EHR-based SDOH Screening Accuracy Falls Short for Housing Instability

EHR-based SDOH Screening Accuracy Falls Short for Housing Instability

– EHR-based social determinant of health (SDOH) screening questionnaires under identified patients with housing instability and financial strain compared to single-domain screening tools, according to a study published in JAMA. Public health, healthcare delivery organizations, federal agencies, and researchers have advocated for better collection of patient SDOH data. Social factors can influence referrals to community partners, increase awareness of patient needs, measure population health, and improve risk prediction models. Popular EHR platforms include multidomain screening questionnaires assessing SDOH. Researchers evaluated the accuracy of EHR-based questionnaires using single-domain questionnaires on food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain as external standards. The study…

Continue Reading
Leveraging EHR Audit Logs to Inform Clinician Burnout Interventions

Leveraging EHR Audit Logs to Inform Clinician Burnout Interventions

– Healthcare organizations are continually looking for ways to tackle increasing clinician burnout with documentation burden at the forefront of their concerns. To better understand clinician workflow challenges, practices can leverage EHR audit logs to capture documentation behaviors and inform clinician burnout interventions, according to an ONC HealthITBuzz blog post. EHR audit logs are automated tracking features that monitor clinician activity within the EHR. Specifically, the automated tool can track the time clinicians spend documenting and carrying out certain tasks, such as chart reviews and messaging. Continuous monitoring of the EHR burden is needed to address any upcoming burnout challenges and…

Continue Reading
NYU develops health metrics dashboard for all 435 U.S. Congressional Districts

NYU develops health metrics dashboard for all 435 U.S. Congressional Districts

Researchers at New York University Grossman School of Medicine say their new Congressional District Health Dashboard reveals stark geographic, racial and ethnic differences in health across the United States. They hope lawmakers and healthcare organizations can use the tool to better understand and address health inequities.WHY IT MATTERS
Incorporating health measures, such as deaths from cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, along with conditions that affect health like housing affordability and access to nutritious foods, has not been available at the congressional district level.
Offering a single publicly-accessible location, the Congressional District Health Dashboard was built to offer a comprehensive data view of persistent inequities across the…

Continue Reading
Episode 10: A Look at the  Proposed HIPAA Changes

Episode 10: A Look at the Proposed HIPAA Changes

In this episode of Health+Tech, Andrea Lee Linna and Jonathan Ishee are joined by fellow McGuireWoods digital health team member Michael Paluzzi to discuss proposed HIPAA changes that may require covered entities and business associates to overhaul their HIPAA policies and procedures in 2022.After providing a high-level overview of the proposed changes, the podcast turns to a live recording of Andrea and Jonathan’s recent webinar, “Preparing for Major HIPAA Changes in 2022,” offering in-depth details about the proposed changes and how to prepare for them in the new year….

Continue Reading
Episode 9: Digital Health Trends and Issues for Life Sciences Companies

Episode 9: Digital Health Trends and Issues for Life Sciences Companies

In this episode of Health+Tech, McGuireWoods healthcare attorneys Janice Suchyta, Kate Hardey, Kae Gruner and Royce DuBiner discuss the latest digital health updates from the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission. Join the conversation as we wrap up Cybersecurity Awareness Month and discuss the following topics:• FDA draft guidance on electronic health records and medical claims data• FDA new resource for approved artificial intelligence/machine learning medical devices• FDA Digital Health Center of Excellence• FTC rules for health apps outside of HIPAA…

Continue Reading
Episode 8: Telehealth Barriers During Covid-19

Episode 8: Telehealth Barriers During Covid-19

In this episode of Health+Tech, McGuireWoods healthcare partner Janice Suchyta talks to Michele Satterlund, senior vice president in the state government relations practice of McGuireWoods Consulting and a partner with McGuireWoods, on the emergence of telehealth, particularly during the pandemic. They also look at how telehealth is evaluated state by state and discuss the need for uniform best practices….

Continue Reading