Health IT Issues that Deserve a Second Read – February 2024

One of the ways that Answers Media is different from other media sites is the sense of community. The thought leaders in our community are good about sharing their thoughts on the issues of today. We publish at least eight guest posts a week now, so in case you missed some, here are the top ten read and shared guest posts in the month of February. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.

Most Played Radio Episode in February

From the Healthcare Rap – IU Health’s CEO on Prioritizing Consumer Experience – Season 10 kicks off with Dennis Murphy, President and CEO of Indiana University Health. Dennis shares what senior hospital leaders can do to keep making progress with consumer experience when they have so many other priorities, then he provides some details about an exciting new hospital that IU Health is developing in downtown Indianapolis and how patient experience is being prioritized as part of the building.

Most Read Thought Leader Posts in February

Waking up to the Financial Realities Affecting Healthcare’s Sickest Patients
By Mark Spinner, President and CEO, AccessOne
LinkedIn: Mark Spinner
LinkedIn: AccessOne

Every year, Americans are bombarded with financial advice like “sock away 12 months of living expenses.” But guidance like this feels increasingly tone-deaf when someone is hit with a $1,000 emergency room bill — and they don’t have the funds to pay it. It’s a reality that’s becoming more common, according to AccessOne’s 2023 annual consumer healthcare finance survey: Continue reading…

Securing Healthcare from Cyber Threats: An HHS Strategy Update
By Art Gross, President and CEO, HIPAA Secure Now!
LinkedIn: Art Gross
LinkedIn: HIPAA Secure Now!

The healthcare industry faces rising cybersecurity risks that threaten patient safety and care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, large healthcare data breaches are up 93% from 2018 to 2022, increasingly involving ransomware. These cyberattacks have disrupted hospital operations and delayed needed care. Continue reading…

What Does the HIPAA Right to Amend Do?
By Matt Fisher, Healthcare Attorney
LinkedIn: Matthew Fisher

Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, individuals have the right to request an amendment to their protected health information if there is a concern about the accuracy of the information. The word amendment carries a certain understanding that may not align with the actual language of the Privacy Rule though.  Continue reading…

Unlocking the Potential of Community Information Exchange for Whole Person Care
By Karis Grounds, Vice President of Health and Community Impact, 2-1-1 San Diego & Timi Leslie, President, BluePath Health
LinkedIn: Karis Grounds
LinkedIn: 2-1-1 San Diego
LinkedIn: BluePath Health

When people are in crisis—whether it’s from a community disaster or a critical need for food, housing, and financial support—it’s hard for them to know where to turn, much less how to best navigate available resources. In these cases, hospitals, police departments, and public health leaders are often relied on for interventions, but they’re not always set up for ensuring long-term, holistic care for individuals and families. Continue reading…

Clinical Decision Support and AI – The Black Box
By Jim Tate, EMR Advocate
LinkedIn: Jim Tate
Host of The Tate Chronicles – #TateDispatches

I recently wrote a post (The Need for Transparency in Healthcare – Part 1) that detailed the “criminal acts” (not my words, they come from the Department of Justice) between a major EHR developer and a well-known Big Pharma company. Those acts included bribes that allowed the Pharma company to corrupt the functionality of CDS in healthcare technology. That is about as bad as it can get in terms of “cooking the code” for money at the expense of patient care. Continue reading…

Chasing a Cyber Attacker: A Close Call and Cautionary Tale
By Steve Akers, CISO and CTO, Clearwater
LinkedIn: Steve Akers

In 2023, 128 million healthcare records were breached, increasing 127% since the year prior. And while business associates new to the healthcare marketplace may be met with higher skepticism, even seasoned business associates like Perry Johnson & Associates, which has been providing medical transcription services since 1982, can fall victim to a cyberattack, exposing almost 9 million records and affecting multiple covered entities. Continue reading…

Modern Convenience, or Invasion of Privacy?
By Pamela J. Gallagher, Founder/CEO, Gallaghers Resulting, LLC
LinkedIn: Pamela J. Gallagher, CPA, DBA

Like most people, I am signed up for a savings card from my grocery store. After all, who doesn’t want to save a few dollars on their already-expensive groceries each week, just by scanning your card at checkout? Years ago, I bought a container of Nesquik from my grocery store. A few weeks after my purchase, I received a text, phone call, and email message notifying me that the product had been recalled. Continue reading…

Is Clinical Trial Diversity the New Patient Centricity?
By Hiren Thakkar, Managing Director, Octalsoft
LinkedIn: Hiren Thakkar
LinkedIn: Octalsoft

Inadequate ethnic diversity in clinical trials, tight eligibility criteria, delayed or missing prescription recommendations for certain communities, and access gaps affecting global health are all hot topics in academia, business, and government. These deficiencies are being filled by outreach activities, regulatory standards, and pragmatic experiments. Continue reading…

Clark on Connecting: Possess a Desire to Serve the Greater Good
By Susan Clark, Senior Director of Program Development, DirectTrust
LinkedIn: Susan Clark

You may have seen my recent appearance on a webcast discussing justice-involved individuals and their coordination of care and wondered, “Why would someone who has never worked in the justice system have insights on this topic?” Let’s jump in my way-back machine to explore the origin. Continue reading…

“The Point Solution Paradox” in Healthcare’s Adoption of AI
By Vince Kuraitis JD/MBA, Principal, Better Health Technologies, LLC
LinkedIn: Vince Kuraitis

AI adoption in healthcare is facing “The Point Solution Paradox”. This paradox highlights the intricate balance between the necessity of point solutions in the evolution of AI in healthcare and the challenges they pose in an already fragmented industry. Here’s a roadmap to this post: Continue reading…