In the modern health care environment, health care executives must be careful custodians of precious resources. Yet in December 2018, 26 percent of hospitals still lacked an effective healthcare revenue cycle solution. Other research has found that over 60 percent of hospitals and health systems are not realizing optimal value from their electronic health record (EHR ) system, causing the organizations to collaborate with other vendors and outsourcing companies to improve revenue cycle
Read More
Health Data Privacy: Why Eroding Public Trust Harms Medical Research
Using Data Privacy to Empower Health Research
The importance of data security and data privacy policies have recently come under scrutiny due to revelations around Google’s Project Nightingale. The initiative with Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, granted Google access to medical records of more than 50 million individuals in 21 states and may hinder the trajectory of health discovery by eroding “consumer” trust.
While historically it might have been a safe harbor to
Read More
How Machine Learning Can Support Early Intervention for High-Risk Patients
U.S. healthcare costs have skyrocketed over the last decade and show no sign of slowing down. We currently spend $3.5 trillion a year on healthcare—about $11,000 per person, more than twice the average per-person spending in other developed countries. And healthcare costs are expected to nearly double to $6 trillion by 2027, further adding to the financial burden on patients, plans, and providers.
Healthcare organizations are exploring a wide range of options to help contain costs while ensuring
Read More
In-app Chat: The Future of Secure Doctor/Patient Communications?
It has not been easy for technology to permeate the healthcare industry, primarily due to stringent regulations that protect patient privacy— specifically HIPAA and HITECH. These regulations are both good and necessary, pushing technology providers to become more secure and private in order to gain entry into a market that touches nearly everyone’s life in some capacity. The bar is high.
As such, it has taken some time for new technologies to take hold safely within healthcare. But
Read More
3 AI Trends for 2020: Moving Beyond Dazzle to High-Impact Collaboration
From the first artificial skin to driverless cars that navigate busy streets with ease, 2019 brought a dazzling array of artificial intelligence (AI) discovery. In 2020, the progress made toward AI-fueled collaboration will be as critical as AI innovation—especially in healthcare.
We’ve reached a point where AI has proven its utility. In radiology, for example, AI is well-oriented to interpret diagnostic imaging studies, with FDA approval given to AI algorithms that diagnose a collapsed lung or
Read More
Thinking Pink: The Case for Femtech in 2020 & Beyond
If health systems are going to retain and attract new customers, femtech is a critical starting place: it’s what women want.
In 2012, investments in female-specific health technology (femtech, as it has been coined) totaled $57M. By the close of 2019, they’re projected to reach $1B. That’s a 1651% increase in a mere seven years — and the numbers continue to climb.
The boom can be pinned to a multitude of causes, not least among them a growing (though still very much in the minority) number of
Read More
House Lifts Ban on Funding of NPI System: 7 Implications to Know
The House of Representatives recently voted to lift a ban prohibiting funding for a national patient identifier system (NPI) designed to improve patient matching.
So, what does that mean moving forward?
Let’s dive into the implications of the House’s vote.
What Will an NPI System Do?
Now that the House has lifted the ban on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) providing funding a national patient identifier, it’s important to become familiar with exactly what an NPI system
Read More
How Back-End Technologies Will Help Improve Patient Outcomes In 2020
For years, healthcare organizations have faced unique barriers to technological innovation. Enterprise-wide issues of disconnected systems and data, the slow speed of application creation, implementation, and maintenance, a lack of mobile capabilities, and the challenges of ensuring security, privacy, and compliance have made it difficult to innovate quickly to improve patient outcomes.
However, this paradigm is changing. In 2020, we will see big changes as healthcare organizations embrace the
Read More
Time’s Running Out: Why Providers Must Adopt Telehealth in 2020
Sometimes life just gets in the way. Work schedules, family obligations, and unforeseen circumstances can make going to the doctor an inconvenience rather than a helpful necessity. It’s not uncommon for patients to forget or intentionally skip appointments, cancel unexpectedly, or even put off scheduling necessary follow-up visits.
But patients don’t have to neglect their healthcare just because of a hectic work schedule or a last-minute meeting. Telehealth is emerging as a convenient
Read More
4 Ways to Make Security Training A Priority in Your Healthcare Organization
cc
Healthcare finally made the shift–it went digital. Overdue, perhaps – and maybe less rapid than the transition by other industries – but nonetheless notable. The age of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has dawned, and healthcare is riding the wave. You go, healthcare!
For healthcare organizations, the advent of IoMT means new technology tools like smart medical devices extending and streamlining care throughout the hospital. This gives clinicians more mobility and more efficiency
Read More
