In a world that has had to quickly adapt to virtual and mobile based healthcare amidst the pandemic, protecting patient data may not be at the forefront of providers minds as they prioritize caring for their patients. Cloud based solutions may be the answer to not only making Patient Health Information (PHI) accessible and shareable, but also protecting it effectively as it moves between applications, providers, and patients. Cloud systems and cloud solutions not only provide better fluidity of patient data, but also allow better protection against cybersecurity threats if integrated and managed correctly. Read More Here

The Premier Healthcare Alliance and the Patient ID Coalition are asking the US Senate to follow suit after the House of Representatives voted to remove the bill prohibiting the use of federal funds for the adoption of a national patient identifier (NPI). With the creation of an NPI, patient records would be linked across multiple facilities & care providers and may lower care costs, increase patient safety, improve clinical decision-making, and support care coordination. There is an especially high importance placed on patient matching as we are still dealing with Covid-19. This would ensure that patients tested in temporary sites receive the correct results or patients receiving a potential vaccine, in multiple doses as proposed, receive it within the defined vaccination window. Read More Here 

In an effort to increase interoperability and patient data exchange, The University of Missouri Tiger Institute Health Alliance (TIHA) partnered with the Lewis And Clark Information Exchange (LACIE) to create a better and more efficient collaboration between the two entities to enhance patient care across state lines.  Patients under this HIE are now able to visit a broader range of health care centers in their neighboring states due to increased interoperability. Also as a result of this partnership, more facilities will be able to access patient medical records, allowing patients a better allowance of choices in medical care & greater access to specialists if needed. Read More Here

A new survey from cybersecurity firm CynergisTek found that 70% of respondents they polled plan to continue using Telehealth even after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides. But the poll also revealed that privacy and data security will play a big part in that continuity with patients & that security breaches may end patient use of Telehealth for good. Read More Here

Since the beginning of the year, Covid-19 has been the main focus of health systems as they work to flatten the curve, putting EHR Optimization and Health IT Projects on the back burner. With the initial surge of cases slowing down & better containment practices in place, health centers are able to put more focus into these projects to better their systems and utilize grant money to strengthen their infrastructure before a potential resurgence in the pandemic. Read More Here