical workers to other industries.

On this note, Healthcare IT News interviewed Dr. Pooja Aysola, a practicing emergency department clinician in Boston and senior director of clinical operations at Wheel, a virtual care company.

She talks about physicians' newfound familiarity with telehealth and what it means for the future, the possibility of physicians working full time in telemedicine, and how virtual care can help with staffing shortages in healthcare.

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/payer/reuters-pharma-clinical-conference-explores-tech-and-patient-trust

Reuters Pharma Clinical Conference Explores Tech and Patient Trust

Analysis  |  By Laura Beerman  |   May 23, 2022

Clinical trial innovation must be patient-centered, inclusive, and tech-enabled.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         The Reuters Pharma Clinical 2022 conference featured the dual themes of patient and tech-centricity.

·         Standardization was a recurring theme in clinical trial design and data collection.

·         Additional tech topics included the expansion of virtual trials during the pandemic and the importance of real-world data.

The Reuters Pharma Clinical 2022 virtual conference, held May 17-19, featured more than 20 presentations but one predominant theme: that "accelerated technology adoption in clinical trials … has neglected patient needs." The conference included 40-plus speakers, largely from the life sciences industry.

The event spanned traditional topics (trial design, engagement, and participation) while highlighting the need for greater inclusivity so that the following tech advancements do not come at the expense of patients:

·         Standardizing trial data and digital health developments
 

·         Expanding clinical trial virtual options post pandemic
 

·         Using AI and machine learning to enroll more diverse participants faster

These topics were presented against the backdrop of the conference’s stated mission: "We must establish new industry-wide benchmarks now, leverage recent digital innovations, and ensure permanent cultural change toward patient-centric trials. If we do not act immediately, we risk losing this opportunity to rebuild patient trust."

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https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/innovation/health-systems-are-moving-beyond-video-visit

Health Systems Are Moving Beyond the Video Visit

Analysis  |  By Eric Wicklund  |   May 24, 2022

Propelled by more engaged consumers and available digital health devices, healthcare providers are taking that next step and replicating the physical exam at home.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

·         As the nation moves beyond the pandemic, healthcare organizations are looking beyond video-based telehealth encounters and using new devices that offer more opportunities for collaboration between patient and provider.

·         An increase in digital health devices coming onto the market aim to replicate the physical exam, with tools and capabilities to measure a variety of physiological touchpoints, including vital signs and activities.

·         Healthcare organizations are integrating this technology into their remote patient monitoring and direct-to-consumer programs to improve engagement and outcomes, and are hoping to collect the data needed to convince payers to make this a standard of care.

Healthcare organizations are starting to look beyond the video visit to connect with patients at home, with new programs that pull in smart devices, wearables, and other digital health technology to make the experience more than just a video chat.

At MemorialCare, a health system in southern California, administrators have expanded their Virtual Urgent Care platform to include technology that allows patients to conduct guided physicals at home. In a partnership with New York-based TytoCare, the health system is sending handheld examination kits that allow users to conduct examinations of the heart, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and lungs, and measures, among other things, heart rate and temperature.

"We can actually allow a physical exam to take place in the patient's home," says Mark Schafer, MD, CEO of the MemorialCare Medical Foundation, which comprises more than 300 primary care physicians and 2,000 specialists.

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https://healthitsecurity.com/news/experts-testify-on-healthcare-cybersecurity-issues-at-senate-hearing

Experts Testify on Healthcare Cybersecurity Issues at Senate Hearing

At the Senate HELP hearing, industry leaders testified on the current state of healthcare cybersecurity, advocating for immediate improvements to federal cybersecurity protocols.

By Jill McKeon

May 23, 2022 - The US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a full committee hearing to discuss the need for an increased focus on education and healthcare cybersecurity.

“Attacks on healthcare are increasing in volume, variety, and impact—with consequences that now include the loss of life,” Joshua Corman, founder of I Am the Cavalry, said in his testimony.

“While directionally correct steps have been taken, we’re getting worse faster than we’re getting better. Bold actions and assistance will be required to change this trajectory, address these market failures, lack of incentives, and historical under-investments.”

Cybercriminals have gained strength while defenders get weaker, Corman explained. In 2021 alone, more than 550 HIPAA-covered entities reported healthcare data breaches. Over 40 million individuals faced potential protected health information (PHI) exposure because of those breaches.

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https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/vibrating-pill-constipation-heads-fda-after-completing-phase-3-study

A vibrating pill for constipation heads to the FDA after completing phase 3 study

By Conor Hale

May 24, 2022 12:55am

A small, vibrating pill designed to help people with chronic constipation cleared a clinical study and is headed to the FDA for final review. 

Vibrant Gastro is putting forward its approach as a drug-free alternative for infrequent or difficult bowel movements. 

Swallowed along with a glass of water, the disposable pill—about the size of an everyday multivitamin—aims to do more than simply shake up any possible blockages. The device is designed to also help reset the connection between the gut and the brain’s circadian rhythm.

As it travels through the digestive system, its vibrations help stimulate the colon’s involuntary contractions, with the ultimate goal of resyncing them with the body’s biological clock to improve regular bowel movements after one to eight weeks of use. The pill’s progress can also be tracked via a companion smartphone app.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/self-tracking-your-health-data-wearables/

Self-tracking your health data

May 22, 2022 / 9:20 AM / CBS News

When you were growing up, the closest you ever got to a personal medical data-collection device was probably a thermometer, or a bathroom scale. But these days, health trackers are a lot more sophisticated – and a lot more wearable.

Smartwatches from companies like Fitbit and Apple are teeming with tiny sensors that display their findings on your smartphone. They can track heart rate, irregular heartbeats, blood oxygen levels, noise notifications, and even hand-washing. And, of course, your pulse rate.

Dr. Sumbul Desai, vice president of health at Apple, demonstrated to correspondent David Pogue how an Apple Watch can warn you about dangerous sound levels, measure your cardio fitness, and even perform an electrocardiogram. 

"And if you want to choose to share this with your doctor, you can hit 'export to PDF,'" she said.

But the most life-changing talent of the latest smartwatches is brand new: They can give you early warning of medical problems. "For example, if you're sleeping more or sleeping less than you used to, if your heart rate is at a different baseline heart rate than it was, those are early signs of things that may be going on," Desai said.

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https://ehrintelligence.com/news/cds-ehr-integration-aims-to-reduce-postoperative-opioid-use

CDS EHR Integration Aims to Reduce Postoperative Opioid Use

The MME Monitor EHR integration enables automatic calculation of daily opioid intake to aid in clinical decision support (CDS).

By Hannah Nelson

May 20, 2022 - An EHR integration at Baystate Medical Center (BMC) in Massachusetts aims to reduce postoperative use of opioids through interoperable clinical decision support (CDS).

One of the risk factors for continued opioid use is the postoperative prescription of opioids intended to be used only for a brief period, according to an HL7 case study that outlines BMC’s recent CDS project.

Studies have found that minimizing total Opioid Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MMEs) administered post-operatively correlates with reduced length of stay, costs, incidence of respiratory depression, and risk of opioid dependency.

However, calculation of in-hospital opioid use is burdensome, as it requires sorting through a variety of EHR data sources. Also, since opioids come in various forms and potencies, monitoring actual intake is time-consuming.

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https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/emea/british-startup-accurx-rolls-out-patient-centred-viewing-system

British startup accuRx rolls out patient-centred viewing system

Record View is available for NHS healthcare professionals in England and Wales.

By Tammy Lovell

May 23, 2022 03:15 AM

British healthtech firm accuRx has announced the national roll-out of its patient-centred viewing system, Record View, in England and Wales.

The system is available to NHS healthcare professionals free of use, following a successful pilot with four integrated care systems (ICSs).

Record View allows NHS healthcare professionals to view a read-only summary of a patient’s GP medical record for up to 24 hours, with the patient’s explicit permission via multi-factor authentication

WHY IT MATTERS

Already, 60% of GPs have opted-in to have their patient records viewed by healthcare professionals outside of primary care.

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Enjoy!

David.

 

Friday, June 03, 2022

I Will Probably Get In Big Trouble For This Blog!

This appeared last week:

Opportunities for women in digital health to lead a new frontier (and why it’s worth celebrating)

Last year, the inaugural Brilliant Connected Women in Digital Health awards demonstrated how women in digital health have led us through a period of vast uncertainty in recent times, and while we may be turning a corner on the COVID-19 pandemic there remains considerable scope for women in this sector to lead a new frontier.

Professor Mary Foley AM, Managing Director at Telstra Health notes for example a big opportunity to minimise the gender gap in the ICT sector as more women rise in digital health.

“Digital health has enormous potential to lead the ICT sector in the representation of women in influential roles, securing the benefits of gender diversity in improving technology and improving patient outcomes,” she says.

However, one of the most pressing issues facing the digital health sector in Australia remains attracting and retaining the best talent. To ensure the sector is continually evolving and innovating, it’s critical that women are afforded the right pathways from clinical roles and supported holistically to stay.

Part of this lies in recognising women for their achievements and providing a platform for further career growth.

That’s why Telstra Health is once again running its Brilliant Women in Digital Health Awards, with nominations now open to recognise 25 women from across Australia and their contributions in the health and aged care sectors.

First launched in 2021, the awards aim to support the purpose of the Brilliant Connected Women in Digital Health Network – to connect, share, inspire and celebrate – while raising awareness about the opportunities in the sector.

“Honouring the contributions of brilliant innovators, aspiring visionaries and exceptional entrepreneurs, the Awards aim to inspire women in their ambitions and to foster future leaders”, says Emeritus Professor Christine Bennett AO who will serve as one of the program’s judges in 2022.

Professor Jane Halton AO PSM agrees, noting that too often women’s achievements–particularly in industries like tech and health are overlooked. “This is an opportunity to promote our successes”, she says adding that the program aims to “embrace gender diversity in Australia’s health and aged care sectors.” 

“Recognising the contribution of these change makers in a relatively young sector sends a positive message to the next generation,” echoes Dr Louise Schaper, CEO, Australian Institute of Digital Health.

Nomination criteria for the awards include:

  • Technical expertise or contribution, with significant impact, in the health sector, aged care sector, or health and medical research sector.
  • Emerging leaders influencing or being accountable for digital transformation.
  • Making a positive impact supporting other women in the sector through mentorship or upskilling.
  • Nominee has demonstrated innovation in developing unique solution/s to address problems or opportunities.
  • Impact and influence in the digital industry – we want to hear about the work you do within your organisation and in the broader digital community
  • success in establishing and / or championing a digital vision or innovation

More here:

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/opportunities-for-women-in-digital-health-to-lead-a-new-frontier-and-why-its-worth-celebrating/

My problem with all this is that I did not think Digital Health – as a discipline – suffered from gender discrimination or inequality and so I wonder what the problem is we are trying to solve?

I fully understand there are occupations and professions that suffer all sorts of gender inequality and discrimination (think mining engineering to aged care) but I don’t seem to see it in Digital Health – gauging by the female participation etc.

The leadership of the Aust. Institute of Digital Health make the point – see here:

https://digitalhealth.org.au/about/leadership/

(7 ladies to 2 blokes on Board and a female CEO!) 

Please tell me I have got this wrong if I have, otherwise can we just more on to more productive matters?

David.