Monday Morning Update 2/20/23

Monday Morning Update 2/20/23

Top News

The VA postpones its planned July 2023 Oracle Cerner go-live at its Ann Arbor, MI facilities until later this year or early in 2024.
The service region is concerned about “how well EHRM would interact with VA Ann Arbor’s vital medical research mission.”

Reader Comments From AT: “Re: pet peeves with service industry words and phrases. ‘I appreciate you,’ following my thanking you and leaving you a tip, which suggests that we are like-minded, decent people even though you have no way of knowing that. Second is thanking someone with ‘of course,” implying that I’m either too stupid to know…

Continue Reading
Why Federally Mandated Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances will Benefit Public Health

Why Federally Mandated Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances will Benefit Public Health

Although 2022 has brought on a greater sense of normalcy, the past few years have distracted us from one of the most overlooked epidemics plaguing healthcare: prescription drug abuse.
Before Covid-19 diverted attention away from this problem, President Trump signed on to the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018, instating sweeping legislation for initiatives to address the opioid epidemic. The bill, among other initiatives, requires electronic prescriptions for controlled substances (EPCS) for any covered part D drug. Although the official start of the mandate was delayed two years to January 1, 2023, the importance of this federal intervention cannot be…

Continue Reading
The Importance of Improving Healthcare’s Cyber Resilience

The Importance of Improving Healthcare’s Cyber Resilience

Listen Pause
Healthcare organizations have always needed to be prepared for unexpected events, from natural disasters to pandemic surges. Increasingly, cyberattacks must factor into their response plans, especially as threats grow more sophisticated and coordinated.
Ninety-six percent of executives across industries consider cyber resilience to be highly important to their businesses, according to a 2022 Cisco report. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they experienced a security incident that affected their resilience, with a majority happening over the past two years.
As cyberattacks continue to make headlines, organizations should think in terms of…

Continue Reading
Community Health Systems reports GoAnywhere hacked

Community Health Systems reports GoAnywhere hacked

Community Health Systems filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was notified by a third-party vendor for secure file transfer of an incident that resulted in unauthorized disclosure of its patient data.WHY IT MATTERS
The GoAnywhere managed file transfer platform first warned about a zero-day remote code injection exploit on February 1, according to the technical bulletin posted by noted security researcher Brian Krebs on Infosec.exchange. 
“The attack vector of this exploit requires access to the administrative console of the application, which in most cases is accessible only from within a private company network, through [virtual private network] or by allow-listed IP…

Continue Reading
DrFirst Acquires Diagnotes Secure Messaging and Care Coordination Platform

DrFirst Acquires Diagnotes Secure Messaging and Care Coordination Platform

Expands Backline by DrFirst’s Capabilities for Clinical Communications in Health Systems and Beyond
Healthcare technology pioneer DrFirst today announced it has acquired select assets of Indianapolis-based Diagnotes. The acquisition will allow Backline by DrFirst to expand its capabilities to break through communication silos in healthcare at each stage of the patient care journey, promote positive patient outcomes, and enhance satisfaction for staff and patients.
Diagnotes provides a suite of team-based, patient-centered collaboration tools built specifically for the healthcare sector. The app increases clinicians’ productivity and the quality of patient care by allowing healthcare providers to communicate with colleagues in their system and affiliates in other systems. The…

Continue Reading
Leveraging Technology to Bridge Gaps in Compliance

Leveraging Technology to Bridge Gaps in Compliance

Sean Eaton, Senior Compliance Solutions Specialist at GHXAmerican health systems, hospitals and post-acute care providers are required to comply with hundreds of regulatory requirements. Facilitating this compliance comes with a high cost. According to the American Hospital Association, the average-sized community hospital spends nearly $7.6 million annually on administrative activities to support regulatory compliance. With the impending end of the COVID-19 public health emergency set to shake up healthcare regulations, ongoing healthcare labor shortages, and skyrocketing levels of clinician burnout, a perfect storm for non-compliance is brewing. Even with significant investments in administration to support compliance, overwhelmed providers can inadvertently leave gaps…

Continue Reading
AI can be a big help to healthcare workers, but there are legal issues to consider

AI can be a big help to healthcare workers, but there are legal issues to consider

As burnout among healthcare workers continues to be a major concern, the use of artificial intelligence, EHRs and other automation tools may be able to have a positive impact on hospitals and health systems.When it comes to artificial intelligence, some legal issues arise. That’s why we interviewed Carly Koza, an authority on this topic and Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney associate. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney is a national law firm with 450 attorneys and government relations professionals across 15 offices representing companies including 50 of the Fortune 100.
Koza discusses what healthcare provider organizations should prepare for when it comes to growing AI…

Continue Reading