Digital Transformation

This evolution of healthcare involves using technology to improve diagnosis, treatments, monitor patients, enhance hospital operations and culture, and bolster consumer-focused care. This includes virtual reality tools, wearable devices, workflow software, health apps and other digital health tools.

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Poor communication between doctors, nurses puts patients at risk

Care mistakes in the hospital often happen due to communication breakdowns between nurses and doctors, according to a recent study from University of Michigan researchers.

Hastily built IT infrastructure invites ransomware attacks, so healthcare organizations better be ready

Considering the growing threat of ransomware in healthcare, organizations need to plan for the day their data become hostages, according to new research from Marshall University. Training and maintaining “digital hygiene” can not only reduce the likelihood of an attack, it also may reduce the financial and operational impacts of an incident.

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App from Anthem will connect patients, providers with app on Samsung devices

Anthem announced a partnership with Samsung and American Well to offer a mobile app that will connect patients with U.S.-based healthcare providers for non-emergency medical information. The “Experts” service will be available the Anthem-covered individuals with Samsung mobile devices.

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Data breaches are up—and they're costing healthcare providers millions

Data breaches are major operational disruptors that cost companies millions of dollars—and healthcare ends up getting hit the hardest.

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UW Medicine dedicates $180M to planned EHR overhaul

The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine will begin a complete overhaul of its electronic health record (EHR) system—and it’s not going to be cheap. The school’s finance committee approved $180 million to replace existing Cerner and Epic systems with a single integrated platform.

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FDA wants to encourage development of mobile medical apps with smart regulation

Government regulation can’t keep up with innovation in healthcare technology, especially when dealing with mobile medical applications—and those in charge of developing regulatory framework know it, according to top officials at the FDA in a July 2 viewpoint in JAMA.

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$5.5B Chinese startup has plans to be 'Amazon of healthcare'

WeDoctor, a startup worth $5.5 billion, has some saying it will become China's “Amazon of healthcare." The company’s main focus is removing unnecessary red tape and wait times at government clinics.

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EHRs, like microscopes, might require physicians to change perspective

Lloyd B. Minor, the dead of Stanford University School of Medicine, equated problems harnessing the positives of EHR with the microscope. It took 70 years for that game-changing tool to lead to scientific breakthroughs—a delay that might have to do as much with the user as the instrument itself.

Around the web

The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.

The 24 members of the House Task Force on AI—12 reps from each party—have posted a 253-page report detailing their bipartisan vision for encouraging innovation while minimizing risks. 

Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.