Healthcare is a high-priority target for cyber criminals. State-level measures, such as a new Florida law, fail to address the root problems of data security but may affect how providers manage patient data.
Rheumatology & Digital Wearables: What’s on the Horizon?
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—A major workforce shortage, a population of patients taking immunosuppressants where safety concerns and the patient experience are critical, and an increasing focus on remote patient monitoring and telehealth are driving a discussion regarding the role digital wearables play in rheumatologic care. “We need to be more thoughtful and efficient in taking care…
Google Signs Healthcare Data & Cloud Computing Deal with Ascension
(Reuters)—Alphabet Inc.’s Google signed its biggest cloud computing customer in healthcare yet, according to an announcement on Monday, gaining with the deal datasets that could help it tune potentially lucrative artificial intelligence tools. The Wall Street Journal earlier reported Google teaming up with Ascension to collect personal health-related information of millions of Americans across 21…
Healthcare Data Hacking May Lead to Identity Thefts
(Reuters Health)—More than 70% of healthcare data breaches in the U.S. have involved sensitive demographic or financial information that could fuel identity theft, a new study suggests. When a healthcare company is hacked, criminals gain access not only to health information, but also to demographic and financial data that could compromise patients’ privacy and financial…
These Digital Tools Aren’t Just Hype, Can Actually Help Rheumatologists
CHICAGO—Every minute, it seems, a new digital tool is introduced in medicine. Whether it’s a new digital measuring stick, a new data-crunching system or a new app, the tech tools form an endless convoy of options. But are they worth it? Will they really help you do your job better? Will they help patients feel…
Designate a Data Expert for Your Practice
With Medicare and insurers now incentivizing physicians for collecting and reporting data, rheumatologists need at least a minimum understanding of the gigabytes of information flowing through their practices. Actually, every medical practice should have at least one person with some informatics expertise, according to computer-programmer-turned-rheumatologist Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH. “Physicians need to be more…
Authors Should Share Clinical Trial Data
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Authors should agree to share deidentified patient data as a condition for publication of a clinical trial report, according to a proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). “Our patients generously and selflessly volunteer to participate in clinical trials on the promise that the knowledge gained will be used…
Dr. Soumya Raychaudhuri Answers 5 Questions on Bioinformatics & Rheumatology
Dr. Soumya Raychaudhuri of the Harvard Medical School, Boston, discusses how his interest in math led him to the study of bioinformatics in rheumatology. He addresses how big data can play a role in clinical rheumatology in years to come…
Nurses’ Health Study Continues to Offer Valuable Patient Data
Nurses’ cohort of 38 years provides wealth of patient information, research for rheumatologists