Kat Jercich

Users can connect with a Teladoc Health provider via audio by saying "Alexa, I want to talk to a doctor."

Researchers created an artificial intelligence tool to help identify hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis, which can be challenging for cardiologists to spot.

The American Hospital Association raised concerns that health systems could be targeted directly or experience collateral damage.

Some researchers say virtual care will increasingly become the norm, while others are more measured in their predictions. Plus: Who are the telehealth super users?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence published its final guidance this week on securing telehealth and remote patient monitoring ecosystems.   The guide is intended, according to NCCoE, to help identify risks associated with RPM architecture and ensure healthcare organizations are partnering with appropriate telehealth platform providers.   "While [healthcare delivery organizations] do not have the ability to manage and deploy privacy and cybersecurity controls unilaterally, they retain the responsibility to ensure that appropriate controls and risk mitigation are applied," wrote researchers.   WHY IT MATTERS   In order to develop the guidance and demonstrate how organizations can enhance resiliency, NCCoE collaborated with industry partners to build a laboratory environment – specifically, one where a patient is being monitored by an in-home device capturing biometric data. Those partners included Accuhealth, Cisco, Inova, LogRhythm, MedCrypt, MedSec, Onclave Networks, Tenable. University of Mississippi Medical Center and Vivify Health.   "While the NCCoE used a suite of commercial products to address this challenge, this guide does not endorse these particular products, nor does it guarantee compliance with any regulatory initiatives," noted the experts.   "Your organization’s information security experts should identify the products that will best integrate with your existing tools and Information Technology system infrastructure," they continued. The practice guide operated under the assumption that the delivery organization is using a separate telehealth platform provider that manages a distinct infrastructure, applications and a set of services.    Using the NIST Risk Management Framework, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the NIST Privacy Framework and other relevant standards, the NCCoE analyzed risk factors in an RPM ecosystem and identified measures to safeguard it.   It outlined several potential vulnerabilities, including fraudulent uses of health-related information, interruption or inaccuracy of patient diagnoses, disrupted processes and system disruption.   "As organizations consider measures to disrupt threats and adverse actions made against the ecosystem, an opportunity exists where organizations examine threats to identify controls that mitigate adverse actions identified by threat modeling," read the report.   The guidance authors noted that, although they used cellular data-based biometric devices and addressed those using broadband communications, a future build may also implement an electronic health record system that would receive automated data from the telehealth platform provider.     "The future build may include direct messaging from the RPM systems to the EHR," they wrote.   THE LARGER TREND   NIST has been offering tips around cybersecurity and telehealth deployments for years. NIST IT Security Specialist Nakia Grayson, who co-authored the guidance, told Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard in April 2021 that the agency began the work in response to  an uptick in patient and provider interest in virtual care, particularly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.   "Without adequate privacy and cybersecurity measures, unauthorized users may expose a patient's sensitive data or disrupt the patient monitoring system," Grayson said in a HIMSSTV interview.     ON THE RECORD   "Technology solutions alone may not be sufficient to maintain privacy and security controls on external environments," wrote NCCoE experts.   "This practice guide notes the application of people, process and technology as necessary to implement a holistic risk mitigation strategy," they continued.   Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News. Twitter: @kjercich Email: kjercich@himss.org Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

In a preview of her HIMSS22 session, ADVault SVP of innovation and external affairs Maria Moen explains that paper-based advance care plans can lead to barriers, burdens and caregiver stress.

CEO Dan Burton said that the data and analytics company looks forward "to welcoming every current KPI Ninja team member."

Cerner released its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report this week, showing an increase in revenue but a decrease in net earnings in 2021.    In the financial release – the first following the announcement of its acquisition by Oracle this past year – Cerner leaders said its Q4 revenue underperformed projections to some degree.   "While revenue in the fourth quarter was slightly below expectations primarily due to a COVID-related project delay and lower technology resale, we had a solid fourth quarter driven by a sharper focus on our core business and better operational execution," said Dr. David Feinberg, who took over as president and CEO in October 2021, in a statement.   WHY IT MATTERS   A spotlight has shown on Cerner since the news of its mammoth deal with Oracle went live in December 2021.   The vendor said in its earnings report that it expects the $95-per-share merger to close in this calendar year. Given that proposed acquisition, Cerner declined to host an earnings conference call, issue prepared remarks, provide financial guidance or repurchase shares.   Still, the report offers some key insights into the company's progress over the past quarter.   For instance, its fourth-quarter revenue was $1.452 billion, up 4% compared to the same time period in 2020. Its GAAP diluted earnings per share was $.59, a 28% increase from fourth-quarter 2020, with an adjusted diluted EPS of $.93.   Meanwhile, the company's yearly revenue also increased to $5.765 billion, up 5% from 2020, and its adjusted diluted EPS increased 18% to $3.35.   GAAP diluted EPS, however, was down 27%, with net earnings also decreased compared to 2020.   At the same time, noted Chief Financial Officer Mark Erceg in a statement, "We repurchased $1.5 billion of shares at an average purchase price of $74.96, increased our quarterly dividend by 23% and successfully closed and integrated Kantar Health (now known as Cerner EnvizaSM) – which is pacing well ahead of its acquisition economics."   THE LARGER TREND   The vendor has undergone major changes over 2021, to say the least – in addition to the hiring of Feinberg and the major proposed $28.3 billion deal with Oracle, Cerner has also recently launched a new revenue cycle tool, RevElate. Customers in a recent KLAS report sounded off about these happenings, with many expressing cautious optimism.   "The Cerner RevElate direction makes sense, but I need to see Cerner deliver now," said one customer quoted in the report. "I have seen poor code and broken products in Cerner Patient Accounting. I want to know whether those parts of Cerner’s delivery will be fixed in the new product."   ON THE RECORD   "Cerner has been a trusted partner to healthcare organizations for over four decades, and our clients, caregivers and associates are energized by our focus on making the EHR more useful, usable and reliable," said Feinberg in a statement.    "I’m also excited by how the pending acquisition by Oracle can accelerate our development work to help make care more proactive, accessible, equitable and dignified," he added. Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News. Twitter: @kjercich Email: kjercich@himss.org Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

National Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi points to information blocking, API standardization and TEFCA as key factors in enhancing critical interoperability.

The Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center published a threat brief outlining common threats to electronic health records, including phishing attacks, malware and cloud threats.