< + > Hide And Seek: How Group 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells Help Cloak ACE2 Receptors From SARS-CoV-2

Covid-19 affects many organs throughout the body, including those of our gastrointestinal tract. Here, we describe how group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) help protect our gut from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

< + > Democratizing MRI to advance health equity

A magnetic resonance expert at Siemens Healthineers discusses steps that need to be taken to expand access to the imaging technology.

< + > Engineering Medicine

Five thousand pediatric-only rare conditions, or “orphan diseases,” lack a market large enough to drive intervention. American universities can change that by serving as a development force to conduct research in therapeutics and biomedical technologies for children.

< + > Fewer Than Half Of Americans Still Wear Face Masks In Public, Poll Finds

Some 65% were often or always donning masks in public in January.

< + > Novant Health spins off new biz division to drive innovation

Novant Health Enterprises will focus first on three areas: clinical transformation, expansion into non-acute settings and technology commercialization.

< + > BA.2 Omicron Variant Becomes Dominant In U.S., CDC Says

Some countries in Europe and Asia have seen a spike in COVID-19 cases as BA.2 becomes the dominant variant worldwide.

< + > Three lessons to prepare for the 'next pandemic'

Speaking at the World Government Summit 2022, WHO’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be “the last” one the world faces. However, the global healthcare community can work together to better prepare for the future.

< + > Your Doctor Is Paid Just Right-Why Can’t You Afford Him?

Hospital comp for clinicians might be fair market value but poor collections can obviate a good comp plan.

< + > Group 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILC3s) And Trained Immunity: Faster And Stronger.

Covid-19 affects many organs throughout the body, including those of our gastrointestinal tract. This is part four of a series on the immune processes that protect our gut in the face of SARS-CoV-2 and other infections.

< + > Pharma TV Ads And R&D Funding

Nevertheless, the perception remains that extraordinary amounts of money are spent on TV ads at the expense of R&D. The data show that this isn’t the case.

< + > FinPay Completes $15 Million Growth Round Led By PeakSpan Capital To Expand Patient Engagement and Financial Management Solution

FinPay Holdings, Inc., a recognized leader in patient engagement and financial management, announced today it has closed a $15 million growth round. The round was led by PeakSpan Capital, a New York and San Mateo, California-based leader in growth-stage software investing, and with investor Montreux Growth Partners, a leader in healthcare growth investing. This latest […]

< + > AWS teams with THREAD for AI-enabled clinical trials management

The cloud-based platform will help drive faster and more efficient research by automating data management, enabling predictive forecasts and more.

< + > New And Effective Monoclonal Antibody Treatment For Ebola On The Horizon

A recently discovered set of monoclonal antibodies for ebolaviruses provides a key not only for untreated strains of ebola but also for many other viruses as well.

< + > CDC Advises To Mix J&J Covid Vaccine With Pfizer Or Moderna Booster

Data show that following up Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine with a booster of an mRNA vaccine creates a stronger immune response and lessens the risk of serious side effects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

< + > FDA Authorizes Second Covid Booster For Americans 50 And Older

Pfizer and Moderna’s applications for a second Covid booster shot for older people was supported by real-world studies in Israel, which found that a second booster dramatically increased resistance to the delta and omicron strains.

< + > How Accurate Are The Rapid Covid Tests?

The Covid-19 rapid antigen tests are very fast and convenient, but how often do they give false results? Two new studies yield some answers.

< + > Breaking The Rules Of Healthcare: Getting The Quality Of Care You Pay For

High-priced hospitals don’t necessarily deliver higher-quality care. That’s because of an unwritten rule that hospital administrators and their boards dutifully follow.

< + > Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Tests Positive For Covid

Bennett's positive test comes one day after he met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of a key summit between Israeli and Arab leaders.

< + > Cost benefits and care advances could be lost by poor 5G take-up in Australia, new report says

Fast, reliable and high capacity 5G mobile networks can deliver improved remote care and data analytics in Australia, but only a third of health businesses are harnessing the technology.

< + > The Real Medical Issue Behind Will Smith’s Oscar Night Punch

This year's Oscars will be remembered for a punch, expletives, and a condition called alopecia.

< + > Dr. Mehmet Oz Asked To Resign From President’s Council, Brings Up Dr. Fauci Again

The Biden Administration asked both Dr. Oz and Herschel Walker to resign from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Elena Delle Donne and José Andrés have been asked to join the Council as Co-Chairs.

< + > Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Incorrectly Claims CDC Doesn’t Recommend 4 Polio Shots

Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) or her staffers check the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website or their own vaccination records before she made claims about what the CDC has said about polio vaccination?

< + > So...How’s Your Mental Health?

Mental health is just as important as physical health and older adults today are becoming more aware than past generations that they need help. Much of it is due to the state of the world today.

< + > A Primary Defense Against SARS-CoV-2: Defensins

Recent research suggests that a family of proteins called defensins are a crucial tool in our body’s defense against SARS-CoV-2.

< + > Pfizer Recalling 3 Blood Pressure Medication Types Due To Cancer Concerns, FDA Says

This time the culprit is a nitrosamine, N-nitroso-quinapril, being present in quantities above Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels.

< + > England Reports Case Of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

The disease is carried by infected ticks and was found in a woman who had recently traveled to the U.K. from central Asia.

< + > Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Is Out Due To Rib Fracture, Not Vaccine Injury

Tennis star Rafael Nadal sustains stress fracture of the rib cage. The antii-vaxx community is calling this a vaccine injury. Which it's not.

< + > Supreme Court Rules Navy Can Sideline Unvaccinated SEALs

In a divided decision, the justices overturned a lower court ruling blocking the Navy from limiting deployment and training assignments of SEALs who have refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh writing that it intruded on the president’s powers as commander in chief.

< + > At-Home Covid Test Use Has Surged, But Racial Disparities Persist, CDC Finds

At-home tests were most popular with New Englanders and those who make over $150,000, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

< + > Cannabis Stocks Are Surging Ahead Of House Vote On Marijuana Legalization Next Week

Sundial and Tilray are up about 50% this week but the gains may just be temporary.

< + > A New Report Shows The Impact Of Pandemic Playtime On American Kids

ZURU Toys has undertaken an industry-leading global study into how neurotypical and diverse kids use play and imagination to work through issues like stress, mental health, diversity, and the pandemic. The research is designed to help parents and caregivers.

< + > How To Reduce Manual Data Entry Risks In The Healthcare Sector In 2022

The volume and variety of healthcare data is on the rise. Underpinned by pandemic pressures, the adoption of telehealth services grew to 38 times pre-COVID levels over the past two years, in turn, creating a need for patients and physicians to access critical medical information on demand. Despite this technological shift, however, many medical staff […]

< + > Moderna Stock Plunges Despite 'Vaccine Day' Touting 31 New Shots And $21 Billion In Sales—Here's Why

One analyst blasted Moderna's flu vaccine results as a "non-starter" clinically, while others said investors are still too focused on Covid.

< + > Australia's private hospital operators warn costs of proposed cybersecurity law could cause ICU closures

The government’s new cybersecurity bill could add millions of dollars to the budgets of hospitals already contending with the price of COVID-19.

< + > Google Health Adds Condition-Focused Feature To Its Clinical Data Sorting Tool

About a year ago, Google gave the world a look at a pilot version of a new tool designed to give clinicians harmonized health data from different sources. The tool, Care Studio, is software designed to offer a comprehensive view of patient records and help clinicians find and review results in context. This week, at […]

< + > Heart-rate wearables data may be less accurate for people with darker skin

A review of 10 previously published studies suggested that the technology often used in smartwatches and other devices may not work as well for some groups.

< + > Report: 90% of nurses considering leaving the profession in the next year

Does that stat catch your attention? Good. Shawn Sefton, RN, talks about the results of a new survey of RNs, the key problems it identified – and how technology can help lessen burnout.

< + > Mayo launches AI startup program, with assists from Epic and Google

The Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate is a 20-week initiative aimed at helping four companies in its initial cohort become market-ready.

< + > Hiding In Plain Sight: A Judge’s View On Youth Mental Health & The Justice System

“Everybody [has] a story. I love being a judge because I get to find out the stories. The other benefit is I get to work at the intersection of practice and policy. Practice needs to inform policy. You must understand how the policy is going to affect people.”

< + > Deaths Outpaced Births In A Record 73% Of U.S. Counties In 2021 As Covid Raged

In a reversal of historical trends, Americans moved from larger, more populated areas to smaller and less populated ones, with 65.6% of counties reporting net positive domestic migration for 2021, the Census Bureau reported.

< + > Telehealth can effectively manage COVID-19 at home, study finds

University of Iowa researchers found that a telemonitoring program could help to reduce hospital resource utilization while allowing timely identification of disease progression.

< + > InnovationRx: AI Uncertainty; Plus, Moderna’s Vaccine For Kids

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. Sign up!

< + > Long-Term Antibiotic Use Impacts Gut Microbiome, Linked With Cognitive Decline In Older Adults

In a new study published in PLOS One, researchers found that long-term antibiotic use in midlife might be associated with cognitive decline in later life due to gut microbiome changes.

< + > NHS to work with Australian healthcare tech firm Beamtree

The company has scored contracts with four hospital trusts in England. 

< + > Antibodies Team Up Against Omicron

Here we address Omicron's evasion of monoclonal antibody neutralization and how to overcome this viral trait.

< + > SCOTUS denies Epic's attempt to preserve full trade-secrets payout

The Supreme Court rebuffed the electronic health record vendor's petition after a Seventh Circuit decision to reduce the damages from the Tata case.

< + > Bipartisan Governors Urge White House To Spend More As Covid Response Funds Dry Up

The White House says millions of Americans could be at risk during the next coronavirus surge if Congress does not approve funding to extend and improve the federal Covid response.

< + > Security, Analytics, Partners, and Safety at HIMSS22

In-person healthcare conferences offer a unique opportunity to learn from industry thought-leaders, discover interesting new companies, and hear from established players in the ecosystem. This year at #HIMSS22 I had the opportunity to capture a few of these meetings on camera. Check out these short videos with: MedeAnalytics, DrFirst, Fortinet, R-Zero, and Project Hosts. Providing […]

< + > Biden urges 'immediately' hardened cyber defenses, citing Russia

The warnings followed an alert from federal security agencies about Russian state-sponsored threat actors exploiting default protocols and known vulnerabilities. 

< + > Verizon partners with Kajeet on telehealth

The companies say the deal will give providers and care teams a secure way for remote connections to patients.

< + > Hospitalist talks tech innovation for staffing shortages and patient access

Dr. Darin Vercillo, chief medical officer at About Healthcare, discusses these challenges and others – and describes how new technologies are boosting care coordination and enabling quick, efficient transfers.

< + > Post #ViVE2022 and #HIMSS22 Wrapup – #HITsm Chat Topic

We’re excited to share the topic and questions for this week’s #HITsm chat happening Friday, 3/25 at Noon ET (9 AM PT). This week’s chat will be hosted by John Lynn (@techguy) from @hcittoday on the topic “Post #ViVE2022 and #HIMSS22 Wrapup.” We just finished a busy two weeks of big health IT conferences with ViVE […]

< + > European Commission acts against fake EU Digital COVID certificates

New feature revokes fraudulent certificates in all members states. 

< + > eHealth Exchange launches interoperability innovation grants

The new $550,000 program will help fund organizations pursuing new technologies and strategies for nationwide health data exchange and building new connectivity tools.

< + > Aging In Place Is All The Rage, But It Is Not Easy

It has become increasingly popular to promote home as a setting for both sophisticated medical treatment and long-term care, and often for good reason. But supporters need to recognize the burden it places on families who must take on ever-challenging roles to make home care work.

< + > A Case Of Shrunken Brains: How Covid-19 May Damage Brain Cells

Comparing brain volume before and after individuals were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, this study documents significant cortical gray matter loss, equivalent to nearly 10 years of aging.

< + > Is remote patient monitoring the new cybercrime target?

Find out why criminals are targeting patients at home, how criminals are trying to access hospital and health system RPM servers – and what CISOs and IT professionals should be doing to fight back.

< + > Cerner, Nuance plan expanded Dragon Ambient eXperience collaboration

The deeper integration of ambient and conversational AI into Millennium will help "streamline workflows while enhancing the essential value of the EHR," said a Nuance leader.

< + > Covid Infection More Than Doubles Risk Of Severe Pregnancy Complications—Including Sepsis, Blood Clots And Preterm Birth—Study Finds

Covid patients may have twice the risk of preterm birth and three times the risk of blood clots than those without the virus, the study found.

< + > Senator tells VA to 'stop the rollout' of EHR after more OIG reports

The VA Office of Inspector General released a trio of reports this past week regarding allegations about medication management, ticket process concerns and care coordination deficiencies after the electronic health record go-live in Spokane, Washington.  

< + > Growing Staff Absence At England’s Hospitals As Covid-19 Cases Rise

After weeks of falling absence rates, the number of staff at home with Covid-19 or self isolating is starting to rise.

< + > 'Magic': NSW's eTOC goes live at Prince of Wales Hospital, saving time and reducing errors

The rollout of eTOC continues across the state, with eHealth NSW's head Dr Zoran Bolevich saying it improves clinical productivity and patient care.

< + > New Zealand's COVID-19 shared care record creates GP outcry as cases soar

After two years of astonishingly low COVID-19 levels, New Zealand is dealing with a wave of Omicron cases and a new government COVID-19 care platform has been adding to the burden for GPs.

< + > Aster CMI Hospital opens AI lab with Indian Institute of Science

The research facility will initially focus on developing AI tech for neurology.

< + > Google’s Healthcare Data Platform, Care Studio, Is Partnering With One Of The Largest EHR Systems

This paves the way for significant potential disruption in the years to come.

< + > Despite $65 Billion A Year Sleep Aid Market, Americans Remain Sleep Deprived

More than 1/2 of Americans say they have increased problems sleeping since the start of the pandemic. Here are the top 2022 reasons for lack of quality sleep and several easy-to-change habits to improve your sleep starting tonight.

< + > Tennis Participation Bounced Even Higher In 2021, Up 27.9% Since 2019

In 2021, 22.7% more rackets were sold for a 46.2% increase in sales dollars compared to the year before.

< + > Austria To Reinstitute Face Mask Requirements As Covid-19 Coronavirus Surges

Austria will once again be requiring the use of FFP2 respirators in indoor public locations. Here's what the FFP designation means.

< + > #CovidIsNotOver Trends Over Concerns About Covid-19 Complacency, Over-Relaxation Of Precautions

People have been using the Twitter hashtag to warn about the possibility of another Covid-19 surge and that no major legitimate public health organization has officially declared the pandemic over.

< + > 1000X More Sensitive Than Apple Watch: COR Is A ‘Fitbit For Your Blood’

While Apple Watch can sense your pulse and blood oxygenation level from outside your skin, COR can get about 1,000 times more data by getting just that one drop of blood.

< + > Rand Paul Will Try To Fire Fauci By Introducing New Amendment

With Russia attacking Ukraine right now, whom did Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) call a “dictator in chief” in his March 14 Opinion piece for FOX News?

< + > Glass Tumbler Found In Woman’s Urinary Bladder 4 Years After Use As Sex Toy

Here's what happened when a woman went to the emergency room with urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms.

< + > Should Millennials Start Saving Money For Their Joint Replacement Now?

More and more surgeons are expected to withdraw from federal and private insurers just to stay afloat. At the current pace, it’s easy to imagine a free market where younger patients begin saving for their potential joint replacement as more surgeons withdraw from payer-driven medicine.

< + > How a locally governed health system teamed up with Optum to drive change

Boulder Community Health Chief Information Officer Michael Jeffries told HIMSS22 attendees about the challenges and triumphs of the partnership, which launched 18 months ago.

< + > Physician venture investor talks telehealth, digital therapeutics, Medicaid tech

Dr. Justin Norden works at an all-physician $3 billion assets under management venture firm and shares his views on the state of digital health investing.

< + > Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize 4th Covid Vaccine Dose For All Adults

Moderna’s request comes two days after Pfizer asked the FDA to approve a second booster shot for seniors.

< + > Manipal Hospitals partners with ConnectedLife for post-surgery monitoring

It will use ConnectedLife's platform, paired with Fitbit, to track patients' health after surgery.

< + > HIMSS22: Allscripts enhances app store; HUB Security and Enlitic partner on AI

The Allscripts App Expo includes global tags and dedicated pages to promote more certified applications. HUB and Enlitic aim to secure health data and enhance patient care.

< + > At HIMSS22, RevSpring debuts Cerner integrations; Sonifi Health features pursue health equity

Cerner validates RevSpring's PersonaPay, Talksoft and IVR Advantage. Sonifi Health unveils new features for its platform that support health equity objectives and help alleviate staff-workload challenges.

< + > 35 Manufacturers Granted Licenses To Produce Generic Version Of Pfizer's Covid Antiviral Pill For Developing Countries

The move will give 95 lower-income countries access to a generic version of Pfizer’s oral Covid-19 antiviral treatment.

< + > InnovationRx: Biden Signs $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill; Plus, Omicron’s Evasion Tactics

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. Sign up!

< + > WHO ‘Very Likely’ Won’t Approve Medicago’s Covid Vaccine Due To Tobacco Ties

Medicago’s vaccine prevents Covid-19, but the WHO may reject it anyway because the Canadian pharmaceutical company is partially owned by cigarette giant Philip Morris International.

< + > HIMSS22: Caregility debuts hybrid care bedside telehealth; Kajeet and VSee partner for RPM

Low-acuity telemedicine video endpoint designed to enable more affordable inpatient hybrid care delivery at scale. App vendor and IoT connectivity service offer remote patient monitoring.

< + > 'Best Care for My Patient' will give clinicians data-driven treatment insights, says Epic

Dr. Jackie Gerhart, a physician at Epic, sat down at HIMSS22 to discuss the electronic health record's massive research database and how its findings can shape individual services. 

< + > National Coordinator: TEFCA will enable 'North Star' architecture for public health

ONC chief Micky Tripathi spoke at HIMSS22 alongside Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the CDC's deputy director for public health science and surveillance. Both see long-needed improvements ahead for data exchange and public health reporting.

< + > Covid-19 Can Cause Severe Croup In Young Children Says New Study

Doctors warn that parents should consider seeking Covid-19 testing if a child has croup symptoms.

< + > Hiding In Plain Sight: Finding Healing For Mental Illness

According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), 21% of U.S. adults experienced mental illness in 2020, which represents 1 in 5 adults. 75% of all mental health issues occur before the age of 24. Most of us know more people who battle mental illness, than those who don’t.

< + > GE Healthcare to launch comprehensive digital health platform

Edison Digital Health Platform will enable hospitals and health systems to deploy clinical, workflow, analytics and AI tools that improve care and boost revenue, the company says.

< + > An Omicron-Omicron Recombinant—BA.4

SARS-CoV-2 has the ability to combine parts of previous strains, creating new variants. Here we describe a recombinant of two Omicron strains, given the preliminary designation Omicron BA.4.

< + > Biden Signs $1.5 Trillion Spending Bill With $14 Billion For Ukraine Aid—Here’s What’s In It

In addition to funding day-to-day government operations, the bill includes measures targeting student aid, violence against women and e-cigarette regulation.

< + > Intermountain first to triple HIMSS Stage 7 status

"We continue to push the envelope of technology to deliver the highest value and to develop the future models of care," said the health system's chief health information officer.

< + > Disrupting Global Health: From Allyship To Collective Liberation

Every aspect of global health is dominated by individuals and institutions in high-income countries. If global health has to be reimagined, people that typically hold power and privilege must master the art of allyship, where they see their primary role as allies rather than leaders.

< + > Firefly Health adds digestive care to telehealth network; eVisit unveils reporting dashboard

Oshi Health, a virtual specialty care company specializing in gastrointestinal health, will provide the virtual care. And the eAnalyze dashboard enables users to understand the performance of the eVisit telemedicine platform.

< + > HIMSS22 opening keynote: 'What will we do to reimagine health together?'

HIMSS CEO Hal Wolf highlighted the urgency of health equity and brought greetings from Pope Francis, while former Disney executive Ben Sherwood celebrated the power of storytelling, innovation and human connection.

< + > Pfizer Reportedly Set To Request Authorization For Second Covid Booster Shot For Seniors

Pfizer-BioNTech will soon request FDA emergency authorization for a second Covid booster shot for people 65 and older, a group for which the agency has previously been quick to approve new shots, the Washington Post reported.

< + > Not All Legacy Application and Archiving Solutions Are Created Equal

We all know in life that there are some things that are just better than others.  For example, in my experience name brand corn flakes are just better than generic ones.  Turns out, the same is true with health IT software and more specifically legacy application and archiving solutions.  That’s the experience Dave Lundal, CIO […]

< + > SilverCloud Health launches family mental health suite; Juno Health adds clinical tech

The Family Support Suite helps with setting goals and self-care while building strong support networks. Juno Health optimizes EHR, adds pop health, point of care, ambulatory and chronic care systems.

< + > States Are Eyeing A Public Option Through Rose-Colored Glasses

Whether on the state or national level, a public option will lead to the same results: higher costs, fewer providers, and rationed care. That should give pause to officials in the 16 states—from Maine to California—where a public option is on the table.

< + > Covid-19 Might Not Have Leaked From A Lab. It’s Still A Problem For China

New research shows that Covid-19 may have come from the Wuhan Seafood Market, not from a lab. Either way, these live animal markets should be shut down.

< + > Samsung Medical Center recognised for smart logistics system

The tertiary hospital has rolled out automated guided vehicles as part of its logistics reform.

< + > How HCA Healthcare’s ‘Conservative’ Covid Strategy Reaped Dividends

Under the leadership of CEO Sam Hazen, the nearly 54-year-old company recorded higher revenue and profits in 2021 than before the pandemic.

< + > Breaking The Rules Of Healthcare: Following The Science

Doctors who adhere to scientifically derived guidelines make better decisions than those who follow their guts. But this doesn’t mean that every patient should receive the exact same medical care every time.

< + > Data analytics and dashboard tools requires a team effort

At HIMSS22, the CMIO of BayCare Health System will describe how its clinical and IT staff worked together to ensure care providers "received data exactly how they wanted it to appear" – and reduced prescriptions of controlled substances as a result.

< + > Heidi Montag Is Eating Raw Organ Meat For Fertility, Here Are The Dangers

The star of the MTV's reality show The Hills has been seen eating raw bison heart, raw liver, and raw bull's testicles.

< + > New Covid-19 Coronavirus Wave In Europe May Have Already Begun, Data Suggests

With the BA.2 Omicron “Stealth variant” spreading and Covid-19 precautions being lifted, conditions may be ripe for yet another Covid-19 upswing in the U.S. as well.

< + > Fully Robotic Surgery May Depend On Elon Musk’s Mission To Mars

Fully robotic surgery may be a couple of decades away. But one thing could speed it up: billionaire engineer Elon Musk’s very public mission to Mars.

< + > New ‘Deltacron’ Covid-19 Coronavirus Variant Is A Recombinant Of Delta And Omicron

The Institut Pasteur in France has now shared “solid evidence for a Delta-Omicron recombinant virus.”

< + > Patient ID Now frustrated by Section 510 remaining in Labor-HHS appropriations

The fact that Congress has maintained the controversial rider in its FY22 budget will hamper recent encouraging progress on a national strategy on patient identification and matching, the group says.

< + > Insights and Perspectives from ViVE 2022

As most of you know, we’ve been covering the ViVE 2022 conference this week in Miami.  On the list of healthcare IT conferences, ViVE (which is a combination of CHIME and HLTH) is one of the best produced healthcare IT conferences out there.  Going into the event, none of us doubted that it would be […]

< + > Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine Effective In Preventing Kids From Catching Omicron, Study Finds

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine reduces the risk of omicron infection by 31% among children age 5-11 and by 59% among children age 12-15, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

< + > Amwell, LG Electronics team up on connected health tools

Using devices and peripheral technologies, LG will host services from Amwell's Converge virtual care platform, said the companies. 

< + > Need A Doctor? New Survey Shows 90% Want Help From Drug Makers

New Press Ganey research shows nearly 90% of Americans want drug and device manufacturers to offer online provider directories. But meeting consumer needs is easier said than done.

< + > Intermountain's cost accounting tool helps switch from annual budgets to rolling forecasts

The planning technology enabled the health system to take a more agile financial planning approach and translate targets from an enterprise level to individual business units.

< + > Another CDC Study Supports Masks In Schools. So Why Are We Dropping Masks Rather Than Caring For Vulnerable People?

With masks considered an essential for preventing Covid-19, why are schools abandoning them now? Children and vulnerable people remain at risk.

< + > Health Insurer Anthem To Rebrand Company As ‘Elevance Health’

The large health insurer Anthem intends to become Elevance Health, Inc. in a major rebranding designed to focus the company on “whole health” of customers and patients.

< + > Digital Health CRC appoints Annette Schmiede as acting CEO

She will be taking on the new role immediately. 

< + > National Heart Centre Singapore sets up AI research lab for cardiac imaging

CVS.AI will use information from heart scans to improve the detection and prediction of cardiovascular diseases.

< + > Apollo Hospitals launches immersive mixed reality programme

It shows the inner workings of a patient's heart and the impact of their risk factors for heart disease.

< + > Masking In K-12 Schools Significantly Reduces Covid-19 Among Staff And Students

Covid-19 in Arkansas school districts that required masks was 23% lower than in districts without mask requirements

< + > InnovationRx: Health IT Update; Plus, The Covid Vice Age

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. Sign up!

< + > Epic launches SaaS aimed at independent medical groups

The shared environment, called Garden Plot, is intended to streamline access to Epic's tools for providers, with minimal overhead.

< + > Where radiology, AI and interoperability meet

Two Philips experts discuss how automation and data exchange are shaping the future of imaging, and how they can help streamline the workflows – and ease the workloads – of busy radiologists.

< + > Senate mandates cyberattack reporting to CISA

Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency flagged a pair of device vulnerabilities and a "highly sophisticated" attack affected the records of 213K individuals.

< + > How remote patient monitoring is moving into the mainstream

RPM can greatly aid providers treating chronic conditions, and ease overburdened hospitals. The future of wearables is also looking bright.

< + > Some important questions for AI ethics and safety

Whether it's predictive analytics, robotic process automation, natural language processing or other use cases, health systems should be thinking seriously about context and workflows, says a UC Berkeley expert who will offer examples during HIMSS22 Digital.

< + > CISO expert on TEFCA, Log4j, the cloud and limited security budgets

Chris Bowen, CISO and founder of ClearDATA, offers provider CISOs and CIOs advice in a wide-ranging interview with Healthcare IT News.

< + > 4 Things to Look Forward to at HIMSS22

The 2022 edition of the annual HIMSS conference will be unlike anything we have experienced before. Although there will be sense of optimism with a return to in-person healthcare conferences, it will be tempered by the specters of COVID (waning), staffing challenges (present), and the uncertainty of geo-politics (looming). I choose to be optimistic and […]

< + > Summit Healthcare Acquired by Consensus Cloud Solutions

Consensus Cloud Solutions (NASDAQ:CCSI) announced that it has acquired Summit Healthcare. The deal was finalized on February 4, 2022. The combination of Summit Healthcare’s technology solutions and services with Consensus Cloud Solution’s advanced cloud and NLP/AI capabilities will provide many benefits throughout the continuum of care, including improved staff productivity and care continuity, which will positively impact […]

< + > Building a future HIT workforce requires alignment of goals

"Emerging and aspiring professionals must be aware of employer needs and rise to new expectations," said a clinical informaticist, who will explain more at HIMSS22.

< + > Hospital at home program helps Island Health boost patient satisfaction

A full 100% of patients and family caregivers said they'd recommend the remote monitoring experience to family and friends, says a leader from the health system, who will explain more at HIMSS22.

< + > Covid-19 Infection Increases Heart Disease Risk, Even In Mild Cases

A new study demonstrates that infection with Covid-19 appears to impact the risk of cardiovascular events up to 12 months post infection, even in those who weren’t hospitalized or had mild cases. Risks increased regardless of age, race, sex or other cardiovascular disease risk factors.

< + > Judge awards whistleblower $390K in athenahealth kickback case

The electronic health record vendor had already agreed to pay $18.25 million to settle False Claims Act allegations in January 2021.

< + > Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital first to implement Pharmacist Shared Medicines List in Australia

It is a consolidated list of a consumer's prescription and non-prescription medicines uploaded on My Health Record.

< + > More Than 6 Million People Have Now Died With Covid

Estimates based on overall mortality data suggest the real number of Covid-19 deaths could be many times higher than official figures state.

< + > Singapore Billionaire Peter Lim Eyes Investment In Spanish Fertility Firm IVI-RMA Amid Buyout Bids

Billionaire Peter Lim—the controlling shareholder of Singapore’s Thomson Medical Group—is said to be keen to invest in Spanish fertility firm IVI-RMA amid booming demand for reproductive medicine across the Asia Pacific region.

< + > NHS teams with Palantir to tackle elective care waiting lists

The US firm’s software will be rolled out across 30 hospital trusts. 

< + > KU Anam Hospital ranks among top health systems globally in HIMSS Digital Health Indicator

The hospital has achieved a score of 308/400.

< + > “No Weekend Surgery”Dooming Many Awaiting Life-Saving Transplants: Report

Large numbers of Americans awaiting life-saving organ transplants are dying because many transplant centers don't do surgery on the weekend. The overall rejection rate for available kidneys could be slashed...by measures such as ensuring centers perform surgery ever day.

< + > Covid-19 ‘Freedom’ Protest Blocks DC Area Traffic, #TruckersConvoy2022 Contrasts This With Ukraine Crisis

People on Twitter contrasted the "People's Convoy" claims about freedom with what the Ukrainian people have been going through right now with Russia's invasion that's been orchestrated by Vladimir Putin.

< + > Medicare National Coverage Determination For Lung Cancer Screening Substantially Expands Eligibility

Last month, CMS announced its final decision regarding expansion of reimbursement eligibility for annual lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography. CMS is lowering the eligible age for smokers from 55 to 50, and reducing pack-year smoking history from 30 to 20 pack-years.

< + > 3 New Studies Further Support Wuhan Market As Origin Of Covid-19 Pandemic

One study traced back the earliest reported Covid-19 cases to the southwestern portion of the Huanan Seafood Market and more specifically to a stall that sold live animals at the time.

< + > Antibody-Activated Endothelial Cells Increase the Risk of Blood Clots with Covid-19

Antiphospholipid antibodies activity may help explain hypercoagulation associated with late stages of Covid-19 and long-haul disease. Blood samples from nearly 250 individuals hospitalized for Covid-19 found that these “rouge” antibodies activate endothelial cells, risking widespread blood clots.

< + > Can You Transform Your Health In Three Days? New York City’s Equinox Hotel Will Show You The Way

Why not come to New York City, or enjoy a staycation, at one of my favorite city hotels and enjoy three days of really, good health.

< + > Covid Ping-Pong: Human To Deer, Deer To Human

Here we describe a recent paper by Pickering et al. that describes a series of SARS-CoV-2 sequences originating in white-tailed deer highly divergent from previous variants, with as many as 76 consensus nucleotide mutations from the original Wuhan virus.

< + > Government Incentives for Healthcare Cybersecurity are Welcome. Regulations, Not So Much.

The pandemic has made it abundantly clear that healthcare is a vital part of every country’s infrastructure. Protecting healthcare against cyberattacks is therefore in the best interest of governments. The consensus is that more financial incentives would be welcome, but not additional regulation. Healthcare Cybersecurity Spending According to a 2020 survey by Statistica, 42% of […]

< + > Updated CDC Prescription Opioid Guidelines Appear More Flexible And Patient-Centric, But Fall Short

CDC has issued an updated draft guidance on prescription opioids that accounts to some degree for the changing landscape of the opioid crisis. The recommendations acknowledge the importance of a more patient-centric approach to pain management. Nonetheless, the guidelines fall short.

< + > Care coordination: What's needed to succeed with accountable care and home health?

CarePort founder Lissy Hu offers a look at how technology can help provider organizations manage the demands of value-based reimbursement, behavioral health, staffing and other challenges.

< + > ViVE 2022 Announcements and Solutions

Next week is the first ViVE 2022 conference happening in Miami, FL.  We’ll be covering the event here at Healthcare IT Today and sharing all the interesting insights and perspectives we find.  Plus, you can expect some great Healthcare IT Today interviews from the conference as well. With so many companies at the event, we […]

< + > Allscripts to sell hospital and large physician practice assets

Constellation Software's N. Harris Computer Corporation could pay up to $700 million for the business segment, which includes the Sunrise, Paragon, TouchWorks, Opal and dbMotion tools.

< + > Covid Vaccination Disparity Between Urban And Rural America Has Doubled Since April, CDC Says

Kids in rural communities were less than half as likely to be vaccinated for Covid-19 than kids in urban areas, according to a new CDC report that starkly illustrates the growing partisan divide on vaccines.

< + > Healthcare blockchain leader talks challenges and trends in DLT

Stuart Hanson, CEO of Avaneer Health, discusses healthcare's hesitancy to adopt blockchain, highlights some of its best potential use cases – and predicts what might be next for distributed ledger technology in 2022 and beyond.

< + > NYU Langone finds success in slimming down EHR note bloat

"We succeeded by reframing the view of notes – from buckets of data to thoughtful synthesis that transforms information into knowledge and wisdom," said a clinical transformation leader who will explain more at HIMSS22.

< + > WHO Backs Merck’s Antiviral Pill For High-Risk Covid Patients But Finds Regeneron’s Antibody Cocktail ‘Ineffective’ Against Omicron

The WHO panel is also evaluating data for Pfizer’s antiviral pill, paxlovid, and a widely available antidepressant, fluvoxamine, to treat Covid-19.

< + > InnovationRx: SOTU Recap; Plus, Biden’s New Covid Plan

InnovationRx is your weekly digest of healthcare news. Sign up!

< + > If Medicare Part D Redesign Ever Happens, It Could Lead To Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Build Back Better probably isn’t completely dead. Parts of it may be resurrected. Given its bipartisan support, it’s likely that Medicare Part D restructuring would constitute an integral component of any passable legislation, which would likely exert downward pressure on drug prices.

< + > Federal Regulators Stop Planned Buyout Of Change Healthcare By UnitedHealthGroup

Just days before the deal was set to close, the US Department of Justice has filed a suit against UnitedHealthGroup to halt its planned acquisition of Change Healthcare, arguing that it could hurt competition between commercial health plans and undercut the market for claims processing technology. The suit was joined by Minnesota Attorney General Keith […]

< + > How to fight back against public health mis- and disinformation

At HIMSS22, Denise Scannell, MITRE's chief strategist for health communication, will offer insights into the many ways it's helping healthcare organizations and public health agencies combat false and inaccurate information.

< + > Risk Of Covid Hospitalization 5 Times Higher With Johnson & Johnson Shot Than Pfizer

Though less effective than Pfizer’s shot, the risk of hospitalization is still significantly higher for unvaccinated people.

< + > The evolution of healthcare data capture: Moving to clinical innovation

Donna M. Roach, CIO at University of Utah Health, offers lessons for better health information management in her upcoming HIMSS22 education session.

< + > Solving the 'empathy gap' with social media analytics

In a preview of her HIMSS22 session, Fran Ayalasomayajula discusses how the entire healthcare industry can play a role in making a patient feel prioritized.

< + > New Data On Covid-19 Vaccine For 5-11 Year Olds Showed Minimal Effectiveness Against Omicron Infection During Surge

Recently released data on vaccine effectiveness in 5-11 year-olds during the Omicron surge showed less promising results than anticipated.

< + > Combining virtual care and personal touch to help the underserved

The CEO of Modivcare discusses the kinds of services that can both treat illness and address social determinants of health when combined with telehealth.

< + > COVID and 21st Century Cures Act Will Help Propel Health IT Forward

Greenway Health recently announced a new partnership with Wolters Kluwer to integrate their UpToDate and Emmi products in order to provide an improved patient and clinician experience. This continues a push over the last 12 months by Greenway, to improve the workflow for ambulatory practices while giving patients more consumer-like experiences. The company is also […]

< + > Covid-19 Has Orphaned 5.2 Million Children

An updated study shows that number of children orphaned globally by Covid-19 is estimated to have increased dramatically from approximately 2.7 million in April 2021 to 5.2 million in October 2021.

< + > Sequoia Project issues health IT recommendations for next crisis

The organization's Emergency Preparedness Information Workgroup convened multiple times over the course of several months to analyze gaps in current strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

< + > ONC receives nearly 300 info blocking reports

Since April 5, 2021, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT says hundreds of patients, providers and others have submitted claims of information blocking through its online portal.