Tag: HHS

The Path Forward for Healthcare’s People Matching Problem

The Path Forward for Healthcare’s People Matching Problem

Healthcare IT Today

The following is a guest article by Rachel Podczervinski MS, RHIA, Vice President of Professional Services at Harris Data Integrity Solutions.
Efforts to identify the right path forward for healthcare’s patient matching problem are gaining a foothold as stakeholders from across the spectrum come together to remove obstacles and implement effective solutions. Most notably, in 2022, efforts by industry organizations like Patient ID Now led to the temporary removal of Section 510 from the U.S. House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bills. While it was ultimately reinserted in the final version, its initial removal…

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HHS Aims To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs Through 3 New Models

HHS Aims To Reduce Prescription Drug Costs Through 3 New Models

MedCity News

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) unveiled three new models Tuesday that will be tested by the CMS Innovation Center and aim to lower prescription drug costs. The models include access to $2 generic drugs.
The news is in response to President Joe Biden’s executive order issued in October, which directed HHS to find ways to lower prescription drug costs and improve access to drug therapies for those enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid health plans. The models are meant to build on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for…

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Several Louisiana hospitals face online tracking lawsuits

Several Louisiana hospitals face online tracking lawsuits

Healthcare IT news

The class action lawsuits filed by Herman Herman & Katz allege Meta Pixel code potentially analyzed, gathered and shared the sensitive medical data of hundreds of thousands of patients across the LCMC Health Systems and Willis-Knighton Health System networks.WHY IT MATTERS
Pixel technology uses a Java tracking script to send an organization’s data to the technology owner, which in this case, is Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Tracked data could be shared with network marketing partners who target individuals with offers and advertisements.
The new class action lawsuit alleges that visitors to the health system websites may have had their protected…

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What Is PHI, and How Can Healthcare Organizations Keep It Secure?

What Is PHI, and How Can Healthcare Organizations Keep It Secure?

HealthTech Magazine

What Is Protected Health Information?According to UC Berkeley’s Human Research Protection Program, PHI includes any information found in medical records or clinical data sets that can be used to identify an individual. In addition, this information must have been collected, used or disclosed while providing a healthcare service. PHI can be used during the diagnosis or treatment of a patient or in clinical research processes.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule require the protection of identifiable health information, such as:
Information collected by doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers in the medical record
Conversations between doctors and other healthcare providers about a patient’s…

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Federal agencies offer updates on TEFCA, interoperability milestones

Federal agencies offer updates on TEFCA, interoperability milestones

Healthcare IT news

On February 13, the government leaders thanked the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and six Qualified Health Information Networks (QHIN) for working to create a nationwide interoperability network under the 21st Century Cures Act. The ‘Network of Networks’ 
At the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, Secretary Xavier Becerra presented certificates of recognition to the CommonWell Health Alliance, eHealth Exchange, Epic TEFCA Interoperability Services, Health Gorilla, Kno2 and KONZA for moving into the pre-production testing process of the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement.
With the framework, ONC and the Sequoia Project, TEFCA’s recognized coordinating entity, seek to establish…

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Epic, eHealth Exchange and CommonWell among HHS-approved QHIN candidates

Epic, eHealth Exchange and CommonWell among HHS-approved QHIN candidates

Healthcare IT news

A half-dozen organizations on Monday were approved by the Department of Health and Human Services as the inaugural batch of candidates to participate as qualified health information networks as part of ONC’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement.During a Feb. 13 event at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, six healthcare organizations were approved to implement TEFCA as prospective QHINs: CommonWell Health Alliance, eHealth Exchange, Epic TEFCA Interoperability Services, Health Gorilla, Kno2, and KONZA National Network.
In a blog post, National Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi recognized those organizations, “for their willingness to voluntarily step up and meet the…

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Cyberattack round-up: Financial warnings and new threats to hospitals

Cyberattack round-up: Financial warnings and new threats to hospitals

Healthcare IT news

Hospital financial ratings remain vulnerable to cyberattack fallout, according to a new assessment from Fitch Ratings. Meanwhile, hacktivists and ransomware gangs are recycling ransomware strains, and hacker affiliates are offering bigger payouts. Those are just a few of the healthcare cybersecurity trends we’re watching this week.Coordinated KillNet DDoS attacks highlight potential for ratings dips
Fitch Ratings says the recent coordinated distributed denial-of-service attacks on hospital websites such as ChristianaCare’s aren’t likely to drive any downgrades at this time, but cyberattacks that compromise service and affect a hospital’s financial profile could.
Last week the pro-Russian hacktivist group KillNet, known for its DDoS attacks on critical infrastructure in nations supporting…

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NYU develops health metrics dashboard for all 435 U.S. Congressional Districts

NYU develops health metrics dashboard for all 435 U.S. Congressional Districts

Healthcare IT news

Researchers at New York University Grossman School of Medicine say their new Congressional District Health Dashboard reveals stark geographic, racial and ethnic differences in health across the United States. They hope lawmakers and healthcare organizations can use the tool to better understand and address health inequities.WHY IT MATTERS
Incorporating health measures, such as deaths from cardiovascular disease and breast cancer, along with conditions that affect health like housing affordability and access to nutritious foods, has not been available at the congressional district level.
Offering a single publicly-accessible location, the Congressional District Health Dashboard was built to offer a comprehensive data view of persistent inequities across the…

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Third-party data breach round-up: mscripts, Diligent, Mailchimp

Third-party data breach round-up: mscripts, Diligent, Mailchimp

Healthcare IT news

This month, more than 114,000 individuals may have experienced personally identifiable information and protected health information exposures from these incidents, while an email marketing hack is a new source for phishing attacks.Medication adherence platform mscripts breached
On January 17, mscripts, a cloud-based mobile pharmacy platform that focuses on patient engagement and medication adherence solutions, reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unauthorized access/disclosure that involved protected health information of 66,372 individuals, according to the Office for Civil Rights cases under investigation list.
The San Francisco-based platform, owned by Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health, uses interactive SMS messaging and branded mobile apps to…

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2021 Annual Meeting: HHS Health IT Activities to Advance SDOH Data Use & Interop for Health Equity

2021 Annual Meeting: HHS Health IT Activities to Advance SDOH Data Use & Interop for Health Equity

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT

March 30, 2021HHS is committed to achieving improvements in people’s lives by reducing health inequities. Social determinants of health such as poverty, unequal access to health care, lack of education, stigma, and racism are underlying, contributing factors of health inequities. This session will spotlight health data and interoperability related activities and approaches across several HHS agencies that aim to help address persistent inequities in health and health care and will include visionary remarks from HHS experts involved in research, public health, community living, and minority health.JaWanna Henry, MPH, ONC, ModeratorSamantha Meklir, MPP, ONC, ModeratorTimothy Carney, PhD, MPH, MBA, CDCKelly Cronin, MPH,…

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