data access

Black Book’s year end C-suite polls reveal the brakes being pumped on advanced software acquisitions due to political and funding uncertainty that is menacing long term strategies and the willingness to purchase some IT products and services in the first half of the New Year. Policy changes in the wake of a full or partial repeal of Obamacare may create new demands on healthcare enterprises that will likely divert capital and resources toward getting ready for value based care. This uncertainty, as recognized by 9 of 10 hospital leaders surveyed, will at a best decelerate decision-making on planned or ongoing initiatives, and at worst drain IT investment dollars for a protracted period of time, according to Doug Brown, Managing Partner of Black Book...

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Proper management of medical records represents not only a significant technical challenge, but it is also a vital public health tool to ensure proper management of epidemics as well as quality of patient care among other things. In countries with more abundant resources such as the United States, proprietary solutions for managing medical records are the norm, which is perfectly reasonable given that the providers of these solutions are accountable for the security and integrity of the data...

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The Defense Department's giant health record effort just got a bit bigger – Cerner has bumped up its $50 million estimate on data center costs to about $75 million. The Defense Healthcare Management Systems Modernization (DHMSM) is presently set to cost $4.3 billion – so it's a relatively small bump up. Beyond that, DoD spokesperson David Norley told Politico that the additional funds will go to better data access and keep up with a boost in data demands – and won't push the Cerner and Leidos deal beyond its $4.3 billion cap, which was set when it was signed last July...

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DICOM Grid, makers of the leading cloud-based, medical image management suite, today announced it is powering image exchange for three non-profit organizations – RAD-AID, Partners In Health, and thesecondopinion – in their mission to improve access to modern healthcare and best-in-class second opinion services for underserved communities worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 4 billion people are at risk for widespread losses and deaths that can be avoided or treated, if radiology were available...

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More than a year after its implementation, Charles Jaffe, MD, CEO of HL7, is scheduled to return to the HIMSS Annual Conference to update the industry on the accomplishments to date and shed light on developments coming in the near future. HL7 launched the Argonaut Project in collaboration with healthcare IT vendors and providers to accelerate the adoption of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources and, according to Jaffe, there are several exciting developments to discuss...

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At least two hospitals in Germany have come under attack from ransomware, according to local reports. The alarming incidents follow similar ransomware problems at the US Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Both the Lukas Hospital in Germany's western city of Neuss and the Klinikum Arnsberg hospital in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia were attacked by file encrypting ransomware, Deutsche Welle reports...

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A year ago the President announced the launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative to accelerate a new era of medicine that delivers the right treatment at the right time to the right person, taking into account individuals’ health history, genes, environments, and lifestyles. Precision medicine is already transforming the way diseases like cancer and mental health conditions are treated. Molecular testing for cancer patients lets physicians and patients select treatments that improve chances of survival and reduce adverse effects...

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