< + > 43 public hospitals in Hong Kong validated for Stage 7 EMRAM

The validations are part of the Hospital Authority's ongoing smart hospital transformation programme.

< + > Cyber breach costs approach $10M, but are heightened and reduced by AI

Several factors combined to hit healthcare hardest again this year, but new research by the Ponemon Institute and IBM Security also found that leveraging artificial intelligence in security shortened severity, in terms of time and costs.

< + > No single technology is the perfect answer to pop health

Provider organizations that wish to engage in population health management must continually monitor, optimize and improve their data processes, says one analytics leader.

< + > Q&A: Why OhioHealth nurses embrace AI-driven patient discharge

Reducing patients' lengths of stay after implementing analytics and care coordination recommendations into its EHR workflows is improving costs and access, its COO says – and also cutting down on nurse burdens. 

< + > HealthEquity breach puts data of 4.3M individuals at risk

The HSA company says it has discovered "unauthorized access to and potential disclosure of protected health information and/or personally identifiable information stored in an unstructured data repository outside our core systems."

< + > How Korea's Catholic Medical Center is pursuing organisation-wide digital maturity

The hospital group has recently demonstrated EMR and IT infrastructure maturity above the regional and global averages.

< + > Synapxe rolls out analytics platform for Singaporean public healthcare

It consolidates existing data infrastructure across the sector into one common platform.

< + > The nursing informatics field is fast-evolving, says one NP leader

American Association of Nurse Practitioners President Stephen A. Ferrara says technology is fundamentally transforming the nursing profession. To show how, he discusses an intriguing new AI project he's working on at Columbia University School of Nursing.

< + > Orchid announces new HIPAA-compliant AI scribe for mental health

An exclusive look at what's billed as a first-of-its-kind, EHR-agnostic automated clinical notetaking tool. It uses artificial intelligence to help reduce behavioral healthcare providers' administrative burdens.

< + > Virtual care comes to NSW prisons, courts

It is expected to keep persons in custody out of hospital emergency departments.

< + > Baptist Health taps 3 vendors to build a pop health system that works

With help from Oracle, Innovaccer and Salesforce, the South Florida provider is scoring big population health wins, including a 7% increase in coding gap closure rate and a 17% increase in annual wellness visit completion rates.

< + > OCHIN and OSIS partner to enhance CHC technology

By aligning capabilities and working together to develop affordable and tailored technology, the non-profit healthcare technology service organizations aim to improve the sustainability of community health centers nationwide.

< + > HIMSSCast: Improving patient safety and employee retention with best incident reporting practices

By modernizing systems and improving leadership and culture to embrace reporting, healthcare organizations can better address the top 10 patient safety concerns for 2024, says Heidi Raines, founder and CEO of Performance Health Partners. 

< + > Data of 13 million Australians stolen in MediSecure hack and more briefs

Also, the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department is now providing online consultations to patients with diabetes.

< + > AI’s ability to see and hear patients holds huge promise

AI-enabled computer vision could be a game-changer, says one CEO, who also discusses the risks of generative AI and the promise of automated transcription, which is already proving itself.

< + > Augmedix acquired by Commure for $139M

The combined companies seek to continue innovating products for easing clinician burden with AI-enabled ambient scribing, advance revenue cycle automation and consolidate on an integrated platform for large language models.

< + > HHS announces major new AI, cybersecurity and IT reorganization

Oversight for healthcare technology, data and AI policy and strategy will be grouped under the renamed ASTP/ONC, while the 405(d) cybersecurity program will move to the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.

< + > CISA issues new PACs security advisory

The Homeland Security agency points to 13 vulnerabilities with the networked medical imaging and archiving systems that should be patched now. One dark web research firm says the U.S. and Brazil have the most internet-exposed PACs.

< + > Rady Children's debuts free 3D image viewing software, available for other providers

Justin Ryan, director and research scientist in the Webster Foundation 3D Innovations Lab at Rady Children's Hospital, gives a deep dive on the creation and application of this complex tool made user-friendly for any provider.

< + > Providence developing AI tools designed to reduce clinician burnout

Implementing AI in healthcare settings requires thoughtful consideration of the problems it aims to solve and a clear understanding of the potential impacts on clinical workflows and provider well-being, the digital health chief advises.

< + > Healthcare stakeholders are mostly optimistic about HTI-2

Some industry leaders are concerned about compliance time frames. Others say unstructured data won't be tapped to its fullest potential under the proposed rule.

< + > AdventHealth virtual MRI program reduces inpatient transfers by 94%

Further, the health system's cardiac MRI services grew by 42% – which significantly improved access to specialized care for patients, says AdventHealth's VP of imaging services.

< + > Healthcare recovering from CrowdStrike outage

Since its botched Microsoft security update this past week, most healthcare organizations seem to be resuming normal operations. But one of the largest IT snafus ever shows that the industry must better prepare for third-party technology disruptions.

< + > GE HealthCare to scoop up clinical AI assets from Intelligent Ultrasound

The deal, valued at $51 million, will bring more real-time image recognition technologies to GE's imaging portfolio, and could help hospitals with overburdened sonographers and radiology technologist shortages.

< + > EMS provider cuts a day off hospital length of stay, with help from AI

AmeriPro Health says its homegrown artificial intelligence-enabled predictive modeling technology is driving everything it does – and helping its hospital partners significantly increase their patient throughput.

< + > HIMSSCast: Where population health is getting a boost from artificial intelligence

One of the top authorities on pop health, Dr. Michael Dulin of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, explains how AI can curate complex data, evaluate risk and predict changes.

< + > Worldwide IT outage disrupts healthcare delivery

Crowdstrike says the BSOD outage for Microsoft Windows was caused by a botched security update. It has resulted in surgical cancellations, ambulance diversions and other patient care disruptions at doctors' offices, ERs and hospitals around the globe.

< + > AI roundup: New applications for clinical documentation, patient access, cybersecurity

Rural providers are using use voice AI to manage administrative burden and the government funding NLP research into improving the cultural sensitivity of mental healthcare. Other companies, meanwhile, have announced new secure-by-design certifications.

< + > Atlantic Health System CIDO offers lessons on AI in cybersecurity

At the upcoming HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum, Chief Information and Digital Officer Sunil Dadlani will speak to other C-suite leaders about bridging the gap between artificial intelligence-enabled security and cyber defense.

< + > Bon Secours taps Philips for 10-year patient monitoring collaboration

The seven-state health system seeks to standardize its patient monitoring tools and processes at 49 hospitals and hundreds of care sites through the partnership.

< + > AI-powered med history system improves care, reduces work at Carle Health

"By relying on the AI technology to convert information into discrete data elements in our Epic EHR, we have significantly reduced the amount of manual entry required by our staff," an inpatient pharmacy operations supervisor reports.

< + > GenAI-enabled EHRs match human clinicians in messaging, new study shows

When able to access patient-specific medical data, an integrated chatbot was accurate, complete and as empathetic as human providers in its message replies – but also long-winded and more complex, according to research from NYU Langone.

< + > Bangkok Hospital streamlines patient flow with AI

It recently digitised its registration and patient management systems.

< + > Tech leader attempts to work MAGIC with AI incubator and research collaborative

Humberto Farias of Concepta Technologies discusses his new Machine Advancement and General Intelligence Center and offers AI advice for healthcare C-suite executives and other health IT decision makers.

< + > VA awards Abridge and Nuance AI contract to help reduce burnout

The companies will further develop speech-to-text technology that takes healthcare provider's notes and can upload key excerpts to EHR-agnostic files, while the agency accepts feedback on the sole-source solicitations.

< + > Sen. Warner urges HHS to end voluntary cybersecurity requirements

Writing to the health secretary and the deputy national security advisor, the lawmaker cited recent cyber hygiene failures by healthcare organizations and asked the agency to propose mandatory minimum cyber standards already under consideration.

< + > Hanoi pilots EHR platform

Patients and their doctors can now access their digital health records from a single platform.

< + > Electronic prior auth helps one practice slash 24 hours of manual work per week

Harmony Park Family Medicine also saw turnaround times decrease significantly, with more than half of monthly determinations requiring no authorization – and 70% of prior auth requests sent to Humana being approved instantly.

< + > Raising healthcare identifiers adoption in Australia

The Australian Digital Health Agency has outlined specific steps to increase the uptake of healthcare identifiers across health facilities.

< + > Advocate's CDO offers tips from experience for integrating post-acquisition data assets

As more health systems merge, making smart and strategic use of datasets drawn from disparate systems is essential to clinical and operational success, says Advocate Health Chief Data Officer Tina Esposito.

< + > The reckoning for racially biased pulse oximeters is coming due

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is working to draw attention to FDA’s medical device regulation of light sensing technology used to measure a critical vital sign.

< + > ONC says stakeholders can 'pick up and run' with new regs

In its new HTI-2 proposed rule, the Office of the National Coordinator is hoping FHIR-focused interoperability criteria will ignite payers and public health and others to embrace broader information sharing goals.

< + > Mythbusting some misconceptions about operational improvement technology

Janus Health CEO Todd Doze dispels three commonly held ideas about how OI technology works and what it can accomplish, explaining why he thinks these assumptions are untrue.

< + > HTI-2 proposed rule includes new certification criteria for payer and public health IT

In a "tour de force" rulemaking, the agency has "harnessed all the tools at ONC's disposal" to advance HHS' nationwide interoperability and patient engagement goals, says National Coordinator Micky Tripathi.

< + > Addressing behavioral health resources and costs in Ohio

A network serving more than half the state's population with mental illness will bolster integrated care using population health management tools from Alera Health. Meanwhile, a consortium will use grant funding to grow the behavioral health workforce.

< + > Biden's health AI leads depart CHAI roles

Since the Coalition for Healthcare AI released a draft responsible AI framework and National Coordinator Micky Tripathi is taking on more AI oversight roles for the administration, both ONC and FDA say it is time to step back.

< + > How AI transcription, integrated with telehealth tools, can boost care quality

A CEO who specializes in this combination reveals how artificial intelligence has the ability to help analyze and summarize key virtual care consultation points, detect patterns in patient data to deliver more personalized care, and much more.

< + > WEDI offers feedback on CISA's cyber incident reporting rules

While the healthcare group "strongly supports" CIRCIA's security goals, it's urging the Homeland Security agency to "consider the challenges covered entities face during and immediately after experiencing a cyberattack."

< + > Q&A: Patient safety derives from data-driven leadership

A culture of analytics, starting with leadership at the top, is key for hospitals and health systems that aim to bolster care delivery and manage other healthcare challenges, says one patient safety expert.

< + > Queensland Virtual Hospital to offer emergency care and more briefs

Also, My Emergency Doctor has adopted InterSystems' cloud-based integration engine to offer improved systems interoperability.

< + > Northwell Health streamlines temp staffing with flexible workforce platform

The technology enables end-to-end order and staff pool management, fulfillment, compliance, invoicing, and reporting to allow for the management of all flexible labor on one unified platform.

< + > ACR unveils new AI quality assurance program for radiology practices

The American College of Radiology's ARCH-AI initiative is billed as the first-ever such framework, designed to help imaging providers deploy artificial intelligence more safely.

< + > This Week’s Health IT Jobs – July 3, 2024

It can be very overwhelming scrolling though job board after job board in search of a position that fits your wants and needs. Let us take that stress away by finding a mix of great health IT jobs for you! We hope you enjoy this look at some of the health IT jobs we saw healthcare organizations trying to fill this week.

Here’s a quick look at some of the health IT jobs we found:

• Senior Oracle Fusion Developer – ZOLL Medical Corporation
• Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Seven Hills Hospital – Acadia Healthcare
• Group Director of Case Management – Global Care Management
• Machine Learning Scientist – Healthcare Predictive Modeling – Altea Healthcare
• Epic Phoenix Health Informatician – Medasource
• Manager – IT Technology – Mayo Clinic
• Medical Records Tech – The US Oncology Network
• Profee Health Coder – TruBridge
• Clinical Program Manager, Integrative Medicine – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Medical Billing Specialist – Providence Anesthesiology Associates
• Clinical Informatics Specialist – Oak Street Health
• Epic Systems Support Analyst Associate – UCHealth
• Application Support Engineer – SpectraMedix
• Medical Director (PRN) – Altea Healthcare
• Senior Coding Specialist – LivantaLLC
• Payer Epic Tapestry Technical Lead, Manager – PwC
• IT Help Desk – Uintah Basin Medical Center/Uintah Basin Healthcare
• Manager, Information Security – Medpace
• Senior Computer Technician – University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC)
• Epic EMR Security Analyst – HonorHealth

If none of these jobs fit your needs, be sure to check out our previous health IT job listings.

Do you have an open health IT position that you are looking to fill? Contact us here with a link to the open position and we’ll be happy to feature it in next week’s article at no charge!

*Note: These jobs are listed by Healthcare IT Today as a free service to the community. Healthcare IT Today does not endorse or vouch for the company or the job posting. We encourage anyone applying to these jobs to do their own due diligence.

< + > How a Taiwanese hospital's Superintendent led his team to achieve a top HIMSS ranking globally

China Medical University Hospital came in first for the 2023 HIMSS Digital Health Indicator global ranking, announced earlier this year.

< + > Phoebe Physician Group gains big ROI by using AI for no-shows

From January 2023 to February 2024, the organization saw an average increase of 168 encounters per week with help from automated processes to help reduce missed appointments – amounting to approximately 7,800 additional encounter numbers and $1.4 million in new net patient revenue.

< + > AI is Not One-Size-Fits-All for Clinicians

Through his work, his podcast, and his social media listening, Joshua Liu, CEO of SeamlessMD has his fingers on the pulse of healthcare. Healthcare IT Today caught up with him at the eHealth 2024 conference to get his take on the latest trends in health IT.

AI is not a Fit for Every Clinician

AI is the most talked about technology in healthcare and although we have come down (slightly) from the extreme peak of hype, in Liu’s opinion, there is still a lot of aspirational statements being made about how AI can be successfully deployed TODAY.

In fact, according to Liu, AI technologies like ambient clinical voice are not a universal fit for every clinician. He cited a recent study by The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) which showed less than half of the physicians who had access to the technology chose to use it. Those that did, found it very helpful, but the majority did not elect to try it.

“Even though physicians are excited to try ambient clinical voice technology, adoption amongst clinicians is mixed,” said Liu.

Device-less Remote Patient Monitoring

Liu is excited about the potential for device-less remote patient monitoring.

“Instead of only serving the 5% of patients with heart failure or COPD, a software-based approach can broaden the audience to oncology patients, surgery, and palliative,” shared Liu. “We have to look beyond RPM as a hardware-based solution.”

Since patients already have access to a smartphone, it makes sense to Liu that more RPM solutions be based on browsers and smartphone technology rather than proprietary (read: expensive) hardware. The goal is access according to Liu, not revenue from an RPM walled garden.

Watch the short interview with Joshua Liu to hear more industry insights.

Learn more about SeamlessMD at https://www.seamless.md/

Check out Lii’s podcast, The Digital Patient at https://www.seamless.md/podcast

Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.

And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.

Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.

< + > Motivating Providers to Embrace Value-Based Care: 4 Keys for Healthcare Organizations

The following is a guest article by Dana McCalley, VP of Value-Based Care at Navina

For any healthcare organization and provider, the importance of the transition to value-based care (VBC) models is undeniable. To meet the ambitious goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)—covering all traditional Medicare beneficiaries and most Medicaid beneficiaries by value-based providers by 2030—it’s clear that the entire healthcare field needs to adapt accordingly.

There are significant reasons to be optimistic about the impact that value-based care can have on equity, cost savings, and overall health outcomes. But the transition towards a value-based model of healthcare is challenging and labor-intensive. Not only does it involve changing workflows, procedures, and payment models–it often entails a ‘hybrid’ period where organizations start offering a value-based model while continuing to operate within the conventional fee-for-service model. The need to support both models can result in even more bureaucratic and logistical work.

Another challenge organizations encounter on their value-based journey is the burden of HCC coding. Because value-based care aims to compensate providers based on their impact on patients’ health rather than the quantity of medical services provided, it relies heavily on risk adjustment. By providing increased resources for treating patients with significant health issues, risk adjustment offsets the financial pressure to avoid covering particularly vulnerable patients, thus helping level the playing field among patient populations. But to work properly, risk adjustment requires accurate and thorough coding of diagnoses—a process that is not only time-consuming but also has a significant learning curve.

In the face of these challenges and others, it is essential for healthcare organizations to take concrete steps to deliberately motivate their providers to embrace value-based care. At the same time, they need to ensure that their providers have the tools they need in order to make this transition smoothly and to thrive in the context of value-based healthcare.

To help healthcare organizations adapt to the demands of value-based care, here are four key ways they can motivate their providers to embrace this model of healthcare.

Prioritize the Training of Clinicians

The major differences between value-based and fee-for-service models of healthcare shape the ways medical professionals do their jobs. Not only are there distinctions in procedures and logistics, but providers may have different mindsets depending on the model in which they work.

Given these differences, physicians and healthcare organizations often face inefficiencies and challenges when making the transition to VBC. It’s crucial for healthcare organizations to invest in education and training programs for clinicians, both initially and then repeatedly as they adapt to the daily realities of value-based care.

Consistent messaging and support are essential here, including recognition of providers’ hard work and sharing positive feedback from patients who are happy with the person-centered care they’re receiving. Professional mentoring can also help, such as sitting down with a clinician, reviewing their recent charts, and together evaluating what they have done right in terms of value-based care and where there is still room for improvement.

Use Incentives Effectively (and Early)

An incentives program is another powerful tool for engaging clinicians with value-based goals. To be effective, these programs should align incentives with specific activities important to value-based care, creating a reimbursement structure that provides specific rewards for achieving certain goals. Importantly, incentives can also come in non-monetary forms such as time off.

One mistake that organizations often make as they start adopting value-based care is rewarding clinicians too late. Within a typical healthcare organization adopting a value-based model, clinicians commonly spend upwards of a year in service of value-based goals—learning new concepts, putting in extra hours, and changing their routines and workflows—before the organization receives any shared savings. If the organization only starts providing financial incentives at that point, the opportunity to deploy incentives over the course of the clinician’s first year or so in the value-based journey will have been squandered, and with that an important avenue of engagement.

Ideally, healthcare organizations can set money aside for bonuses before they receive shared savings, in order to prevent lag time from reducing the effectiveness of the incentives offered to providers.

Build a Cooperative and Collaborative Culture of Value-Based Care

To work effectively, value-based care requires a full-team approach that prioritizes patients’ well-being above all else. Developing a clearly defined set of organizational values can be an important step in helping foster this kind of patient-centered workplace culture.

Procedures should also be implemented that reflect these values. Whether it’s a small office or a large organization shifting to value-based care, it’s important to carefully design processes to increase efficiency and collaboration, in order to ensure that patient needs do not slip through the cracks.

One example is conveying to staff the importance of accommodating same-day visits when necessary. Consider the scenario of a clinic at 4:00 p.m. on a Friday, when the clinic’s staff members are eager to go home after a long week, and a patient suddenly calls for a same-day sick visit. In a fee-for-service model, there could be an incentive to send the patient to the emergency room in order to avoid having to pay staff for overtime work. But in a clinic that has fully internalized the principles of value-based and patient-centered care, the mindset should be different, making the necessary adjustments in order to get each patient the care they need, when they need it.

Help Clinicians Utilize Data Efficiently

Given the importance of collaboration within value-based care, one major challenge during and after this transition is putting the data clinicians have at their disposal to good use–including during patient visits. This can include results from labs, X-rays, and other providers, information from patients, treatment data, and more. In this regard, the sheer quantity of data, and its often fragmented nature, pose a major challenge to clinicians eager to put it to use, especially at the point of care.

Health data is also critical to helping ensure that HCC coding is both accurate and complete. By making sure that all diagnoses are reflected in patient records, reliable HCC coding can prevent a situation in which inadequate risk adjustment leaves healthcare organizations lacking the resources to sufficiently compensate providers for the care they deliver. In addition, data should be used to help clinicians understand how well they’re performing and what steps they can take in order to be more successful in the future.

It’s important to focus on clear and effective data delivery, in a way that’s easy for clinicians to understand. Artificial intelligence (AI) can make a powerful difference in this regard. Having access to a platform that interprets complex patient data coherently and in context, and provides actionable diagnosis insights, allows physicians to assess and act on their patients’ health status at the point of care.

The Big Picture

Given the importance and scope of the shift towards value-based care, it’s no surprise that it is both a complex and labor-intensive process. Not only does the transition itself present serious challenges, but it often entails adopting a hybrid model, with many healthcare organizations working simultaneously in both fee-for-service and value-based programs. This can result in significant hurdles, both in terms of logistics and in terms of the mindset of healthcare providers.

To make this transition as smooth and successful as possible, healthcare organizations need to ensure that clinicians are both motivated and able to adapt to the realities of value-based care. Achieving that goal requires the right combination of training, incentives, workplace culture, and data-driven tools. By emphasizing these four pillars, healthcare organizations can help themselves, their providers and their patients thrive within the context of value-based care.

About Dana McCalley

Dana McCalley is the VP of Value Based Care at Navina. She has 15+ years in healthcare with a focus on Quality Improvement and Risk Adjustment. She led one of the nation’s top performing ACOs for 9 years and was responsible for helping 700+ clinicians provide care to 230k value-based patients. Dana received her Bachelors of Psychology from the University of South Florida and her Masters of Business Administration from Liberty University.

< + > Health IT vendors generally express support for HHS info blocking disincentives

C-suite leaders and other executives from EHR, analytics, clinical automation and managed services firms see enforcement of the new Cures Act final rule as an overdue "step in the right direction."

< + > Project bags grant for Australia's first national injury surveillance system

It will identify new risks, such as alcohol or drug misuse, not captured in existing data.

< + > Emory Healthcare scores with an 'Uber app' for at-home PT

Patients who otherwise wouldn't have used the health system's physical therapy services because of geographic distance are now staying in-network. The technology also has boosted Emory's value-based care efforts.