Literature Review

Prioritizing patient care: Medical technology innovations on the horizon MedCityNews; by Dhaval Shah; 5/1/24 The MedTech industry is poised for breakthroughs, owing to the rapid integration of digital ecosystems and technologies like AI and cloud. 2023 was a banner year for MedTech, especially in terms of technological innovations. Incidentally, it also witnessed the largest ever number of FDA approvals on novel medical devices in a single year. This list included a number of AI-enabled MedTech products, among others. ... Three key areas are continuing to shape the industry: 

Nurses have reservations about use of AI on the job: survey McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 4/29/24More than half of the nurses responding to a new survey by Cross Country Healthcare said they have reservations about the potential benefits of artificial intelligence in the nursing field. The online survey of 1,127 nursing professionals and students at hospitals and other healthcare facilities was conducted Jan. 18 to March 11. Respondents who said they are uncomfortable using AI expressed concerns about the potential absence of empathy and diminished patient connection. Those who said that they are comfortable with using AI on the job expressed a belief that the technology enhances efficiency, documentation, data analysis and research, upskilling opportunities and automated monitoring systems.

FTC finalizes changes to data privacy rule to step up scrutiny of digital health apps Fierce Healthcare; by Heather Landi; 4/26/24 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finalized a rule Friday that aims to tighten the reins on digital health apps sharing consumers' sensitive medical data with tech companies. The agency issued a final version of its revised Health Breach Notification Rule to underscore the rule’s applicability to health apps in a bid to protect consumers' data privacy and provide more transparency about how companies collect their health information.

Optum shutting down telehealth business Becker's Health IT; by Jakob Emerson; 4/25/24UnitedHealth Group's Optum Virtual Care is shutting down, Endpoints News reported April 24. News of the closure of the company's telehealth business came shortly after Optum employees took to social media beginning April 18 regarding a reduction in force they say occurred across the organization. 

Generative AI is supposed to save doctors from burnout. New data show it needs more trainingSTAT+; by Casey Ross; 4/25/24After stratospheric levels of hype, early evidence may be bringing generative artificial intelligence down to Earth. A series of recent research papers by academic hospitals has revealed significant limitations of large language models (LLMs) in medical settings, undercutting common industry talking points that they will save time and money, and soon liberate clinicians from the drudgery of documentation.

Nurses protest AI at Kaiser Permanente Becker's Health IT, by Giles Bruce; 4/22/24 Hundreds of nurses gathered April 22 to protest the use of artificial intelligence at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente. The California Nurses Association held the demonstration at Kaiser Permanente's San Francisco Medical Center to coincide with the beginning of KP International's Integrated Care Experience conference. "It is deeply troubling to see Kaiser promote itself as a leader in AI in healthcare, when we know their use of these technologies comes at the expense of patient care, all in service of boosting profits," said Michelle Gutierrez Vo, BSN, RN, a president of the California Nursing Association and registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente Fremont (Calif.) Medical Center, in a statement. ...

Kisco Senior Living data breach could affect more than 26,000 McKnights Senior Living, by Lois A. Bowers; 4/22/24 More than 26,000 Kisco Senior Living residents and others could have been affected by a June hacking incident, legal counsel for the company said last week. The Carlsbad, CA-based operator, which manages 25 senior living communities across eight states and Washington, DC, said in an April 16 letter to those potentially affected that the data breach occurred around June 6. Names and Social Security numbers could have been revealed in the incident, according to counsel.

Health systems creating new IT C-suite roles Becker's Hospital Review, by Naomi Diaz; 4/19/24 In response to evolving demands within the healthcare landscape, hospitals and health systems are reconfiguring their C-suites and leadership teams to align with organizational priorities. Among the recent developments, several institutions have introduced new roles to their executive teams. [Click on the title's link for examples.]

Integrating AI in Palliative Care: A comparative perspectiveElBlog.PL - Decoding AI: Unveiling the Future of Machine Intelligence, by Roman Rember; 4/19/2Jan Gärtner (51), the head of a Palliative Center in Basel, Switzerland, recently shed light on the fundamental differences in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in palliative care across the United States and Switzerland. ... The Swiss model emphasizes the commencement of palliative care much earlier in the patient’s journey. ...

Remote access technologies expose home care firms to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, experts sayMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/18/24 Some of the most commonly used technologies in home care are also among the easiest for criminals to exploit. ... Remote access systems include any technology that allows users to connect to and access a computer, server or network remotely. Within home care, this could be tools such as remote patient monitoring devices, secure messaging apps, telehealth platforms, cloud-based applications or systems that allow users to remotely access patient data, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And while these technologies bring efficiency, they can also expose providers and their patients to risk.

UnitedHealth posts $1.4B loss in Q1 following Change cyberattack Becker's Payer Issues, by Jakob Emerson; 4/16/24 UnitedHealth Group posted a $1.4 billion net loss in the first quarter of 2024 following the sale of its Brazil operations and the unprecedented cyberattack on its Change Healthcare subsidiary in late February. Despite the losses, the company beat investor expectations and shares rose more than 6% to above $474, the Wall Street Journal reported. ... To date, the company has provided over $6 billion in advance payments to providers.

VR off a smartphone? Tech breakthrough could allow seniors to do away with clunky headsets McKnights Senior Living, by Aaron Dorman; 4/11/24 Virtual reality is becoming more and more popular among older adults. Could the next innovation allow them to experience VR from their smartphone? A full-color, three-dimensional display can be generated off of a smartphone screen, according to new research. Such a breakthrough would make it even easier, and cost-effective, for senior living providers to offer VR and augmented reality content for residents or allow for new telehealth opportunities. The technology would involve only a smartphone screen and a second screen called a “spatial light modulator” to create the multi-layered image

AI in palliative and end-of-life care: "How new technology makes us feel is important" Marie Curie, by Dr. Ami Nwosu, Research Lead at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool, UK; 4/11/24... People who require palliative and end of life care require specific physical, emotional, psychological and social needs, which requires holistic assessment and support. Although there are more opportunities to use AI technologies in palliative care, there may be concern from family caregivers that technology may be unable to provide the person-centered, human connection which may be desired when people are at their most vulnerable.