The social determinants of health (SDOH) are conditions such as geographic location, genetics, diet and education that can impact the health of population groups. In a session at HIMSS 2017 in Orlando, Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, MA, MHSA, discussed how technological advancements can engage consumers and providers to address these SDOH that can improve or diminish health risks.

In healthcare, social media is a much more serious affair than a few tweets and Instagram posts. The governance of such activity in healthcare is crucial in the protection of patient data and compliance with HIPAA. Nelly Jacobo, director of digital strategy at Cedars-Sinai, and Melody Smith Jones, manager of Connected Health at Perficient, discussed the four pillars of social media governance at HIMSS 2017.

Technology is prone to breaking from time to time but when the technology within a medical device fails, lives are at risk. Parker Waichman LLP, a law firm protecting patients injured by medical devices, have commented on the safety concerns involving morcellators and duodenoscopes. These comments ask regulators to enforce reporting of medical devices injuries.

In patients with Type 1 diabetes, having correct glucose levels is the first step in high quality care. A recent study, published in Diabetes Care, tested the effectiveness in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) with and without blood glucose monitoring (BGM) measurement. 

With the growing number of diabetes devices on the market, including insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, patients are taking control of their diabetes. Just how interested patients are and what barriers these devices must overcome to reach patients is unknown. A recent study, published in Diabetes Care, identifies the barriers diabetes devices face and which patients use them.

The U.S. Department of Justice has joined a whistleblower lawsuit against UnitedHealth, alleging the insurer improperly received billions of dollars through Medicare Advantage.

Maintaining a level of physical activity is key in not only preventing the rise of obesity but also many chronic diseases. A recent study led by researcher from the American Cancer Society, and published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, showed that continuously assessments of physical activity during visits to the physician could lower rates of chronic diseases.

A wide-reaching Seattle Times probe into Providence Health’s Swedish Cherry Hill Hospital alleges administrators pushed a “high volume approach” on surgeons, lied to patients about which surgeons would perform their procedure and performed dangerous surgeries when less invasive alternatives were available.