Stay ahead of the headlines

Jan 21, 2024·Forbes

Rural U.S. healthcare access challenges hinge on covering medical practices' fixed costs in areas of lower demand. Government response, creating 'Critical Access Hospitals' in rural, low population-density areas, resulted in overrun supply and low-quality, high-cost care. Solutions should refocus on essential rural needs like primary care, satellite outpatient-only hospitals, and lifting regulatory limitations on telehealth and pharmacies.

Jan 21, 2024·CIO

Generative AI's potential to disrupt the workplace underscores the critical need for productive partnerships between organizational end-users and intelligent software tools. Adoption of such technology presents unique challenges and necessitates training and strategic implementation. Big companies have begun using large language models (LLMs) to boost productivity and innovation, transforming the human-machine relationship. However, the technology currently requires human oversight and careful management to ensure accurate results and safety. As generative AI continues to evolve, it will impact how work gets done, potentially transforming workers into tool-users and machines into teammates. CIOs are advised to consider training programs and strategic implementation of AI tools, emphasizing their role as work facilitators, not replacements.

Jan 21, 2024·Arstechnica

Researcher Troy Hunt has unearthed a credential dump of nearly 71 million unique stolen credentials, around 25 million of which had never been leaked before. Credentials for platforms like Facebook, Roblox, eBay, and Yahoo were acquired through malware and circulating online for four months. Hunt, operator of the Have I Been Pwned? breach notification service, authenticated the data. A significant portion of the data was found to originate from credential stuffing instead of malware. Account security advice includes strong passwords, avoiding phishing sites, using two-factor authentication, and regularly checking email addresses against breach databases.

Jan 19, 2024·LinkedIn

2024 healthcare struggles focus on abortion rights, AI in medical care, and healthcare pricing. Abortion rights debate diversifies with states challenging Roe v. Wade via new restrictions mostly surrounding mifepristone, drug used in medical abortions. The generative AI in healthcare accelerates; its impact on patient care and interplay with practice of medicine questioned. Healthcare pricing battles intensify with increasing healthcare costs, doctors selling private practices to equity firms, and inflation on medication prices, whilst political policy changes await upcoming elections.

Jan 19, 2024·LinkedIn

Spencer Dorn, a healthcare influencer, discusses the financial struggles of healthcare systems despite appearing greedy. The unprofitability comes from high expenses, operational inefficiencies, and a business model driven by necessity rather than profitability. Comments from other professionals highlight the disconnect between the perception and realities of healthcare economics, varying from issues of monopolisation, the non-profit mandate, and poor leadership. Dorn also discusses the impact of AI on healthcare and its potential to further erode doctors' autonomy. While AI could aid in filtering and analysing data, he warns of its potential misuse by corporations to monitor employees. Dorn emphasizes that despite technological advances, healthcare's greatest challenges are more social than technical.

Jan 19, 2024·Fierce Healthcare

Epic launches Showroom site integrating third-party healthcare tech companies, replacing the previous App Market. The service connects software companies with provider customers, offers staffing support for feature implementation and connects healthcare ecosystem members. Its products section includes the Connection Hub for vendors to list their products integrated with Epic software, Toolbox with recommended integration practices and third-party apps, and Workshop for co-developing technology; all with an annual $500 fee. Epic aims to support standards-based interoperability while addressing provider request for beyond-standard integration. Showroom also includes Open.Epic API tool for app developers.

Jan 19, 2024·Nature

WHO warns that AI-based health care technologies could be hazardous for lower-income nations. Contemporary models that lack data from these underprivileged regions might not serve them properly. WHO's digital health director stresses the importance of avoiding inequality amplification through these technologies. The WHO updated its AI health care guidelines due to quick generative AI development, requiring governments, civil societies, and recipients to participate in its all-round regulation and development. The report later expressed concern about potential industrial capture, as larger firms may monopolize AI research, causing potential loss of academia involvement.

Jan 19, 2024·ServiceNow

2024 will see AI's tangible business impact, allowing self-evaluation and improvement. AI adoption benefits include digitizing transformations and gaining competitive advantages. Caution required in implementing AI to avoid bias. AI can simplify loan application processes, strengthen fragile supply chains, improve manufacturing processes and service delivery in public sectors. Human oversight ensures effectiveness and prevents loss of control. New tech companies expected to focus on data management. Positive outlook for AI in transforming work ways.

Jan 19, 2024·Brian Solis

Generative AI is rapidly evolving with major advancements including OpenAI's customized versions of ChatGPT, the proliferation of AI influencers, the emergence of AI-powered answer engines such as Perplexity, and Microsoft's AI-engagement key feature. These technologies enable democratized experiences, and change consumer behavior while increasing influence and interactivity.

Jan 19, 2024·Live Science

Scientists have developed the first working graphene-based semiconductor, offering prospects for faster PCs and future quantum computers. The new semiconducting material, epitaxial graphene, lets electrons move with less resistance than silicon, allowing transistors to work at terahertz frequencies, 10 times faster than today's silicon-based transistors. Graphene, a better conductor than silicon, has not previously been used in electronics due to lack of a "band gap". However, researchers created a functional graphene semiconductor with a band gap by fusing graphene onto silicon carbide with a special process and "doping" the system.

Jan 18, 2024·Health IT Security

Novant Health settled a $6.6M lawsuit for improper PHI disclosures due to third-party tracking tech use, impacting 1.3M patients in August 2022.

Jan 18, 2024·PR Newswire

ID.me and OtisHealth partner to revolutionize healthcare records access, enabling users to securely request and share data. The collaboration uses Individual Access Services (IAS) and TEFCA framework, providing patient-centered care and democratic access to data. The CARIN Alliance supports the digital credential system enabling nationwide health information access. OtisHealth, ID.me, and partners prioritize healthcare interoperability and patient-driven data control.

Jan 18, 2024·Beacon Journal

New healthcare venture capital firm, HATCo, aims to acquire largest employer and hospital system, Summa Health in Akron. The sale may transform Summa into a for-profit health service, profits will be turned into community endowments. HATCo plans to use Summa as a model for health industry transformation, CEO and leadership team will remain. Summa has been seeking sale or partnership for several years. The acquisition will take five years to fully implement, with first changes expected in the upcoming year.

Jan 18, 2024·Definitive Healthcare

Healthcare IT integral for patient care, cost reduction with EHR representing a prolific example. IT budget includes software, medical devices, imaging equipment, hardware, cybersecurity, personnel salaries. Average hospital IT budget is $7.8 million, 3% of total. NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center has highest IT expenses ($246 million), followed by Cleveland Clinic and Tisch Hospital. Average IT budget for top 25 hospitals is $147.8 million.

Jan 18, 2024·Beckers Hospital Review

Epic's revenue increased from $3.2 billion in 2019 to $4.6 billion in 2022. The EHR firm leads in acute care hospital market share. CEO Judy Faulkner's net worth also rose to $7.4 billion.

Jan 18, 2024·aha.org

AHA data reveals 6,129 hospitals in the U.S. with 919,649 total staffed beds. Breakdown includes federal, state, local government, and non-government not-for-profit community hospitals, among others. Data informs strategies for evolving healthcare landscape.

Jan 18, 2024·LinkedIn

The average IT budget for U.S hospitals is $7.8 million, creating a $47.8 billion market. However, spending competition is fierce with Epic's annual revenues forming 10% of total healthcare IT expenditure. Non-discretionary EMR-related costs also claim at least 50% of this budget. Selling a SaaS platform to the U.S hospital system presents limited opportunities with a $24 billion total addressable market. Companies need sizable contracts with numerous hospitals to achieve significant revenues.

Jan 18, 2024·Substack

Healthcare AI adoption hindered by current payment models. Innovation in business and pricing models could increase value capture for AI firms. Current software budgets insufficient to support multiple large software companies, though shift in operational expenses and increased spending could widen AI's Total Addressable Market (TAM). Part I of series explores business model architectures and pricing frameworks for AI in healthcare.

Jan 17, 2024·PYMNTS

Google's AI system, AMIE, demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy in healthcare compared to doctors, excelling in empathy, accuracy, and patient communication. Its utility remains questionable, as majority remain uncomfortable with AI healthcare. The generative AI healthcare market is projected to reach $22 billion by 2032. AI’s potential lies in increasing healthcare accessibility, quality, and consistency.

Jan 17, 2024·Gartner

Gartner's 2024 predictions indicate GenAI's transformative role in creativity, workforce productivity, and business evolution. GenAI will improve individual performance and diversity, revolutionize business operations and generate new threats demanding proactive responses. Amid benefits, new risks like malinformation necessitate strategic planning, with significant enterprise investment predicted. The rise of machine workers prompts business model changes, and unionization among knowledge workers is expected to surge due to GenAI adoption.