Leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs told Becker's its use of immersive technology such as virtual reality can inform health systems around the country. The VA has more than 3,000 VR headsets used by veterans at over 170 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics. More than 2,500 clinicians and staff are involved in implementing and testing the technology. The organization is believed to be the largest health system adopter of VR.
Federal health IT officials unveiled a draft strategic plan outlining health technology priorities over the next five years focusing on health equity and artificial intelligence. The draft plan (PDF) outlines federal health IT goals and objectives to improve health experiences and outcomes for individuals, populations, and communities, according to officials with the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) within the Department of Health and Human Services.
Amid the response to the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, the Department of Health and Human Services is aiming to better organize its healthcare cybersecurity resources and programs. HHS is creating a “one-stop shop” for cyber at the department’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, according to Brian Mazanec, the deputy director for ASPR’s Office of Preparedness. ASPR leads U.S. health and medical preparedness for disasters and other public health emergencies.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear a case April 3 on whether hospitals violated a state law prohibiting wiretapping when they had third-party analytics tools on their websites, the Boston Globe reported. The defendants argued that using the state's Wiretap Act as a standard aims to "interpret the language of this pre-internet age statute in a way that creates unintended, absurd, and calamitous internet age consequences."
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a host of actions ranging from broker compensation, health equity, mental health, supplemental benefits and biosimilars, in the Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D final rule Thursday night. Technical experts and industry execs warned the changes will be consequential for MA plans.
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