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Mar 16, 2025·LinkedIn

The 2025 HIMSS National Conference in Las Vegas addressed clinician burnout, which remains a concern despite slight decreases, driven by factors such as staffing shortages and bureaucratic demands. The event, which saw lower attendance post-pandemic, emphasized advancements in digital transformation and the need for improved efficiency in electronic health records (EHR). A central takeaway was the call for a strategic shift in healthcare's approach to artificial intelligence (AI), advocating for a diversified investment strategy that balances generative AI with other modalities like machine learning. The future of AI in healthcare is anticipated to focus more on autonomous systems capable of independent decision-making, moving beyond reliance on generative technologies.

Nov 13, 2024·eHealthcare Awards

The 25th anniversary of the eHealthcare Leadership Awards was marked by a ceremony on November 10 at the Healthcare Internet Conference, recognizing over 200 organizations for their outstanding digital initiatives across 30 categories, including Best Digital Front Door and Best Overall Internet. The awards aim to underscore the significance of digital communications in meeting healthcare organizations' business goals, with notable winners like Hackensack Meridian Health and Intermountain Health receiving the top Mark Gothberg eHealthcare Organizational Commitment Award. The event was supported by various industry sponsors, reflecting the ongoing advancements in healthcare marketing and technology.

Oct 31, 2024·amia.org

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Signature Awards, to be presented at the AMIA 2024 Annual Symposium in San Francisco on November 12. These awards honor AMIA members across different career stages for their contributions to informatics. Notably, Christopher A. Longhurst, MD, Professor, Associate Dean, and Chief Clinical & Innovation Officer, UC San Diego Health, received the Don Eugene Detmer Award for Health Policy Contributions in Informatics. Other winners included Sarah Rossetti, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Nursing, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Kenrick D. Cato, Professor of Informatics, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Nurse Scientist for Pediatric Data and Analytics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who were co-recipients of the Donald A.B. Lindberg Award for Innovation in Informatics.

Oct 31, 2024·LinkedIn

The HLTH 2024 event highlighted key advancements in healthcare, particularly focusing on the changing role of nurses and the integration of technology in care delivery. Becky Fox, former Chief Clinical Information Officer at Intermountain Health, discussed the shift in telehealth conversations toward effective implementation rather than viability, reflecting its growing importance in healthcare systems. She also pointed to innovative initiatives like the coalition for Nursing AI, which seeks to enhance nursing practices while reducing ecological impact. Additionally, calls for increased funding for women's health research were emphasized, especially regarding menopause. Looking ahead, Fox mentioned the development of contactless vital sign monitoring technology, expected to enhance patient care and improve clinical decision-making in busy healthcare environments.

Aug 26, 2024·John’s Substack

Epic's UGM 2024 conference featured several key innovations aimed at improving healthcare workflows. Epic has refined its integrated secure messaging system, allowing for direct ordering from test results and sending messages from radiology reports, with new features like image attachments and priority inbox filtering. The manual connection of related diagnoses is expected to ease physicians' documentation efforts. The Cosmos platform, particularly its "Lookalikes" feature, was highlighted for its potential in collaborative problem-solving among healthcare providers. AI developments, such as ambient documentation and In-Basket responses, were also discussed, though challenges remain in their consistent adoption. The conference showcased real-world success stories, including Saint Luke’s implementation of Epic's unified communications and the Compass Rose module linking medical teams with social services. Judy Faulkner’s executive address reaffirmed Epic’s commitment to its unique culture and ongoing support for smaller organizations and research via the Garden Plot program and Cosmos database. Overall, UGM 2024 emphasized innovation, integration, and community within the healthcare technology landscape.

Aug 23, 2024·Publication

The author, J.D. Whitlock, recaps his takeaways from the 2024 Epic User Group Meeting (UGM), highlighting several key developments and experiences. The completion of Hyperdrive's re-architecture allows Epic to introduce 50% more new features in 2024, enhancing customer capabilities. There is a shift in focus within the Gold Stars maturity model towards features that are actively used rather than merely activated. International attendance at UGM is growing, underscoring the global expansion of Epic systems. The integration of Epic’s research, genomics, and clinical decision support tools remains underutilized but holds significant potential for the future. Whitlock also touches on emerging trends in generative AI, reactions to the Crowdstrike cybersecurity event, and the realizations about system efficiencies and competitive landscapes brought on by discussions at UGM. Overall, he emphasizes the importance of practical implementation, collaboration, and continuous learning to maximize Epic's benefits in healthcare settings.

Aug 23, 2024·Healthcare IT Today

Epic UGM 2024 showcased a multitude of advancements, notably in AI and interoperable healthcare solutions. Distinguished announcements included an AI chatbot demo that leveraged MyChart and Cosmos data to enhance patient interaction and recovery assessment, and the introduction of the Epic Payer Platform, providing free services to health systems for better integration with payers. Expansion efforts for Garden Plot aimed at small to medium practices, incorporation of genomics data in Epic Cosmos, and over 100 ongoing AI projects further underscored Epic's commitment to advancing healthcare technology. Additional developments touched on precision medicine, new modules, and enhanced communication tools, reflecting Epic's broad approach to healthcare innovation.

Apr 10, 2024·Becker's Hospital Review

A recent report from KLAS reveals that healthcare organizations heavily favor Apple's iPhone and iPad for their shared-use smart devices, primarily due to their seamless integration with mobile device management solutions, the widespread personal use of Apple products by employees, and extensive IT vendor support for Apple's operating systems. Despite not being specifically designed for healthcare, Apple devices are the top choice among clinicians for their quality, connectivity, and user-friendly iOS, leading to high satisfaction rates among healthcare organizations.

Apr 10, 2024·FierceHealthcare

A recent American Medical Association (AMA) survey reveals significant financial and operational disruptions among physicians due to a cyberattack on Change Healthcare reported on February 21. The attack has forced many to adopt manual and electronic workarounds for essential tasks such as claims payments, with over 77% of respondents experiencing service disruptions. The consequences have been severe: 80% reported revenue losses due to unpaid claims, and many are diverting personal funds to maintain their practices. Despite attempts to mitigate impacts, including nearly $4.7 billion in advanced payments from UnitedHealth Group, many practices are under significant financial strain, contemplating bankruptcy or acquisition. AMA President Jesse Ehrenfeld emphasized the dual threat of cyberattack-related disruptions and Medicare payment cuts, predicting closures of practices and diminished patient care access.

Apr 3, 2024·healthsystemcio.com

John Halamka and Paul Cerrato from the Mayo Clinic Platform address the exaggerated fears surrounding AI, arguing that concerns should focus more on realistic technological challenges rather than dystopian scenarios. They discuss the potential of generative AI tools like large language models (LLMs) to invent content or misuse copyrighted material, highlighting ongoing government and healthcare sector efforts to establish responsible AI standards and Quality Assurance labs through the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI). The authors suggest that the real danger lies not in AI becoming autonomous and overpowering, but in its misuse by unethical developers within the healthcare ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of human oversight and ethical development in AI applications.

Apr 2, 2024·The Guardian

The new AI tool, DrugGPT, developed by researchers at Oxford University and supported by the NIHR, aims to minimize medication errors in England, which amount to about 237 million cases annually. By providing a digital safety net for clinicians during the prescription process, this tool suggests medications based on a patient's condition, highlights potential adverse effects and interactions, and importantly, explains the rationale behind its recommendations using research and clinical guidelines. While it reinforces the critical role of human judgment in healthcare, DrugGPT represents a notable advancement in leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance prescription safety and patient compliance, amid concerns over the growing pressures faced by healthcare professionals.

Apr 1, 2024·Becker's Hospital Review

Michael J. Dowling, President & CEO of Northwell Health, shares insights on healthcare's unique challenges and responsibilities, emphasizing its complexity and critical human element. Drawing on his extensive experience across different sectors of healthcare, Dowling highlights nuances often overlooked by critics, including the sector's obligation to serve everyone irrespective of payment, the constraints in setting prices, the impact of insurance denials on payments, and the influence of insurance companies on clinical decisions. He also discusses the non-negligible role of social issues on health outcomes, the essential balance between business goals and community mission, and the evolving nature of health systems beyond hospitals. Dowling’s commentary underscores the importance of understanding these complexities for anyone looking to constructively contribute to healthcare improvement.

Mar 27, 2024·MedCity News

During a panel at the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Michael Greeley of Flare Capital Partners and Robbie Freeman of Mount Sinai Health System discussed the challenging financing landscape for digital health startups, contrasting the boom of 2021 with the current funding difficulties. They outlined key attributes for startups aiming to succeed in this environment: the capacity to rapidly demonstrate a return on investment (ROI) and the ability to showcase measurable improvements in operational efficiency, clinical burnout reduction, or patient outcomes. Greeley emphasized the importance of startups being able to quantify their impact within a short timeframe, while Freeman highlighted the need for clear, trackable success metrics for any new product trials. Both panelists agreed that startups with broad, impactful platforms have a competitive edge over those with narrower offerings.

Mar 25, 2024·The Wall Street Journal

Change Healthcare, a major medical claims clearinghouse in the U.S. owned by UnitedHealth Group, fell victim to a cyberattack by the ransomware group ALPHV, also known as BlackCat, leading to over 100 systems being disconnected and significant interruptions in medical claims processing since February 21. Despite efforts to restore services, with pharmacy claims back online as of March 7 and other services gradually returning, the attack has severely impacted healthcare providers nationwide, causing financial strains and operational disruptions. UnitedHealth is under investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services for its handling of the event, amid allegations of a possible $22 million ransom payment. The incident highlights the broader repercussions on the healthcare sector, including cash flow challenges and potential patient data breaches, prompting federal scrutiny and legislative proposals to safeguard against future cyberattacks.

Mar 22, 2024·The Conversation

The for-profit nursing home sector, catering to a large segment of the nation's nearly 14,900 facilities, is prioritizing profit over patient care, resulting in widespread neglect and mistreatment of residents. Investigations by The Conversation reveal a concerning landscape where cost-cutting measures and financial maneuvers, including complex networks of related corporations, significantly compromise the quality of care provided to residents. Penalties and fines, often viewed as a cost of doing business, fail to deter the ongoing neglect as federal regulations remain inadequately enforced, allowing owners to profit through financial schemes at the expense of resident well-being. The model is particularly prevalent among midsize chains, which strike a balance between avoiding public scrutiny and maximizing profit by operating in a regulatory environment that struggles to hold them accountable. The pandemic underscored these issues, highlighting how for-profit homes, especially those with lower staffing levels and a history of health violations, were ill-prepared to manage the crisis, leading to further suffering and loss among the nation's most vulnerable populations.

Mar 22, 2024·News 5 Cleveland

The Cleveland Clinic is pioneering the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare through a pilot program utilizing Microsoft's Dragon Ambient Xperience (DAX), an ambient listening software. This technology, implemented during patient visits, transcribes conversations between patients, doctors, and others present, using voice-enabled AI to create summary notes while distinguishing speakers. Initial tests have shown that it allows healthcare providers to spend more time focusing on patients rather than on paperwork, potentially reducing the time doctors spend on documentation. The Cleveland Clinic's exploration of this technology aims to enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery by alleviating the administrative burden on physicians, promising a shift towards more patient-centric care.

Mar 21, 2024·Politico

The article discusses the evolving perspective of healthcare professionals towards the term "burnout," with many now referring to their experiences as "moral injury." This change in terminology better captures the ethical and emotional turmoil faced by nurses and doctors who are unable to deliver the quality care they know patients deserve due to systemic issues like understaffing and excessive administrative burdens. During a POLITICO Health Care Summit, speakers from National Nurses United and Moral Injury, a healthcare advocacy group, highlighted how this moral injury not only affects healthcare workers' well-being but also poses risks to patient care. They advocated for policy changes, including regulation of insurance authorizations and support for care providers' mental health, to mitigate these challenges and retain healthcare professionals in their roles.

Mar 18, 2024·Healthcare IT News

At HIMSS24, Veronica Walk from Gartner highlighted artificial intelligence (AI) and hospital-at-home technologies as key emerging trends in healthcare. AI, particularly generative AI, is swiftly advancing, offering potential to alleviate clinician burnout and enhance care team capacity by automating administrative tasks and potentially improving clinical decision-making. Meanwhile, hospital-at-home technologies, driven by workforce shortages and a desire to improve patient outcomes, are seeing significant growth, with virtual nursing emerging as a notable application. Walk emphasizes the importance for healthcare C-suite executives to not pursue technology for its own sake but to focus on solving organizational challenges and achieving specific outcomes. She advises the use of tools like Gartner's Hype Cycles to assess technologies' maturity and potential impact, and stresses collaboration among C-suite members to effectively implement and derive value from these emerging technologies.

Mar 18, 2024·MedCity News

At the HIMSS conference in Orlando, Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett emphasized AI's transformative potential in healthcare, particularly in building healthier communities at an unprecedented scale and pace. Garrett outlined four critical areas where AI could make a significant impact: increasing access to care, improving patient outcomes, advancing health equity, and addressing climate change. He highlighted examples like the partnership between Indian digital healthcare platform Apollo 24|7 and Google Cloud for AI-powered telemedicine, and Grifols' collaboration with Google Cloud to develop new plasma-based drugs. Garrett also pointed out the use of AI in early detection and treatment pathways, such as an AI tool by Carenostics for advanced kidney disease diagnosis and an app from Phoenix Children's Hospital for identifying malnutrition in pediatric patients. Additionally, Garrett spoke on the need for AI to address social determinants of health and climate change's health impacts, stressing the urgency of developing solutions that are energy-efficient and reduce pollution.

Mar 15, 2024·Beckers Hospital Review

At the HIMSS 2024 conference in Orlando, Florida, the prevailing topic was the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, reflecting a shift to what Stanford Health Care's Gary Fritz describes as the current "AI wave" in health technology discussions. Key highlights included the unveiling of new healthcare generative AI applications by companies like Oracle Health and Google, alongside practical deployments such as Stanford Health Care's organization-wide adoption of Microsoft’s Nuance DAX co-pilot for clinical documentation, aimed at saving physicians time. Moreover, concerns over AI safety and the importance of human oversight were discussed, as well as innovations in "Hospital at Home" programs and cybersecurity, punctuated by the recent Change Healthcare ransomware attack’s industry-wide impact. Additionally, Mayo Clinic's presentation on their future $5 billion digitized hospital campus showcased the ambitious scope of integrating digital innovation directly into patient care and operational efficiency.