Interoperability
In the wake of HealthCare.gov's botched launch, analysts -- and Congressional leaders -- contend the private sector would have done it better. That's not necessarily so, says Karen Evans, who offers five tips for successful rollouts.
It's an ironic story. The Office for Civil Rights, the division of HHS responsible for investigating HIPAA privacy and security violations, is now facing scrutiny after its own security practices failed to meet federal requirements.
In opening its new, flagship hospital in the state capital last month, MaineGeneral Medical Center took a bit of a gamble promoting the $312 million Alfond Center for Health on Facebook.
The healthcare industry depends on data, so unplanned data center outages can be a real downer. How much so? Well, in addition to the expected consequences of business and care disruption, there's also the financial cost incurred due to system outages. And it's no small number.
Data breaches and cybersecurity threats in healthcare are going to happen. It's virtually unavoidable. What can be avoidable, however, are the messy consequences of substandard risk assessment strategies and inadequate threat response.
As patient engagement gains momentum, and technology enables easier access to personal health information, many providers still charge money for copies of records. That's allowed under HIPAA and HITECH. But is it wise?
Before White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park even uttered a word about HealthCare.gov in front of the House panel that had subpoenaed him to testify Nov. 13, the chairman and the ranking member were sparring over the failed launch of the government's insurance website.
IEEE Standards Association and Continua Health Alliance have signed a strategic agreement to help accelerate and broaden the adoption of globally relevant standards-based technologies for the healthcare arena. The idea is to enable widespread market implementation of end-to-end, plug-and-play personal medical devices.
Republican members of Congress are now moving up the chain of command to find who to hold accountable for failed launch of the Obamacare health insurance exchange website. Todd Park, chief technology officer of the U.S., is next on their list.
Anticipation about the IHE North American Connectathon's move to Cleveland in 2015 is running high among the event's organizers, though they insist that they are not looking past their final year in Chicago Jan. 27-31, 2014.