Today is a part of This Week In Health IT that is dedicated to propelling healthcare forward by amplifying the voices of advancement and innovation in health technology. Managing Editor and Host Bill Russell has served on executive teams in healthcare, higher education, and Fortune 500 consulting practices. As Chief Information Officer for St. Joseph Health, a 16 hospital $6.5 billion system, he rapidly accelerated the diffusion of new IT strategies, adopted emerging models like cloud, agile development, and invested in two successful startups. On This Week in Health IT, Bill utilizes his experience to prompt leaders, innovators, and organizations to share their stories in a conversational style to capture the wisdom of the industry. Stay up to date, prepare your team, and propel healthcare forward. Subscribe today at https://www.thisweekhealth.com/subscribe.
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Drex breaks down three critical cybersecurity developments healthcare organizations need to monitor. First, escalating geopolitical tensions suggest increased cyber attacks from Iran and allied nations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, including healthcare systems. Second, Vanderbilt University Medical Center reports sophisticated Microsoft Teams impersonation attacks where scammers pose as supervisors to request urgent actions like software installation or payments. Finally, deepfake fraud attempts skyrocketed 1300% in 2024, with new "spoofing as a service" platforms making AI-powered voice and video scams more accessible to cybercriminals. Healthcare IT leaders should prepare defenses against these evolving threats and educate staff on verification protocols for suspicious requests.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
After a HIMSS conference presentation on North Korean hackers posing as remote employees led him down an unexpected rabbit hole, Drex unveils his new intermittent series "UnFake". Dive into a world of digital deception and synthetic media, as Drex sets out to help you the listener stay protected and discern fact from fiction in the increasingly complicated field of cybersecurity.You've Been Catfished: The New Remote-Work Employee You Just Hired Is Actually A North Korean HackerRemember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
June 16, 2025: Philipp von Gilsa, CEO of Kontakt.io, joins Bill Russell for the news. What happens when America's hospitals reach dangerous occupancy thresholds that could make them unable to function properly? And as workplace violence against healthcare workers spikes, what combination of technology and process can effectively protect staff? The conversation delves into the tension between technology capabilities and practical healthcare applications, questioning whether approaches to new innovations like AI are simply recycling the same discussions we've had about cloud and IoT in previous years. As healthcare leaders face these converging challenges, how can they remain focused on core priorities? Key Points: 02:22 America's Hospital Bed Shortage Crisis 15:14 Overpromising and Underdelivering 21:21 Workplace Violence in Hospitals News Articles: America's Hospital-Bed Shortage Is About to Become a Crisis Connected health needs more provider collaboration for better data integration AHA report finds workplace and community violence costs hospitals more than $18 billion annually X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three critical cybersecurity incidents: dual cyber attacks affecting healthcare systems in Lewiston, Maine; an AT&T database breach exposing 86 million records with decrypted sensitive data; and concerning backup management issues at login.gov that could impact government service access. The episode concludes with a practical reminder to test backup systems regularly.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
June 9, 2025: Healthcare organizations face an unprecedented challenge as potential Medicaid cuts threaten heavy IT staff reductions, but what if the real solution lies hidden in plain sight within their own systems? Jason Rose, CEO of Clearsense, discusses how "zombie applications" - applications that are neither fully alive nor completely dead - are silently draining millions from healthcare budgets. The conversation delves into the harsh realities of crisis governance models, the hidden costs of transition service agreements, and whether healthcare leaders are prepared to make the difficult operational decisions required in the days ahead. Enjoyed the Discussion? Dive Deeper with “How Application Portfolio Management Accelerates M&A Value in Healthcare” Key Points: 01:43 Zombie Applications 04:30 Mergers and Acquisitions 08:30 Cost Reduction Strategies 11:47 Real-World Examples and Case Studies News Articles: Leading Through the Storm: Functioning After a 20% IT Staff Reduction X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers four major healthcare cybersecurity developments: Kettering Health's Epic systems recovery following their May 20th cyber attack, with core components now operational while inbound calling systems remain down. Covenant Health faces a new cybersecurity incident affecting three hospitals in Maine and New Hampshire. Seattle's Fred Hutch Cancer Center agreed to a $52 million class action settlement after criminals from their 2023 breach directly threatened patients with data exposure. Plus, a mysterious whistleblower called "Gang Exposed" has leaked thousands of chat logs and documents exposing key figures in the Conti and TrickBot ransomware operations, potentially providing crucial evidence against Russian cybercriminals.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers Kettering Health's week-long cyber attack recovery with radiation oncology back online, the mass exodus of CISA leadership amid federal downsizing, and the growing frustration over lack of comprehensive federal cybersecurity strategy for healthcare. Discussion includes regional coordination during cyber incidents and the reality that hospitals are fighting nation-state actors without adequate government support.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
June 2, 2025: Chris Jenkins, EVP of Digital Strategy and Enterprise Imaging for Healthlink Advisors, joins Bill for the news. As the industry appears to shift focus from cybersecurity to AI adoption, they explore whether this transition is happening too quickly. Then, what does it mean when four major health systems make strategic investments in companies like Rad AI? The conversation also covers Emory Healthcare's decision to deploy the first fully Apple-powered hospital, raising questions about whether this represents a meaningful shift away from traditional Microsoft-dominated environments or simply an expensive experiment. Key Points: 05:00 AI Imaging Expansion 09:05 Google I/O and Use Cases 15:55 Emory Apple Only Hospital X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex explores two critical cybersecurity threats facing healthcare: the rise of "vibe coding" where non-programmers use AI like Anthropic's Claude to create functional code, creating potential operational risks from undocumented projects, and increasingly sophisticated AI deepfakes from tools like Google's VO3 that cybercriminals are weaponizing for phishing attacks. He emphasizes the need for healthcare leaders to inventory AI coding projects and prepare defenses against deepfake-based social engineering, while previewing his upcoming discussion on North Korean cyber operations targeting Western companies.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
May 26, 2025: Ryan Pfeffer, Head of Engineering at Notable, joins Sarah for the news. How are healthcare CIOs navigating the overwhelming influx of AI vendors in a market projected to exceed $500 billion by 2032? The conversation explores the practical challenges of integration, testing processes, and the importance of transparent, explainable features. How is natural language processing transforming healthcare communication and documentation? Ryan shares compelling success stories of staff freed from mundane administrative tasks, from managing faxes to streamlining prior authorizations. As AI literacy becomes what Shopify's CEO called "essential for workforce survival," what is the right balance between automation and human interaction in healthcare, and how should leaders prioritize AI investments amid the hype?Key Points:01:05 AI Vendor Surge in Healthcare08:01 NLP in Healthcare Communication14:31 AI as an Essential Skill18:25 Balancing Automation and Human InteractionNews Articles: CIOs Navigate AI Vendor Surge Amid $504 Billion Healthcare Market BoomNLP Transforms Healthcare Communication Through Advanced Language ProcessingShopify CEO's Memo Signals AI Integration as Essential for Workforce SurvivalX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers in-depth look at the ongoing ransomware attack on Kettering Health, attributed to the Interlock gang known for double extortion tactics - stealing data before encrypting systems. The health system demonstrates exemplary crisis communication while maintaining operations and warning patients about related scams. Next, the Scattered Spider cybercriminal group shifts focus to European retail, using social engineering tactics and freelancer networks to target help desks and employees for credential theft. Finally, a massive data scraping incident exposes 1.2 billion Facebook records on dark web marketplaces, including names, emails, birthdays, and phone numbers. Essential updates for healthcare security professionals navigating today's threat landscape. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three critical cybersecurity stories in healthcare: Kettering Health Network's ransomware crisis affecting 14 hospitals with patient data at risk, a landmark $700,000 civil penalty against Breach Forums founder Connor Fitzpatrick, and the release of Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) 2.0 with enhanced breach monitoring capabilities. Stay informed on the latest healthcare security threats and solutions.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
May 26, 2025: Amy Oliver, VP of Marketing at Panda Health, joins Sarah for the news. What does World Health Day 2025's focus on maternal health reveal about global disparities, and how can digital solutions bridge these gaps? The conversation delves into alarming statistics showing the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, with 80% of these deaths being preventable. How are states addressing social determinants of health for pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries, and what role does technology play in connecting clinical care with social services? Sarah and Amy examine the Commonwealth Fund's 2024 State Scorecard, highlighting dramatic geographic disparities in women's health outcomes across America, discussing how health systems can tailor strategies to address regional challenges and implement digital tools that track improvement metrics. Key Points: 01:49 World Health Day 2025 07:29 Social Determinants 10:23 Technology and Maternal Health 16:55 Innovation and Women's Health News Articles: World Health Day 2025 Spotlights Maternal and Newborn Health Addressing Social Determinants for Pregnant and Postpartum Medicaid Beneficiaries X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Learn about a new VMware Tools vulnerability allowing privilege escalation, Microsoft's Patch Tuesday releasing fixes for 70 vulnerabilities including 5 actively exploited zero-days, and Apple's comprehensive OS updates. The episode highlights the importance of patching industrial control systems from Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Phoenix Contact that may be present in healthcare facility automation, EV charging, and data center power systems.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
In this episode, Drex covers three key security stories: the HSCC's "On the Edge" report on rural healthcare cybersecurity vulnerabilities, Mossimo's security breach affecting their manufacturing operations, and the hacking of LockBit ransomware gang which exposed Bitcoin wallets and negotiation messages. Drex also mentions his panel at HIMSS Southern California on healthcare cybersecurity.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
May 12, 2025: Drex DeFord and Sarah Richardson join Bill for the news. How do you prioritize when everything seems urgent? The group shares stories of impossible expectations and political realities while debating the true cost of innovation in healthcare. Bill, Drex, and Sarah discuss the rising number of CXOs who are shifting to new jobs throughout the industry. With insider insights, this discussion pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to lead technology in an industry where lives, not just dollars, hang in the balance. Key Points: 02:57 Governance Expectations Rising 15:55 Mass CIO Job Shifts 17:59 The Importance of Networking and Fit 23:03 Personal Experiences and Career Advice X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
In this episode, Drex highlights former HCA CSO Paul Connolly's practical cyber insurance guidance, introduces OpenAI's new "Operator" AI agent that can independently perform web tasks, and examines the emerging organizational risks of "shadow AI" as employees implement unauthorized AI solutions in their workflows without proper oversight.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex DeFord covers critical security updates affecting healthcare organizations. Ascension Health is notifying hundreds of thousands of patients about security incidents involving third-party partners. UnitedHealth Group has deployed thousands of AI applications across their operations. A new study reveals alarming password practices, with 8-character passwords and common words still widely used. Microsoft is making all new accounts passwordless by default to combat these vulnerabilities. Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
May 5, 2025: Christian Boucher, Head of Healthcare Strategy and Solutions at Island, joins Drex for the news. They discuss the recent VMware price shock situation, diving into a deeper industry-wide issue: what happens when healthcare becomes overly dependent on specific technology pillars? Are health systems flexible enough to pivot when market forces dramatically shift the technology landscape? Throughout their discussion, Christian emphasizes the value of community collaboration in solving these complex problems, suggesting the future lies in healthcare organizations working together to test emerging technologies rather than each institution going it alone. Key Points: 06:41 A Vital Community 07:47 VMware and Price Shock 11:05 Adapting to Tech Changes 18:29 Technology Next Steps News Articles Healthcare's Cybersecurity Problem Escalates – How Should Providers Respond? The VMware Price Shock: A Wake-up Call for Healthcare IT X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers essential cybersecurity reports including the HIMSS Survey, Cincinnati's Healthcare Cybersecurity Benchmarking Study, CrowdStrike's 2025 Global Threat Report, and Verizon's DBIR. Also highlighted: an Oracle engineering error affecting 45 hospitals' EHRs, Yale New Haven's breach impacting 5.5 million patients, and Blue Shield of California's Google Analytics configuration mistake exposing 4.7 million patients' data.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three critical cybersecurity stories: The FBI's annual Internet Crime Complaints Center report revealing a 9% increase in ransomware attacks and 67 new ransomware variants; JP Morgan Chase's CISO's open letter on third-party supply chain vulnerabilities; and a major data breach at Work Composer exposing 21 million employee screenshots stored in an unsecured Amazon S3 bucket. Key lesson: properly secure your cloud storage configurations.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 28, 2025: Laura O'Toole, CEO of SureTest, joins Sarah for the news. What strategies can healthcare leaders implement to demonstrate measurable ROI while addressing staff burnout and retention issues? The conversation delves into the delicate balance between innovation and change management, revealing how automation can empower healthcare professionals to focus on true, meaningful work. Laura shares valuable insights on building trust during digital transformation, emphasizing that leadership and connection remain at the heart of successful implementation strategies that create sustainable efficiency gains. Key Points: 02:08 A New Perspective on Chasing ROI 07:26 Case Studies and Real-World Examples 11:23 Cybersecurity and Virtual Healthcare 18:54 Navigating Workforce Challenges 22:54 Strategic Adoption 27:42 2026 Headline Hopes X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three urgent cybersecurity threats: a cybersecurity CEO caught installing malware on hospital computers in Oklahoma, government systems shutdown in Abilene following a cyber attack, and a dangerous malware campaign targeting Cisco WebEx users. Learn how employee vigilance stopped the hospital breach, how Texas is responding to reduced federal cybersecurity support, and critical steps to protect your organization from the WebEx vulnerability.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three key security stories: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's alleged sharing of classified information via Signal, resulting in a 13% increase in Signal usage; CISA recommendations following two Oracle breaches affecting healthcare customers and Cloud login data; and crosswalk buttons being hacked to play AI-spoofed voices of tech executives due to unchanged default passwords.X: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 21, 2025: Nikhil Buduma, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of Ambience Healthcare, discusses healthcare's past and how AI is shifting its future. As Nikhil reflects on 25 years of hospital operations evolution they contemplate whether the administrative burden placed on clinicians was an unintended consequence of digitization. What could healthcare look like in the next decade if AI becomes the steward of continuous patient care, allowing physicians to practice at the top of their license while focusing on meaningful human connection? Key Points: 03:02 Reducing Clinician Burden with AI 08:39 Evolution of Hospital Operations 14:35 Future of Healthcare: 2030 and Beyond 19:20 Cloud Computing in Healthcare News Articles: AI Doctors Surpassing Human Physicians in History Taking and Diagnosis Evolution of Hospital Operations Over 25 Years Healthcare's Misunderstanding of Cloud Computing X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three critical security stories: the government's reversal of its decision to defund Mitre's Common Vulnerability and Exposure (CVE) program, a ransomware attack on DaVita's 3,100+ dialysis facilities across 14 countries, and former CISA Assistant Director Chris Krebs' resignation from Sentinel One following an executive order targeting him.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex discusses significant disruptions in federal cybersecurity leadership, including the investigation of former CISA Director Chris Krebs, government officials withdrawing from the RSA Security Conference, and potential 40% personnel cuts at CISA. Drex emphasizes that healthcare organizations should not expect federal cybersecurity assistance and must instead build their own community of security partners and resources.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 14, 2025: George Pappas, CEO of Intraprise Health, joins Drex DeFord for the news. The conversation explores Chris Hughes' insights on how machine-readable security controls and dynamic monitoring could revolutionize cybersecurity frameworks. How are rural hospitals surviving in a landscape where financial constraints clash with escalating security demands? The discussion takes a critical look at the regulatory environment, where HIPAA audits have been sparse since 2017 despite record-breaking breaches. George illuminates the complex intersection of healthcare economics, regulatory oversight, and cybersecurity imperatives that organizations must navigate. Key Points: 02:09 Discussion on GRC and Cybersecurity 08:14 Microsoft's Rural Hospital Program 13:37 Upcoming HIPAA Audits and Challenges X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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Drex examines The alarming rise of intimate deepfakes targeting primarily women and children, with 18 states currently offering no legal protection against these digital sex crimes. Various state legislative efforts including Montana's focus on combating political deepfakes, particularly within 60 days of elections; and OpenAI's first investment in cybersecurity through a $43 million funding round for Adaptive Security, a company specializing in training organizations to recognize deepfake attacks and phishing threats.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson explore Apple's reported development of an AI-powered health coach, potentially branded as "Quartz." They discuss how this technology would leverage Apple Watch and iPhone data to provide personalized health advice on sleep, activity, stress, and mental wellbeing. The hosts examine the implications for healthcare IT leaders, including privacy considerations with on-device AI processing, integration challenges with clinical workflows, and changing patient expectations. X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 10, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble examine the proposed merger of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation to create the new Office of Strategy. They explore expert concerns about potential reductions in safety research and disruptions to quality initiatives, including AHRQ's goal to reduce patient and workforce harm by 50% by 2026. X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers three critical cybersecurity stories: Oracle's evolving response to two separate breaches affecting healthcare customers, with the company gradually changing its stance from denial to downplaying the significance of compromised data. Next Arizona-based Simon Med imaging practice facing multiple federal class action lawsuits after the Medusa cyber gang stole sensitive information from over 132,000 patients across seven states. Ukraine's innovative cyber warfare tactic of planting malware on drones that are captured by Russian forces, creating a cybersecurity trap when Russians attempt to study or reprogram the devices.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 9, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss a class action lawsuit filed against Penn Medicine regarding its exclusive contract with Independence Blue Cross. The hosts explore how this exclusivity affects patient choice, healthcare access, and market competition in the Philadelphia region. The conversation highlights the growing national scrutiny of healthcare consolidation and encourages IT leaders to evaluate whether their partnerships and systems enhance or restrict patient choice.X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 8. 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss critical strategies to address emergency department boarding, a significant patient safety concern. They explore key recommendations from the AHRQ summit, including public reporting standards, real-time regional bed tracking systems, payment incentives, and alternatives for psychiatric patients. X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the right time to escape vendor lock-in, and what hidden costs lurk behind seemingly simple transitions? Throughout the episode, Bill and Drex share candid insights on CIO career dynamics, challenging listeners to reflect on what truly defines success in healthcare IT leadership beyond mere longevity.Key Points:00:40 Oracle Cloud Breach Questions04:53 Google Health AI Updates10:46 VMware Price Shock Series15:34 CIO Career Moves and Leadership Insights24:21 Future of Healthcare SoftwareX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 7, 2025: Drex DeFord joins Bill Russell for the news. As Oracle faces scrutiny over a potential security breach affecting their cloud infrastructure, how should healthcare organizations respond when transparency is lacking from major vendors? The conversation then tackles the VMware price shock that's disrupting IT budgets across healthcare, prompting leaders to consider: when is the right time to escape vendor lock-in, and what hidden costs lurk behind seemingly simple transitions? Throughout the episode, Bill and Drex share candid insights on CIO career dynamics, challenging listeners to reflect on what truly defines success in healthcare IT leadership beyond mere longevity.Key Points:00:40 Oracle Cloud Breach Questions04:53 Google Health AI Updates10:46 VMware Price Shock Series15:34 CIO Career Moves and Leadership Insights24:21 Future of Healthcare SoftwareX: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Class action lawsuits have been filed against Oracle in Texas following recent cyber incidents, with lawyers alleging poor security framework, inadequate staff training, and failure to implement preventative software. The Health Sector Coordinating Council's cybersecurity working group testified to Congress about medical device security and the suspended HIPAA security rule update, citing unrealistic cost estimates and implementation challenges. Additionally, critical zero-day vulnerabilities in Apple devices require immediate updates, plus a warning about a GPS app with 320,000 downloads that could allow stalkers to steal location data in real time.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 3, 2024: Kate and Sarah break down Google Health's six groundbreaking AI initiatives. They explore how these innovations—from enhanced health information in search results to medical records APIs and AI-powered disease detection—are reshaping healthcare delivery worldwide. The hosts discuss practical implementation considerations for healthcare IT leaders, including interoperability challenges, data security requirements, ethical AI governance, and strategies for effective pilot programs.X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 3, 2024: Sarah and Kate examine Sanford Health's successful implementation of ambient AI documentation tools. After an initial pilot with 100 clinicians, the South Dakota-based health system is now expanding to an additional 200 clinicians—with 100% of pilot participants reporting they would be "extremely disappointed" if the tool was taken away. Learn how this AI implementation is addressing physician burnout, streamlining documentation processes, and creating a model for successful clinical technology adoption that other health systems can follow.X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 2, 2025: Kate and Sarah discuss RWJ Barnabas Health's innovative partnership with Uber Health to provide free transportation for underserved patients. They explore how this initiative significantly reduces no-show rates, improves care continuity, and addresses critical social determinants of health. X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers two separate Oracle security incidents affecting healthcare organizations. The Rose87168 hacking group claims to have stolen 6 million user records from Oracle Cloud, now for sale on the dark web. Oracle denies the breach, but independent researchers confirm data authenticity. A second breach on older Cerner servers (not yet migrated to Oracle Cloud) exposed patient medical information, with hackers attempting to extort several US healthcare organizations. The full scope of affected organizations and patients remains unknown but healthcare customers report dissatisfaction with Oracle's lack of transparency and response to these incidents.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
April 1, 2025: Sarah and Kate explore the critical role trust plays in healthcare IT transformation. They discuss how trust accelerates adoption of new technologies, why leadership consistency builds credibility, and practical ways to measure trust within your organization. Learn why even the best digital initiatives can stall without proper stakeholder trust and how cybersecurity efforts depend on being seen as trusted protectors rather than just enforcers.X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers a major security breach where Trump administration officials shared classified military operation details via Signal chat with an unauthorized reporter, Broadcom's release of critical security updates for VMware tools addressing high-severity vulnerabilities, and a dramatic HHS restructuring that eliminates 10,000 positions, reduces divisions from 28 to 15, and transfers key healthcare security offices including ASPR to CDC and realigns the Office of Civil Rights overseeing HIPAA compliance.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
March 31, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Drex DeFord of This Week Health explore the most impactful events in healthcare today. As cybersecurity regulations continue to advance, how do struggling systems keep up? They discuss the recent Johnson & Johnson investment of $55 billion in healthcare and what the current financial landscape means for innovation. Lastly, governance continues to be a complex issue for system leaders, but the solution could be as simple as saying “no”.Key Points:02:56 Regulatory Security Challenges 07:03 J&J $55 Billion Investment13:07 AI and Health Tech Investments16:40 Learn to Say NoNews Articles: Cyberattacks spark credit downgrades at 2 systemsJohnson & Johnson Announces $55 Billion Investment in U.S. Healthcare.Venture Capitalists Focus on AI to Drive Healthtech Growth.X: This Week HealthLinkedIn: This Week HealthDonate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
March 28, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson explore an innovative approach to EHR training that uses escape rooms to engage nurses. They discuss how these interactive experiences improve engagement, promote teamwork, develop critical thinking skills under pressure, create a safe space for making mistakes, and offer cost-effective training solutions. The hosts highlight how this approach transforms traditional EHR training from passive learning to experiential learning, resulting in better knowledge retention and improved system adoption.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
March 27, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble analyze the recent congressional funding bill's impact on healthcare. They discuss five key provisions: extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities, continued hospital-at-home programs, delayed Medicaid DSH payment cuts, financial relief for rural hospitals, and the lack of measures to avert physician pay cuts. The hosts provide actionable insights for healthcare IT leaders on adapting technology strategies and budgets to navigate these policy changes.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
March 26, 2025: Sarah Richardson and Kate Gamble discuss the significant shift from volume-based to value-based physician compensation models and what this means for healthcare technology leaders. They explore how this reform requires enhanced data tracking capabilities, EHR evolution, AI integration, and cybersecurity protocols while addressing physician burnout concerns. The conversation highlights critical questions CIOs, CTOs, CMIOs, and CISOs should be asking to ensure their technology infrastructure supports these compensation changes effectively and equitably.X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex covers reports of an alleged Oracle Cloud security incident affecting login infrastructure with over 6 million records at risk across 140,000 tenants (though Oracle denies any breach), and 23andMe's bankruptcy filing. Security recommendations include rotating credentials, resetting passwords for Oracle Cloud users, and downloading then deleting personal genetic data from 23andMe as a precautionary measure.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
March 25, 2025: Kate Gamble and Sarah Richardson discuss how fear-based leadership impacts healthcare organizations. They explore how fear stifles innovation, paralyzes decision-making, erodes trust, and contributes to burnout. Key takeaways include strategies to foster psychological safety, implement data-driven decision-making, and promote cross-functional collaboration to overcome fear-based leadership challenges in healthcare IT.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
Drex discusses Google's massive $32 billion acquisition of cloud security company Wiz and what it means for healthcare cloud infrastructure. Learn about the recent CISA employee firing controversy and subsequent court-ordered reinstatements. Plus, discover how states are competing to recruit displaced federal cybersecurity professionals - creating a potential hiring opportunity for healthcare organizations.Remember, Stay a Little Paranoid X: This Week Health LinkedIn: This Week Health Donate: Alex's Lemonade Stand: Foundation for Childhood Cancer
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