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Without proper documentation for government regulators, infosec protocols might safeguard data without meeting federal criteria.

The speciality exhibit will have 90 booths, two theaters, nearly 60 education sessions and eight challenge opportunities to test your infosec chops.

Chief Information Officer Adrian Byrne will provide an update on University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust's journey as a Global Digital Exemplar.

Following the release of the public report by the Committee of Inquiry (COI) for the SingHealth cyberattack which occurred in July 2018 and Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS) taking disciplinary action on staff members involved in the incident and senior management team staff, the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has imposed financial penalties on both IHiS and SingHealth, according to an official statement. The PDPC administers the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA) in Singapore, which aims to safeguard individuals’ personal data against misuse and promote proper management of personal data in organisations. PDPC’s investigations into the data breach arising from a cyberattack on SingHealth’s patient database system, found that IHiS had failed to take adequate security measures to protect the personal data in its possession. PDPC has imposed a financial penalty of S$750,000 on IHiS. A financial penalty of S$250,000 has also been imposed on SingHealth as the owner of the patient database system. PDPC found that the SingHealth personnel handling security incidents was unfamiliar with the incident response process, overly dependent on IHiS, and failed to understand and take further steps to understand the significance of the information provided by IHiS after it was surfaced. These financial penalties (a total of S$1 million) are the highest ever imposed by PDPC to-date. PDPC took into account the fact that the data breach was the largest breach that Singapore has ever experienced, as well as the sensitive and confidential nature of the patients’ data. In addition, the penalties took into account the fact that IHiS and SingHealth were cooperative throughout the investigations and took immediate remedial actions. PDPC also recognised that both organisations were victims of a skilled and sophisticated threat actor bearing the characteristics of an Advanced Persistent Threat group, using numerous advanced, customised and stealthy tools and carrying out its attack over a period of more than 10 months.

Healthcare technology took centre stage at CES 2019, with many health gadgets becoming the focus of attention.  One such technology is Charlie, a fully autonomous medical robot that accompanies hospital patients to provide them with comfort. The product of New Health Community, a French startup specialising in digital health, Charlie is equipped with multiple applications and connected devices that aim to respond to patients’ questions and anxieties, reduce their stress and connect them directly with medical staff if needed. By adjusting its functions (via its integrated applications, games and connected objects) to the different needs of each patient, it facilitates the communication process between the patient and its medical team using a video conference application. Charlie is controlled via a smartphone, tablet or a PC, but it can also be used directly via its 24-inch screen. The robot also houses in its body a digital tensiometer, oximeter and stethoscope that patients can use, following instructions from Charlie. The technology adapts to each patient. In the case that a user is visually impaired, it helps the person move around through vocal guidance. For those with hearing disabilities, it gives visual instructions with subtitles (cards, documents, images and videos) to guide them. In the case of speech disorders or autism, Charlie uses a pictogram application to communicate with the patient. And to help those that are wheelchair-bound, Charlie displays the information on the lower side of the screen to be on their sightseeing level. New Health Community Founder Dr Nicolas Homehr told HITNA that as an autonomous indoor robot, Charlie was designed to safely get around a hospital with no help required from humans. “Charlie helps by putting a hierarchy in patient needs. He will save a lot of nurses’ time in running around the service, giving back that one-on-one time that they need with their patients,” he said. “Charlie facilitates communication, educates the patients and allows self check-ups. By doing this, the robot lowers anxiety for the patients and provides relief and help to the staff. “Our patients are isolated and stressed, our nurses often overworked and understaffed. We need to help them all. Hospitalisation is, at some point, a part of everyone's life and we need to make this experience more comfortable. Surgeon robots are here but not nurse assistants, this is why we created Charlie.” VIRTUAL REALITY AS A REMOTE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC TOOL FOR SENIORS An ongoing collaboration between VRHealth and AARP Innovation Lab has resulted in the concept creation of an immersive, 360-degree virtual reality environment that aims to remotely solve the issue of seniors accessing quality healthcare. The technology lets seniors give their family members or physicians access to healthcare data collected during their virtual reality therapy sessions, which then allows their caregivers to make the necessary changes to the patient’s treatment. [Read more: Victoria announces cutting-edge robot academy to revolutionise cancer surgery | World’s first cancer app to integrate with an EMR as Australia’s CancerAid links into Cedars-Sinai’s Epic system] As a patient is engaged on the virtual reality device, they respond to tracking tools that conduct a number of exercises, such as brain health applications, cognitive skills, memory span, pain management techniques and neck exercises. From these directed activities, data is then collected, analysed and sent across to physicians and caregivers, reducing the need for in-person visits to the doctor. This technology isn’t a substitute for in-person treatment, but rather, having access to a virtual connection that connects the patient to a healthcare professional may aid in mitigating not only mobility, but also some costs associated with ongoing care. "Our telehealth platform is a crucial step in the healthcare process because it enables patients to engage in a healthcare routine in the comfort of their own home while providing access to their data directly to their doctors," VRHealth CEO Eran Orr said. "Any adjustments that need to be made to a patient healthcare regime can be adjusted based on the data in the platform." Orr also said moving forward, the company is aiming to mitigate issues such as digital privacy considerations and the possibility of misdiagnosis as a result of the medical professional having insufficient inbound data with robust data collection and analysis. A WEARABLE BLOOD PRESSURE MONITOR Omron Healthcare has unveiled HeartGuide, a wearable blood pressure monitor, in its mission of “going for zero” heart attacks and strokes. In what the company calls a global first wearable using oscillometric technology, the device comes as a wristwatch with parts and technology that miniaturise the components for traditional oscillometric measurement and works in the same way that blood pressure cuffs at a doctor's office measure blood pressure. According to Omron Healthcare, HeartGuide uses an inflatable cuff within the watch band to take a blood pressure reading, a key differentiator from other wearables that rely on sensor technology, which it says only provide blood pressure estimates. HeartGuide is able to hold up to 100 readings in memory and all data can be transferred to its new corresponding mobile app, HeartAdvisor. HeartAdvisor then uses the data to help patients better understand their condition, build a more productive patient-to-physician dialogue and gain access to real-time heart health coaching. "Blood pressure isn't static, it's changing constantly throughout the day," Omron Healthcare Executive Director of Business and Technology Jeffrey Ray said. "We wanted to build a device that allowed people to take it continuously throughout the day to understand how the decisions they make actually impact their blood pressure." [Read more: 3D printing implants and organs is the new reality | Here’s how new-age technologies will change patient experience] "More than 80 per cent of heart attacks and strokes are preventable with lifestyle changes. It all begins with regular blood pressure monitoring and achieving better insights into your heart health… This is how Omron is making its mission of ‘going for zero’ a reality,” Omron Healthcare President and CEO Ranndy Kellogg added. In addition to blood pressure, HeartGuide also has some other functionalities of a smartwatch, including email, call and text notifications, as well as sleep and physical activity levels tracking.

A new app unveiled in Adelaide promises to significantly improve the assessment and subsequent treatment of scars by giving clinicians access to a huge range of reference resources. The app, ClinMAPS PRO, was developed by AusHealth and the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) Burns Unit. The app houses data based on a traditional scar reference book called MAPS, widely used in hospitals around Australia, giving the user instant assessment of how active the scar is and clear photographic references that clinicians can use when assessing scar progress. The original MAPS reference book was developed in 2005 by Margot Masters and Margaret McMahon, who were therapists working with burn patients at the RAH. But while revolutionary at the time, AusHealth CEO Greg Johansen said that its useability is now limited by requirements for paper and manual assessment forms, which is why ClinMAPS PRO was created. “ClinMAPS is a great example of the outstanding talent we have in developing digital healthcare here in South Australia and we believe it will be a great asset to help all serious burns patients and their clinicians identify appropriate treatments for healing,” he said. The app is expected to initially be used by the RAH and its various clinics before being rolled out to other healthcare organisations nationally and internationally. “The app includes improved and updated photos superior to the original tool that was used, further assisting researchers who examine the effects of different scar treatments. It will be a great asset to help all serious burns patients and their clinicians to identify appropriate treatments for healing,” Johansen added. [Read more: New app for the blind uses 3D audio to help them create a mental map of their surroundings | St John WA offers virtual reality for emergency training] In addition to the MAPS scar assessment, the app also includes the Modified Vancouver Scar Scale, another common scar assessment, aimed at improving usability and variety. AusHealth has also negotiated the addition of the Japan Scar Workshop’s scale (called the Japan Scar Scale) to include another kind of scar assessment measure to a planned second version of the app.

"There have been key moments when being a woman was not an advantage," she says.    

HIMSS and the Cleveland Clinic are now accepting speaking proposals for the 10th annual Empathy & Innovation Summit, the world’s largest, independent conference devoted to improving the patient experience. This year the clinic is partnering with HIMSS to explore more deeply how healthcare is extending empathy into an increasingly digital environment. The deadline to submit a presentation proposal is 5 p.m. EST on January 25. Priority is given to peer-to-peer, experiential learning and case studies from healthcare payer and provider organizations. The summit will take place in Cleveland on May 13-15. As the Empathy & Innovation Summit moves into its 10th year, the Cleveland Clinic and HIMSS are proud to announce an exciting new partnership around this annual event. This year’s theme, "Looking Back, Leaping Forward," will explore the evolution of the patient experience movement, examining how major influencers from the past decade will incite big innovations in the future of care. The 10th anniversary sets the stage for the new partnership and offers a valuable opportunity to enhance the focus on technology and more deeply explore how healthcare is extending empathy in an increasingly digital environment.   In addition to the main conference on May 14-15, HIMSS will present two preconference symposium on May 13. One will address the consumerism of healthcare; the other will explore “smarter care” or to how to maximize your existing technology more effectively to provide a better experience to underserved and high-risk populations.   Click here for more information and to submit a proposal for the main conference and the pre-conference symposiums.

While accountable care may be shifting some spending priorities, too few health systems of any type are thinking enough about how future changes will decide their IT needs, says Deloitte.

University Row offers a variety of programming for stakeholders from across the health IT and health informatics ecosystem.