Cyberattacks targeting the supply chain are an increasingly prevalent threat in the healthcare industry, especially as the modern healthcare supply chain contains significant digital elements, such as the patient engagement vendors that provide public-facing digital tools. These third-party apps and patient-facing tools process sensitive patient data and connect with a healthcare organization’s source systems on the supply chain. As such, they are tempting targets for cybercriminals, who can sell this data on the black market or lock it up with ransomware until they are paid.
Patient education is about more than simply spreading knowledge about the disease. It can also empower patients to better live with their condition and avoid complications–an approach known as therapeutic patient education[¹]
Digital technology can do wonders when it comes to streamlining the work of delivering efficient quality care to patients. The use of patient portals, EHRs, mhealth apps, and wearable tech can all empower patients to be more active in their healthcare, get faster treatment, and access preventative care earlier on. But with all the capabilities of modern technology, we find that many patients are slow to adopt digital tools. If this is the case for your healthcare organization, we recommend the following tips to increase adoption.
Technology has a lot of potential to improve efficiency and health outcomes in the complex practice of healthcare, from time-sensitive interventions in the hospital environment to long-term preventative measures among patient populations. Diagnostics, data management, patient engagement, and personalized medicine all stand to benefit from greater technology integration in a holistic, connected care model. Despite this, there are many hurdles that prevent technology from being adopted as quickly or effectively as it could be. Let’s take a look at the challenges contemporary healthcare organizations face.
Healthcare services are meeting patient demand by becoming increasingly digitized. These digital healthcare services are often developed by third parties and access electronic health records (EHR), revenue cycle management (RCM) systems, and other databases that include sensitive and legally protected information. While these electronic services are beneficial to both patients and providers, they create an increasingly complex software supply chain, with more potential vulnerabilities that are being targeted by hackers[¹]. Healthcare providers can find it difficult to manage effective oversight of these supply chains - including the relationships between different software tools, who has access to what data, and where there might be potential weaknesses.
If you’re still considering hiring someone to write a strong application for the recent NAP funding opportunity, get in touch soon - We have some capacity, but it’s limited. The March 12th deadline for Grants.gov will be here before you know it!
Curiously, one type of collaboration that Health Centers often overlook is a partnership with a residency program. This is unfortunate, as partnering with a teaching hospital by hosting residents can provide many advantages for a Health Center.
Following are the benefits you’re missing out on by not hosting residents at your Health Center…
HRSA’s revised Site Visit Protocol went into effect last week. They will use this updated version to assess compliance onsite for all health center Operational Site Visits (OSVs). They also updated site visit resources, including the Progressive Action Conditions Library.
If you’ve been following our blog, then you are aware (hopefully!) that 2018 has brought with it changes to the operational site visit (OSV) model.
Today we will focus on those changes specifically related to your Board of Directors, and how you can ensure that your Board is prepared to ace your next OSV.
In case you haven’t heard, at the end of last month HRSA implemented a new Site Visit Protocol (SVP) that has replaced the existing Site Visit Guide. This tool is to be used in combination with the current Compliance Manual and will be used to assess compliance during operational site visits (OSVs).
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