BOSTONPrivacy and security regulations protecting personal health information are undoubtedly necessary and important to maintain patient safety, but they are outdated and preventing providers from unleashing the power of mobile devices. These regulations require rethinking to meet the realities of modern healthcare delivery, according to presenters at the 4th annual mHealth World Congress.

A data outage at Cerner during the week of July 23 caused an undisclosed number of hospitals and providers to lose access to remotely hosted EHR information, forcing them to revert back to pen and paper.

Covidien has opened a $45 million, 100,000-square-foot R&D facility in Shanghai, China. The investment reflects the companys strategy for expansion into developing markets, among which China is key, according to a statement from Jos E. Almeida, the companys president and CEO.

BOSTONThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently experiencing a number of public health epidemics including a rise in obesity and diabetes, but without the resources to treat the onslaught of patients requiring care, some are pushing mobile health tools as a potential solution. Santanu Kunal Biswas, BE, spoke at the 4th annual Mobile Health Conference to tell how DU, a mobile services company, is stepping up to the challenge.

Some of the developments surrounding EHRs and patient engagement this week raised my eyebrows.

BOSTONRemote technologies are advancing accountable care. From the emergency room to the intensive care unit to a patients home, Banner Health is using mobile tools to make the care it delivers more efficient and less expensive, according to Chief Medical Officer Tricia Nguyen, MD.

BOSTONUnderserved communities are not benefiting as much as others from the digitization of healthcare, but initiatives are in place to spread health IT and mobile health tools have the potential to bring previously uninitiated individuals into the healthcare system, according to panelists at the 4th annual mHealth World Congress.

BOSTON--Payers are taking the lead when it comes to achieving consumer engagement with mobile health (mHealth) tools. Representatives from four health plans shared information on their mHealth tools and strategies for getting consumers to use them at the 4th annual World Health Congress.