One of the biggest social issues the U.S. faces today is how to achieve health equity, where everyone has a fair and just opportunity to reach and maintain their best level of personal health. The challenges are many, systemic, and interconnected – economic, institutional, educational, and social barriers prevent many with the greatest needs from being able to access the care and information they require. Over the past decades there have...

Last year, the U.S. healthcare system faced unimaginable demands created by the pandemic. Unfortunately, 2021 also was a banner year for healthcare data breaches – more than 40 million individuals’ health records were exposed. Nor are the cyber threats limited to personal records. Ransomware attacks locked down and encrypted hospitals’ and health departments’ data, and the Food and Drug Administration issued a Class I r...

There are so many changes rippling through the healthcare sector, it is easy to forget that the point of introducing innovative new technologies is to provide better outcomes for patients. Digital transformation can enable healthcare providers and researchers to make better-informed decisions on everything from what factors contribute to cancer to treating and preventing the spread of emerging novel diseases such as COVID-19. Programs such as...

Government healthcare leaders know that patient experience and workforce engagement are intertwined, but often teams lack the time and resources to analyze this data in real time and understand the connection. Additionally, the pandemic has exposed lingering inequities in the way healthcare, and other social services are delivered at the federal, state, and local levels. Leaders agree that improving patient experience and enhancing employee en...

As the global pandemic drags into its second year, pressure grows on the healthcare sector – whether public or private, federal, state or local – to deliver innovative, data-based services to patients. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, in its 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, identified building a secure, data-driven ecosystem to accelerate research and innovation and connecting hea...

The pandemic has had a drastic effect on the delivery of healthcare in the U.S., beyond the incredible strain of providing care to Covid-19 patients. For instance, telehealth use has exploded, as doctors turn to virtual visits instead of appointments in their offices. But the security of healthcare IT and OT systems lags far behind most other sectors. In October 2020, the FBI, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Cybersecurity an...

The core goal of any public sector healthcare facility is to provide the best possible care for their patients. But those facilities are also charged with the safekeeping of their patient’s medical data and personal information. Exactly how that data should be protected is tightly defined through regulations like the electronic protected health information rules as well as laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act...

While telehealth is a necessary and beneficial solution during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, its growing use can jeopardize the safety of sensitive patient data and privacy. Observing best practices for data collection, storage, management, and destruction is essential to collaboration, compliance, governance, and patient data privacy. Join us to explore new practices and technologies that are helping organizations use data in innovative way...

The new Administration’s executive order on ensuring a data-driven response to COVID-19 and future high-consequence health threats has underscored government’s need to secure military, veterans, and citizens health data. The order also stressed the imperative to advance innovation in public health data and analytics in the United States. Data governance is key component of this as agencies seed to maximize the value of health data...

The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled telehealth into prominence, and telemedicine, once viewed as a convenience, is now an essential tool for treating patients. During the months of April and May of this year, telehealth increased nationally by more than 5,000% over last year. While telehealth is a necessary and beneficial solution during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, its growing use can jeopardize the safety of sensitive patient data and the...