Health IT

Healthcare information (HIT) systems are designed to connect all the elements together for patient data, reports, medical imaging, billing, electronic medical record (EMR), hospital information system (HIS), PACS, cardiology information systems (CVIS), enterprise image systems, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, analytics, patient monitors, remote monitoring systems, inventory management, the hospital internet of things (IOT), cloud or onsite archive/storage, and cybersecurity.

Lawsuit claims clinic used AI to record patient conversations without consent
According to attorneys representing a potential class action of plaintiffs, Sharp HealthCare was not forthcoming about its use of a tool for automatic note-taking. The technology allegedly captures everything said in an exam room, including sensitive details on diagnoses, and sends it to an offsite server.
Private equity firm launches new AI-powered enterprise imaging platform
NXXIM will integrate all available patient data including radiology images, pathology slides and lab results into a “unified, real-time diagnostic workspace.”
CDC: Pediatric COVID vaccines reduce ER trips by 76%
In a new data analysis from nine states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the protective effect tapers off as juveniles age, with 5-17 year olds seeing fewer trips to urgent care or the emergency room at a rate of 56%. Overall, the agency said evidence shows that COVID-19 vaccines are still effective.
Texas sues Epic for allegedly ‘gatekeeping’ children’s medical records
Paxton says the “woke” EHR giant is intentionally making it harder for patients and families to access historical medical data, violating state law. Epic denies the allegation.
Study finds big hospitals overpaid, rural facilities overlooked in Change Healthcare relief
Researchers from University of Minnesota found that more than 300 small, rural hospitals didn't even apply for relief. At the same time, many larger, for-profit systems received hundreds of thousands in overpayments. The findings are published in Health Affairs.

Alabama hospital uses digital imaging to create newborn footprints

At Tuscaloosa’s DCH Regional Medical Center in Alabama, nurses are utilizing the latest imaging technology to create digital footprints of a newborn, WBRC Fox 6 News reports.

Study: Integrated chest CT CAD workflow cuts reading times by up to 44%

Integrating a commercial chest CT computer-aided detection (CAD) system into a clinical radiology reporting workflow reduced reading times by as much as 44 percent, according to research published in Academic Radiology.

Report: Informal 'Mar-a-Lago Crowd' runs VA, questioned $16B Cerner EHR deal

On Tuesday, Aug. 7, ProPublica published an exposé that claims three friends of President Donald Trump—dubbed the Mar-a-Lago Crowd because they frequent the president’s Florida golf club—are secretly running the show at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Northwestern Medicine lays off 60 IT workers after EHR system launch

About 60 information technology employees have been laid off by Northwestern Medicine after helping create a new electronic health records (EHR) platform, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.

NIST releases guidelines for securing records on mobile devices

Healthcare organizations wondering how to better secure information can look to the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence for advice after it recently released a new set of practice guidelines on how to better protect information in electronic health records (EHRs).

Are structured radiology reports failing physicians?

Structured radiology reports are becoming more common, allowing radiologists to work quickly and document key coding and billing information. But according to a recent commentary published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, today’s radiology reports are increasingly unhelpful.

DNA testing companies agree to new data sharing rules

Genetic testing companies—including Ancestry and 23andMe—have agreed to new rules when it comes to sharing customers’ DNA with third-party companies, Fortune reported.

On-call training: PACS-integrated curriculum improves student comprehension, relieves anxiety

Training radiology residents for on-call duties using a blended-curriculum model—known as a flipped classroom—has been gaining traction in graduate medical education. A recent study found integrating a cloud-based PACS viewer further improved trainee comprehension and comfort.

Health IT

Lawsuit claims clinic used AI to record patient conversations without consent

Private equity firm launches new AI-powered enterprise imaging platform

CDC: Pediatric COVID vaccines reduce ER trips by 76%

Texas sues Epic for allegedly ‘gatekeeping’ children’s medical records

Study finds big hospitals overpaid, rural facilities overlooked in Change Healthcare relief