Tag: HIMSS

Hands-on cardiac education pays dividends for patients and others, says Abiomed

Hands-on cardiac education pays dividends for patients and others, says Abiomed

Healthcare IT news

At a Heart Recovery Advocate Day held on February 3 at Abiomed’s Danvers, Massachusetts, headquarters, patients shared their stories of heart recovery, toured the facility, participated in lab demonstrations and had the opportunity to meet the operators who made their left ventricular assist devices, right ventricular assist devices and lung-assist devices.Connecting patients with each other, and with technologists
Beyond pictures, videos and surgical explanations, many cardiology intervention patients want to know more about the technology that enabled their heart recovery. 
That is clear from the 24 survivors that experienced planned or unplanned percutaneous coronary interventions and cardiogenic shock events and who attended the largest…

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Merchandising healthcare access: adopting e-commerce techniques

Merchandising healthcare access: adopting e-commerce techniques

Healthcare IT news

As the consumerization of healthcare continues to take shape, the next frontier of healthcare access may well be merchandising healthcare inventory, contended Derek Streat, cofounder and CEO of DexCare, a digital transformation platform vendor.By combining healthcare and e-commerce technologies and strategies, healthcare provider organizations can dramatically improve the digital discovery of care and access to it for patients, he said.
And as workforce shortages continue and tech giants like Amazon push in, these digital consumer experiences will be critical for traditional providers like health systems to operate sustainably, scale care delivery and access, and survive in this competitive and volatile landscape, he added.
We interviewed…

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Memorial Healthcare System grows its telehealth offering to 61 programs

Memorial Healthcare System grows its telehealth offering to 61 programs

Healthcare IT news

Before the widespread adoption of telemedicine technology, there were several problems that hindered the delivery of healthcare services for most healthcare organizations.THE PROBLEM
One of the main problems was access to healthcare, particularly with working families and those with chronic conditions. Many people lacked convenient access to medical care and providers, making it difficult for them to receive the care they needed.
Another problem was the cost of healthcare, which could be prohibitively expensive for many people. This was especially true for those without insurance or with limited coverage. Additionally, long wait times for appointments and limited availability of specialists further exacerbated the…

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Cyberattack round-up: Financial warnings and new threats to hospitals

Cyberattack round-up: Financial warnings and new threats to hospitals

Healthcare IT news

Hospital financial ratings remain vulnerable to cyberattack fallout, according to a new assessment from Fitch Ratings. Meanwhile, hacktivists and ransomware gangs are recycling ransomware strains, and hacker affiliates are offering bigger payouts. Those are just a few of the healthcare cybersecurity trends we’re watching this week.Coordinated KillNet DDoS attacks highlight potential for ratings dips
Fitch Ratings says the recent coordinated distributed denial-of-service attacks on hospital websites such as ChristianaCare’s aren’t likely to drive any downgrades at this time, but cyberattacks that compromise service and affect a hospital’s financial profile could.
Last week the pro-Russian hacktivist group KillNet, known for its DDoS attacks on critical infrastructure in nations supporting…

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Virtual care system designed for COVID-19 grows into a multiuse digital health tool

Virtual care system designed for COVID-19 grows into a multiuse digital health tool

Healthcare IT news

In 2019, Cleveland-based University Hospitals saw an opportunity to use automation and digital care technologies to improve patient engagement, clinical care and outcomes.THE PROBLEM
Ultimately, the health system was looking for ways to improve patient engagement first and foremost and then wanted to see how it could use automated tools to improve outcomes.
It also recognized the foundational changes occurring in the health system – especially when it came to consumer behavior and increased competition from nontraditional healthcare disruptors. The organization wanted to offer its patients tools and options that support their personal healthcare journeys in these ways.
PROPOSAL
“We implemented Amwell Automated Care Programs…

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Virtual care enables BrightView Health to increase outpatient access

Virtual care enables BrightView Health to increase outpatient access

Healthcare IT news

BrightView Health, a behavioral health facility that specializes in addiction treatment and substance abuse, already was using telehealth when the COVID-19 pandemic and associated response happened. The organization mostly was using telehealth between its various locations.THE PROBLEM
However, BrightView did not have a secure communications platform to engage with patients either synchronously or asynchronously.
“So, the pandemic and the lockdowns created some potential gaps in access to care that we needed to predict and fill,” said Navdeep S. Kang, chief clinical officer at BrightView Health and a fellow with the Obama Foundation. “We looked at several platforms to implement secure communications.
“We were specifically interested…

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Bipartisan House bill proposes permanent telehealth benefits

Bipartisan House bill proposes permanent telehealth benefits

Healthcare IT news

The Telehealth Benefit Expansion for Workers Act would amend the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers to treat benefits for telehealth services like excepted benefits.WHY IT MATTERS
The bill aims to keep stand-alone telehealth benefits separate, not as a replacement of medical plans, offering them under a group health plan or group health insurance coverage as excepted benefits.
An excepted benefit allows employers to finance additional medical care, like vision or dental coverage, according to theCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services FAQsfor insurance agents and brokers, requiring Congress…

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Providence forges a new path with a virtual nursing unit

Providence forges a new path with a virtual nursing unit

Healthcare IT news

Virtual nursing is gaining significant momentum as an effective way to redesign and redistribute nursing workload. Virtual models decrease the burden on nurses delivering direct bedside patient care and leverages nurses who want to continue practicing, but may not be able to practice at the bedside, by extending their nursing careers.THE PROBLEM
“The flexibility and various practice areas and models of care may appeal to nurses considering leaving the profession and who may not be able to work in a traditional setting,” said Sylvain Trepanier, RN, chief nursing officer at health system Providence. “Virtual nurses will become a new area of professional…

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FDA approves AI ultrasound application for musculoskeletal imaging

FDA approves AI ultrasound application for musculoskeletal imaging

Healthcare IT news

Clarius Mobile Health, which first introduced wireless handheld imaging for medical specialties in 2016, says its third-generation device, HD3, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week, will also help improve MSK ultrasound training.WHY IT MATTERS
With clearance from the FDA, the new MSK AI model will be available with the Clarius L7 HD3 and Clarius L15 HD3 ultrasound scanners introduced last year, according to the announcement.
“AI automation is the new frontier and we’re excited to be the world’s first to receive FDA clearance to use AI for musculoskeletal ultrasound,” said Ohad Arazi, president and CEO, in the statement.
Upon…

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

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

Healthcare IT news

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…

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