Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Delays Rollout Of Electronic Medical Records Amid Concerns
Military.com: VA Delays Rollout Of Troubled Electronic Medical Records System To More Hospitals
The Department of Veterans Affairs has put the introduction of its new electronic health records system on hold at the hospital system slated to adopt it this summer -- a pause that extends to all future rollouts, VA officials said Thursday. In a memo to staff at the VA Saginaw, Michigan, Health Care System, Veterans Integrated Services Network 10 Director Laura Ruzick said Thursday that the training scheduled to begin April 1 on the Oracle Cerner Millennium records system has been postponed. VA confirmed to Military.com the postponement applies to all planned deployments. (Kime, 4/6)
Military Times: VA Delays Rollout Of Health Records System To Next Scheduled Sites
The delay is the latest in a series of setbacks for the 10-year, $16 billion health records overhaul project, launched by President Donald Trump in 2017. Only five of the department’s 170-plus medical sites have begun using the software, and new deployments have been delayed for months amid concerns with the new system. In the last few weeks, lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced a series of legislative proposals to delay future deployments until VA officials can verify that certain patient safety, staff training and software usability standards have been reached. (Shane III, 4/6)
Meanwhile —
Military.com: Navy Takes Another Look At Bremerton Hospital Cuts After Lawmaker Cites Miscarriage, Readiness Issues
The lawmaker whose district includes Naval Hospital Bremerton has challenged the Navy over years of downsizing and staffing cuts at the facility, saying it has not only hurt readiness but also endangered patients. "I had a service member who said that she was pregnant. ... With the closure of labor and delivery, she ended up seeking care from a local provider where she sat for eight hours in a waiting room and miscarried," Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., told Military.com in an interview Thursday. (Toropin, 4/6)
In other health care industry news —
Axios: Privacy Is At Risk As HIPAA Fails To Keep Pace With Digital Health
Nearly three decades old, HIPAA appears obsolete and riddled with new technology-induced gaps. Why it matters: With regulators unable and politicians unwilling to address the shortcomings of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, private companies are offering a fix. (Brodwin and Reed, 4/6)
Fox News: AI And Heart Health: Machines Do A Better Job Of Reading Ultrasounds Than Sonographers Do, Says Study
Artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially do a better job of screening for heart health than trained sonographers. This is the finding of a study from the Smidt Heart Institute and the Division of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California. In the study, published in the journal Nature, a total of 3,495 heart echocardiograms (ultrasounds) were assessed. (Rudy, 4/6)
Modern Healthcare: Cano Health Ex-Board Members Try To Take Control As Stock Soars
Barry Sternlicht, a billionaire real estate investor who served as chairman of the board, Dr. Lewis Gold, co-founder of Sheridan Healthcare, and Elliot Cooperstone, managing partner of InTandem Capital Partners, seek to take over the Miami-based company and replace CEO Marlow Hernandez. The three resigned from the board last Friday over differences with Hernandez and executive leadership. (Turner, 4/6)
Also —
Anchorage Daily News: How Do You Get A Moose Out Of An Anchorage Medical Facility? Very Carefully
A young and hungry moose caused a stir when it strolled through the front doors of a Providence Alaska medical facility Thursday afternoon in Anchorage — apparently without an appointment. In the only-in-Alaska videos posted to social media Thursday, the juvenile moose’s ears peeked from behind a potted plant it was munching on, briefly impervious to the attention it received from bystanders at Providence Health Park. (Berman, 4/6)
