University Medical Center was still experiencing an IT outage Sunday caused by a ransomware attack, which was blamed for forcing the hospital to divert patients to other local hospitals and clinics since last Thursday. The ransomware attack was first reported on Thursday morning, and according to UMC's websites, it is still affecting hospital operations. According to UMC, staff are working around the clock and working with a third-party entity to return to normal operations; however, it does not have a time frame for when that might be.
Three-dimensional imaging outperformed older digital mammography at reducing anxiety-producing callbacks for more breast cancer testing, a new study shows. The research, published this month in the journal Radiology also suggests the newer technology might find more worrisome cancers earlier during routine screenings. Lead author Liane Philpotts, MD, a Yale School of Medicine radiology professor, hailed 3D mammography, also known as digital breast tomosynthesis or DBT, as "a win, win, win." "We have the benefit of a lower recall rate, or fewer false positives. We have increased cancer detection, and we have a lower rate of advanced cancers," she said. "So it's truly a game changer."
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Heavy storm surge flooding hit downtown Tampa as Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida. Significant flooding affected roads in and out of Davis Islands, including the area surrounding Tampa General Hospital. Video taken by a TGH employee showed the waters near the hospital. However, the hospital itself said it was protected by the high waters thanks to its AquaFence. "Designed to protect vulnerable area of our campus, the AquaFence is a water-impermeable barrier created to withstand storm surge up to 15 feet above sea level," the hospital wrote on social media.
Michigan Medicine announced Thursday that it has been hit for the second time in four months by a cyberattack that targeted employee email accounts and compromised protected health information, such as the names, medical record numbers and diagnostic and/or treatment information of nearly 58,000 people. "A Michigan Medicine employee accepted an unsolicited multifactor authentication prompt, which allowed the cyberattacker to access the employee's email account and its contents," the Ann Abor-based health system said in a statement. Michigan Medicine is the academic medical center of the University of Michigan and includes the U-M Medical School and University of Michigan Health. "The event occurred on July 30, 2024. The account was disabled as soon as possible so no further access could take place."
The Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act — led by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. And Mark Warner, D-Va. — amends the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements and directs HHS to build new “mandatory minimum cybersecurity standards for health care providers, health plans, clearinghouses and business associates” with a special focus on healthcare operations important to national security.
The founder and CEO of Zocdoc says healthcare needs less outside-in disruption and more inside-out pragmatism.
America spent $4.8 trillion on healthcare In 2023. If that were a nation’s GDP, it would be the third largest on Earth. No wonder everyone—and so many heathtech startups—aims to fix it.
But since my company Zocdoc launched in 2007, I have watched waves of self-appointed “disruptors” enter the healthcare arena like lions only to retreat like lambs. In fact, 90% of healthtech startups have gone bust.
It’s not just the upstarts. Healthcare has also burned Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Walmart. What chance does disruption have in the healthtech sector that defeats David and disgraces Goliath?
But America’s healthcare system needs disruption as costs rise and outcomes decline. Seventy-three percent of American adults say the system is failing them in some way. Without intervention, this will break the bank, our health, or both.
Given the stakes, we must remain bullish on technology’s ability to improve healthcare cost, quality, and access. But instead of blindly adopting “disruptor” playbooks that worked in other consumer sectors, healthtech entrants must study the industry’s past failures. While each has its nuances, there are instructive commonalities and landmines. I have distilled them down to these seven.