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 October. You can also read previous month’s Top Ten Lists. Thank you for contributing and reading.
Most Played Episode from Healthcare NOW Radio in October
From Tell Me Where IT Hurts host Dr. Jay Anders speaks with Dr. Alwi Yunus, Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon and Clinical Director of Health Informatics at the National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara, IJN), a 433 bed hospital specializing in cardiology in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Alwi offers a compelling perspective on how a major public-private healthcare institution can modernize from paper-based workflows to a fully electronic, data-driven ecosystem.
Most Read Posts from October
The High Stakes of Information Blocking: Compliance, Competition, & Consequences
By Mary Griskewicz, Regulatory Resource Lead, Senior Consultant, Point-of-Care Partners
LinkedIn: Mary Griskewicz, MS, FHIMSS
LinkedIn: Point-of-Care Partners
Enforcement of information blocking has moved from concept to practice. On September 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release signaled an active enforcement posture and directed more resources to curb practices that interfere with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information. The announcement clarifies the consequences for different stakeholders and invites more reporting from patients, providers, innovators, and others. Continue reading…
AI, Ambient and Autonomous: AHIMA25 Attendees Poised for Digital Transformation
By Beth Friedman, FACHDM, Sr. Partner, FINN Partners
LinkedIn: Beth Friedman
LinkedIn: FINN Partners
Host of FINN Voices
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recently held its 2025 Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, setting a vision to empower, evolve, and impact. As a 20+ year veteran of this event, I can wholeheartedly attest that health information professionals are ready to live out these verbs and digitally transform their roles. Continue reading…
In a Changing World, Clean and Timely Data Remains the Cornerstone of Clinical Research
By Michelle Lane, Vice President of Data Management, LabConnect
LinkedIn: Michelle Lane
LinkedIn: LabConnect
In research and clinical trials, clean and accurate data is not merely a best practice, it is the lifeblood of credible clinical research and a prerequisite for meaningful results. Without it, trials risk being compromised, and the conclusions drawn may be misleading or invalid. Data quality underpins evidence-based medicine, and when it falters, trust in a study and the entire research ecosystem can unravel, jeopardizing public confidence and scientific progress. Continue reading…
Reducing Clinician Burnout with Virtual Medical Assistants
By Dr. Jeanne Armstrong, Chief Medical Officer for TouchWorks EHR, Altera Digital Health
LinkedIn: Jeanne Armstrong
LinkedIn: Altera Digital Health
When clinicians are overburdened with administrative tasks, it can fuel burnout, reduce access to care and lead to poorer patient outcomes and satisfaction. According to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, physicians spend nearly a third of their working time on electronic health records and administrative tasks. Other studies have found that: Continue reading…
Building “Excellent Health Outcomes for All” with AI Tools
By Deepan Vashi, EVP & Head of Solutions for Health Plans and Healthcare Services, Firstsource
LinkedIn: Deepan Vashi
LinkedIn: Firstsource
CMS is rebranding its Health Equity Index reward program, now calling it the Excellent Health Outcomes for All (EHO4all) reward. The EHO4all program will affect 2027 Medicare Advantage star ratings, based on data from the 2024 and 2025 plan years. The name change reflects the agency’s “goal of ensuring exceptional care for all enrollees,” according to the CMS April 2025 capitation rate announcement. Continue reading…
Why Ambient AI is Revolutionizing Healthcare Technology Procurement
By Dr. Thomas Kelly, CEO and Co-founder, Heidi
LinkedIn: Dr. Thomas Kelly
LinkedIn: Heidi Health
For decades, healthcare technology procurement has followed a predictable playbook: identify a regulatory need, evaluate integration capabilities, negotiate with vendors, and roll out system-wide. But ambient AI is changing this fundamental approach, forcing health systems to rethink how they evaluate and purchase healthcare technology. Continue reading…
From Alarm Chaos to Actionable Intelligence: A Guide to Unified Alert Management
By Ellie Gabel, Associate Editor, Revolutionized
LinkedIn: Elle Rose
LinkedIn: Revolutionized
Electronic health record notifications, security warnings and clinical alarms are meant to advise clinicians on everything from drug allergies to dosage contradictions. They play crucial roles in improving patient outlook. However, in excess, they can cause alert fatigue, a condition that decreases responsiveness and increases the likelihood of a breach and other significant issues. Continue reading…
Building Sustainability in Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration
By Lynn Carroll, Chief Operating Officer, HSBlox
LinkedIn: Lynn Carroll
LinkedIn: HSBlox, Inc.
Behavioral health and primary care integration is quickly moving from policy aspiration to expectation. We’ve long known that behavioral health disorders, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and others, can cause poor adherence to care plans and eventually increase utilization. Continue reading…
Clark on Connecting: Clonnections at MESC 2025
By Susan Houck Clark, BS, RHIT, CHTS-PW, CHTS-IM, SD Clark Consulting, LLC.
LinkedIn: Susan Houck Clark
Column: Clark on Connecting
There are two kinds of joy I carried home from the Medicaid Enterprise Systems Conference (MESC) this year in Milwaukee. One was unexpected and a little quirky, the discovery of a mobile karaoke truck on the last day of the conference (yes, that really happened). The other was more lasting, the joy of making and sharing #clonnections. Continue reading…
AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments
By Lauren Sausser and Darius Tahir, KFF Health News
LinkedIn: Lauren Sausser
LinkedIn: Darius Tahir
LinkedIn: KFF Health News
Taking a page from the private insurance industry’s playbook, the Trump administration will launch a program next year to find out how much money an artificial intelligence algorithm could save the federal government by denying care to Medicare patients. The pilot program, designed to weed out wasteful, “low-value” services, amounts to a federal expansion of an unpopular process called prior authorization, Continue reading…