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Dec 21, 2023·Healthcare IT News

Generative AI growth in healthcare expected in 2024 but will face increased regulation. 2023's hype led few health systems to implement definitive generative AI strategies. GSR Ventures' Dr. Justin Norden predicts more providers realizing benefits from genAI in administrative tasks. However, needed for regulatory guidelines to protect patient safety and provider liability, with President Biden's October executive order hinting at 2024 AI regulation. Norden anticipates broader AI regulation, testing for bias, accuracy, and safety. Health systems potentially self-regulating AI algorithms in regulatory uncertainty. Increased financial pressures could force health tech vendor consolidation.

Dec 21, 2023·VentureBeat

Apple innovates in AI with 3D avatars, efficient language models; HUGS creates avatars from monocular videos, outperforming Vid2Avatar, NeuMan; windowing and row-column bundling speed prop up large language model (LLM) inference. New techniques may integrate into Apple products, enabling complex AI services. Future: AI-infused service needs, photorealistic avatars, powerful AI assistants on portable devices.

Dec 21, 2023·RealClearHealth

Data-driven healthcare improves patient safety, reduces waste. Stanford uses total patient data to avoid negative drug interactions, costly repeat tests. Interoperability between health IT systems aids understanding of care history. HHS's TEFCA enables universal interoperability using private-public partnership, collaborative approach. Lack of single connection point impedes patient data sharing, reduces healthcare quality. TEFCA's network-interconnectivity eliminates need for multiple legal agreements, connection points. Stanford, an early TEFCA adopter, envisions comprehensive patient care. Participation in TEFCA marks easy nationwide interoperability.

Dec 19, 2023·CIO

Achieving IT service delivery excellence involves approaches like proactiveness, empathy, structured service catalog, iterative methods, standardization, user-centric approach, documentation, continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and addressing specific needs.

Dec 19, 2023·MedCity News

Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), a nationwide health information exchange network, launched after a decade's planning by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The initiative aims for secure, seamless data exchange and increased patient healthcare data access. However, Don Rucker, former ONC chief, criticizes the initiative's archaic data exchange protocol could deter use and impede interoperability. He suggests TEFCA should be modernized to handle computable data for improved functionality. Despite ONC's promise to support modern APIs by 2024, Rucker remains skeptical without concrete technical plans.

Dec 19, 2023·The Verge

Google settled a monopoly lawsuit, agreeing to pay $700 million and make minor operational changes. Developers can guide consumers away from Google Play Store for several years if the settlement approved. Google will pay customers who overpaid for apps $629 million, states $70 million for distribution as they see fit, and $1 million for settlement administration. Google will allow third-party app installation for 7 years and give developers the choice of an alternative billing system for 5 years. While many stewardships expire, some argue not real concessions. Critics claim Google's "User Choice Billing" system is a fake choice with a discounted rate of 4% off Google's fee for alternative payment system use. Google reserves the right to prevent developers from linking to their websites for discounts. Overall, Google will not be required to allow links for payment systems. Epic Games CEO criticized the settlement, calling it an "injustice" to Android users and developers.

Dec 18, 2023·Beckers Hospital Review

Illinois' Ascension Mercy Hospital, previously known as Amita Health Mercy Medical Center, continues to be referred to as "Mercy" despite multiple name changes due to mergers and acquisitions. Local familiarity often trumps official rebranding efforts. Name changes can reflect reputation repair, merging with a more recognized health system, or cultural shifts internally. However, constant name changes can challenge healthcare marketing. In absence of substantive reasons, experts suggest sticking with familiar names to save money and confusion.

Dec 17, 2023·Medical Futurist

Medical trends for 2024 include generative AI in healthcare, multimodal AI, at-home blood tests, a rise in digital therapeutics, photoplethysmography (PPG) for blood pressure, and AI avatars. Generative AI will assist patients, while multimodal AI hubs will process multiple types of data. At-home blood testing is developing alongside do-it-yourself blood draws and blood-drawing robots, making diagnostic tools more accessible. Digital therapeutics deliver health solutions via software. PPG will enable real-time blood pressure readings, and AI avatars will aid education.

Dec 17, 2023·Harvard Business Review

Microsoft's Chief Scientist, Jaime Teevan, highlights the importance of prompt engineering and natural language conversations in optimising work with generalised AI (GenAI). Recent AI advances promise significant productivity improvements. Teevan's work involves researching and managing post-Covid work practices, microproductivity, and personalised search algorithms.

Dec 15, 2023·Whitehouse.gov

Biden administration champions responsible AI use in healthcare aiming to improve health outcomes, while ensuring user safety and privacy. Leading healthcare providers and payers announced commitment to fair, appropriate, valid, effective, and safe AI use. AI prompts healthcare improvements such as advanced care access, outcome coordination, burnout reduction. However, its misuse risks biased diagnoses, privacy breaches. Mitigating risks could enable beneficial transformation in health delivery, could reduce healthcare costs. AI capabilities include analyzing billions of medical images efficiently, streamlining drug development, and easing administrative work. Private sector's commitment crucial to progress sustainable AI.

Dec 14, 2023·iDrop News

Apple secretly tracked, surveilled users via push notifications due to undisclosed government order. Gag order lifted after Senator Ron Wyden urged Justice Department allow Apple, Google disclose push notification record requests. Apple, Google required to share user push notification information, often with only a subpoena. Now public, Apple updating its transparency reports. Even encrypted messaging apps vulnerable due to unencrypted push notifications, which could link user to their Apple ID. Apple updated Legal Process Guidelines to include push notifications. Google stricter than Apple, requires court order. Apple, Google provided metadata related to push notifications to foreign, U.S. government agencies. Push notifications considered a 'privacy nightmare'.

Dec 14, 2023·LinkedIn

Aaron Neinstein, CMO at Notable, moderated AI panel at Annual Meeting of Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties. Panelists shared lessons: begin with problem, set north star goals for AI, use AI for leveraging EHR unstructured data, nurture AI-literate workforce, assess organizational risk tolerance, use AI for democratizing healthcare information access, create AI-related learning, foster operations-IT partnership, and choose right vendor. Majority shown to prefer AI-using institutions.

Dec 14, 2023·LinkedIn

Human discovery and tools evolved healthcare, humanity remained constant. Pediatric ICU displays healing power; healthcare technology mainly people, process over technology. Tools of health, like penicillin, advanced care delivery. AI's introduction, despite seeming sudden, development spans decades. AI adoption in healthcare presents challenges, needs human discernment. Back-office systems and healthcare processes increasingly utilizing AI. CommonSpirit employs 60 AI-based systems. Healthcare can use AI for tasks like call automation. AI also aids employees and patients in admin tasks and appointments scheduling. AI clinical use necessitates absence of algorithmic bias. AI tools reducing documentation burden for clinicians; instrumental in identifying sepsis and stroke. Entire patient care entrusted solely to AI remains a future goal; clinicians must retain final decision power. AI sits between clinician and patient; humanity encompasses healthcare.

Dec 14, 2023·Google Cloud Blog

AI in healthcare advanced with Google's Med-PaLM, MedLM models. MedLM, designed for healthcare uses, available for US Google Cloud customers. Two models under MedLM cater to different healthcare needs. In future, Gemini-based models to be integrated. HCA Healthcare, BenchSci, Accenture, and Deloitte benefitted from MedLM. HCA Healthcare improved medical documentation with Augmedix. BenchSci expedited drug development. Accenture enhanced healthcare experience, outcomes. Deloitte improved provider search. Google emphasizes safe, responsible AI use in healthcare.

Dec 14, 2023·Healthcare IT News

The Office of the National Coordinator for Healthcare Technology finalizes health IT certification rules. The Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates rule implements provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act, improving interoperability, transparency and access to electronic health information. Health IT developers must report metrics giving insight into certified IT support for care delivery. AI transparency requirements are addressed while info-blocking definitions and exceptions are revised. The rule also includes a new Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement exception. HIMSS favors the rule and the EHRA expresses timing concerns for implementation of new requirements.

Dec 14, 2023·Politico

AI regulations in healthcare coming in 2024. Increased transparency required in clinical settings for fair, appropriate, safe and effective AI use. Rule also includes software developers providing information on AI technology mechanisms and development details. 2024 expected to be a significant year for AI in healthcare according to the report from KLAS Research.

Dec 14, 2023·Healthcare Dive

Google unveiled MedLM, a suite of generatively-trained AI models for healthcare. Tuned on broad datasets, MedLM is designed for tasks like medical documentation, pre-clinical drug development research and improving chatbot experiences for health plan members. Available to U.S. Google Cloud users via Vertex AI, Google intends to expand the range. MedLM builds on the success of Google's Med-PaLM 2 large language model for medical information. Competition in the healthcare generative AI sector includes Microsoft, Oracle and Amazon. A Klas Research survey indicates a growing interest among healthcare executives in AI adoption.

Dec 11, 2023·Reuters

Cigna drops Humana acquisition due to price disagreement; plans $10B share buyback. Potential $140B Cigna-Humana merger faces antitrust concerns. Cigna explores Medicare Advantage business sale, despite sector expansion.

Dec 11, 2023·The Hill

Quarter of US medical students consider quitting due to mental health and study-life balance concerns, detected by Elsevier survey. Streamlining for non-patient-facing roles observed.

Dec 10, 2023·BBC

UK's Competition and Markets Authority probes Microsoft-OpenAI partnership for potential merger; investigates impact on AI market. Recent turmoil at OpenAI, heightened by sudden firing of CEO Sam Altman, raises questions about competition and AI development. Microsoft, OpenAI's biggest investor, maintains partnership has fostered AI innovation and competition. Investigations could result in probe if potential restrictions to UK competition are discovered.