After many years of delay and prevarication, the UK is finally grappling with an issue that has long been a source of polarised debate and ethical handwringing around the world.
The House of Commons has voted in favor of a bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales, marking a significant advancement of the issue globally. A separate bill is currently being considered in Scotland.
The proposed legislation, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, would permit
Read More
Health IT & Digital Health-Opinion | Op-Eds | Guest Columns | Analysis, Insights - HIT Consultant
HIPAA Compliance: 3 Strategies for Implementing Multilingual Healthcare Delivery
According to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), 29.6 million people in the US identified as having limited English proficiency (LEP). Put another way, over 8% of the US population has limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English.
Not surprisingly, patients with limited English proficiency have worse healthcare outcomes than English-proficient patients, according to the AMA Journal of Ethics. These outcomes include extended
Read More
Leveraging EHR Efficiencies and AI to Combat Provider Burnout
The reality of provider burnout – and the impact it has on healthcare organizations – has become a major industry pain point in recent years. According to an AMA report, burnout costs the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $4.6 billion per year, largely due to provider turnover and work-hour reductions. Depending on the specialty, the cost can range from $500,000 to $1 million for every physician who leaves an organization.
While we can celebrate that burnout is on a slight decline
Read More
Cellular Connectivity: The Future of Home Medical Devices
The global home medical equipment market is experiencing explosive growth. Smart devices are being used to monitor and treat patients suffering from diabetes, cardiac disorders, and other medical conditions without exposing those patients to the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Numerous organizations, including the World Health Organization and the National Council of Aging, are promoting self-health management to give patients better outcomes.
This trend leverages digital technology to
Read More
Navigating FDA’s New Guidance on Medical Device Servicing
The complexity and cost of medical devices are escalating, and with it, the stakes for maintaining these assets efficiently and compliantly are increasing. In some cases, this requires complex and comprehensive repairs that may involve major components of the asset being rebuilt or upgraded. As organizations strive to prolong the safe, useful lifespan of their medical assets while curtailing capital expenditure, they face a new challenge: adhering to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s
Read More
Telehealth Partnerships: A Value-Added Service for Providers
Today’s healthcare consumers have high expectations regarding their patient experience. They want care to be more convenient, accessible, and affordable.
For providers looking to meet those expectations, telehealth partnerships are the answer. These partnerships provide value-added solutions that empower patients to overcome their chief healthcare challenges.
Telehealth partnerships remove hurdles that discourage patient engagement
During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote access made
Read More
Telehealth 2.0: The Healthtech Trends Shaping Tomorrow’s Digital Health Experience
2020 proved a pivotal year for the growth and acceptance of telethealth services. During the pandemic, this was the only way for many patients to be seen by their physicians and there was an excitement in the space about the possibilities for better and faster treatment that technology presented
Fast forward to today, some five years later, and telehealth appears to be dying. Consumers have started looking at the other innovative technologies and wondered
Read More
Harnessing AI and LLMs to Accelerate Biomedical Discovery for Precision Medicine
The healthcare industry is experiencing a data and technological revolution that is accelerating drug discovery and delivery to patients. Over the past 15 years, we've seen an explosion of targeted therapies — including small molecules, immunotherapies, cell-based treatments, and more — all made possible by the integration of large-scale 'omics data with clinical insights, treatment approaches, and patient outcomes. However, despite these advancements, we still have a long way to go to fully
Read More
AI Won’t Replace Healthcare Developers: The Human Factor Remains Crucial
The rapid advancement of AI has fueled discussions about its potential to replace developers, particularly in industries like healthcare, where innovation and efficiency are critical. However, while AI tools can automate specific tasks, they cannot replace the expertise, intuition, and security-focused approach of skilled software engineers. Much like how the iPhone turned everyone into a photographer but didn’t replace professional photographers, AI enhances workflows but doesn’t eliminate the
Read More
Patching Problems? Securing Medical Device Software Postmarket
Medical device manufacturers face a conundrum. To meet recent FDA requirements, which were initially introduced a little over a year ago, they now need to quickly provide postmarket updates and patches for their devices to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and ensure their ongoing safety and effectiveness.
However, medical device manufacturers know all too well that patching takes significant time and engineering resources, is difficult to accomplish for Class II and Class III medical
Read More
