Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Google is continuing to push its way into health care, but its most recent partnership with Ascension has triggered a federal inquiry. The Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights will investigate Google's efforts to collect health data on millions of Americans.  Read More

• If sometimes it seems like the health care industry is stuck in the 1970’s, you are not imagining it. According to a new survey, 89 percent of health care organizations are still heavily reliant on a piece of technology that many consider obsolete, the fax machine. How can we expect these organizations to communicate effectively when they are stuck faxing important information back and forth?  Read More

• It may be up to the big-box retailers to revitalize rural health care. For the millions of Americans who struggle to get affordable, timely medical care these retailers can offer a convenient place to turn to. Adding telehealth capabilities to our existing retail infrastructure could significantly expand access to top-notch care—and reduce costs for patients and the health care system.  Read More

• While there is no doubt that machine learning (ML) applications will dramatically improve health care, we have a tendency to get a little overzealous with predictions. CEOs from across health care have identified three common myths surrounding the future of ML in health care.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Google is stepping further into healthcare, acquiring Fitbit for a whopping $2.1B. Amidst customer concerns, both companies have acknowledged that health and wellness data will not be used to target Google-sold ads.  Read More

• Not a shocker, but a new research survey suggests patients heavily value health care companies with better consumer experiences. A large majority of those consumers expect these companies to provide more engaging and accessible health care messaging services.  Read More

• A staggering 93 percent of health care organizations have experienced a data breach in the last three years according to a new report. This year alone health care data breaches stand to cost the industry an astronomical $4 billion.  Read More

• CMS is attempting to significantly reduce clinician burden that is getting in the way of patient care. To do so, the organization is conducting the first major overhaul of E/M office visit documentation and coding in more than 25 years.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• The NICU can be a scary, stressful place for families, but two Wisconsin hospitals made an effort to ensure Halloween was a little less scary. Aurora Health Care holds an annual costume contest to ease some of that tension, and the costumes are too adorable!  Read More

• The nation's two ride-sharing giants continue to go head-to-head, each making a big push into healthcare. Uber will now integrate with Cerner giving caregivers the ability to schedule rides for patients, while Lyft will be providing covered rides for eligible Medicaid beneficiaries.  Read More

• Telehealth may soon see a big boost thanks to new legislation introduced by The House of Representatives. Addressing the information-sharing and connectivity infrastructure necessary to provide virtual care programs is essential to making large scale adoption of telehealth a reality.  Read More

• Sometimes we all need a little push to get us to the doctor. Add reminders for health tests and screenings to the list of notifications you will be getting from Facebook. Working closely with U.S. health organizations, the social media giant will begin to offer a new preventive health tool that connects people to resources and check-up reminders.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Clinician burnout has become an epidemic in the U.S., something that will certainly require major systemic changes to address. In a new report the National Academy of Medicine outlines six goals to prevent and mitigate burnout. This report is reminiscent of organizations "To Err is Human" report 20 years prior that launched a systematic overhaul to improve the quality of care and address medical errors.  Read More

• Remote care technology has started to earn the trust of patients resulting in a growing appetite for online chat and diagnosis tools. According to a recent survey more than half of Americans say online tools have helped improve the relationship with their primary care provider. In addition, more than half of patients are also currently monitoring their health with at least one digital data collection tool.  Read More

• CMS has keyed in on AI as a possible tool to fight fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. Among other applications, CMS is looking to the private sector to help identify how AI and other technology can be used to ensure proper claims payment, reduce paperwork, and maintain program integrity.  Read More

• Digital health technology is not nearly as accessible and useful for residents of urban and rural underserved communities, or not yet at least. A collaboration between The United Health Foundation and the Morehouse School of Medicine’s National Center for Primary Care as been awarded a $1.1 million grant to address the barriers. This research will ideally lead to improved outcomes, a better patient experience and lowered health care costs.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• A new partnership between Fitbit and pharmaceutical giants Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer is taking aim at early afib (atrial fibrillation) detection. The core focus will be on developing digital tools and educational content to help encourage people to visit their doctor for a prompt diagnosis and reduce their risk of a stroke.  Read More

• Type 1 diabetes patients may soon have the power to automatically control blood glucose levels with an artificial pancreas. The diabetes management system includes an insulin pump, glucose sensor and algorithm that automatically monitors and regulates blood glucose levels, improving the day-to-day lives of patients.  Read More

• With digital health tools such as wearables on the rise, hospitals are beginning to adopt another emerging trend, technology support desks. Think of Apple’s Genius Bar, but inside of a hospital. These tech bars are are equipped with specialists to teach patients how to use the various new pieces of technology used for monitoring or treatment for chronic disease care.  Read More

• Will telehealth mean the end of patient-doctor relationships? Not according to a recent survey, which found that more than 60 percent of consumers believe they can foster a relationship with their primary care physician exclusively through virtual care visits.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Digital services for patients are no longer just a nice to have, especially among those under the age of 25. A new study found that patients aged 18-24 are three times more likely to switch providers based on a poor digital experience than those over the age of 65.   Read More

• Snapping a picture of your child for Instagram could end up preventing devastating loss of vision. A new smartphone app is using artificial intelligence to detect early signs of several serious eye diseases in children such as retinoblastoma, pediatric cataracts, and Coats' disease.  Read More

• Radiologists can now accurately detect pneumonia from a chest x-ray in less than 10 seconds using artificial intelligence. This represents an enormous improvement from previous averages of 20 minutes or more, allowing the treatment process to get underway quicker for patients in the ER.  Read More

• The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three physician-scientists for their discoveries of how human body cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. Their work is expected to make a huge impact in the fight against cancer, playing a major role in new treatments.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Surgeons may soon be armed with a new tool at their disposal to support complex structural heart procedures. 3D holograms enable heart teams to interact with patient-specific organs and tissue the same way they would with physical objects in the real world.  Read More

• Genetic cancer testing may be the next frontier in healthcare fraud. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently charged 35 people, including nine doctors, for a scheme that fraudulently charged Medicare $2.1 billion. Seniors where offered "free" cancer screenings in order to obtain their' Medicare information for identity theft or fraudulent billing.  Read More

• A recent survey conducted by HIMSS took a look at how health care organizations are using analytics to determine financial, operational and clinical success. The results showed that those using clinical outcomes improvement as their key measurement for ROI reported seeing the greatest measured success.  Read More

• In an effort to cut health care costs Walmart will begin testing several new programs for their employees. These programs include connecting patients with local doctors, a concierge service, telehealth, and access to fitness clubs.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Amazon is entering the telehealth game with their new app, Amazon Care. The pilot program, which offers a combination of telemedicine and home visits, is now being offered to the company’s Seattle based employees.  Read More

• Revenue cycle management and the integration of EHRs continue to cause headaches for health care organizations. A new study conducted by Navigant found that nearly 50 percent of hospitals and health systems are turning to Health IT vendors outside of their EHR to improve revenue cycle performance.  Read More

• In an effort to reduce red tape and enable transparency for both providers and patients CMS announced two new rules this week. They unveiled both the Omnibus Burden Reduction Final Rule, aimed at combating clinician burnout, and a rule for discharge planning, focused on patients moving from hospitals into post-acute care settings.  Read More

• Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital have grown the world’s first connected system of organoids. The liver, pancreas and biliary ducts function as one system and brings us one step closer to the ultimate goal – eliminated deaths while waiting for an organ transplant.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• Peanut allergy sufferers are one step closer to a treatment after an FDA committee voted to approve Palforzia. A form of oral immunotherapy, the powder can desensitize the immune system to peanuts, reducing allergic reactions. This could be the first FDA-approved treatment for peanut allergies.  Read More

• An inexpensive pill consisting of low doses of three blood pressure drugs and a cholesterol drug has recently been tested in the U.S., successfully lowering participant blood pressure and LDL. Similar drugs have been effective in treating conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes in other countries and may be a valuable treatment option for those with limited access to medical care in the U.S.  Read More

• A recent study found that nearly 20 percent of surgeons in the U.S. predict they will need to retire early due to the physical strains of laparoscopic surgery. While close to 80 percent of those surveyed have experienced some sort of muscular or back pain, 13 percent have also required a consult with another healthcare professional for their injuries.  Read More

• A new machine learning model can better predict heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes. Researchers have been able to generate a risk score for patients based on the top 10 predictors of future heart failure. By integrating this risk score into bedside practice or EHR systems, it may help identify patients who would benefit from therapeutic interventions.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.

Here's The Latest in Health Care:

• A recent study has shown that adults who are regular tea drinkers tend to have better organized brain regions than non-tea drinkers. Regular tea drinking has been found to have positive effects against age-related cognitive decline.  Read More

• As hackers become more innovative and begin to finely tune their techniques, health care organizations are more and more at risk of having their data stolen and sold on the black market. Most medical records contain all the pertinent information needed for identity theft, such as full name, address, date of birth, phone number, emergency contact, Social Security number, and more.  Read More

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is finalizing a policy that will enable it to remove many non-tobacco flavored vaping products from the market. This is in response to the rising use of e-cigarettes by young people and reports of recent deaths and illnesses tied to vaping.  Read More

• Last year, the Apple Watch received FDA clearance for its electrocardiogram feature. The watch now falls under the classification of a medical device and is capable of alerting the user to abnormal heart rhythms. Apple will be using its new Research app on the watch to crowdsource health data from its users for research studies.  Read More

Each Friday, Signor Goat reports the latest from the week in health care. Check back next Friday for your dose of our little medical corner of health care news. Brought to you by pMD, innovators in charge capture, secure messaging, clinical communication, and care navigation software.