After yet another record year for health data breaches, updated federal security rules to protect patient information are on the table in 2025. Patients and providers have long complained that HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is ill-suited to protect patients' sensitive health data in the digital age — and in January, HHS proposed updated regulations to protect against the growing threat of cyberattacks. But in thousands of public comments, health systems and providers have pushed back aggressively against the suggested changes to the security rule. Increased privacy protections, in their view, would impact the financial viability of medical practices — especially small ones — and even timely patient care.
Amazon has formed a new group within AWS dedicated to creating AI agents, systems that help people automate parts of their lives, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
British tech company Skin Analytics has received regulatory approval for an AI skin cancer detection system that uses a smartphone. Spotting skin cancer in the early stages leads to very high survival rates. The tech, known as DERM, allows a technician to photograph a patient's lesion and receive an almost instantaneous diagnosis.
Quantum computing builds on principles borrowed from quantum mechanics, leveraging “quantum bits” (qubits) to perform complex calculations more quickly than traditional computers. Applications potentially include drug discovery, cryptography and security, and AI.
Sensitive financial and health data belonging to millions of veterans and stored on a benefits website is at risk of being stolen or otherwise compromised, according to a federal employee tasked with cybersecurity who was recently fired as part of massive government-wide cuts. The warning comes from Jonathan Kamens, who led cybersecurity efforts for VA.gov — an online portal for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and services used by veterans, their caregivers and families.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to resume deployments of its new Electronic Health Record in mid-2026. But watchdog offices say the VA isn’t yet halfway through a list of projects and improvements for a handful of sites already using the Oracle-Cerner EHR.