Weekly round-up: More breaches, growing markets
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| Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO |
First, Stanford Hospitals & Clinics and the School of Medicine suffered a second data breach in one year’s time when a password-protected computer was stolen from a physician's locked office.
Meanwhile, the administration at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital (OHSU) is sending letters to the families of 702 pediatric patients after a USB drive containing some of their patient information was stolen. In total, data for more than 14,000 patients was stored on the drive, along with information for about 200 OHSU employees.
Hopefully, we will see fewer of these breaches in coming weeks. These particular breaches don’t relate to mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones but the expected growth in telehealth and mobile health markets might require another look at privacy and security.
According to market researcher GlobalData, the telehealth market will grow from a 2011 valuation of $13.2 billion to $32.5 billion by 2018 and the mHealth market will go from a $1.2 billion market in 2011 to one worth $11.8 billion by the end of 2018.
Speaking of big numbers, especially when it comes to telehealth, a new study found that the cost of tele-ICU program implementation is substantial and the impact of these programs on hospital costs or profits is unclear.
The study published in CHEST Journal reviewed the costs of implementing a tele-ICU in a network of Veterans Health Administration hospitals. The researchers found the total cost for implementation combined with the total first-year tele-ICU operation costs to be $123,000 per ICU bed. When initial investments are depreciated over five years, the combined costs for technology and operation in the first year are estimated at $70,000 to $87,000 per ICU bed.
These are a lot of facts, figures and trends to bear in mind when going about your regular tasks and responsibilities as well as planning for the future.
Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.