Editor's Note Between 2018 and 2024, ransomware attacks on US healthcare organizations compromised nearly 89 million patient records and resulted in downtime costing an estimated total of $21.9 billion, according to a December 18 report from Comparitech. The report tallies 654 total ransomware incidents during this period targeting hospitals, clinics,…

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What happens when a surgeon uses the monopolar instrument set on 30-W coagulation mode to create an upper midline incision in a patient with a pacemaker? Pacemaker function is interrupted, causing a heart block that results in hemodynamic instability—or at least, this is what could happen without taking the necessary…

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Editor's Note "Why is healthcare cybersecurity so bad?" This is the central question explored in a December 4 video from STAT health tech reporter Brittany Trang, who also wrote an article on the subject earlier this year. Brought into sharp focus by data exposures related to the recent attack on…

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Editor's Note Leading medical journals vary significantly in guidance addressing the use artificial intelligence (AI) in medical research, according to an analysis published December 3 in JAMA Network Open.   The study categorized journals’ attitudes toward AI-assisted peer review into three groups: prohibition, limited use with conditions, and lack of explicit…

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Editor's Note Artificial intelligence (AI) enabled technologies present the greatest technology risk to healthcare organizations in 2025, according to the latest list from ECRI, a nonprofit organization dedicated to safety in the industry. As detailed in the organization’s December 4 announcement, the annual report highlights critical risks that healthcare organizations…

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Editor's Note A November 13 report from The Government Accountability Office (GAO) identifies critical gaps in the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) ability to manage cybersecurity risks in the healthcare and public health sector. HHS, the lead federal agency for cybersecurity in this sector, faces challenges in monitoring…

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Editor's Note Amid growing concerns about healthcare workers’ exposure to ionizing radiation and its associated cancer risks, the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates called for increased protective measures and standardized guidelines, including improved exposure metrics, during their interim meeting in Orlando, Florida. MedPage Today reported the news November…

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Editor's Note Cybersecurity threats in healthcare are increasingly driven by third-party vendors, affecting millions of patients and hospital systems globally, experts John Riggi and Richard Staynings emphasized at the HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum. Healthcare Finance News reported on the experts’ testimony November 5. According to the article, cyberattacks have surged…

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Editor's Note Real-world experience in Texas—where more than 650 nurses marched on the capitol in support of workplace violence legislation—informed much of yesterday’s OR Manager Conference presentation on nurse legislative and policy advocacy from Serena Bumpus, DNP, RN, NEA-BC. Although nurses make up the largest healthcare workforce—around 5.2 million across…

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Editor's Note The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has entered into a partnership with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) to develop new standards for the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in healthcare, according to an October 1 report in DOTmed. Formalized through a memorandum of…

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