As the country heads into winter, cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the rise, combined with the usual flu surges, and, of course, COVID-19. This simultaneous influx of illness has been dubbed in the news as a “tripledemic,” and unfortunately it is hitting the pediatric population the hardest. RSV is a fairly common...Read More

A lot has happened in the world between 2016 and 2022, especially in the healthcare sector. When the AMA started this project in 2016, Kate Kirley, MD – a family physician and director of chronic disease prevention at the American Medical Association – was quoted as stating “Digital health is the sort of Wild West...Read More

A new Mayo Clinic study presents some alarming findings for the healthcare world. It predicts that one in five physicians plan to leave medicine completely, and even more plan to reduce their hours or change course into a career track that is non-patient care based. The Mayo Clinic conducted this study with 20,665 respondents at...Read More

A boom in telehealth has brought about disappointing consequences – increased exposure to hackers and ransomware attacks. The increased availability of telehealth applications is no doubt a huge benefit for patients, increasing access to care in a multitude of areas as well as other underserved areas of the country. Telehealth services were indispensable throughout the...Read More

FHIR, or Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, is a new standard for exchanging healthcare information that is easier to use and more interoperable than previous standards. FHIR provides a common language for exchanging healthcare data, making it easier for different systems to communicate with each other, which will help to improve the quality of care and...Read More

As cases of COVID-19 increased around the world in 2020, the need for telehealth rose dramatically as well. Overwhelming demand resulted in many hastily implemented platforms, leaving areas ripe for exploitation by cybercriminals. Top-down guidance on RPMs (remote patient monitoring systems) was wanted and needed. Enter NIST. . . What is NIST + What Are...Read More

Less surprise, more preparation! The federal No Surprises Act went into effect January 1, 2022. Its intent is to notify patients ahead of their appointment that they might incur unanticipated medical expenses after receiving care, including care from an out-of-network provider. This is a move toward fostering good faith and consistent transparency between practices and...Read More

We all know that telehealth virtual care exploded onto the scene in 2020 as a way to adapt to pandemic conditions. Since then, it has expanded, and then leveled off a bit. Usage rates for virtual care have plateaued, but is 38 times higher than pre-pandemic. With all this activity, are patient outcomes the same...Read More

National labor shortage, The Great Resignation, nursing shortages, physician shortages – these terms are all over the news these days, and it presents real problems for healthcare. Labor Shortages Shortages in medical specialties and nursing have been a hot topic for a long time, however the 2021-2022 employment climate is hitting healthcare hard. Scarcities are...Read More

In October 2021, Best Buy became the latest company to enter the healthcare marketplace by acquiring Current Health, an at-home medical monitoring technology platform.   Forbes, a global news and events source, featured the move in a November 2021 article, interviewing Deborah Di Sanzo, President of Best Buy Health. Di Sanzo discussed the motives behind...Read More