Information blocking is “a practice by a health IT developer of certified health IT, health information network, health information exchange, or health care provider that, except as required by law or specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a reasonable and necessary activity, is likely to interfere with access, exchange, or…
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On July 15, 2020, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield and United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Chief Information Officer Jose Arrieta provided an update for members of the media on HHS efforts to gather and disseminate real-time hospital data on COVID-19. In short, rather than requiring hospitals…
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Website ADA compliance related lawsuits are on the rise. Federal lawsuits have jumped year after year as companies fail to meet website ADA compliance accessibility guidelines. In particular, persons with disabilities have sued businesses for not providing adequate access. The Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA aims to prohibit discrimination. It ensures equal opportunity and…
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Among many other things, COVID-19 has shown us the importance of data for healthcare to predict, prepare, and respond in an effective and structured manner to a global health crisis. We need data to determine the current virus status, document the spread and calculate the curve. To mitigate the spread, real-time data collection, governance and…
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What is health data integrity? Data integrity refers to “the process of maintaining the accuracy, reliability and consistency of data over its entire ‘life-cycle.’ Applied to healthcare, this can include (but is not limited to) maintaining the accuracy of patient’s personal details, health summary, clinical notes, test results and family information.” Data is needed to…
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Patients have more access to their healthcare data today than ever before, leading to more informed healthcare decisions. There are many reasons why people want access to their own information as well as those they may be caring for, such as an elderly parent or a child. But the problem is where to look and…
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News about a deadly virus that appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019 (now called “coronavirus disease 2019”, or “COVID-19”) is everywhere as the number of cases rises. As of February 23, there have been 35 confirmed cases in the United States, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And it is not even known…
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It’s a new year with new challenges. 2020 might be shaking the healthcare industry with new privacy laws and regulations. New rules, new challenges. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends to spend 2020 working on rules tackling privacy issues such as cybersecurity and patients’ right to their data. Healthcare privacy is complex.…
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The end of 2019 is looming, and with all changes expected for 2020 the big question is: What can be expected in health care in 2020? One of the most likely changes evolving in 2020 is tech companies entering the care delivery industry and having a transformative impact. Just think artificial intelligence, machine learning and…
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Artificial Intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Computer systems are trained to accomplish specific tasks by processing large amounts of data and recognizing patterns in the data. This is different from the literal, structured data approach that database-driven…
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