Population Health

Whether assessing vaccine safety and efficacy, assisting with X-ray readings or tracking communities' vulnerability to COVID-19, artificial intelligence has been put to work in new and innovative ways throughout the pandemic.

One thing to expect will be a pent-up demand for healthcare services that patients have been putting off, says Lyft's Megan Callahan.

In lieu of permanent policy change, industry groups urged legislators to extend temporary telehealth flexibilities through the end of 2021.

Mature health systems recognize the importance of context and design virtual care programs accordingly. Telehealth looks different for millennials and retirees, rural and urban patients and population groups with fundamentally different healthcare needs.

The senator touts "judicious use of the cloud," wider information sharing and "good ol' cyber hygiene" as private-sector best practices – but also says lack of a real deterrent for nation state bad actors has been a federal policy failure.

The representatives said they're optimistic about the legislation's forward movement, given President-Elect Joe Biden's support for the 21st Century Cures Act when he was last in the White House.

Panelists at the HIMSS Healthcare Security Forum this week said cybercriminals will likely use tried-and-true techniques, such as phishing emails themed around COVID-19 vaccines or President-elect Biden, to keep exploiting novel vulnerabilities.

The latest security industry forecast from Experian warns that bad actors will continue to take advantage of the COVID-19 crisis next year.

It's been a busy year. As health systems continue to grapple with the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, we look back on the tech lessons learned these past many months – with cautious optimism for a better year ahead.

We start 2021 with hope and well-founded optimism, despite the ravages of the pandemic, reflects Dr Charles Alessi, chief clinical officer at HIMSS.