CMS is pleased to announce that the 2018 Quality Payment Program self-nomination period for vendors interested in participating as a Qualified Registry or a Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR) will begin on September 1, 2017 and will close at 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on November 1, 2017.  Please submit your completed self-nomination form prior to the close of the self-nomination period to be considered; late submissions will not be accepted.

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) has occurred in the majority of hospitals but healthcare organizations often do not use the platform for advanced measures to improve outcomes. In a study published in Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, researchers examined the rate of hospitals using advanced EHR functions.

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) are meant to streamline healthcare organizations with quicker, more efficient documentation. But according to a study published in in Annals of Emergency Medicine, electronic documentation adversely affects the efficiency of emergency departments (ED).

The lack of cybersecurity in mobile applications meant to assist dementia patients and their caregivers could put patients' personal health information at risk, according to researchers at McLean Hospitals in Belmont, Massachusetts, and clinicians at Harvard Medical School. A study in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry examined app security policies and provided recommendations.

About half of healthcare organizations report opening three or more patient records within electronic health records (EHRs) at a time, increasing the likelihood these files can become infected if the platform is not protected, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Cyberattacks occur on many types of devices—including 3D printers. A new study, conducted by researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Georgia Institute of Technology, examines methods in protecting 3D printers for improved cybersecurity.

A recent study form the University of Washington found that security measures on patient's genetic tests are poorly maintained. The unprotected DNA information poses an additional threat because it can be encrypted with malicious code and harm the computer.

Facing an increasing amount of cyberattacks, healthcare organizations are building up their cybersecurity programs, according to the 2017 HIMSS Cybersecurity Survey. After speaking with 126 health information technology leaders, researchers outlined current security measures to show points of improvement and explore how the industry can prevent future attacks.