Barriers & Guidelines

How to Navigate the Risks of Remote Patient Monitoring

• A risk management expert offers perspective on shoring up data security, preventing misdiagnosis and avoiding overreliance on RPM.Remote patient monitoring has been taking the …

Text-based Virtual Care Program did not Improve Post-Discharge Outcomes

• An automated text-based virtual care program aimed at checking in with patients post-hospital discharge failed to demonstrate significant improvements in post-discharge outcomes, …

Alleviating Stress among Racial Minorities during Pregnancy with VR

• Pregnancy is a period of stress, with research showing that 17 % of pregnant people are psychologically stressed, with clinically significant levels of depression, anxiety, and …

EHRA Recommends Simplifying Standards to Scale SDOH

• The HIMSS Electronic Health Records Association recently analyzed how healthcare organizations collect social determinants of health information. While EHRA's Social Determinants …

How Telehealth is Boosting Care Access among NYC’s Homeless Population

• In the fall of 2020, NYC Health + Hospitals and the New York City Department of Social Services launched an effort to provide homeless shelter residents access to the health …

Telehealth, Hybrid Care adding to Physician's EHR Workload

• A new study in JAMA Network Open from MedStar Health shows how the increased integration of virtual care models is exacerbating the electronic health record documentation burden …

Exploring Advantages and Challenges of Synchronous Video Telehealth

• Telehealth has persisted as a critical care delivery option in the post-COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) landscape. Adoption and utilization of telehealth remain far higher …

Employing Telehealth to Ease the Hospice Transition for Kids with Cancer

• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is employing telehealth to ease the hospice transition for children with terminal cancer and their families. Coordinated telehealth visits between …

Why Ochsner & Humana struck an RPM Partnership for Chronic Care

• The partnership between Ochsner Health and Humana aims to expand access to remote patient monitoring (RPM) programs for Medicaid beneficiaries in Louisiana. Through this …

Health Care in Crisis: How Do We Move Forward?

• The healthcare crisis in Newfoundland and Labrador is outlined, revealing high mortality rates and significant health challenges, compounded by the climate emergency. The Health …

Healthcare Leaders Offer Insights Into Improving Patient Outcomes

• In their latest publication, healthcare leaders Cris Ross, CIO of Mayo Clinic, and Edward Marx, CEO of Marx Advisory, share insights aimed at enhancing patient outcomes. Their book …

ER Waits For Hospital Beds Are Deadly. Many Hospitals Aren’t Fixing The Problem

• The issue of boarding, where patients wait in the emergency room (ER) after being admitted to the hospital, is a severe and ongoing crisis with deadly consequences. Despite …

Creating a Community-led Telehealth Approach for Supportive Cancer Care

• Tennessee Oncology collaborates with rural patients to expand telehealth access for cancer care. Despite advancements against cancer, access barriers persist, especially in rural …

How Data-Informed Risk Stratification Can Support Suicide Prevention

• Provider organizations play a crucial role in suicide prevention, and Parkland Health & Hospital System (PHHS) exemplifies how effective risk stratification can enhance these …

Exploring the National Academy of Medicine’s AI Code of Conduct

• The National Academy of Medicine's Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct (AICC) is a pivotal addition to the evolving landscape of healthcare AI governance. Developed …

Global Initiative on Digital Health

• The Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH), led by WHO, aims to implement the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025, enhancing international cooperation. GIDH focuses on …

OIG Flags Active Medication List Issues in VA EHR

• The Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlights medication list discrepancies in the VA's Oracle Health electronic health record (EHR), potentially affecting veterans …

Concerning Health IT Trends: What Can We Do and What Happens if We Do Nothing?

• The influx of new technologies in healthcare sparks excitement and concern. Dr. Sameer Ather highlights cybersecurity risks with increased digital data and AI use, urging …

Depression Screening Less Likely During Telehealth Than In-Person Visit

• A recent study reveals that depression screenings during telehealth visits were less frequent compared to in-person visits early in the pandemic. Conducted by UCSF researchers, the …

Telemental Healthcare Use Varies Across Sociodemographic Lines

• Recent research from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center highlights variations in telemental healthcare …

Let’s Think of Patient-Centered Care, Not Value-Based Care

• The article challenges the prevailing notion of "value-based care" in healthcare reform, advocating for a shift towards "patient-centered care." It highlights the importance of …

CMS: Providers may Now Text Patient Info, Orders to Care Teams

• CMS recently announced that providers in hospitals and critical access hospitals can now text patient information and orders to care teams, provided they use a secure texting …

Cybersecurity’s Role in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer

• In the realm of healthcare management, cybersecurity emerges as a critical component, safeguarding patient data and ensuring operational continuity. This article emphasizes the …

Data-Focused Strategy May Hinder Generative AI Deployment in Healthcare

• The Deloitte survey reveals a data-centric approach hindering generative AI deployment in healthcare. While data quality and compliance are priorities, less focus on data …

Telepsychiatry Will Continue to Grow – And Become The House Call of Yesteryear

• In 2024, telepsychiatry is poised to continue its upward trajectory, evolving into the modern-day equivalent of the traditional house call. Dr. Zoe Martinez, a seasoned …

Health Systems Press CMS to Let Doctors Use Telehealth at Home

• Over 110 organizations, including major health systems, are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make permanent a Medicare waiver allowing providers to …

From Security to Regulation: Exploring the Hidden Challenges of the Digital …

• The accelerated convergence of digital technology in healthcare faces formidable hurdles primarily centered on data security, regulatory compliance, and integrating new …

Great Ormond Street to Look at Home Air Pollution when Diagnosing Illnesses

• Great Ormond Street Hospital has pioneered a groundbreaking initiative involving clinicians assessing patient's illnesses by considering their home addresses' air pollution levels. …

The Rising Use of Telehealth for the Delivery of Outpatient Mental Health …

• Telehealth, largely spurred by pandemic-induced changes, reshaped outpatient mental health care delivery. Pre-2020, virtual care was minimal but surged during COVID-19, persisting …

What’s Special About AI Risks and Remedies in Health Care?

• The text explores AI in healthcare, highlighting its potential benefits, challenges, and the regulatory landscape. Attorneys, such as Sara Shanti and Erica Kraus, emphasize the …

ChatGPT Will Reduce Clinician Burnout, If Doctors Embrace It

• The article addresses clinician burnout, noting it's not solely an American issue. Despite US doctors ranking mid-level in satisfaction among high-income nations, dissatisfaction …

Why Haven’t Health Care Cost Increases Exceeded Inflation? There’s a Very Good …

• The content provided highlights the surprising stagnation of healthcare costs compared to inflation and discusses the shift in physicians' mindsets toward cost reduction, …

Mitigating Risk and Reducing Costs with Smart Healthcare Records Management

• The integration of electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare is pivotal but complex. Transitioning from paper to digital formats demands more than scanning. Healthcare …

Is Consent For Chronic Care Management Required Regularly?

• The assertion that regular consent is required for Chronic Care Management (CCM) is debunked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS does not mandate ongoing …

HHS announces penalties for information blocking

• The federal government is wants to crack down on information blocking by health care providers. Last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a …

AMA 2024 CPT Code Set Addresses Language Barriers, Immunization Codes

• The American Medical Association (AMA) has unveiled the 2024 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set, featuring a notable enhancement addressing language barriers through the …

Report Offers 8 Ideas to Strengthen Primary Care in Medicaid

• The Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) has outlined eight strategies to strengthen primary care within Medicaid, irrespective of other policy considerations like eligibility or …

Nursing Homes Reject CMS’ Proposed Staffing Level Requirements

• The Biden-Harris Administration has unveiled a proposed rule to establish staffing standards in nursing homes across the country. Initial feedback has trended negatively, although …

Telehealth Use During the PHE Presented Challenges, Opportunities

• The study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the intricate dynamics between virtual and primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic, dissecting the multifaceted nuances, …

Various Clinical Cases Fail to Benefit from Telehealth

• A recent study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin sheds light on the nuanced impact of telehealth on healthcare delivery. While telehealth offers increased convenience, …

What Are The Current Regulatory Changes And Compliance Requirements That ASCs …

• ASCs are tightly regulated medical facilities. They must comply with numerous state and federal laws governing their operations, billing, and reimbursement. Staying updated on …

Nearly 400 New Diagnosis Codes Coming This Fall, CMS Announces

• An analysis by Amanda Norris reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is set to introduce approximately 400 new diagnosis codes in the upcoming fall. …

Value-Based Care May Fund Our Field No Better Than a Fee-For-Service Model

• Plans for value-based care (VBC) to replace fee-for-service care are still largely unrealized. Progress has been especially slow in behavioral healthcare, but enthusiasm remains …

CMS Improper Payment Probe May Impact Timely Reimbursement for Nursing Homes

• All skilled nursing facilities that participate in Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) can expect a letter from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding improper …

How to deliver more innovative, more personalized primary care

• Consumerism has taken over healthcare. Patients are in the driver's seat, and they are demanding high-quality customer service and more personalized experiences aided by digital …

2023 Rules for CPT 99490 & Other Chronic Care Management Codes

• The rules for coding chronic care management (CCM) have undergone significant changes in recent years, and there's a host of new changes taking effect in 2022. If you've come to …

The future of remote patient monitoring hinges on reimbursement

• Providers are using remote patient monitoring to extend care for chronic care patients in underserved areas but reimbursement for the services is far from certain. Remote …

Accelerating digital transformation in healthcare

• More and more, digital transformation is a term that eludes easy definition. More and more, digital transformation is a term that eludes easy definition. For the healthcare sector, …

3 Keys to Better Cybersecurity

• In an industry entrusted with valuable personal health information, healthcare organizations have long worked to stay ahead of cybersecurity threats. But as these threats …

How to Approach Connected-Device Security from a Zero-Trust Perspective

• As computing environments become more dispersed, enabling every user and system to have its own perimeter can help protect against cyberthreats. Healthcare has evolved …

How to Overcome HIPAA Myths to Enhance the Protection of Healthcare Data

• For many of us, change is hard. In cybersecurity, change is essential to defeat two of the most common causes of data breaches: the ever-evolving attack styles of hackers and human …

How Will the End of the PHE Affect Telehealth and Digital Health?

• While some waivers have been extended for two years, other freedoms including an important Ryan Haight Act provision will end soon, forcing some providers to take action now. With …

It’s Time to Cement Telehealth’s Place in U.S. Health Care

• The use of telehealth soared during the pandemic and demonstrated its value in improving the delivery of and access to health care. But that increase in usage was made possible by …

Telemedicine groups ask for clarity on remote prescribing

• End of the public health emergency will end remote prescribing of controlled substances. The end of the Public Health Emergency May 11 means that some flexibilities for telehealth …

Telemedicine and the "Intrinsic Divide"

• Despite the fact that CMS has extended the public health emergency that expanded telemedicine coverage, a number of states aren’t on board, according to Dr. John Halamka and Paul …

Telehealth Use Dipped in October

• The declines varied by regions, with larger drops in the South, Midwest, and West. After a summer of relative stability, Telehealth use fell 3.7% this past autumn, from 5.4% of …

Understanding Telehealth Barriers for Limited English Proficiency Patients

• Research shows that patients with limited English proficiency may struggle to access and use telehealth services, but several strategies can be employed to address this issue. The …

Overcoming Digital Access, Technology Integration Hurdles to Connected Care

• At the Connected Health Virtual Summit, healthcare leaders shared the challenges they are facing with implementing and expanding connected care efforts and how they are working to …

Risk assessment in health care IT: The role of compliance in protecting patients

• Digital technologies are transforming healthcare by reducing human errors, facilitating the coordination of care, and improving efficiencies within medical practices. Healthcare IT …

Overburdened Clinicians Need More Than Data to Reap the Benefits of Remote …

• A virtual care provider that combines all the necessary elements RPM devices, the software that analyzes RPM data and, most importantly, a specialized team of clinicians, nurses …

Opioid addiction treatment disparities could worsen if phone telehealth option …

• As the nation ponders the future of temporary pandemic-era telehealth rules, a study suggests that phone calls and video chats may play an important role in leveling the playing …

Using Proactive Communication to Address Medication Non-Adherence

• Patient adherence to taking prescribed medications is essential for optimal outcomes, especially as it relates to chronic disease prevention and management.The consequences for …

WellSpan Health Uses Data, and Builds Bridges, to Improve Health Equity

• More hospitals and health systems are using data to address health disparities in minority groups, but WellSpan Health has been doing it for years. The Pennsylvania health system …

Factors affecting doctor’s recommendation for mobile health services

• As a new medical service mode, the value of mobile health (mHealth） services has received increasing attention and recognition. However, compared with the owners of mobile devices, …

Easier Primary Care Access Improved Chronic Disease Management

• Irrespective of where a patient resides, having easier primary care access might be key to improving chronic disease management and detection for patients with hypertension, …

Whole-person health Is the Key to Reducing Disparities and Driving Patient Trust

• For the first time in 50 years, life expectancy has dropped in the United States. The direct toll of the pandemic, as well as the delayed and avoided health care that stemmed from …

How to Raise the Bar and Overcome Barriers in the Digital Health Space

• Market Data Forecast (via Digital Journal) predicts that the size of the global digital therapeutics (DTx) market will grow at a combined annual growth rate of 34.62% between 2022 …

Patient Communication Strategies for Chronic Disease Prevention

• Chronic disease prevention is a critical aspect of patient care at all risk levels, but becomes particularly important when a patient moves into rising risk. When that happens, …

Patients With Social Determinants See 55% Chronic Disease Management

• Health barriers driven by social determinants of health (SDOH) have worsened chronic disease management for patients dealing with hypertension, a _Mayo Clinic Proceedings_ study …

Patients struggle with unmet basic needs: Medical providers can help

• Health systems, hospitals, and community health clinics have a substantial part to play in patients’ lives. As trusted sources of healthcare and information, US providers may help …

How to Implement Patient Portals and Improve Patient Experience

• Patient portals are growing in popularity and do more than simply provide patients with their health data; they enable patients to engage with their health. “A patient portal is …

Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM): A Gateway to Hybrid Musculoskeletal Care

• A new set of 5 CMS codes introduced for 2022, RTM allows physical therapists and other qualified healthcare professionals to bill for monitoring and managing a patient’s MSK care …

Side Effects: Cybersecurity and Medical Device Recalls

• The benefits of internet-connected medical devices are numerous and, in many ways, just getting started. Patients and their physicians are already able to monitor and manage …

The Shifting Sands of Medical Device Cybersecurity Regulation

• Regulatory and standards bodies have been busy in the medtech cybersecurity space from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) releasing new draft premarket cybersecurity …

Digital Connected Care: Beyond the Tech - Policy Hurdles for Remote Patient …

• The Digital Connected Care article series elevates the conversation from tech talk to the practical application of remote patient monitoring in clinician designed workflows with …

Fixing the Primary Care System After the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Nothing in the U.S. health care system will be or should be the same after a two-year global pandemic. Our primary care system has recovered in some ways from the sudden financial …

The Ripple Effects of Physician Burnout

• Physician burnout can be devastating enough on its own, but challenges like burnout seldom present in a vacuum. This sense of exhaustion can include side effects that extend beyond …

What Growing Federal Scrutiny of Healthcare Cybersecurity Means for …

• As the U.S. government aims to strengthen public and private cybersecurity processes, here’s what healthcare organizations need to know. Recovering from a ransomware attack will …

CMS Chronic & Principal Care Management Services: Implementation Guidance

• Implementing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) chronic and principal care management (CCM/PCM) services provides an opportunity to put a framework around care …

Economic Disadvantage Linked to Missed Pediatric Telehealth Appointments

• **Researchers found that a higher probability of economic disadvantage was associated with a higher rate of missed telehealth appointments for pediatric patients** The study …

As Cross-State Telemedicine Waivers Expire, Virtual Care Advocates Focus on …

• Telehealth advocates are looking to capitalize on virtual care’s positive momentum after two years of COVID-19, hoping to shape a friendlier physician licensing landscape as states …

Guidance on How the HIPAA Rules Permit Covered Health Care Providers and Health …

• Covered health care providers and health plans (covered entities) can use remote communication technologies to provide audio-only telehealth services when such communications are …

Healthcare Is Finally Adopting the Cloud: Is Your Organization Ready?

• The last 24 months have transformed the role of the cloud in healthcare. Before, software solutions were usually only accessible on-prem. There was no real impetus for healthcare …

Digital Transformation in Healthcare Begins With Tackling Legacy

• The first step towards a digital transformation isn’t to adopt new technology. To truly transform, healthcare organizations need to first deal with legacy thinking, legacy culture, …

HIMSS 2022: Boost Interoperability to Survive in Value-Based Care, Healthcare …

• ORLANDO, Florida - Interoperability has been a hot topic in healthcare for over a decade, with the industry turning to digital tools for everything from capturing patient data to …

Employees opt for Telehealth, but Privacy Concerns Remain, Survey Shows

• While telehealth and at-home health screening are popular with employees, many of them have issues with data privacy and who the results will be shared with, according to the 2022 …

Telehealth’s Trouble: How Virtual Care Complicates Interoperability

• Telehealth’s popularity exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its rapid rise revealed growing pains including lack of interoperability. Until industry-wide systemic changes …

Healthcare Quality Improvement: How Well are We Addressing Health Disparities …

• Twenty-plus years ago, the Institute of Medicine’s report “Crossing the Quality Chasm” positioned equity alongside five other domains of healthcare quality safe, effective, …

Healthcare Employers Must Urgently Address Burnout, Surgeon General Warns

• Widespread burnout among the healthcare workforce exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic is a major concern that needs to be urgently addressed, according to a Monday …

Overcoming Legal Liability Obstacles to AI Adoption

• One common obstacle to health care AI adoption is legal liability, which can be overcome with AI liability insurance. Ariel Dora Stern, PhD, Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory …

Consolidated Appropriations and American Rescue Plan Acts of 2021 Telehealth …

• The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 continued and expanded telehealth funding and reimbursement due to the COVID-19 public health …

ATA2022: Tips to Reduce Clinician Burnout and Improve the Patient Experience

• While virtual care technologies and other digital health tools aim to improve care delivery, they can lead to frustration or additional work if not implemented with clinicians and …

Tips for Protecting the Confidentiality and Integrity of Patient Data

• On April 26, 2022, Tenet healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) announced that a cybersecurity incident occurred a week before. “The Company immediately suspended user access to …

Digital Health Literacy: Why It’s Important and How to Improve It

• More healthcare providers are leaning on patient engagement technologies to support self-management and better outcomes. But as the industry becomes more high-tech, digital health …

How Strategy and Technology can Prevent Patient Leakage, Bolster Access to Care

• These are some of the big challenges as hospitals and health systems endeavor to operate as a single system of care. Healthcare provider organizations today strive to operate as …

Coping With Crises: Using Telemedicine to Deliver Effective Virtual Critical …

• The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that telemedicine is essential for keeping the healthcare system running during a crisis. How can virtual critical care keep improving to help …

Addressing Healthcare Access Gaps With Technology: 3 Areas to Focus Today

• For many patients, today’s healthcare experience is marked by several gaps: gaps in access, gaps in communication, and gaps in control. These disconnects are often coupled with …

Digital Check-in Can Boost Patient Satisfaction and Practice Efficiency Amid …

• COVID-19 initially affected patient access by shuttering medical practices; reducing hours, resulting in fewer available appointments; and patients cancelling or not showing up for …

Overcoming Healthcare’s Reluctance to Technological Change

• To stay competitive and differentiate themselves, hospitals, physicians and practices must use technology to enhance the patient experience while simultaneously improving outcomes. …

It’s Time to Rethink Chronic Care Management

• To truly move the needle on healthcare costs and outcomes, we need a more integrated care delivery model. This should fill in the gaps between scheduled appointments and foster …

Everybody’s Talking About Value-Based Health Care. Here’s What They’re not …

• Attend any healthcare conference and you’ll quickly discover that it’s become downright fashionable for healthcare leaders to talk about their unwavering commitment to “value-based …

CMS Officials Announce Major New Strategies Around ACOs

• This week, a group of senior officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), some from the Center for Medicare, some from the Center for Medicare & …

Digital Health Literacy Stands in the Way of Patient Tech Adoption

• Cost and digital health literacy are still standing in the way of widespread patient engagement technology adoption, according to research out of the National Institutes of Health …

Telemedicine Fails to Counter Healthcare Disparities During the Pandemic

• Telemedicine, where healthcare is delivered via “virtual” routes such as phone or video calls, has soared in use and popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is largely due to …

Telemedicine Moved Forward During the Pandemic. Our Policies and Regulations …

• The COVID-19 crisis transformed consumer expectations around healthcare delivery—and now the bell can’t be unrung. After an initial spike in telehealth usage that was 78 times …

Securing the Promise of Virtual Health Care Addressing Cyber Risk in a New Era …

• It took years for people to become comfortable buying things online. First, the technology had to make it secure. Then, people had to reach a level of comfort and confidence in …

How Health Organizations Can Integrate ESG Priorities

• Providers, payers and pharmaceutical and life sciences organizations have historically embraced the social pillar of environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts, caring for …

As Remote Patient Monitoring Expands, so Does CPT to Describe It

• Leading the way in this area are codes for devices and services related to the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems, followed by innovations that support ophthalmology therapy …

Patient Records Electronic Access Playbook - AMA

• This Playbook focuses on dispelling myths around HIPAA and helping physicians and their practices understand their obligations to provide patients with access to their health …

Key Takeaways From the GAO Report on Telehealth Utilization and Quality in …

• The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), as directed by a provision in the CARES Act, published a report that examined the use of telehealth among Medicaid beneficiaries …

Has Value Based Care’s (VBC) Time Finally Arrived

• The fee-for-service (FFS) economic model of healthcare in the U.S. and in other parts of the world is not working. Healthcare costs have grown faster than both GDP and inflation …

Social Determinants of Health HL7 Implementation Guide

• There is growing awareness that SDOH information improves whole person care and lowers cost. Unmet social needs negatively impact health outcomes. Food insecurity correlates to …

Telehealth Snapshot: Use Cases, Policies & Hybrid Care

• As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, telehealth use skyrocketed, helping providers deliver quality healthcare when in-person services stalled. Though telehealth use has leveled off over …

5 Security Predictions Facing Healthcare Organizations in 2022

• Ransomware is steadily increasing each and every year, with the healthcare and hospital industries suffering among the most. In 2021, we saw that “The healthcare sector is seeing …

The Misalignment of Telehealth Policy and Funding Versus Who Actually Uses It Is …

• Since the public health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic began, telehealth has been positioned as a leading solution to health care access challenges. But the utilization data …

Why Doctor Rostering Is in Desperate Need of Digital Transformation

• It’s no secret that our healthcare system is under massive strain. Before the pandemic, problems caused by staff shortages, patient waiting lists, and a desire to drive …

Telehealth Use Survey: Research Findings

• Telehealth use, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, has provided a way for physicians to provide care while keeping patients safe in their homes. These services also …

Big Data and B2B Platforms: The Next Big Opportunity for Europe

• Data-driven services and data sharing for research present a unique opportunity to improve healthcare outcomes in the EU. In this relatively novel field, bolstered by emerging …

Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025

• The implementation of appropriate digital health technologies is a key component of a national strategy but may be difficult to accomplish especially in low- and middle-income …

How Providers Can Optimize Telehealth Workflows and Improve Experience

• The COVID-19 pandemic is directly responsible for the dramatic rise of telehealth. But as providers quickly established new or expanded existing virtual care programs, they may not …

Why Telemedicine Isn’t a Temporary Fix - It’s the Future

• In March 2020, many office workers packed up their bags under the mandate of their employers, assuming they’d be working from home for a few weeks so the coronavirus could “blow …

Five Security Predictions Facing Healthcare Organizations in 2022

• Ransomware is steadily increasing each and every year, with the healthcare and hospital industries suffering among the most. In 2021, we saw that “The healthcare sector is seeing …

Fixing Prior Authorization: How to Improve Outcomes Using Episodic Care Paths

• As the industry becomes oriented toward value-based care and its focus on high-value outcomes, utilization management must evolve to address the entire patient care journey, often …

Back to the Basics: The Importance of a Good Cybersecurity Foundation

• Healthcare Innovation spoke with Francois Bodhuin, technology director and information security officer at Inspira Health in New Jersey, about the simple things that organizations …

What Hinders Clinicians From Using Technology for Coordinated Care?

• Lumeon, a digital health firm that helps healthcare companies automate their workflows, is circulating a draft of an eight-stage “Digital Transformation Maturity Model” (Figure 1) …

How to Maximize Your Data Quality While Aiming for Price Transparency

• It’s almost impossible to overestimate interest in price transparency. People want to know how their healthcare prices are determined, and payers do, too. But getting that …

Virtual Medical Office Assistants Overcome Staffing Shortfalls

• Staffing shortages, and high turnover rates in a tight labor market, continue to significantly impact the medical industry. According to new data released in a Medical Group …

Clean, Usable Health Data and the Impact of Sharing Data With Partners

• Each day in healthcare, data becomes more valuable, more useful, and more important to a healthcare organization.  It’s easy to see that the future of healthcare rests on the back …

ViVE 2022: How Healthcare Can Maintain Digital Health Success Into 2022

• Healthcare IT leaders discuss the future of digital accelerations, workforce challenges and cybersecurity. Healthcare organizations have implemented digital health tools such as …

5 Steps to Make Telehealth Work for Physicians and Patients

• Telehealth clearly has crossed a threshold of acceptance and now is viewed by physicians, payers and patients as an essential part of healthcare. It’s no surprise Fortune Business …

Now Is Our Chance to Design Digital Health for Equity: Here’s How We Can Do It

• As we embrace breakthroughs in digital health, let’s not cut, paste and proliferate the health equity issues of the offline world. We can only claim success when we measure who’s …

The Best Practices for Securing Confidential Patient Data

• Cybercrimes are on the rise across the Internet and the healthcare sector is certainly no different in terms of the risks. This is why storing patient data in a confidential manner …

Tips for Healthcare Organizations to Prevent and Respond to Data Breaches

• Cohesity Director of Strategy Josh Haley explains the technologies and strategies needed to mitigate the impact of evolving cyberattacks such as ransomware. Healthcare data …

What’s on the Horizon for Cyber Threats in 2022?

• Errol Weiss, chief security officer at Health-ISAC, weighs in on ransomware, spearfishing, third-party breaches and other probable risks to the healthcare industry this year. …

Cybersecurity Impacts on Healthcare – Healthcare IT Today Podcast Episode 82

• For the 82nd episode of the Healthcare IT Podcast, we’re talking about Cybersecurity Impacts on Healthcare.  This has to be one of the most important topics in health IT right now. …

Value-Based Care Is Improving Chronic Disease Management

• Successful utilization of technology and management of chronic disease patients often hinged on care coordinators. Accordingly, 77 percent of hospitals have employed care …

Top Challenges Impacting Patient Access to Healthcare

• Healthcare organizations are overcoming these barriers by expanding their office hours. Extending office hours is one of the fundamental pillars of the patient-centered medical …

Providing and Billing Medicare for Chronic Care Management and Related Services

• Medicare began reimbursing physicians for chronic care management (CCM) services in January 2015 under CPT® 994901 in response to anecdotal evidence that care management services …

Preserving Access to Telehealth: Today’s Policy Agenda of the American …

• In March of 2020, the world suddenly started using telehealth. After decades of dragging their feet, providers implemented video visits and messaging applications overnight, and …

Top 5 Data Management Challenges Healthcare Organizations Face

• The data that healthcare organizations generate, collect, and manage is massive, having an ever-growing impact on the industry. RBC Capital Markets, a global investment bank, …

How Healthcare Organizations Can Centralize Their Care Delivery

• Mission control–style command centers have helped healthcare organizations to maximize capacity at a time when resources have been stretched thin. The timing couldn’t have been …

How Does the Shift to Home-Based Care Affect Quality and Cost?

• Many health systems are seeking to move care into the home as an alternative to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. A panel convened by the Leonard Davis Institute (LDI) at …

How Ambient Intelligence Can Offset a Physician Shortage

• Burnout continues to be a main reason contributing to the shortage. Pre-pandemic, 42% of physicians said they were burned out and 64% say it has intensified due to the pandemic. …

The Endless Inefficiencies of Emergent Care: How the Right Technology Can Help

• Whether a patient is suffering from a stroke or another acute life-threatening condition, outcomes are often closely connected with time to treatment. Although there are many …

Transforming Connected Care Barriers Into Enablers

• Healthcare is entering a new era of opportunity in connected care. Health systems that realize the full benefits of interoperability and cybersecurity are better positioned to take …

Health IT for Improved Chronic Disease Management

• Chronic diseases - such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes--are placing a growing burden on the U.S. health care system.  In response, some health care organizations are …

The Cost-Value Propositions of Offering Virtual Primary Care

• The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated just how critical it is for health plans to offer virtual care. The ability to see a doctor remotely offers patients peace of mind, convenience, …

Cloud Adoption and Partnerships Help Rural Hospitals Improve Cybersecurity

• About 57 million Americans depend on rural hospitals for their healthcare, according to the American Hospital Association. Because of low population density in rural areas, …

Closing Healthcare Gaps With Advanced Interoperability in 2022

• Today, for health plans, the gaps in providing quality care have a serious effect on the health outcomes of members. To overcome these care gaps, healthcare payers must improve …

Eliminating Revenue Leakage and Compliance Risk With a Unified Approach to …

• As we face the third year of the global pandemic, hospitals and health systems are desperate to shore up bottom lines that have been battered by ongoing financial losses projected …

Here’s a Step-by-Step Approach to Tackling Digital Transformation in Healthcare

• Like the climbing route Tommy Caldwell pioneered on El Capitan in Yosemite, no template exists for transforming the digital health experience. This is new ground for the industry, …

How Providers Can Identify and Prevent Bias in EHRs

• Language norms used by providers in patient medical records have perpetuated racial and economic bias, identifying a need for clinicians to be more intentional at exploring and …

Minding the Access Gap: Addressing Both the Digital and Transportation Divides …

• Prompted by concerns that some in-person care was too dangerous during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the US health care sector accelerated telehealth’s expansion. While telehealth …

3-Step Ransomware Recovery Strategy for Healthcare Organizations

• At some point, the chances are high that ransomware will pierce the defenses you have tried to put in place at your healthcare organization. When that occurs, your healthcare …

3 Takeaways for a Robust Digital Health Approach

• Healthcare providers have made great strides in recent years toward better patient access, improved interoperability and stronger digital health offerings. The pandemic …

Electronic Payment Key to Streamlining Healthcare Claims Management

• The complexity around healthcare claims management is a major pain point for provider organizations, big and small. The increasing cost of claims coupled with a complex system of …

Contributor: How Health Care Companies Can Use Upskilling to Navigate the Great …

• The Great Resignation is sending health care workers out of the industry in massive numbers, and this, coupled with the ongoing transformation of health care, is creating the …

How Healthcare Organizations Can Use Informatics to Enhance Care

• To satisfy regulatory requirements, healthcare organizations must store patient data digitally in the form of electronic health records or electronic medical records. As noted in …

Reducing Clinician Burnout With Better Care Management Tools

• For many provider organizations, one way to address burnout begins with making clinicians’ lives easier by giving them the right technology to seamlessly access critical patient …

Can New Players Revive U.S. Primary Care?

• CVS-Aetna, Walgreens, Walmart, Amazon, Optum-United Health Group they’re all buying primary care practices or hiring primary care practitioners (PCPs) directly. Never …

9 Healthcare Leaders Share Insights From Personal Healthcare Experiences

• Amid COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures, healthcare leaders have become even more knowledgeable about what patients encounter at the hospital, based on firsthand experiences …

Easing the Caregiver Aches of Virtual Care Delivery: How to Support Clinician …

• As the medical industry continues to adapt to the impacts of the pandemic, hybrid forms of care delivery are starting to become the new normal. But although the switch to …

What to Know About Ransomware Crisis Planning

• An analysis of ransomware attacks during the first half of 2021 found that more attacks occurred during the first half of that year than during all of 2020, according to software …

Q&A: Uncovering Physician's Needs is Key to Improving Well-Being

• As we near year two of the COVID-19 pandemic, health systems and physicians continue to face added stress and burnout. And now with the Delta-Omicron variant tag team, many health …

What Are the Barriers That Have Been Faced While Adopting EHRs in Cardiology and …

• In today’s time, one thing is constant; change. We have been facing many states of affairs, some are detrimental and some are benign. But all of these situations have always led us …

Medical Device Security: A Healthcare Delivery Organization Perspective on ROI

• The Michigan Healthcare Cybersecurity Council (MHCC) recently partnered with the Ponemon Institute to publish the Managing Healthcare Risk in a Networked World survey. One key …

Top Challenges of 2022, No. 3: Prior Authorizations

• Doctors want to treat patients using the care they were trained to give but often find themselves arguing with someone from an insurance company about what the best course of …

Security Risks When Using Mobile Devices in Healthcare IT and How to Prevent …

• Healthcare in recent years has gone increasingly mobile. The ascendancy of telehealth has enabled patients to access their healthcare provider whenever and wherever they may be, …

Bigger Than a Supply Chain Breakdown: Why Care Coordination Depends on Expert …

• For healthcare providers, supply chain woes are a reminder of the havoc that results when a single element of a trusted delivery model breaks down. From shortages of milk and …

Interoperability is Key to Care Coordination

• Quality healthcare relies on the ability of providers to share patient data and coordinate care. A patient may visit their primary care physician at the beginning of a care episode …

4 Key Issues for the Revenue Cycle in 2022

• Key Takeaways: * Mental health billing will continue to evolve. * Billing directly to Medicare for physician assistants will take center stage. * Be sure to educate your …

What You Need to Know About the No Surprises Act

• Enacted in late 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act (NSA) underscores its primary purpose is to …

Nurses at Hospitals With Burnout Reduction Programs Stayed at Jobs 20% Longer, …

• Hospitals that invest in nurse burnout reduction programs may see less burnout-attributed nurse turnover and associated costs, according to a new study published in the latest …

Telehealth Volume Grows Throughout Pandemic but Claims Error Levels Climb Too

• A new study has found that as specialists have seen a substantial increase in telehealth adoption levels, levels of erroneous claims have climbed along the way. The study was …

Telehealth is the Future but may Also be Healthcare Security’s Achilles' Heel

• Everything changed overnight for telehealth at the onset of Covid-19. We went from a small footprint to telehealth becoming one of the most common ways Americans access care. …

Could Cyber Security Threats be the Next Big Healthcare Emergency?

• Cyber security is a continuing concern in healthcare, with threats on the rise. Sectra’s Chris Scarisbrick considers the landscape, how far cloud adoption can help the NHS, and how …

Health Equity and Value-Based Care 2.0 to Take Center Stage in 2022

• There is no denying the impact COVID-19 has had on the nation, serving as a leading cause of death, and impacting millions of others from a societal and economic standpoint.Looking …

From Rapid to Robust: Why Healthcare is Focused on Telehealth Security

• When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted strict restrictions across the country, healthcare systems scrambled to move much of their operations to a telehealth model, in line with safety …

A C-Suite Perspective: Bridging the Gap Between Legacy Applications and New …

• Legacy applications have served Healthcare organizations for years; however, these applications are causing problems executives must address. Some of these issues include …

Powerful Advice on Three Ways to Address Health Equity and Access to Care Needs

• Organizations across the country are re-evaluating their approaches to diversity and inclusion in the hopes of creating experiences that are fair, equitable and welcoming for …

Why Data is Easily Compromised on Physician’s Devices and What can be Done to …

• I was recently at a dinner party with a physician friend. Partway through the meal, he received a text message regarding a pressing patient situation. He briefly excused himself to …

Can Health IT Prevent Clinician Burnout Through Digital Tools?

• Preventing clinician burnout is an integral part of fostering long-term health system success. But even before COVID-19 hit, healthcare workers struggled against burnout, and the …

Now is the Perfect Time to Advance Population Health

• Funding and regulation are leading indicators of where healthcare is headed.  Private equity is pointing in the direction of innovative services that drive population health …

Three Critical Mistakes Obstruct Population Health Success

• Healthcare organizations increasingly turn to population health to deliver higher-quality care and curb today’s unsustainable healthcare spending, projected to reach $6 trillion by …

For Healthcare Organizations, the Patient Experience is Paramount

• A survey of C-level healthcare executives early this year reveals that 60% of healthcare organizations are implementing digital transformation initiatives as a result of last …

Healthcare Price Transparency Initiatives may Fall Flat due to Systemic Factors, …

• Niall Brennan, a leading expert on healthcare cost drivers, is among the skeptics who doubt the ongoing price transparency push can result in a more efficient system. An obvious …

New Data: Telehealth Parity Mandates Reduce Patient Uptake

• The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an explosive increase in the use of telehealth. In recent policy debates, controversy has emerged over telehealth mandates: Should states …

8 Ways to Create a Strong Security Culture and Strengthen Incident Response in …

• Basic cyber hygiene is just as important for healthcare professionals as personal hygiene, according to John Riggi, senior adviser for cybersecurity and risk with the American …

Combating COVID and a Workforce Crisis, Hospitals Call for More Financial Relief …

• For months, hospitals large and small have sounded the alarm on a labor crisis that is threatening their ability to maintain care services and jeopardizes their longer-term …

Putting a Price on Transparency: The Patient Payment Challenge for Payers and …

• The healthcare revenue cycle is an unnecessarily complex tangle of patients, providers, employers, and insurance companies. Patients and other parties are often frustrated with …

4 Hurdles on the Road to Hybrid Healthcare - Digital Transformation

• “To improve patient outcomes, we have to involve a patient’s family and significant others in their care, because it must extend beyond the four walls of the hospital,” says Dr. …

Prior Authorizations & Claims Denials: What’s Changing?

• Healthcare providers want to get the right care to the patient as quickly as possible, and health plans want to ensure treatment choices are appropriate, legitimate, and …

What Physicians Need to Know About the Healthcare Transparency Act

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Healthcare Transparency Act, which came into effect on January 1st of this year, states that all hospitals are to release a …

Patient Access Challenges Requires New Thinking

• Patient Access was never a straightforward challenge. It is a complex, nuanced, and layered issue that requires solutions as diverse as the people affected. The pandemic brought …

What Challenges Still Lie Ahead for Healthcare’s Digital Transformation?

• For healthcare systems to see success in digital health interventions, they must address these concerns. The way people shop, do their banking and run their businesses have evolved …

The Promise and the Challenges of Tele-Behavioral Health

• Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, state and federal lawmakers established emergency, regulatory flexibilities – including eliminating requirements that patients have an established, …

COVID Brings Deadlier Edge to Healthcare Ransomware Attacks