Apple’s newly announced addition to its Health app will allow users to access parts of their medical records on their iPhone, with 12 major hospitals and health systems signing up to test the new system—though one health industry group said the feature will be of “little use for sick people.”

When a ransomware attack hit Greenfield, Indiana-based Hancock Health Jan. 11, the hospital decided to pay the hackers to regain access to their files—which federal investigators have urged targets of these attacks not to do. Hancock president and CEO Steve Long, however, said it was the right decision because backup files had been compromised.

While applications of blockchain technology for healthcare have become a hot topic among health IT professionals, especially at conferences, a survey of chief information officers (CIOs) said they believe it’s the most overhyped trend in the field in terms of making an impact within the next two years.

James Hereford, president CEO of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services had some harsh words for electronic health records giant Epic, calling for his fellow healthcare executives to band together to counter Epic’s clout in the industry.

Private equity and venture capital raised nearly $7.2 billion globally in digital health in 2017, led by $1.1 billion in funding for artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics, according to Mercom Capital Group.

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) have chosen Randy McCleese, MSIS, MBA, former CHIME board chair and chief information officer at Methodist Hospital in Henderson, Ky., as the recipient of the 2017 John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year award.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has recognized the AHIMA Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), as a National Program for Apprenticeship. The recognition of the Foundation’s National Standards of Apprenticeship helps to provide a centralized approval process and streamline the route for employers to become registered apprenticeship employers with the DOL.

Brent Shafer, new CEO and chairman of Cerner, has served as CEO of Philips North America since Feb. 2014 after previously holding the title of CEO for the company’s global home healthcare business between 2010 and 2014.