FBI disrupts major ransomware group, Blackcat
Editor's Note The FBI has infiltrated the ransomware group BlackCat—the group responsible for a February cyberattack on the Lehigh Valley Health Network—and issued a decryption tool enabling victims around the world to restore their systems, according to a December 19 Justice Department press release. Emerging during the past 18…
Study: AI model explanations fail to combat bias
Editor's Note New data raise questions about the effectiveness of image-based AI model explanations in helping clinicians recognize systematic bias when diagnosing hospitalized patients. The findings appeared in JAMA on December 19. Researchers looked at the diagnostic accuracy of 457 hospital physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in diagnosing patients…
Stem cell subset shows promise for preventing amputation
Editor's Note Researchers have discovered a new way to prompt blood vessel growth and prevent amputations in diseases such as diabetes and peripheral arterial disease. Findings were published December 19 in Cell Reports Medicine. The study consisted of an in-depth examination of two patients involved in a clinical trial who…
AI tool determines postoperative mortality risk
Editor's Note A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by researchers at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai could help doctors better understand which patients are at greatest risk of dying following surgery, according to a December 15 report in Newswise. Based on findings originally published in the Lancet Digital…
Why screening misses critical influences on patient health
Editor's Note Health record codes that track social, environmental, and economic influences on patient health outcomes are vastly underutilized during screening, according a December 19 EurekAlert! report on research from John Hopkins and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Published in Health Affairs Scholar, the study analyzes the…
Study shows virtual nursing has a perception problem
Editor's Note A study from Panda Health, a digital health company, found that virtual nursing has the lowest adoption rate among digital hospital tools and is perceived as having exaggerated value by hospital leaders, according Becker's Health IT December 13. The survey of 100 hospital leaders found that just 13%…
Study: Are clinicians undervaluing patient diagnostic feedback?
Editor’s Note Lending greater weight to patient opinions could help clinicians diagnose certain conditions, according to a study published in Rheumatology on December 18. The study focused specifically on neuropsychiatric lupus, an autoimmune disease that is difficult to diagnose and includes symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and hallucinations that can…
Colonoscopy fees higher for hospitals than ASCs, study finds
Editor’s Note US hospitals charge approximately 55% higher average fees than ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) for colonoscopies covered by private health insurance. The findings, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, appeared as a research letter in JAMA Health Forum on December 15. The analysis is one of…
Flu cases are rising across the US
Editor’s Note Seasonal flu cases are spiking across the country, according to data published December 15 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although the surge is nationwide, activity is highest in the southeast, south-central, and west coast regions. As a result, weekly flu hospital admissions are…
Doctors with multiple malpractice suits become insurance company medical directors
Editor’s Note An investigation by the nonprofit organization ProPublica and the Capital Forum revealed many doctors with a history of malpractice cases now serve as insurance company medical directors—a role with major influence on decisions that impact patient outcomes. According to a December 15 article in ProPublica, the organizations used…
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