John Schieszer, MA

Across a statewide academic health system in California, telehealth use cut down on travel distance, time, and cost and reduced the number of injuries and deaths from motor vehicle accidents.

In a recent bulletin, the federal Office for Civil Rights suggests steps that practices can take to protect patient data.

Investigators characterized the toxicity of stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastases from predominantly prostate, colorectal, breast, and lung cancer.

Ransomware attacks now account for 25% of all data breaches, according to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report.

Access to internet-connected devices with cameras and skill in using digital platforms present barriers to a large portion of the population.

The agency has issued proposed draft recommendations to guide incorporation of cybersecurity protections into medical devices at the time of manufacture.

Patients rated female doctors more on their interpersonal skills and not much on their technical competence, a study found.

Proposed changes that could directly impact practices include shortening the timeframe for responding to patient requests for records.

Showing employees appreciation for their efforts is particularly important to engender their loyalty.

Breaches involving user names and passwords soared 450% in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with 2019, according to the ForgeRock 2021 Consumer Identity Breach Report.

Diffuse myofascial pain associated with fatigue and poor sleep hygiene have been noted in patients with long-COVID.

Medical information is especially valuable to data thieves for a number of reasons.

Developing an effective case management approach should be a key component of any effort to adapt to the changing patient care environment.

The biggest security risk is that legacy systems have no vendor support, putting them at heightened risk for cyberattacks.

In addition to instituting flexible work schedules to attract and retain employees, practices can consider technologic solutions that reduce staffing needs by improving office efficiency.

Hackers target vulnerabilities using legitimate software packages, a cybersecurity specialist says.

Contracting with outside firms to handle medical billing can be a smart financial move for some medical practices.

The pandemic has accelerated the number of clinicians retiring from practice.

Many organizations adopt overly conservative policies that restrict otherwise completely legal uses of health care data.

Among other considerations, health care providers must avoid giving individual medical advice.

Core provisions of the HIPAA legislation have largely remained unchanged since their inception despite rapid evolution of technology to keep protected health information from hackers.

The Office for Civil Rights in the US Department of Health and Human Services announced proposed changes to strengthen patients’ rights to access their own health information, improve care coordination, and reduce regulatory burdens.