News

News

• January 15, 2019 15 Jan'19

  ONC updates, adds to Interoperability Standards Advisory

  Rules and regulations proposed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology hang in limbo, thanks to the government shutdown. But that isn't stopping the federal ...

• January 10, 2019 10 Jan'19

  CMS interoperability and patient access rule delayed by shutdown

  The healthcare sector is anxiously awaiting the release of federal health agencies' rules on interoperability, but the government shutdown will further delay their release.

• January 07, 2019 07 Jan'19

  HHS publishes guide on cybersecurity practices

  The Department of Health and Human Services published a guide of cybersecurity practices with the aim of reducing the growing risk from cyberattacks. The recommendations are just that -- ...

• December 24, 2018 24 Dec'18

  HHS seeks input to modify HIPAA rules, expert says proceed carefully

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking the public's input on how Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules should be modified to promote better patient ...

• December 20, 2018 20 Dec'18

  Healthcare in 2019: Forrester tags virtual care as trend to watch

  Virtual care, AI and widespread adoption of the FHIR standard will be major trends in healthcare next year, according to Forrester.

• December 18, 2018 18 Dec'18

  Consumerization of healthcare loomed large in 2018 stories

  Our top stories for 2018 are linked by one common and significant trend: The consumerization of healthcare continues to shake things up.

• December 14, 2018 14 Dec'18

  2 takeaways from Pagosa Springs Medical Center HIPAA settlement

  A Colorado hospital has agreed to pay the OCR $111,400 after a former employee allegedly continued to have access to a web-based scheduling calendar and patient protected health information.

• December 12, 2018 12 Dec'18

  FDA selects 8 medical device developers into opioid crisis challenge

  Eight applicants advance to the next stage of an FDA innovation challenge, which asked medical device developers to tackle the opioid crisis in new ways.

• November 30, 2018 30 Nov'18

  Why the FHIR standard may not get us to interoperability

  Too many versions of the FHIR API are floating around, and that could stall healthcare's move to interoperability. Can FHIR's supporters and detractors come together?

• November 29, 2018 29 Nov'18

  At RSNA 2018, Google Cloud exec talks customer and product strategy

  In this Q&A from RSNA 2018, Google Cloud's Greg Moore touts product strengths and expresses his hope that Google products can help the healthcare industry achieve 'positive digital transformation.'

• November 28, 2018 28 Nov'18

  New ONC health IT draft report aims to improve EHR usability

  A new draft report from the ONC acknowledges the challenges with EHRs and provides suggested solutions, including decreased regulation and more stakeholder cooperation.

• November 21, 2018 21 Nov'18

  RSNA 2018 shines light on AI, machine learning

  RSNA 2018 doesn't stray far from last year's themes, so conference-goers should expect to be inundated with all the ways that artificial intelligence and machine learning will modernize the medical imaging field.

• November 14, 2018 14 Nov'18

  Will AthenaHealth sale alter customer service, consultant wonders

  AthenaHealth announces it is set to be purchased for $5.7 billion by two private equity firms. One consultant plans to watch the new company's customer service levels.

• November 06, 2018 06 Nov'18

  A new breed of interoperable EHR apps is coming, but slowly

  Pioneering work with the FHIR API is beginning to pay off in interoperable applications for EHRs. And that could mean sweeping changes in healthcare.

• November 05, 2018 05 Nov'18

  Allscripts plans to make PDMP data accessible in EHRs

  Allscripts partners with Appriss Health to make access to PDMP data easier and available to clinicians within their workflows.

• October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18

  CHIME Most Wired survey: Interoperability slowly moves forward

  CHIME released its first Most Wired survey at its Fall CIO Forum, and found that the road to interoperability remains bumpy -- but there are signs of improvement.

• October 31, 2018 31 Oct'18

  New effort seeks to standardize business associates agreements

  To get new technology into hospitals faster, the Digital Health Collaborative wants to standardize security risk assessments and business associates agreements.

• October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18

  HIEs provide access to patient records in wake of Hurricane Michael

  By October 18, Hurricane Michael, the strongest U.S. storm in terms of maximum sustained wind speed since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, left 35 people dead and displaced over 300,000 people in Florida, ...

• October 24, 2018 24 Oct'18

  Broadband will boost telemedicine applications, FCC chairman says

  Telemedicine proponents have an ally: the chairman of the FCC. Here's what Ajit Pai has planned to get broadband into poor and rural communities in the U.S.

• October 16, 2018 16 Oct'18

  News roundup: 3 new blockchain in healthcare use cases

  Three companies see the promise of blockchain in healthcare in this week's news roundup. Here's the latest from Change Healthcare, MTBC and Ambrosus.

• October 05, 2018 05 Oct'18

  Medicare's new member of its healthcare data center: The cloud

  The U.S. Digital Service is slowly moving a Medicare mainframe to the cloud as a way to prepare for value-based care. Here's a look inside the office's deliberate strategy.

• October 02, 2018 02 Oct'18

  AHIMA Convention 2018 highlights EHR innovations

  Health information professionals shared visions of more effective EHR systems at the 2018 AHIMA Convention, including how to better identify LGBTQ patients in EHRs.

• August 17, 2018 17 Aug'18

  Tech giants support FHIR standard. Will that make a difference?

  Six tech giants have vowed to help healthcare interoperability efforts. It could be encouraging, or no help at all. Experts offer their predictions on the value.

• August 15, 2018 15 Aug'18

  McAfee threat research team uncovers healthcare security risks

  The McAfee advanced threat research team has shown that a weak communications protocol can lead to a 'man-in-the-middle' attack that could be hazardous to a patient's health.

• August 03, 2018 03 Aug'18

  Missouri hospital sued over medical records breach

  A lawsuit has been filed against Children's Mercy Hospital after the medical records of more than 60,000 patients were potentially compromised as a result of a phishing scam.

• July 26, 2018 26 Jul'18

  Expert questions funds for interoperability challenges in healthcare

  Up to $2 million will be provided by the ONC to two recipients to address interoperability challenges in healthcare, but one expert questions if it will be enough.

• July 25, 2018 25 Jul'18

  Healthcare APIs get a new trial run for Medicare claims

  Blue Button 2.0 is a new healthcare API aimed at making sense of Medicare claims. Developed by the U.S. Digital Service at HHS, the API is in 500 developer hands so far.

• July 17, 2018 17 Jul'18

  CMS creates chief health informatics officer position

  The newly created chief health informatics officer position for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will focus on developing a health IT strategy for CMS.

• July 11, 2018 11 Jul'18

  To fix healthcare IT, start with medical appointment reminders

  All the talk about interoperability in healthcare misses the point, according to Rick Halton, vice president of Lumeon, a European automated care pathway platform provider that moved in to the US ...

• July 06, 2018 06 Jul'18

  Can value-based care models cut costs? Yes, they can

  While value-based care efforts can be hard to implement and aging technology services don't always support them, these efforts are gaining a foothold and saving money.

• June 26, 2018 26 Jun'18

  News briefs: Study outlines best practices for patient matching

  Two organizations seek to improve patient identity management. A cybersecurity firm published a study on PHI sold on the dark web. And the FDA permitted the marketing of an AI algorithm for wrist-fracture detection.

• June 25, 2018 25 Jun'18

  Jefferson College of Population Health gets $2M endowment from vendor

  The dean of a prominent population health college discussed a new professorship at the school, thanks to an unusual endowment from a commercial health IT vendor.

• June 21, 2018 21 Jun'18

  Why healthcare APIs will save lives, money and time

  APIs have a toe-hold in the healthcare space today but that has to change, and quickly. Stan Huff, M.D., explains why open source has to be healthcare's future.

• June 19, 2018 19 Jun'18

  AARP, startups partner to study digital healthcare technology

  Clinicians and groups like AARP view in-home digital technology as the future of healthcare and are studying different technologies to assist patients in the home.

• June 14, 2018 14 Jun'18

  New Apple Health Records API may make a PHR app easier

  Apple's new Health Records API should mean a slew of incredibly customized healthcare apps later this year. But concerns remain about security and interoperability.

• June 06, 2018 06 Jun'18

  AthenaHealth CEO Jonathan Bush out as cloud EHR vendor soars

  Jonathan Bush quits as CEO of AthenaHealth in the midst of an unsolicited purchase bid from an activist investor and details surface about domestic abuse in Bush's 2006 divorce.

• May 14, 2018 14 May'18

  Healthcare data analytics success grows when IT advises execs

  Educating healthcare executives about data analytics, and seeing that healthcare organizations invest in data, is critical, according to a panel of experts.

• May 09, 2018 09 May'18

  Patient engagement system ties Change, Adobe, Microsoft

  In these news briefs, read how Change Healthcare partnered with Microsoft and Adobe to use their cloud and AI services. Also, learn about Uber and CVS' latest pushes into healthcare.

• May 08, 2018 08 May'18

  Google, Fitbit, startups storm into healthcare AI

  Google is moving quickly into healthcare, forging alliances with Fitbit and selling AI services to smaller health IT vendors. Meanwhile, Fitbit is expanding into healthcare.

• May 01, 2018 01 May'18

  American Well expands acute care services with Avizia acquisition

  At ATA18, American Well's chairman and CEO expressed the company's desire to 'democratize healthcare' with its acquisition of acute care telehealth company Avizia.

• April 25, 2018 25 Apr'18

  CMS elevates electronic health records interoperability

  CMS is replacing meaningful use with 'Promoting Interoperability' and proposing new Medicare payment programs with looser physician reporting rules and more price transparency.

• April 24, 2018 24 Apr'18

  New patient care models showcased at HLTH 2018 conference

  Top healthcare executives from all sectors of the industry convene to do business and dialogue about new approaches and technologies seen as disruptive to established care models.

• April 23, 2018 23 Apr'18

  ATA18 to explore the impact, potential of telemedicine

  AI in healthcare will feature prominently at the 2018 ATA annual conference. The role of telemedicine in the fight against the opioid crisis will also be discussed.

• April 13, 2018 13 Apr'18

  Facebook's medical data sharing plan raises privacy concerns

  Facebook's proposal to match anonymized patient data with user profiles has some experts worried about the possible privacy implications of such a project.

• April 04, 2018 04 Apr'18

  Report: Patient relationship management could curb readmissions

  A new report from Chilmark Research points to future gains for patient relationship management software, potentially in the tricky area of decreasing 30-day patient readmissions.

• March 22, 2018 22 Mar'18

  Researchers use EHR data to predict opioid prescriptions

  EHR data can help healthcare providers identify which patients in a hospital were most likely to be prescribed opioids after discharge, according to researchers at the University of Colorado ...

• March 19, 2018 19 Mar'18

  Cybersecurity in healthcare ails from lack of IT talent

  Healthcare cybersecurity woes continue unabated, with more frequent cyberattacks amid a lack of IT talent and employee awareness, but organizations are spending more on security.

• March 15, 2018 15 Mar'18

  HIMSS notebook: EHR trends embraced by vendors with AI and CRM

  EHR trends were among the news at HIMSS 2018. Cerner and Salesforce are teaming to bring patient data into healthcare CRM. Meanwhile, Epic and Nuance promoted an AI assistant.

• March 08, 2018 08 Mar'18

  Reprimand on healthcare and cloud computing spurs HIMSS debate

  The benefits of the cloud are well-known, as is the healthcare industry's wariness about moving patient data to the cloud. At the HIMSS conference, the deliberations expanded.

• March 07, 2018 07 Mar'18

  Transition to value-based care slowed by lack of standardization

  At HIMSS 2018, a CIO and CMO gave their perspectives on the current state of value-based care and the barriers that are impeding the transition.

• March 06, 2018 06 Mar'18

  With health IT interoperability in mind, CMS announces changes

  Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner and CMS administrator Seema Verma outlined big changes coming to promote interoperability and greater patient access to EHRs.

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  AAFP recommends steps to reduce health IT regulations

  The American Academy of Family Physicians has recommended steps to relieve the burden of health IT regulations on physicians. In a letter to CMS administrator Seema Verma and ONC national ...

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  HIMSS 2018 focuses on AI in healthcare

  With AI in healthcare trending, the HIMSS conference is showcasing vendors and users turning to AI and machine learning for clinical and business applications; interoperability also is hot.

• February 28, 2018 28 Feb'18

  HIMSS 2018 conference coverage and analysis

  SearchHealthIT returns to Las Vegas for the HIMSS annual conference, which runs from March 5 to 9, 2018. Follow this guide for ongoing conference coverage.

• February 01, 2018 01 Feb'18

  One Virtual System Worldwide: Intra-Epic interoperability

  Epic Systems Corp. introduced new interoperability features, part of its Epic 2018 EHR update, that enable Epic-based healthcare systems to share more health data with each other.

• January 17, 2018 17 Jan'18

  Good times: AI in healthcare brings promise, hype and challenges

  I browsed through two vastly different reports on artificial intelligence (AI) this week, leading me to again wonder if there is substance on the matter or just a lot of hot air blowing around. My ...

• January 12, 2018 12 Jan'18

  FDA adds digital health technology to 2018 policy roadmap

  In an effort to help consumers make informed health decisions, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) renewed its commitment to digital health technology in its 2018 strategic policy roadmap. The ...

• January 09, 2018 09 Jan'18

  Health information sharing framework unveiled

  Federal health IT officials under the 21st Century Cures Act have proposed regulations for health data information sharing, the Trusted Exchange Framework 'network of networks.'

• January 04, 2018 04 Jan'18

  Four healthcare technology trends to watch in 2018

  Healthcare organizations should be prepared to see applications for blockchain and more uses for AI in 2018. Analytics provided by EHR vendors will also emerge.

• December 18, 2017 18 Dec'17

  Net neutrality repeal could limit telehealth providers

  The FCC's vote to repeal net neutrality could hurt telehealth providers and consumers and limit the ability of some healthcare systems to exchange data-intensive medical images.

• December 11, 2017 11 Dec'17

  Progress Health Cloud tackles healthcare IT integration

  Disparate systems and siloes plague healthcare when what is needed is true healthcare IT integration. Progress aims to achieve this with its new Health Cloud platform.

• December 08, 2017 08 Dec'17

  Oversight of mobile medical apps clarified in FDA draft guidance

  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued new draft guidance clarifying its oversight of mobile medical apps. Furthermore, the agency will loosen its regulations for certain technologies it ...

• December 01, 2017 01 Dec'17

  ONC: Healthcare IT issues are EHR usability, interoperability

  For ONC, the top healthcare IT issues that need to be addressed by the industry are interoperability and EHR usability. The national coordinator lays out three influencing factors.

• November 30, 2017 30 Nov'17

  Connected medical devices seek a place in clinical setting

  Connected Health Conference highlights connected medical devices looking for a place in a clinical setting, ranging from sensored pill caps to non-invasive remote monitoring devices.

• November 28, 2017 28 Nov'17

  Radiology AI and deep learning take over RSNA 2017

  AI and deep learning applications were superhot at RSNA 2017, as value-based medical imaging and PACS and VNA systems remained the top topics for imaging professionals.

• November 17, 2017 17 Nov'17

  Growth of telemedicine programs on healthcare executives' radars

  More senior healthcare executives are planning to grow or expand their telemedicine programs than three years ago, according to a survey by law firm Foley & Lardner. Of the 100 senior ...

• November 06, 2017 06 Nov'17

  RSNA 2017 shows AI in healthcare, value-based imaging

  Medical imaging professionals converge on RSNA 2017, North America's biggest healthcare conference. This year the emphasis is on AI and machine learning, and value-based care.

• October 23, 2017 23 Oct'17

  Telehealth laws expanded, updated in nearly every state

  Almost every state in the United States and the District of Columbia has updated their telehealth laws, not only expanding access to services but also clarifying how those services can be provided, ...

• October 06, 2017 06 Oct'17

  VA telehealth proposal would expand care access for veterans

  The Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing a new rule that would standardize telehealth for veterans. The VA telehealth rule would increase the availability of general clinical care, mental ...

• October 05, 2017 05 Oct'17

  Healthcare payer-provider links sweeping into industry

  Health IT vendors and healthcare providers and insurance payers gathered at Chilmark Research's Convergence 2017 conference to discuss payer-provider partnerships and other deals.

• September 28, 2017 28 Sep'17

  ONC updates Health IT Certification Program to support efficiency

  The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) recently announced in a blog post two changes that will be made to the agency's Health IT Certification Program. According to the blog ...

• September 27, 2017 27 Sep'17

  Change Healthcare blockchain system draws praise

  New blockchain system announced by Change Healthcare is the first major move by a major health IT vendor to commercialize the nascent secure ledger technology. Analysts are positive.

• September 21, 2017 21 Sep'17

  Cerner population health exec headlines health IT forum

  Among keynoters at Chilmark Research conference on payer-provider convergence is veteran health IT exec John Glaser -- Cerner population health senior VP and former Siemens CEO.

• August 25, 2017 25 Aug'17

  EHR adoption rates increased with passage of HITECH Act

  After the passage of the HITECH Act in 2009, EHR adoption rates for eligible hospitals rose from 3.2% to 14.2% and EHR adoption rates for ineligible hospitals rose from just 0.1% to 3.3%, according ...

• August 17, 2017 17 Aug'17

  U.S. GAO appoints new members to HIT Advisory Committee

  The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently appointed 15 new health IT experts to the also new Health Information Technology (HIT) Advisory Committee, a press release said. "The 21st ...

• August 10, 2017 10 Aug'17

  Remaining McKesson EHR technology sold to Allscripts

  McKesson Corp. departs the mainstream EHR business with the sale of its remaining EHR technology aspects to Allscripts, essentially leaving only four major hospital EHR vendors.

• August 09, 2017 09 Aug'17

  Delays for $1 million CHIME national patient ID challenge

  A critic of CHIME'S $1 million patient ID challenge calls it a gimmick, but CIOs defend the project -- originally crowdsourced but now potentially funded by CHIME.

• August 04, 2017 04 Aug'17

  President Trump and VA Secretary announce telehealth initiatives

  President Trump and Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary, David Shulkin, M.D., announced telehealth initiatives that will help give access to healthcare for veterans across the country. Through new ...

• August 04, 2017 04 Aug'17

  ECW False Claims Act violation a new area of healthcare fraud

  As a wake-up call to other health IT vendors, the OIG's senior counsel airs a video in which he calls eClinicalWorks' False Claims Act violation a 'new area of healthcare fraud.'

• July 28, 2017 28 Jul'17

  All of Us precision medicine research program names community partners

  The National Institutes of Health has chosen four community partners to join its All of Us precision medicine research program, which seeks to gather data from at least one million people in the ...

• July 14, 2017 14 Jul'17

  Public health implications of infosec are 'complex,' researchers say

  In the wake of the recent WannaCry and Petya attacks that have hit healthcare organizations worldwide, a group of Boston researchers is urging the industry to consider the public health ...

• July 06, 2017 06 Jul'17

  Patient engagement strategy heavily influences tech investment

  Hospital IT professionals are welcoming patient engagement technology, based on the results of a purchasing intentions survey by TechTarget and CHIME.

• June 30, 2017 30 Jun'17

  HHS to award $195 million for health IT use in opioid treatment

  The Department of Health and Human Services will award $195 million to community health centers to expand substance abuse and mental health services that focus on awareness, prevention and opioid ...

• June 16, 2017 16 Jun'17

  Cybersecurity for healthcare a "public health concern," task force says

  A federal task force identified six areas that can improve cybersecurity for healthcare, including more education and information sharing.

• June 08, 2017 08 Jun'17

  The eClinicalWorks False Claims Act case: Implications for health IT

  For some health IT experts, the eClinicalWorks' False Claims Act case is about the EHR vendor's lack of interoperability and the failure of meaningful use.

• May 19, 2017 19 May'17

  WannaCry ransomware attack should push hospitals to gauge certain tech

  The WannaCry ransomware attack affected hundreds of countries and hundreds of thousands of systems, including health systems. Experts discuss what healthcare orgs need to do.

• May 05, 2017 05 May'17

  2016 healthcare data breaches surpass last year's record

  Healthcare data breaches hit an all-time high in 2016, according to a report by Bitglass. However, the volume of leaked records caused by 2016 healthcare data breaches decreased from the previous ...

• May 04, 2017 04 May'17

  Healthcare software developer jobs may be hit by Trump H-1B visa move

  The Trump administration's proposed changes to the H-1B visa program for highly skilled foreign workers could force health IT vendors to pay higher salaries to software engineers.

• May 03, 2017 03 May'17

  CIO: Consumer mistrust in health information security is founded

  A survey found that consumers mistrust health information security, especially with health technology. A CIO explains these concerns are founded and what improvements are necessary.

• April 17, 2017 17 Apr'17

  HL7 standards work slowed by lack of financial support, leaders say

  Leaders of HL7, the international health IT standards organization, say HL7 standards development is being held back by lack of financial support from some industry organizations.

• April 14, 2017 14 Apr'17

  New ONC challenge focuses on accuracy and reliability of health data

  A new ONC challenge is seeking ways to ensure the accuracy and reliability of health data, also known as data provenance. Data provenance refers to information about when the data was created, by ...

• April 05, 2017 05 Apr'17

  Health IT community welcomes new ONC head, Donald Rucker

  Donald Rucker has been named the new ONC head. The former Siemens CMO has been welcomed to the position of national coordinator by the health IT community.

• March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17

  Medical record breaches down in 2016, but internal threats proliferate

  Financial services may have replaced healthcare as the most breached industry in 2016, but that doesn't mean healthcare is in the all-clear. According to a report by IBM Security, the healthcare ...

• March 31, 2017 31 Mar'17

  A guide to healthcare IoT possibilities and obstacles

  This essential guide explores the potential of the internet of things in healthcare, as well as some of the obstacles that may hinder its wider adoption.

• March 30, 2017 30 Mar'17

  Arrival of new HHS healthcare tech boss could augur big changes at ONC

  President Trump's appointment of former GOP congressman John Fleming, M.D., to a newly created health technology post could portend ONC downsizing and MACRA changes.

• March 23, 2017 23 Mar'17

  Experts not surprised that EHR patient safety issues top ECRI report

  Experts were not surprised by the recently published ECRI report on patient safety issues. In fact, experts agreed these issues have been around for a while.

• March 20, 2017 20 Mar'17

  VA launches collaborative 3D printing hospital network

  The Department of Veterans Affairs is collaborating with a 3D printer manufacturer to encourage surgical planning and anatomical modeling for personalized healthcare.

• March 10, 2017 10 Mar'17

  HIT Squad podcast recaps HIMSS 2017 Orlando hot topics

  In this podcast, the SearchHealthIT HIT Squad recaps HIMSS 2017 hot topics including AI in healthcare, patient engagement and a relative lack of government issues.

• March 09, 2017 09 Mar'17

  AMA, provider groups call for delay of 2015 certified EHRs

  The American Medical Association and 102 other physician groups have called on CMS and ONC to delay the use of 2015 certified EHRs beyond the current timeframe of required use starting in 2018 ...

• March 01, 2017 01 Mar'17

  New Epic EHR systems to carry lower prices, aimed at smaller hospitals

  New, more minimalist versions of the Epic EHR system will feature lower prices, though also less functionality. And these will be aimed at smaller hospitals, according to Epic.