< + > Washington Having Largest Tuberculosis Outbreak In 20 Years

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic may have delayed screening and diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) cases, allowing Mycobacterium tuberculosis to spread further.

< + > India Is Investing Billions To Create A Robust Healthcare System

In addition to improving healthcare outcomes, the PM is committed to providing quality healthcare for all.

< + > Elon Musk On Twitter Says Wellbutrin Should Be Taken Off Market, Here’s The Pushback

Musk responded to a tweet from Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen about a different medication Adderall.

< + > Medical Debt A Major Source Of Consumer Complaints, New Watchdog Report Shows

According to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, medical debt was a key source of consumer complaints about debt collection and credit reporting.

< + > Study of 40.7M adults finds telehealth comparable for chronic conditions

But patients with acute conditions who had initial telehealth encounters appeared to require additional follow-up visits.

< + > 35B5: A Potent, Broadly-Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody Effective Against All Known Variants

A new Covid-19 monoclonal antibody, 35B5, has the potential to neutralize all current and future SARS-CoV-2 variant strains.

< + > A Look at the Behavioral Health Network, TPN.health

Behavioral Health is in an interesting space since it’s suffered through many stigmas and missed out on many reimbursement and stimulus efforts that have been available to medical care.  That seems like it’s starting to change as many realize the importance of treating mental health and overcoming the past stigmas.  However, behavioral health still suffers […]

< + > Hepatitis Outbreak: Alabama Cases Linked To Common Virus May Provide Clue

All nine Alabama children infected in the ongoing hepatitis outbreak have recovered or are recovering—including two who underwent liver transplants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

< + > Additional Support Arrives For The Covid-19 Test-To-Treat Program

The Biden Administration's Test-to-treat program has the potential to transform the pandemic, especially for those at high risk of severe disease.

< + > How AI can increase the effectiveness of point-of-care ultrasounds

Dr. Mark Favot says learning to use point-of-care ultrasound devices can be "very humbling" for physicians – but artificial intelligence can make it easier for them to acquire new skills.

< + > The Center For Forecasting And Outbreak Analytics Could Represent A New Era In Infectious Disease Control, But Challenges Lie Ahead

The CDC's new Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics aims to act in a similar way to the weather forecast to guide decisions about broad public health needs. But the system will only be as effective as the data it receives.

< + > Researchers create AI model to predict pediatric no-shows

A team from Boston Children's Hospital and Yonsei University used local weather information to help forecast the possibility of patients missing scheduled appointments.

< + > Cerebral Pushed ADHD Prescriptions And Failed To Report Data Breaches, Ex-Executive Alleges In Lawsuit

Former Cerebral vice president Matthew Truebe says the $4.8 billion company “consistently and at times egregiously put profits and growth before patient safety."

< + > Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize Covid Vaccines For Young Kids — But Most Parents Are In No Rush, Polls Suggest

Only 21% of parents of children under five said in February that they’d vaccinate their child “right away.”

< + > 50% Of Young Adults Report Symptoms Of Depression, New Covid-19 Survey Shows

One-quarter of Americans report moderate or severe symptoms of depression—even more among some groups—according to a new 50-state survey.

< + > Climate Change Could Spark Future Pandemics, Study Finds

Climate change is expected to drive at least 15,000 new instances of viruses jumping between species over the next 50 years, researchers warn.

< + > A New 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline Number Is About To Launch, But It Won’t Work Unless Key Players Rally For Its Success

While 988 promises to connect sufferers to providers, that is only part of the answer to lowering suicide rates. It would be too pat to assume the hotline can do that on its own and changes on the supply side are also needed or we won’t see much improvement.

< + > Fathom Secures Investment From Vituity’s Inflect Health

Fathom is the first medical coding automation company to receive investment from a national physician group Fathom, the leader in AI medical coding automation, announced it received a strategic investment from Inflect Health, the innovation hub of Vituity, one of the largest physician-led provider groups in the United States. Fathom will use the investment to […]

< + > 'Faxed and refaxed': AMA claims poor interaction between GPs and hospitals in Victoria jeopardises patient care

The Australian Medical Association has claimed that “chronically poor” communication between general practitioners and hospitals is putting patient safety at risk, and called for the Victorian Government to fix the problem in the state's health system.

< + > Samsung Medical Center in South Korea first to achieve Stage 7 INFRAM worldwide

This comes five months after it was assessed for Stage 6.

< + > InnovationRx: M&A Deals Are Down; Plus, Is The ‘Pandemic Phase’ Over?

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

< + > A fragmented EHR market is fueling interoperability divide, says ONC study

Researchers from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT found substantial differences between solo practice physicians and large practice physicians when it came to data exchange capabilities.

< + > Are Critics Of Private Equity Nursing Home Ownership Living In The Past?

Industry experts tell me that, increasingly, big investors in senior services are abandoning nursing facilities in favor of the far more lucrative home health business and, in some cases, private-pay senior housing.

< + > A Look at RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) in Healthcare

This month we’ve been focusing some of our editorial coverage on remote patient monitoring.  You may have also seen our podcast asking the question of whether RPM is Overrated or our ever expanding list of RPM companies.  There’s a lot happening in the remote patient monitoring space.  Why is this the case? I think the […]

< + > Traffic Safety Signs May Be Hazardous To Your Health

How government behavioral “nudges” can backfire, sometimes fatally so.

< + > Pfizer Asks FDA To Authorize Covid Booster For Kids 5-11

As the omicron variant puts children at greater risk of hospitalization, public health officials have worked to make Covid-19 treatments more accessible to young people.

< + > Epic, Cerner collaborating with White House on COVID-19 therapeutics

The White House announced Tuesday that it was calling on electronic health record vendors to incorporate information about antivirals directly into their interfaces.

< + > Mysterious Child Hepatitis Outbreak Could Be Linked To Common Cold Virus

At least one child has died in an international hepatitis outbreak that has left researchers scrambling to uncover links between affected children.

< + > Access to wearables could become a social determinant of health, researchers warn

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health's "All of Us" program found that cost and technology awareness could pose hurdles to broad adoption of digital health devices.

< + > How a single COVID-19 telehealth grant will help one provider for years to come

Burrell Behavioral Health's CIO tells the organization's story of telemedicine expansion spurred by the pandemic – and fueled by patient and clinician desire.

< + > Managing Healthcare Cyber Threats and Protecting Patient Data at the Edge

It’s impossible to put a value on the trust your patients place in your organization to protect and safely store the data created in the course of caring for the community. Hospitals and health systems have more to lose than organizations in other sectors when it comes to the impact of hacking activities and patient […]

< + > Veteran hospitalized after medication dropped from EHR list

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said the patient's prescription  had not been renewed as it should have been, although the medication was still available to be viewed in a different area of the system.

< + > FDA Approves First Covid Treatment For Children Under 12

The antiviral drug remdesivier is now approved for Covid-19 patients at least 28 days old.

< + > Drug-Resistant Mold Increasingly Causing Serious Lung Infections

A new study from the U.K. has described drug-resistant lung infections in vulnerable people, raising concern that treatment options may be increasingly limited.

< + > AMA survey: Majority of physicians say telehealth enables more comprehensive quality care

Most respondents, however, point to the digital divide as the biggest obstacle to accessing virtual services.

< + > With telehealth, Behavioral Nutrition sees many more patients

While patients might have traveled from 45 minutes away before telehealth services were available, now the organization is seeing people who live an hour and a half drive away.

< + > LifePoint Health to Lead Investment in Specialist TeleMed

Investment in independently operated specialty clinical workforce and technology platform will accelerate Specialist TeleMed’s growth, improve access to critical healthcare services for communities across the country, and expand LifePoint’s diversified healthcare network LifePoint Health and Specialist TeleMed (STeM) have announced that an affiliate of LifePoint Health will lead an investment in STeM. STeM, a leading multi-specialty telemedicine provider […]

< + > Should Judges Set Public Health Policy? Americans Are Divided On Mask Mandate

Americans boarding planes and trains can now decide for themselves whether to mask or not. But should the courts set public health policy? Americans are divided.

< + > SARS-CoV-2 Mimics Inflammatory Proteins In Our Body

Inflammation is one of the most serious consequences of infection and is a hallmark of severe SARS-CoV-2. Recent studies show that SARS-CoV-2 induces the innate immune system’s inflammatory response by mimicking one of our body’s most potent inflammatory proteins.

< + > Medicaid Expansion Would Only Expand Waste And Poor Care

Americans living in non-expansion states should consider themselves lucky. Expanding Medicaid would only expand the entitlement's inefficiencies and poor health outcomes.

< + > Parkville Precinct hospitals in Australia achieve Stage 6-7 EMRAM and O-EMRAM

The assessments, as well as their EMR go-live, were done virtually during the first year of the pandemic.

< + > Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital in Taiwan latest to achieve Stage 6 EMRAM

The hospital is also gearing up to reach the highest stage for the model in the near future.

< + > The Immigrant Entrepreneur Who Brought Condoms To America

The story of Julius Schmid, who battled the U.S. government to sell condoms, shows the resilience of immigrant entrepreneurs.

< + > Walgreens & Alphabet Launch Inaugural Drone Deliveries In DFW

This technology has the potential to deliver value to billions of people.

< + > Second Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters: Getting It Now Versus Waiting Until Fall

Moderna and Pfizer have been working on new Covid-19 vaccines designed to offer better protection against the Omicron variants than the original mRNA vaccines have.

< + > Former NHSX director of AI Indra Joshi joins Palantir Technologies

Concerns raised about conflict of interest as Palantir bids for £240M NHS contract. 

< + > Nearly 240,000 Covid-19 Deaths Could Have Been Prevented With Vaccines, Study Finds

The vaccine-preventable deaths comprise 60 percent of all adult Covid-19 deaths since June 2021, the Kaiser Family Foundation found.

< + > EHR study finds wearing dentures could hurt overall nutrition

Researchers linked patient records with the lab values of nutritional biomarkers to examine potential connections among the data.

< + > Woman, 31, Catches Covid-19 Coronavirus Twice In 20 Days, Omicron After Delta

This was the soonest on record that a person had been re-infected with the SARS-CoV-2. The woman had already been fully vaccinated and boosted.

< + > Opioids More Likely To Kill Than Car Crashes Or Suicide [Infographic]

The advent of Covid-19 has added another deadly disease to the National Safety Council's list of the things that are most likely to kill Americans, but another detail on the newest release of the report might even be more sobering.

< + > Survival Of The Fittest: The Rise Of BA.2.12.1

The latest Omicron variant, BA.2.12.1, is on the rise in the American Northeast. Here we describe what may be the next catalyst for infections in the US and worldwide.

< + > Can tech help patients only have to tell their story once?

A communications technology expert discusses the fragmented processes patients endure getting in touch with a provider, and what she sees as solutions to the problems.

< + > Netsmart Expands the CareFabric Platform to Support Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation and Wellness Providers

Netsmart announces the addition of TheraOffice®, an industry-leading practice management platform for physical therapy and rehabilitation practices to the Netsmart portfolio. This addition expands the Netsmart CareFabric® platform to deliver workflows for therapy providers to better connect to all venues of healthcare. “Therapies are delivered in coordination with the continuum of provider markets Netsmart has historically supported,” said […]

< + > Kindergarten Vaccination Rates For Measles, Mumps, Tetanus Fell Due To Pandemic Disruptions, CDC Says

Mandatory vaccine coverage for diseases like whooping cough and chickenpox decreased among kindergarteners last year as kids fell behind on their shots, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

< + > Chatbots and related automation can ease staffing shortages, triage patients

The technology can also help with patient education and discharge, as well as combat clinician burnout, says the CEO of Amwell's Conversa Health.

< + > Black Maternal Health Week Insights from Premier

“The health of our nation is dependent on the health of our mothers.” – Deborah Kilday  Despite persistent efforts to reduce maternal pathology and mortality rates nationwide, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 births continued to rise through 2019 (a year before the global pandemic would impact these data.) Socio-economically marginalized groups continue to […]

< + > As Some Americans Celebrate End Of Travel Mask Mandates, Most Say ‘Not So Fast’

Despite celebrations of a U.S. District Judge's ruling to overturn the federal mask mandates on air and other travel, a majority of Americans support mandates.

< + > STING: It Takes Two To Tango

A new discovery uncovered a previously hidden binding site on a key immune protein known as STING that may enhance protection against infection. Knowing when to activate or inhibit this protein may be the key to controlling the widespread inflammatory consequences of Covid-19.

< + > SuperCare Health faces lawsuits over data breach

According to a notice published in March, an unknown party accessed the respiratory care provider's systems in July 2021, affecting the information of more than 300,000 people.

< + > New Members Of The Omicron Family Of Viruses: BA.2.12.1, BA.4, And BA.5

New members of the Omicron family continue to emerge. Here we describe descendants of the highly transmissible BA.2 tree.

< + > Samsung Medical Center introduces smart mobile questionnaire system

The system has saved them 1.6 hours a day in preparing questionnaires for patients.

< + > Covid-19 Pneumonia Increases Risk Of Dementia, Study Says

People hospitalized with Covid-19-related pneumonia are 18.6% more likely to develop dementia than people hospitalized with other forms of pneumonia, researchers said.

< + > Novavax Claims Positive Results From Early Trials Of Combination Covid/Flu Vaccine

The company will be moving into more clinical trials for the vaccine through 2022 and 2023.

< + > A diagnostic testing company offers security lessons for all providers

When Brio Systems took on COVID-19 testing, it suddenly had employers and agencies as customers, which required a whole new view of security. It turned to a security platform vendor for help.

< + > Patient generated data can be a key factor in reducing health inequity

Experts from IQVIA say increasing diversity of data sources improves access to care and exposes obstacles to access in a quantifiable and timely fashion.

< + > Delta Calls Covid-19 An ‘Ordinary Seasonal Virus’ As Airlines Drop Face Mask Use In Mid-Flight

On Monday, Delta, United, Alaskan, and other U.S. airlines rapidly dropped their face mask requirements soon after U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle had ruled against federal face mask requirements for public transit.

< + > 87% Of Kids Hospitalized With Covid During Omicron Wave Were Unvaccinated, CDC Says

Unvaccinated children are much more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than vaccinated children, and to stay in hospital longer, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

< + > Craig Kwiatkowski named new Cedars-Sinai CIO

Kwiatkowski, who received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Chicago College of Pharmacy, has been working at Cedars-Sinai since 2009.

< + > Using RNA to predict preterm birth

Dr. Michal Elovitz, chief medical advisor at Mirvie, discusses the importance of early detection when it comes to potential pregnancy complications.

< + > Geisinger's journey to greatly expanded telehealth

The prolific health system is now able to offer telemedicine appointments to patients for primary care, urgent care and more than 70 specialties. More than 8% of total outpatient visits now are conducted virtually.

< + > Pondok Indah Hospital Group first in Indonesia to achieve EMRAM Stage 6

Three hospitals operated by the healthcare provider have been validated.

< + > Six Ways Fluvoxamine May Act To Prevent Severe Covid-19

Fluvoxamine has the potential to reduce the chance of progression to severe Covid-19. Here we describe the mechanisms that enable this ability.

< + > Why Pharma Should Commit To Population Health

Covid-19 is not the first pandemic to strike our society, nor will it be the last. Will this experience be enough to convince leaders to embrace a population health approach?

< + > Florida provider group to pay $24.5M after False Claims Act allegations

The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that Physician Partners of America increased its telehealth visits in an attempt to make up for lost revenue during COVID-19.

< + > Becoming More Patient First with Kelli Bravo from Pega

Any shift in healthcare goes slow.  In many ways, this is by design.  We don’t want to make changes that are going to literally put patients’ lives at risk.  While change is slow, it feels like we’re on that slow march to putting patients first in healthcare.  Certainly COVID threw some gas on that fire […]

< + > MedTrainer Announces $43 Million Series B Funding Round Led by Vista Equity Partners

Investment accelerates the expansion and innovation of MedTrainer’s best-in-class solution to enhance value to its current customers and rapidly expand its reach into new markets MedTrainer, healthcare’s leader in credentialing, training, and compliance management, today announced a $43 million Series B investment led by Vista Equity Partners, a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data, […]

< + > The Dangerous Math That Florida Doesn’t Want Its Children To Learn

The state of Florida has rejected a bunch of math textbooks because they contain forbidden subjects. I dug deeper to discover what these offensive math concepts might be.

< + > NHA invites health IT players to build India's digital health ecosystem under ABDM

Interested parties are being asked to provide digital health solutions for free.

< + > Pharma Billionaire Wu Yiling Loses $1 Billion In One Day As Questions Mount Over His Covid Medicine

Wu Yiling, the founder of traditional Chinese medicine producer Shijiazhuang Yiling Pharmaceutical, saw his wealth plunge by $1.1 billion in just one day amid questions over the efficacy of his purported Covid-treatment drugs.

< + > Brazil’s Military Reportedly Purchased Over 35,000 Viagra Pills, Raising Questions

What might the armed forces be doing with so much sildenafil, a medication most commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction?

< + > Kinder Easter Chocolate Recall After Salmonella Outbreak Leaves 150 Ill, Mostly Young Children

The Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak has spanned 10 countries.

< + > Omicron XE: How Concerning Is The So-Called ‘Frankenstein’ Covid-19 Variant?

The XE, which is a mix of the BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants, is one of multiple recombinants that have emerged such as XD, XF, to XS.

< + > Reliance, India’s Largest Company, May Potentially Buy Walgreens’ Drugstore Business

There are many reasons why Reliance may be interested in an organization like Walgreens Boots.

< + > 'A little bit sci-fi': How robots can make a dent in nurses' workloads

Diligent Robotics CEO and cofounder Andrea Thomaz explains how her company's clinical support robot Moxi works and how its design informs its interactions with humans.

< + > Technology and Partnerships Needed to Address RCM Staffing Challenges

Staffing continues to be the most significant challenge facing healthcare in 2022 – not just on the frontlines but in the back-office too. Small physician practices are finding it especially difficult to compete for skilled revenue cycle talent. To fill the gap, they must adopt RCM technology and learn to partner with service providers. Healthcare […]

< + > Meet The Founders Of The $2.7 Million Startup Behind The New Covid Breathalyzer

InspectIR’s device, originally developed to detect if people were using marijuana, just received FDA authorization as a Covid test.

< + > Who doesn’t text in 2022? Most state Medicaid programs

A Kaiser Family Foundation report published in March found just 11 states said they would use texting to alert Medicaid recipients about the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

< + > Kansas Lifts Hurdle To Nurse Practitioners, Becomes 26th State To Do So

Kansas is the latest in a growing number of states giving direct access to nurse practitioners thanks to legislation eliminating hurdles for patients who need primary care as the Covid-19 pandemic put a spotlight on U.S. primary care needs.

< + > FDA Authorizes First Covid Breath Testing Device

InspectIR Systems’ “Covid-19 breathalyzer” is capable of detecting Covid-19 with a high degree of accuracy within less than three minutes, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

< + > SARS-CoV-2 Actively Infects And Kills Lymphoid Cells

A recent paper published in the journal Nature describes how SARS-CoV-2 infection induces a serious medical condition called lymphopenia by directly attacking and killing our immune T cells.

< + > Healthcare AI Bias: Reasons and Resolutions

The following is a guest article by Anand Shroff, President at Verantos. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise to dramatically improve clinical outcomes for patients, but in a perverse twist, AI algorithms that are used to improve drug development and support healthcare don’t just highlight social inequities — they may ultimately exacerbate them. A lingering […]

< + > Winning the Race to Deliver Seamless Healthcare Experiences

The following is a guest article by William Shea, VP of Cognizant Consulting Healthcare Practice, & Trish Birch, SVP, Healthcare Consulting & Strategy Leader at Cognizant. Many healthcare organizations have set their sights on delivering holistic customer journeys that seamlessly blend physical and digital experiences. Care, payment, follow-up, referrals. and ancillary services soon will blend […]

< + > Hit with a cyber attack? Here's how to keep the feds informed

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released information detailing who should report incidents and what should be included.

< + > Congressman asks Cerner, VA to address pharma module interface concerns

Rep. Matt Rosendale asked agency and vendor leadership to put in place a "true" bidirectional interface, calling it "the single greatest technical problem with the Cerner EHR."

< + > England’s Ambulances In Crisis: ‘Patients Will Almost Certainly Die’

Ambulances and emergency departments are facing "extreme" pressure as the pandemic continues to squeeze services.

< + > Video-enabled tablets could help prevent veteran suicides

A new study found that the receipt of video-enabled tablets during the pandemic was associated with more psychotherapy visits and reduced emergency department use, among other benefits.

< + > InnovationRx: AI In Healthcare; Plus, Return Of The Mask?

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

< + > The Next Big Thing in Remote Patient Monitoring: Personalized Digital Care Journeys

The following is a guest article by Dr. Joshua Liu, MD, Co-founder/CEO of SeamlessMD. Over 10 years ago, I went down the rabbithole of preventing readmissions. I learned about “superusers” – the 5% of patients who represent 50% of healthcare costs. Like many providers, I thought: if we could monitor these patients, could we prevent […]

< + > Arkansas HIE Uses Technology Partnership to Improve Health Outcomes

When it comes to HIEs, each one is different. They often have distinct missions, and many states have multiple HIEs trying to approach electronic information exchange from several directions. In Arkansas, they’re lucky to have one statewide HIE which is focused on improving patient health outcomes. The Arkansas State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) is leveraging […]

< + > New Analysis Shows Fluvoxamine Has The Potential To Reduce Covid-19 Hospitalizations By More Than 90%

There is an ever-expanding need for SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. A recent analysis suggests fluvoxamine may greatly reduce the risk of hospitalization in Covid patients.

< + > Vytalize Health Raises Over $50M Series B to Advance Value-Based Care

Led by Enhanced Healthcare Partners, the financing round signals an enormous opportunity for Vytalize Health to accelerate the adoption of value-based care programs by providers Vytalize Health, a leading value-based care platform for seniors, announced it has closed over $50 million in Series B financing led by Enhanced Healthcare Partners. The company will use the […]

< + > Singapore establishes national consortium for clinical research, innovation

It will ensure a "unity of mission" across its members' respective programmes.

< + > Remdesivir Resistance Reported Upon Treatment Of An Immunocompromised Patient

One of the questions that arises with any single drug treatment of an RNA virus is the level of resistance. Remdesivir has been approved as a stand-alone therapy for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.

< + > Why Haven’t Payers Automated Prior Authorizations Previously?

One of the banes of healthcare is prior authorizations.  Just mention of the phrase makes the hearts of doctors and their staff break.  While every doctor and medical staff I know hate prior authorizations, the payers have a good reason for them.  They want to make sure they’re paying for the proper care.  It’s a […]

< + > FDA releases medical device cybersecurity draft guidance

The agency is seeking stakeholder feedback on the guidance, which seeks to clearly outline its recommendations for premarket submission content when it comes to cybersecurity concerns. 

< + > Thirty Madison launches virtual dermatology platform

The chronic conditions company says it aims to offer patients a comprehensive option for skin health.

< + > Imprivata acquires SecureLink

The addition of its technology will help secure third-party digital identities – "critical, but often overlooked and vulnerable points of access."

< + > Doceree Closes $11 Million Series A Funding Round Led by Eight Roads Ventures

Financing accelerates company’s global growth and development of its platform to enrich HCP messaging solutions on endemic and point-of-care networks for life sciences companies Doceree Inc, the first global network of physician-only platforms for programmatic messaging, today announced the completion of $11 million Series A funding round led by Eight Roads Ventures, a global investment […]

< + > What sets the FDA apart on medtech innovation? An expert weighs in

UCLA Biodesign executive director Dr. Jennifer McCaney shares insights on a recent research project with BCG examining the global regulatory landscape, and discusses what excites her about the industry's future.

< + > In the Eye of the Storm: How Covid-19 Impacts the Eye

While Covid-19 is commonly associated with infection of the lungs, heart and other vital organs, a growing body of evidence suggests that infection can also impact the eye. Thanks to a recent study by researchers in Germany we may now have a better picture of how SARS-CoV-2 infects the retina.

< + > New York Latest To Lift Hurdle To Nurse Practitioners During Pandemic

New York is the latest in a growing number of states giving direct access to nurse practitioners thanks to legislation eliminating hurdles for patients who need primary care.

< + > It's Time To Take Aim At Scope-Of-Practice Laws

Permanently rolling back restrictive scope-of-practice laws—and letting experienced healthcare workers do their jobs—is a common-sense reform that could benefit patients and the healthcare system alike.

< + > Breaking The Rules Of Healthcare: The Doctor-Patient Power Dynamic

Improving the doctor-patient relationship will require better communication and greater trust. Neither will happen until there is a more equal balance of power in the exam room.

< + > NHS England announces plans for £240M federated data platform

The platform is intended to be “an ecosystem of technologies and services”.

< + > Covid-19 Cases Up 49% In NYC, Mayor Eric Adams Tests Positive

An estimated 85% of positive Covid-19 test samples in New York City have contained the BA.2 Omicron subvariant.

< + > 21 States Sue To Stop Covid-19 Face Mask Mandates On Airplanes, Public Transit

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) face mask requirements for those riding public transit and in transportation hubs are already scheduled to expire April 18.

< + > Obama, Biden Team Up To Bolster Obamacare On Health Law’s 12th Anniversary

Obamacare was signed into law 12 years ago. Obama himself marked the anniversary with his first visit to the White House since leaving office as President Biden announced new efforts to strengthen access to affordable insurance.

< + > Health Experts Worry That CDC Covid-19 Maps, Measures May Be Misleading

Here are the differences between the Covid-19 Community Levels map and the harder-to-find Covid-19 Community Transmission map.

< + > S100s: A Blunderbuss Approach To SARS-CoV-2 Defense

Scientists have recently discovered that a family of proteins called S100s may simultaneously protect us from SARS-CoV-2 whilst amplifying the severity of SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. Here, we provide an in-depth look at the complex relationship between S100s and SARS-CoV-2.

< + > ‘It Changed My Life Completely’: How Internet Disconnection Improved Selena Gomez’ Personal Connections And Mental Wellbeing

Selena Gomez cares about her mental wellbeing and yours. Disconnecting from the digital world has helped her forge healthier relationships, with herself and others.

< + > Erectile Dysfunction Meds Linked To 85% Higher Serious Eye Damage Risk, Study Says

Regular use of ED medications such as sildenafil (e.g., Viagra), vardenafil (e.g., Levitra and Staxyn), tadalafil (Cialis), and avanafil (Stendra) was associated with increased risk of three serious eye problems.

< + > Federal Vaccine Mandate On Hold? White House Reportedly Delays Enforcement

Though a court lifted an injunction against President Joe Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate for federal employees, the White House has reportedly chosen to delay putting the mandate into effect.

< + > Walmart Health's Florida centers will be the first to use Epic

The five locations in the Sunshine State are slated to open throughout April and June, with at least four additional centers to follow in the Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa areas. 

< + > Breast Cancer Survivors At Increased Risk Of Heart Disease

A new study shows a link between some common cancer treatments and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

< + > Epic taps Lyniate for Garden Plot integration

Its interface engine will help power data exchange for the new SaaS offering, which offers access to Epic for independent physicians and medical groups.

< + > Consumer Experience is a Top Priority at Adventist Health

The pandemic has cast a harsh light on the unequal distribution of care. Instead of hiding from the reality, leading healthcare organizations like Adventist Health are addressing the problem head-on by adopting technologies and practices that prioritize access to care. Adventist has partnered with GetWell, Kyruus, VisitPay, and Tonic Health for example, to provide consumer-like […]

< + > 3 Important Security Efforts and 2 Threats to Work On and Watch for in Healthcare

Coming out of the HIMSS conference, one of the top topics at the conference was cybersecurity.  Maybe it was the lingering impact and effects of ransomware incidents that hit so many healthcare organizations or maybe it was the growing complexity of IT systems that are being deployed, but cybersecurity seemed to be on everyone’s mind. […]

< + > The majority of health execs say they believe equity is important. Now what?

New research from Accenture, a professional services company, and HIMSS Market Insights found that the vast majority of U.S. healthcare executives believe equity initiatives are important.   

< + > OCR wants feedback on HITECH security provisions, monetary penalties

As cyber threats increase, this RFI aims to help the agency support implementation of security best practices and better share enforcement funds with individuals harmed by HIPAA violations.

< + > Walgreens CEO Brewer Joins VillageMD Board As Drugstore Chain’s Investment Grows

Walgreens Boots Alliance chief executive officer Roz Brewer has joined the board of VillageMD, which is developing hundreds of doctor-staffed clinics connected to Walgreens drugstores across the U.S.

< + > A Case Study on the Importance of Choosing the Right Data Management Partner

In a recent conversation with Zafar Chaudry, MD, MS, MIS, MBA, Sr. Vice President – Chief Digital & Information Officer at Seattle Children’s, and Sunita Pradhan, VP Customer Success Hospital and Health Systems at ELLKAY, it was impressed upon me how important a healthcare organization’s work in data management is to an organization and more […]

< + > Nurse-1-1 Raises $2.3 Million in Seed Funding, Pioneering “Conversational Marketing for Healthcare”

Nurse-1-1, the first conversational marketing company for healthcare, today announced the close of its $2.3 million seed funding round led by Argon Ventures with participation from York IE and Hyperplane. The company will use the financing to expand its team, accelerate its go-to-market efforts, and scale its current partnerships with publicly traded and nationwide digital health, at-home testing, and pharma companies. […]

< + > InnovationRx: Venture Capital For Digital Health Is Down; Plus, The New Omicron Variant

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

< + > A Blue-Ribbon Panel Calls Nursing Home Care “Ineffective, Inefficient, Fragmented, And Unsustainable”

The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine has issued a scathing report on the state of nursing homes in the US. “The way in which the United States finances, delivers, and regulates care in nursing home settings is ineffective, inefficient, fragmented, and unsustainable.”

< + > Building a virtual ICU depends on politicking and persuasion

"The change management began years and years before the first camera was hung," explained a Houston Methodist leader. Myriad health system stakeholders needed to adjust their ways of thinking and doing things in order to make the project work.

< + > Two More Members Of The Omicron Family To Keep An Eye On

Here we examine some of these emerging substrains and how they could impact viral characteristics like transmission, immune evasion, and virulence.

< + > Provider Compensation In The Rural Health Clinic: Flexibility Is Key

...owing to Medicare and Medicaid All Inclusive Rates (AIR) for certified Rural Health Clinics (RHC), a pure wRVU comp model may not be tenable...

< + > Clarify Health Closes $150M Series D Funding to Unlock the Promise of Value-Based Care with End-to-End Intelligence on Every Patient Journey

Led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the round underscores Clarify’s leadership in the system of intelligence market and its position to change the way we pay for healthcare Clarify Health, a leading cloud analytics and value-based payments platform company, announced today that it secured $150 million in Series D financing. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the round […]

< + > UCL and AWS partner to launch digital innovation centre

Projects will use cloud-based technology to address global health issues. 

< + > Gov't funds free access to online parenting resources to support children's mental wellbeing

More than six in 10 Australian parents said they are not confident in spotting signs of social or emotional problems in their children.

< + > Hello Bello Launches Diaper Registry Fund And Ukraine Relief Fund To Address Growing Diaper Need Crisis

Leading baby products brand Hello Bello is launching the Diaper Registry Fund to take on the critical and growing diaper need crisis, which currently affects more than one in three U.S. families.

< + > Advocate Aurora Enterprises scoops up MobileHelp for RPM, personal emergency response

Health system officials say the remote patient monitoring acquisition will enable more of its patients to "age independently, comfortably and affordably."

< + > Here’s What We Know About Omicron XE — The New Covid Variant Found In The U.K.

Early data suggests the variant, which combines BA.1 and BA.2 omicron subvariants, could be 10% more transmissible than the highly infectious “stealth” omicron, the most infectious form of Covid known.

< + > To Become Patient-Centered, Listen to Patients

Patients want to be treated like they are as consumers in the retail and hospitality world. Healthcare is coming around, but slowly. To accelerate the transformation to a more patient-centric system, experts recommend something simple – listen and learn from patients. That is exactly the advice from Windstream Enterprise and Akumin, who partnered to create […]

< + > Dr. Paul Farmer’s Legacy Was To Transform The Field Of Global Public Health

Farmer left behind a “generational legacy” that forever changed the way we view global public health. He helped alter the top-down approach of healthcare assistance to one of localized aid, working with local governments and medical professionals to deliver healthcare to the world’s poorest places.

< + > AmplifyMD Raises $23 Million to Improve Patient Access to Specialty Care

AmplifyMD’s platform connects medical institutions missing critical specialty coverage to a network of leading specialists. AmplifyMD, the national telemedicine platform connecting medical institutions with specialist doctors, today announced the company has raised $23 million. The funding includes a Series A led by F-Prime Capital, and a seed round co-led by Forerunner Ventures and Greylock. The funds […]

< + > Digital Health Firms Reverse Dollar-Bill Motto In Bid To Make Big Bucks

Digital health firms are increasingly betting that the key to success is offering "one to many" technologies that addresses workforce shortages by expanding the reach of clinicians.

< + > We Cannot ‘Boost Our Way Out’ Of The Covid Pandemic, Experts Warn

Researchers told Forbes a strategy of frequent boosting against Covid-19 every few months is not “practical,” “sustainable” or even needed to protect most people from the virus.

< + > Man Got 87 Doses Of Covid-19 Coronavirus Vaccines Allegedly In Germany

A 61-year man was trying to collect vaccination record documents so that he could then sell them to anti-vaxxers and others who didn't want to get vaccinated.

< + > Bluebird Bio Has Serious Cash Flow Concerns; Inability To Strike Reimbursement Deals In Europe Partly To Blame

Bluebird bio's exit from Europe last year signals rough seas ahead for gene therapy developers, who are trying to gain market access for their products. Evidently, bluebird bio couldn’t strike deals with European payers for its EMA-approved gene therapies, Zynteglo (beti-cel) and Skysona (eli-cel).

< + > Avocado Eating Linked To 16%-22% Lower Risk Of Heart Disease

The study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) found that people who had eaten at least two servings of avocados per week had a 16% lower likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.

< + > Tweet Claims Vitamin D Deficiency Is ‘One Of The More Serious Issues Of Our Time’

"Vitamin D" was trending on Twitter, after a Twitterer claimed that the Vitamin D deficiency is overlooked.

< + > AHA urges FTC, Justice Department to update merger guidelines

The group took a pro-merger stance, suggesting there are defects in the models used by the FTC to gauge merger appropriateness.

< + > Heart Complications More Likely From Covid Than From Vaccines, Study Finds

Covid-19 mRNA vaccines have been linked to rare incidences of cardiac inflammation—but Covid-19 infection is associated with a far higher rate of heart complications, according to a study published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

< + > Coronaviruses Can Recombine With Cellular And Heterologous Viruses To Create Unexpected Variants

Here we examine the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 recombining with heterologous viruses, potentially leading to new variants.

< + > PATCH Act seeks to shore up security for medical devices, IoT networks

The bipartisan bill would put in place baseline cybersecurity requirements for device manufacturers applying for FDA approval and require plans to monitor and address post-market vulnerabilities.

< + > How an AI-powered tool could help diagnose skin cancer in veterans

Dave Vennergrund, GDIT vice president of artificial intelligence and data insights, discussed the software's potential to assist in screening patients for possibly harmful diseases.

< + > The Artful Dodger SARS-CoV-2: Evading Immunity By Inhibition Of Interferon

A new study documents the SARS-CoV-2 variants' evolution to become resistant to interferons and helps to explain how the virus may become more evasive to innate and adaptive immunity.

< + > Making Virtual At Home Lab Testing a Reality

Healthcare is continuing its march towards remote monitoring (RPM) patients.  Whether this was necessitated by the pandemic, new technology made it possible, or studies that show that patients do better at home, there’s a confluence of changes and technology that are making remote patient monitoring a reality. While the move to RPM is accelerating, there’s […]

< + > Health IT April Fool’s Day Jokes – Fun Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  And this is a special Friday because it’s April 1st which is that time where companies have a little fun and share April Fool’s Day jokes.  We’ve shared a lot of April Fool’s Day Health IT jokes over the years including a few of our own.  Here’s a few we saw today […]