- Eko Core, stethoscope that streams to smartphones, cleared by FDA (healthcarefinancenews.com)
'We've started by pairing the oldest and the newest tools in the medical toolkit – the stethoscope and the smartphone.'…The FDA has cleared Eko Core, a digital stethoscope designed by medical devices startup Eko Devices..."a next-generation" stethoscope – billed as the only one on the market to wirelessly stream heart sounds to a HIPAA-compliant smartphone app. It is also the first to integrate heart sounds directly into the patient's EHR.
- eRx of controlled substances now legal in 50 states (healthcareitnews.com)
'Throwing out the prescription pad' is key to preventing fraud and abuse..With e-prescribing of controlled substances now legal nationwide, providers and pharmacies are empowered with a new technological tool in the fight against prescription painkillers… there's some progress yet to be made on this front. NLR(National Law Review) points to statistics that show that while… one-third of pharmacies were equipped to handle eRx of controlled substances as of the end of 2013, just 1 percent of prescribers were able to do so.
- US researchers say 3-D printed microscopic fish robots will allow intelligent (in-pharmatechnologist.com)
Nanoengineers at the University of California, San Diego used 3-D printing to build fish-shaped microrobots. The so-called microfish can swim in liquids, are chemically powered by hydrogen peroxide and are magnetically controlled. The scientists said the synthetic microfish will inspire a new generation of ‘smart’ microrobots capable of detoxification, sensing their environment, and directing drug delivery.
- Cyberattacks on health systems on the rise (drugstorenews.com)81% Of Healthcare Organizations Have Been Compromised By Cyber-Attacks In Past 2 Years: KPMG Survey (kpmg.com)
As many as eight-in-10 health care executives say that their organizations have been compromised by at least one malware, botnet or other cyber-attack during the past two years, and only half feel that they are adequately prepared in preventing attacks…
- Infographic: top 10 biggest HIPAA breaches (healthcareitnews.com)
To date, nearly 143.8 million people have had their protected health information compromised in a HIPAA breach. Here's a list of the 10 biggest in the U.S.
- HIPAA breach for hospital after worker swiped patient data (healthcareitnews.com)
A 12-hospital health system is notifying hundreds of its current and former patients that their protected health information has been compromised after discovering an employee was involved in identity theft…Merit Health system based in Jackson, Miss., only learned of the breach after local law enforcement notified them that one of their employees…was under investigation for identity theft,..The employee was allegedly swiping patient files for more than a year undetected,..swiped records containing patient names, Social Security numbers, medical diagnoses data, health plan data and also payment information.
- NACDS TSE (National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Total Store Expose): Hot Rx technology (drugstorenews.com)
- Samsung LabGeo PT10 - private patient kiosks...with a new point-of-care lab technology
- Higi Kiosks - cloud-based interactive..for health-and-wellness tracking, data sharing..patient education
- RxASP 1000 - prescription packaging system… accommodate up to 1,000 RFID canisters
- CoBot - new robotic technology…PharmASSIST CoBot…ease workflow and perform "mindless repetitive tasks"
- Surescripts optimizes tech, expands applications - new capabilities is an electronic prior-authorization feature that allows prescribing physicians to check any patient’s insurance eligibility for any prescription automatically, at the touch of a screen, before sending that prescription to Surescripts’ routing network
- Can deconstructing the biological clock help treat diabetes and cancer? (medcitynews.com)Amgen Finds Data Falsified in Obesity-Diabetes Study Featuring Grizzly Bears (wsj.com)
...evolutionary underpinnings of diabetes are actually quite strong: Animals go through cycles in which their metabolism changes. Animals become obese and insulin-resistant when food availability is very low, and their metabolism kicks into gear when the environment is flush with food…all aligns with Circadian rhythms, Rhode Island-based biotech VeroScience asserts, which is why it’s developing its line of therapeutics around the waxing and waning of mammal metabolic function. In short, it’s studying how the biology behind the hibernation patterns of a bear,.. might be harnessed to spark new therapeutic modalities.
- CMS appoints ICD-10 ombudsman (healthcareitnews.com)
William Rogers, MD, director of the Physicians Regulatory Issues Team at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will act as ICD-10 ombudsman to the federal agency, He will work out of an ICD-10 coordination center in Baltimore.. Implementation of ICD-10 is only 34 days away… CMS has said it will not deny claims as long as the right code family is used, the agency will not send back a message if the wrong code is used.
- CVS Health expands its care reach (healthcareitnews.com)
ACA (Affordable Care Act), primary care doc shortage, aging population, chronic disease make this telehealth's moment..CVS is working with three telehealth companies -- American Well, Doctor On Demand and Teladoc -- on how, together with pharmacies, they might expand and improve on...patient care.