Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Why Is This Software Engineer In The Operating Room?: He Might Be Feeling Woozy, But His Technology Could Save People's Lives
Stat: At Mayo Clinic, AI Engineers Face An ‘Acid Test’: Will Their Algorithms Help Real Patients?
It would be easy to wonder what Zachi Attia is doing in the cardiac operating rooms of one of America’s most prestigious hospitals. He has no formal medical training or surgical expertise. He cannot treat arrhythmias, repair heart valves, or unclog arteries. The first time he watched a live procedure, he worried he might faint. But at Mayo Clinic, the 33-year-old machine learning engineer has become a central figure in one of the nation’s most ambitious efforts to revamp heart disease treatment using artificial intelligence. (Ross, 12/18)
The Wall Street Journal: Diabetes Blood-Sugar Data Outage Blamed On Cloud Provider Switch
DexCom Inc. said a switch in its cloud-computing service provider led to the recent failure of the data-sharing feature of the company’s blood-sugar monitoring devices for people with diabetes. Chief Executive Kevin Sayer said the San Diego, Calif., company switched cloud-service providers earlier this year for its data-sharing feature. “During that move, we introduced new components to our platform that weren’t configured for optimal performance,” Mr. Sayer said in a video that the company posted online Friday. “Those components failed, and when they did, there was disruption to core processes within the platform.” (Loftus, 12/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Hackers Get More Sophisticated With Ransomware Attacks
Hackers are getting more sophisticated and creative in their ransomware attacks, putting pressure on companies by threatening to publish stolen data and pointing out that such a move might bring regulatory fines. Ransomware attacks have become more common over the past year, with hackers attacking businesses, organizations and cities—and demanding ever higher sums from their victims. (Stupp, 12/18)
Modern Healthcare: $94 Million In Improper Medicare EHR Incentives Estimated
The CMS may have doled out $93.6 million in erroneous Medicare incentive payments to acute-care hospitals using electronic health record systems, according to new estimates from HHS' Office of Inspector General. The CMS plans to attempt to recover some, but not all, of the possible erroneous payments, according to the OIG's report. (Cohen, 12/17)
