Blockchain has been touted—to the point of being called overhyped—as the technological breakthrough healthcare organizations need to more easily secure and store patient data. Five companies are now launching a pilot program to see if blockchain can live up to its promises by applying the technology to the common problem of inaccurate provider directories.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced his office has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Sacramento-based Sutter Health, alleging the system used its dominance in Northern California to unlawfully raise prices for services and then used the profits reaped from these practices to grow even larger.

The failure to pass funding for reinsurance and cost-sharing reduction subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges and the potential for pharmaceutical-backed changes to the 340B drug discount program are just some of the major issues on the American Hospital Association’s radar this year, according to executive vice president of government affairs Tom Nickels.

In a presentation at the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Congress, Joint Commission president and CEO Mark Chassin, MD, MPP, MPH, made the case that creating a high-reliability organization with zero incidents of patient harm shouldn’t be seen as an abstract, aspirational goal.

The firing of David Shulkin, MD, as Veterans Affairs Secretary may threaten the $16 billion deal for Cerner to bring an electronic health records (EHR) system to the VA, according to Nextgov.

The popular diet and fitness application MyFitnessPal, purchased by Under Armour in 2015, has experienced a breach of security were 150 million accounts had their data stolen.

In a March 8 session at HIMSS 2018 in Las Vegas, Kevin Charest, chief information security officer of the Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), outlined the five pillars of its cybersecurity program.

In the latest example of an outside force making a move into healthcare, retail giant Walmart—the largest company in the world by revenue—is reportedly in preliminary discussions to acquire health insurer Humana, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The healthcare industry has ground to cover in the field of cybersecurity. While health systems are investing time and money in technological solutions, an article in the Harvard Business Review argues the solution lies in the human element of security.

Issues with usability of electronic health record (EHR) and a lack of proper clinical processes have been linked to patient harm, according to a study published on March 27 in JAMA.