Here we go again. The US health system is in a desperate cybersecurity state of affairs. Another healthcare cyberattack has made the news and it’s a big one. UnitedHealth Group’s technology unit, Change Healthcare, is currently facing an ongoing ransomware attack which has reverberated through healthcare systems and affected prescription deliveries. This should raise red flags for all healthcare organizations regardless of their size, but particularly for smaller organizations with
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Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
Closing Care Gaps Through Prospective Risk Adjustment
The lack of a complete and comprehensive patient record limits the ability of the physician to improve care and puts organizations at financial and regulatory risk. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that for payment year 2018 alone, it will recover $428.4 million (net) and $4.7 billion from 2023 through 2032, including extrapolation effects. The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently reported that, from October 2014 through December 2016, 153 audit reports
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Leveraging the AI Opportunity for Healthcare Unstructured Data
Unstructured data – such as medical images, scans and lab reports – opens the door to a wide range of exciting new possibilities in the world of healthcare. By deriving insights from unstructured data, healthcare organizations can deliver better patient care, as well as unlock powerful capabilities – like using AI models to streamline medical note-taking, reshape hospital billing and improve medical coding. To do these things, however, you need to be able to track and access all your
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Has TikTok Single-Handedly Changed Healthcare Professional Etiquette?
An Atlanta mother gave birth to a baby boy who was unintentionally decapitated during delivery in late 2023. Within hours of this unimaginable tragedy, the doctor performing the autopsy had posted photos of the baby to his social media accounts. It would seem to be common sense to most of us, medical professionals or not, that this is despicable behavior. We have to ask ourselves, what would compel an established, well-respected physician to post such traumatic and sensitive medical images to
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Unlocking the Potential of Value-Based Care with AI
The momentum of value-based care (VBC) is poised to accelerate. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has outlined an ambitious objective: to transition all traditional Medicare beneficiaries into a VBC arrangement by 2030, a notable increase from the mere 7% recorded in 2021 by Bain Research. As more plans, providers and members enter VBC arrangements, substantial volumes of clinical data will need to be managed effectively to oversee patient risk and care quality. The
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Rise of Retail Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities for Payers
Healthcare delivery continues to evolve to meet ever-changing patient demands. Over the years, rural doctors who historically performed house calls have been replaced with regional physician groups and community hospitals that are owned and managed by large health systems with multiple locations. Nearly 70% of physicians now work for a corporate entity instead of private practices. Telehealth visits increased 26x during the COVID-19 pandemic and have since leveled off, but are still a preferred
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Strengthening Healthcare IT Infrastructure: A Wake-Up Call for Cybersecurity Resilience
The recent cyberattack on Change Healthcare highlights the healthcare industry’s vulnerability when threatened with criminal attempts to disrupt technology and operations. The ransomware strike caused a chain reaction among healthcare providers, where payment systems were disrupted, cash flow halted, and—worst of all—patient safety was put in jeopardy. For many healthcare providers, the incident reinforced the reality that cyberattacks targeted outside their organizations
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Federated Learning’s Potential to Transform Healthcare and Patient Outcomes
The healthcare landscape stands poised for a groundbreaking transformation, driven by a powerful, privacy-preserving machine learning technique: federated learning. In the past, leveraging vast volumes of medical data for artificial intelligence (AI) development often faced insurmountable hurdles – patient privacy concerns, data silos, and ethical issues. Federated learning emerges as a beacon of hope, offering a paradigm shift in how we utilize
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The Metaverse Experiences Benefiting the Aging Population
Have you ever envisioned a world where age doesn't restrict exploration? Where do the boundaries of reality dissolve and everybody, young and old, have access to boundless opportunities? The metaverse is this transformative realm. And it's not just for the tech-savvy youth, either. It's also become a territory brimming with promise for the elderly. Beyond the pixelated landscapes and virtual gatherings lies a space teeming with potential, poised to revolutionize the lives of older adults. In
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3 Ways to Get Started With AR and VR Technology in Healthcare
Augmented reality and virtual reality are innovative technologies that can provide tremendous benefits to the healthcare industry, bringing a deeper understanding of complex medical concepts to healthcare professionals and patients alike. Already, the integration of data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, telemedicine, and interoperability have begun to shift how healthcare is delivered; away from care that's centered around disease management and toward care that’s more
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