Ransomware is a form of computer malware used to make data, software, and information technology (IT) assets unavailable to users. It uses encryption of data to hold systems hostage with an associated ransom demand, often in Bitcoin (a virtual currency that is difficult to trace). This encryption is used to…

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Editor's Note Cybersecurity experts are warning that Ransomware 2.0 is coming, and healthcare needs to be prepared, the August 8 Healthcare IT News reports. Ransomware 2.0 combines ransomware with a worm, which allows it to move laterally or across internal and external networks. Because the next wave of attacks will…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced August 7 that hospitals and critical access hospitals participating in  Medicare’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program will submit their “meaningful use” data via QualityNet rather than the EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System beginning January 2, 2018,…

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Editor's Note Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) announced July 11 that it has been designated a Health Care’s Most Wired 2017 by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum. Hospitals & Health Networks, an AHA publication, annually assesses the level of health information technology adoption in US hospitals and health…

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Between the expanding population and the increasing number of surgical procedures being performed, demand for surgical services is climbing. One study has predicted a 14% to 47% increase in surgical demand across all surgical fields by 2020. Given the high cost of operations, an efficient workflow is paramount, and there…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the creation of a new centralized Digital Health Unit in its Center for Devices and Radiological Health, which together with draft guidance on software as a medical device, is designed to support technological innovation and advance digital health, the June…

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Editor's Note Research N Reports predicts the global healthcare information technology (IT) market will grow by 15.9% and reach $280.25 billion by 2021, according to the May 30 Healthcare Informatics. The growth is driven by demand for healthcare IT solutions that help lower costs while meeting regulatory requirements. Other factors…

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Editor's Note The ECRI Institute (Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania) on May 25 issued a free public resource to protect hospitals from ransomware attacks. The new guidance, “Ransomware Attacks: How to Protect Your Medical Device Systems,” provides recommendations for adapting general cybersecurity principles to the requirements of medical devices, including a list…

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Editor's Note Murmur software helps bridge communication gaps by sending information from an electronic health record, to a hospital's scheduling software, to a physician's cell phone if a patient is readmitted within 5 days, according to Medscape’s coverage of a study presented May 4 at the Society of Hospital Medicine’s…

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Editor's Note ECRI Institute on May 5 announced that Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation in Philadelphia was the winner of the 11th Health Devices Achievement Award. Penn Medicine received the award for its technology platform designed for creating custom apps to help clinicians better manage specific patient populations.…

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