Mammograms read by artificial intelligence don't have a billing code so radiologists may pass the extra $40 to $100 in out-of-pocket costs on to patients, The New York Times reported. The financial ramifications are just one angle patients — and providers — must consider when deciding to use healthcare AI. Others include how well the technology works among a diverse patient population and whether it can improve disease survival rates, according to the April 8 story.
Ransomware groups are increasingly targeting vulnerable remote access systems in healthcare, with several high-profile incidents in recent months. Ransomware attacks can cripple a hospital's ability to serve patients by cutting off access to or manipulating essential technologies and patient data. Hackers can exploit remote systems to divert emergency vehicles, cancel appointments, and in worse-case scenarios, shut down entire facilities.
Despite VA’s fiscal year 2025 budget request not allocating any money toward the deployment of its new EHR at additional medical facilities, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said it has “existing money” that will be made available to resume system rollouts. The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to resume deployments of its new electronic health record system before the end of fiscal year 2025, VA Secretary Denis McDonough told lawmakers on Thursday.
Hospital websites frequently use tracking technologies that transfer user information to third parties. It is not known whether hospital websites include privacy policies that disclose relevant details regarding tracking. In this cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of 100 nonfederal acute care hospitals, 96.0% of hospital websites transmitted user information to third parties, whereas 71.0% of websites included a publicly accessible privacy policy. Of 71 privacy policies, 40 (56.3%) disclosed specific third-party companies receiving user information.
A major House subcommittee is considering 15 bills to expand access to telehealth services as the clock ticks on a Dec. 31 deadline on pandemic-era flexibilities. The American Telemedicine Association has referred to 2024 as the "Super Bowl" of telehealth regulation as the trade group pushes Congress to make permanent the Medicare telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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