Category: Frequent Updates

UChicago to launch accelerator for AI and data science companies

UChicago to launch accelerator for AI and data science companies

Healthcare IT news

The University of Chicago this week announced the creation of Transform, an accelerator for early-stage technology companies focused on data science and artificial intelligence.WHY IT MATTERSThe new program – which is part of the Deep Tech Ventures initiative at the UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation – aims to offer a wide array of support to startups: access to business and technical training, industry mentorship, venture capital connections, and funding opportunities
Transform is seeking two cohorts of as many as 10 companies each. Candidates should be focused on information technologies and data science: AI and machine learning, data engineering, analytics and…

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NextGen Healthcare hit by BlackCat ransomware

NextGen Healthcare hit by BlackCat ransomware

Healthcare IT news

The group, also known as ALPHV and suspected to be a successor to BlackMatter, has demanded ransoms as high as $1.5M with affiliates keeping 80-90%, according to the Office of Information Security at U.S. Health and Human Services and the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center.WHY IT MATTERS
The Russian ransomware group allegedly attacked the EHR vendor NextGen on January 17, The Washington Post reported on Monday. 
“The company says it doesn’t look like the hackers obtained any client data or patient data,” according to the Post.
Healthcare IT News reached out to NextGen for comment and will update this story if it responds.
Claiming responsibility, BlackCat “put…

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What's ahead for health IT policy and legislation in 2023 

What’s ahead for health IT policy and legislation in 2023 

Healthcare IT news

With Congress providing telehealth waivers as part of its omnibus spending bill at the close of 2022, delaying the “telehealth cliff” for two years, HIMSS says it’s now ready to make the case for permanent reimbursement of virtual care.Also on its policy agenda for the year ahead: advocating for data standardization, offering input for interoperability rulemaking and engaging with agencies and states to increase telehealth access. We spoke with the HIMSS government relations team for their thoughts on those priorities and more in 2023 and beyond.
Making telehealth’s case for cost control
Telehealth has proven to reduce burdens on healthcare providers and improve…

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Needle moving on drug monitoring program efficacy, ONC says

Needle moving on drug monitoring program efficacy, ONC says

Healthcare IT news

A new brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology data says that one-third of prescribers now access prescription drug-monitoring programs through their electronic health records and 62% reported they used electronic prescribing of controlled substances technologies often – up from 37% in 2019.WHY IT MATTERS
“The use of (PDMPs) and electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) technology is critical to improving opioid prescribing practices, informing treatment decisions and supporting safe and effective patient care,” wrote Chelsea Richwine and Jordan Everson in a new HealthIT blog post.
They say the new data adds to previous analyses demonstrating the benefits of the systems by…

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What Are The Challenges Expected to be Faced by Healthcare in 2023?

What Are The Challenges Expected to be Faced by Healthcare in 2023?

The Healthcare Guys

Healthcare is an ever-evolving industry, and as we move into 2023, there are a number of challenges are expected to arise.
The economy is already headed toward recession, and experts have made it quite clear that this year will be the most difficult one for the global economy.
Image credit: BBC
Inflation in the US is already touching its highest pick ever and Eventually, this will have an impact on the healthcare sector as well. Since healthcare is one of the major economic contributors.
Therefore, it is clear that healthcare would experience some significant difficulties in 2023.
However, healthcare providers must be ready…

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Must-Have Tech Tools For A Successful Medical Practice

Must-Have Tech Tools For A Successful Medical Practice

The Healthcare Guys

In the medical field, there is a never-ending list of tools and technologies that can help to make your practice more successful. From patient care and record-keeping to medical imaging, many tools are available to help streamline your practice and provide better care for your patients.
However, knowing which tools will work best for you can be challenging and how to implement them effectively into your workflow can be difficult. This blog post will discuss the must-have tech tools for a successful medical practice.
These tools are designed to help increase efficiency and productivity in any healthcare organization. CRO (Contract Research…

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What Is The Enterprise Master Patient Index?

What Is The Enterprise Master Patient Index?

Healthcare IT Skills

The enterprise master patient index is a database that maintains a definitive record of all patients within a healthcare organization. It is used within an overall process called patient identity management in healthcare. The EMPI is used to positively identify patients for the purpose of providing care, processing billing, and the exchange of data among other entities. Sometimes called the corporate ID, the purpose of the EMPI is to ensure that all patient data is accurately and consistently recorded and maintained, and to prevent duplicate records or errors in patient identification. It is also used to facilitate the exchange of patient…

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Transforming Medical Coding and Billing Processes with Artificial Intelligence

Transforming Medical Coding and Billing Processes with Artificial Intelligence

The Healthcare Guys

Providers and Payers would be familiar with a situation where their medical coders struggle to proceed when there is more than one way to code a particular medical diagnosis and treatment.
The latest revision of WHO’s International Classification of Diseases ICD-11 contains 17,000 unique codes and more than 120,0000 codable terms yielding +1.6 million clinical situations! Searching for the most appropriate ICD code and mapping the available medical data accurately is one of the biggest challenges the healthcare system faces today.
Unstructured medical data is another perennial challenge. About 80% of medical data remains unstructured according to an NCBI journal. Extracting…

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This World AIDS Day – Reflecting on Health IT as a Tool for Advancing Health Equity and Ending the HIV Epidemic

This World AIDS Day – Reflecting on Health IT as a Tool for Advancing Health Equity and Ending the HIV Epidemic

Health IT Buzz

December 1st is World AIDS Day, when we collectively remember those who died due to AIDS-related illnesses and renew our commitment to work together to end the HIV epidemic and support people with HIV. This year’s theme, “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV,” emphasizes accountability and action. Collaborative, community-based, cross sector, and whole-of-government approaches that address clinical and social determinants of health (SDOH) are needed to support communities disproportionally affected by HIV and achieve national HIV/AIDS goals. Interoperable health IT, with health equity as a fundamental design feature, is an important tool to enable these efforts.Health IT…

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STAR HIE Program Helps Unlock Powerful Public Health Data in West Virginia

STAR HIE Program Helps Unlock Powerful Public Health Data in West Virginia

Health IT Buzz

ONC launched the Strengthening the Technical Advancement and Readiness of Public Health Agencies via Health Information Exchange (STAR HIE) Program in 2020 using funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The program was expanded in 2021 to increase support for efforts to improve vaccination data sharing between jurisdictional Immunization Information Systems (IIS) and HIEs. The West Virginia Health Information Network (WVHIN) was among the 22 recipients that received a combined $20 million in funds from ONC via the CARES Act.We sat down with WVHIN’s Executive Director, Sonia Chambers, to learn how the STAR HIE Program helped…

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