HIMSSCast

This week: EHRs vulnerable to cyberattackers, agency claims; Senators urge CMS to keep Medicare Advantage rates stable. Plus: Mindler purchasing Medified Solutions Oy for an undisclosed sum.Links to the stories:HHS cyber arm warns of EHR vulnerabilitiesSenate calls on CMS to keep Medicare Advantage rates stableMindler scoops up Finnish mental health tracker Medified Solutions Oy

The HHS 405(d) Program was created as a provision of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. It's designed to offer resources and best practices for healthcare organizations and public health agencies to help mitigate and respond to cybersecurity threats.Joining Healthcare IT News Executive Editor Mike Miliard to talk about 405(d), and the work that went into developing its cornerstone document, are Nick Rodriguez, program manager for 405(d) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Erik Decker, chief information security officer at Intermountain Healthcare and Eli Fleet, director of government relations at HIMSS.Talking points:A brief background on 405(d) and what it means for healthcare stakeholdersHow the HHS 405(d) Task Group was convened, with 150 individuals from government and the healthcare industryHealth Industry Cybersecurity Practices: Managing Threats and Protecting Patients, or HICP, a cyber preparedness 'cookbook' with recipes for readinessThe top 5 threats to cybersecurity, as described in that reportHow recent legislation is impacting 405(d) What healthcare organizations should be doing to avail themselves of these effortsWhere healthcare security leaders can find vetted cybersecurity practices and other resources for risk mitigationHow HICP will be evolving in the years aheadWhy "Cyber Safety is Patient Safety"What attendees can learn about cybersecurity at HIMSS22 in Orlando.More about this episode:5 key takeaways from Cybersecurity Act of 2015HHS releases voluntary cybersecurity guidanceSecurity chief touts the value of HICP, a cyber preparedness 'cookbook' with recipes for readinessHHS launches website for the 405(d) Aligning Health Care Industry Security Approaches ProgramThere's no 'magic bullet' to enhance cybersecurity, say expertsHIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum HIMSS22 Cybersecurity Command Center

A negative billing experience can cause patients to lose trust in a provider. Michael Axt, Chief Member Empowerment Officer for Zelis, talks about enabling the patient financial experience from initially shopping for services to post-service financial responsibility. 

This week: Mayo irks insurers by ceasing MA patient scheduling; Mercy locks down ICU after online attacks . Plus: VillageMD announces plans to buy chronic care management company Healthy Interactions .Links to the stories:Mayo Clinic halts scheduling of out-of-network Medicare Advantage patients'Baseless attacks' online trigger lockdown at Oklahoma hospital ICUVillageMD buys chronic care management company Healthy Interactions

Acute-level care at home is another innovation driven by the pandemic, though the concept is not new. But as hospitals needed to free up beds and CMS loosened restrictions, health systems both set up programs and invested in partnerships that could help.Medically Home offers the logistics, hardware and software technology to make it possible for care providers to give the same acute level care at home that they would in the hospital, says CEO Rami Karjian, who spoke to Healthcare Finance News Executive Editor Susan Morse. The result has been good for both providers and patients.   Talking Points:Kaiser Permanente and Mayo Clinic are providing hospital-level care at home through Medically HomePatients getting kidney and bone marrow transplants at Mayo are recovering at homeKaiser and Mayo invested $100 million in Medically Home in May 2021Other strategic partners such as Global Medical Response have added $110 millionMedically Home provides the technology and logistics to scale about 20% of what is done in brick and mortar hospitalsThe hospital at home model is not new, but interest has risen during the pandemicThis has been spurred by CMS flexibilities during the PHEA coalition of over 25 health systems have asked CMS to continue the flexibilitiesPayers and providers in value-based care contracts need not worry about Medicare FFS incentivesMore about this episode:Kaiser, Mayo, Medically Home found coalition to promote advanced hospital-at-home servicesMayo Clinic announces advanced care at home model with Medically HomeMayo Clinic, Kaiser put $100M toward hospital-at-home careThe rise of hospital at home careHealthcare groups urge Congress to extend Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver

With private equity investing billions, digital products are in a boom period. Clover COO Jamie Reynoso, whose area of expertise is on health insurance innovation, talks about what healthcare leaders need to know about the intersection of digital health and private equity. 

Healthcare organizations are at the center of clinical technology innovation, and with good reason: Healthcare technology advancements need to remain focused on the patient experience. Join Mobile Heartbeat VP of Product Management Bill Reid as he provides insights into the development of clinical collaboration technology. Learn how to future-proof your organization’s technology investments, and develop an actionable strategy for transitioning to cloud technology.

This week: Racial, ethnic minorities experience worse care than whites; Amazon Care expanding to 20 new cities. Plus: Epic announces Cheers, a new customer relationship management system.Links to the stories:Medicaid enrollees in minority groups experience worse care than white counterpartsAmazon Care expanding in-person services this yearEpic to showcase new CRM system and more at HIMSS22

Many health IT experts, innovators and vendors have touted digital health as a mechanism to overcome hurdles to care. But at the same time, we also know that digital health tools can exacerbate difficulties, especially for people with disabilities.Josh Basile, community relations manager for accessiBe, joins Kat Jercich, senior editor of Healthcare IT News, to discuss  how organizations can ensure websites and other software are accessible for everyone. Talking points:COVID-19 as a catalyst for driving online accessibilityDisability as a matter of "when," not "if"Frequent misconceptions about disabilityThe challenges —and advantages—presented by telehealthWhy accessibility in healthcare websites is so importantThe different needs of different groups of peopleThe evolving nature of accessibilityThe business case for ensuring tools are accessibleMore about this episode:Telehealth may worsen digital divide for people with disabilitiesExpansion of remote tech can help safeguard care for people with disabilitiesFor people with disabilities, accessing care can be 'overwhelming'Telehealth as a tool to keep people with disabilities out of the hospitalTelehealth making it easier for people with disabilities to access care

This week: VA struggling with data migration into Cerner HER; AliveCor debuts personal ECG tech. Plus: Federal court bans Martin Shkreli from pharmaceutical industry for life.Links to the stories:Watchdog: VA did not ensure quality of migrated data in EHR modernization effortsAliveCor rolls out credit card-sized ECGCourt bans Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli for life from the pharma industry