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A case study about how tech helped Princeton reduce inpatient utilization by 5 percent and decrease expenditures in post-acute care by 12 percent since it began with the MSSP program.

Boston Children’s Hospital and MedStar Health Research Institute will use the LEAP in Health IT funding to develop new interoperability applications for clinical workflow and pop health.

In a bipartisan new report on artificial intelligence, Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on IT, and Ranking Member Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Illinois, put forth funding and policy recommendations for addressing AI's impact on the public and private sectors – including healthcare. WHY IT MATTERS As artificial intelligence continues to evolve at an exponential pace and find its way into all manner of technology, it's already having profound effects on all industries and many important facets of society. Healthcare, of course, is no different, with AI making itself felt in fundamental ways – from newly-approved tools to detect diabetic retinopathy, to applications for new techniques for pop health and precision medicine. This new report explores the ways AI could impact four areas, in healthcare and elsewhere: workforce, privacy, data integrity and cybersecurity. Specifically: Workforce implications could include loss of jobs, so the report suggests government agencies boost efforts to improve training and reskilling so workers to be "more competitive in an AI-driven economy." Privacy concerns include the fact that AI depends on algorithms that depend on troves personal data. The feds should review privacy laws and perhaps update them for the era of AI. Biased data poses a big problem for AI's efficacy and, sometimes, safety. Agencies "should ensure the algorithms supporting these systems are accountable and inspectable." Malicious use of AI is an emerging concern, with its potential to vastly increase the scope and risk of cyberattacks. Government should take more proactive steps to know how AI "could be used to harm individuals and society, and prepare for how to mitigate these harms." WHAT IS THE IMPACT The House report about AI is not strictly about healthcare, but each of those four concerns have potential direct impacts across the industry, from lost jobs for radiologists to patient safety concerns. The study offers an exploration about those challenges, but also the opportunities presented by AI, and gives recommendations for how the government can combat them and capitalize on them, respectively. Increased funding for various government agencies will be a big way of accomplishing both goals. The United States "has traditionally led the world in the development and application of AI-driven technologies," they said. "This is due in part to the government’s prior commitment to investing heavily in research and development that has, in turn, helped support AI’s growth and development. In 2015, for example, the United States led the world in total gross domestic R&D expenditures, spending $497 billion. But U.S. leadership in AI is "no longer guaranteed," said Hurd and Kelly. "To maintain American leadership there is a need for increased funding for R&D at agencies like the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, Intelligence Advanced Research Project Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Homeland Security, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration." ON THE RECORD "AI has the potential to disrupt every sector of society in both anticipated and unanticipated ways," according to the report. "In light of that potential for disruption, it’s critical that the federal government address the different challenges posed by AI, including its current and future applications." THE BIGGER TREND Government agencies are increasingly cognizant of the rise of AI, in healthcare and beyond, and their need to get in front of it to properly harness its evolution, deployment and safety. For all the risks it carries, there are also huge benefits to be had when it's properly deployed. That's why, among other examples, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early this year voiced its qualified support for AI in healthcare, and promised to refine its regulatory approach for the new era, with initiatives such an FDA-supported tech incubator for AI innovation and a new machine learning partnership with Harvard. "We’re implementing a new approach to the review of artificial intelligence," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD. "AI holds enormous promise for the future of medicine, and we’re actively developing a new regulatory framework to promote innovation in this space and support the use of AI-based technologies." Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com

APIs are a great start, but so much more goes into building an app and winning customers.

It's time to think creatively when designing to secure the human rather than securing technology, said the former star of the CBS series Hunted.

Artesia General Hospital stays focused on building partnerships where it can, optimizing its EHR and enhancing patient and physician experience.

The NHS journey to interoperability is hampered by cultural resistance and its traditional capacity for building large legacy data silos. But while for many hospitals and trusts it remains a fraught work in progress, some projects are now cracking the interoperability puzzle, reaping the benefits and seeing the impact as more data sources are brought in from the cold.

Athenahealth has received multiple bids, according to CNBC. The prices, reportedly at $131 per share are below a previous cash bid for the healthcare software firm in an unsolicited move by Paul Singer’s Elliott Management. WHY IT MATTERS Hospital CIOs and CFOs that are either already subscribing to athenahealth’s cloud-based EHR or practice management services or considering switching to a new cloud vendor need to know where the company stands. Will it be bought by another EHR maker or taken over by activist investors looking to break it up to make a profit? Or another fate altogether? Those questions will remain unanswered until athenahealth is either acquired or the board makes up its mind to remain independent. THE TREND CNBC’s report was based on anonymous sources and did not name which companies might be among the multiple bidders. Earlier this month, however, Healthcare IT News reported that activist investor Elliott Management was putting the brakes on its takeover bid, just two weeks after speculation arose that Elliott might be athenahealth’s best suitor with potential acquirer’s Cerner and UnitedHealth not interested. Elliott Management already owns 9 percent of athenahealth’s stock and offered as much as $7 billion in a buyout offer earlier this year. In June, CEO Jonathan Bush stepped down following reports of sexual misconduct and domestic abuse. Twitter: @SusanJMorse Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com

Veterans Affairs selected the Veterans Integrated Service Network 20 in the Pacific Northwest for the initial pilot site, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said at the “State of the VA” hearing.

Automation, customization and – above all – an ability to show value and ROI are must-haves for hospitals looking to make promising tech take root.