Government & Policy

The new Local Health and Care Record Exemplar (LHCRE) scheme will build on solutions already in place, with five regions set to receive £7.5m that will have to be matched locally.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT will keep its $60 million operating budget, which some experts see as a boon to interoperability, and HHS gets a $10 billion boost.

After being abruptly placed on admin leave, Leo Scanlon opens up about his 150-day leave, “dirty politics,” and what it means for the future of the HCCIC cybersecurity initiative.

A roundup of big ideas from experts on interoperability, patient engagement, security, cloud computing, innovation, policy and more during HIMSS18.

The group says privacy can still be maintained while giving care providers secure access to relevant substance abuse data and calls on Congress to allow HHS to pursue patient ID strategies.

A report from research firm Kalorama Information named the top healthcare disruptors it anticipates happening between now and the year 2027 -- and the Trump Administration’s health policies in the U.S. took the top spot.   In Kalorama’s report, the market research firm noted that while healthcare is in a perpetual state of change, so are global socio-economic trends, which in turn are changing the way all industries operate. Kalorama’s top seven disruptors: Trump Administration: The firm pointed specifically to ongoing attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, as well as health IT policies, and statements about drug pricing as factors that could trigger disruption. Brexit and its impact on European markets: Much the way Brexit has already sent a ripple throughout Europe, and with so many healthcare firms there, Brexit changes could potentially impact many markets, Kalorama said. Rising rates of disease diagnosis and treatment: With more patients globally being diagnosed with a wider range of diseases, not to mention lingering reimbursement and medical and drug supply issues, healthcare systems will be taxed with treating a growing number of people moving forward. Mergers and acquisitions: As happens in so many industries, the high rate of mergers will continue in healthcare as companies seek growth by acquisition, new technologies and expertise. Exactly how the industry consolidation will happen remains to be seen but hospitals executives should plan for more of it in the future. High and rising out-of-pocket spending on healthcare: There’s little debating that health expenses in the U.S. are out of control and the rising rates of out-of-pocket spending will only make that reality more unpredictable and, in turn, planning and forecasting more complex. Physician shortages: Whether it’s because of burnout, physician’s retiring or the wave of hospitals acquiring solo doctors and medical practices, the supply of clinicians appear to be threatened and that will challenge hospitals, particularly with projections of more patients in the system. The Gig Economy: The health care delivery and insurance systems will have little choice but to keep pace with the growing legions of job-to-job workers and adapt to meet their unique needs in the age of consumerism. "There are so many factors impacting markets right now that they need to be considered in a multivariate analysis," Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information, said in a statement. Carlson added that Brexit and austerity in Europe, heavy M&A activity and the targeting of healthcare by Amazon and Apple add up to an "Era of Uncertainty." Twitter: @Bernie_HITN Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

The agency named University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Chief Innovation Officer Rasu Shrestha to lead work mapping the electronic medical record to the FHIR APIs and create common data standards through industry partnerships.

The MyHealthEData Initiative, announced by CMS' Seema Verma at HIMSS18, is too light on detail to make much of a difference, said the former VP – who offered his own way forward.

The embattled VA secretary told a Congressional committee that the agency is working closely with the DoD to learn lessons for its own Cerner overhaul.

The C should stand for connected, not comprehensive, say tech, policy and clinical experts at the school's Center for Digital Health Innovation.