Literature Review

How CommonSpirit Health doubled AI deployment in '24Becker's Hospital Review; by Giles Bruce; 12/31/24Many of the largest U.S. health systems increasingly pivoted toward artificial intelligence in 2024 for tasks such as clinical documentation and physician inbox management. Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, with more than 140 hospitals across the country, was no exception.Publisher's note: Hospice implications for 2025...?

How healthcare AI is meeting the hype at UW HealthBecker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 12/6/24Ambient clinical documentation will be commonplace in healthcare three years from now, according to Chero Goswami, chief information and digital officer at Madison, Wis.-based UW Health... What is the IT project you're most excited about at your health system? I would say the stuff we're doing with ambient listening, which most others in the industry are doing as well, which is allowing providers and other members of the care team to spend more time in direct patient care, and not typing up notes, with AI capturing everything in the background and then creating a summary note, or a clinical note. It returns the clinicians to clinical practice, rather than making them glorified typists. And it also leads to a better patient experience, because the patient is very much aware that the clinician is looking at them eye to eye and having a conversation, versus looking at a keyboard. And it reduces cognitive burden. The physicians aren't completing the note at 8 o'clock at night, but doing it in real time at the clinic.

Things CIOs and CTOs need to do differently in 2025 Information Week; by Lisa Morgan; 12/18/24 As CIOs and CTOs head into a new year, they always have priorities. Greater agility is a key theme in 2025. ... “Keep ahead or at least on top of the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analytics skills that are needed. Acquire talent and develop that talent so your company remains competitive,” says [Loren Margolis, faculty, Stony Brook University]. “Find ways to use [AI and analytics] to become even more agile so you remain competitive. Also embrace them as opportunities to train and develop your workforce. Make sure your organization is a place where great tech talent can come to develop and use their skills.” The following are some other priorities for 2025:

Which skills will survive the AI onslaught? National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), Arlington, VA; by Vivek Sharma and David C. Edelman; 12/17/24 ... Boards and CEOs are inundated with reports projecting doomsday scenarios of job displacement due to AI. For example, according to the World Economic Forum's The Future of Jobs Report 2020, automation and AI are expected to displace 85 million jobs globally by 2025, especially in industries such as manufacturing, data entry, and customer service due to the repetitive nature and predictable processes of these fields. AI is already disrupting many roles hitherto considered firmly within the human domain. ... Irreplaceable Human Dimensions ... In analyzing a wide range of articles on the topic, when a job scores high along any of the following three dimensions, it creates significant hurdles for displacement by AI:

Top places to work in IT: 17 health systems rank in 2025 Becker's Health IT; by Laura Dyrda; 12/10/24 Computerworld published a list of the top places to work in IT for 2025, including several prominent health systems. Foundry, the publisher for Computerworld, examined several companies across the size spectrum on their commitment to in-house IT talent, training, technical and soft skills, as well as culture, diversity and satisfaction. The publication reported 79% of companies surveyed increased the number of IT employees in the last three years, and around half plan to continue growing their IT teams next year. The health systems and provider organizations ranked include:

Dallas’ Analog Informatics emerges from stealth to modernize patient engagement in over 150 languages Dallas Innovates, Dallas, TX; by Lance Murray; 12/4/24 AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools. CEO Philip Lieberman created the platform based on his experiences in caring for his hospitalized mother-in-law during the COVID pandemic. ... Shocked that he knew “more about his Amazon packages” than the state of his loved one, Lieberman vowed to use the experience and resources he’d gained from the previous multinational companies he created “to bring compassionate yet automated continuous communication to every patient and their families.” ... AIC aims to "bridge the communication gap" between healthcare providers and patients worldwide by leveraging secure AI and modern communication tools.  ... AIC said its platform “bridges the communication gap” between healthcare providers and patients, offering continuous automated logistical support in more than 150 languages. 

Creach Family Holdings announces acquisition of HealthRev Partners EIN Presswire, Stuart, FL; by Careficient, Inc.; 12/3/24 Creach Family Holdings announces acquisition of HealthRev Partners Expanding Healthcare Technology Solutions for Home Health and Hospice Providers. Creach Family Holdings, a privately held investment firm focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services, announces the acquisition of HealthRev Partners, a provider of technology-driven revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions serving the home health and hospice market. This acquisition complements Creach Family Holdings’ portfolio, including Careficient, a leading electronic medical record (EMR) provider for home health and hospice agencies. By combining HealthRev Partners’ RCM expertise with Careficient’s EMR platform, Creach Family Holdings aims to provide an integrated suite of solutions that streamline operations, optimize revenue cycles, and improve patient care. 

Nursing homes must break cycle of patient rehospitalization Special to the USA TODAY Network, republished by The Record, Bergen County; by Mary Holden Jones; 11/28/24 One of the most severe issues facing long-term care patients is rehospitalization. Over 20% of nursing home residents are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, a cycle that often worsens health outcomes and creates significant emotional, financial and logistical burdens for families, caregivers and the health care system. ... While hospital stays are sometimes necessary, they create added risks of infections and the constant back and forth can add to confusion and cognitive decline — both of which further reduce quality of life and prolong recovery times. ... The emotional toll on families is equally significant. ... Fortunately, many rehospitalizations are preventable with more proactive, coordinated care. Technology-driven health care solutions offer a promising way to monitor patients’ health in real time, alerting caregivers and health care providers to early signs of trouble before a minor issue becomes a major problem.

Aged care nursing in the digital future Atlassian Jira, Australia; by Flinders University; 11/27/24 The results call for nurses to be included when digital innovations are in development, so they can actively shape their implementation and ensure high-quality, compassionate care for residents in their final stages of life. "In Australia and around the world, we have seen a significant increase in digital technologies in the health care sector," says study lead author Dr. Priyanka Vandersman, a Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University's Research Center for Palliative Care, Death and Dying (RePaDD).  "In aged care, these digital approaches can include helping with care planning and assisting with managing medication, but we need to ensure that nurses are equipped with the digital skills needed to use these tools effectively, while continuing to provide high quality, person-centered care."

WellSky acquires leading durable/home medical equipment software provider Bonafide, enhancing home care solutions Healthcare IT Today; by Healthcare IT News; 11/12/24 WellSky, a leading health and community care technology company, announced today that it has acquired Bonafide, an enterprise software solution for durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) companies. With the addition of Bonafide, WellSky expands its footprint in DME/HME and will serve more providers with an integrated software platform that allows them to run their businesses compliantly, efficiently, and profitably. DME/HME is a rapidly growing segment in the healthcare industry, driven by the increasing demand for patient-centered care in the home. Bonafide has built a fully integrated enterprise workflow management platform that combines billing, revenue cycle management, resupply, supply chain, inventory management, mobile delivery, and more to help DME/HME providers accelerate growth. The company serves 200 clients, including some of the largest and fastest-growing DME/HME providers.

Microsoft update warning—400 million Windows PCs now at risk Forbes; by Zak Doffman; 10/30/24 Here we go again. Previously fixed Windows vulnerabilities are back to haunt users. And with perfect timing, there’s also a serious new warning for at least 400 million users, all of whom need to act to keep their PCs and data safe from attack. This is all about timing. The public interest advocacy group PIRG is now campaigning for Microsoft to extend the Windows 10 support extension now available to schools to other users. “In one year, Microsoft plans to end support for Windows 10,” they warn, “potentially rendering up to 400 million computers obsolete overnight. This decision could trigger the single largest surge in junked computers in history, with dire consequences for both consumers and the environment.” 

Change Healthcare cyberattack impacts 100 million people Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 10/25/24 The Feb. 21 ransomware attack on UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare has impacted 100 million individuals. The number of impacted individuals was posted on the Office for Civil Rights Breach Portal, which is used for reporting breaches of unsecured protected health information under HIPAA. Previously, UnitedHealth said that the data stolen by hackers likely covered a "substantial proportion of people in America." The cyberattack crippled financial operations for hospitals, insurers, pharmacies and medical groups nationwide. In July, the organization began sending out breach notification letters to individuals affected by the attack.