Digital health tools now shape many of the most sensitive moments in the patient experience. Individuals use digital platforms to report concerns, describe symptoms they hesitate to discuss in person, and provide feedback that carries emotional weight. When these exchanges occur in digital environments, system design influences whether users feel supported, dismissed, or uncertain about how their information will be handled. Trust becomes a central factor in these moments. As digital health
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Health IT | News, Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
KLAS Healthcare IoT Security 2026: Top Vendors Rated for Risk Reduction and ROI
What You Should Know:
A new 2026 report from KLAS Research signals a major shift in the healthcare IoT security market: hospitals are no longer satisfied with just "seeing" their devices—they demand measurable risk reduction. The report names Asimily and Claroty as the market leaders with the highest energy, driven by their ability to deliver tangible outcomes like automated remediation and strong segmentation. Conversely, legacy players are facing scrutiny over complexity and training
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The Unbreakable Web: Building the 2026 Hybrid Network Stack for AI-Driven Care
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming healthcare at a pace that few could have predicted. What once were experimental use cases, predictive diagnostics, real-time patient monitoring, and AI-assisted surgeries are now entering everyday clinical practice. Yet there is one foundational element without which none of this progress can endure: the network infrastructure that connects it all.
In this new era, where every heartbeat, every pixel of a
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Mastering the EHR Learning Curve: 2026 Strategies for IT Competency
Professionals across public, acute, and behavioral health rely on electronic health record (EHR) software to support patient care and documentation every day. Entering diagnoses, care plans, and administrative information supports the care continuum, and in-house technology teams help to make this as seamless as possible.
Each new system and wave of advancements requires a learning curve. Examine how IT can navigate a new EHR, and use that knowledge to support clinical end users.
Make IT
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AMA’s Strategic Push for Permanent Medicare Telehealth Reform
What You Should Know
- The AMA is urging Congress to pass permanent authorization of Medicare telehealth services before the current waiver expires on January 30, 2026.
- This advocacy follows a "tumultuous" 2025 in which a 43-day government shutdown caused a 24% national drop in fee-for-service telemedicine visits, demonstrating the extreme sensitivity of patient access to legislative lapses.
The Economic Battle: Challenging CBO Scoring
The crux of the AMA’s issue brief is a
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From Genes to Hackers: The Hidden Cybersecurity Risks in Life Sciences
Getting a new credit card number is relatively easy, but you can't get a new genome.
In October 2023, 23andMe experienced a data breach resulting from a credential stuffing attack. In this cyberattack, hackers exploit reused usernames and passwords obtained from previous data leaks to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. Initially, approximately 14,000 accounts were compromised. It exposed the sensitive personal and genetic data of about 5.5 million users and an additional 1.4
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Avoiding the Telemedicine Cliff: Why the DEA Extended Prescribing Rules Through 2026
What You Should Know:
- In a significant move for the "tele-prescribing" landscape, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have announced a fourth temporary extension of telemedicine flexibilities.
- This extension allows practitioners to prescribe controlled medications—including Schedule II–V drugs—via audio-video encounters without a prior in-person medical evaluation through December 31, 2026.
A Transitional
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From Reactive to Proactive: Mastering 2026 Medical Device Fleet Management
In today’s healthcare environment, hospitals typically have 10 to 15 connected medical devices per bed, meaning clinical engineering teams are often responsible for managing thousands of medical assets at each site., This number is only expected to rise. In a high-stakes environment of healthcare, every piece of equipment plays a critical role in patient outcomes.
As hospitals continue to adopt more advanced technology and software, clinical engineers face growing
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Closing the Referral Management Gap in 2026: Why Every Referral Deserves Swift Follow-Through
In healthcare today, one of the quietest yet most damaging leak points lies between the referral and the actual appointment. It’s easy to think of referral processing as a back-office task. But in organizations where demand is high, patient expectations are rising, and competition is fierce, a slow or clumsy referral process becomes a strategic liability.
I’ve seen firsthand how systems built for payments and patient engagement reveal one truth: every delay is a missed connection — patients
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How Legacy Active Directory Creates Ransomware Risks for Hospitals
In early 2024, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago faced a catastrophic cyber incident. Between January 26 and 31, attackers infiltrated the network, forcing the shutdown of phones, email, and critical patient systems including the EHR and online portal. Nearly 800,000 individuals were later notified that their personal and medical data had been compromised. While the precise attack vector was not confirmed, the episode illustrates how outdated identity infrastructure,
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