By Bob Grant – A bill to establish an Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was introduced in the House of Representatives. The office would issue guidance to better protect sensitive personal information and data from potential exposure to cyber-attacks.
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Who doesn’t like a good list? Whether you are on it, know someone on it, or aspire to be on it, you always want to read the list. Here are some interesting lists I think deserve sharing. They include the Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT, experts in patient safety, Boston’s 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovators, and activating patient engagement.
By John Halamka MD – On May 19th, I spent the day in Washington with a group of government, provider, and developer stakeholders convened by the IHI. We operated under Chatham House Rules, so I can summarize the discussion but not identify any of the participants or their specific statements. Here are three questions we discussed and the observations we made.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) began listing more detailed and easier-to-understand information about certified health information technology (health IT).
By Bob Grant – The HHS Office for Civil Rights released an updated Audit Protocol that it plans to use while investigating health care entities for HIPAA compliance. The biggest change to the audit protocol is the distinction that OCR has made between what’s required of Business Associates and Covered Entities.
Here’s what’s happening to make that reality – ZeOmega and McKesson announce strategic partnership to advance payer-provider collaboration; Military Health System improving, expanding information sharing; HIMSS Health Information Exchange community opens the HIE Measures & Enterprise survey
Alpha II, LLC, a leading developer of software platforms, software as a service and publications that support the healthcare revenue cycle, announced that it has been qualified by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as a Physician Quality Reporting System Registry for the 2016 PQRS program year.
By Chris Dymek EdD – Last week I attended Health Datapalooza VII, an annual conference where over 1,400 experts gathered to discuss how to bring data to life in ways that matter in health and health care. I wanted to share a few post-conference reflections on how AHRQ can address some of the important issues raised.
Bennett Lauber – The efficient and effective use of Electronic Health Records are essential, as these systems are increasingly becoming a central tool for patient care. The HITECH Act provided providers with a significant financial incentive to increase the adoption and use of EHRs.