The ONC announced that two additional organizations—CommonWell Health Alliance and Kno2—have been designated as Qualified Health Information Networks™ (QHINs) capable of nationwide health data exchange governed by the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement.
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By Art Gross – The healthcare industry faces rising cybersecurity risks that threaten patient safety and care. According to HHS, large healthcare data breaches are up 93% from 2018 to 2022, increasingly involving ransomware.
By Art Gross – In a groundbreaking development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has reached a settlement with Lafourche Medical Group, a Louisiana-based medical facility, following a phishing cyberattack that compromised the electronic protected health information of nearly 35,000 patients.
The HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra appointed Stacy Sanders to the role of Chief Competition Officer, a new role for the Department which was created last month as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to lower health care and prescription drugs costs by promoting competition.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology finalized its Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) rule.
The HHS released a concept paper that outlines the Department’s cybersecurity strategy for the health care sector. The concept paper builds on the National Cybersecurity Strategy that President Biden released last year, focusing specifically on strengthening resilience for hospitals, patients, and communities threatened by cyber-attacks.
Proposed rule for public comment establishes disincentives for health care providers found by the HHS OIG to have committed information blocking. In cases of knowingly and unreasonably interferes with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information.
The healthcare industry is not in short supply of changes that need to be made. This week’s Friday at Five highlights some industry reports lighting the way for better health data exchange, patient experience, health equity, interoperability, and social determinants of health to name a few.
Latest news being reported on payers and the health insurance industry including news from CVS Health, HHS, UnitedHealthcare, Independence Blue Cross, Humana, CareSource, Cigna, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and more.