Women who used at-home test kits were more than twice as likely to complete screening than those who received only telephone reminders.

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Cervical cancer is usually slow-growing. It’s almost always caused by infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). It seldom has symptoms. But screening tests can detect HPV infections even in precancerous stages. Screening traditionally occurs during a pelvic exam, when a clinician collects sample cells for testing. Early detection, follow-up, and treatment of HPV infection can often prevent cervical cancer and related deaths.

Despite the proven effectiveness of cervical cancer screening, many women have never been screened or are behind in their screening. Screening rates tend to be lower in rural areas and among women who are uninsured or publicly insured. Obstacles to screening can include cost, distance to a clinic, language barriers, discomfort with a pelvic exam, and mistrust of the healthcare system.

A research team led by Dr. Jane R. Montealegre of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center aimed to assess whether at-home collection of samples using mailed self-collection kits could increase participation in cervical cancer screening among at-risk groups. They launched a clinical trial that enrolled nearly 2,500 participants, ages 30 to 65, from the Houston, Texas area.

Most participants (94%) were from racial or ethnic minority groups. All were overdue for cervical cancer screening. More than half (56%) were covered by a publicly funded financial assistance program. The study ran from February 20, 2020, to August 31, 2023.

Participants were randomly divided into three groups, with a little more than 800 people in each. One group received a call from a patient navigator to explain the importance of cervical cancer screening and invite them to get clinic-based screening. Patient navigators are trained to support and educate patients and help guide them through the health care system. Another group received a similar phone call and were also told they would be sent a self-collection kit for cervical cancer screening in the mail. The third group received a phone call, a self-collection kit in the mail, and a follow-up call to encourage them to return the kit. Study results appeared inJAMA Internal Medicineon June 6, 2025.

The researchers found that, by six months after enrollment, 17% of participants who had only received a phone call had been screened for cervical cancer in a clinic. In contrast, 41% of those who received a self-collection kit had been screened for cervical cancer. That screening rate is about 2.4 times higher than in the phone call only group. Screening rates were even higher, about 47%, among those who received the mail-in kit and follow-up contact from a patient navigator.

The scientists found that more than 80% of participants in the self-collection groups who were screened used their kits for screening. This hints that self-collection may be well-accepted by under-screened populations.

“Too many women—especially those who are uninsured, live in rural areas, or come from marginalized and underserved communities—aren’t getting screened for cervical cancer,” Montealegre says. ”These results show that self-collection testing could be a solution to increasing access to screening and, in turn, reducing the burden of cervical cancer in the U.S.”  

This research summary was published by the National Institutes of Health on July 1, 2025.

• #cancer screening
• #cervical cancer
• #HPV
• #rural

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People who were cured with antivirals had lower rates of serious health conditions.

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Successful treatment for hepatitis C doesn’t just protect the liver—it may also lower the risk of serious health conditions such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease and neurocognitive decline. These findings, highlighting the wider health benefits of early hepatitis C detection and care, were published in JAMA Network Open.

It is well known that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to serious liver complications, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. It has been linked to several extrahepatic manifestations, or conditions that affect parts of the body beyond the liver. Dahn Jeong, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, and colleagues analyzed the association between curing hepatitis C treatment with direct-acting antivirals and the risk of symptoms or conditions outside the liver.

For this population-based retrospective cohort study, the researchers used data from 22,576 people with chronic HCV between 1990 and 2021. Direct-acting antivirals that can be used without interferon were first approved in 2013. The drugs cure more than 95% of people who complete treatment.

The average follow-up period was 2.5 years. Across the cohort, 66% were men, and the average age was 42 years. A total of 11,953 received antiviral therapy and attained a sustained virological response (SVR), or continued undetectable HCV viral load, which is considered a cure. Another 386 received treatment but did not achieve SVR, and 10,237 remained untreated.

The researchers matched people who were treated to those who remained untreated or were treated but not cured according to the year of their HCV diagnosis. They assessed the incidence of five different extrahepatic manifestations: chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, major cardiac events and neurocognitive disorders.

Overall, type 2 diabetes was the most common condition, followed by major cardiac events, kidney disease and neurocognitive disorders.

People who were successfully treated with antiviral medications were less likely to develop extrahepatic health problems than those who weren’t treated. For every 1,000 person-years, treated patients had fewer cases of kidney disease (15 versus 21), stroke (6 versus 9), major heart problems (19 versus 27) and neurocognitive problems (10 versus 19). However, hepatitis C treatment didn’t seem to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (9 versus 6 cases). People who were cured also had lower rates of extrahepatic health conditions compared with those who were treated but did not achieve SVR.

“The potential extrahepatic benefits of HCV treatment highlighted in this study provide additional rationale for enhanced efforts to identify and overcome barriers to care, including reducing stigma, increasing clinician awareness, addressing socioeconomic challenges, and implementing innovative care models to improve overall health of people affected by HCV,” the study authors concluded.

Click here for more news about hepatitis C treatment.

• #cardiovascular
• #cognitive dysfunction
• #direct-acting antivirals
• #heart disease
• #hepatitis C
• #hepatitis C treatment
• #kidney disease
• #stroke
• #type 2 diabetes

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Higher intake lysine was linked to increased MASLD risk, while substituting other amino acids may lower it.

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Using data from the United States and the United Kingdom, scientists found that people with a higher intake of the amino acid lysine—particularly from eating red meat—faced a significantly greater chance of developing metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MASLD), according to a report in the Journal of Advanced Research.

MASLD and its more severe form, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), are responsible for a growing proportion of advanced liver disease worldwide. Over time, the buildup of fat in the liver can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. With only one approved medication, management of fatty liver disease and its complications largely depends on lifestyle changes such as weight loss and exercise.

Yu Shi, PhD, of the Zhejiang University in China, and colleagues aimed to better understand the potential link between the amino acid intake and the risk of MASLD. The researchers accessed information on adults ages 20 or older from the U.S. NHANES (2017–2020) and the U.K. Biobank (2006–2010) databases.

The study looked at data from 5,568 people in the U.S. NHANES database and 48,261 people in the U.K. Biobank. The prevalence of MASLD was 34% in the U.S. group and 28% in the U.K. group. Across both databases, people with MASLD were older, more likely to be male, had a lower education level and had a higher body mass index compared to those without fatty liver disease. Those in the former group also were more likely to have diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart and kidney disease, and they ate more food, including more protein.

When the researchers analyzed the combined effect of 18 different amino acids (protein building blocks), they found that higher consumption was associated with a greater likelihood of developing MASLD in both the U.S. and U.K. cohorts. In particular, increased lysine intake was linked to a higher risk of both MASLD overall and severe MASLD, but not of cirrhosis or liver cancer, in both groups. On the other hand, substituting lysine with other amino acids was associated with a reduced risk of MASLD.

Further, the team noted that that people’s diets fell into three common amino acid patterns: the Lys-Met pattern (rich in lysine and methionine from red meat and eggs), the Glu-Pro pattern (high in glutamic acid and proline from cereals and bread) and the Gly-Arg pattern (centered on glycine and arginine from other food types). People with the Lys-Met pattern were more likely to develop MASLD overall and severe MASLD, while those eating more Glu-Pro foods had the lowest risk. Digging deeper, the researchers found that lysine from red meat and animal protein—but not from plants—drove the higher MASLD risk, suggesting that the type of food delivering the amino acids matters.

“Lysine plays a major role in the association between amino acid intake and risk of MASLD,” wrote the researchers. “Dietary patterns rich in lysine, such as red meat, could be key targets for MASLD prevention strategies.”

Click here for more news about fatty liver disease.

• #cirrhosis
• #diet
• #fatty liver disease
• #liver cancer
• #MASH
• #MASLD
• #NAFLD
• #protein

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Researchers used a mouse model to gain insights into how exercise alters brain cells to protect them against Alzheimer’s disease.

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Exercise has well-known protective effects in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). More exercise is associated with lower risk of AD, better cognitive function, and less cognitive decline in people with AD. How exercise leads to these effects at the cellular level remains unclear. Knowing this could lead to novel ways to treat AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

A research team led by Dr. Christiane Wrann at Massachusetts General Hospital looked for exercise-induced changes in gene activity in a mouse model of AD. They used a technique called single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq). This allows for analysis of gene activity at the single cell level.

They focused on a region of the hippocampus called the dentate gyrus. The hippocampus is essential for memory and learning, and the dentate gyrus is where new hippocampal neurons form. Past studies have found it to be particularly susceptible to changes during both exercise and AD. Results of the study, which was funded in part by NIH, appeared in Nature Neuroscienceon June 12, 2025.

For exercise, mice were allowed to run freely on a wheel over a 60-day period. As expected, the AD mice who exercised had better cognitive function than ones that were kept sedentary. Exercise led to changes in gene activity in both healthy mice and in the mouse model of AD. The genes affected, however, differed between healthy and AD mice.

Certain gene activity changes were specific to AD mice across various cell types. Exercise restored some of these genes’ activities to levels like those of healthy mice. Many of these recovered genes, the team noted, were found in immature neurons. This suggested that exercise has an impact on new neuron formation in the hippocampus. Further experiments showed that one exercise-recovered gene,Atpif1, was particularly important for neuron development and survival.

Exercise had a pronounced effect on gene activity in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. These give rise to oligodendrocytes, which make the myelin sheath that insulates neurons. Exercise restored the activity of more than half of the genes in these cells that were affected in the AD mice.

The team also identified a subset of microglia, a type of immune cell found in the brain, that was only found in AD mice. These resembled disease-associated microglia, which are activated in response to AD and can reduce the damage caused by AD. Exercise, the researchers found, increased the activity of genes associated with these microglia.

The researchers identified a subset of astrocytes that were less abundant in AD mice. Astrocytes are cells that perform various support functions in the brain. These astrocytes were associated with blood vessels in the brain and had features consistent with a protective role. Exercise increased the activity of genes associated with these astrocytes in the AD mice.

Next, the team compared their findings in mice with snRNA-seq data from human AD and control brain tissue. Many of the genes with abnormal activity in the mouse AD model had similarly abnormal activity in people with a hereditary form of AD. This suggests that the findings in the mouse model may be applicable to AD in humans.

The study provides a comprehensive view of how exercise changes gene activity in the brain to protect against AD damage. The exercise-recovered genes that the team identified present potential targets for future therapies.

“While we’ve long known that exercise helps protect the brain, we didn’t fully understand which cells were responsible or how it worked at a molecular level,” Wrann says. “Now, we have a detailed map of how exercise impacts each major cell type in the memory center of the brain in Alzheimer’s disease.” 

This research summary was published by the National Institutes of Health on July 1, 2025.

• #Alzheimer’s disease
• #cognitive function
• #dementia
• #exercise
• #memory
• #neuron
• #physical activity

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The Department of Health and Aged Care has released the Aged Care Data and Digital Strategy and accompanying action plan.

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Writing to the health secretary and the deputy national security advisor, the lawmaker cited recent cyber hygiene failures by healthcare organizations and asked the agency to propose mandatory minimum cyber standards already under consideration.

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U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner, D-Va., wrote to the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger this past week and asked them to quickly develop and release mandatory minimum cyber standards for the healthcare sector. 

“Both the size and increasingly interconnected nature of the sector create a vulnerable attack surface,” Warner said.

WHY IT MATTERS

Warner, a cofounder of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, said that he is concerned not only about the economic risk to one of the largest sectors in the U.S. economy, with health expenditures “expected to grow to nearly 20% by 2032,” but also the risks to providers and patients.

“Simply put, inadequate cybersecurity practices put people’s lives at risk,” he said in the letter. 

Financially motivated threat actors know that PHI is highly valuable – “health records are more valuable than credit card records on the dark market,” he said, and it’s all too easy to disrupt healthcare-provider operations leaving patients without access to care and their PHI potentially sold to the highest bidder on the dark web.

In the letter, he did not mince words over known security lapses by organizations, including Change Healthcare. 

The for-profit healthcare payment processing organization was crippled after a February ransomware attack, inflicting widespread provider operational and patient care disruptions as a result. The Change provider-payments outage also threatened the closure of small practices and prevented pharmacists from confirming patient drug coverage.

“Due to some entities failing to implement basic cybersecurity best practices, such as the lack of multi-factor authentication resulting in the successful attack on Change Healthcare, the capability required of a threat actor to carry out an operation in the sector can be quite low,” Warner charged.

He also highlighted the recent cyberattack on Ascension, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the U.S., and the significant delays in care it caused.

Noting that policymakers, cybersecurity professionals and patients are calling voluntary healthcare cybersecurity “insufficient and dangerous,” Warner urged Becerra and Neuberger to ensure that the healthcare sector is required to be fully engaged in “developing, implementing and maintaining a coherent and effective cybersecurity regime” through mandatory cybersecurity requirements.

THE LARGER TREND

The scope of cyber threats has only escalated in severity and cost since healthcare experienced the top three largest data breaches of 2015.

In 2022, Warner called for a federal healthcare cybersecurity leader and presented several regulatory options in the policy paper Cybersecurity is Patient Safety to stimulate government action.

While the U.S. Health & Human Services proposed new cybersecurity requirements for hospitals and outlined voluntary healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals in December, the American Hospital Association pushed back on the proposal to penalize breached organizations, telling lawmakers that penalties on hospitals like Ascension and other healthcare organizations diminish funding for their cyber defenses and threaten the closure of cash-strapped HCOs.

“The cybersecurity proposal put forward in the President’s FY 2025 budget that would penalize hospitals is misguided and will not improve the overall cybersecurity posture of the healthcare sector,” AHA said in April at an HHS budget hearing.

We reached out to AHA for a comment and will update this story if one is made available. 

ON THE RECORD

“The stakes are too high, and the voluntary nature of the status quo is not working, especially regarding healthcare stakeholders that are systemically important nationally or regionally,” Warner said in the letter.

The HIMSS Healthcare Cybersecurity Forum is scheduled to take place October 31-November 1 in Washington, D.C. Learn more and register.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.Email: [email protected]Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

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Erie County Medical Center Corporation’s RPM initiative has been successful in “improving health outcomes and reducing the risks associated with hypertension,” says its VP of population health.

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Hypertension, the most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, affects 1.39 billion adults worldwide and has a 46% uncontrolled rate. That poses a substantial burden for hospitals and health systems – and necessitates a paradigm shift in management strategies, clinicians say. 

THE PROBLEM

Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to recurrent heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease and death. Social determinants of health and disparities magnify the likelihood of such deadly complications.

Erie County Medical Center Corporation serves Western New York. It encompasses Erie County Medical Center, one of only five public hospitals in New York State and the region’s only Level 1 Adult Trauma Center. It also is the largest safety net hospital, serving a large proportion of at-risk and vulnerable patients.

Located in the heart of Buffalo, ECMC is an anchor institution in Buffalo’s historic East Side community with more than 100 years of providing quality healthcare that specializes in treating patients disproportionately impacted by SDOH and chronic disease complications. Currently, ECMC serves a total of more than 6,500 hypertensive patients.

“The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in Erie County is alarming, with higher rates of stroke-related fatalities than both the national average and the aggregate of New York State,” said Lucia Rossi, vice president of ambulatory services and population health at ECMC. “Heart disease fatalities in this region are 33% higher than the national average, pointing to increased vulnerability among residents.

“Moreover, risk factors like high blood pressure and overweight/obesity are more prevalent, exacerbating the situation,” she continued. “Routine preventive health checks, including blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, are significantly lower at 58% among Buffalo and neighboring residents, compared with the 75% national average.”

This discrepancy raises concerns about undiagnosed conditions, highlighting the urgent need for proactive and targeted healthcare measures in this area, she added.

“Internal needs assessment data and the Erie County Community Health Needs Assessment revealed that ECMC’s patients suffer from disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and obesity,” Rossi said. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Hypertension, the most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, has become one of the most commonplace chronic conditions in the U.S.

“The combination of SDOH and disparities that contribute to the worsening of a condition have kept hypertension management in a steady state of evolution,” she continued. “Transportation barriers, a common SDOH in economically challenged groups, can have a tremendous impact on treatment adherence and achieving positive health outcomes in hypertension patients.”

In Buffalo, disparities in healthcare related to socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity continue to drive poor health outcomes for hypertensive patients.

“50% of U.S. adults are diagnosed with hypertension, and 50% of those adults are uncontrolled,” Rossi explained. “A staggering 80% of hypertensive Black adults are uncontrolled – a clear disparity in comparison to the population as a whole.

“At ECMC, 56% of patients diagnosed with hypertension were categorized as uncontrolled,” she reported. “58.2% of ECMC’s patients are Black, and 28.6% of residents live below the poverty line. Healthcare professionals are challenged with the need to consider disparities and barriers to care and to seek non-traditional care delivery and patient engagement methods like remote patient monitoring to effect substantial change.”

There is a critical need to explore and integrate innovative technologies, patient engagement strategies and care management frameworks to optimize patient outcomes and curb the escalating impact of hypertension on patient health and quality of life, she added.

PROPOSAL

Vendor Brook Health’s remote patient monitoring technology is designed to address the unique challenges faced by patients with hypertension who encounter transportation barriers. This system seamlessly integrates wearable devices and a mobile app into a HIPAA-compliant platform.

“This integration empowers patients to conduct continuous monitoring of critical health metrics such as blood pressure and heart rate from the convenience and privacy of their homes,” Rossi said. “By eliminating the necessity for frequent clinic visits, the RPM solution ensures that patients maintain consistent oversight of their health status, fostering proactive management and early intervention.

“Key features of the RPM system include robust capabilities for real-time data tracking, which provides healthcare providers with immediate access to vital health information,” she continued. “Automated alerts are triggered for critical readings or missed medication doses, enabling timely interventions that can potentially prevent acute health incidents.”

The system’s advanced analytics enable comprehensive trend analysis over time, facilitating personalized treatment adjustments tailored to each patient’s unique health profile and response to therapy, she added.

“In addition to its monitoring and alert functionalities, the RPM system incorporates integrated patient education resources,” Rossi explained. “These resources empower patients with comprehensive information on hypertension management, medication adherence strategies, lifestyle modifications and early symptom recognition. By equipping patients with knowledge and resources, the aim is to enhance their confidence and ability to actively participate in their healthcare journey.

“Healthcare providers leveraging RPM technologies stand to benefit significantly from improved patient outcomes,” she continued. “The proactive monitoring capabilities enable healthcare teams to detect and address deviations from optimal health parameters promptly, potentially reducing the incidence of severe hypertension-related complications such as strokes or heart attacks.”

By minimizing the need for unnecessary clinic visits, an RPM system can optimize healthcare efficiency and resource allocation, allowing providers to allocate more time and attention to patients requiring immediate medical interventions, she added.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Adherence to hypertension treatment, including pharmacological therapies, self-management techniques, behavioral modification or a relative combination, is critical for effective blood pressure control.

However, barriers to taking prescribed medications, lifestyle changes, and compliance with treatment plans and medical care, significantly hinder successful hypertension management.

“As such, non-traditional, comprehensive approaches to improve access and adherence to crucial healthcare services are essential for patients suffering from uncontrolled hypertension, barriers to care and health disparities,” Rossi said. “Remote patient monitoring, telehealth, care management with nurse interventions and behavioral intention screening have been individually recommended as techniques for effectively managing hypertension.

“Therefore, Erie County Medical Center implemented a comprehensive hypertension program interconnecting remote patient monitoring, telehealth, care management with nurse interventions and behavioral intention screening,” she continued.

“The comprehensive hypertension program was intended to engage active primary care patients at Erie County Medical Center in the city of Buffalo diagnosed with uncontrolled hypertension to measure and improve blood pressure control and behavioral intention.”

Erie County Medical Center included three outpatient primary practices – The Internal Medicine Center, The ECMC Family Health Center and the YOU Center for Wellness – to identify and enroll uncontrolled hypertensive patients in the comprehensive hypertension program. The program began on June 1, 2022, and is ongoing.

“The program was designed to eliminate all cost to the patient and promote participation for those patients coming from socioeconomically challenged circumstances,” Rossi explained. “A BodyTrace blood pressure cuff is provided to the patient at no cost, and telehealth video visits are used to address transportation barriers and ease patients’ compliance in the program.

“The blood pressure cuff directly connects the patient’s cell phone through Bluetooth, eliminating the need for wireless internet,” she continued. “Patients who do not have a cell phone are linked with a social worker who is able to help them obtain a cellphone through local government aid.”

Patients are screened at the beginning of the program for SDOH, and a care manager is assigned to work with the patient to address needs outside of hypertension management such as housing and food insecurity. The program addresses the clinical and social needs of the patient through comprehensive care coordination embedded in the remote patient monitoring program.

“Throughout the program, patients receive comprehensive remote patient monitoring care including extensive health teaching, weekly blood pressure assessments and medication compliance counseling from a specialized pharmacist,” she noted. “Research proves that Black patients with high blood pressure can benefit greatly from therapeutic lifestyle changes such as diet modification, physical activity and weight management.

“Therapeutic lifestyle interventions in this program emphasize patient self-management and are tailored to the individual’s cultural heritage, beliefs and behavioral norms,” she continued. “The use of remote patient monitoring and telehealth capabilities affords providers at ECMC the time and opportunity required to address disparities and tailor treatment to each unique patient without pressuring the patient to attend in-person visits.”

ECMC and its partners plan to use the impactful results of this program to ignite policy analysis, research, community engagement and payer reform to support the changes in the way healthcare is delivered that are necessary to reduce health disparities. The work focuses primarily on the Zip codes in Buffalo where Black residents are dying at three times the rate as their white counterparts.

“The health inequities plaguing these Zip codes are a result of the downstream effects of unemployment, failing education, low property values, poor access to public transportation, absence of grocery stores and poor access to healthcare,” Rossi noted.

RESULTS

The program with Brook Health launched in June 2022 and has demonstrated positive results. To date, the program has successfully enrolled 830 patients with a retention rate of 92%.

“This is especially impressive considering the challenges posed by our patient population’s social determinants of health and the historically high rates of non-compliance,” Rossi said. “This retention rate underscores the program’s effectiveness in engaging and retaining participants. One of the most notable achievements is the substantial improvement in hypertension control compliance.

“The baseline data indicated a primary care clinic blood pressure control rate of 44.2%, but since the program’s inception in June 2022, an impressive 74% of the patients enrolled in the program for more than three months have achieved an average blood pressure less than 140/90,” she reported. “32% of the patients have a blood pressure less than 130/80 and 80% of the controlled patients have been maintaining a controlled blood pressure for more than two months.”

This significant increase in blood pressure control and maintained control reflects the program’s ability to empower patients with the tools and resources needed to manage their hypertension effectively, she added.

“Through a qualitative prospective repeated-measures pre-post validated approach, progress is monitored weekly to study the effectiveness of remote patient monitoring on improving behavioral intentions, healthcare access, utilization and clinical outcomes for hypertensive patients,” she explained.

“A Likert-style pre-post questionnaire is being used to measure behavioral intention and perceived behavioral control toward self-measuring blood pressure, ease of accessing care and treatment compliance to show if patients feel they have more or less control over their health at the end of the program versus the beginning,” she said.

The behavioral intention outcome data to date has reflected that patients expressed a high level of confidence in their ability to attend visits (77%) and check blood pressure daily (77%) after participating in the program.

“The outcomes are a clear testament to the program’s success in achieving its objectives of improving health outcomes and reducing the risks associated with hypertension,” Rossi stated.

ADVICE FOR OTHERS

“Begin by conducting a thorough assessment of your patient population to identify specific demographics that would benefit most from RPM, such as elderly patients or those with chronic conditions requiring frequent monitoring,” Rossi advised.

“Selecting the right RPM technology involves choosing platforms that seamlessly integrate with your existing electronic health records system, ensuring compatibility with your practice’s workflow while prioritizing data security and HIPAA compliance,” she continued. “Comprehensive training programs are essential for both healthcare staff and patients to ensure proficiency in using RPM devices and software.”

Staff should be equipped to interpret RPM data effectively and integrate it into clinical decision-making processes, she added.

“Patients need thorough education on how to monitor their vital signs, interpret readings, and respond to alerts or notifications promptly,” she said. “Establish clear protocols for RPM data management, including who receives alerts, how responses are triaged and documentation procedures for interventions.

“To enhance patient engagement, emphasize ongoing communication and support,” she concluded. “Regular check-ins with patients to review their progress, discuss any concerns and reinforce the benefits of remote monitoring can significantly improve adherence and outcomes.”

Follow Bill’s HIT coverage on LinkedIn: Bill SiwickiEmail him: [email protected]Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

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The companies will further develop speech-to-text technology that takes healthcare provider’s notes and can upload key excerpts to EHR-agnostic files, while the agency accepts feedback on the sole-source solicitations.

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to award new contracts to two winners of this year’s AI Tech Sprint program, designed to help reduce the burden of clinical documentation.

WHY IT MATTERS

The VA says it intends to award firm fixed-price contracts to Abridge AI and Nuance Communications to test and evaluate commercial, cloud-based, ambient scribe software in live VA environments.

The administration said it needs software-as-a-service tools to transcribe clinical encounters and generate notes in order to integrate with its electronic health record, and so that doctors can insert visit information “without copy and paste manual effort,” according to the July 11 notice.

Moving beyond storing and retrieving data more efficiently to impact people’s lives and solve important problems was the spirit behind the tech sprint – Documenting VA Clinical Encounters and Integrating Community Care Data – according to Charles Worthington, VA chief technology officer and chief artificial intelligence officer. 

While the VA has made great strides in cloud and mobile computing that have enabled more veterans to access their benefits and patient information, the agency is on the cusp of a major transition to a new way to deliver software that is about creating inferences or predictions, based on large models and complicated mathematics, Worthington said at an award ceremony on May 21, when the finalists were announced.

“This paradigm is quite different. I think all of the techniques we’ve used to get to this point we’re going to have to rethink because all of those techniques are necessarily applicable to a world where we’re generating inferences and using those inferences to deliver outcomes,” he said.

Other winners of the Ambient Dictation for Clinical Encounters track were Althea Health, ARETUM, Cognosante Military and Veterans Health, Commure, Contrast AI, Credence Management Solutions, DeepScribe, TranscribeMD AI, Knowtex, QuantumTechIT, Sourceree, Tali AI and Veterans EZ Info.

Any interested party that believes it could satisfy the requirements can respond to the VA notice, the agency said. 

THE LARGER TREND

The $1 million AI Tech Sprint initiative was first launched this past year with the goal of developing ambient dictation for clinical encounters, as well as an advanced document-processing system for its Community Care program. 

To address provider burdens, the agency is seeking “high fidelity, traceable records of provider encounters” from a platform that can also interoperate with VA health system information. 

Part of the challenge was incorporating advanced software features, like source vetting and an ability to extract structured CPT codes, SNOMED CT codes and/or LOINC codes into medical records and its Summit Data Platform Health Information Exchange.

“AI solutions can help us reduce the time that clinicians spend on non-clinical work, which will get our teams doing more of what they love most: caring for Veterans,” Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the VA undersecretary for health, said in a statement when the challenge was announced in November. “This effort will reduce burnout among our clinicians and improve veteran healthcare at the same time.”

Both tracks offered a first-place prize of $300,000, $150,000 for second place and $50,000 for third. More than 150 teams competed across the two tracks, and there were 25 finalists, according to the VA’s Office of Research and Development AI Tech Sprint website.

“We could all but eliminate the administrative load that has eroded the quality of doctor-patient conversations and has famously broken the spirit of many clinicians,” said Dr. Shiv Rao, a practicing cardiologist and CEO of Abridge, one of the AI contract awardees.

Generative AI can attract the next generation of healthcare workers by simplifying difficult and labor-intensive processes, he told Healthcare IT News last year.

Microsoft subsidiary Nuance, through its long-term partnership with Epic, advanced ambient documentation products with genAI last year. 

“For the first time, we can see how conversational understanding, generative AI, and clinical context can together generate high-quality documentation,” Sean Bina, Epic’s VP of patient experience, said in the announcement.

ON THE RECORD

“The challenge was a rigorous and competitive evaluation process authorized under the America COMPETES Act and aligned with the directives of Executive Order 14110,” said VA officials in its contract notice.

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.Email: [email protected]Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

The HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum is scheduled to take place September 5-6 in Boston. Learn more and register.

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Humberto Farias of Concepta Technologies discusses his new Machine Advancement and General Intelligence Center and offers AI advice for healthcare C-suite executives and other health IT decision makers.

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Humberto Farias has been watching the explosion of generative AI very closely.

Farias is cofounder and chairman of Concepta Technologies, a technology company specializing in software development and programming in the areas of mobile, web, digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

For example, he noticed that Apple is putting generative AI at the very center of the lives of hundreds of millions of iPhone-toting people. But with recent data leaks, patient privacy problems and other IT issues, he says he’s worried health IT teams will become prone to seeing AI as a threat rather than a tool.

The question becomes: How can health systems protect valuable patient data while still reaping the benefits of generative AI?

Farias has debuted the Concepta Machine Advancement and General Intelligence Center, or MAGIC, a collaborative research program, virtual incubator and service center for artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

Healthcare IT News spoke recently with Farias to learn more about MAGIC and understand concerns he has heard from healthcare CTOs about implementing artificial intelligence. He offered tips and real-world examples to securely deploy AI and learning and described what he believes should be the primary focus for CIOs, CISOs and other security leaders at hospitals and health systems as AI and machine learning continue to transform healthcare.

Q. Please describe your new organization, MAGIC. What are your goals?

A. Our mission is to push the boundaries of AI research and development while providing practical applications and services that address real-world problems. At MAGIC, we aim to foster cutting-edge research for both fundamental technologies and applied solutions, support and nurture early-stage AI ventures, educate and train professionals in AI skills, provide consulting services, and build a network of collaboration.

Some of our initial partnerships include healthcare companies dedicated to improving healthcare for patients, hospitals and clinical teams. They combine assessments, analytics and education, and then measure it all to improve healthcare for everyone. Through our partnership, we are implementing AI to make programs run even more efficiently and cost-effectively for their teams.

We’re open to working with large health systems on some of the key issues they’re facing when it comes to AI implementation. We’ve worked with health systems like Advent Health on other software technology and are well-equipped to handle the unique regulatory and patient security issues healthcare faces.

Q. What are some of the concerns you have heard firsthand from healthcare CTOs about implementing AI into their business structures?

A. I’ve heard from healthcare CTOs that their main concerns regarding the implementation of AI into their business structures is still data privacy and security. Health executives want to ensure the privacy and security of sensitive patient data are a top priority, given the stringent regulations from HIPAA and other mandates.

There also is hesitation around how AI solutions can integrate with legacy systems and if they are compatible, as well as navigating the complex regulatory landscape to ensure AI solutions comply with all relevant laws and guidelines.

There also is a cost to implement AI, and many healthcare CTOs are uncertain about the return on investment this technology can provide. I’m always looking for ways to cut these costs by collaborating with peers and ensuring we don’t operate in a silo – learning from mistakes and building upon successes from other leaders in the industry.

In pairing with that, there is also a lack of skilled personnel to develop, implement and manage AI systems. Health systems already are on tight budgets and experiencing cutbacks, so working with an AI research program can fill this need and help advance the use of AI throughout their institutions.

We’re working to educate health systems on how AI can be used for simple things like minimizing repetitive admin tasks and large-scale projects that can improve workflows for providers and care with real patients.

Finally, there always are ethical concerns when it comes to AI, healthcare CTOs want to ensure AI is used ethically, particularly in decisions that directly affect patient care. The top concerns in this area are informed consent and data bias.

Patients must be aware AI is included in their care, as well as making sure data used to train AI algorithms does not result in biased healthcare decisions that exacerbate disparities in healthcare outcomes among different demographic groups.

Q. What are some tips and real-world examples you can offer to safely and securely deploy AI, especially considering sensitive medical data?

A. There are several ways healthcare executives can deploy AI safely and securely. One of those is through data encryption. It’s important always to encrypt sensitive medical data both in between networks and when filed in records systems to protect against unauthorized access.

Another tip is to implement robust access control mechanisms to ensure only authorized personnel can access sensitive data. Large healthcare centers should employ multi-factor authentication, role-based access controls and a 24/7 monitoring system. Conducting regular security audits is another way to ensure security and safety by continuous monitoring to detect and respond to potential threats promptly.

Regulating compliance is another tip to ensure trust; you would do this by aligning AI deployments with regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA and GDPR. Making a priority to develop and adhere to ethical guidelines for AI usage is another tip, making sure to focus on fairness, transparency and accountability.

For instance, Stanford Health Care has an ethics board that reviews AI projects for potential ethical issues.

Q. What would you say is the primary focus CIOs, CISOs, and other security leaders at hospitals and health systems should have as AI continues to explode in healthcare?

A. The use of AI is inevitable in healthcare, so the primary focus for CIOs, CISOs and other security leaders should be to continue to ensure data privacy and security and to protect patient data from breaches. The top priority should be making sure programs comply with regulations.

Healthcare leaders also should focus on the development of a scalable and secure IT infrastructure that can support AI applications without compromising performance or security. Then to support this system, provide ongoing training for staff at every level – from staff to providers to C-suite – on the latest AI technologies and security practices to mitigate risks associated with human error.

To ensure there’s a fail-safe plan, healthcare leaders should develop and maintain a comprehensive risk management strategy that includes regular assessments, incident response plans and continuous improvement.

Collaboration is key to creating the best team ready to handle the challenges of the world we live in, encouraging collaboration between IT, security and clinical teams to ensure AI solutions meet the needs of all stakeholders while maintaining security and compliance standards.

The HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum is scheduled to take place September 5-6 in Boston. Learn more and register.

Follow Bill’s HIT coverage on LinkedIn: Bill SiwickiEmail him: [email protected]Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.

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It recently digitised its registration and patient management systems.

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Bangkok Hospital, one of Thailand’s largest private healthcare providers, has moved away from the paper and manual process of registering and managing patient flow in its headquarters.

AI technologies provided by its partner, local startup Agnos Health, now underpin its patient registration and management systems. 

HOW IT WORKS

As part of its enhanced patient flow system, the tertiary hospital implemented self-service kiosks that run on multiple AI, integrating various registration steps. 

It features AI face recognition to identify and confirm patient identities; an AI symptom checker that initially screens a patient’s history to refer them to an appropriate department or clinic; and robotic process automation for automatic insurance verification. The system can also acquire a patient’s electronic consent for collecting personal data and issue e-visit slips to track service status.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Hospital’s check-up department, the Health Design Center (HDC), also transitioned from manual patient queue distribution to a digital system. 

Its nurses can now monitor and manage patient queues, the status of which are delivered to patients via mobile channels and the department’s television screen. The system has an AI that tracks service status and recommends repurposing rooms to relieve foot traffic in certain areas. 

The HDC can now send electronic forms that patients can fill out, even before going to the hospital. An AI assesses these for health risks and then recommends appropriate check-up packages. 

The department’s AI co-pilot processes patients’ check-up lists, wait times, appointments, and clinical priorities to recommend an optimal examination order. 

WHY IT MATTERS

Since augmenting its registration system with AI, Bangkok Hospital saw front-end and back-end procedures reduced, including taking patients’ medical histories. Wait times were also cut as registration steps were lessened by 45% from the previous system. 

The hospital claims patient queues in the check-up department are also now evenly distributed. The HDC manages between 200 and 300 patients daily, each with varied check-up packages, procedures, and time. With AI, staff spends less time informing patients about their wait times and next steps and answering oft-repeated questions. Wait times are down by half from the previous manual system.

THE LARGER TREND

Private hospital operators in Thailand have increasingly invested in and adopted data and digital technologies in recent years as part of their digital transformation initiatives. 

Srisawan Hospital, a private tertiary hospital in Nakhon Sawan, a city north of Bangkok, recently sought the assistance of GE HealthCare and InterSystems to digitise its asset and workforce resource management and install an integrated HIS at its Bangkok branch. 

To prove its maturity in the use of EMR technology, Princ Hospital Suvarnabhumi, part of the private Principle Healthcare Group, underwent the assessment for Stage 7 of the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model. It is currently the only hospital in Thailand to have achieved this highest validation, which it received early this year.

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