The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has released its 2017 “DataDive Better Performers” report, pointing to areas which can define success for physician practices—which may not also mean limiting spending.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, were brought to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) conference in Los Angeles to have a political-style debate on healthcare policy, but ended up agreeing on where short-term efforts may go now that repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) failed to pass.

Don Rucker, MD, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) said his agency has been focused on improving usability and interoperability of electronic health records, adding that while blockchain technology may provide some interesting capabilities but it’s too soon to issue regulations on it.

A study published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth includes a list of five recommendations for improving mHealth utilization for adolescents with chronic conditions. The researched aimed at improving disease self-management in adolescents by utilizing mHealth technology for real-time care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has a long way to go before taking on first graders, according to a report published in Annals of Data Science. The report aims to unite AI and human characteristics to improve overall knowledge of AI.

A machine learning tool could help physicians in predicting the onset of colorectal cancer as much as a year before the cancer progresses, according to a study published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 

Nonprofit hospitals and health systems in the U.S. raised more than $10.1 billion in fiscal year 2016, a 5 percent jump from the year before, while their Canadian counterparts saw their first increase in donations since 2013.

To call the last few months a busy time for healthcare lobbyists in Washington, D.C. would be quite an understatement. Rather than dwell on the failed attempts at repealing the Affordable Care Act, the Medical Group Management Association’s (MGMA) senior vice president of government affairs, Anders Gilberg, will look ahead to more immediate regulatory concerns and longer-term hopes for “lasting reform.”