Eric Bricker, MD, has announced the launch of 'Billy', a novel website aimed at enhancing hospital price transparency by utilizing hospitals' own publicly mandated pricing data. Developed by Leon Wisniewski and created by Cody Coonradt and Dustin McQuay, Billy facilitates comparisons of healthcare service prices across different hospitals, specifically highlighting the disparities in costs for services like echocardiograms among major insurance carriers at hospitals such as Presbyterian and Baylor in Dallas. While not all hospitals comply with the data release mandate, making some data unavailable, Billy serves as a valuable tool for a diverse group of stakeholders including employers, insurance and hospital contract negotiators, government regulators, insurance brokers, benefits consultants, and consumers, seeking to navigate the complex landscape of healthcare pricing.

Eric Bricker, MD on LinkedIn: Hospital #PriceTransparency Website TryBilly.App using Hospitals' Own Data LinkedIn

The Biden administration's appointed Cyber Safety Review Board criticized Microsoft for "a cascade of errors" that allowed state-backed Chinese hackers to breach email accounts of senior U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Highlighting Microsoft's inadequate security culture and lack of transparency about the breach's extent, the board calls for an overhaul in the company's security practices, given its vital role in national security, economic foundations, and public health and safety. The report suggests pausing new features for Microsoft's cloud computing until substantial security upgrades are made and demands a plan with specific timelines for security-focused reforms throughout the company. Despite these challenges, Microsoft acknowledged the board's review and committed to enhancing system defenses and detection capabilities.

Scathing federal report rips Microsoft for shoddy security, insincerity in response to Chinese hack AP News

Steven Charlap, MD, MBA has penned an open letter to Judith Faulkner, CEO of Epic Systems, advocating for the integration of SOAP Health, a startup aimed at improving patient data collection and risk assessment, into Epic's systems. Despite SOAP Health's potential to significantly enhance early disease detection and diagnosis, integration challenges with Epic are hindering its impact. Charlap, motivated by a personal tragedy of a missed diagnosis in his family, beseeches Faulkner to consider the broader benefits of such an integration for patient care, emphasizing the shared goal of advancing healthcare.

Steven Charlap, MD, MBA on LinkedIn: an open letter to Judy Faulkner LinkedIn

Matt Asay contributes to InfoWorld with an insightful piece on the limitations and misconceptions surrounding large language models (LLMs) and their role in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Asay argues that while LLMs have been hyped as precursors to AGI, they fundamentally lack the capacity for true understanding and are confined to tasks involving statistical text analysis. He emphasizes the importance of diversifying AI research beyond LLMs to include other technologies like reinforcement learning or recurrent neural networks, which could offer more promising pathways toward meaningful AI advancements. Asay critiques the current focus on LLMs for dominating the AI landscape, potentially hindering innovation and encouraging a monocultural approach to AI development. He advocates for a broader exploration of AI technologies to foster genuine progress.

Progress in AI requires thinking beyond LLMs | InfoWorld Infoworld

Eric Bricker, MD, has announced the launch of 'Billy', a novel website aimed at enhancing hospital price transparency by utilizing hospitals' own publicly mandated pricing data. Developed by Leon Wisniewski and created by Cody Coonradt and Dustin McQuay, Billy facilitates comparisons of healthcare service prices across different hospitals, specifically highlighting the disparities in costs for services like echocardiograms among major insurance carriers at hospitals such as Presbyterian and Baylor in Dallas. While not all hospitals comply with the data release mandate, making some data unavailable, Billy serves as a valuable tool for a diverse group of stakeholders including employers, insurance and hospital contract negotiators, government regulators, insurance brokers, benefits consultants, and consumers, seeking to navigate the complex landscape of healthcare pricing.

Eric Bricker, MD on LinkedIn: Hospital #PriceTransparency Website TryBilly.App using Hospitals' Own Data LinkedIn

The Biden administration's appointed Cyber Safety Review Board criticized Microsoft for "a cascade of errors" that allowed state-backed Chinese hackers to breach email accounts of senior U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Highlighting Microsoft's inadequate security culture and lack of transparency about the breach's extent, the board calls for an overhaul in the company's security practices, given its vital role in national security, economic foundations, and public health and safety. The report suggests pausing new features for Microsoft's cloud computing until substantial security upgrades are made and demands a plan with specific timelines for security-focused reforms throughout the company. Despite these challenges, Microsoft acknowledged the board's review and committed to enhancing system defenses and detection capabilities.

Scathing federal report rips Microsoft for shoddy security, insincerity in response to Chinese hack AP News

Steven Charlap, MD, MBA has penned an open letter to Judith Faulkner, CEO of Epic Systems, advocating for the integration of SOAP Health, a startup aimed at improving patient data collection and risk assessment, into Epic's systems. Despite SOAP Health's potential to significantly enhance early disease detection and diagnosis, integration challenges with Epic are hindering its impact. Charlap, motivated by a personal tragedy of a missed diagnosis in his family, beseeches Faulkner to consider the broader benefits of such an integration for patient care, emphasizing the shared goal of advancing healthcare.

Steven Charlap, MD, MBA on LinkedIn: an open letter to Judy Faulkner LinkedIn

Matt Asay contributes to InfoWorld with an insightful piece on the limitations and misconceptions surrounding large language models (LLMs) and their role in achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Asay argues that while LLMs have been hyped as precursors to AGI, they fundamentally lack the capacity for true understanding and are confined to tasks involving statistical text analysis. He emphasizes the importance of diversifying AI research beyond LLMs to include other technologies like reinforcement learning or recurrent neural networks, which could offer more promising pathways toward meaningful AI advancements. Asay critiques the current focus on LLMs for dominating the AI landscape, potentially hindering innovation and encouraging a monocultural approach to AI development. He advocates for a broader exploration of AI technologies to foster genuine progress.

Progress in AI requires thinking beyond LLMs | InfoWorld Infoworld