Government & Policy

The National Committee for Quality Assurance identified three key opportunities to improve virtual care delivery, including tailoring telehealth use to individual needs.

VA representatives told The Spokesman-Review that the system had experienced 42 "unplanned degradations" and eight "unplanned outages" before April 20, with two more occurring the following week.

Simon Madden and Catherine Pollard will head up the NHS transformation directorate.

More than two dozen grantees throughout the country will have access to up to $700,000 in funding to expand their virtual care capacity.

Plus, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' cyber arm highlights ransomware trends, and Microsoft launches cybersecurity services.

The Offices of Inspector General for both agencies said the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office did not take an active role in managing the initiative's success.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had spillover effects on screening and preventive care. But even before the novel coronavirus, adequate screening for disease, especially among vulnerable people, was still a public health concern. A recent study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University found that even though screening rates have improved, about one in five women still do not receive a test for syphilis during pregnancy –- which is recommended by the CDC given the serious threat syphilis can pose to the health of the fetus.  Brian Dixon, study senior author and director of public health informatics at the Regenstrief Institute, joined Healthcare IT News to speak about his research and the role IT can play in informatics. Like what you hear? Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play!    Talking points: -Rates of congenital syphilis have been rising -Previous studies have largely only used claims data -The benefits of syphilis screening during pregnancy-Disparities in syphilis screening rates, and what might be behind them -The potential effects of COVID-19 on screening rates -How public health leaders could use information like this -More ways health IT can be used to support public health objectives -The next projects on deck at Regenstrief More about this episode: Regenstrief, IU launch public and population health program Regenstrief launches initiative to disseminate SDOH data How HIEs can enable public health reporting when EHRs fall short Hospitals facing big hurdles to public health data reporting CIOs plan big investments in EHR optimization and pop health IT

MedTech Europe welcomes launch of European Health Data Space   The European Commission this week launched the European Health Data Space (EHDS), which will allow citizens to access their health data in any EU member state. MedTech Europe CEO Serge Bernasconi, said: “To be successful, the proposed EHDS legislation needs to address the barriers to data sharing, advance investment in infrastructure, and foster the adoption of international interoperability standards. But first and foremost, it needs to lay the foundation for the building of trust in health data sharing amongst EU citizens.” The proposal put forward by the European Commission will now be discussed by the Council and the European Parliament.   NHSE tech director Harjeet Dhalival to join Palantir Former NHS England deputy director of data services Harjeet Dhalival is reported to be joining US software firm Palantir. The news comes shortly after it was revealed that NHS’s former head of artificial intelligence (AI) Indra Joshi was joining the company, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. Palantir is competing for the £240 million NHS federated data platform (FDP) contract. A Palantir spokesperson, said: “Palantir hires the best and brightest people from public and private sector organisations around the world. We are delighted that Harjeet is joining Palantir’s UK team, which we are aiming to grow by 250 this year.”   Study finds AI algorithm detects interval breast cancers A study, published in the European Journal of Radiology, found that AI can correctly detect interval breast cancers in prior screening mammograms, including in some cases with no discernible suspicious signs. The AI, developed by Berlin-based deep tech firm Vara, assessed 2,396 screening mammograms from women at the Mammography Reference Centre North in Germany, who were later diagnosed with an interval cancer. In the cohort, 374 of the interval cancers were considered ‘false negative’ and 468 ‘minimal signs’. When the algorithm was set at an operating level of 99% specificity, it could detect and localise 27,5% (103) of the ‘false negative’ and 12,2% (57) of ‘minimal sign’ cancers.   Diaverum launches holiday dialysis booking platform Renal care service provider Diaverum has launched a booking engine for holiday dialysis.   The d.HOLIDAY booking platform allows users to apply search filters, select payment options in advance and have real-time visibility of treatment availability across Diaverum’s global network of clinics. Michaela Blomstrand, director of patient experience and community affairs, Diaverum, said “Travel has already for some time evolved into a digital-led industry, and will continue to lean on digital innovation as it seeks to find agile ways of recouping its losses from the pandemic. Our strategy for d.HOLIDAY and our booking platform has been developed in line with this prediction”.

The Connected Health Initiative stressed the importance of seamless information exchange throughout the care continuum in a letter to National Coordinator Micky Tripathi.