For years, the healthcare industry has been inundated with stories about the importance of sharing data among payers, providers, and other key stakeholders – and for a good reason; widespread interoperability of healthcare data has the potential to transform much of the industry for the better.
What's often not mentioned is how expensive, time-intensive, and potentially legally hazardous data-sharing is. Combining disparate data sets is a technically challenging undertaking that requires
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Convenient Scapegoat: Why Hesitancy is Not the Cause of Low Vaccination Rates in Africa
At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic and its destructive impact was central to many of the discussions that took place. Among them, was the issue of vaccine hesitancy around the world, especially in underdeveloped nations such as those in Africa. According to Africa CDC, as of September 2022, Africa, the second most-populated continent, has only vaccinated 21% of its people; an inadequate number In comparison to other populated countries such as India
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Clinical Trials: 5 Steps to Greater eConsent Adoption
Clinical trials advance much-needed treatments while offering hope to patients and their families. However, the process of enrolling in a study where they will receive investigational medicines, vaccines or procedures can be a source of friction – enough for patients to rethink participation.
The weight of the decision combined with a perceived lack of transparency of information can confuse or dismay even those patients that are most savvy in the medical industry. Even if they do end
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4 Roadblocks That Are Hindering The Promise of Predictive Analytics
COVID-19 will likely impact and strain healthcare systems for many years to come — possibly even forever. As its attention wanes, we need technology to step in and tell us when and how to act next. What if there was a way to predict the next COVID-19 surge months before it affected operations? How many beds will be available? PPE? Where will you need to allocate additional resources and staff? What other seasonal uptick of disease will it align with? Will our revenue take a
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When Innovation Isn’t Enough: Pharma’s Next Frontier
I met Mark Cuban once. Our conversation didn’t last very long.
It was at a medical conference a few years ago. Cuban felt like a great guy to approach with an idea for a healthcare startup. We were both investors in an automation software startup called Zoba, and I of course knew him from his role on the popular entrepreneurial reality TV series Shark Tank.
A few seconds into our conversation, Cuban paused. “Healthcare is hard,” he sighed. That was his way of politely telling me: for that
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Popular Social Engineering Cyberattacks and How to Prevent Them
Did you know, in the first half of 2022, there were 817 cases of data compromises in the United States, and over 53 million individuals were affected?
A multinational hospitality group faced an attack that caused their IT system to shut down for 2 consecutive days. After tricking an employee into downloading a malicious piece of software through an email attachment, this hotel chain’s attackers obtained extremely sensitive information that included the password to their internal password
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Analysis: RSNA 2022: Predictions vs Reality
Much has already been written about attendance at RSNA, but from a first-hand perspective, RSNA 2022 could be regarded as a step back toward “normal”. Amongst mostly bustling halls, vendors reported very positive feedback on the volume and quality of customer meetings, with one prominent global imaging vendor citing “We’re signing deals here at the show again – things are looking up”.
Against this positive backdrop, however, the stark challenges facing radiology in a post-COVID world were
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How My Telehealth Company Used Revenue-Based Financing – not VC – to Get Mental Health Services to Underserved Seniors
Beyond just the impact of COVID-19, the need for tele-mental healthcare and telepsychiatry services continues to expand, especially for rural communities. With the unpredictable venture capital market, startups offering telehealth services increasingly find themselves evaluating alternative financing options.
I’ve noticed a number of alternatives have emerged in the last several years. These can be especially helpful for startups that need quick decisions and have predictable revenue growth
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Tackling the Senior Mental Health Crisis: The Role of the Primary Care Physician
One in five people over the age of 55 has at least one mental health concern, such as anxiety, or depression. As people age and their physical health declines, they can experience feelings of sadness, worry, and even panic. Moreover, debilitating chronic conditions can lead to less independence and more limited social interactions, which can exacerbate mental health challenges. If left untreated, negative thoughts and feelings can intensify, and in some cases lead to suicide attempts or
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EMRs Are Outdated, but Big Tech Is Not The Answer
Over a decade ago, the “meaningful use” clause in the United States Affordable Care Act incentivized Electronic Medical Record (EMR) adoption. The purpose of this directive was to improve the transfer of laboratory data to point-of-care clinicians to help us make better, more informed decisions for our patients.
In the years that followed, EMR systems have proliferated globally; countries like New Zealand, Norway, and the Netherlands are reporting EMR usage rates above 90% for primary care
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