Fitch: ‘Relentless’ Cyber Attacks Pressuring Nonprofit Hospital Operations
Healthcare was the most targeted industry for cyber attacks in 2020, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Fitch. The move towards remote work provided hackers with more opportunities to infiltrate healthcare organizations. The report stated that these data breaches and attacks resulted in the average cost to recover patient records rising by 16% year-over-year, according to estimates from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hospital-at-Home Program Slated to Start Next Month at UMass Memorial Health
The technology backbone of UMass Memorial Health’s Hospital at Home program, provided by Current Health, will provide real-time insight into patient health and coordinating in-home clinical care and services. Current Health will enroll UMass Memorial Health patients eligible for the program through Current Health’s platform and configure everything patients need to remotely engage with their care teams, including monitoring equipment, in-home connectivity, and a tablet for chat and video communication.
OIG: Medicare Lacks Cybersecurity Oversight for Hospital-Based Networked Medical Devices
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report last week finding that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) survey protocol does not include requirements for networked device cybersecurity.
Healthcare Facilities: LED Fixture Continuously Disinfects All Airborne Viruses
UVC is known to disinfect air, water, and nonporous surfaces and has been used for decades to reduce the spread of tuberculosis, influenza, and Legionnaires’ disease. According to the CDC, UVC is the only recognized technology for effective germicidal treatment against airborne pathogens.
Connected Health Technology: The Foundation for Patient Safety in the Home
Many older adults’ main wish is to be able to live in their own home for as long as possible, but major safety issues have long been an understandable concern. In fact, every 19 minutes an older adult in the U.S. dies from a fall, and one in four U.S. adults will fall each year, according to data from the National Council for Aging Care. It’s no surprise, then, that falls are the leading cause of injury and death among elderly Americans.
Redesigning the Telehealth Experience
The index was designed to measure how rapidly COVID-19 has accelerated the trend of telehealth adoption across the country, and measures data from several million claim records from January 1, 2020, through January 25, 2021. However, it’s also now providing insight into how health systems and physician groups might create a more cohesive telehealth offering going forward.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 30 – How AI and Machine Learning Can Improve Patient Care
On episode 30 of PSQH: The Podcast, Niall O’Connor, chief technology officer of Cohere Health, talks about using AI and machine learning to improve patient care.
ATA Chair: Telemedicine Choices in Next Few Months Will Shape the Next Decade
From March to June 2020, 30% of all U.S. outpatient activity was conducted via telehealth, in contrast to 0.8% in the same time period during 2019, according to FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit that collects data for and manages the nation’s largest database of privately billed health insurance claims and is entrusted with Medicare Parts A, B, and D claims data for 2013 to the present.
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 29 – Automation and the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
On episode 29 of PSQH: The Podcast, Jason Warrelmann, global director of healthcare and life sciences at UiPath, talks about how automation is helping with COVID-19 vaccination rollouts.
Taking Hold of the Condition-Specific Virtual Coaching Opportunity
With chronic conditions accounting for seven of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and 90% of $3.8 trillion in U.S. annual healthcare costs, employers are wise to pay attention to this opportunity and look for ways to incorporate coaching into benefits packages.