By Patrick Knight

An email may look innocent, perhaps from a trusted colleague, and bearing an innocuous subject line. Many people wouldn’t think twice about opening it and clicking on a link inside to a known website or to download a work-related file. Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving, and that email may be an attempt at spear phishing.

Spear phishing attackers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target organizations around the globe. Attacks against healthcare organizations are usually conducted to steal patient information, like social security numbers and billing details, to sell on the black market. Recently, UnityPoint Health became the victim of a spear phishing attack that compromised 1.4 million patient records. It was the organization’s second breach in 2018 and the largest health data breach of the year in the U.S. Perhaps more concerning are reports that UnityPoint didn’t know about the attack until nearly a month after it happened. [Read more…]

By Simon Norris

As technology forms a crucial part of our daily processes, it opens up many opportunities as well as bringing with it certain challenges, particularly within traditional healthcare environments where analog support is deeply ingrained. Digital healthcare and IT solutions developed in the sector were initially focused on building the solution first, without fully understanding the end users. As such, this has had an impact on success rates as well as the development and implementation of new systems. When creating IT solutions for the healthcare market, we should be taking the time to understand how people who will be using the systems need to use them, looking further into how digital can enhance experiences, not just ‘be’ the experience.

The challenges

There are mounting pressures and strains across the healthcare industry including overstretched NHS resources, the impact of legacy systems which are becoming increasingly outdated, and most importantly patient experiences. Traditionally, healthcare providers have built a solution to health issues or provided information at times of outbreaks, taking a more reactive approach rather than a considered one, thinking about the end user and their needs subsequently. [Read more…]

By Lee Horner

Virtual care is widely being recognized for its value-add to the healthcare ecosystem by making patient care more available and accessible. The role of virtual care is even more vital when used to deliver ongoing care to patients with a chronic condition. With virtual care technology, healthcare organizations can better manage and engage this patient population while lowering costs and enhancing overall outcomes.    

The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics defines chronic disease as a disease lasting three months or longer. Approximately 133 million Americans – more than 40% of the US population – is currently affected, and almost a third of the population has multiple chronic conditions. The cost of caring for these patients is significant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 75 percent of the nation’s healthcare spending is related to chronic diseases. The related treatment is responsible for 96 cents per dollar for Medicare and 83 cents per dollar for Medicaid.

Optimizing care delivery for chronic diseases is critical for improving patient outcomes. Virtual care technology is gaining traction as more providers and care facilities and agencies recognize the impact that more convenient and cost-effective care will have on patient and provider satisfaction. [Read more…]

Virtual reality opens up new worlds within care delivery, clinical research 

By Laura Reagen

Virtual reality (VR) technology is about much more than just video games these days, especially if you’re a healthcare professional, researcher or student. Academic and healthcare facilities across the nation are just beginning to explore the boundaries of both VR and augmented reality (AR) in a variety of exciting ways.

Some are making sizeable investments in this promising new technology. Last year, the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) broke ground on a $122 million facility which will help health care professionals, such as physicians, nurses and medical students, train for basic and advanced skills using visualization and simulation. The Davis Global Center will house the university’s iEXCEL program and feature its state-of-the-art EON Reality VR Innovation Academy, designed to develop AR/VR skills within the community and enhance workforce development. An entire level of this nearly 200,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to “visualization”— 3D, immersive environments that transport students and healthcare professionals into a pediatric unit or an intensive care unit. Additional levels of the facility are dedicated to surgical simulation and hands-on patient simulation in completely replicated healthcare environments.

Researchers at UNMC believe that this unique approach will be a highly effective way to train the next generation of healthcare professionals through real-world simulation and visualization. [Read more…]