Literature Review

White House enlists Microsoft, Google for rural hospital cyberdefense Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 6/10/24 The Biden-Harris administration has secured commitments from Microsoft and Google to offer free and low-cost resources to rural hospitals nationwide to help them boost their cyber defenses. As part of the effort, Microsoft will be extending its nonprofit program to provide grants and up to a 75% discount on security products for independent critical access hospitals and rural emergency hospitals, according to a June 10 news release from the White House. Additionally, larger rural hospitals using eligible Microsoft solutions will also receive the most advanced security suite at no additional cost for one year. ... Meanwhile, Google committed to offering endpoint security advice to rural hospitals and non-profit organizations at no cost, alongside funding support for software migration. 

Leading healthcare transformation: Strategic growth through generative AI Forbes; by Ashu Goel; 6/5/24 When ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, most of us experienced a “wow” moment. Its capabilities seemed magical. Generative AI (GenAI), led by ChatGPT, has taken the industry by storm, emerging as one of the most disruptive technologies of our era. Given the widespread discussion around GenAI, it's clear that its impact is profound and far-reaching. Yet, adopting generative AI has been a significant challenge for many organizations. Gartner's insight highlights this struggle, predicting that at least 30% of generative AI projects will be abandoned throughout the next year due to issues like poor data quality and unclear business value. This prediction alone paints a picture of the adoption hurdles. ... Editor's Note: This is not not a black and white right-wrong, good-bad conflict. Notice in numerous articles we post the valid concerns expressed by hospice and palliative clinical professionals. Practical, effective implementation must reconcile these differences.

Empathetic AI: How Genai virtual agents will be leveraged Informa; by Josh Streets; 6/3/24 Imagine you're shopping online or in a store and have a question about a product. But you don’t want to find a store employee or call into their contact center to speak with a salesperson while you wait for answers. With a simple snapshot of a QR/UPC code on the product or a tap on your mobile device within an application, you're instantly connected to a virtual agent via video chat. This AI assistant not only understands your questions but can also pick up on your facial expressions and body language via your video discussion, to respond with empathy and some level of emotional intelligence. "I can see you're a bit frustrated," the virtual agent says with a warm, reassuring tone. "Let me walk you through the product details and address any concerns you might have."Editor's Note: This AI solution might be great for shopping, but is it ethical for hospice care, especially when the person calling might be elderly and assumes they are talking with a person? How would you feel, especially if you're calling when your loved is actively dying, or has just died moments before? 

More older adults becoming comfortable with using technology to help them age in placeMcKnight's Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 5/28/24Although fewer older adults say their homes are equipped to allow them to age in place in 2024 compared with 2023, more of them are getting comfortable with the idea of using assistive or health-related technologies to keep them living where they are, according to the results of a US News & World Report survey. ... The majority of survey participants (95%) agreed that aging in place was an important goal, up from 93% in 2023. The 2024 report took a deeper look at why older adults are — or are not — using assistive and health-related technologies, which technologies they use the most and their experiences with that technology.

IntellaTriage and CommonSpirit Health at Home deepen partnership with Homecare Homebase integration KMLK; Press Release; 5/30/24 IntellaTriage, the nation's leading provider of nurse-first hospice and home health triage solutions, and CommonSpirit Health at Home (CSHaH), one of the nation's largest nonprofit healthcare systems, went live with a secure integration between Homecare Homebase and IntellaTriage's triage platform, IntellaHub. Partners since 2022, the companies recognized that a deeper integration of their systems could greatly enhance their shared mission of improving patient and caregiver experiences. Home health and hospice electronic medical records (EMR) often lack interoperability, hindering efficient information exchange and patient care in the field. By breaking down these silos, both companies anticipate improved workflows, eliminated redundancies, and enhanced experiences for patients and field nurses. Editor's Note: This description emphasizes "field nurses." What about field psychosocial team members? Many hospice EMR systems are replicated from medical-centric documentation systems, without relevant fields and practice standards that are user-friendly for your social workers, spiritual care/chaplains, grief counselors, expressive therapists, and more. This editor's statement is not a assessment of this article's deepened partnership and its technology; rather, it is simply an observation and question for hospice leaders, whatever your EMR system.

7 health systems hit by cybersecurity incidents in May Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 5/24/24 Several hospitals and health systems have reported cybersecurity incidents that have led to compromised patient data and IT systems during May. Here are seven cybersecurity incidents as reported by Becker's during May. [Click on the title's link for details.]

Newsweek's 24 best digital health records companies in the US Becker's Health IT; by Laura Dyra; 5/24/24 Newsweek honored 24 health records companies among the top digital health companies in the U.S. for 2024. The publication worked with Statista to identify more than 400 companies worldwide to honor among the best digital health companies of the year. Companies were evaluated by financial performance, web and app traffic data and the impact of their product or service. [Click here for] the 24 health records companies Newsweek honored as part of the inaugural World's Best Digital Health Companies 2024 list. 

Telehealth is far from dead, says Providence’s Virtual Care ChiefMedCity News; by Katie Adams; 5/15/24This year has been a messy one for virtual care companies, but that doesn’t mean that telehealth is dead, according to Eve Cunningham, Providence’s chief of virtual care and digital health. In her view, virtual care can definitely still be an important part of the care delivery model — but only if it is embedded into the greater healthcare delivery ecosystem. This year hasn’t been a great one for virtual care companies. Optum shuttered its virtual care unit in April, Walmart closed its virtual care offering (as well as its entire healthcare unit) in May, and two of the country’s largest telehealth providers - Teladoc Health and Amwell - have both enacted major rounds of layoffs this year. But this doesn’t mean telehealth is dead, said Eve Cunningham, chief of virtual care and digital health at Providence, during a Tuesday interview at the Reuters Digital Health conference in San Diego.

The human side of AI: Insights on balancing automation and empathy Innovation & Tech Today; by Enrico Palmerino; 5/20/24 ... As AI automates more tasks with clinical precision, empathy is a critical human element we cannot overlook. That intangible ability to understand and share the feelings of another isn’t just a soft skill — it’s an essential catalyst for trust, loyalty, and genuine connection. Consider the healthcare industry, where empathy is (quite literally) often a matter of life and death. Can an AI-powered diagnostic system truly grasp a patient’s fear and vulnerability when facing a serious illness? ... Finding the delicate balance between leveraging AI automation and preserving human empathy is the new challenge before us. It’s a duality that will shape how businesses operate and how we interact with technology. ... Let the machines optimize processes while we optimize the ability to connect and inspire. In this harmonious future, AI is a tool that elevates us — not replaces us.Editor's Note: Is AI a hot topic among your leaders and interdisciplinary clinicians? Often, "empathy" and "communication" are cited as key cautions and conflicts. 

Cybersecurity execs share healthcare's biggest vulnerabilitiesModern Healthcare; by Brock E.W. Turner; 5/20/24A recent string of massive healthcare cybersecurity breaches has put data security leaders on edge. Recent incidents have shined a light on some of the most significant vulnerabilities at health systems. Here are four of the biggest, according to experts.

Amazon seeks nonprofit healthcare, EHR expertise Becker's Helath IT; by Laura Dyrda; 5/13/24 Amazon is looking to hire leaders with experience in nonprofit healthcare and EHRs, according to recent job postings on the tech giant's website. Amazon Web Services has a listing for "Senior Solutions Architect, Healthcare, Nonprofit Health, Nonprofit Healthcare" seeking an individual with a passion for helping nonprofit healthcare providers implement cloud computing solutions. ... [Amazon] is also hiring for an account executive focused on nonprofit healthcare and global nonprofit healthcare. The company is searching for a "proven business executive in the NP healthcare sector to lead and continue to expand the business with some of our most important healthcare customers and develop new customers across a targeted greenfield market."

Upskilling and retraining for talent innovation in the AI ​​era Tech Trends Post; 5/13/24 According to a report from the IBM Institute for Business Value, more than 60% of executives say generative AI will disrupt the way their organizations design customer and employee experiences. Employees must change to meet these demands. Many are turning to AI upskilling – the act of providing the workforce with the skills and training to use AI to do their jobs. ... A 2024 Gallup poll found that about 25% of workers worry that their jobs could become obsolete due to AI. ... [This article outlines the following:]