Tag: Government & Policy

Cyber experts warn of 'aggressive' threat actor targeting healthcare

The security firm Mandiant Intelligence has raised the alarm about FIN12, the threat actor behind ransomware attacks disproportionately affecting the healthcare sector.   Mandiant characterized FIN12 as “aggressive” and “financially motivated,” specializing in ransomware deployment while relying on other bad actors to gain access to victims.   “FIN12’s operations provide illustration that no target is

Uber, Lyft to offer free rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites

The ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft will team up with the White House to make free rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites free through July 4.   According to White House senior advisor Andy Slavitt, beginning shortly, the companies will start to offer free rides to 80,000 vaccination sites for the next two months.   Reporting from

UK’s top 100 digital health innovators given a global boost

Major health tech bodies have collaborated on a global campaign to showcase the talents of 100 of the UK’s most innovative and impactful digital health innovators. The First 100 list features UK companies with a proven track record of benefiting the lives of healthcare professionals and patients in the NHS and private health sector. They include companies

New NHS unit to bring together transformation teams at NHSE and NHSX

NHS England plans to create a new transformation directorate which will incorporate NHSX, according to HSJ. The new body would bring together digital and operational improvement teams within NHS England and NHS Improvement, with the aim of continuing the rapid transformation achieved during the COVID-19 crisis, HSJ [paywall] reports. It adds that four specialities have

Athenahealth to pay $18.25M for alleged False Claims Act violations

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that electronic health record vendor athenahealth had agreed to pay $18.25 million to resolve False Claims Act violation allegations. The federal government alleged that the company had paid illegal kickbacks – including inviting prospects and customers to all-expense-paid sporting and entertainment events – to generate sales of its

UK to share genomics expertise to identify COVID-19 variants

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that the UK will offer its genomics expertise to other countries in order to help them identify new variants of COVID-19. This will be facilitated through the launch of the New Variant Assessment Platform, a UK-based service that will offer up the country’s laboratories to analyse samples of potential

Application period for FCC Connected Care Pilot Program now open

Tpen for the next 30 days, through December 7. WHY IT MATTERS The Connected Care Pilot Program, first formalized on March 31, 2020, is open to nonprofit and public eligible healthcare providers nationwide. The program will use Universal Service Fund cash over three years to help defray connected care costs for selected providers, good for

Healthcare experts call for action on climate change and inequality

Global health leaders discussed the challenges of climate change and widening inequality during the closing keynote sssion, ‘Climate Change, Social Determinants of Health: Leading Recovery and Preparing for the Future’. The speakers were Prof Jan Semenza, lead of the Health Determinants Programme, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Sweden, Prof Sam Shah, founder &

VA payments system hit by hackers, breaching data of 46,000 vets

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notified its beneficiaries on Monday that a data breach has exposed the personal information of approximately 46,000 veterans. According to the VA’s Office of Management, an online application used by the agency’s Financial Services Center was accessed by unauthorized users in an attempt to divert payments to community care

VA hits pause on Cerner EHR rollout amid coronavirus crisis

In a letter sent to Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert L. Wilkie said the COVID-19 pandemic “has shifted the overall priorities” of the VA – and that the department would delay its ongoing EHR modernization as a result. “Our

Germany steps up race to catch up with innovation in digital health

Germany’s recent Digital Care Act is set to bring new opportunities for the biggest healthcare market in Europe to accelerate efforts to digitise and innovate.  Below, Dr Jens Baas [pictured on the right], CEO of one of the country’s largest statutory health insurers, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), tells us what it means. This interview has been edited for clarity. Healthcare

Healthcare transformation: 'We need to shift our mindset'

Change on many levels urgently required: This was the message brought forward at the Health 2019 conference of HIMSS and Handelsblatt in Berlin. Innovation-prone digital leaders from all over the world showed that healthcare transformation is doable and success measurable. “Healthcare is moving beyond disease towards preserving health, it is moving beyond hospitals towards community-based

Ageing population trend provides massive opportunities for Japan, UK health tech collaboration, report finds

Japan’s healthcare system shares a couple of similarities with the UK’s. Both countries provide universal healthcare, and both are now grappling with the challenges posed by ageing populations. According to a report published today, that trend is also creating new opportunities for collaboration. WHY IT MATTERS In 2018, citizens aged 65 and over accounted for 28% of

Western Australia establishes precision health council for improved health outcomes

Earlier this week, the Western Australia (WA) Government announced the establishment of a new Ministerial Council that will advise the State Government on opportunities to further develop and support precision health advances. Precision health uses new and emerging technologies to enhance disease prevention and early detection, and improve patient outcomes through treatments tailored to patients’