Electronic Health Records (EHR, EMR)

The Office of the Inspector General posted research from 2014 so there’s reason to believe the proliferation of cyberattacks and malware could create even more downtime. OIG recommended that hospitals institute and continuously update contingency plans.

Specific hospital ratings will be posted on the CMS Hospital Compare website soon.

The American Hospital Association found that providers are enabling patients to conduct more tasks online, including paying bills, contacting their provider, and scheduling appointments.

HHS and VA have made huge investments in infrastructure and cybersecurity. With its massive EHR modernization project the DHA is also opening its purse strings.

While new models of care have emerged, none are easily replicable. That’s challenging in an industry where spending is uncertain but providers and policymakers can look to the most expensive patients as an opportunity to drive innovation.  

Population health management, EHRs and biosensing technologies were also among the top investment areas.

William Yasnoff, MD, has developed a personal grid format that can prevent hackers from accessing an entire database full of patient records. Hospitals or IT vendors can use the tactic – for free – to force cybercriminals to decrypt one record at a time.

HIMSS Executive Vice President Carla Smith and PCHA EVP Patricia Mechael caution against applying the phrase to all digital health apps and tools. Instead, executives and innovators should work to align emerging technologies with consumer demand.

The Consumer Health Data Aggregator and Provider User Experience challenges focus on easing access to information for patients and clinicians, using open APIs and the FHIR interoperability standard.  

Cerner President Zane Burke said that Hurst, currently a senior vice president at Florida Hospital, brings both vision and operational expertise to the software vendor.