Editor's Note Change Healthcare has started to notify health care providers about patient data stolen in the February cyberattack and announced plans to mail affected individuals as well. A unit of UnitedHealth Group, the organization issued the update June 20. “CHC is providing this notice now to help individuals understand…

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Editor's Note The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced assistance for providers affected by the Change Healthcare cyberattack ends next month. According to the June 17 announcement, payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will end July 12,…

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Editor's Note Microsoft and Google announced they will offer free or discounted cybersecurity services to rural hospitals in the U.S. to help protect against cyberattacks, CNN reported on June 10. According to the article, Microsoft will provide free security updates, assessments, and staff training, while Google will offer free cybersecurity…

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Editor's Note Ascension, a 140-hospital, St. Louis-based health system disrupted by a May 8 cyberattack, has announced that its electronic medical record (EHR) will be restored by June 14. Becker’s Health IT reported the news June 5. According to that article, the restoration of systems comes after medical records have…

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Editor's Note Colorado is the first state in naton to pass legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pivotal decision-making, including in healthcare, according to a May 22 report in Politico. The new law has sparked significant debate, according to the report, with some viewing it as a…

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Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) threatens patient safety by undermining the judgment of human nurses, according to a survey by National Nurses United (NNU). “The findings, coupled with anecdotal reports from nurses at hospitals nationwide, underscore the urgent need for stricter regulation and greater input from nurses and health care…

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Editor's Note Although artificial intelligence (AI) applications in surgery “remain relatively nascent,” the technology has potential to significantly impact all phases of surgical care, according to a review article published May 13 in Nature Medicine. “The emergence of foundation model architectures, wearable technologies, and improving surgical data infrastructures is enabling…

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Editor's Note A $50 million initiative to develop cybersecurity tools for hospitals aims to protect providers and patients alike from ransomware, according to a May 20 report in Becker’s Health IT. The Universal PatchinG and Remediation for Autonomous DEfense, or UPGRADE, program was launched the same day by the Advanced Research…

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Editor's Note Wearable technology is a useful means of mitigating the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in surgeons by providing biofeedback on posture during lengthy operations, according to a recent study in Journal of Nuerosurgery: Spine. In an April 22 report, AZO Sensors details how researchers from Baylor College of Medicine collaborated with…

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Editor's Note Hospital head counts and budgets reflect a growing emphasis on cybersecurity, according to a recent Moody’s Investment Service report. As detailed in an April 25 report in Becker’s Health IT, the Moody’s report is based on data from 148 healthcare organizations, 77% of which are hospitals. Cybersecurity team…

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