Health IT Roundup—Apps share sensitive health data with Facebook; Stanford issues ethical guidelines for digital health

Facebook | February 25, 2019

The number of reported healthcare breaches in 2018 reached a three-year low of 290, but the number of healthcare records breached has more than doubled since 2017, according to a report from Bitglass. According to Bitglass’ fifth annual healthcare breach report, which analyzes data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ breach portal, 11.5 million healthcare records were exposed last year, up significantly compared to 4.7 million records exposed in 2017. Hacking and IT incidents accounted for nearly half (46%) of breaches, followed by unauthorized access and disclosure accounting for 36% of breach incidents, according to the report. The number of breaches caused by lost and stolen devices has decreased by almost 70% since 2014.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

Montage Health Launches Innovative At-Home Patient Monitoring Service

Montage Health | September 22, 2023

Montage Health Connected Care has launched an advanced service to enhance the quality and accessibility of healthcare for patients. This home-based patient monitoring service, supported by Cadence, is designed to offer proactive healthcare to individuals managing chronic medical conditions. Dr. Mark Carvalho, Chief Executive Officer of Montage Medical Group, explained that the program lessens the need for emergency department visits by extending care directly to patients' homes. He emphasized that this approach offers mutual advantages for patients and healthcare providers. Patients can gain access to an expanded care team from the comfort of their homes. At the same time, he added that clinicians will benefit from improved insights into disease progression and receive support from a nurse-practitioner-led care team, ultimately enhancing patient safety. Montage Health's advanced remote care initiative represents a significant progression in its dedication to providing exceptional, personalized, value-based healthcare tailored to individual needs and objectives. This program combines cutting-edge remote monitoring technology with a clinical care team under the direction of nurse practitioners to enable real-time collection, analysis, and response to patients' vital signs. It will support patients with medication management, laboratory assessments, and coaching to ensure outstanding healthcare and promote optimal well-being. The process involves the daily use of smart devices for remote vital sign monitoring and remote care telephone consultations involving a diverse healthcare team. Chris Altchek, CEO and Founder of Cadence said, Montage Health exemplifies best-in-class preventative, restorative, and coordinated care with their strong track record of innovative programs and collaborative partnerships. [Source – Business Wire] Medicare beneficiaries will gain access to this offering at Montage Medical Group locations, resulting in reduced healthcare costs. This will also empower healthcare professionals to provide patients with better, more effective care. About Montage Health Montage Health is a local non-profit organization that delivers exceptional healthcare and promotes optimal health. The company strives to provide coordinated care that meets individual needs through its subsidiaries and partnerships with healthcare providers and community organizations. Its entities include Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Montage Medical Group, Montage Health Foundation, Montage Wellness Center, Aspire Health, and MoGo Urgent Care. About Cadence Cadence is a healthcare technology firm that assists the most patient-focused healthcare systems in consistently delivering proactive healthcare. The company's remote patient intervention solution blends technology and clinical expertise to deliver a tailored and precise standard of care that extends beyond the hospital's physical boundaries.

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Health Technology

CareView Launches Software 5.10 for Improved Virtual Care Solutions

CareView Communications | September 13, 2023

CareView Communications, Inc., a prominent provider of integrated virtual care solutions for the healthcare sector, has announced the introduction of its most recent milestone in patient care technology through the unveiling of Software Version 5.10. This release incorporates many cutting-edge features and improvements meticulously crafted to empower healthcare professionals and enhance patient results. Software Release 5.10 introduces a range of significant enhancements, beginning with the seamless integration of CareView with Get Well, a leading patient engagement platform. This integration facilitates bidirectional video communication, ultimately elevating patient engagement, education, and overall satisfaction. Additionally, a new Universal Dashboard has been introduced. This internal tool plays a crucial role in optimizing solutions. It leverages hospital utilization data along with machine learning algorithms to provide predictive analytics and enables in-depth analyses, significantly enhancing the overall offerings. Derek del Carpio, CareView's VP of Product Development, stated, At CareView, we continuously strive to provide innovative solutions that redefine patient care. Software Release 5.10 is a testament to our commitment to advancing virtual care technology and enhancing the well-being of patients. [Source: Business Wire] Further, substantial improvements have been applied to the Virtual Sitting feature, empowering CareView Controllers to manipulate associated views through EquipmentView and introducing Night Mode in SitterView to reduce eye strain, thus enhancing both patient monitoring flexibility and safety. Virtual Nursing has also undergone notable refinements, enabling the virtual Registered Nurse to mute participants during TeleCareView encounters, facilitating participants' easy transition between viewing fellow participants and shared screens, and granting healthcare providers the capability to blur backgrounds in TeleCareView, thereby fostering a more professional and focused virtual interaction environment. CareView maintains a steadfast commitment to fostering collaboration with healthcare providers to elevate patient safety, optimize clinical processes, and enhance overall patient care quality. Introducing this latest software release further underscores CareView's unwavering dedication to providing hospital teams with innovative virtual care solutions to meet their evolving needs. About CareView Communications CareView, leveraging predictive technology and purpose-built hardware, has forged partnerships with more than 200 hospitals to tackle pressing staffing issues and elevate patient safety through its platform. The company collaborates closely with its hospital partners to deliver tailored virtual care strategies that improve patient outcomes and foster a sustainable healthcare ecosystem.

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Health Technology

Crothall and Beyond Clean Revolutionize Sterile Processing Education

Beyond Clean | September 07, 2023

Two prominent entities in the sterile processing industry, Crothall Healthcare and Beyond Clean, have entered into a strategic partnership to develop an innovative educational curriculum specially designed for sterile processing professionals serving in hospitals throughout the United States. This partnership leverages both organizations' collective wealth of knowledge and extensive experience to empower sterile processing professionals with state-of-the-art expertise, enhance patient safety, and elevate the overall benchmarks for sterile processing industry-wide. Afif Escheik, BA, CHL, CER, CIS, CRCST, CST, Regional Director of Operations at Crothall Healthcare, expressed that this partnership will enhance the company's capacity to provide sterile processing professionals with the educational tools necessary to meet and exceed industry standards, reduce errors, and optimize productivity. Crothall's track record of achievement in the field of sterile processing has been founded upon its stringent, data-centric methodologies, which have led to a remarkable enhancement in audit compliance of nearly 90%, a substantial reduction in process errors of up to 50%, and significant productivity gains of up to 62%. Through this collaboration, Crothall intends to incorporate these invaluable insights into developing the forthcoming curriculum. Hank Balch, Founder and President of Beyond Clean, remarked that this partnership will help elevate the standard of sterile processing in the United States, significantly impacting patient safety and quality of service. The collaborative curriculum is adaptable for various care settings, promoting sustainable, high-value care, enhancing patient safety, and reducing errors across the healthcare organization. This partnership signifies a significant step towards a safer and more efficient future in surgical services. About Crothall Healthcare With more than three decades of experience in the healthcare sector, Crothall Healthcare is the foremost provider of patient-centered support services, offering comprehensive solutions tailored to diverse care settings. Its sterile processing services integrate extensive healthcare expertise, clinical rigor, and industry best practices to deliver efficient and highly effective services. About Beyond Clean Beyond Clean is a global expert in sterilizing educational content. The company's unwavering commitment to sterile processing motivates it to empower frontline professionals with essential knowledge, education, and steadfast assistance. It also enables them to uphold impeccable standards and ensure the continuous cleanliness of all instruments.

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Health Technology, Digital Healthcare

Aspect Imaging to bring Improvements in NICUs for Vizient

Aspect Imaging | September 25, 2023

Aspect Imaging, a global leader in MRI systems for neonatal patients, has been awarded an Innovative Technology contract by Vizient, the nation's largest provider -driven healthcare performance improvement company. This contract recognizes the unique qualities of Aspect Imaging's Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System and its potential to bring improvements to the healthcare industry. The Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System is designed specifically for the imaging needs of prematureand newborn infants, making it a critical tool in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The Embrace is the world's first FDA-cleared and CE-approved MRI system for neonatal patients. It is designed to be placed directly within NICUs, overcoming the size and risk limitations associated with adult MRI scanners. The system includes features such as a temperature-controlled patient bed and a Whisper Quiet sound profile to meet the specific care needs of neonatal patients. This technology enables safer and more accessible MRI imaging for fragile neonatal patients and provides critical information to the clinical care team. Chief Commercial Officer at Aspect Imaging, Wendy Slatery, stated, It is an honor to have the Embrace recognized by the clinical experts at Vizient, as an Innovative Technology, and an exciting opportunity to bring valuable solutions to Vizient customers. We are looking forward to working with Vizient members seeking to expand and elevate neurocritical care of the smallest patients while reducing patient risks and staff time associated with transporting newborns to a traditional MRI. The Embrace MRI gives the neonatal medical team access to information from the life’s first hours and throughout the patient’s time in the NICU, on which critical care decisions will be based. [Source: Business Wire] Vizient's provider customer-led councils recommended the Embrace system for an Innovative Technology contract after evaluating its potential to enhance clinical care, patient safety, and healthcare worker safety, or improve business operations in healthcare organizations. The recognition and award of this contract highlight the potential of the Embrace Point of Care Neonatal MRI System to improve neurocritical care for the smallest patients while reducing risks associated with transporting newborns to traditional MRI facilities. About Aspect Imaging Aspect Imaging, a pioneering force in the field, stands as the global frontrunner in crafting and advancing compact MR imaging systems tailored for both research and clinical use. Their groundbreaking technology centers on compact, high-performance permanent magnets, introducing transformative MRI solutions to tackle unmet requirements in research and medical contexts. These innovations ensure the delivery of the finest quality images, whether at the benchtop or in point-of-care scenarios.

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