Government & Policy

Te Whatu Ora recently disclosed the state of the health system's digital assets to the new Health Minister.

Three draft publications address pharmacy-related patient safety issues and continued challenges with appointment scheduling in the Oracle Health electronic health record, says David Case, OIG deputy inspector general.

The agency's national survey of digital health companies shows that 73% use standards-based application programming interfaces when they are integrating with electronic health records, with a majority using the FHIR standard.

To promote exchanging public health data, the electronic information sharing network will waive annual fees for three years to the first five health information exchanges that agree to share data on the platform or via TEFCA.

Their designation as Qualified Health Information Networks brings several new EHR vendors and other healthcare organizations into the nationwide interoperability framework.

Healthcare leaders have weighed in on the interim 2024 Health Budget with hopes for investment in tech, particularly AI. 

Texting of patient orders among members by healthcare teams is now permissible at hospitals and critical access hospitals when done through a HIPAA-compliant secure platform in compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation rules, the agency says.

A decade ago, malicious insiders sold patient health data to an identity theft crime ring and put the nonprofit provider into a HIPAA investigation. OCR reminds health systems that they have a giant target – no matter their size or stature.

The agency seeks to use extended reality and digital therapeutics to create healing "journeys" for aging Vietnam veterans that could improve their relationships with caregivers.